The 2018-19 season is fast approaching and with the Oakland Raiders releasing their first depth chart of the season, here is part one of my predictions on who will make the 53-man roster. Quarterbacks: Derek Carr, Connor Cook, EJ Manuel Unless Connor Cook or EJ Manuel put on a horrific display in the preseason, I …
When the Oakland Raiders take the field in September the usual suspect will be the flag bearers. Jon Gruden, Derek Carr, and eventually Khalil Mack will get the lion’s share of credit or blame and rightfully so. However, the season will likely hinge on the performance of a few other, less heralded roster features and potential …
Oakland Raiders fans should be buzzing at the moment. Even though Khalil Mack hasn’t yet signed a new long-term deal, there’s plenty to be optimistic about. The offseason acquisitions have settled in nicely, earning rave reviews, especially one of my personal favorites, Arden Key, the recruit from LSU in this year’s 2018 NFL Draft. Key …
Before the Silver and Black get to their first preseason contest against the Detroit Lions, the final 53-man roster and many position battles still must be sorted out. While training camp certainly won’t be the final benchmark, the happenings in Napa, CA will go a long way to decide how the depth chart takes shape.
When the Raiders poached Derek Ansley away from the Alabama coaching staff, it was viewed as a great hire.
Ansley has come up from the vaunted Nick Saban coaching tree and helped develop some high-level defensive back prospects. Being a former college DB himself, Ansley joined the Alabama staff initially with experience as a coordinator. However, what maybe wasn’t clear before, but certainly is now, is that he is the most important position coach. After a secondary unit that took 13 weeks to produce an interception (the first of the year was snagged by a linebacker), Ansley is expected to improve the group significantly.
It’s hard to believe it’s only been seven months since Mark Davis successfully lured Jon Gruden out of the broadcasting booth back onto the sideline, but it has. It’s been a long, exciting, and interesting off-season.
There’s a lot of hype and even more doubt surrounding the team, and everyone’s excited about September 10th, when Gruden calls plays as Oakland’s head coach for the first time since January 19th, 2002. However, after having the same four or five conversations about what scares and excites me as a fan, I’ve decided to consolidate them all into one article. So here it is, the quintessential guide to everything Jon Gruden.
Raiders owner Mark Davis is no stranger to making bold moves. From the future move to Las Vegas, signing Jon Gruden to a 10-year $100 million contract, to fan favorite Greg Papa being shown the door, Davis has had few issues doing what he wants. Could his next bold move be acquiring an All-Pro safety …
From 2003 to 2015 the Oakland Raiders could only manage 63 wins. The Raiders were a team dubbed “The Team of the Decades”, yet for over a decade, winning and excellence shown on the field were a rare achievement. When the two most consistently good players on a team are the kicker and punter, wins will undoubtedly be hard to come by.
However, this narrative appeared to change in 2016. A miraculous Week 1 win over the New Orleans Saints kick-started what was a 12-4 season that ended the Raiders’ long playoff drought. This was the first time since 2000 that the Raiders amassed 12 wins and it was the first double-digit winning season since 2002. Needless to say, success was far from the norm in the East Bay.
The mocking of Jon Gruden’s old-ass Raiders knows no bounds. Sure, it’s all quiet on the front now, but as July 23 approaches — the day rookies report to training camp in Napa — the hackneyed “If you’re old, Gruden wants you” will accelerate at an exponential rate.
The underlying theme under the ridicule is the concern that Oakland’s aged roster won’t serve the team well — at all. They’ll wear down, they’ll be out of breath, they’re just not as fast and exuberant as younger cats.
As it stands now per Gilbert Manzano of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the long-time voice of the Oakland Raiders, Greg Papa, is on his way out. Papa has served as the play-by-play radio voice of the Raiders since the 1993 season.
Taking over for Papa will be Brent Musburger as he signed a three-year contract which will start this season.
