Every year each NFL team plays four preseason games. Moreover, every year the players, pundits, and coaches remind us that the preseason is simply a time to evaluate players, shake off the rust and build the fans’ excitement. In spite of these reminders, many fans cannot help but use the preseason as a crystal ball for the upcoming regular season.
Oakland’s first preseason game of 2017 produced much drama and perhaps raised more questions than answers. Questions like: Is Ken Norton Jr. the right man for the job? How will the Raiders use a struggling Sean Smith? How do the Raider’s shuffle the offensive line around to most effectively protect the quarterback? Is Reggie Nelson over the hill?
Oakland Raiders rookie defensive tackle Treyvon Hester made big plays and turned heads in the teams opening preseason game at the University of Phoenix Stadium against the Cardinals.
alen Richard, running back for the Oakland Raiders, has a bright future with the team including a role that’s expected to grow running the ball behind Marshawn Lynch. Showing maturity beyond his years, however, it seems Richard is taking it upon himself to help some of the lesser known players find a place on his team.
The Oakland Raiders’ 2017 first round draft pick Gareon Conley continues to steal off-the-field related headlines. So much, in fact, that Raider Nation began to worry when Conley was signed to a team contract under his allotted rookie deal before absolving a lingering court matter.
The NFL Pre-Season officially kicked off this past week; the first taste of real football to trigger the fans around the world into a frenzy. For the next three weeks, the media coverage will tap into their crystal ball of power rankings, win-loss predictions and forecasting individual performance award nominees. It is nearly impossible for Raider Nation to resist after years of pre-season prediction coverage delegated to failures.
Now should we “sip the kool-aid” of Super Bowl contender status? Before you settle on that matter, take a look at a parallel I have noticed between the upcoming 2017 Oakland Raiders and the 2009 New Orleans who went on to win a Super Bowl contender.
The Raiders biggest offensive positional weakness in 2016 was the tight end group. Considering the overall success of the offense as a whole, it will be an area to watch for improvements thru the Oakland Raiders 2017 training camp carefully.
The Oakland Raiders 2017 Training Camp started with a league wide shocking report. Pro Bowl starting left tackle Donald Penn is holding out amidst a contractual dispute. In addition to Penn’s controversial decision, the team’s first round pick, Gareon Conley, got some good news as his legal drama might start to get behind him.
Training camp for the Oakland Raiders has gotten off to a rather impressive start, to say the least, of course, there have been some great moments such as Marshawn Lynch crashing an interview, but the biggest development has been the holdout of left tackle Donald Penn.
Marshawn Lynch earned the nickname “Beast Mode” and brought the Beast Quake play into NFL lore. However, Pro Football Focus reminded us recently that it’s Khalil Mack who really has the claws out in Oakland.
