Chaz Schilens went down tuesday during practice with a broken bone in his foot.
Schilens was by far the best receiver for the Raiders thus far this offseason, and looked to be the clear #1 wide out.
That is now all but gone, as he can miss 6-8 weeks recovering from this injury.
I would bet that Schilens will go on the PUP list, and be out for the first 4 games, which could severly hurt this offensive passing game, and put a huge damper on the start of the season that includes 3 divisional games.
On the other hand, it opens up the door for other wideouts that look to make the final roster. Guys like Nick Miller, Samie Parker, Will Franklin and Louis Murphy, who are looking for a roster spot, and have been impressive thus far, will have to keep pace to secure a chance at making the final 53.
One thing is for sure, our Raiders will be going into the 2009 season with several extra receivers to chose from, and JaMarcus Russell will really have to make some strides to get some w's at the start of the season, with Chaz Schilens and Javon Walker out.

The Oakland Raiders are set to face the Dallas Cowboys on thursday night at 10:00pm ET.
This will mark the first preseason game for both squads, and the first home game for the Oakland Raiders.

The things to note for this game are as follows;

1. What will we see from JaMarcus Russell and the Raiders offense.

This will be the Raiders first test in just how much progress JaMarcus Russell has made in the offseason, and a glympse of what we can expect from our three headed running game.
We will also need to take note of what Chaz Schilens and Johnnie Lee Higgins can do going into the 2009 season.

2. Who will be our starters.

Most positions are already filled when it comes to starting spots, and those positions include;
QB JaMarcus Russell
WR1 Chaz Schilens
LT Mario Henderson
LG Robert Gallery (although he will not start during this game due to injury)
RG Cooper Carslisle
TE Zach Miller
P Shane Lechler
K Sebastian Janikowski
DE Greg Ellis
DE Trevor Scott
DT Tommy Kelly
ILB Kirk Morrison
OLB Thomas Howard
CB Nnamdi Asomugha
CB Chris Johnson
S Tyvon Branch

What we don't know is who will fill the other spots, which includes the #1 runningback.
C Samson Satele or John Wade
RT Erik Pears, Cornell Green or other
FB Lorenzo Neal or Oren O'Neal
WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy or Todd Watkins
RB Darren McFadden, Michael Bush or Justin Fargas
DT Gerard Warren or Terdell Sands
OLB Rickey Brown, Jon Alston or other
S Michael Huff, Hiram Eugene or Mike Mitchell

Who starts in this game is not a set rule in who will start the regular season, but what it will tell us is who is the front runners at each position.

3. What kind of defense will we have.

New defensive coordinator John Marshall will install an entirely new defensive scheme, and we will get our frst look at it on thursday.
What will make this expecially interesting is that the Dallas Cowboys have a great running game, and we will get to see what our squad can do against the run.

4. Rookies!!!

On thursday we will finally get to see what our rookie class can do in a big game.
This will mark the first ever NFL game for over 6 new members of the Silver and Black, and it will be their chance to shine.
Darrius Heyward-Bey has had some bad practices thus far, and he has also had some good ones. Lets see what he can do in an NFL game.
I am expecially excited to see Mike Mitchell and Louis Murphy because I believe that the two of them will prove to be great selections and outstanding NFL players in due time.

5. FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL!!!

It will just be really nice to finally get to see our Oakland Raiders suit up for the first time in 09!
Not having football makes for some lonely times!

I will not be doing a post game report until later in the week, as I am leaving for Brooklyn Michigan, to watch the Nascar race at Michigan International Speedway early on Friday morning. However, I will get to one eventually, you can be sure of that.

So until next week, stay Silver and Black, and Just Win Baby!

Tremblay

The Oakland Raiders have been in talks with the New England Patriots about a trade involving DE Derrick Burgess since before the 2009 draft, and they finally made it happen last night.

Burgess will go to New England for undisclosed draft considerations.

Burgess had two probowl seasons with the Raiders and he was in his final year with the team. He has been unhappy for the past three seasons about his contract, which was never changed.

I will have more, when the terms of this deal are released.

Khalif Barnes, offensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders will be out for 6-8 weeks with a fracture in his ankle.
Barnes was supposed to push Mario Henderson for the starting left Tackle spot, but has been playing mostly on the second unit thus far in training camp.
Although this is not an earth shattering blow to the team, it doesn't help to have any offensive linemen get injured. This is expecially important when it is with a team that has struggled on the offensive line.

To help replace Barnes, the Raiders have signed OT Seth Wand. Wand played for the Raiders last year, and was released at the end of the season.

Other small injuries to note include, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jeff Garcia, and Isaiaha Ekejiuba. None of these injuries are serious, and they will continue to play through training camp.

Tremblay

The Raiders have officially started training camp today, out in the wine country of Napa California.
This has not been as complex a start to training camp as it was a year ago, and I would bet that everyone within the Raider Nation is absolutly thrilled about that.

First off, lets talk about the bad things, and move into all of the good things that are happening.

BAD #1
DE Derrick Burgess looks as though he will be a training camp holdout. This is nothing new, as Burgess has been unhappy with his contract since he basically signed it.
He will receive no love from me, because I believe that when you sign a contract, you have the moral obligation to honor it to the end. In the NFL today there seems to be far too many players out there that want the security of a long term contract, but less then half way into it, they want more and more money. If you want to stay at pace with the going pay rate, then you need not sign long term tenures.
I will leave that at that.
As for baby Burgess, my guess is that one of the first teams that has a training camp injury to a starting DE, Burgess will be packing his bags and heading to that team. This would be the reason that Greg Ellis was picked up from Dallas, and also why we keep drafting more ends.
Between Ellis, Trevor Scott, Jay Richardson, Greyson Gunheim, Derrick Gray and 2009 3rd round draft pick
Matt Shaughnessy, I would bet that we will be fine without Burgess in the lineup. Plus it would be wise to get some type of return for him, before he hits the free agent market next year, and we get nothing in return.

BAD #2
Starting LG Robert Gallery had to have emergency appendectomy surgery recently, and he will be out for a couple of weeks.
Although the surgery was a success and Gallery appears to be healing just fine, he will not be able to participate in practice until it is certain that he is fully healed with no prospect of a hernia.
Gallery has emerged as one of the better guards in the league, and his veteran talent and leadership will be missed while he sits out, but his work ethic and dedication should restore him to full potential by the start of the 2009 season.
Although this is an issue, it most certainly could have been much worse, and the key factor is that Gallery gets healed and healthy again.

BAD #3
QB Andrew Walter wants out! OK, so this really isn't that big an issue, as we now have JaMarcus Russell, Jeff Garcia, Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye in our QB roster, but it's an issue none the less.
Walter was the starter for this team during our worst season ever (2-14), and he has not been given much of a chance since. This will not likely change any time soon, as the prospect of him even retaining a roster spot would be slim.
I would have to say that Walter has a lot of quality tools to perhaps make a great starting QB somewhere in the NFL. It however, will not be happening in Oakland.
I wish Andrew Walter all the best of luck, and I hope that he can find a home somewhere else soon.

Now on to the good stuff!

Good #1
Al Davis and Tom Cable are still very much in love!
You laugh, but I'm serious!
Nothing killed our 2008 season more then the issue of Davis and Kiffin splitting up. That rift cause so much turmoil within the locker room, that it would have made it near impossible to fully focus on football.
This year, Davis and Cable are on the same page, they have a great working relationship, that will no doubt translate to harmony on the field and in the locker room.
When you hear interviews from some of our top players like JaMarcus Russell, Kirk Morrison and Nnamdi Asomugha, all of them will tell you that it is nice to have some continuance with the coaching staff, and the “Family” atmosphire is really becoming a huge part of this team.
I truly believe that keeping Tom Cable on as the head coach will begin the turnaround that this team desparately needs to have.

Good #2
Our rookie class has almost been fully signed and ready for camp.
6th round draft pick DE Stryker Sulak was released and 7th rounder TE Brandon Myers has yet to be signed, but aside from those two, the lot have been signed.
1st round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey has agreed upon a 5 year contract today and he will have it signed and at camp come tomorrow (friday). Missing only the one day of camp shouldn't hurt HB's development too much, and it is great to have that deal done.
2nd round pick S Mike Mitchell, 3rd round pick DE Matt Shaughnessy, 4th rounders WR Louis Murphy and LB Slade Norris are all signed and present for camp.

Good #3
There is a full aray of depth to every position.
When you play a professional sport, you cannot get into a mode of complacency. You have to have somebody keeping you on your toes, and pushing you to better yourself.
Key positions of note, are at QB with Jeff Garcia nipping at JaMarcus Russell's toes, and our pluthera of talent at the running back position. If we can have a healthy Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Justin Fargas, we should have one heak of a great three headed running attack.

Good #4
This is now a specified team, with the specific type of players needed to make it work.
You cannot have a deep ball threat without a deep ball passer and deep ball receivers.
You cannot have a fast, hard hitting and intimidating defense without fast, hard hitting and intimidating players.
You cannot properly install a run first offense, without some solid depth at running back.
Al Davis has been trying to bring back the type of team that he once had success with, and up until this year, there has always been a missing piece or two to the puzzle.
We now have the prospective talent to fill those voids and if these players can live up to their expectations, and coaches can properly utilyze that talent, then we may very well see one great big change in game time results.
People like to talk about the “Al Davis 70's style” not being able to work in todays NFL, BUT I say, how can we know that unless he has the right coach, the right players and the right mentality to make it work. So with that said, I believe that this will be the year that we find out if the game has passed by Davis, or if he is just as on the ball as he has always been in the past.
We within the Raider Nation would be very much hoping for that later of the two.

Other notes to make are the waiving of some players and the release of one.
WR Arman Shields, waived (failed physical)
QB Danny Southwick, waived
LB Frantz Joseph, waived
DE Stryker Sulak, waived
S Keith Davis, released
This now puts the Raiders at the manditory limit of 80 player to attent training camp.
No key players that are truly noteworthy were let go yet, so by all accounts that is good news.

On one final note (perhaps the greatest bit of news of all)
I have now set my trip to the Bay area for November, and I will be attending my first game in the Balck hole!
I have seen my Raiders play several times before, but living 4600km away from Oakland California has made it very difficult for me to make the trip to the Black hole.
As luck would have it (and a bit of an added debt) I will be 4 rows up, close to the 50 yard line, on the Raiders side of the field, in section 115, with my lovely wife, to watch my beloved Raiders play the Kansas City Chiefs on November 15th 2009!
I could not be any more stoked to see this game, and I can ensure you that I will be the biggest kid in the worlds largest candy store that day drapped in silver and black, with face paint and salivating for Red and yellow blood!
I will truly be at home with my fellow Raider Nation bretheran, and I simply cannot wait for it all to transpire.

On that note, lets get some football happening, and I will be sure to keep you all posted of what's happening with our
Oakland Raiders!

Cheers

Lee

Every year we enter a new NFL season without the knowledge of what is about to come. We make our predictions, and set our expectations, but in the end the future is not ours to know, but simply to guess.

In 2008 we all made our predictions of who would walk away with a Superbowl ring, and who would be their biggest competition. New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, New York Giants, Dallas, Minnesota, and New Orleans, were placed atop most of our leader boards. While teams like Miami and Atlanta were all but given no chance at success. These thoughts were studied, inspected, disected, and held the highest level of probibility.

Yet…..

New England, Dallas and New Orleans missed the playoffs, Tom Brady was gone for the entire season, Miami won the AFC East, Atlanta made the playoffs, and Pittsburgh beat Arizona in the Superbowl.

To say the least, most of us were way off on our predictions.

So even though we can speculate all we want about what is to come in 2009, all we really know is that there are going to be 32 teams to start the year, and only one will finish it with a Superbowl win.

So why should we even try to speculate on what is to come for 2009?

well……because it gives us something football related to talk about, while we patiently wait for the season to arrive. 

So lets take a look at the Oakland Raiders, and what we can expect from the team from the Black Hole!

As early predictions go, most believe that the success of this team will sit directly on the shoulders of number 2. JaMarcus Russell is said to be the key factor in what we are to expect from our Raiders. And why not? He is our starting QB. He is supposed to be the face of the franchise, and he is expected to become the leader of the pack.

Yet, in my humble opinion, our success will rest on far more factors then what we will get from JaMarcus Russell.

Key factor #1

Can JaMarcus Russell prove to be the face of this franchise? Can he lead this team, and grow into a solid quarterback in the NFL?

Key factor #2

How well can we utilyse our running talent? Will Darren McFadden become the superstar we believe he can become? Is Michael Bush as good as we thought he was before his broken knee during his senior year of college? Will Coach Cable be able to call the right plays to gain the best success?

Key factor #3

How good can the offensive line be? Did we make the right transactions, and add the right players to the fold, in order to give our offensive playmakers the time they need?

Key factor #4

Will we be able to stop the run? By not selecting any defensive tackles, and relying on who we have, do we still have what we need to limit the running game of the opposing teams?

Key factor #5

Is Coach Cable as good a coach as we within the Raider Nation hope he is?
Cable is a very likable guy, who has already earned the respect of this team. I truly believe that the only reason that the Raiders didn't have to use the franchise tag on Asomugha is because Asomugha likes Cable. Whether Cable can turn this franchise around or not is left to be seen.
Personally, I really like Tom Cable, and I am glad that he is being given the chance to lead this team. I believe that he has the right mentality, and football knowledge to succeed. Plus, I believe that he has a very solid idea of what he wants to do with this team.

Problems!!!

The problem is that we do not have too many players that we can truly say for sure what we will get from them. Aside from Kirk Morrison, Nnamdi Asomugha, Shane Lechler, Zach Miller, and Robert Gallery, we really don't know what to expect from anybody.
When you look at any team in the league, it is not too often that you can only be sure of the prospect of only 5 players.
We are unsure of what to expect from our QB, WR's, RB's, OL, DT and DB's, so to think that we know what is to come for 2009 is impossible.

What makes this season even more interesting, and perhaps harder to guage, is that we don't know what to expect from the rest of the division.
Denver is a mess to figure out, Kansas City is still rebuilding, and San Diego has all of the talent in the world, but a very bad head coach. So, needless to say, the division is up for grabs, and thinking that a team can win the division at 8-8 again, is not out of the question.

So what do I predict?

Well…. I have been hoping and expecting a winning season for the past three years, but this time all I hope for is improvement. 6 wins or more, and I will be ok with it, but I will be hoping for 500 or better.

I still believe that JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, the receiving core, and the defensive line can get it done, and I truly believe that we can win this division. Finishing with a 9-11 win season is not out of the question in my mind, even though it would be a stretch in most others.
I will however say that I don't put much stock in the Raiders winning the Superbowl, and being a true playoff contender is still far fetched, but our division is weak, and our chances of a playoff game is real.

The main issue is just trying to regain our swager, and not having to listen to anyone make fun of the Raiders anymore.

We have a very good core of talent on this team, and if we can get the most out of them, then we will begin to instill fear into the opposition once again.

Just win baby!!!

After the draft, Raiders head coach Tom Cable addressed the media and said that he would be dipping into the free agency market to add depth to this team.

Since that time the Raiders have signed 8 undrafted rookies, a young 2 year pro, and a 4 time probowler.

FB Lorenzo Neal is the type of smashmouth fullback that has made way for numerous 1000 yard rushers, including Raider killer Ladanian Tomlinson. He is a 4 time probowl player, and he brings with him a huge aray of talent and experience.
At 38 years of age, Neal will not be expected to be an every down back, but he will help to give our other future star FB, Oren O'Neal time to recover from knee surgery.
This is a great pickup for the Raiders, who have now addressed another major need.

The Raiders also signed free agent RB Gary Russell. Russell played for the Superbowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers last season, and most notably ran for the first touchdown in last seasons championship game.
Russell will not be expected to be a starter for an already deep running back class, but he does add depth, which is always needed.

Other signings for the Raiders include these 8 rookies.

TE Chris O'Neill, Boise State
DT Desmond Bryant, Harvard
S/LB Jerome Boyd, Oregon
G Jonathan Compas, UC-David
WR Nick Miller, Southern Utah
WR Shawn Bayes, Kent State
LB David Nixon, BYU
LB Frantz Joseph, Florida Atlantic

In other news, the Raiders 3 day mini camp started on friday, and it gave us a chance to see our rookie prospects in action.
1st round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey was very inpressive, as his speed was a factor early in training. He also showed doubters about his hands, that he can make some of those tough catches.

2nd round rookie Mike Mitchell was also impressive thus far in camp, and more importantly, he seems to have the perfect mindset for this game. He has worked out very hard since being drafted, and he plans on proving doubters wrong about him being drafted so high.

Tom Cable once again said it best, when asked about the controversy surrounding the Raiders first two picks in the draft, when he said, “We picked these guys for a reason, and only time will tell…”

It's amazing how many people there are out there that hate Al Davis. I find this somewhat confusing, troubling and hard to digest.  Are you one of those people that say Al Davis has gone insane?

Do you feel that the Oakland Raiders will never win with Davis at the helm?

Are you certain that Al Davis will never have a good relationship with his coaching staff?

Do you feel that Al Davis likes to pick the wrong draft picks?

Because if you are, I have some rebuttals to make!!!

Al Davis has had success with a specific style of football team.

He Likes to have a hard hitting, fast, big and mean defense.

His offense is a run first type of team, with a long ball QB that has the stretch the field type of receivers.

He has garnered great success in utilyzing this type of team for over 30 years, and up until the start of the 21st century.

This system changed when Jon Gruden came aboard and changed the phylosophy.

Gruden brought with him a completely different type of gameplan, with a short out offense, and a penalty free defense. His running game came second to the passing game, and the long ball went away completely.

This system worked, and it worked because we had the right coach and the right players to make it work. BUT, that coach left, and regardless of the reasons why he left, he did, and that changed the entire phylosophy once again.

This is where people started to question Al Davis, because since that time, Al has tried to make the Raiders of the present, back into the style of the Raiders of the past. This is not a process that is easy, because you need the right coach, the right players, and the right amount of time to build it.

We did not have the right coach.

We did not have the right players.

We needed more time then we hoped to get those into place.

And thus, began the questioning of Al Davis, and his level of sanity.

Davis hired Bill Callahan and he did a good job taking the team that Jon Gruden built to the Superbowl, only to loose to Jon Gruden who was the coach of the team that Tony Dungy built. Confusing?, I know, but the point is that Jon Gruden made the 2002 Oakland Raiders a Superbowl contender and Bill Callahan didn't know how to help that team win it. So we lost, and went on to begin what has become the worst 6 years for any team in the history of the NFL.

Bill Callahan lasted one more year, and he continued to dismantal Grudens team, taking them away from what made them good and ending the season at 4-12. Callahan did not like how the team was loaded with aging veterans and he wanted to bring in some young talent, which didn't sit well with the team, and by chance ended his career in Oakland.

Then came Norv Turner, who is oddly enough still a head coach in the NFL. He came in and produced a 5-11 season, followed by a 4-12 season. After getting fired, he eventually became the head coach in San Diego where he took a 14-2 team, brought them to 11-5 in his first year, and followed that up with an 8-8 season last year. Are you getting the trend with Turner?

In 2006 Al Davis decided to take a trip down memory lane and rehire his once successful head coach and fellow hall of famer Art Shell. He was brought in to rekindal what had once made the Oakland Raiders one of the most successfull teams in the league.

This was perhaps Al's worst mistake since firing Mike Shanahan.

Art Shell lead the 06 Raiders to a 2-14 season, and we within the Raider Nation began to hear the insults and geers, when we went about with our Raiders gear prowdly adorn.

After Art Shells quick departure, Al Davis tried another approach that he once had great success with.

He hired a very young and enthuisastic guy just entering into his 30s.

And Why not? He was once that young 30something guy that became successful. He did it with John Madden, and Mike Shanahan (who gained his success elsewhere), and then once again with Jon Gruden. So why not stick with what works for you? We still need that perfect fitting coach.

In 2007 Al Davis hired USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin to be the head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

This was a move that seemed very promising. Kiffin was young, dynamic, full of fresh ideas and a keen football knowledge.

BUT

Lane Kiffin didn't want to coach a team in the style that Al Davis wanted to bring back. Kiffin didn't like the players that Davis chose, and he didn't like the limitiations that he had, he complained about everything, but most of all, Lane Kiffin wanted to be a head coach in the NCAA, NOT THE NFL!!!

This was a marriage that showed promise at first, but once Kiffin came close to landing a head coaching job at Louisville, all was lost in Oakland. It was from that point on, when his team started to loose its spark, and the off field issues started to overshadow the game.

Kiffin had to go, and that is exactly what Al Davis did. He got rid of a guy that didn't want to be a part of the Oakland Raiders, and he managed to do it in a way that allowed him to not have to pay off the rest of his contract. Which, in my opinion, was pretty slick. A bit brash and somewhat uncalled for, but effective none the less. Why pay Kiffin, if you don't don't have to?

Crazy? Senile? Out of touch?

NOT A CHANCE!

He continued to try and move this team back into the right direction.

Now we have Tom Cable as the head coach. Cable is 100% on board with what Al Davis is trying to do. He has a very good relationship with Al, and he is able to work with him as well, which is very important for an NFL team to have.

Will Tom Cable be that perfect fit for the Raiders?

Maybe, maybe not, but thus far he is working out well, and having him on board, will allow Al Davis to worry about the other issue….

The players!

Al Davis started to rebuild this team a couple years back, with the signing of guys like QB JaMarcus Russell, CB Nnamdi Asomugha, ILB Kirk Morrison, OLB Thomas Howard, and S Michael Huff. He wanted to bring back the type of team that he gained his success with in the past.

He followed it up with RB Darren McFadden, RB Michael Bush, WR Johnnie Lee Higgins, WR Chaz Schilens and now with WR Darrius Heyward-Bey and S Michael Mitchell.

The defense that he is building is fast, tough, hard hitting, and big. He has put into place these type of players. Guys like Kirk Morrison, Tomas Howard, Nnamdi Asomugha, Michael Huff, Michael Mitchell, and so on, are all the same type of players that fit into this mold. Some have already gained success, like Morrison, Howard and Asomugha, and some have not worked out, like Fabian Washington, Darnell Bing, and Quentin Moses. But, like any NFL team, you are always going to have your fair share of busts.

The offense is only just now falling into place, as we have now brought in that running threat that we need to have, the long ball QB that we need to have, and the speedy receivers to go out and get those long balls.

JaMarcus Russell, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, Zach Miller and Brandon Myers are all players that give us all of the pieces to the puzzle.

Every player that leads this team, was brought in from the draft, and were brought in to fill a specific role.

Darren McFadden is the big play back. He is the guy that can break free at any given time.

Justin Fargas is the north to south back that will pound the ball in, and out work the next guy.

Michael Bush is t
he big back. He can get those third and short yards, and break through for some of those extra yards.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is our deep ball threat, and if he can't do it, we drafted Louis Murphy as well.

Johnnie Lee Higgins is the receiver that can break for those long gains after the catch.

Chaz Schilens is the big guy that can go up the middle.

Zach Miller is there for the short outs, and check downs.

Brandon Myers is supposed to be the blocking tightend that will help give the other receivers time to make the play.

And lets not forget that we still have Javon Walker who may not be done yet, and provides a sure handed receiving threat.

Now we look at the biggest piece to the puzzle. The guy that is supposed to lead this offense, and be able to make those big plays. Our quarterback and team captain, JaMarcus Russell.

Russell, is nimble, big, has a bullet for a pass, and can make any throw in any playbook. He has some issues to work out, but that is being assessed, and his progress will be helped with the rest of these pieces to the puzzle being on board, but he will have to be our leader.

Al Davis has built his team with what is now the entire ensamble cast of players.

Do you still think that he is insane?

You want to bring up the free agency busts, don't you?

Ok, lets do that. Randy Moss, Gibril Wilson, Kwame Harris, DeAngelo Hall, Drew Carter, Tommy Kelly, Javon Walker, Gerard Warren, and Terdell Sands.

Walker, Kelly, Warren and Sands are all still on the team and although they have not had a great deal of success, they also cannot be written off just yet.

Moss, Harris, Wilson, Hall and Carter, were all busts, and as such draw great criticism for Al Davis.

But here's the thing with that.

First off, there are far more free agent busts then there are success stories.

Second, lets not forget the good signings like Derrick Burgess, Chris Johnson, Cooper Carlisle and Hiram Eugene.

And third, the most important thing about gaining success is learning from your mistakes. Al Davis signed a lot of free agents that didn't pan out in 2008, so in 2009 he didn't spend any money on the marquee free agents. He only dipped into the free agency market on the lower priced guys that don't come with the heavy expectations of transforming this team into greatness once again.

To me, Al Davis tried different avenues and learned from the ones that didn't work, where teams like Washington and Dallas cannot seem to learn from their continued mistake of spending boat loads of money on free agents. Which raises the question, What is more insane?

Free agency has not been good as of late for the Raiders, but by not overspending in it, Al Davis has solved that problem.

Lets recap why many of you question Al Davis, and why I disagree.

You say he's crazy, but he has built a team that has all of the pieces in place to gain the same type of success, in the same style, that built the Raiders into a three time Superbowl champion.

If getting that style of coach, and those type of players, is concidered insane, then the 6 time Pittsburgh Steelers are completely off their rocker for keeping in place a system that work.

You say, he will never have a coach that will work well with him, but Tom Cable is embracing the style of football that Davis wants to bring back, and Davis is letting Cable get the players that are team players, which fits his style. They are getting along very well, and having a great offseason.

You say, the draft has been terrible, but I look at the best players on this team and EVERY single one of them is from our draft picks. I see guys that perhaps haven't lived up expectations yet, like Michael Huff, and Darren McFadden, but they still have some time to earn their stripes.

Look at Robert Gallery. He was concidered to be a bust, until only two years ago when he was moved to Guard, and started to play some great football. Many of you laughed at me two years ago when I said that Robert Gallery can still be a star, and now he is one heak of a great guard. 

Our future stars are young and will need time to develope, but they have all of the talent and prospect in the world.

Heyward-Bey and Mitchell may have gone higher then expected, but who will be laughing if they become the best in their position two years from now? Only time will tell that.

You say that the Raiders will never win until Al Davis is gone, and I would like to know how you can predict the future? and if you can, would you please tell me what lottery numbers I should pick, or who's going to win next years Superbowl, so I can bet heavily on it at the beginning of the year, and have a boatload of money to ease my financial worries.

The fact is, Al Davis has finally put together the team that he wants, and I'm sure that some of the players are going to bust, but if we can replace them with ones that do work out, then there is no reason why we cannot start winning again.

Like I said before, If you can take the knowledge and understanding that Al Davis has, and combine that with the fresh new age mentality of a young coach, you can build one heak of a great force.

I believe that Tom Cable may very well be that coach that works so good with Al Davis, that they can help each other build a great team, and bring back the winning to Oakland.

I also believe that Al Davis is completely on the ball right now, and only time will tell if the old school style of Raiders football, will work in the new age NFL. But I can also assure you that if it doesn't, Al Davis will try something else, because in the end it comes down to only two things…………….

A Commitment to excellence, and just win, Baby!

Ok, so here is my draft recap……

When we took Darrius Heyward-Bey with our first pick, I threw my hat across the room, cursed, stomped my feet, slammed my fists on the table, and then cursed some more.

Then I let myself cool down and wait for round 2……

When we made our second round pick of Michael Mitchell, I walked across the room, picked up my hat, threw it back across the room, cursed, stomped my feet, slammed my fists on the table, and then cursed some more.

 Needless to say, I was not very impressed…….

 But wait!

I decided to let this sink in, and I gave it some thought. I also looked at some tape of Mitchell, and listened to the press conferences with Raiders head coach Tom Cable. After which, I let it sink in, and believe it or not, I'm ok with it! Yes thats right, I'm actually not mad at the situation.

Let me explain,

The bad is that we took a guy that was projected to be the 3rd or 4th best receiver in the draft, even though all receivers were available. We also took a safety that wasn't even supposed to be drafted, let alone in the second round. We went with speed instead of polished ability, and we took a gamble on some questionable players.

But, here is the good,

The Raiders fell in love with both of these players, and when you really want something, you have to be willing to go out and get them, no matter how high a pick you need to use to get them.  

We got a receiver that has the ability to stretch the field in ways that most other receivers cannot. Which gives us the type of guy that we have been missing since Tim Brown was in his prime. We also get that threat that can utilize the type of talent that our franchise quarterback needs to have.

JaMarcus can throw a ball 80 yards from his knees, and when you have a guy that can do that, you need to have the guy that can go down the field to get it. That guy is Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The only question, is if he can catch the ball, but one thing is for sure, he is not afraid to try.

In the second round we got a guy that is almost completely unknown, but the Chicago Bears were going to take him with the 49th pick, two picks after the Raiders took him. So even though the analysts didn't know much about him, at least 12-15 teams did.

He is a bullet, and if you watch his tape, you will find that he hits harder then a freight train. He is big, he is tough, he is a team player, and best of all he is a speed guy, which is a must in Oakland.

I am very happy with this pick.

In the 3rd round, through to the 6th round, we took three DE/OLB, one WR, and a TE. These picks were to fill a need.

 We need more help on defensive end, and at outside linebacker. We have some talent, but it is the depth that we lack. Matt Shaughnessy, Slade Norris, and Stryker Sulak are all hybrid DE/OLB players. All three players are also special teams aces, and you can never have too many of them. Hard hitting, fast and multi-dimentional, are key, and all three fit the mold.

WR Louis Murphy was not supposed to fall to the 4th round, and as such, he became impossible to pass up. He is a big, fast, tough receiver, and did I mention that he is fast!

The first thing that he said to Coach Cable was, “can I play special teams too?” That shows me that this guy is willing to contribute in any way that he can, and I love that.

With our final pick, we took TE Brandon Myers. He is a blocking tightend, and we needed a blocking tightend, so he fills that role.

I will have a more indepth look at all of the player we took a bit later, but I will say one more thing that I liked about who we took. They are all “Team players”! They are all guys that are willing to out work the other, listen to what is said, and play for the team, and not themselves, and they all love football. Those are the types of players that I want on my team, and those are the type of players that make a difference.

Make note also, that Michael Crabtree didn't want to play in Oakland, and even though I would have taken that chance, I like what Coach Cable is doing. GET PLAYERS THAT WANT TO BE HERE!!!!!

Bye bye Gibril Wilson, no thanks Michael Crabtree.

It's Raiders style football, and those that don't like it, don't need to be here!

One more note is that the Raiders will be dipping into the free agency market for some help at DT, FB and DB. So I will keep you all posted.

leetremblay@sportstalkbuzz.com

Who will be the first overall pick in this years NFL draft?…..

Personally, I don't really care!

Who ever the Detriot Lions take at #1 will most likely not affect my Oakland Raiders, and when it comes down to it, all I really care about is who will be wearing the Silver and Black come game day 2009.

This is not a mock draft where I pretend to know what all 32 will do come draft day, or what needs each team should address. I can venture a pretty good guess as to what players will go to what team, but I would be lying if I told you that I studied the charts in complete depth and accuracy.

What I can tell you, is what the Oakland Raiders should, could, and will most likely do, come draft day.

Before I get into who the Raiders will pick, we should take a look at which areas are of concern for this team. My opinions of what we should do, are somewhat different from what I believe we will do, but when it comes to needs, they are one in the same, because it is pretty straight forward.

Needs:

Offensive line. 

In the offseason thus far we have aquired several new additions to the offensive line, T Khalif Barnes, T Eric Pears, G Marcus Johnson, and C Samson Satele. We have also resigned C Chris Morris, G Cooper Carlisle and LS Jon Condo. This is a lot of players to add to your roster, and still have the expectations of drafting more, but that may be exactly what happens on April 25/26. So, even though we have a good number of prospects on the O-line, no team can ever be truly satisfied with the offensive line, at any given time.

Defensive line.

Many fans and analysts will tell you that the Raiders need to plug a huge hole at the center of the defensive line. Gerard Warren and Terdell Sands have not lived up to expectations, and Tommy Kelly will not be able to do it himself. On the ends, we have enough prospective talent with Jay Richardson and Trevor Scott along with probowler Derrick Burgess to make due for another season. With Burgess in a contract year, we may just get the best we can out of him. If he doesn't become part of a draft day trade, which is also likely.

Wide Receiver.

There is a great amount of possibility at the receiver position on this Raiders roster, BUT there are NO surefire guarentees, and when you need your young QB to lead your team to greatness, you have to make sure that he has the guys to throw the ball to. Personally, I think that between Chaz Schilens, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Javon Walker, Arman Shields and Todd Watkins, we should be able to make a star out of one or two of them, but I would also have to say that I would not pass on the best receiver in the draft, if he is still there at #7.

Safety.

We have some good players at safety, but we don't have a lot of depth. We may be able to get by for another season, but soon enough we need to plug this hole.

Fullback.

Not a huge area of concern, but Oren O'Neals health is a concern, and we may want to look at the undrafted FBs after the draft.

Linebacker.

We are set in the middle with Kirk Morrison, and on the one side with Thomas Howard, but if the right fit is there for the other side, we may not pass on that chance. We could still fill the void with Ricky Brown, Sam Williams or Jon Alston, but much like our receiving core, there are a lot of questionmarks for that final LB position.

Lee's Personal Analysis of team needs:

My focus would be almost entirely on the offensive side of the ball. We have the QB, we have the runningbacks, we have the tightend. We have done a great job updating the O-line, and we have a lot of promise at receiver. BUT, The o-line and the receiving core CANNOT be a disapointment this year, and too much depth is still not enough. Stockpile the offense and weed out the busts, and give Jamarcus Russell every chance to succeed.

On defense, we have even more questionmarks then on offense, BUT I believe that we have enough to get by for one year. Remember, when this team can keep the offense on the field for long periods of time, this defense tends to play some steller football. By fixing the offense, I believe that we in turn will fix the defense. It is also a new defensive system with new defensive coordinator John Marshall, so giving him one full year to figure out who fits, and who doesn't fit, is needed. Lets see what Marshall can do with guys like Gerard Warren, Tredell Sands, Sam Williams, and Michael Huff, before we replace them in the depth chart.

Draft day 2009

Round 1:

The Oakland Raiders should take WR Michael Crabtree, OT Jason Smith, or OT Eugene Monroe, BUT none of these guys will be available at #7. So our choice will land in the second tier.

Should pick; What the Raiders should do, is try to trade down and get a mid first rounder and a second round pick. With those two picks, we should still be able to get either WR Jeremy Maclin, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey or OT Michael Oher.

Will pick;  OT Andre Smith, Alabama

Andre Smith has had a brutal offseason, and he has fallen down on many draft boards, but not in Oakland. Smith is 6-4, 332lbs and he is a pass blocking specialist, and could very well be the best in the draft. Jamarcus Russell will need time to throw the ball, and with Smith on the left side, that is exactly what he will have. Also with Khalif Barnes signed for one year, it will give Coach Cable time to develope Smith.

Top 5 options;

WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech. 6-2 215lbs.  If he is still on board, I would take him in a hreatbeat.

OT Andre Smith, Alabama. 6-4 332lbs.  Pass rush specialist.

OT Michael Oher, Mississippi. 6-5 309lbs. 4th best tackle in the draft.

WR Jeremy Maclin, Missouri. 6-0 198lbs. He will be the Raiders choice if Smith is gone. He is big, speedy and polished, and he fits the mold that Al Davis loves.

DT BJ Raji, Boston College. 6-2 337lbs. Best DT in the draft, and would secure the defensive line. Problem is that we already have too much money invested in the position, and too many other needs to take him at #7.

Round 2:

In the second round of the draft the Raiders will take the player in the position they didn't take in round #!.

Should pick; The best player available at WR, OT or DT, depending on who the took in the first.

Will Pick;  WR Ramses Barden, Cal-Poly/ OT William Beatty, U-Conn.

If the pick is Andre Smith in the first round, then it will be WR Ramses Barden in the second. He is 6-6 229lbs and the Raiders love him. He is not a speed receiver, but that doesn't really matter, because we already have lots of speedy receivers. What Barden would add to this team, is a huge receiver that will be perfect in endzone completions. At 6-6 he would be hard for the shorter DBs to defend.

If Andre Smith was taken before #7 in the first, the Raiders would have taken WR Jeremy Maclin with the #7 pick. With that being the case, with the second round pick, they would go with OT William Beatty. Beatty is 6-6 307lbs and has the potential to be a 10 year starting tackle. I would also not be suprised to see the Raiders go with DT Ron Brace, but I believe that the focus in the first two rounds will be at WR and OT.

Top 5 options;

WR Ramses Barden, Cal-Poly. 6-6 229lbs. Big big, endzone threat.

OT William Beatty, U-Conn. 6-6 307lbs. One of the top OTs in the draft.

DT Ron Brace, Boston College. 6-3 330lbs. Might just be the biggest sleeper in the draft. Solid DT.

DE Micheal Johnson, Georgia Tech. 6-7 266lbs. Fast DE with a lot of talent. Risky pick due to lack of production.

OLB Larry English, Northern Illinois. 6-2 255lbs. Can play LB or DE.

Round 3:

With the biggest needs taken care of at OT and WR the Raiders can focus on depth.

Should pick;  SS Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest.

One of the best Safeties in the draft and fills a much needed position. He also runs a 4.42 40, and we all kno
w how much Al loves speed.

Will pick;  SS Chip Vaughn, Wake forest.

This pick just seems to make a lot of sense, and if I forgot to mention it already, he's 6-2 221 lbs, so he can cover even the biggest of receivers.

Top 5 options;

SS Chip Vaughn, Wake Forest. 6-2 221lbs. Big, Fast and in a position of need.

DT Fili Moala, Southern Cal. 6-4 305lbs. May be tough to pass on if he falls to the 3rd round.

OT Philip Loadholt, Oklahoma. 6-8 332lbs. Huge tackle. Simply huge!

FS Rashad Johnson, Alabama. 5-11 203lbs. Not that tall, but big in size, plus he runs a 4.49 40.

OG Herman Johnson, LSU. 6-7 356lbs. May be the biggest guy in the draft, and he played at LSU with Jamarcus Russell.

Round 4:

Should pick;  Best player available!

Will pick; DT/DE Alex Magee, Purdue.

Magee is moving up a lot of player boards and might be gone before the 4th round, but I have a hunch that he will still be available, and the Raiders will get that DT that many believe they need.

Top 5 options;

OLB Jason Williams, Western Illinios. 6-1 241lbs. He will be the Raiders 4th round pick if he is still on the board, but my guess is that he goes in the 3rd.

DT/DE Alex Magee, Purdue. 6-3 295lbs.

OG Trevor Canfield, Cincinnati. 6-5 307lbs.

DT Ricky Jean-Francois, LSU. 6-3 295lbs.

OT Xavier Fulton, Illinois. 6-4 302lbs.

Round 7:

In the 7th, it doesn't really matter what you need, or who you want, you just have to take the best player available at any position and hope that you catch a diamond in the rough.

Will pick; DT Nadar Abdallah, Ohio State

Started to play well when his family lost everything in the Katrina Hurricane, so you know the talent is there, but the motivation needs to be kept.

Top 5 options;

DT Nader Abdallah, Ohio State. 6-4 295lbs.

DE/OLB Phillip Hunt, Houston. 6-1 261lbs.

OLB DeAndre Levy, Wisconson. 6-2 236lbs.

OL Anthony Parker, Tennessee. 6-2 297lbs.

WR Tiquan Underwood, Rutgers. 6-1 184lbs.