Maybe We're too Harsh on Al, Maybe He'll do the Right Thing

Maddendude — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 06:09:10 -0000

Let's not forget, without Al Davis, we wouldn't be nearly as successful. The image of the Raiders is the all Al Davis. The Raiders do it their own way, we're not like other teams. Look at our recent past. When people thought we sucked because we were bringing in old guys, we built a superbowl caliber team, that probably would've won it had the refs not given it to the Pats. We got screwed the second time. But the fact that we won the AFC says a lot. Since then, only 3 other teams have won the AFC, the Patriots, the Steelers, and the Colts.

And now, the seeds for the next great Raider team has been planted, and it was all done by Al Davis. He drafted the risky big names Russell and McFadden, picks that were questionable at the time according to analysts, when some people said do the safe thing and take Calvin Johnson or trade down, or take Dorsey instead of McFadden. And look at his later round picks: Morrison (3rd round), Howard (2nd round), Miller (2nd round), Fargas (3rd round), Bush (4th round), Higgins (3rd round), Curry (7th round), Grove (2nd round), Henderson (3rd round). I'd say he's done a great job in drafting.

He's just too quick at throwing cash at undeserving players, but if it wasn't for the dollars on the checks, we would've thought he was making great moves bringing in solid players. The only real beef I have on this issue is not paying Asomugha. He's been the best player on our team for so long. Our defense basically relies on him to play lights out, or else what happened last monday night would happen every game. I don't want him leaving like Woodson. On the other hand, there are a lot of good corners in this years draft! (That was a joke, but its true).

As for coaches, the last few coaches have all deserved to get fired. Callahan, Turner, and Shell were all bad. This Kiffin fued is the one terrible decision he's going to end up making. Because it's not going to be based on performance, but arrogance. I went back and read some old articles. The fued started when Kiffin I think expressed interest in some college jobs. "Al Davis, according to league sources, is all but ignoring Kiffin's presence within the team offices, to the point of not even allowing his coach to attend meetings involving personnel decisions, draft planning or free-agency evaluation." (SI.com Jan 08 article). Remember how the beef started, well Ryan wanted to go to the Jets, and Kiffin wanted him gone. Instead, to not let Kiffin win that battle, Davis kept Ryan and tried having Kiffin resign. This is complete arrogance, and as I said, won't be based on performance.

At the same time though, Davis isn't an idiot. Maybe he'll embrace this publicity and keep Kiffin. The Raiders haven't gotten this much attention in years, ESPN talked about us at least a few times today. Also, Al Davis hasn't received this much criticism from his own fans, maybe ever. (Don't hold me to that). Maybe thats the one thing that could get to him, his own fans turning on him. Maybe he has a monkey throwing darts at a board with different sections that say, "Fire Him", "Pay Him X Mil", "Time for New Coach", "Start Fued". Mort on ESPN says all his sources tell him, no one knows what happens in Oakland, nothing makes sense.

Regardless, I know that I have no choice but to stand by Al Davis. And I'm confident that success will come, we are way too talented for anything less. We might have to be patient though. But even a broken clock is right twice a day.

We Still Have One of the Best Madden Teams

Maddendude — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 19:24:22 -0000

I have relatively high expectations for us this year, we could end up being in the playoff race, or we could end up tanking. Either way, we still have one thing to be proud of, with all our collection of talent, we have one of the best Madden teams.

Speed is probably the greatest asset to a player in Madden. This is where our defense is outstanding. We have the fastest linebacker corp in the league. Thomas's speed is rated 83, Morrison is 80, and Howard is 88, while Morrison and Howard are both above 90 overall. This makes for a lot of picks by the linebackers in coverage, just like in real life. The secondary is probably one of the best in the league. Hall and Asomugha are rated 93 and 96, respectively. Hall has 99 speed, making up for his slight deficiency in other categories. Both can be put in one on one coverage against any receiver in the league. Along with fast linebackers, this opens the defensive playbook up for anything. Huff and Wilson are both rated 87 overall. With Huff being built to play in coverage, and Wilson being built to stop the run, we have an ideal defensive backfield. As for the defensive line, Kelly is rated 91, Sands 83, and Burgess 92. The weak link is Richardson at 72. With 9 of 11 starters over 80-overall, and 6 of those over 90-overall, we should have a solid defense, if not one of the best to play with in Madden.

On offense, we have a few things that nearly all other teams are jealous of. We have a quarterback with 98 throwpower. While his other ratings that determine accuracy might not be great, in Madden they are insignificant as the user is making the reads and the throws, the only thing he needs is throwpower. We have a runningback with 97 speed and 99 acceleration who, by the way, can catch. He can be lined up against anyone on defense and it will be a mismatch. Combined with a powerback with the strength of a good defensive end, we have the perfect inside-outside combination. The last thing to complement all of this is a solid receiving corp. Carter and Higgins can stretch the field deep while Walker and Curry can grab every ball thrown to them. This is not mentioning Zach Miller who seems to have some sort of magnetic attraction to the ball. None of this would be possible without the O-line that averages 83.6 overall. The Guards and Center are all 85 overall minimum. The tackles is where the weaknesses are, but nonetheless are sufficient.

Special teams is something where we can proudly say we are THE best. Janikowski has 100 kickpower with 82 accuracy. However, the kick meter is not hard to use, making the accuracy a non-factor. Lechler as 98 kickpower and 94 accuracy. We have the biggest boots in the country. As for returning, Higgin's speed and acceleration make him an ideal returner, if you have the skill to make guys miss, Higgins will take you the rest of the way.

So when people laugh at you for picking the 71 Overall Raiders, just know that you'll be the one with the last laugh.

SB Nation User Blog: Maddendude

Maybe We're too Harsh on Al, Maybe He'll do the Right Thing

We Still Have One of the Best Madden Teams