Someone questioned my loyalty (zealotry even) yesterday after I voiced my support for Nnamdi's decision to leave and depart to the Eagles and also because I don't hate him or think ill of him for leaving.

This photo almost perfectly describes the feelings of the Nation from once free agency began (black, numbness), to the initial reports of Nnamdi's discussion with other teams (green, prepared for the worst but calm), to the news of his departure (RED, anger/frustration/hurt).

This would have been my response:

"My zealotry and loyalty has always been first and foremost to my team....

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I wanted him to prove all the naysayers wrong. I wanted him to pwn me and start looking like a black Peyton Manning against that brutal Steelers defense, but he is KILLING us right now. 

I knew that our run game wasn't gonna be able to do much of anything today and it isn't. Our D is playing hella vanilla and can't keep Rapelisburger off the field without Nnam, our pass protection is faltering right now (as usual) and our WR's are taking 1 step forward and 2 steps back but Campbell is looking like a fucking fish outta water whenever he gets pressured. He's slow as shit, and his windup has led to at least 2 fumbles that I've seen so far but he looks like he's about to piss hisself.

I motion that we start Grads for the 2nd half and bring Boller in if Grads is still not 100% from his shoulder injury.

I don't dislike Jason as a person or as a player but I see it in his eyes that he doesn't know what he's doing out there and without a running game to take the pressure off of him, and a D to bail his ass out he's worthless right now. 

Even with all of the unnecessary sacks he's been taking I will be the first to admit that he hasn't even come close to throwing an interception since I tuned into the game (I started to watch the game right before that Jacoby Ford reception where Clarke was flagged for a helmet to helmet hit, which was a horrible call), but that's 'cause he's not taking enough shots down the field and our WR's aren't getting wide open enough for him. He's barely even going through his progressions.

This is what we've been saying all along....Jason is NOT the reason for that 3 win streak, we've won in spite of him in 2 of those games and all the people saying he's the best man for the job don't know enough about what it takes to be a QB in the NFL to say so. Gradkowski does more with less than half of the talent of Jason but don't tell dubzfan and papadoc that shit. Smh.

I'll reason with you people though. If you start Grads in the 2nd half, and he sucks anywhere close to how badly Campbell does then you may have an argument, but I highly doubt that he could be THAT bad.

R.Z. here, checkin' in with the Nation after a wild month in Raiderville. After the draft, I posed a question to the Nation, asking if this was the year we break through, and halfway into the season, I'd like to gauge where we're at.

In my opinion, if this Raiders team is poised to make any kind of playoff run at all, our games against the Steelers, Dolphins, Chargers, Jags and Colts will make or break our season.

Truthfully, I'm still kind of hesitant to declare ourselves "out of the woods", because of below-mediocre QB play and a knack for drive killing penalties that can and will destroy us if we don't get a handle on it. But unlike last year (when both of these problems imploded our season) I think our defense and running game can make up for a lot of the deficiencies we may have. To be frank, next week in Pittsburgh will either be a massacre (if the 1st 3 quarters of Sunday's game are any indication) or a statement game that we really can play with anybody. 

I want nothing more than to shock the world and prove our mettle by beating the team that kept us a bridesmaid for 6 years in the 70s, and I believe we'll have everything we need to accomplish that. Thing is, we've shown the world that the only team that can beat us is US, and we haven't shown the ability to NOT shoot ourselves in the foot for 60 minutes. Even in some of our blowout wins we've made mistakes that would have cost us if we were still the Raiders of old.

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Now that I've got your attention, excuse me for the division-racial epithet, but I absolutely despise your team. That hate runs deep. Hell, 

I wish bad things happen to you and only you. Hate hate hate hate hate.... 

But since we got that out the way.... Part of me felt a slight sympathy for your team after the Raiders' Week 7 win in Denver. Having been on the receiving end of those kinds of beatdowns. It, quite frankly, sucks ass to lose that badly at home and play so much below your potential. But to finally be on the winning side of that kind of a trouncing felt great after such a frustrating loss to the Niners. 

Honestly, losing such a close game to an inferior team after having been ahead most of the game ended up saving 

our season from the depths of hell, and it catapulted us to the current run that we're on, heading into our Bye.

Now, before you get all your pitchforks and nooses out of the barn, you might want to take heed to what I'm about to say. The ONLY way to respond to such a soul crushing loss to a bad team like the Niners is to take charge and take it to the next team you play like your life depended on it. Have faith that your coaches took our example and will use it to knock the Chiefs out off of their high horse

So take it from me, as a fan of another team who thought the season was over after a blowout loss (Our game against Tennessee) and a close loss to a team we had no business losing to (SF), the season ain't over, and your season lies only in how well you play against your division, against the Chiefs and Chargers. Those games will be of the upmost importance to your team, and it will be crucial that you win them.

And in the spirit of brotherhood, I will be rooting for your team against these two teams, in hopes that you can at least have something positive to build on for next year. So good luck next Sunday, and here's to a 2-0 Bronco win on Sunday!

Jamarcus' career on the Raiders:

And now for the creme de la creme. Here's his career post-Raiders:

Continue reading this post »

The Madden NFL 11 machine keeps on rolling. Earlier this week, EA Sports unveiled a new online scouting feature, which will allow players to learn about their opponent's tendencies before an online game begins. With the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo just around the corner, it's time for yet another reveal for the biggest football game in the land: Today we've got the exclusive scoop on the team ratings for all 32 teams as they'll appear in Madden NFL 11 when the game ships on August 10. First up, is the full list from best to worst.

 

Rank	Team	Madden 11	Madden 10	Change
1	New Orleans Saints	92	94	-2
2	Indianapolis Colts	91	93	-2
3	Baltimore Ravens	90	87	+3
4	New York Jets	89	88	+1
5	Minnesota Vikings	88	90	-2
6	Green Bay Packers	87	87	NA
7	Dallas Cowboys	87	88	-1
8	New England Patriots	86	88	-2
9	Cincinnati Bengals	86	86	NA
10	San Diego Chargers	85	89	-4
11	Pittsburgh Steelers	84	85	-1
12	Atlanta Falcons	83	83	NA
13	New York Giants	81	81	NA
14	Philadelphia Eagles	80	86	-6
15	Arizona Cardinals	79	87	-8
16	Miami Dolphins	79	77	+2
17	San Francisco 49ers	79	78	+1
18	Houston Texans	78	82	-4
19	Denver Broncos	78	80	-2
20	Chicago Bears	77	75	+2
21	Tennessee Titans	77	79	-2
22	Washington Redskins	76	70	+6
23	Carolina Panthers	75	78	-3
24	Seattle Seahawks	75	72	+3
25	Jacksonville Jaguars	74	76	-2
26	Oakland Raiders	71	71	NA
27	Kansas City Chiefs	71	68	+3
28	Cleveland Browns	70	69	+1
29	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	69	67	+2
30	Detroit Lions	68	66	+2
31	Buffalo Bills	67	71	-4
32	St. Louis Rams	66	65	+1

 

The biggest winner on the list is obviously the Washington Redskins, who will benefit in Madden NFL 11, thanks to the addition of new quarterback Donovan McNabb, among other players. On the other end of the spectrum, the biggest loser is the Arizona Cardinals, who look to suffer in a big way, thanks to the retirement of quarterback Kurt Warner and the loss of wideout Anquan Boldin to the Ravens.

Here's the full list, organized by division:

 

AFC EAST
Team	Madden NFL 11 Rating
New York Jets	89
New England	86
Miami	78
Buffalo	67
AFC NORTH
Baltimore	90
Cincinnati	86
Pittsburgh	84
Cleveland	70
AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis	91
Houston	78
Tennessee	77
Jacksonville	74
AFC WEST
San Diego	85
Denver	78
Kansas City	71
Oakland	71
NFC EAST
Dallas	87
New York Giants	81
Philadelphia	80
Washington	76
NFC NORTH
Minnesota	88
Green Bay	87
Chicago	77
Detroit	68
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans	92
Atlanta	83
Carolina	75
Tampa Bay	69
NFC WEST
Arizona	79
San Francisco	79
Seattle	75
St. Louis	66

 

One other surprise? The Oakland Raiders--despite dumping all-time draft bust JaMarcus Russell and adding former Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell to the fold--remain at a 71 overall.

Earlier this week, Homer Rabara and I had a chance to chat with EA Sports' Donny Moore via Skype about the team ratings in Madden NFL 11. Check the video out here:

Taken from http://www.gamespot.com/news/6264588.html?tag=topslot;title;2

Make no mistake about it, we got completely disrespected by this rating. I mean, I know there is still some Raider hate out there, but this shit is ridiculous. How did we score lower than the Chiefs in our division, and the Jags and Seahawks overall?

I like the fact we have the chance to fly under the Raidar in a major way, and be competitive, but we seem to have Rodney Dangerfield syndrome among the good people at MADDEN NFL Football. Smh.

Oh, and I feel I must add that the way S&B pride does quoting is kinda weird, so please excuse the double quote. It's good to see some Raider fans in nu media though. My bad for the weird positioning of the video but the embed code was unconventional and I'm surprised S&B Pride even recognized the video. If you just click the fullscreen option you'll be able to see the whole video.

What do ya'll think about this? Do you feel this is a reflection of how most of the NFL and sports media feels, or is this just a result of harder and more interactive gameplay and a harsher rating system than before?

R.Z. Reports. You Decide.

I wrote some of this on another site I frequent (AllHipHop.com), but I thought I'd bring it here for my first FanPost. I'd like to hear supporting AND opposing views on my take on the draft....

Rolando McClain MLB Alabama

Lamarr Houston DT Texas

Jared Veldheer OT Hillsdale

Bruce Campbell OT Maryland

Jacoby Ford WR/KR Clemson

Walt McFadden CB Auburn

Travis Goethel ILB Arizona State

Jeremy Ware CB Michigan State

Stevie Brown S Michigan

Traded away: Cap'm Kirk Morrison


Traded for: Jason Campbell


I'd have to say this is the best Raiders draft since the year we got Nnamdi, and even HE took a few years to become the best CB in the league.


Rolando is a BEAST and is a bit of an improvement over Cap'm Kirk, but I still wish we kept Morrison as an outside backer along with Howard and Wimbley.


Houston is a NICE pickup and a great run stuffer unlike any we've had in recent years so that's a BIG improvement. You combine him with Seymour, Kelly, Bryant, Shaunessey, and Scott and I think our D just got a lot more efficient against the run.... I'm overjoyed to see my Raiders not lookin' like the Red Headed Stepchild with Autism of the NFL


Veldheer and Campbell are nice pickups for us, and we got Bruce much later than we were originally projected to get 'em so I'm really happy about that. Al musta been drugged the last few days 'cause I swear it ain't in us to use common sense these days. Campbell could turn out to be a BEAST with some work on his technique and Veldheer could provide a lot of immediate help at tackle. I just wish we got a more NFL ready RT or RG as opposed to a LT and a "project".

Jacoby Ford is a great pickup as a return man and extra receiver. I liked Nick Miller but he was out the whole year and only collected a paycheck for what he did in the preseason. I say we keep Miller as a backup just in case we have to deal with injuries in the return game again. But release Jonathan Holland if none of our current WR suffer a catastrophic injury in the meantime

Walt McFadden isn't a bad pickup this late in the draft, but I would have MUCH rather had Akwasi Owusu-Ansah instead of one of the OTs we drafted. He woulda been a BEAST for us. I still say we got a pretty good DB that can learn from Aso, so I ain't even mad at this. Travis Goethel is a nice pickup to compete with Ricky B. from what I hear. And since I was never really sold on Ricky being a legitimate threat at MLB, I'm lookin' forward to seeing if he can challenge him for the backup position to Roland(o) the Barbarian. Stevie Brown can be a good backup to Huff/Branch/Mitchell and can learn the ropes from them as one of them (hopefully) converts to CB if Ware or McFadden doesn't pan out.

Trading for Jason Campbell was something I kinda wasn't feelin' but since we got him for a sack of peanuts, a nicklebag, and some blunt wraps, I gotta say this could get JaCarcus out much faster than I thought he'd leave. Campbell might play with a chip on his shoulder too, so I like it. If he and Bruce can compete for the starting QB job, our team will be solid with whoever wins the job.


So in all, I think my Raiders didn't blow it like I thought they would, and they actually drafted like a team that belongs in the NFL for once. I guess Al was too busy to ruin the draft for us, like usual, since he'll be the star of the next "Tales From the Crypt" movie....(yeah, I said it!). Either way, Draftie Claus was on our side this weekend!


I give the Raiders an A- for gettin' some good value out of what we have, and setting us up for a pretty good season..... I still say that 8-8 is a GREAT possibility with the talent we have now. And we'll be an even bigger force come 2011, if there's even a season.....

I'm more proud of this team now than I was during the Superbowl season. 'Cause at least they're playing for a coach they like/respect and we can only go up from here. We all know how miserable these last 7-8 years have been, and I only hope that this year will provide the necessary spark to steer this ship in the right direction. If not, I'm on the first plane to Detroit to take my Homerism to a team more worthy of it! Haha. I keed. I keed.