Let's hear it for Reggie McKenzie, again. Now, I'm not going to pretend that I knew anything about Joey Clinkscales, other than that he was the New York Jets VP of College Scouting, before I wrote this, but, what I do know is that the old regime had to go as soon as Mr. Davis passed. It was clear that Al hired his guys to work directly with him and to carry out his wishes and without him around anymore it is time for this franchise to operate the way that new GM Reggie McKenzie sees fit.

I applaud how Reggie has gone about this process. He has gone out and gotten "His guys" and took his time in making the moves that didn't necessarily need to be made as he was loyal to the old timers that were around in his playing days by letting them stay through the draft and free agency before letting them go.

Now, here is what I could dig up on Clinkscales:

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There it is Raider Nation. The first pick of the Post Al Davis Era is in the books!

Tony Bergstrom is a beast of an O-Lineman who anchored the line on an 8-5 team that beat Georgia 30-27 in the 2011 Sun Bowl.

At 6'5" and 313 pounds, Bergstrom was all an All Pac-12 Selection in 2011 who will probably move inside to Guard for Oakland. Bergstrom plays with a mean streak and he looks to team up with Wiz, Veldheer and Brisiel to give Oakland a beefy, mean offensive line.

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Cam Johnson is probably best hybrid DE/OLB prospect that figures to be on the board when the Oakland Raiders pick in between the 3rd and 4th rounds today.

Johnson moved to Defensive End this year after playing at OLB for his first three seasons at Virginia. This move produced good results as he tallied 6 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss.

This is the type of player that i envision the raiders selecting. Johnson is a big body that can contain the edge from the linebacker position or pt a hand on the ground and rush the passer.

In most years, he may have been a second round or early third round pick and he represents great value IF he is still there.

Of course, I am hoping that Trumaine Johnson or Ohio State OT, Mike Adams, slip to this pick, but, realistically, I will be content with seeing Cam Johnson in the Silver and Black in 2012 and beyond.

So, who is on your realistic list and who is on your wish list?

Wassup Raider Nation? On a slow for news Monday, I figure I'll bring a little levity to the process of trying to figure out how the Hybrid 3-4 will look, what exactly Nap Kaufman will be doing and who will be around for the Raiders to pick from the carcass of the NFL Draft, as I digress into some news that isn't really news.

If you, like me, missed the first weekend of Coachella then Youtube has done an awesome job of hosting some pretty awesome content HERE

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(* We are awaiting official word from the Oakland raiders, but my sources tell me that Mike Brisiel has officially been signed by the Oakland Raiders)

Now, that didn't take long. Minutes after announcing the release of Kamerion Wimbley, the Oakland Raiders announced the addition of Zone Blocker and Tough guy Extraordinaire, Mike Brisiel, formerly of the Houston Texans. (Interestingly, Brisiel also has experience as a Center)

This should come as no surprise, as BOTH Greg Knapp and new O-Line Coach Frank Pollack coached Mike Brisiel on the Houston Texans.

What may come as a surprise is that the Raiders lost some defense, which they are very thin at and added some offense. then again, from all accounts, Brisiel is a vey tough and high quality starter that will help the line transition to a zone blocking scheme.

Next on the Raider Radar seems to be Rams CB, Ron Bartell. There is also a possibility that Tracy Porter could be in Silver and Black.

In the lose some and hope to sin some update of the day, Shalise Manza Young is reporting that:

Trevor Scott is visiting the Patriots(Man, Billy B loves his Raider cast-offs):

source: DE Trevor Scott to visit Patriots...6-5, 255 pounds, comes off season with 0 sacks, 7 tkls in 16 gms as reserve

I have always been a big Trevor Scott fan and believe that he can be a strong defensive force in the NFL, if he can stay healthy. he is something of a Tweener, but, I can see the Pats using him as an edge rusher in a 3-4 set.

On the other side of the news, the good side, Adam Schefter is reporting that Tracy Porter is considering the Raiders:

Saints cornerback Tracy Porter is visiting the Bengals today, and also talking with the Raiders and Saints.

I have to believe, at this point, that the Bengals are the number one option for Porter as they have about 20 billion dollars of cap space and Porter is probably the best corner still available on the market.

Keep your ears and eyes peeled to Silver and Black Pride as we bring you all of the Oakland Raider Updates as we find them!

I must say that Larry Grant's performance,when filling in for the injured Patrick Willis, was enough for me to be happy with giving up a 6th Round pick to sign him. Unfortunately, the Raiders don't have a 7th Round pick, or they could have forfeited that one instead.

The 49ers have placed a low level 7th Round tender on Larry Grant, which means that the Bay Area native and former SFCC stand-out could be had if the team that signs him is willing to pay him AND forfeit a pick.

In just 3 starts last season, Grant registered 24 tackles, 11 assists, defended 5 passes and had a forced fumble. I really don't think that there will be a 6th Rounder out there that will start next year and most of the late round picks won't ever start in the NFL.

In his career he has played the right side and the middle and IF Grant will sign for cheap, he could be a free-agent steal for the Raiders.

* Keep in mind that whatever offer the Raiders make can be matched by the Niners or they can take the pick.

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It looks like the cuts today were done with a purpose. No sooner was Cooper Carlisle shown the door than Mike Brisiel was walking down the silver and black carpet.

Brisiel isn't a household name, like some of the Houston Texan O-Linemen that were cut, but, he has worked under Frank Pollack and Greg Knapp. Don't be surprised if this is one of the "Football-Player" types that Reggie has been looking for.

In fact, his Pro Football Reference page looks like he's related to Jimmy Hoffa. Does he exist?

At least we know that he has made one block in his NFL Career:

Brisiel was a key factor in the final offensive play of the Houston Texans' 29-28 comeback victory over the Miami Dolphins at Reliant Stadium. While the wide receivers pulled defensive attention towards the sidelines on the Texans' last-ditch 4th-and-2 play, Brisiel blocked the one defensive lineman who had a chance to tackle quarterback Matt Schaub as he ran the ball in from 3 yards out for the decisive score

I really don't care, just as long as he can block someone and the new coaches have faith in him, I'll be okay with this.

Being from California, where most breweries have tasting rooms and some even have restaurants, I was surprised to find that according to Texas law, you cannot brew your own beer and have a restaurant on the premise. I found this out when I went in search of my favorite Texas beer, 512's Pecan Porter, and found that they didn't have a tasting room!

Fortunately, blogger cred does get you some benefits in life, and I doubt that I would have had to pull out my SBNBC, Sports Blogs Nation Blogger Card, in order to get a taste straight from the tap because everyone was extremely friendly.

In fact, Spencer, one of the brewers, let me shoot this video and then he poured me the best tasting Pecan Porter that I have ever had. I mean, how can you beat drinking straight from the source?

Every time I watch this video I get more and more thirsty. The 512 guys have something great going with this fantastic Pecan Porter and I have not found anything close in California. Ahhhhh...Austin. It's a great place.

Cheers,

RB

Not only is Carson Palmer putting in the work necessary in the off-season, he set up throwing sessions with his wide-outs, according to multiple sources, believing that the Oakland Raiders can compete for the NFL Championship in 2012, Palmer is putting his money where his mouth is by restructuring his contract.

If the Raiders can keep this offense intact and improve on the defensive side of the ball, the sky really is the limit.

Palmer is expecting to have his rhythm with key wide-outs Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore while having a healthy Darren McFadden in the backfield. That alone spells trouble!

We will keep you informed as the specifics come in, but, with Seymour and Huff already restructuring and now, apparently, Palmer too, it appears like the leaders on offense and defense are serious about competing.

We will have to see how this is structured, but, if Wimbley is cut or restructures, the Raiders may find a way to sign a few vets on the defensive side of the ball.

Hang in there Nation, the ride is still just beginning as we have yet to hear from Kelly, Henderson or Curry.

It happens every year. There will be a young football player who is being overlooked because he is too short, too slow or played for a small school and at just the point I am ready to write about what a steal he is, he goes out and blows up the combine. This year, it is Mychal Kendricks out of Cal.

I will say this now, because it has to be said, Mychal Kendricks should be the Oakland Raider's first man off the board, IF he is still there.

Kendricks, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, was projected to be drafted somewhere in the 4th or 5th Round. He is barely six feet and under 240. So, despite the hardware from 2011 and plays like these:

he was projected to be on the board when the Raiders, hopefully, pick in the middle of rounds 3-4.

Well, today, he went out and ran a 4.47, jumped 39.5 inches in the Vert and 10'7 in the broad. This was a day after pressing 225 lbs 24 times.

Kendricks reminds me a lot of Patrick Willis. If you add to his athleticism the fact that he played half of 2011 with a cast on (As Willis did his Senior season), he is my kind of player. A "Football" player.

Nobody has ever questioned Mychal's heart, determination or drive. Now, they can't question his athletic ability either. This is sure to move him up the draft charts, perhaps even into the 2nd Round. Oh well, at least there is Tank Carder who may still be there in the 6th!

Here is a link from NFLCombine.net that has a breakdown of what happens every day from this past Wednesday, when the ST, OL, TE and PK's arrived, until the last day, Tuesday, when the DB's workout and then leave Indy.

There are some definite holes on the Oakland Roster, BUT, not as many as one may be led to believe.

If I were drafting, due to the low picks that Oakland has this year, I would look for these positions, primarily, due to the fact that starters can be found at these later rounds.

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The word on the street is that Kellen Moore will be around in the 6th - 7th Round. Personally, I would have a difficult time passing on this kid in the 6th round.

The current Oakland QB situation looks like this:

Carson Palmer - Awesome, awesome, awesome!

Terrelle Pryor - A HUGE question mark

Rhett Bomar - A Career Practice Squad QB who was cut by Minnesota after getting a DUI in August of 2011

I have to say that after Palmer, the Raiders may be in worse shape than they were last year. In fact, Kellen Moore could come in and perform as well as many of the young QB's did in 2011.

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Piggybacking on Levi's news that the Oakland Raiders may have 3rd, 4th, 5th (2) and 6th Round draft picks in this year's draft, let's take a look at one player who MAY fall down to the Nnamdi pick. (Projected to be from 97th-100th)

I could not think of a better player to take that mantle than the 6'3 , 210 pound cornerback out of Montana, Trumaine Johnson. Below is some video of Trumaine:

Born on New Year's Day 1990 in Stockton California, Johnson would be a steal if he were to be had with the Raider's 3rd round comp pick.

In four seasons at Montana, Trumaine asserted himself as a force on defense. through his forst three seasons he broke up 23 passes and finished his career with 15 interceptions and two touchdowns.

By the looks of his profile picture on Twitter, he definitely has a "Raider Body".

What do you guys think?

I am extremely excited to announce that Levi Damien will be manning the day to day duties here at Silver and Black Pride that were previously handled by Rich Langford.

I feel blessed to have been able to reach out and get the exact person I was looking for. I will still be contributing, but, am overcome with other duties, so I am entrusting the day to day running of this site to LDizzle!

Most of you already read Levi's work on "Thoughts From The Dark Side" where he has brought his thoughts and views from the press room to his readers since 2008. He is credentialed and does an awesome job of NOT joining the crowd and bringing his opinion to his audience.

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For those of us who were fortunate enough to be around in Tyvon's rookie season, you will remember that he was an active member of Silver and Black Pride.

Here is a sample from his sophomore season: Talkin' With Tyvon

Now, the young safety that many of us have believed to be Pro-Bowl ready will be entering free agency.

This past season, Tyvon really came into his own with 109 tackles, the NFL Leader for a Strong Safety. he also had five passes defensed, a pick and a fumble recovery.

In my mind he is in the Top 5 safety free agents and the number one strong safety in Free Agency.

I think that losing him would be a bigger loss than losing Michael Bush or any of the other free agents from the 2011 Oakland Raider roster.

If you were Reggie McKenzie would you try and extend him for 4-5 years, franchise him or let him walk and go after someone else.

Personally, I would love to see him matched up with Dashon Goldson or LaRon Landry in 2012!

Man, when I started this site back in 2006, the Oakland Raiders had Art Shell as Head Coach, "Bed and Breakfast" Tom Walsh as OC and Aaron Brooks finished the season at 0-8 while the Raiders went 2-14.

As a team, the Raiders only scored 168 points. Insane!

Back then we used to have to write our own code in order to post photos or insert links and sometimes it took three minutes for a post to show up and I oun't tell you how many of my best posts enth eost when the spotty wi-fi of 2006 went down!

Fast forward to today and the has-beens, Shell and Walsh, have been replaced by the dynamic duo of Allen and Tarver, Carson Palmer is throwing the rock and the Raiders are coming off of an "Underachieving" 8-8 season.

The most noticeable difference, besides this awesome interface built by Trei Brundrett and his buddies in his basement, is that Al Davis is no longer with us.

I am wondering what, if anything you old timers miss about the old days or like about the new days. And for the new blood, what is it that draws you to S&BP?

I have a very special surprise for all of you coming soon as well as some really cool insider info to share once it is released but, for now, I'd like to hear from you, or rather from "Us".

If you'd like a format, here you go, otherwise just go free form:

When did you join?

What brings you here?

What do you miss?

What would you like to see?

Cheers!

Now, this is exactly what we need in Oakland. A young, hard working football rat with a deep knowledge of all areas of the Pro Game and that is exactly what the Raiders are getting by hiring Jason Tarver.

This is a HUGE upgrade over "The Bad Chucky".

Tarver has worked on both sides of the ball and has worked extensively with Inside Linebackers while ascending to Assistant DC over the past two years. You hear that Rolando? This guy worked under Nolan and Singletary and coached Patrick Willis. Watcha got big boy?

It's a new dawn, it is a new day!

With Allen and Tarver in town, I don't think that there will be many plays taken off on the defensive side of the ball.

You know what Raider Nation I am starting to get excited about the 2012 season and the 2011 season just ended yesterday.

I have a feeling that Reggie McKenzie has an idea of a few players that he wants to get on here and if they fit the mold of hungry "Football Players" that these two coaches seem to preach about, then next year will be something to behold.

With the Raiders having 50-1 odds to win next year, I may just lay $20 down then next time I am in Reno. $20 to win 1,000? I'm IN!!!

Welcome Jason, now GET TO WORK!!!

I was on the phone with a good friend this morning and he asked my thoughts about how Carson Palmer would do with the Raiders this year.

I took a second before I answered and the answer came to me as clear as day, "I would trade Carson and keep Campbell".

If Hue and Saunders were still running the show, I'd say that Carson would be the answer, but, with the team moving to a disciplined defensive model, Jason Campbell would not only be cheaper, he'd be a better fit.

Teams that are built around defense need a ball controlled offense with a good kicking game. See this year's version of the 49ers for how a team can turn around from a high draft pick to the Conference Championship Game by following this model.

Under this model, you can't have sacks or turnovers and you rely on your running backs, tight ends and the ability to take your shots down the field. That fits Jason Campbell perfectly. Carson Palmer, not so much.

Palmer is due 12.5 million in 2012, 5 million of which is guaranteed if he is cut, so, trading him and passing on that guarantee would be the best bet as far as I can see. Campbell, who has earned the starting job in Oakland, could then be signed to a 4 year deal around 32 million with escalators and we'd have the perfect mix for what this team needs. A mobile QB (Who needs to learn how to slide), who manages the game well and knows when to take his shots or get rid of the ball.

With a new regime in Oakland, I believe that they will do what is needed to move forward and pay backwards for the sins of their predecessors. If they can get A high draft pick back, it may be a no-brainer, imo.

What are your thoughts Nation?

I found it interesting that Palmer was sandwiched in between Jeff Garcia and Billy Cannon onPro Football Reference's Fan EloRater

I figure that since 120 million people will be using a secondary device when they watch the Super Bowl today that we should have an open thread for those of you who want to watch this game with other Raider fans.

many of you know that I pulled hard for Sterling Moore to make the team out of camp and was happy when he made the practice squad. I was them equally bummed when, while our DBs were injured and we were seeking out washed up vets, The Patriots rolled into town, beat the Raiders and took Sterling Moore back with them.

I have been a closet Patriot fan since. I know, let the boos begin. Just know that I haven't rooted for them to win, but, for Sterling to do well.

My perfect outcome today is that the Giants beat the Patriots by 10 and Sterling Moore makes a few nice plays.

Who are you rooting for and and have you been rooting for Moore?

So, many of us in Raider nation are pretty upset about the names that have replaced the names that were here before them.

We have already lamented Hue and praised the potential of "The Manace", so let's move on to the next level of additions and subtractions.

Offensive Coordinator

Out - Al Saunders

Al Saunders was on my wish list for about 8 years. He is an offensive genius with a deep understanding of the modern offense. He was also one of DHB's biggest cheerleaders as he showered constant praise on the underachieving wide-out who seemed to come into his own in 2011.

Saunders also game planned each week and was key in developing the script that Hue Jackson worked off of.

In my opinion, his dismissal is the worst so far and appears, on the surface to be a removal of any threat to the new regime. Al has been a Head Coach and Assistant Head Coach three times in his career and with this team in a complete shake-up, which boggles my mind, (They were only a competent DC away from being 11-5), he had to go.

Fortunately, it appears, he will not be joining the Kansas City Chiefs who hired Brian Daboll yesterday.

In - Greg Knapp

This is a HUGE downgrade, in my opinion. Last year the offense had two very god minds working together from the Head Coaching and OC positions, now, it will be a Defensive HC with a washed up retread for an OC who is best known for cowering to T.O. in 2004 when he was the OC for the 49ers.

Grade: F

I think that I am going to have to break this into multiple sections because I am literally sick to my stomach.

On the bright side it looks like we are adding some more quality control positions and also a better training and conditioning staff.

I bleed silver and black and will support this team on the field and off, but, I have to break it down how I see it as a writer and a fan. Being one play from the playoffs and seeing this entire staff, except for Skipper and Big Wiz blown up makes me sick!

There you have it. The Oakland Raider offense that was semi-resurrected after Cable, Knapp and J-Russ ran it into the ground is back, with two exceptions. Tom Cable and JaMarcus Russell will not be in Oakland this year, or any other for that matter, but, Greg Knapp is reportedly back in Oakland. (Source: Wiki)

I am neutral on this one, but, am tilting toward, "What are you thinking?".

Knapp is a well known West Coast offensive coordinator who's best days were at the head of San Francisco and Atlanta's offense from 2001-2006. Interestingly enough, he was replaced in Atlanta by Hue Jackson after he and Jim Mora Jr. were fired following the 2006 season.

This is a bit of a head-scratcher because the strength of this Raider team is power running and getting the receivers downfield.

He failed in Oakland and was stripped of his play calling duties by Tom Cable and then was one and done with Jim Mora Jr. in Seattle.

This is not the type of move I was hoping for. I was hoping for an offensive coordinator, like, ummmmm, Al Saunders. An experienced OC who is one of the most respected minds in the game who would be a strong pillar for a young coach, not a retread who football seems to have passed by.

You Thoughts Raider Nation?

Thanks to SB Nation's San Francisco 49er Blog, NinersNation, and THIS POST, 49er fans around the country can meet up and watch their team battle the New Orleans Saints on Saturday.

The Following is a list of places to watch the 49ers from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to Newcastle Australia:

Australia:

Newcastle Australia

DockYard- Map

Newcastle, Australia???

I am shooting to get the Dockyard to open up early on Sunday morning at 0830.

by dartdar

With rumblings that Todd Bowles will meet with Reggie McKenzie, I figure it is a good time to take an actual look at who Todd Bowles is.

Todd Bowles, 48, is a native of New Jersey who played College football at Temple University. He was passed up in the draft and was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent by the Washington Redskins where he started two games as a rookie and was a starter on the Redskins Super Bowl XXII Championship team.

After eight seasons in the NFL (7 with Skins and 1 with SF), he retired in 1993.

After his playing career was done, he joined the player personnel department of the Green Bay Packers from 1995-96 before becoming the defensive coordinator/DB Coach at Morehouse College. From there he coached under Eddie Robinson at Grambling from 1998-99.

In 2000 Todd became the Jets Defensive Backs Coach,. He has also had a stint in Cleveland before he began working with Bill Parcells and the Cowboys. Eventually Bowles headed to Miami and this season he was promoted to Head Coach for three games, tallying a 2-1 record and nearly going 3-0 after putting a scare into the Patriots in week 16. The Dolphins also knocked the Jets out of the playoffs without Reggie Bush in Week 17.

He played under Gibbs and was mentored by Eddie Robinson and Bill Parcells. His stay in Green Bay may have been his most important as he worked with a man who may become his new boss, Reggie McKenzie.

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