SB Nation User Blog: TheRaiderWay

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders 2nd Best Player

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 06:09:28 -0000

The best player currently on the Raiders roster also happens to be the best of the 1,696 players in the National Football League and that player is Nnamdi Asomugha.

This week the poll is seeking from you, to find out who, after Nnamdi, is the the Raiders best player. In other words, the 2nd best player on their roster right now. This is not about who could be the next best player, or who will be the next best player this season or in the future, but rather, who is the best player now on the Raiders roster.

With the Raiders in a rebuild mode and relatively young, the roster is full of "potential", that if said potential develops, will have the Raiders back to their winning ways. When that potential arrives in the form of Pro Bowl level talent, the Raiders will turn the corner. Those players with that potential, but have not arrived...yet, are: JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, Mario Henderson, any of the young wide receivers and from the defense, Thomas Howard, Trevor Scott, Tyvon Branch and Mike Mitchell. Some of those players may end up the Raiders "2nd best" player by the end of this year, but are not as of yet.

For now, the candidates for the Raiders 2nd best player, or the best player after Nnamdi are:

Zach Miller: Zach has been the leading receiver for the Raiders for the last two years and is a favorite target of JaMarcus Russell. Miller is becoming one of the premiere tight ends in the league and will likely see his first Pro Bowl this season.
Robert Gallery: Only because of his high draft status and failure as a left tackle, have kept Gallery from getting the "public" recognition that he deserves. However, Gallery as a left guard has been a solid mainstay for the Raiders offensive line and one of the top lineman in the league operating the ZBS.
Kirk Morrison: Kirk had a down year last season, but he is a Raider through and through, living his dream playing for the team he grew up loving. Kirk's attitude, character and mentality put him as a candidate beyond just his physical talents.
Shane Lechler: The Raiders all-time leading punter who happens to be a four-time All-Pro is certainly one of the players on their roster that can change the flow of the game. Without the punting skills of Lechler, the Raiders would be at a serious disadvantage. Lechler has actually become a weapon for the team and is truly a "special" special teams player.

Poll

After Nnamdi, who is currently the Raiders best player on their roster?

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Hot Seat

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:52:45 -0000

Thirty-two days and counting until the start of training camp for our Oakland Raiders and it can't get here quick enough. I don't know about all of you, but enough of this offseason lull and boredom, let's get ready for some football!

In this lull period before the draft choice signings and before camp starts, it is pretty difficult to find Raider related things to write about. However, I was thinking that when camp does start, that besides the multiple areas where there will be competition, there are a select few players that either have something to prove or will be on the Hot Seat a soon as camp commences. The Hot Seat means that the player is in danger of either being released, demoted or a downgrade in expectations.

Players worth mentioning because of the their "reach" status where they were drafted, but will not be included in this poll, are Heyward-Bey and Mike Mitchell because they like all of the 2009 rookies get at least a one year grace period before they get to the "Hot Seat".

The players that are on the Hot Seat coming into the 2009 camp are:

From the offense:

JaMarcus Russell - At 23 years old, being drafted as a junior and really with only one full season under his belt, if Russell was drafted with the 25th pick in the first round, he would not be on the Hot Seat. But when you are the first player taken in the draft, you are on the Hot Seat from the moment you sign the contract. With Russell being pushed by Cable and Garcia, having experienced position coaches tutoring him and now having a supporting cast to work with, 2009 is the year that Russell must validate his status as being selected No.1 and prove he is the face of the franchise at least on offense.
Arman Shields - Drafted in the 4th round last year, Shields never saw the field in 2008 due to injuries. With the Raiders bringing in an influx of new blood at the wide receiver position to go along with Schilens and JLH, Shields will have to be a camp stand-out in order to make the cut this year, as the Raiders will likely only keep five WR's on their roster.
Javon Walker - The time is now for the former Pro-Bowler, even though Walker restructured his contract this year and "appears" to be healthy and ready for camp, the patience of the Raider organization this year with Walker will be thin. Walker is the only true veteran with experience at the WR position and if he can contribute like he should be capable of, then he will be a real asset to the team not just for production, but for the mentoring of the youngsters.

From the defense:

John Bowie - Drafted in 2007, Bowie is infamously known as the player that the Raiders got for Randy Moss. Due to injuries, Bowie has not seen much of the field either for the Raiders and he will come into camp with long odds to make the cut if he doesn't show that he is worthy of making the final 53. He first must prove that he can stay healthy and then that he can suitably play his position, something so far from the OTA's, he has not excelled at.
Michael Huff - Drafted in 2006 with the 7th pick, Huff has yet to show any of the abilities that he displayed in Texas. In fact, Huff has been a liability to the defense with his poor angles and apparent fear of tackling, which led ultimately to his benching last season. Granted, Huff has been moved around between strong and free safety, quite possibly been misused and not taught the proper techniques by the Rob Ryan regime, but Huff so far has not shown the Raiders anything yet to expunge the "bust" label that he has acquired. With Tyvon Branch and Mitchell in the house as well as the Raiders other offseason acquisitions, Huff will have to come into camp showing that he has progressed and acquired new good habits to replace his poor habits.
Terdell Sands - For a man that is 6-7, 335 pounds, Sands sure does disappear a lot on the field. Sands got the big contract and was supposed to be the big plug in the middle, tying up lineman, closing gaps and allowing the linebackers to make plays. Instead we get a guy who is out of shape, easily gassed and is usually one step late to the play. Maybe there is a Rob Ryan factor here as well, maybe now that Greg Ellis is here along with the new coaching staff, Sands will "get it", if not, what he will get are his walking papers.

So Raider Nation, training camp is thankfully soon upon us, which player do you think has the most to prove to get off the Hot Seat?

Poll

Which Raiders player do you think has the most to prove to get off the Hot Seat coming into training camp?

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Offense

TheRaiderWay — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:44:29 -0000

The 2008 Oakland Raiders finished the season ranked 29th in total offense and 29th in scoring with an incredibly low 263 points of which 35 of them were by way of special teams touchdowns. Even worse, the passing offense ranked 32nd with a paltry 2,369 passing yards, that's dead last folks. The rushing offense was the brighter spot ranking 10th.

Fortunately in the NFL, turnarounds have become more of the norm rather than the exception now and there is good reason to believe the Raiders offense is positioned for a steady rise in the rankings for 2009.

First let's examine what went wrong with the 2008 Raiders offense. To begin with, the 2008 offseason was one of the most distracting, adverse offseasons in memory. The constant Davis/Kiffin bickering followed a Raiders spending spree which bought players that could never live up to their contracts. Then we had the head coach in Kiffin who flat out did not want to be there and was doing everything in his power to get fired. This kind of dysfunction alone would be enough to bring down any team and it certainly effected the Raiders as a whole and in particular, the young Raider offense.

Next, was the coaching staff, that had Kiffin and his inexperienced college ways to go along with John DeFilippi, the quarterbacks coach, attempting to guide and tutor the 22 year old franchise QB, JaMarcus Russell the ways of the NFL. The offseason's escapades and the coaching staff at the beginning of the season were a definitive component of an inconsistent and underwhelming offense. Couple that with the fact that Russell had no veteran QB presence as a backup to tutor him on the ins and outs of the NFL.

The next component of the failures of the 2008 offense was the offensive line and in particular, Kwame Harris. It wasn't just Harris' inferior blocking abilities that hurt, it was his total lack of discipline resulting in a ridiculous amount of either holding or false start penalties. In 2008, when Harris was in, you could almost count on him to be a drive killer.

When your leading receiver is your tight end and your leading wide receiver has 22 receptions for 366 yards, you know you've got problems. Javon Walker was one of those FA acquisitions that could not live up to the size of his contract, was supposed to be the veteran presence to help guide the youngsters. Problem was, Walker could never stay on the field and the lack of veteran leadership at that position severely hurt the Raiders talented but inexperienced wide receivers.

With the above stated, it was no wonder as to why the Raiders would consider themselves a running team. The preseason injury to Oren O'Neal certainly had an adverse effect on the running game, but the young and talented core kept the team competitive for the most part. The dreaded turf toe injury to Darren McFadden cut short what would have probably been a sensational season for the 4th overall pick of the 2008 draft.

Now the reasons for optimism for the Raiders offense in 2009:

a stable and quiet offseason
a stable and experienced coaching staff, with quarterback guru Paul Hackett guiding JaMarcus Russell.
Jeff Garcia, an experienced, veteran QB, who will mentor and push JaMarcus and who can step in and win if called upon.
the offensive Line. Just by subtracting Kwame Harris from the team will cause the O-line to be improved. The addition of Pears, Khalif Barnes and Satele, as well as the encouraging play of Mario Henderson (no sacks allowed and no penalties), will have this unit improving the offense.
the wide receiver position was paid extensive attention in the draft and there will be a lot of competition in camp as a result. Javon Walker and his restructured contract, who will presumably be healthy for camp, will be added to the swiftly improving and talented Chaz Schillens and JLH to go along with the promising rookies.
Zach Miller, the soon-to-be All Pro tight end.
Lorenzo Neal. Great blocker, great leader, great teacher...Great signing.
running backs. The 2009 Raiders will employ the best depth at that position in the NFL, McFadden, Bush Fargas, Rankin and Gary Russell. Last seasons injuries clearly showed the need for at least 3 running backs and with McFadden returning healthy, this group should dominate.
the last 2 games of the 2008 season saw the Raiders put together consecutive impressive wins for the first time in 7 seasons in December. The play of JaMarcus Russell was a key part of those wins.
last and certainly not least, the maturing JaMarcus Russell. All of the above should be the formula that allows JaMarcus to succeed and become the elite quarterback that he is expected to be.

All of these factors in addition to Russell having another year of experience should have the Raiders steadily climbing up in the ranks of NFL offense and hopefully winning many more games.

Poll

Where will the 2009 Oakland Raiders rank in the NFL on offense?

top 5

87 votes

6 through 15

603 votes

16 through 31

530 votes

32 - dead last

26 votes

1246 votes | Poll has closed

Oakland Raiders News! - Greg Ellis to Sign With RAIDERS

TheRaiderWay — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:00:21 -0000

Breaking News as first reported by Raider76 in today's DLD, former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis is to sign with the Oakland Raiders today.

Ellis, a 10 year veteran will bring to Oakland 77 sacks in his career along with superb leadership qualities. The deal is expected to be 3 years and this was done without having to go through a trade.

Ellis had many teams to choose from, including the widely expected Patriots, but he chose the Raiders. That is a sign of things-a-changin' in Oakland!

Here is the link to the story first reported by Fanhouse. This will definitely have some effects on this seasons roster and will probably result in a Burgess trade.

via www.blogcdn.com

Poll

Oakland Raiders signing DE Greg Ellis is

a great move

857 votes

an o.k. signing

350 votes

nothing special

63 votes

a waste of money

31 votes

1301 votes | Poll has closed

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Offseason Recap, Your Grades

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:33:28 -0000

With this coming week's final OTA, the Raiders 2009 offseason will have concluded. We then have a lull in football activity as we await the start of the 2009 season with the Raiders reporting to the training camp complex in Napa at the end of July. The only news that we can really expect is the July signings of their 2009 draft class. All the draftees are expected to be inked and in camp by the reporting date as is typical for the Raiders, with the exception of 2007 with the a-typical Jamarcus Russell signing.

The 2009 Raiders offseason was very active with players added, subtracted, re-signed and drafted. In addition the the players, the coaching staff saw a major turnover, as the Raiders will attempt to rise out of the 6 year pattern of losing and try to get on the winning path. Part of that offseason turnover and different from previous years, is that the Raiders did not go out and just throw big money at players and hope that they would work out because they were being paid so much. Now they went with a more intangible trait with their offseason selections - character and that is something that this young rebuilding teams needs.

The 2009 offseason recap:

Players Subtracted:

Rashad Baker - Safety
Drew Carter - Wide Receiver
Ronald Curry - Wide Receiver
Kalimba Edwards - Defensive End
Justin Griffith - Fullback
Jake Grove - Center
Kwame Harris - Offensive Tackle
Ashley Lelie - Wide Receiver
Seth Wand - Offensive Tackle
Gibril Wilson - Strong Safety

Players Kept (re-signed):

Nnamdi Asomugha - Cornerback
Rickey Brown - Linebacker
Cooper Carlisle - Offensive Guard
Jon Condo - Long Snapper
Isaiah Ekeijuba - Linebacker
Hiram Eugene - Safety
Chris Johnson – Cornerback
William Joseph - Defensive Tackle
Shane Lechler - Punter

Players Added:

Bruce Gradkowski - Quarterback
Erik Pears - Offensive Tackle
Khalif Barnes - Offensive tackle
Jason Horton - Defensive Back
Samson Satele - Center
Ryan Boschetti - Defensive Tackle
Marcus Johnson - Offensive tackle
Jeff Garcia - Quarterback
Shawn Bayes - Wide Receiver (UDFA)
Nick Miller - Wide receiver (UDFA)
Jonathan Compas - Offensive Tackle (UDFA)
Jerome Boyd - Linebacker (UDFA)
Desmond Bryant - Defensive Tackle (UDFA)
Chris O'Neill - Tight End (UDFA)
Frantz Joseph - Linebacker (UDFA)
David Nixon - Linebacker (UDFA)
Lorenzo Neal - Fullback
Gary Russell - Running Back
Samie Parker - Wide Receiver
Danny Southwick - Quarterback
John Paul Fochi - Tight End
William Franklin - Wide Receiver
Keith Davis - Defensive BAck
Charlie Frye - Quarterback

Player Drafted:

Darrius Heyward-Bey - Wide Receiver
Michael Mitchell - Safety
Matt Shaughnessy - Defensive End
Louis Murphy - Wide Receiver
Slade Norris - Linebacker
a Poll
How do you grade the Raiders 2009 offseason?

11%

A

91 votes

42%

B

323 votes

31%

C

239 votes

8%

D

61 votes

5%

F

45 votes

759 votes | Poll has closed

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: Raiders Impact Coaches

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:07:30 -0000

It's June and we find ourselves in the middle of the OTA's for the Raiders as well as for the rest of the NFL teams.This is a rather slow period leading up to training camp later in July and then finally the NFL regular season.

While there is not much going on these days, it is interesting to look at how different this offseason is compared to the last one with all of the commotion and distractions from the Kiffin issues. To be sure, the Raiders did have some talented players during the Kiffin era, but a good part of the reason for the poor play was not just the fore stated distractions, but also the inexperience of the coaching staff. The rebuilding 2007, 2008 and going into 2009 Raiders are a young team that needed experienced NFL coaches to tutor the young players in an experienced NFL way, not the NCAA way.

One of the reasons why I have liked this offseason so much has been the coaching staff upgrade of experienced, proven and credentialed coaches brought in to guide these young, to-be core players of the Raiders.

This weeks poll is not about head coach Tom Cable and his impact on the team, but rather his assistants and position coaches that will have an impact on their specific units.The Raiders are young and very talented team in 2009. Managing and coaching that young talent is in the hands of these experienced assistants that will need to tap into that experience and put these players in the best position to succeed. The assistants have the ability to have major impacts on their respective units and elevate the Raiders out of the doldrums and into the winning ways.

The new assistants to the Raiders staff that are in position to have the biggest impact on this years team are:

Paul Hackett, QB Coach: replacing the college level, very inexperienced John DeFilippi. Hackett is in position to teach JaMarcus Russell to be the elite QB that al of us expect him to be.
Sanjay Lal, Wide receivers: replacing James Lofton, Lal is in the position of coaching the most under productive group from last years team. With only one veteran player in Javon Walker, Lal inherits a unit of very talanted and young players with limited experience. Lal's ability to bring this group up to the next level will clearly be on display this year.
Jim Michalczik, Offensive Line: replacing in essence Tom Cable, Michalczik will keep the same ZBS philosopy with the added element of some power blocking. This group is young, already improving and has talent. It will be up to Michalczik to this group from regressing and to become a team strength.
John Marshall, Defensive Coordinator: replacing the much criticized Rob Ryan, Marshall brings vast experience from coaching young inexperienced teams to playoff and Super bowl teams. We will certainly find out this season if the reason for the poor play of the Raiders defense these last few years was Ryan or lack of talent.
Mike Haluchak, Linebackers: replacing Don Martindale, Haluchak brings 23 years of experience in the NFL to the Raiders and has coached some of the better linebacker units in the league. The Raiders linebackers, while talented, have been out of position often and have had a propensity to miss far too many tackles. These are issues of fundamentals and Haluchak should be able to provide that to this unit.
Others worth mentioning are: Kelly Skipper, John Fassell, Brad Roll and Dwaine Board.

The Raiders improved play for 2009 will begin with the coaches. Who do you think will have the biggest impact?

Poll

Which Raiders assistant coach will have the biggest impact on the team in 2009?

Paul Hackett

230 votes

Sanjay Lal

46 votes

Jim Michalczik

26 votes

John Marshall

335 votes

Mike Haluchak

11 votes

Others: Kelly Skipper, Brad Roll, John Fassell or Dwaine Board

13 votes

661 votes | Poll has closed

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Future Home

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:05:27 -0000

As the Raiders gear up for their near future by preparing to put a competitive team on the field for the 2009 season, there remains uncertainty as to where the Raiders will call home in the future after the 2010 season. That future is now around the corner, as the Raiders' lease with the Oakland Coliseum is set to expire after the 2010 season. The Raiders continue to play in one of the NFL's oldest stadiums and are one of only three teams to still share a stadium with a baseball team.

The city of Oakland does not appear to have the financial or mental resources to plan for, develop or maintain a first-class stadium for their professional sports teams. The Athletics have apparently exhausted their efforts to have their own, baseball only facility in the city of Oakland and are currently and have been looking elsewhere. The Raiders have been battling County and City officials for years over stadium issues, whose incompetence and lack of true effort will likely drive away the Raiders again as well as the A's.

The Raiders simply cannot compete with the rest of the NFL while they remain in an antiquated, sub-standard venue, that is not only diminishing their revenue but the overall franchise value.A solution must be sought and the Raiders are seeking them.

Now comes the report that the Raiders Bay Area neighbor, the 49ers, have reached an accord with officials of Santa Clara to construct a new 68,500-seat stadium near Great America and the Santa Clara Convention Center.The $937 million stadium project has a feasible finance plan that will put the majority of the burden on the NFL and the 49ers.

This is where the Raiders can come in. It appears that the financial model will greatly improve if the stadium is shared by a second team, much in the way the Jets and the Giants share in New Jersey for New York. For one, the proposed stadium would be occupied for 16 weeks of the season, not just for eight. The Raiders revenue would greatly increase, and with the possibility that the NFL will never have a salary cap again, the Raiders will have the financial resources needed to compete for the best free agent available.

The NFL is urging the Raiders to consider the option of a shared stadium with the 49ers and Raiders CEO, Amy Trask has an open mind to the possibility:

"We are exploring — and keeping an open mind with respect to — all opportunities to create a world-class stadium for our fans and our team, and that includes keeping an open mind with respect to a shared stadium," Trask said. "We enjoy a cooperative and collaborative relationship with the 49ers."

The Santa Clara option, for the moment, seems to be the most viable option other than extending the current lease long-term with the Oakland Coliseum and would keep the Raiders in the Bay Area. Other than that, what is out there? Another move to Los Angeles? Could even San Diego be a possibility?

The point is, the Raiders and the city of Oakland are soon to be at the point of, "something's gotta give". The long-term future for the Raiders needs to be solved in the near-term, so that the franchise, the players and their fans have a direction to point to and for stability to be finally achieved.

What do you think Raiders fans. What should be done about the Raiders future home?

Poll

What should the Raiders do for their future home?

extend their current lease long-term with the Oakland Coliseum

91 votes

seek any way possible to build their own stadium in Oakland

322 votes

join the 49ers and share the stadium in Santa Clara

314 votes

move to Los Angeles

220 votes

move to San Diego

15 votes

move to another city

30 votes

992 votes | Poll has closed

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Al Davis Ownership

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:47:14 -0000

Al Davis throughout his life has always done things his way - the Al Davis way. Though to many, he remains an enigma, no one can question his devout love for his team, the Oakland Raiders. For Al Davis, life begins and ends with the Raiders, with everything else being in between.

This past week, Al Davis was once again in the news though not by his doing. There was the bizarre and even obscure statement by Tim Brown during a radio interview that has already been well blogged on this site, so I won't go into that again.

What I will go into and is the subject of this Sunday's poll, is the recent story published by SI.com, ranking the NFL's Best & Worst Owners.

Here is the criteria that SI.com claims to use in their rankings:

Among the criteria used to evaluate owners was the willingness to spend money to improve the team; the stability and capabilities of the front office and management; the amenities at the team's venue; and the club's culture and interactivity with fans. Of course, weighing heavily in the decision was the team's success or failure on the field. (Note: Records are through 2008 season.)

Now, were it not for the ranking of Al Davis dead last, as the worst owner in the NFL, I probably would have just ignored the whole thing. We all know about the hating on the Raider organization that is out there, but it many times comes from the likes of ESPN. This SI.com piece, lacks all form of credibility, especially when you apply their own criteria. To be objective and keep your fandom aside, there really is no credible way that you can rank any one of: William Clay Ford, (the proud owner of the NFL's first 0-16 team), Dan Snyder, Mike Brown or Denise DeBartolo York as better owners than Al Davis. This is simply an indictment of SI.com's integrity.

This week's poll will ask you to vote where you objectively believe Al Davis should rank as the owner of the Raiders. When selecting, use the same criteria as SI.com supposedly has, except consider Al Davis' entire lifespan as the owner of the Raiders, not just the last 6 years.

Poll

Where do you rank Al Davis as an NFL owner?

#1, the best

176 votes

in the top 5

449 votes

somewhere in the middle of the pack

380 votes

in the bottom 5

343 votes

#32, the absolute worst

321 votes

1669 votes | Poll has closed

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: Raiders Impact Free Agents

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:20:32 -0000

Mini camp has started and the NFL regular season is just four months away. The Oakland Raiders have had quite an offseason this year eschewing their normal practice of signing big-name, big-money free agents and instead concentrating on re-signing their own would be free agents and building from a young core sprinkled with some veteran experience.

We will all soon see how the Raiders' formula this offseason compares to last years spending spree disaster. While the Raiders were not that active in signing other teams' free agents, they did sign a few select ones that they believe will have an impact on this years squad, be it from filling a hole or providing experience to a position that is lacking it.

The four free agents that the Raiders have signed which they believe will impact the team this season are:

Khalif Barnes: The Raiders made a lot of effort to upgrade their offensive line this offseason, so much so during free agency that they felt comfortable not drafting an offensive linemen in this year's draft. Khalif Barnes was one of their early signings and though he struggled last season with the Jaguars, Tom Cable and his coaching staff believe that they can resurrect Barnes' career and turn him into a dominate lineman fitting in the Raiders system. The Raiders have Barnes on a one year contract, so he needs to prove his worth to get a long-term deal done for the next year. His play, good or bad, will no doubt have an impact on the Raiders this season.
Jeff Garcia: JaMarcus Russell is at the critical stage of his career with this season being the season that he needs to rise to the next level and become the elite QB we expect. No question, that last season, with an inexperienced coaching staff coupled with a lack of veteran experience at quarterback, inhibited the ability for Russell to gain valuable knowledge the intricacies of the NFL game. The signing of Garcia not only fills the back up position with an experienced QB who can step right in and lead, but Garcia is basically an extra QB coach. Garcia will motivate and push Russell to excellence and even if he is with the Raiders for only one season, he should have the impact on Russell that will determine Russell's future.
Ryan Boschetti: We know all too well about the Raiders' woes at stopping the run, with much heavy criticism being placed on the defensive line and in particular the defensive tackle position. Was it scheme and use of talent employed by former DC Rob Ryan? Was it the linebacker and safeties? Or was it the offenses propensity to be three and out, thus gassing the tackles to the point where they became less effective? We shall soon find out, as the Raiders probably believe that it is a combination of those two questions, because they felt good enough about their current DT's and coaching staff not to draft a defensive tackle. Ryan Boschetti was kind of an under-the-radar free agent signing that could have a bigger impact for the Raiders defense than his name suggests. Boschetti has the size and motor to be a part of the rotation that will allow more versatility among the other DT's such as Kelly who can go to DE when needed. He will help keep the rotation fresh, is a high character guy and extremely hard worker who will push and motivate the players around him.
Lorenzo Neal: The Raiders just signed the 38 year old fullback just before the start of this weekend mini camp. We all hope that Oren O'Neal is Lorenzo Neal 2.0, but with O'Neal still recovering from major knee surgery, the signing of Neal was huge. Though the Raiders are going to try to become more balanced on offense, this team is still a running team. And why not, with the great talent they have in the backfield, the Raiders should be in position to dominate on the ground. The game may not have ever seen anybody better as a blocking fullback than Lorenzo Neal. The man just consistently blows up linebackers and paves the way for 1000 yard rushers, year in and year out. With McFadden and Bush still young and learning the game, there may be no better mentor and leader for that group than Neal. If the Raiders can now score TD's instead of field goals and keep their defense off the field more, it may well be because of Neal and his impact to the running game.

Poll

Which free agent signing will have the biggest impact on the Raiders this season?

Khalif Barnes

247 votes

Jeff Garcia

417 votes

Ryan Boschetti

58 votes

Lorenzo Neal

623 votes

Other (write player in comment section)

17 votes

1362 votes | Poll has closed

FB LORENZO NEAL SIGNS WITH RAIDERS

TheRaiderWay — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:16:57 -0000

According to RaiderBeat.com, free agent FB Lorenzo Neal has just signed with the Raiders. This has also been confirmed by David White who is at the Raiders' mini camp and has seen Neal suit and take the field. Great news and at a minimum a solid hammer for a backup and added depth.

Oren O'Neal is also suited up but so far is not yet practicing, so Neal is some insurance.

SB Nation User Blog: TheRaiderWay

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders 2nd Best Player

After Nnamdi, who is currently the Raiders best player on their roster?

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Hot Seat

Which Raiders player do you think has the most to prove to get off the Hot Seat coming into training camp?

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Offense

Where will the 2009 Oakland Raiders rank in the NFL on offense?

top 5

6 through 15

16 through 31

32 - dead last

Oakland Raiders News! - Greg Ellis to Sign With RAIDERS

Oakland Raiders signing DE Greg Ellis is

a great move

an o.k. signing

nothing special

a waste of money

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Offseason Recap, Your Grades

How do you grade the Raiders 2009 offseason?

A

B

C

D

F

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: Raiders Impact Coaches

Which Raiders assistant coach will have the biggest impact on the team in 2009?

Paul Hackett

Sanjay Lal

Jim Michalczik

John Marshall

Mike Haluchak

Others: Kelly Skipper, Brad Roll, John Fassell or Dwaine Board

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Raiders Future Home

What should the Raiders do for their future home?

extend their current lease long-term with the Oakland Coliseum

seek any way possible to build their own stadium in Oakland

join the 49ers and share the stadium in Santa Clara

move to Los Angeles

move to San Diego

move to another city

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: The Al Davis Ownership

Where do you rank Al Davis as an NFL owner?

#1, the best

in the top 5

somewhere in the middle of the pack

in the bottom 5

#32, the absolute worst

Silver and Black Pride's Sunday Community Poll: Raiders Impact Free Agents

Which free agent signing will have the biggest impact on the Raiders this season?

Khalif Barnes

Jeff Garcia

Ryan Boschetti

Lorenzo Neal

Other (write player in comment section)

FB LORENZO NEAL SIGNS WITH RAIDERS