SB Nation User Blog: saint

Silver And Black Pride Announcement: Kaiser and LiveAdam Join the Front Page

saint — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:05:05 -0000

Over three Oakland Raider Seasons, that were extremely tough to bear, I was the only front page writer for S&BP.

From Art Shell to "The Liar" I have been struggling to keep myself from breaking many things around the house, including my computer.

This off-seaon I decided that I needed more people to share some of the pain with me so I began by adding Raiderway and Marquez67 to the fold as SBN started to gain traction. As SBN's capicity and state of the art Blogging capabilities have grown so has this site.

Now, I would like to welcome LiveAdam and Kaiser to the front page. I am sure you will all agree that their passion for the Raiders is unrivaled and that they each bring a unique voice to Silver and Black Pride.

We have many things to look forward to this season and one of the best will be the combi-Nation of "Raider Nation" voiced on this site.

Cheers,

Saint

Expand Your Silver and Black Vocabulary: Version 3.0, The Spelling Edition

saint — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:46:20 -0000

In this round of the Raider Trivia, I am going to give you hints at a player who's name is difficult to spell. Then you can guss the player and try and spell it without looking it up.

So, here we go:

1) Drafted out of Cal, where he was a safety, this Raider is easilly the Pride of the current Oakland Team.

2) This Old Time, In Raider Terms, Running Back scored Two TD's against Minnesota in Super Bolw XI

3) This converted Running Back, originally drafted by Dallas, In his career, caught 461 passes for 5,872 yards and 41 touchdowns

4) This former linebacker, from Long Branch New Jersey, played in four Pro Bowls and was a part f our winning team in Super Bowl XI.

5) This clipboard carrier was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft

6) This Raider Great was inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame in 1988 and was voted into the NCAA Hall of Fame 1991. Now the best receiver in College gets a trophy named after him.

That should be a good base. There is nothing worse than spelling your own player's names wrong when writing an article or arguing with another fan. I have a feeling that there will be some 100% marks in this class.

Cheers,

Saint

Oakland Raiders Trivia: Round II

saint — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:39:33 -0000

Now that we all know that Al Davis first coached at a small school named Adelphi before moving onto Army and USC and that the original 8 teams in the AFL were Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, San Diego, Minnesota *, Boston, New York, Buffalo and Houston.

We also know that Kenny Stabler is the All-Time Raider Leader in Passing, not rating, and that Marcus Allen is the Leading Rusher.

And thanks to the last round we know that for three weeks the Raiders were called the Senors, played thier first game at Kezar and were the first team to play a game at Candelstick (Take That Whiner Fans).

Now it is time for 6 more question that will help to build our Raider Vocabulary:

What position did John Madden have with the Raiders before he was promoted to Head Coach?

How many teams in the AFC own a head to head advantage over the Raiders in All-Time games played?

What College team did Tom Cable Coach in his previous Head Coaching stint?

Name the teams that Jeff Garcia has played for. Bonus question: Which NFL team gave him his first try-out?

How many Super Bowls have the Raiders played in?

Name as many Raider Hall of Famers as you can.

I am really enjoying this process and the comments have been great, so in addition to posting the answers, please give as much info as you can, time permitting, about each question. I am building a data base for this info so that we will have a quick reference Raider Info link.

Cheers,

Saint

Building The Raider Nation's Vocabulary: Volume #1

saint — Tue, 12 May 2009 18:40:45 -0000

We all know that the World is against us again. They think that Al Davis has lost his marbles along with his rocker and that JaMarcus Russell is 350 pounds. In hopes that we can beat them down with knowledge when we battle them I am launching a new segment called, "Building The Raider Nation's Vocabulary".

In this segment I will ask 6 questions, and each of you can answer them, without using any resources except for your mind.

I will then give the answers with in an in depth breakdown of each section in another Thread and together we will have quite the Silver and Black Encylopedia by the time the season rolls around.

So to start off this section, let's Build a Knowledge Base:

With which University did Al Davis get his first College job?

Who is the Raider's All-Time Rushing Leader?

Who is the Raider's All-Time Passing Leader?

Where did the Raiders first play their home games?

What was the name of the team before they were the Raiders?

Name As Many of The Original AFL Teams as Possible.

Feel free to expand on your answers.

Cheers,

Saint

Silver and Black Pride Community Reminder:

saint — Tue, 05 May 2009 17:17:34 -0000

It is becoming necesary that we take certain actions on this site to ensure that we are NOT impeding on someone else's territory.

As the Blog-o-Sphere continues to gain credibility we need to start taking precautions to protect ourselves while at the same time doing what it right by the writers around the internet.

I have had more than one person copy and paste my entire article on their sites to prove points or to share it with their Communities. I have never complained, but I probably should have. It is IN NO WAY OKAY to just copy and paste someone's entire article even if you do reference back to them.

I know it is common practice on the internet, but we neeed to be above that.

Now that we have grown to over 1,200 members and are getting over 150,000 visits a month, we need to protect what we are building here.

So, in the future, here is what is acceptable when referencing somone else's work:

Reference the writer and Source (Saint from Silver and black Pride)

ENTIRE STORY HERE (Link)

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah...Go Raiders.

I hope that you are all on board with this. Unfortunately any noncompliance with this will lead to a warning and the second will lead to a temporary ban. The third strike will result in a permanent ban.

I hate to have to institute anything besides personal attacks that can lead to banning, but I hope you agree, this has become necesary.

Cheers and keep up the good work, I am loving how the Nation is embracing SBN and S&BP,

Saint

Should There Be A Rookie Cap?

saint — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:14:28 -0000

I am in complete favor of a rookie cap because it seems like all of the high picks come in and don't have to work hard to be among the highest paid players, while players like Derrick Burgess bust their tails to achieve Pro Bowler STatus and still get paid middle of the road money in comparison.

Poll

Should There Be A Rookie Salary Cap?

Yes

60 votes

No

1 votes

61 votes | Poll has closed

Asomugha Is An Awesome-Man: (Yahoo Article)

saint — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:31:55 -0000

Asomugha Is An Awesome-Man: (Yahoo Article)

For those of us that are familiar with Nnamdi, this will come as no surprise, but I get teary eyed every time I read one of these articles.

I am one of those kids that someone helped a LONG time ago and it touches my heart that Nnamdi is being that light for so many of our young adults.

Oakland Raider News: Heyward-Bey Has A Better Shot at Being Great than Michael Crabtree:

saint — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:57:05 -0000

When I was preparing for the draft I started evaluation Michael Crabtree and compared him to the best receivers in the previous drafts that were taken in the top 10 that were studs.

They were all 6 foot 3 and above and they all ran fast:

Calvin Johnson - 6 foot 5, 4.33 40

Braylon Edwards - 6 foot 3 4.48 40

Roy Williams - 6 foot 2 1/2 4.42 40

Larry Fitzgerald - 6 foot 3 4.53 40

The first reports on Michael Crabtree were that he was 6 foot 3, yet, nobody knew how fast he was.

The only published time that I could find is 4.53 and that was on a site that also listed him at 6 foot 1 3/4.

I also found out, along with the rest of the NFL, at the combine, that he is only 6 foot 1 1/4.

This is some very interesting info when you are measuring a player who is coming out of a spread offense with a busted wheel. He may be slower than he was AND nobody even knows how fast he was. I just know that he always seemed to take the angle on DBs instead of going past them. If you add that to the fact that he is a relatively short target for a #1 receiver in today's NFL, then it becomes more apparent why DHB was the selection.

Darrius is an inch taller than Crabtree and two inches taller than Maclin and can blow by either of them, although Maclin will be close all that Crabtree will feel is a breeze as DHB runs by him.

From a measurables perspective it is easy to see whay DHB was favored over Maclin and by a measurable and health factor quite simple to see why DHB was chosen over Crabtree. I don't even want to get into attitudes and personalities, but I am sure you will all agree that the Crabman has a few question marks surrounding his apparent "Never ran a route but I'm preparing my bust for the HOF" mentality.

The ONLY knock that people have on DHB is his lack of production at Maryland and his lack of hands. Those would be HUGE IF, Maryland ran a spread offense and had a QB who was told to pass first and ask questions last AND if they had any tape proving this.

Granted, I've only seen highlights, such is the life of a Blogger without access to NFL Films, but, I fail to see James Jett II when I look at DHB.

At this point I have to say that Darrius Heyward-Bey has a better shot at being great in the NFL than Maclin OR Crabtree. Heck, Crab and Mac's QBs found their way onto NFL rosters, can anyone even name the QB for Maryland?

I cannot wait to see him haul in a long TD from J-Russ on Opening Night!!!

Oakland Raiders Draft Update: Nickname for Mike Mitchell

saint — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:16:55 -0000

I've already heard a few names for DHB, including DHB, Bey Watch and "From Hayward to the Bey", but none has made me say "Un-Bey-Lievable" yet.

I did read one for Mike Mitchell, if you haven't heard yet, he does prefer Mike to Michael, thanks to Autumn Wind. He called him "Mean Mike". I like that one.

What do you guys think?

By the way, if you haven't seen his tape yet, check this link out:

Poll

What Should Mike Mitchell's Nickname Be?

Mad Mike

211 votes

Mike The Impailer

93 votes

Mean Mike

157 votes

Mike "Hitman" Mitchell

595 votes

Mike "Hitz" Mitchell

65 votes

The Lumberjack (He's always laying wood)

185 votes

Other: (Add in comment section)

132 votes

1438 votes | Poll has closed

Oakland Raider Draft News: 2009 NFL Draft Grades: Oakland Raiders

saint — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:16:49 -0000

I am beginning to laugh at these "so called" experts that rank our draft as an F.

IN fact, our own, Mocking the Draft has the Raiders at a .33 out of 4.0 on their Draft Grades:

They took the combination of Three Polls and gave each team a GPA.

USA Today ranked the Raiders as the ONLY "F" in the Draft:

• Oakland Raiders: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey seventh? He disappeared for games at a time, is not a well-rounded receiver but boasts the key Raider attribute — straight-line speed. Just a huge reach and not enough value here. Same for S Michael Mitchell, taken in the second round but mostly considered a much later pick, though the Chicago Bears said they liked him two picks after Oakland's. WR Louis Murphy blossomed as a senior, OK pick in fourth. LB Slade Norris nothing special.

Anyone who watches tape of Mitchell, unlike Mayock before he opened his trap, has got to see what the Cowboys, Bears and Raiders saw. The kid is a BEAST. He has incredible timing and can force fumbles, incompletions and trips to the Hospital. He is exactly what this team needs in the secondary. IN fact, what team doesn't need a fast thumper with great instincts patroling the defensive backfield?

Louis Murphy, even from the haters was seen as a great value pick, yet he is called OK.

CBS Gives The Raiders a "D":

Best pick: Darius Heyward-Bey. Yes, their first pick. Most think they should have taken Michael Crabtree, but they picked the right guy.

Questionable move: Taking safety Mike Mitchell in the second round. He was over-drafted, but maybe all the analysts and scouts missed.

Second-day gem: Wide receiver Louis Murphy has good speed and will prove to be a nice value pick in the fifth round.

Then There is The ESPN Fan Nation Who Gave The Raiders an "F":

How can the Nation hate so much, when the HATERS even gave us a D?

Fan House Also Gave The Raiders an "F":

It seems that they think that drafting "Raider Types" is a bad thing. How is speed, heart and a great motor a bad thing in a weak draft?

How is drafting DHB worthy of an F? He is a great system fit and is currently J-Russ's most dynamic weapon?

How is drafting players who can get to the QB from the LB position and a safety that reminds me of Jack Tatum a bad thing?

How is taking a 2nd Round talent at WR in the 4th a bad thing?

How is getting a blocking TE, for once, that will allow Zack Miller to run more routes a bad thing?

These are the players that we drafted and the holes they will fill, yet DHB should have been passed over for a Kid with an ego the size of Jupiter and a foot that is still mending and the Raiders should have selected Terdell Sands II (Ron Brace) instead of addressing their need for a hard hitting safety?

Give me a BREAK!?!?

Ask anyone who was at the Warehouse on Saturday, I was in a daze for hours after DHB was the pick. Then, once I either put on my rose colored glasses and drank the Kool-Aid or watched tape of our two picks and looked at their selections in perspective I started to become a believer in our Top II picks.

I would grade our draft as a B, because we didn't get a FB or DT, but we did address the rest of our needs and you know that J-Russ now has ample weapons and our defense will be better next year. That is a success, not a failure, as an "F" would indicate.

Go ahead and say that I'm drinking the Kool-AId, heck, maybe I am, but I think that this draft class will definitely prove the haters wrong and with a couple of key Veteran Pick-ups I expect this draft to help immensely in our pursuit of the AFC West Crown.