Is it Safe to Come Out Yet?

Has enough time passed by? Am I jinxing myself?

Since the season ended, speculation has run rampant that Tom Cable was in danger of losing his job, thereby ushering a new coach, new assistants, and a new system to underachieve under. First there were meetings scheduled, then there weren't, then there were again, but Al and Tom never seemed to get on to that topic that the meeting was originally scheduled for. It happens.

Just brought in to handle the offensive coordinator duties is Hue Jackson, formerly the quarterbacks coach in Baltimore (where their young QB has outperformed ours in every category). People seem pretty jazzed on this guy, and if he can bring half the game Joe Flacco has to JaMarcus, we'll be in a good place next season. In other news, Mike Waufle has been brought (back) in to coach the D-line. He held a similar position with the Raiders in the mid-90s. I'm too lazy to look up exactly what that similar position was, and I doubt you care that much anyways. Just pray this doesn't work out like bringing back Art Shell did. Also pray that he gets along well with Richard Seymour, who by all accounts looks ready to bolt for somewhere awful like...ugh.. the Chargers (pure speculation, however frightening).

So I've whittled down my list of draftees to around 10 or 15, and I'll be doing another scouting report real soon to keep Eric Berry's company. I'm currently thinking offensive linemen, but only if Russell Okung or Trent Williams (both hailing from the state of OK) is still available. I just don't like the O-line talent a whole lot this year. Otherwise I've got a pretty extensive list of defensive ends that would fit the mold nicely.

More on that later. Enjoy the big game, and here's hoping the West Coast is represented again next year, preferably by some team we often talk about around here.

Looking for a Laugh?

Deadspin, the world's most popular sports blog, has posted a series called "The 2009 Oakland Raiders: A Season of Failure" including some rather red-faced moments the franchise has endured over the last year.

Note: If you're one of those really serious fans who can't stand to hear someone talk bad about your Oakland Raiders, you probably shouldn't read the above article. Also, I commend you and worry that you must be angry quite often.
Some of these are indeed quite embarrassing, such as Al Davis' letter to the University of Tennessee to spite his former coach, and the drafting of Darius Heyward-Bey, of course.

A few others, though, were either not all that embarrassing or just plain not the fault of the franchise. The post points to the hiring of Coach Cable after having a 4-8 record as interim coach. What they didn't point out was that that was the best record a coach had since we went to the Super Bowl five years prior. The signing of Richard Seymour has not yet been determined a failure. We'll know that if he decides to walk away in a few weeks. Finally, the signing of J.P. Losman can hardly be called a failure. In fact, it was inconsequential, he didn't play any meaningful downs. If anything, we had an emergency backup for a really good price (he likely made a pro-rated veteran minimum).

The highlight of this for me was Tommy Kelly losing his pants (above). I somehow missed that one.

Scouting Report Numero Uno - Eric Berry, S (Tennessee)

Welcome to The Home Field's very first scouting report. If the Raiders aren't making any of us hopeful for the playoffs any time soon, at least it's a lot of fun to analyze and estimate which college superstar will be shipped to Oakland next. Last year was a bit of an exception, with the Raiders opting to take the eighth or ninth most promising wide receiver as the first receiver taken. To be fair, Heyward-Bey was thought of then as the fourth or fifth best receiver available, but I digress...

With the last three positions taken in the first being QB, RB, and WR (in that order), it's hard not to imagine the Raiders taking one of two general areas: an O-lineman (which bores everyone but would be a great move) or a playmaker on defense. Realistically, I think the determination will be draft day decision taking the best available in either category.

So who's the ideal Home Field candidate? That's hard to say. There's a great deal of monster, surefire talents coming out that would make any team that much better, but perhaps at positions we're not really incredibly in need of. And god knows there's plenty of positions we ARE in need of.

Again though, a superstar at any position can make a team a LOT better than even an above-average prospect in the same position. It's with this philosophy in mind that I introduce The Home Field's current preferred pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Eric Berry.

(I could open up with a bunch of facts, but I'll let this killer video do the talking. Let the sound play on this one, it's epic.)



What'd I tell you about that music? Pretty epic, no? Anyways, a safety's highlight reel doesn't always match up in style points with, say, a defensive tackle or a wide receiver. Their primary job is to shore up the running game while keeping things in order closer to the line of scrimmage. That said, it's amazing how much a guy like Eric Berry, or his NFL equivalent Ed Reed (my opinion), can do to stop a good offense.

Eric Berry has all the agility, quickness, and ball skills you could ask for in a strong safety. He's shown a lot of potential in his tackling game, though there's some room for improvement there. He's maybe a tad small for his position in the pros, but that's something the trainers can work on later. The true attraction here is his football IQ and his overall instincts. The guy should be called Eric Scary, he's that good. He was the SEC Freshman Player of the Year, Sophomore Player of the Year, and this year was awarded the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Those are some strong accolades from one of the premiere conferences in the country, people.

As if these credentials weren't enough, Berry's benefited from a year of some Class A coaching that would be the envy of 80% of NFL teams. Monte Kiffin, a longtime, highly respected defensive coordinator for the NFL, was rustled away and brought to Tennessee to coordinate the Vol's defense. Talk about good training! This guy will be ready to go from Week 1. It's virtually guaranteed.

From the Raiders' standpoint, the pick doesn't make a LOT of sense. Last season, the Oakland Raiders made their second consecutive reach in the draft by taking Ohio University strong safety Mike Mitchell. While he made some contributions on defense last season, he's no Eric Berry, and likely never will be. Just about no one in the NFL was looking to take the Ohio U standout that early, except for one other team: the Chicago Bears. So, I propose if Berry does fall into our lap, we take our boy Mitchell and hang him out on a string for Chicago to get a whiff of. Perhaps we could get some future draft picks out of it, though Chicago doesn't have a whole lot to hand out. Otherwise it'd be great depth for years to come, and who knows, perhaps Mitchell can be moved to free safety, where Michael Huff could use some help and Hiram Eugene may be moving to another team.

To close, I'd like to share with you a sweet little tune by the highly acclaimed Swiperboy. Highly acclaimed in Tennessee, of course. See if you recognize anyone...

The Great #8/Movin' On Up, Baby!

I almost forgot, but I spent a half-hour figuring out the first half of the draft order after the late games yesterday in the interest of posting it for all to see. Much to my delight (sarcasm), twenty minutes later they were showing the draft order on the ESPN ticker. Well, at least I did it the hard way. Anyways, here it is:

1. St. Louis (1-15)
2. Detroit (2-14)
3. Tampa Bay (3-13)
4. Washington (4-12)
5. Kansas City (4-12)
6. Seattle (5-11)
7. Cleveland (5-11)
8. Oakland (5-11)
9. Buffalo (6-10)
10.(T) Jacksonville (7-9) (Tie TBD by coin toss)
10.(T) Denver (from Chicago 7-9)
12. Miami (7-9)
13. San Francisco (8-8)
14. Seattle (from Denver 8-8)
15. New York Giants (8-8)
16.(T) Tennessee (8-8)
16.(T) San Francisco (from Carolina 8-8)
18. Pittsburgh (9-7)
19.(T) Atlanta (9-7)
19.(T) Houston (9-7)

Another Sun Sets in Oakland

Another (losing) season in the books. For the first time in four years we didn't improve, but we didn't do any worse either. With the somewhat speedy revelation that Jamarcus Russell is apathetic and not the guy to lead us to glory, we've seemingly taken a big step forward in righting the ship. Unprecedented demand has risen up for a legitimate front office in Oakland, and some truly noble fans have made that fact hard to ignore.

To close things out, I'd like to take a look at some potential free agents who may or may not walk this off-season, as well as a discussion about what some of these guys have contributed over the years.

RFAs without an asterisk will have completed three NFL seasons. Players who have an asterisk (*) following their names are fourth- or fifth-year players who would be unrestricted free agents if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached prior to March. If not, the NFL will go into an uncapped season, and those players will become restricted free agents

Jon Alston*, OLB- A career special-teamer who has contributed at LB on occasion. There's no apparent reason not to re-sign if he can be bought for the right price. Otherwise, there's not a great reason to not let him walk either.


Khalif Barnes*, OLB - Not quite the contributor I had hoped for, but he's a serviceable tackle and until better options arise, I'd move to retain him.

Ricky Brown*, OLB - Another special teamer, and the case with Jon Alston also goes for this gentleman.

Hiram Eugene, FS - He's no Polamalu, but there's no great free agent safety available, and unless they decide to go Eric Berry in the draft, they should move quickly to resign Eugene.

Charlie Frye*, QB - A serviceable #2 that we were fortunate enough to have at #3 to start the year. If not for the next guy on this list, I'd be screaming to re-sign him. In fact, if we had the choice of retaining two of the three QBs on the roster, I'd have to vote for Frye and...

Bruce Gradkowski*, QB - The man who briefly restored the greatness of the franchise! With wins against Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, it would be hard to watch Bruce walk away, and I would wager quite a few teams would be calling were he to be allowed to. He's going to need a pay raise and a chance to start, and I think he should be given both, in spades.

Cornell Green, OT - Whether or not he's the right tackle we want, he's still the starting left tackle and I don't see any on the roster who would make a strong replacement. Could it be a first-round pick could go to this ever-porous O-line?

Thomas Howard*, OLB - He's a starting linebacker, and I don't like our depth at the position. Slade Norris could possibly fill the role but I don't think it will be a long-term solution. This would be a great position to reload on in free agency or with mid-round draft picks.

Sebastian Janikowski, K - After the clutch season Sea Bass had, we've GOT to keep him. His catapult of a leg has become synonymous with the outlaw Raider Nation. Give him Vinatieri money!

Luke Lawton, FB - Let him walk. He's suspended for the first two games of next year and isn't a big contributor anyways. The fullback spot is a revolving door in Oakland and we won't miss Lawton's production.

Chris Morris, C - Samson Satele did a decent job this season, but he should be our backup center. We've got to get stronger and younger at this position, and soon. Let him walk.

Kirk Morrison*, ILB - The brains of our lukewarm defense, and a figurehead of this team. Sign him quick, but get him cheap. We'll need some big money to keep Seymour around.

Stanford Routt*, CB - Throw this guy a "Get the Hell Out!" parade. Also, have the video crew make him a DVD of all the blown coverages and botched plays he's been a central figure of for the past five years. Let New England sign him to their steadily mediocre stable of corners. He'll be a great counterpart to Leigh Bodden, who couldn't cut it in Detroit.

Gary Russell, FB - What's with all our LBs and FBs being FAs this year? That's just bad timing. Anyways, unless they've got someone they like in the draft to come in at FB they need to re-sign Gary. Marcel Reese did the backup work yesterday and was a scary prospect for the start. Let's get deeper here, guys.

Richard Seymour, DE - How clutch was this guy? I would have been SO much more stoked on this trade over the season had I believed we would get to keep him for more than one mediocre season. Unfortunately, we've got a lot of clutch guys to sign and it all starts with Seymour. We gave up a first round pick for him, so it figures that we're going to owe him first-round pick money to stick around (plus more guaranteed).

Langston Walker, G - The site I got the free agent list from lists Walker as an OT, while the official Raiders depth chart has him at guard. This likely means Walker didn't work out for us at OT, and therefore was moved to G in a Robert Gallery-like effort to get value out of him. Once Gallery is back, this guy should be less important and can probably be allowed to walk away. However, he's not in much demand and will probably be re-signed for cheap. Works for me.

Sam Williams, OLB - Yet another LB on the free agent board, but this one we won't miss. He's hardly contributed a thing on defense (though I know nothing of his ST contributions) in the past seven years, so whether or not this guy sticks will largely have to do with how cheap they can retain him for.

I apologize if anything listed here is inaccurate, but this was the most reliable list of Oakland free agents I could find. Many of these will prove to be Restricted Free Agents and therefore just barely merit discussion, but I did it anyways.

Coming in the next few weeks/months will be detailed scouting reports on the Raiders' potential 2010 first round draft picks. Really, it'll be a discussion of the top ten or so available draft picks, but with a decidedly Oakland Raiders twist. Hell, I might even throw out my playoff picks which obviously will have nothing to do with the Raiders (this year!).

Here's to another season that, if nothing else, was entertaining as hell.

He's Baaaack...

Nothing short of a terminated contract (silver, garlic?) will rid the Nation of the JaMarcus curse. After a nicely executed TD drive, Charlie Frye couldn't play injured any longer, and who comes in relief but the exiled loaf. Our chances of four consecutive improved seasons have just dipped some, but outstanding play by the D has left some hope lingering.

My current feeling on Oakland Coach Watch is that Tom Cable's safe for another year. That is, of coursr, unless Al gets the notion that he can lure one of the high-profile coaches in. Any serious fan knows how unlikely that is.

A season wrap-up post (including early draft order) should follow closely. The off-season will be a busy one around here with intensive scouting reports and free agent analyses. Stay tuned.


- Posted from my iPod Touch

Congrats to the Oakland Pro Bowlers

Say what you want about the state of the Nation, but every year we seem to have at least a couple of Pro Bowlers. For the last couple years, at least, we've had perennial standouts Nnamdi Asomugha (aka Jesus of Oakland) and the planet's finest punter (how's that for unbiased?) Shane Lechler make the roster as starters.

This year, we've got an alternate in sure-to-bail-on-us Richard Seymour at defensive end. Let's face it, this guy isn't used to losing 11 games, and if we don't give him ridiculous money (and I'm not counting it out) he's leaving for a contender who will also give him ridiculous money. Fortunately, we've got some promising looking young defensive players in Trevor Scott (who was moved from DE to OLB) and Matt Shaughnessy. Still, though, my vote would be to show Seymour the money. Maybe we could clear some cap space by giving up Tommy Kelly and taking one of the many fine defensive tackles in the draft this year. Just a thought.

EDIT: I've just been informed that our badass TE Zach Miller is also a Pro Bowl alternate. Nice job! I didn't think anyone catching balls on this team could have made the Pro Bowl, but if anyone deserves it, it's him. Incidentally, did you know there's another tight end named Zach Miller that plays for the Jaguars? Here's hoping the Jag's Zach Miller has a short and un-noteworthy career. Otherwise it'll just get confusing.

As always, you heard it here last.