The Moss Watch Begins
It’s officially time to start the Moss Watch.
I took Randy Moss to task in the preseason for his unproductive comments and behavior. On Sunday, I took it a step further, questioning his effort. I expected to get hammered, as I always have in the past whenever I criticized Moss. Not this time. In fact, most of you supported my take.
In other words, the Raider Nation gave Randy Moss a ton of leeway, and yet he has found a way to exceed it.
Now we have Moss saying the following in the wake of his dismal play during Sunday’s awful defeat: “I’m doing good man, I’m not even that too concerned with football right now. I’m just loving life.”
That statement is a slap in the face to every fan who punches a clock and sacrifices their limited disposable income to buy tickets (or NFL Sunday Ticket) to watch their Oakland Raiders.
Of course, Moss, who has become a master of doubletalk, also says that he doesn’t want to be a “negative” or a “cancer.”
Last week, LaMont Jordan took a vocal leadership role and called out his teammates, then proceeded to back up his words on the field. Randy Moss, who refuses to speak to the local media (ie: a Raider fan's best source for reporting and information on the Raiders), did just the opposite, jogging around the field and then lamely prodding young Courtney Anderson to say what he himself wasn’t man enough to say after the loss to the Browns.
The Moss Watch is now underway. Our blinders are off. In the Raider Nation, no one is above the laws of effort and teamwork. Not even Randy Moss.
I took Randy Moss to task in the preseason for his unproductive comments and behavior. On Sunday, I took it a step further, questioning his effort. I expected to get hammered, as I always have in the past whenever I criticized Moss. Not this time. In fact, most of you supported my take.
In other words, the Raider Nation gave Randy Moss a ton of leeway, and yet he has found a way to exceed it.
Now we have Moss saying the following in the wake of his dismal play during Sunday’s awful defeat: “I’m doing good man, I’m not even that too concerned with football right now. I’m just loving life.”
That statement is a slap in the face to every fan who punches a clock and sacrifices their limited disposable income to buy tickets (or NFL Sunday Ticket) to watch their Oakland Raiders.
Of course, Moss, who has become a master of doubletalk, also says that he doesn’t want to be a “negative” or a “cancer.”
Last week, LaMont Jordan took a vocal leadership role and called out his teammates, then proceeded to back up his words on the field. Randy Moss, who refuses to speak to the local media (ie: a Raider fan's best source for reporting and information on the Raiders), did just the opposite, jogging around the field and then lamely prodding young Courtney Anderson to say what he himself wasn’t man enough to say after the loss to the Browns.
The Moss Watch is now underway. Our blinders are off. In the Raider Nation, no one is above the laws of effort and teamwork. Not even Randy Moss.
posted by Raider Take at 11:02 AM
45 Comments:
As a fan I am extremely dissapointed, players like Moss should lead by example and to hear him say he isn't thinking about football, makes it a very sad day for Raider Nation.
After arguably his worst game I expected Moss to step it up next game, like the great ones do.
Sunday Moss would lethargically trot into the huddle just as they were breaking up and we all saw his pathetic feeble efforts on the field..
I'm still looking for a synopsis or transcript of the Moss comments.
DARK DAY IN OAKLAND
Raider Take, I'm 100% in with you on this one. Where I knew there were big problems within the team was when the team had elected Moss as the team captain for the first game against the Chargers.
What I'm feeling right now? Let Moss go out and "enjoy life." Elevate Buchanon from the practice squad. Moss is a man without character.
On the topic of Randy Moss, please allow me to pour some salt on my wounds...I've been thinking about this since last year.
Traded 7th overall pick in the 2005 draft to Minnesota for Randy Moss.
Shawne Merriman drafted 12th overall in the 2005 draft by San Diego.
And, I think we made that trade days after we had just given Jerry Porter the HUGE contract.
We are living and dying by continual poor decisions.
These poor decisions have taken us into our version of the Great Depression.....the Raiders Great Depression.
YES, we all knew this would be a difficult season. Although, we expected a competitive team that would play hard on every down (See NY Jets this year).
So to me, the worst part about our current state / circumstances is that it seems the Return to Glory timeline extends well beyond the next year or two that we had hoped for.
I'm in it for the long haul and I'll keep buying my season tickets.
But I'm getting tired of walking up those stairs and out of the stadium with my head down.
Go CAL!
No Cassandra here Raider Nation. Cheer up. The road looks long and hard, and it will be, but to get this ship right we're going to have to go through the process of weeding out those who lack football character. That hasn't been done since the first couple of years with Gruden, but I think it will be done. I would expect wholesale changes in the off-season.
Although the perception is the oposite, I know that Al Davis lets each coach run his team the way he wants to run it. Al makes strong suggestions, but he doesn't make demands. Part of the reason I think he brought Art Shell back was to look at the systems as they have been changed by coaches outside the Raider tradition. This is going to take some time, and I think that Shell is likely to make some pretty large mistakes along the way. However, I believe that before this season is out, we will see a lot of positive changes, and we will begin to regain hope for 2007.
Don't forget, we went through a lot of this before, during Gruden's first two years. Remember 1st n 5 Mcglockton at the end of Gruden's first year, running along the KC sideline during a game and telling the KC players not to hurt him because he wanted to play for them the next season? Gruden went two seasons playing less talented players because they exhibited the most character. Allow Art Shell that same kind of patience.
I AGREE! MOSS RUNNING OFF AT THE JIBS, NEEDS TO S.T.F.U. AND PLAY LIKE HE WANTS TO WIN! NOT LIKE HE IS A LITTLE BITCH, WHO CAN'T FINISH A PLAY!
I hate to agree but Moss pissed me off. He didn't look like he was trying or that he even gave a shit.
This is not to say that our dismal play is his fault because the coaching staff and the entire team seem to have any sense of urgency. Well Rob Ryan seems to be working his ass off but that is it.
Yeah, what we should do is trade Moss for a draft pick so that we can draft another bust a Moss will go to the pro bowl.
GET HIM INVOLVEDIN THE OFFENSE, THEN HE WILL CARE
I too noticed the lack of effort by Moss Sunday. Today I heard the interview when NFL Network talked about it. Be prepared for a big stink if the Raiders bench Moss. Adam Schefter will probably lead the charge. All he could talk about was how the offensive strategy is archaic, he did not mention Moss' slothful play NOT ONE TIME. So expect Moss to get a pass from the media.
I remember watching the draft when we passed on Moss. I shook my head in disbelief. He felt like the perfect Raider. I knew great things were going to come from him on the football field. I knew controversy was going to surround him. I knew he was the perfect Raider. I was salivating like a pit bull when I first heard the news that we had acquired him via free agency. I laughed at the Moss vs. Owens comparisons. I knew we had "the right guy". I watched Randy carefully each game. Locked in on him. Consumed by him. And I didn't like the gradual progression or lack of. Lack of effort. Lack of effort. Lack of EFFORT! No burst off of the ball, dull routes, short-arming balls, and blocking??...whatchu talkin' bout willis?? I turned to my wife and said "You know what? I hope we trade Porter and Moss to some team for a 1st and 2nd round pick". She looked at me like I was crazy. She looked at me like I was crazy because (jokingly) she thought I was going to leave her for Moss when I first heard of the acquisiton. We need people on this team that understand the Raider Mystique....Raider Pride...Pride and Poise. We need dirty, fighting, bad bruthas that are willing to get into the opponents' grill and DOMINATE!!! I live in Florida and I'm sick and tired of these Fair-weather "fans" laughing at me year after year. I can't physically be in the Black Hole, but I haven't missed one single play since the NFL Ticket was launched. If you ask me....right now there are only a select few TRUE RAIDERS on this team. And forgive me if I'm missing some, but here it goes: Chris Carr (Fearless!), Jarod Cooper (Fearless!), Kirk Morrisson (Fearless!), Stewart Schwiegert (Fearless!), Derrick Burgess (Fearless!). These are hard-nose players that play RAIDER FOOTBALL!! Let's build our team around them. And let's establish that toughness again. I don't even care if we don't see immediate improvement in our record. That will come in time once these Leaders have groomed the new comers. Let's get that nastiness back!! Let's be RAIDERS AGAIN!!!!
It's a big shit sandwich and we're all gonna have to take a bite.
I hope we take it back to 1997. Finish with a dismal 4-12 record, fire our idiot coach, and hire a young, tough, smart offensive coordinator as our new head coach. Unfortunately, Jon Gruden is not available because he's coaching the 2002 Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Bucaneers. Too bad no one wants to work for Al Davis. I wouldn't want to work for him.
RT, BlandaRocked and the last Anno, thank you for showing the positive carecture of a true RaiderFan, nice to see even when we are down. It is easy to cry and point fingers by bad-mouthing the hall-o-famers who made our history but it takes real commitment a team to find the positives and the hope that you posters write about. Thank you, may we stand together as the family that we are. Families always have little squabals but true love for the Raiders binds us together and seperates us from the pretenders, who will jump ship at the first sight of a storm. The sea may get vicious before it's over but why through your ass into a small life-boat while the ship is still floating??? Nut-up and get tough, that's a RAIDER!!!!
PantyRaider-HangingOnToTheRails!!
Al davis is starting to reming me of Bela Lugosi in one of those old Ed Wood movies.
I can see him sitting in his office talking to Amy Trask. "I will show the NFL that I'm it's master. I will build a race of atomic football players that will conquer the league".
Also, why not try hiring Albert Haynesworth to step on our O-linesman heads. Maybe it will knock some sense/talent into them.
At times...like these...we need...to laugh
R-Take, Nilbilly Boy reporting in ….I've been with you on this from mid season last year. Minnesota knew exactly what they were doing when they gave up on him. He's a guy that performs in the "perfect" situation, he has no adaptive skills. When the shit hits the fan, the guy is no where to be found. I'd like to see him play 4 quarters, make some catches over the middle and block downfield for Jordan. He can't and won't ... he is one dimensional. The turf, age and desire have taken away his killer advantage ... speed. He’s a one show pony and this stint in Oakland has proved that out.
We actually never passed on Randy Moss I believe he was taken like...21st by the Vikes and we picked 23ish. There was talk that we were going to trade up to get him but they pulled the trigger! Go RAiders
Angelic Raider
Moss? He is just following "old" leadership and their comments. Gannon, Brown, Golic, Gogan, and others that played with the Raiders are continuing to bash them for lack of leadership. Moss is showing his ugliness when he plays for a team not winning (like he did with Minnesota before they traded him).
He doesn't care about football, because he said it best, "NOBODY ELSE SEEMS TO CARE!" Let's look at this, he and Sapp were the first to buy into Shell's game plans before pre-season; which is what brought the excitement here. The pre-season came, and they both saw flaws in the game plan, even though we were fortunate to be undefeated for 4 games without any significant offensive production.
He had a bad game, but his play was reflecting everyone else around him. I think he is making a statement to the team, saying, "If you are going to play like crap, don't expect me to give my best."
His attitude proves what Gannon, Brown, Golic, Gogan and others are saying, the Raiders lack leadership. I'll take it a step further with this, the Raiders lack repsectable and responsible leadership.
Bring in Gannon for Offensive Coordinator!
It's time for Moss to shut up and step up.
I understand that the motivation issues are deep on this team, but that's no excuse for Moss, in the wake of yet another dismal losing effort, to declare that he's loving life and not really thinking about football.
The fans are working overtime to maintain their loyalty to this team. The fans are working overtime to pay for their tickets to watch guys like Moss jog around the turf. The fans, like me, are driving four or more hours at $3/gallon for the privelege of sitting in gridlock for TWO hours AFTER taking the 66th exit.
The fans are hating life, but Randy Moss, well, he's just loving life. Just ask him.
Expect Moss to keep cuddling with his Raider Hater friends in the media. That way he can continue to be an overpaid lover of life, not really concerned with football. He's going to get a clue, sooner or later, when he figures out that the Raider Nation doesn't concern itself too much with what the media thinks. Right now Moss thinks he's got the media on his side, so the fans will also side with him.
i'll tell ya what irks me more than anything else, whats moss' salary. whats mine? i work damn hard for the pennies tossed my way. then i give a goodly sized chunk of said pennies so i can either go watch or pay for the broadcast to watch my team. they are paying these player unbelievable amounts of money to play this kids game. when they're giving you millions to "play",the very and may i stress VERY least you can do is give it your best effort. every play, every practice, agree with the scheme or not, like the guys around you or not, like the coaches coaching you or not, like the place your in or not!!! none of these things matter once they start writing checks with your name on them.
ask these players what they love the most. what do they pay to see or do? now ask them to give the same percentage of thier income to do it. then ask what if the people they loved watching or doing these things with were halfassed about doing it. would they still give said amount of money to do it or watch it? i doubt it very seriously. but here we are, raider brothers and sisters still payin to watch, to go or to buy the things that support our team. we're giving the EFFORT. and this season......it's taking quite a bit of it.
Amen, brother.
I've said it before, I'll say it again. I'm sick & tired of watching these over paid clowns every week.
From Chester Mcglockton & Darrell Russell, to Randy Moss, & Jerry Porter, the act has grown really old. These type of "cancers" always seem to grow on the Raiders roster and ruin season, after season.
There aren't any Millens, Villapiano's or Sistrunk's on this team. There's no blood & guts. No never say die. No fight til the end.
Now days Al Davis prefers the "quit when the going gets tough" type player. It's who he drafts, who he signs, and who he trades for.
This is going to be a long season, but the off season is going to be just as long. The many bad must be weeded from the few good.
Good luck Art, I feel for you. I wouldn't know where to start myself.
someone needs to poison al davis' oatmeal. here are some reasons why i feel this way.
James Trapp
James Jett
Robert Gallery
Phillip Buchanon
Chester McGlockton
Darrell Russell (R.I.P.)
Jerry Porter
Larry Brown
Desmond Howard
Sebastian Janikowski
Derrick Gibson
Rickey Dudley
Patrick Bates
Rob Fredrickson
Todd Marinovich
Bob Buczkowski
Jessie Hester
Come on Raider Nation! Moss is just frustrated right now, as we all are. He is a selfish individual (that will never change), but from this TV viewer's prospective, he appears to be running his routes and he seems to be having productive exchanges on the sidelines with his QB.
I have to take exception to some comments made by blandarocks. If the "Raiders are weeding out those who lack football character" than why did we let go Danny Clark and Doug Gabriel? Meanwhile, we still have Jerry Porter. Hello? The emperor is not wearing any clothes.
And, if the Raider Nation can "expect wholesale changes during the offseason," when can we expect the stability to begin. That's what we end up doing every year.
Signed, another frustrated Raiders Fan.
It's not any easier for me to watch the Raiders lose as it is for anybody else. I suppose if I have more patience and optimism than most, it is because I've been a Raiders fan for about forty years.
For those who argue that it's time for Al Davis to go, I question whether you are really a Raiders fan or just a rider on the bus. I'm not trying to insult you, but a Raiders fan understands that this team is Al Davis' creation, his passion, and his life. The Raiders would not be the Raiders without Al Davis. Eventually Al will pass on, and that will be a day that I will mourn.
Those who argue that it's time for Al to sell the Raiders? You really think a change in ownership is the answer? Look across the bay and see what a change in ownership can mean. For those who argue that Al Davis involves himself too much in coaching decisions? Perhaps, but I'll tell you that every NFL team goes through long periods without winning. Look at the Cowboys in the 80s. Look at the 49ers every year prior to 1981. The Steelers have had occasion to take off a decade, as well as the Broncos, the Chiefs, the Chargers… You can't name a team that hasn't. Except the Raiders. In the forty years I've been a Raiders fan, the longest I've endured consecutive losing seasons has been three years. The last three years. And make no mistake! The Raiders are in a big enough hole right now that they are going to have to spend some time digging themselves out of it.
For those who argue that Al Davis has to stop involving himself with the team, because he's bringing them down? Al Davis involved himself the least in 1981 (because the team was preparing to move to LA), and the Raiders went 7-9. He didn't involve himself much again when preparing to move back, and then being embroiled in legal battles with the City of Oakland. 1994, 9-7. 1995, 8-8. 1996, 7-8. 1997, 4-12. Davis was back on the job again in the Gruden years, during the time folks like to blame Davis for driving Gruden out of town. In the last couple of years, Davis has been renegotiating with the City of Oakland to provide a solid foundation for his team. Currently Al has rarely been seen, which some attribute to health concerns. And during these last few years, the Raiders have been down again. I suggest that current Raider problems are more attributable to Davis' lack of involvement. I believe the reason that Al brought back Art Shell was to bring in someone with a strong foundation in Raider tradition, because Al understands that he's not going to hold up indefinately.
For those who call Art Shell "stupid" or "out of touch," I'm calling you out. The Raiders have been playing terrible football for three years before this - three years when Art Shell wasn't here. But because the Raiders aren't on a track for a remarkable turn around - right now - Art Shell is "stupid" and "out of touch." He doesn't make those great "Chucky" faces on the sideline, so he has no emotion. He doesn't call out his players in front of a national TV audience, so he's a terrible leader. I watched Art Shell take over a very mediocre football team from Mike Shanahan, and turn it into a contender. They didn't make it to the Super Bowl, but they were in the playoffs even though they really didn't have the talent to be there.
I know. You'll argue, "Shell had Bo Jackson!" Yes he did. For exactly half the season, until 1993. With the exception of a few, the players Shell had to work with during his first stint were aging retreads, or people who would be solid back-ups elsewhere. But Shell kept them winning.
The same team that Shell coached got worse under Mike White, and atrocious under Joe Bugel, until the team began to retool under Jon Gruden. In 1994, it wasn't Shell and Walsh's offense that didn't work, it was that they didn't have the players to make it work. And no, you don't revise your whole offensive philosophy every year that you don't have the players to plug into it. That's what teams like the Lions, Saints, and the Cardinals do, and you can see how well it works for them.
I hoped, along with everyone else, that the Raiders would be more competitive this year. But when Shell came in he inherited a patchwork team made up of players selected for several different philosophies with a wide range of temperaments. When Shell came in and said that he liked this team, he made it very clear that it was the team's potential that he liked.
Shell (and Walsh) deserve a year at least, and preferably two. There are players on this team that should be Raider stars for years to come. There are also some who should never have come in the first place. But, in accordence with Raider tradition, the Raiders will find new players to plug in - not through the draft, but through free agency. That has always been the Raider way. First round draft choices are keepers (and coaches will focus on players with game changing potential), but the others are primarily designated for special teams unless they prove themselves mightily. The Raider philosophy has always been to let other NFL teams train and develop the talent, and then the Raiders will sign that talent and win with it.
I'll stand by all of this, even if the Raiders only manage to win two games this season. And I don't care which two games. We should have gone through this process two years ago under Turner, but we didn't. It's time, it's painful, but it's necessary. I know your friends who cheer for other teams are giving you grief. But as a Raiders fan you should know that he who laughs last, laughs best. Whatever team your friend cheers for will be down again next year, or the year after - just about the time the Raiders are back in the playoffs.
Blandarocked:
Let's review a bit.
The Raiders need O-line help, right ? Well Al Davis drafted Gallery, Grove, & Walker, and they apparently, suck.
Now are we to believe that Davis at age 77, is going to draft some good O-lineman next year ? Given the recent track record, I have a hard time buying this.
The Raiders need a TE who can catch the ball, right ? Well Davis drafted Anderson, and before that, Jolley, and Dudley. But now, suddenly, he will find a good one soon. It defies logic.
No problem, you say, we don't need no draft picks, the Raiders will just sign a bunch of free agents, and build the team that way.
Except football has changed my friend. Teams are much smarter now then yrs ago. There aren't any in their prime, Ted Hendricks out there to be signed anymore.
Most of the free agents nowdays are older vets on their last legs, with a little left in the tank.
So if the plan is to just sign some free agents this off season, we're in even more trouble then i imagined. You just can't build a team this way.
We better find some excellent talent in the draft. Problem is, Al Davis has not shown he can do this anymore. If you don't believe me, just look at this sad, sorry excuse of a roster.
Raider 00:
I disagree with the central premise, that Al Davis drafted these O-linemen. Yes, he agreed that the picks would be used on them, but it seems to me that you're saying the coaches in place had no choice other than to have Al thrust these player in their direction.
I think these players were picked by Gruden, Calihan and Turner.
And, yes, the draft is more important in this era because there are many more teams, and there generally isn't a large enough pool of quality players to spread around. However, what remains unchanged is that it takes a few years to develope an NFL player, and you don't turn a team around in one year with the draft. You do it with philosophy and free agency.
And, yes there are quality players to sign in free agency. In this modern era it comes about when teams can't afford the high price of players. Whomever is most skilled at dealing with the salary cap is usually the free agency winner.
Each of the prior Raider coaches has drafted players to fit his philosophy. Art shell will do the same. Boothe looks to me like a keeper. That's one of Art's. So is McQ, but I think he should probably stay at RT and I think he will wind up supplanting Walker.
Blandarocked:
Raider head coaches do have input. I know for a fact that Norv Turner really wanted Lamont Jordan, so Al signed him.
But when it comes to draft day, Al Davis runs the show.
Do you really believe that Gruden, a wide eyed, 35 yr old, first time head coach, was telling the legend, Al Davis, who to draft.
As John Wayne said in Big Jake, "Not Hardly".
It's the same with every HC Davis hires. If you don't like the fact that Biletnikoff, & Brown come with the job, then you don't get the job.
Al Davis has run the Raiders with an iron fist, for better, or worse.
Raider 00:
As I've heard both Madden and Flores describe it, the coach has to show up at draft meetings and in the war room prepared and with their grocery list, or Al is going to call it. But if the coach can state a good case for what he wants, the coach wins out. And yes, I think Gruden, even at 35, had the ego to argue with Al Davis. That's one of the things that Al said he liked about Gruden - his confidence.
And I know that HCs have complained that Al insists that they use the likes of Bilitnikoff and Brown. This is part of Al's way of doing two things. 1. Keeping hold of Raider tradition, and 2. securing work for the "Raider family." It occasionally creates a problem, but I wouldn't change it. Aside from the fact that you can do a lot worse than B&B.
blandarocked 3:20 pm.....frkyraider is standing and applauding this post. very well said my friend. loved it!!!
raider00, now i loved me some ted hendricks, but there are quality free agents out there to be had. and just to prove it i give you one of ol' uncle Al's. Al signed this young stud because he saw something in him in the little playing time he was getting in his first few seasons. since signing him before last year he's only led the league in sacks on a 4-12 team with not much comin from the other side. burgess was a quality sign and Al deserves the credit for this. i supose most will say he just got lucky on this one eh?
i got a little off track there, my point is they are out there, just need to pluck em.
Blandarocked:
Well, I guess we can agree to disagree.
But I just don't buy it. I can't see Gruden on that phone saying, "Draft Janikowski now", while Al sat silently.
I heard one of the biggest reasons Gruden wanted out was his frustration with the draft process. There just wasn't any new, young talent coming in.
Gruden saw the writing on the wall. The team was aging, with vets, Rice, Romo, Brown, Kennedy, Gannon, Rod Woodson, Armstrong, Middleton, Garner, etc. and there just wasn't anybody to speak of behind these guys to take over.
Gruden, faced with rebuilding through Davis' terrible drafts, or bolting to sunny Tampa, chose the latter.
And, the rest is history, as they say.
In order to get this ship off the rocks, a bunch of things need to happen.
1. Develop the players currently on the roster. The coaching staff's ability to teach is critical for the rookies and younger players to make strides and impact the near future.
My concern: Do we have the best, most experienced, dynamic coaches on our staff?
2. Manage the salary cap.
My concern: Moss & Porter are clogging up a big chunk of the salary cap. This past off season we were unable to sign any marquee FAs due to a lack of cap room.
3. Using the draft to infuse impact players. Huff, Howard, McQ, and Boothe look like keepers. It is critical to identify "football" players that will fit into the Raiders system, and shore up our deficiencies as opposed to drafting combine "superstars".
4. Identify a few FAs in the offseason whose career is on the rise as opposed to on the decline. Target a few critical positions that might not be able to be filled in the draft. (RB, DE, DT, O-Line)
Finally, I'm willing to give Walsh 1 full season. At the end of the season his coaching performance should be scrutinized and evaluated just like the entire staff and roster. Personally, I would seriously consider promoting John Schoop as OC for 07.
AngelicRaider said...
I feel much better after having read blandarocked THANK YOU.
One thing we need to remember about the draft is, out of 250+ picks you mabye get 25 studs....That means everyone is making poor decisions not just the Raiders! Plus only 1 team gets to be the champion...so 31 teams also got the formula wrong.
Is Al getting old? Certainly, but even the much harolded Parcells says he talk's shop with Al every now and then. If he's lost it you think Bill would sit all those years next to him at the combine?
As for how Al selects his staff...When you have as many poker chips as he does, you get to play every hand your way. That's why we still work the 9 to 5. If all a team needed were the suggestions from fans,every team should progress constantly. We are missing some of the variables in owning and running a team.
I did not feel this way until I read blandarocked.(thanks again) We as Raiderfans pride ourselves because we go against the grain, we dont follow every whim of genius that comes along. We try and set the standard.
Gooooooo RAAaaaaaaiderrrrrrrrs.
I'm so glad to find solice at RaiderTake.
Thanks Sean, I'll forgive you for destroying Los Santos in FF
AngelicRaider:
Man, you confuse me. You sound almost giddy about all the losing that goes on with the Raiders these days.
I guess if the Raiders lose 14 games this year, you'll be one happy camper, that is, as long as Blandarocked says it's ok to be.
Wow, what's going on here ? This is like the twilight zone or something. Just win baby, Commitment to excellence, what does it all mean ??
"Out of 250 picks, 25 studs". Try zero studs, that's what the Raiders get the last twenty yrs.
"Only one team gets to be champs". That's not the question. The question is, how close are you to being champion. Well, the Raiders have been rebuilding, or reloading, or whatever, since 2003. HOW MUCH CLOSER ARE THEY ???
"Bill Parcell's sits next to Al Davis". Parcell's hasn't won a SB since 1990, and he's never won without Bill Bellichek as his D-coordinator. Maybe he should sit next to Bellichek.
Maybe Randy Moss was right. Maybe nobody gives a crap. Maybe instead of watching the Raiders this week, I should just go out and enjoy life.
Sad stuff. It makes me sick to hear. What has happened to the Raider fan base ? Friggin twilight zone for as far as the eye can see.
Wait...here comes....Rod Serling
AngelicRaider said....
Raider00 chill son, think of it this way you can be part of the Haters or you can stand up for a team that you have ivested so much time in.
Assuming that 2 wins would make me happy is just that, assuming. I like yourself have been very upset the last 3 years, this one is more difficult because of high expectations. My point is I was being spoon fed all this negative nonsense, the media and I live in Colorado, and blandarocked awakened a sense of optomism that is essential for us Die Hard Fans. And that is why I felt a sense of gratitude.
Every year there are around 250 players selected in the ENTIRE draft, which indicates we are not they only team that has problems drafting...therefore why does Al take the blame when it is simply a matter of odds. Tim Brown Stud. Steve Wisnewski Stud. Bo Jackson...did not play for very long Stud nonetheless. Greg Biekert Stud. Barret Robbins Stud. Dude was crazy but you know you backed him up before the whole superbowl incident. La’Roi Glover maybe not with us but we drafted him, Stud. Shane Lechler it sucks when he is our only stud but Stud. I also think our last few drafts have looked good but that is to be determined.
The nature of my post was to remind ourselves that the Raiders are what brings us joy, we shouldnt berate the owner and coach because everyone else dis doing it. Blandarocked was a breath of fresh air in a room full of stale smoke and unmuzzeled dogs.
You question the Raider fan base, but it seems that you posted the following:
Well, the Raiders have been rebuilding, or reloading, or whatever, since 2003. HOW MUCH CLOSER ARE THEY ???
They? They? Sorry my man but when I talk about the Raiders I prefer the term WE. I back up the WE statement by appraising the dollar amount in merchandise I have purchased over the last 19 years and somehow my money has contributed to the dollars used in the salary cap.(this is just a theory)
Perhaps if your glass was half full you would notice your comment on Parcells is money. Why is he put on a pedestal for his football savy, and the leader of our beloved team is dragged through the mud.
The weather here in Bronco Country (that's what they really call it) is always fair. I know it's never fairweather in the RAIDERNATION
In closing you SHOULD go out and enjoy life and love how excited you get over the Raiders. I used to have the Raiders as the center of my life, but I found the Lord recently and lifes never been better with him as my center.
Thanks for the kind words AngelicRaider.
Raider 00, the Gruden/Davis scenario that you report is the conventional wisdom spouted by the sports media, but it has been contradicted many times by both Davis and Gruden. Gruden said at the time that it was the chance of a lifetime to coach in his home town and to be close to his family. Davis says to this day that he appreciated and respected Gruden, but that he didn't want to stand in the way of the opportunity presented to him. The press says they're both liars, but the press has lied to me more than these two guys ever have, so who am I to believe?
As for Bruce Allen, he wanted more power without actually having to buy his own team. Tampa Bay also presented him with that opportunity. He wasn't going to take over Al's job, and we shouldn't expect that Al would let him. He's moved on by expanding his career, so good luck, Bruce, and thanks!
There is a local sports reporter (I won't mention names, but as a hint he writes the same column at the beginning of every season - that the Raiders will never win again until Al Davis sells the team) who has personally confessed to me that he's carrying a forty year old grudge against Al because he thinks that Al screwed a friend of his on a business deal. FORTY YEARS AGO!
As Raider fans, the sports media feeds us crap, so we go out and find our own sources, and better ones. We generally begin to understand what is true and what isn't, and we realize there is much more to running a team than what occurs on the playing field.
But when times get tough like this, the media piles on - feeding us an endless load of tripe. I thought the Raiders were terrible in their first, second, and fifth preseason games, and the other two were against very suspect teams. Yet the press rallied us to the notion that the Raiders were now playoff bound. After the first game against SD they started in with the "the worst team in history" crap. And it seems to me that many of us are forgetting the lessons we've learned over the years, and piling on to the press' dungheap. We are imploading.
I've come to view this season as watching a team in transition - back to tradition. It won't be pretty, but it WILL be productive. We don't have to find contentment in losing, but we do need to find faith in building and the men there to do the job. We'll know in due time if they are going to fail, but it's going to at least take a season to see where we're headed.
The press had Gruden lynched by the last game of his second season. But a brilliant come from behind victory in KC made us realize that Gruden was doing his job. I hate it that many in this nation will only give the great Art Shell only three games.
As always Blankarocked, good take.
My greatest frustration with the season thus far has been the fans who come to RTs home here on the web and dump media provided rants. The Anonymous rants are by far the worst.
No one likes losing.
Get over it.
Look for the positives.
Hope and pray for improvement.
Above all, don't wish evil upon any current or past members of the Raider family.
It is going to be a long season and I'm willing to make a deal with those who want to rant. Hold off until December 31st. We'll hear you out then. Until then, stop trying drag the rest of us down with you.
Go Raiders!
Just to change the subject, I have a prediction. Let's see if I'm right.
If he's not traded before then, Jerry Porter will see his first action of the season against the Cardinals on October 22.
Blanda,
Assuming we can't get rid of the guy, I would agree that we will likely activate him.
The question is what spot will he line up in. I think he's perfect for catches over the middle.
--
"We need to win," Walter said. "If it's against San Francisco, it's against San Francisco. If it's against whoever it is next week and the week after, the bottom line is, we just need to get a win, get headed in the right direction and feeling good about ourselves."
Pope, I think that will depend on Moss. If Moss continues to show no effort, Shell will have to sit him or trade him.
Assuming that things stay the way they are, I have to believe that Porter will replace Whitted in limited duty.
Pope, Blanda, Angelic,
The problem here is not that the Raiders are merely losing. It's not like they are going through a couple of 7-9 seasons. The problem is they are not even competing.
No wins in the division last year, remember that ? I'm seriously worried that the Raiders might not even score a point in a division game this year.
But it's bigger then even that. Let's be totally honest about it. The Raiders have become Shanahan's, & Shotenheimer's whipping boys. That's just a plain fact. Their won/loss record against us is embarassing to behold. And we aint to good against the Chefs either.
Ok, you'll say, this happens to teams sometimes. Ok, but since when are we the Lions ?
And it's not like this has been going on for only a few seasons, it's been years now that they have dominated us in every way. Case closed.
I know I am not the only one upset about this. I watch the games, and I hear the boos raining down from the crowd. Last yr, the Nation aimed all their ire at one player, KFC. But KFC is not around anymore to be the punching bag. Now, it seems to me, the nation is booing EVERYONE. Booing the fact that they are losing, and playing bad, and not even trying.
It's a complete and total disgrace what is going on with the Raiders.
With just some collective hard effort, things would be a lot better, and we can't even get that.
Don't get me wrong, I love this blog. That's why I participate. But if you think I am repeating information I get from the media, think again.
I get my facts from watching the Raiders play each week. If you want to know what I know, just try opening your eyes the next time you watch the Raiders play.
Bama7
Raider00 you are nailing it. I agree totally.
Blandarocked, you are way out of touch. Your thoughts from top to bottom are wrong and exactly the problem with the Raiders right now. You talk as if you have insider knowledge as to Al's daily schedule over the last thirty years. You don't and you didn't. Al has been crapping out at the table for the last twenty five years. He hasn't rolled a seven since 1983. He doesn't make ALL of the decisions for the Raiders, just the IMPORTANT ones. Art's allowed to dole out windsprints while Al picks the draft and free agency... and offensive scheme.
Art is doing nothing.
With the exception of only a few players on our roster, I reserve judgement on these players until they have been coached by a cohesive, modern football caoching staff. Freddy B (my favorite raider growing up) has been there forever... step down already! Willie B, ditto! The whole organization is stuck in the seventies, well, because THEY ARE THE SEVENTIES. What modern staff has Freddie B and Willie B trained under? They know nothing other than Al's system. Let's bring in a coach and let him name his ENTIRE staff, pick his offensive and defensive schemes and then select his OWN talent. What we have right now is a hodge podge of coaches and players that have no rhyme or reason. And it must be a west coast thing becuase from my view east of the Mississippi, Walter looks terrible. We are averging 2.7 yards a pass. And yes, it is another "last place in the nfl" stat we own. Walter threw for what last week, 80 yards? Terrible. We haven't had (sans Gannon) a qb that could check into a successful play since Plunkett. Well Hollis did it ocassionally but let's not beat the gruden horse anymore. Al values a rocket arm over audibles... that's a fact shown time and time again. Al values pure stopwatch speed over a true, physical football player that is slower... another fact proven over and over. How many people outside of the organization have to tell us Al's gameplan from superbowl II doesn't work anymore? It is so obvious. The games this year look just like the games with Shroeder, George and Collins at the helm. I see no difference whatsoever. Well, a slight difference, the games are even less competitive now as the nfl's modern train gets further and further down the tracks, away from Al. Take out the Gruden years and if any other GM in the NFL had compiled the record Al has in those same 25 years, where would that GM be? Unemployed. Problem is, Al has the job, literally, for life.
And get off Moss. Did he have a rep for being a team leader and "blocker" when we picked him up? F&^% no. Is that why we brought him in? F*&^ no. We all knew what he was and what he wasn't. So stop it now. Moss is pissed because he doesn't like losing. A good trait. Al's system just makes everyone look awful. And now we're all backbiting. Moss is like a V2 rocket. You set him up with a mobile qb and run game and then... BAM he scores on you. And scores a lot. It can still be done, but Al, Freddie, Otto and the rest of the "boarders for life" just can't seem to find the right play while watching the Heidi game in the film room. Sad. Look at Gabrial. Put the guy in a modern offensive system and he is kicking big time ass up in New England. He has 10 cathes and 2 TD's in three games! I believ that's one more TD catch than we have AS A TEAM! One more TD for Gabrial and he has as many as he got in Oakland all of last year. Blandarocked what's your take on that, from an offensive scheme standpoint? If Walsh deserves more time then you must think he is a pretty good offensive mind? why then has the guy had no other NFL offers? Same question with Art Shell. Why did Peyton turn us down? Why did Petrino turn us down? Why did Whisenhunt not come here? Al doesn't want them and they don't want any part of Al. The feeling is mutual on all parts involved. Al wants figure heads that runs the team through drills, laps etc, while he picks talent and schemes etc. Until we bring in a cohesive, modern football coaching staff, nothing is ever going to change for us. And I'd be all for giving such a staff SEVERAL years to start showing results. I just can't stomach watching Walsh and Shell because it's going nowhere and you just know it. It's the end of the line for Walsh and should have never had a new start. He is lickng Al's boot and picking up a check. Guess I'd do the same for my family. And how about giving Tuisosopo more than one damn start? Typical Al... punishing Gruden's guy... exiling him to the abyss to ride his contract out. I don't know if he'd do much better, but Walter sux and Brooks looks damaged by all that has happened to him. Tui might at least figure out a way to audible out of some bad spots. I mean he did train under Gannon for several years.
And calling all of us Raider fans that hate what's going on right now, haters is like all the right wing people in this country calling unpatriotic those that question the bush administration's decisions.
First of all, I never said we shouldn't hold the Raiders to a high standard, and expect them to win.
First the Al Davis issue. Yes, he's 77 years old. Anyone who tells me that because he's that old he's always living in the past, that he doesn't understand anything modern, or that he's incapable of modern thought... well, I call that person a bigot. My father started sailing in the late 1960s. He's now 87. There isn't a person I'd rather have on my boat to advise me of sailing fundamentals, modern equipment, and navigation technology.
Don't even begin to try to explain to me that all the while Al Davis has been involved in the NFL, the rules committees, the labor negotiations, etc., that he is unable to comprehend how these things have affected the game, his team, and the play on the field.
If you're going to tell me that the Sid Gilman offense is stuck in an ancient time, and incapable of winning in the modern era, don't tell me - tell the Steelers bofore they accidentally win another Super Bowl.
If your going to tell me that Al Davis has too big a tendency to interfere between players and coaches, tell that to the players during Callihan's last year who complained that Al Davis wouldn't get involved.
Please don't try to explain to me that since the Raiders haven't even played like a professional team in the last three years that this is somehow Art Shell's fault. The Raiders have gone through three consecutive coaches (and I'm including Gruden here) who don't believe in working veterans, and who don't believe in fundamentals. That spells disaster.
The problems the Raiders are having are with fundamentals. And after seven years of neglect, you don't change the culture and cure the problem in one preseason.
Yes, a team has recently gone from worst to first. But Fox also coached the losing team the season before, and the losing team the season after. In order to have a consistently winning team, you have to have a team with a tradition of practicing fudamental football, because without it you lack the ability to successfully improvise.
The fault does lie with Al Davis, but not because of the players the Raiders have drafted, or because he interferes. The fault is that he hired Callihan, and then Turner. My argument is that Al Davis is right that he should have never fired Shell to begin with. Art Shell is the man who should be in charge of the Raiders. I'll stand by that - it's going to play out that way this season anyway.
Now, after losses, we can put our tail between our legs, show our vulnerable underbellies, and swear fealty to the local press and ESPN because they must have been right all along, or we can show Shell some support for the season by waiting to see how the entirety of 2006 compares to 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Bama7,
Thanks for the support. I'm only saying this because it's the truth. It's not just that we suck right now, it's the fact that there is no plan at work. Some hope would come from a plan, but there is none that I can see.
I thought last season was rock bottom, but now it looks like the bottom has fallen out.
If you want to know how bad things are right now, look at it this way. Jay Cutler is standing on the Donkey sideline, getting ready to whip us for the next 10 yrs.
Meanwhile, Art Shell is trying to teach the two Davis stiffs, Gallery, & Grove how to block.
Good luck Art. As AngelicRaider might say, may the Lord be with you.
And Blanda, just so you know, I never watch Espn(I get my highlights elsewhere), or read SI mag(AKA, SI Rag). I beleive they are unfair to the Raiders, and they go beyond the truth in their reporting.
The truth is bad enough as is.
I'm willing to ride out the new Shell era until the wheels completely fall off. The times that the Raiders have had success in their history is when a "home-grown" head coach is at the reins for a long period of time. Madden, Flores, Shell-1. Shell era 2 has started off extremely rocky so far. However I'm confident that having stability at the top, giving him the chance to add his type of players to the roster, develop his players, and install/implement his system will pay off in the long term.
The Pos+ against the Neg-, great showing but I take the side of the Pos+, my glass is half full, not 7/8 empty.
Point: Get off the "GrudDoumb" Chucky band-wagon, have you seen what he has done, taken a consistant play-off team into the dumper, at the bottom of the abyss, I am happy we have Shell, not ChuckRoast.
Point: If you have followed the team you will see a differance in the personality of the team from coach to coach, it is not Al Davis, Shanons team compared to Shell's compared to White's to Bungles to Chuckies and so on, it has changed with each new coach, the personality and the type of player wanted. All some of you look at is the record and not at the littyle things, and the little things were there for Willy Shaw on his "D" and left when he got run, and that was for Chucky!!
Point: Do some of you really understand the game? What do yoy look at, the sports page? Last week the "O" line started to work together for the running game, did you see that? Did you notice that Shell's teaching is starting to pay off? Is there more to do? YES, Is Shell commited to the work? Yes!!! If you don't believe in the team, why the hell are you here?
Point: Gallery, was never in his natural position in the NFL, now he is learning as though he is a rooky because he was mis-placed for 2 seasons!!! As was Jake Grove, playing gaurd instead of center...just like Galery!!!
BlandaRocked: Good point about sailing, I am also a Master and live on my boat in MorroBay. As a veteran crusser and trans-packer I listen to the old-timers who were realy there. I was taught Celistrial Navigation by an old-timer from WorldWarII who taught at Annapolis. I do things the old way and not just dependant on the new electronics like so many today, clue-less if it goes down!!! The body may get rigity but the brain is full of knowlege and we younger need to listen, or suffer in our stipidity!!! I hope to live long enough to be that Old-Timer on the docks, on my old WWII boat!!! But now I am only 56 on a 62 year old boat and still learning after 16 years on the sea!!!
PantyRaider-DrownningRaider
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