News You Can't Use
Here's what one Sports Irritating, I mean Illustrated, columnist had to say about the Raiders last week: "I don't dislike the Raiders. It's just that ... how can I put this? It's like having a son you were once very proud of. A little rough at times, but he struggled and achieved and overcame a lot. Many people were against him. And then he just gave up. You look at him and you see a slouching person, nearing middle age, hair thinning, cigarette smoke staining his fingers, talking out of the side of his mouth, continually lying. Is this really your son? Well, yeah, and you still love him underneath it all. You just don't enjoy being around him.''
As if that wasn't enough foam out of the mouth, now one of his esteemed colleagues reprints it as one of his "quotes of the day." They've certainly mastered the art of self-congratulatory navel gazing over there at SI. So the Raiders have given up? Four losing seasons following a Super Bowl berth means we've given up? Those are fightin' words, friends.
This arrives in the wake of the following recent quote from yet another SI columnist: "The two words used most frequently on draft weekend by Raiders coach Lane Kiffin will be 'Yes, boss' -- followed closely by 'Great call!' and 'Cream? Sugar?'"
One of these guys is in bed with the Patriots, and another is sleeping with the 49ers, so you'll have to excuse them for the hatred oozing out of their pores.
Anyhow, that's three SI columnists in two weeks publishing juvenile riffs on the Raiders. This is the point where people write and say, "What do you care? Who cares what they write? What do you expect, we're 2-14!"
Here's what I say to that: Way to back up your team. Way to fight back. Way to be a Raider. Yes, let's all go mute while influential sportswriters hate on our team like no other 2-14 team before it, like no other team that has won its division three times, advanced to the AFC Championships twice and even appeared in the Super Bowl in this yet-unfinished decade. Let's say nothing and allow these clowns to keep hating without any response or reaction. Let's allow them to keep misinforming potential fans who could fill seats and help make sure our team remains viable in Oakland. Yes, that's the spirit.
And that, Raiders fans, is news you can't use.
As if that wasn't enough foam out of the mouth, now one of his esteemed colleagues reprints it as one of his "quotes of the day." They've certainly mastered the art of self-congratulatory navel gazing over there at SI. So the Raiders have given up? Four losing seasons following a Super Bowl berth means we've given up? Those are fightin' words, friends.
This arrives in the wake of the following recent quote from yet another SI columnist: "The two words used most frequently on draft weekend by Raiders coach Lane Kiffin will be 'Yes, boss' -- followed closely by 'Great call!' and 'Cream? Sugar?'"
One of these guys is in bed with the Patriots, and another is sleeping with the 49ers, so you'll have to excuse them for the hatred oozing out of their pores.
Anyhow, that's three SI columnists in two weeks publishing juvenile riffs on the Raiders. This is the point where people write and say, "What do you care? Who cares what they write? What do you expect, we're 2-14!"
Here's what I say to that: Way to back up your team. Way to fight back. Way to be a Raider. Yes, let's all go mute while influential sportswriters hate on our team like no other 2-14 team before it, like no other team that has won its division three times, advanced to the AFC Championships twice and even appeared in the Super Bowl in this yet-unfinished decade. Let's say nothing and allow these clowns to keep hating without any response or reaction. Let's allow them to keep misinforming potential fans who could fill seats and help make sure our team remains viable in Oakland. Yes, that's the spirit.
And that, Raiders fans, is news you can't use.
Labels: News You Can't Use
posted by Raider Take at 1:53 PM
73 Comments:
Hey I hate all the bad write ups as much as the next guy, but when your team is 15-49 over the last 4 years, what else do you expect? Until we actually start winning some games again, expect these kind of write ups to continue.
Like I said, that's the spirit!
Dr Z (Moe), Mikey Silver (Larry), Petey King (Curly) aka the 3 Stooges of SI!
I live in the Tampa area, and you should see all the negative articles written about the Bucs coming off of a 4-12 season. And this comes just 4 years after the Bucs won it all in the 2002 season. Bad articles come with the territory when you are a losing team. Want to silence the sports writers and the critics? Win some games. Lets hope Lane Kiffin can get it done.
Funny, I haven't seen the Bucs get repeatedly hit like this in the nation's biggest sports magazine, have you?
In fact, that proves my point. Both the Raiders and the Bucs have stumbled big time since they met in the Super Bowl, yet it's the Raiders who rack up the cheap shots.
Don't think I don't expect it. But just because I expect it doesn't mean I have to take it.
Well all I can say is that for these kind of articles to stop, the Raiders just need to start winning some games. Winning cures all that ails you. Its time to put the stench of 15-49 behind us. We need to win some divisional games. We need to win some games on the road. If we don't, then we will just be handing more material to these sportswriters to bash us with. We just need to WIN some damn games.
I hear you, but we can't win any real games in April, May, June, July or August, can we?
I'm not going to sit here for the next five months and go mute in the face of repeated juvenile cheap shots in the nation's biggest sports publication, as if it's open season on the Raiders until they win some games. It's freaking April and I can still hardly keep up with the cheap shots.
It's one thing to observe that the Raiders blew it with Art Shell and Tom Walsh, it's another to say the organization has "given up" and that Lane Kiffin will be serving Mr. Davis coffee in the draft room. One is journalism, the other is hateful bias.
The latter will not go unchecked, at least not here at Raider Take.
Here's a interesting article, from yahoo sports: It quotes our old friend Bruce Allen.
" There is increasing speculation among personnel men that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to make a run at trading up from No. 4 overall to the top pick in the NFL draft in an effort to get Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
"I definitely get the feeling that's where the Bucs are going," an executive from another NFL team said this week.
Three weeks ago, Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen said he had been in contact with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
"Al talked to me about what he wants to do, but I'm not sharing that with you," Allen said with a smile. There was speculation that the Bucs had already offered Oakland all four of their picks in the first three rounds (Nos. 4, 35, 64 and 68 overall) to move up. The Bucs received the No. 64 overall pick after trading defensive tackle Anthony McFarland to the Indianapolis Colts last season.
"Raider Rick"
Well, if the Bucs want to run with scissors like that, then I'll be happy to trip them up and re-think my Russell stance. In fact, who knows, maybe Russell could even fall to us at #4.
RT:
If such were the case, we could make the trade with the Bucs. Then, in a deal to get McCown, tade our number 4 pick, and a third round pick to Detroit for their No two and McCown. That way Detroit gets their man Thomas at 4 (Cleveland would likely take Quinn), we still get Russell and 2 extra first day picks. Detroit gets an extra first day pick, the Bucs get Johnson, and everybody's happy.
Very clever! It took me a second to get it, but you may be on to something. You'd just have to keep Matt Millen from running with scissors and picking WR Dwayne Jarrett at #2, he tends to do stuff like that.
Blandarocked = Brilliant !!!!
Trade down to 4 for extra picks, then trade back up to 2 and still get Jruss.
I love it !!!!!!!!!
BR-
Genius! Somebody call Al on the Pirate Phone. What do you think SI would write about that? Probably some other BS that has nothing to do with football.
I used to have more respect for SI. Now I just keep one around in case I run out of TP.
BR - I like your idea and it sounds great on paper but the only problem is that if you go by the draft day value chart it just doesn't add up.
Trading our #4 pick from the TB trade (1800 pts.) and our own #65 pick (265 pts.) is a total of 2065 pts. In return we would get the 2nd pick (2600 pts.) and McCown (worth probably a 3rd). Trading our 3rd for McCown works but there would be a 800 point discrepancy in the rest of the trade.
To make the numbers work, we would have to toss in our own #33 pick (580 pts.) which would still leave a 220 pt. discrepancy.
The trade would be:
Raiders get Detroits #2 & McCown
Detroit gets Raiders #4, #33, #65
This would give us #2, #35 (early 2nd round from TB), #64 (late 2nd round from TB), #68 (early 3rd round).
The real question is if we make the trade with TBay and hold fast at #4, will JRuss still be on the board at #4?
#1 TBay - Calvin Johnson
#2 Detroit - ? Thomas/BQuinn
#3 Cleveland - ? Quinn/JR/Peterson
#4 Raiders - WHO WILL BE LEFT?
The overall net would be gaining 1 extra late 2nd rounder.
The story is Kenny Stabler snaked Paul Zimmerman's wife back in the day.
Hence, the unapologetic vitriol which spills out of Dr. Z towards the Raiders to this day is the product of his undying resentment towards the Snake.
It is so blatant that Dr. Z (I think he is a proctologist) is on record in his column as saying "I will never vote for Kenny Stabler or any other Raider for the Hall of Fame."
Damn, I'm glad you're back, Stick'Em.
Calico Jack, you're smarter than me, so rather than waste time trying to do it myself, I'll ask you: What's the math on those four picks from Tampa by simply moving back three slots in the first round?
Would that give us some funny money to compensate for the points loss in dealing with the Lions? From start to finish (Tampa through Detroit), might it not shake out in our favor?
Also, there's the factor of saving bucks not having to pay first-pick premiums.
I heard somewhere that these two jackasses si has as their nfl gurus have not picked a super bowl winner in 20 or so years. The bias is so evident it is almost surreal. Even the local writers that hate can be reached by email, kawakami, gay etc.
These guys are cowards because they refuse to debate. Good thing for them. They would get their asses kicked at Raider Take.
Love it, memdf, you're good foxhole company.
God, that would be great, huh, but likely a pipe dream. If TB makes that trade you'd have to figure that the Lions were poised to make the McCown deal, and they didn't want to take the chance Calvin wouldn't be there. The only problem is that both the Lions and Browns could potentially take quarterbacks, and force us into a completely different direction with our pick.
It's barely been discussed here, but I would like to know more about why everyone wants Russell over Quinn. From what I've been looking at it seems that Quinn may be the better choice.
Charlie Weis has made the following comments on ESPN and FOX
"Coach Weis told SIRIUS Satellite Radio that the team that gets you is going to get a combination of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning."
"I think that everything about him points to him being a successful quarterback in the NFL. The way he carries himself on and off the field, his athletic ability, his moxie, his leadership. That 'it' that certain people have, well he has it"
Gruden made the following comments in the South Bend Tribune after attending a session with Quinn.
"I think decision-making sometimes is very important," Gruden said in trying to differentiate a potential QB prodigy from a project or a bust. "And the private film work you do to see where a guy is mentally (is important).
"Some guys are somewhat blank tapes. They're running options, they're running schemes that don't exist in pro football. They're not aware of what modern-day defenses are doing, maybe. This guy (Quinn) understands the under defense versus the over defense, sight adjustments, how to throw the quick game in the shotgun. This guy is very advanced and technically sound in a lot of areas. You can find those things out the more you look, the more you study."
In the FOX article, Gil Brandt was referring to Peyton not being able to win the big one when he said "People say the same thing about Brady Quinn. I disagree with all that. I think if it wasn't for Brady and his production, Notre Dame never would have been there playing LSU and they wouldn't have been playing in a game as big as the USC game was."
Not to say that Russell hasn't had his kudos as well, but they all seem to focus on his size, the deep ball, and to a lesser extent his accuracy. But the same folks who gush over his potential, and his higher upside, also allow that he has the greater potential to be a bust. Mike Mayok mentioned this just the other day on the NFL Network. He mentioned that Russell had gotten as high as 300lbs - that's huge. I wondered about the comment he made about Russell being 20 pounds overweight at the combine, but have read that some teams feel he needs to be at about 255, so if he got down to 265 for his pro day that would explain the difference. In any event, a key question is how do you know that the workout ethic will be there when he gets the big payday? Compare it to Quinn, who is noted as being a workout fiend in addition to having excellent study habits.
As for Russell, Pro Football Weekly notes concerns as "Marginal Worker. Too Lazy. Not committed to his craft. Has a lackadaisical approach to the game and nearly lost his job in a competition prior to his junior season." This ESPN article on Russell had a different spin on his pro day - "In the pocket, though, he struggled while setting up on his short drops and showed poor anticipation with targets coming out of breaks. On one series of 12-yard outs, where he had to throw across his body to the sideline -- a crucial conversion throw in the NFL that requires laserlike accuracy -- he missed badly on nearly half of his attempts."
That article also mentions that "the leading indicator of NFL success for QBs taken in the first two rounds is college starts: The more a passer has, the better he'll do in the pros." This list of QBs who came out as juniors is a bit scary. Not that Russell's potential can be compared with the potential of anyone on the list, but it does reflect that college experience is a huge factor.
Taken all together, while Quinn does not have as much upside as Russell (both should be NFL starters, IMO) I think he is the safer pick. He has the higher floor, there is no questioning his work ethic - either physically or in terms of studying the playbook, he can make all the throws, and he wants to be the #1 pick. I want that type of competitiveness in our QB - no one else has stated they want to be #1. He has been durable, a 4 year starter, and has dealt with national exposure for his entire college career. He has been the focus of every opponent, and hasn't buckled under the pressure. I'm willing to bet that had he played for USC, LSU, etc, that the big game results would have been different.
Damn, you guys are on fire. Good points about Quinn. Have you checked out Calico Jack's Top 10 reasons for selecting Russell? That's my new bible on Russell. I will say that Merrill Hoge said that "it's not even close" between Russell and Quinn, and that he thinks Quinn might not even be a first rounder, supposedly after spending two months watching film of both QBs. I guess that's what makes this guessing game so fun.
Calico...
>>>>
#1 TBay - Calvin Johnson
#2 Detroit - ? Thomas/BQuinn
#3 Cleveland - ? Quinn/JR/Peterson
#4 Raiders - WHO WILL BE LEFT?
>>>
Ya kinda lost me on all the points things, can you explain further? Are you saying it doesn't add up to DET, and TB's favor? They are pretty much morons when it comes to draft day IMO (with all due respect to Chucky, he SUCKS ASS drafting)... so why not take advantage of them?
And even if we stand pat at four, we would end up with either JR, Quinn, or Thomas... seems to me any of the three would help our team immensely, and we'd have all the extra picks to fill other holes.
What am I missing here?
First off let me say how happy I am that Sir Stick'em is back with his 1, 2 punch of knowledge & humor. Cheers! Raise the BFN Flag. Ahoy!
If you want to look up the draft value chart, go to:
http://www.theredzone.org/2005/draft/draftvaluechart.asp
Here is a review of our picks (if we make the trade with TBay:
Rd1/#4 (1800)- from TBay
Rd2/#33 (580) - our own pick
Rd2/#35 (550) - from TBay
Rd2/#64 (270) - from TBay
Rd3/#65 (265) - our own pick
Rd3/#68 (250) - from TBay
Rd3/#99 (104) - our own pick
The trade that BR proposed was:
"in a deal to get McCown, trade our number 4 pick, and a third round pick to Detroit for their No two and McCown"
Using the above chart, there would be a major discrepancy in point value. For example if we used our #65 pick (with swapping our #4 for their #2) it would be a 800 point discrpancy. So you have a sense of what 800 points is worth, it is the equivalent of a 1stR/#21 pick.
Here is how the proposed trade would look:
Raiders get Detroit's #2 (2600) plus McCown (equivalent of a 3rd to 5th round pick)
Detroit gets Raiders #4 (1800) plus #65 (265)
Let's assume that 1 piece of the trade is a wash McCown for #65. The rest is a 800 point gap.
What I suggested was us adding one of our 2nd round picks (580) to tighten the gap and make it more reasonable.
If this trade goes down, what I would hope is that we package some of the extra picks to move up. Take our #35 & #64 to move up to #20. Take our #65 & #68 to move up to #38. If this happened our draft slots would look like this:
1stRd/#4 (JRuss or Quinn)
1stRd/#20 (Staley/OT)
2ndRd/#35 (Justin Harrill/DT)
2ndRd/#38 (Jarrett/WR)
3rdRd/#99 (Patrick/TE)
Enough math for tonight...my brain hurts!
Calico,
What if we got Tampa to kick in one of their Qb's, Plummer, Simms ?? This way we wouldn't need Detroit to add Mccown.
This would even up the whole points thing, no ??
Sports writers suck, and you can't trust them, unless they say something good about the guy I want drafted. Then....it's gospel.
If we trade down, I would be more than happy with Quinn. Below is an article from ESPN that I found to be very interesting. I have to say, the dedication from Quinn to the mental aspects of the game as well as the physical has me picturing a bright future for him. Delving into the small intricacies of the system and learning defenses inside and out is what made Gannon great and reading this article had me likening Quinn to that mold.
Gotta love pre-draft dilemmas!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft07/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2839055&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos1
sorry, here's the link
i wouldn't want plummer's crack or simms. besides, i don't think daddy simms will let his son play for the raiders. never trust a silver spoon qb.
if the raiders remain at #4, if the rumor about tampa is true, then we won't get russell. i think the lions and browns would nab them. if the lions nabbed quinn, then the browns would nab russell; or vice-versa.
then we could take joe thomas at #4; and like i said in the last post, pick up a qb in later rounds (troy smith, drew stanton, or john beck.
the reason why i would rather have russell over quinn. quinn reminds me too much of steve buerlien (sp?). not that i didn't mind steve as a qb before schroeder came along; but he never quite blossomed into his potential. he's still recovering from his injury, and has slowed a bit on his roll outs, and scrambles. not to say he cannot recover, but that could end up being a "nagging" career injury if he doesn't take care of it.
in the end, i really wouldn't mind either one, but if we had the choice between the 2 (and right now we do), i'd rather take russell.
RT: D@mn I'm glad you are more responsible than me - LOL! Speaking of which, how's Baby Take? Hope you didn't leave 'em on the roof of the car again...
CJ: Glad to see you're breakin' down the options for us. Tell 'em you want Lombardi's job, 'cause he's probably outta here.
Just remember everybody, the trade value chart thing is not necessarily the only thing that determines whether a trade is a good one or not.
For example, say Al Davis wants a player. He knows he can trade DOWN five spots and almost certainly get that same player at a later spot.
He does so, but in this case in exchange for his original draft spot, Davis gets LESS value in return than it says he SHOULD get on the chart.
Perhaps the chart says he coulda got a 3rd rounder, but let's say Al only got a 4th for trading down. Looks like he got ripped of by the chart...
Now, I ask you, did he make a good deal?
The answer is, "YES!"
Al got the player he wanted, will be able to pay this player less $ after taking him in a slot 5 spots later than he would have, and got a 4th round pick to boot.
Without the trade, all he woulda got is the player.
The thing is, Al doesn't make these types of trades. Al Davis moves up instead.
Say what you want about this draft philosophy, but Al wants to win.
It p!$$es 'em off if someone else nabs a player he has targeted, so the Raiders typically trade UP (see Fabian Washington, Phillip Buchanon, etc.).
Hey anon who wrote the following: "Sports writers suck, and you can't trust them, unless they say something good about the guy I want drafted. Then....it's gospel."
Not true. It's more like this: Sportswriters suck when the write the cheap shots and otherwise biased Raider-hating stuff featured in News You Can't Use. At which point, as passionate Raiders fans, we give it right back to them.
It's a pretty simple and primitive equation: Commit the crime, do the the time. It has nothing to do with lifetime achievement or prior good behavior. I've never featured Jerry McDonald in News You Can't Use. Why? Because he doesn't write cheap shots and juvenile hate mail. In fact, I've praised him on many occasions. But if suddenly he started taking cheap shots, well, he'd find himself in the pokey.
All I got to say is this, I hope someone posts at least one of these haterisms in the Raiders lockeroom! This latest SI article would be perfect. If I'm a player, and I see this jackass at SI paint a picture of me and my buddies as a washed up loser on a national scale, I'd want to kick the crap out of every guy I lined up against to prove him wrong.
-Psycho-
Glad you're standing guard duty on Raiders pride, RT. We can't take these guys seriously--they have some contacts but I doubt they know the game well...and King devotes paragraphs in his column to flavored coffee. Yikes--doesn't excuse the bashing, tho'. Any ideas how to send them a message from Raider Nation?
On the trade front, I think Al would do anything to get extra picks as long as it didn't put at risk the ability to take JR. If we dropped back to 4, somebody could offer the world to Detroit at 2 to move up for "the most talented QB to come out in a decade, with skills like Elway [Adam Schefter quoting Al]". Risky proposition.
Here is yet another lie Zimmerman made up recently regarding the Raiders:
"I saw the Patriots-Raiders game live. I saw replays of the play countless times. I don't believe that the tackle that took Stingley down was the hit that did the damage.
I think it came when he was on the ground, or just about to hit it. That's when Tatum drilled him and he was paralyzed."
This is where Zimmerman fabricated the lie that Tatum "drilled Stingley while he was on the ground and he was paralyzed."
And this is the actual hit, not Dr. Z's made up account of it.
What I see is:
Stingley stretches out to reach a Grogan pass that is thrown way off target and is uncatchable.
Stingley sees Tatum coming.
Stingley ducks his head expecting an impact with Tatum.
Tatum rams the top of Stingley's head with his shoulder.
Please, anyone correct me if I have pulled a Mr. Magoo here.
This looks like an accident to me.
Dr. Z has intentionally fabricated a story, saying he was himself an eyewitness to Jack Tatum hitting Darryl Stingley "while he was down on the ground."
Zimmerman has made up a phantom late hit. There is "the tackle" and then the "other hit that paralyzed Stingley," according to Dr.Z.
This is obviously is a lie and you have the visual evidence to prove it.
I'm no lawyer, but written accounts accusing someone of a crime that are made up to defame a person sound like slander or libel to me.
So Dr.Z, who is the one really "talking out of the side of his mouth, continually lying?"
You know what's funny, the complaints about News You Can't Use typically fall into the following categories:
1. Why do you care what they say?
2. What do you expect, we're a bad team right now.
3. You just hate the media (which is far from the truth)
4. They do it to everyone, not just the Raiders (which makes it acceptable?)
Yet since the launch of News You Can't Use, I can't recall ONE instance where someone legitimately argued that the article referenced therein WASN'T biased/hateful/cheap/juvenile/illogical or innacurate, which are all grounds for being featured in News You Can't Use, and none of which are acceptable forms of journalism.
If you go to Dr Z's link that stickem gave, he has a "Mail Bag" area off to the right of the page where you can submit "your questions."
I think we should bombard him calling him out for his apparent lies on Tatum. Especially the lies about him cashing in on his book about the play. Apparently, Dr Z has never read the book either, because Tatum expresses remorse that someone was seriously injured like that, and resented the nickname because it was tied with that play.
He also lied that Tatum nevered tried to talk with Stingley. Both tried to get together on several occasions to talk, but finally Stingley made the comment that he didn't want to do it in the light of the media; so again, who's to say they never spoke, when there was the possibility of speaking privately together?
His statements are blatant lies, and stupidity. The "Snake" must have given his wife the "Trouser Snake" several times, or at least as many times as the number on his jersey (#12 for those who don't remember). I think he's jealous. Maybe that is how he wanted the Snake to treat him?
As a person that bleeds S & B I have one comment......Just Win!! I have always been a Raider fan (since '76) becuase that was what we were about, winning. F@ck everything else. When you cant score a friggin' touchdown you deserve to be the joke of the league. When you HAD the history the swagger we used to have you deserve to have people mook you. So what do you do about it..Just Win!
I guess there are just two schools of thought here.
So when we don't win (and it's impossible to win every year in the NFL) we "deserve" to be hammered by bad journalism.
Even though many journalists, every day, prove that you can write about the Raiders without resorting to cheap shots, it's still the Raiders' fault that the cheap shot artists can't control themselves.
For the eight months between seasons, when we can't win or lose anything because no games are being played, we "deserve" to have three columnists in the nation's largest sports publication taking cheap shots at us in APRIL because we're not winning games that aren't being played.
To be honest, I'm a little disturbed by this mentality.
Please excuse my profanity ahead of time.
F'you very much and anyone else who thinks that way.
There is no way in the blasted blue Beelzebub I'm gonna just let jackoff artists like Zimmerman make up lies and pass it off as journalism.
The Raiders are family, IMO, and so I respond to these attacks the same way I would respond if someone attacked family.
This is the worst the Raiders have been in a long time, granted.
So there are plenty of true things to say about the Raiders that are bad at the moment. Why do they need to make up obvious lies?
Call a spade a spade.
Yes, if the team wins it will get more respect.
But the so-called "journalists" of the world take pleasure in bashing us. They will continue to do so when we win.
And I, for one, will still be swingin' back at 'em!
I read the column and felt the same way.
F them!
They obviously hate the raiders.
To Peter queen the pats and the steelers can do no wrong. Its one thing to talk about how we haven't been a very good team lately, but the personal inults by these so called journalist's shows a lack of credibility and professionalism.
I would not spend a dime on that crappy magazine.
Now we're bringing it!
Toni, great take, and thanks for your kind feedback on the Black Flag Network!
Stick’em-
Thanks for the link. I just sent this email to our Raider friend.
“Are you for real? Your comments about factual events are a bald face lie. The tackle that “took Stingley down” was Tatum's... it was the ONLY HIT. Proof of your lie is on YouTube.com for the whole world to see.”
It’s one thing to report irresponsibly about football and the Raiders, but to report something so grossly wrong as it impacts people’s lives is inexcusable. There’s nobody on this planet with a pulse that doesn’t feel badly about what happened and for both Stingley and Tatum, who has to live with knowing he was the one who made the (LEGAL) hit. IMO, “Dr. Z” has not only set aside his professionalism, but his moral integrity as well.
And I agree that anyone who just writes that BS off as “another Raider-bashing” needs to re-evaluate their own Raider loyalty, and perhaps their personal integrity.... IMHO.
Raider Take,
Please print a list of the companies that advertise in Sports Sillystrated magazine.
I for one will not be buying any of their products, and I hope all of my fellow Raider fans will join me.
The only way to wake them up is to hit'em in the wallet !!!!!
The advertisers are aplenty, Sears, Toyota, etc. We can start with CNN, which is a highly touted affiliate on SI.com.
Ultimately, however, I suspect that our outcry will have more effect than our absence in terms of being heard.
Sports writing has always had this bent. In the old days, other than nationally famous sports writers, sports was an entry level position for journalists. Half the time they didn't even know anything about the sport they were writing about, so they made things up.
Over the last 30 years or so, this level of journalism has spread to every other subject, while sports writing has become incrementally worse. How often to you hear the lazy, "some people say," or "rumors persist?" Translation? "I think that maybe..." and "I'm making this up." Zimmerman is particularly heinous because he swears he's seen things with his own eyes that are flat out lies.
But, consider, folks, that many of us have perceptions which are skewed away from reality based on what we've read from sports writers. As a for instance, many believe that Al Davis makes every draft day decision, in spite of the fact that the people who have worked with the Raiders on draft day say otherwise.
Guys like "Dr. Z" need a realty check. This guy is old school. He belongs back in the days of muckraking journalism.
Today we live in a world where access to (factual) information is like never before. Therefore, we will no longer require the services of one Dr. Z. I unofficially pull his license and request that he discontinue his malpractice in journalism.
Re Tatum/Stingley:
I saw that game in real time. I see it now, the same way I remembered it.
1. Note that Stingley is airborne, while Tatum is always on his feet. Therefore Stingley is out of control.
2. Both players were playing the ball, until the ball sailed by.
3. When the ball goes by, Tatum picks up Stingley (airborne) in his vision, and braces himself by leaning into the impact. Tatum remained on his feet as Stingley went down.
Tatum reacted exactly as every player is trained to react from the day they strap on a football helmet. I remember being told over and over that you are far more likely to be injured receiving a hit than by making a hit. I was taught to meet every hit with a hit of my own.
One more re Tatum...
I also remember the subsequent preseason game that season. It was against the (then) LA Rams. I remember how the Stingley play affected Tatum from then on.
In the game against the Rams, Tatum found himself alone between the goal line and Lawrence McCutchen (anyway I think it was McCutchen). Tatum didn't deliver a hit. He simply braced himself and waited for McCutchen to hit him. McCutchen ran right over him for a touchdown. Tatum was never the same.
yloiq"Knowing, and respecting your enemy is a key to certain victory" vs. "Raider Mystique"
Al Davis has always cloaked the Raiders in a veil of secrecy, which has almost always included control of media access.
How do you think prima dona sportswriters react when they're screened, barred,or denied access to the Raiders? Al Davis has (over the years) even openly criticized different writers. So, the vendetta against the Raiders by the media doesn't concern me in the least, it amuses me.
I'm not in it for a popularity contest,(and I presume it to be that way for most of us "old school" fans) in fact one of the characteristics of the Raiders I love is most of the fans around the NFL hates them enough to want to see them beat, and will buy tickets to see it. These media idots reinforce it. As for accuracy in the off season, the Draft, and free agency acquisitions are like poker don't tip hand or let your intentions be known. Keep them guessing.
Your email campaign is premature too, you should be stockpiling their articles for further reference. It's extremely entertaining and humorous to watch these same writers having to talk out of the other side of their faces when the Raiders start winning consistantly, and that's the time to email them, and quote them verbattem from their previous articles.
Last year I went to 2 Raider's games in Oakland (first time I ever watched a live Raider's game in Oakland)this year I am planning to go to at least two games at Alameda and also to the game in SD (I am only 100 miles fron SD).
I can't wait to leave my house on Friday and drive the I10 to the 210 past San Fernando hit the 5 freeway, take the 99 hwy. to Bakersfield find a hotel in the area and spend the night, wake up on Saturday and find a Denny's, have breakfast and drive the rest of the way to the bay area Saturday afternoon (maybe even play the song by Journey city lights) and cruise all the bridges of the bay, find a hotel and get ready for Sunday, wake up on Sunday, hit the road, go to the stadium and party with all my brothers and sisters from the Raider Nation!
It sounds so far away but I know that before I know it, opening day will be here and when it gets here I will be as excited as I always have been of opening day, my tummy is going give me buterflies, my heart is going to be jumping and I know that at the end and whatever the end result is I will be happy to be a part of the greatest family in all of sports.
raiderdecoachella
Raiderdecoachella, you rock! Thanks for bring us back to the magic of the Raider Nation experience. Now I'm really anxious. Stick me in a freezer and thaw me in September!
Heartland, I appreciate your points and perspective, but News You Can't Use is here to stay, at least at Raider Take.
If the media want to criticize the Raiders or predict more troubles for the team, that's their prerogative, and even warranted at times.
But when they slip into the runaway bad habit of writing biased/hateful/cheap/juvenile/illogical or innacurate takes on the Raiders, they are going to hear from us. Not in six months, but immediately.
It is clear that this nonsense has gone unchallenged for far too long, which is why certain writers are so comfortable doing it. They have become lazy, and it's our job to kick them off the couch. Take the example at hand: One NFL columnist filling space in the nation's largest sports publication by reprinting his own colleague's juvenile biased take as his "Quote of The Week" and actually celebrating it as an example of profound sportswriting. L-A-Z-Y.
Last year, an ESPN writer wrote a hatchet piece on the Raider Nation, and when the Raider Nation rose up and challenged her, she acknowledged in these pages that she could have done a better job. Why didn't she do a better job? Because most likely she'd read a hundred similar articles in the past, and figured it was good enough to fit right in.
Now, the next time she writes about the Raiders, she will bring her "A" game. That's all we ask, and it's not too much to ask. This has nothing to do with silencing criticism or censoring journalists; it's about bringing balance and professionalism back to coverage of the Oakland Raiders.
As for the notion that it's all the Raiders' fault because they have been allegedly unfriendly to the media: Why is it only certain sportswriters who can't control themselves and their cheap shots, while others are quite able to maintain professional dignity when writing about the Raiders? All of us (cops, teachers, journalists, nurses, salespeople, etc.) should observe our respective professional standards regardless of how our citizens, students, subjects, patients and customers behave.
Where is Scorpio?
I haven't jerd from him in a while!
I would like to know his take on all this stuff about the mediots.
I meant to say I haven't herd from him in a while.
raiderdecoachella
According to Profootballtalk, the Raiders are talking contract with both JRuss and CJohn. I view the Raiders talking to both is an effort to get a serious concession out of one or the other regarding draft position over money. It would also come down to who wants to play for the Raiders instead of the Lions. If the Raiders have jumped into this now, it could be that they worry that the Lions will soon trade their spot to Tampa Bay. In that case Russell wouldn't go any sooner than third if he didn't sign, but CJohn would have his choice between the Raiders and the Bucs.
Regarding what I said above, it could be that the Raiders are actually trying to sign Johnson. Once they sign Johnson, they trade him to Tampa Bay for a sh!t load of draft picks (1-3 in 2007 and 1 in 2008), and still hope to find either Quinn or Russell waiting for them at pick No. 4.
heyyyyyy coachella! miss you too buddy.
blanda - i would do that in a heartbeat.
coachella to answer your question.... i'm an old guy back in school. moving from the computer networking field to the medical field. this is what you call culture shock baby! been having lotsa tests the last 3 weeks or so. also been in and outta town. BUT i catch up on raider take and the other blogs and forums when i get a chance. as for the media - well, i'm not as critical as some of you. there ARE some respectable and unbiased media types out there. they're just over shadowed by all the negative ones.
raider take - ray says hello! just kidding. actually we haven't heard anything from ratto lately...... i think take would.....take that anyday!
as for the draft, well, i have my opinion. i'll just keep my mouth shut until next saturday. too much speculation and rumors flying around. yes, that's all part of the fun but dang man, gotta study! i will be up bright and early next saturday morn as i'm sure all of you will also.
Let's get to it already. I can't stand waiting any longer. Imagine how the draftees feel?
I really want JRuss, but if we're serious about CJ, I'd much rather trade the pick. Since we haven't seriously addressed the tackle position, Thomas would be a nice addition. Peterson could be a franchise-type player. (He's being compared to Dickerson for his upright but aggressive style.) Quinn could be on the board for a while, ala Lienart last year.
Actually, I'm as anxious to see who falls to our second pick as who our first pick will be. Will Staley still be on the board? And, I really hope Michael Bush somehow ends up with us... but I can't see the Raiders picking him to start the 3rd round. He would almost have to fall to the 4th or maybe we score another 3rd round pick with our 1st pick trade-down.
I can't stand it any longer. I already told Mrs. nyraider not to expect too much out of me next weekend.
Hey, Scorpio, good to hear from you, great take. I'm with you on the media, that's why the vast majority of articles on the Raiders don't make it into News You Can't Use. As if you don't have enough to study and ruminate, now comes the draft, with it's vast possibilities and probabilities. Enjoy!
NYRaider, I'm with you, stick me in a freezer and thaw me next Friday night.
Hey Scorpio!
Who said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks ha!
I can't wait for next Saturday to come up, I am so ready to have this chapter of Raider history past us, I know I will be happy with whatever decision they (Mr. Davis, Kiffin or whomever makes the decision)make, whomever they decide to pick or even if they decide to trade for more picks, I will be OK with it, I am so ready for some football!!!!
I am marking each day with an X until the first preseason game, I know preseason is not important but it's still silver and black baby!!!
raiderdecoachella
hey, just curious as to where to watch the draft. espn...nfln...?
thanks
usually esPEEn would dedicate their broadcast with their top crew to the entire first round. after that, the B brew takes over for the rest of day 1 picks. the second day of the draft is not shown on tv. i don't know. naybe the nfl network'll pick it up.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hey Curious George:
Check out this link for the BSPN Draft Day Line Up.
Looks like they got the whole shootin' match on this year...
Which reminds me, where are we all going to be on draft day? Last year I hung out with Doobie. Where is that guy? Must be 4:20
BlandaRocked said...
>>> Regarding what I said above, it could be that the Raiders are actually trying to sign Johnson. Once they sign Johnson, they trade him to Tampa Bay for a sh!t load of draft picks (1-3 in 2007 and 1 in 2008), and still hope to find either Quinn or Russell waiting for them at pick No. 4.
>>>>
If Al wants a QB, I don't see him hoping... if a TB trade happens, I see him trading back up into the top three.
It might happen as it would get Al out of paying out the number one overall money.
I can't see him staying pat at 4 and taking Thomas after already being burned by Gallery.
According to an article written by Steve Corkran today:
Yet, the only empirical, anecdotal evidence comes from the year-end, hit-the-pavement, exit-interview given by Davis to coach Art Shell. During the lengthy tongue lashing delivered to Shell on Jan.5, Davis accused Shell of persuading Davis to bypass USC quarterback Matt Leinart with the seventh pick of last year's draft, according to an eyewitness.
"Knowing what we know now, should you have told us to pick Leinart over Huff?" Davis asked Shell, according to Danny More, Shell's longtime agent. "You set this franchise back 10 years. Now I have to fix it."
Now - can we all agree that Davis doesn't make every pick, and that it was Shell who passed on Leinart?
Now it's time to blame Al for not being more involved.
Anno (2:22PM):
Now you caused me to spit coffee all over my computer screen.
This, from profootballtalk.com:
"We're currently told that the Raiders are expected to strike a deal on a contract with quarterback JaMarcus Russell before Saturday."
Sorry br i was just kidding. going on the whole "all that is bad is Al Davis' fault" way of thinking which SO SO many "Raider Fans" seem to live by. Personally it kind of makes me sick.
-chris
blanda - IF shell's agent REALLY made that comment, then i might retract what i said about davis for last year's draft ONLY. although he IS the owner and HE DOES have final say in the draft and personnel matters. he could have easily over-ruled shell if he felt that leinart would have been a better move at the time. anyway, all the other mud i've slung his way is still valid.
hmmm, wonder how ole huff's morale is now that he knows he wasn't wanted.....
chris - all that is bad IS AL DAVIS' FAULT! check out this article by corkran, and this is just the draft!
http://www.mercurynews.com/
raidersheadlines/ci_5730930?
nclick_check=1
is it any wonder why we are doormats of the league? you can be a raider fan but an al davis hater. this doesn't make me a raider hater though. i've been following this team since '68. i'm a fan just like you bud. paying customers, season tix holders or not, can say anything we want to say.
WHOOPS! SORRY, WRONG ARTICLE.
here it is....
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/
article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/04/18/
sports/s112915D82.DTL
not exactly favorable. talk about setting the franchise back 10 years!
scorpio
i know your colors are true. and i know your passion for those colors are deep. but the silver and black were built by Al Davis. and i don't feel he deserves ALL the blame for EVERY bad thing to happen to this team. that's ridiculous. i'll admit that i'm baffled by some of the things that happen and get down right angry at times, but to hate him doesn't sit well with me. if someones a fan of another team and hates Al, well f. 'em, kinda makes me smile.
any way not gonna say how or who's a better fan. just my opinion of the guy. he's family.
-chris
The following take is from BAMA7, who is having some technical issues with the word verification here. Also, he sent this a few days ago, it's my fault for not staying on top of my email:
"Chiming in on the bad press we get. Yes, there are some writers that absolutely suck and just love to hammer a team when they are down, but we are catching hell right now because we were beyond pathetic last year. And that season of infamy followed three prior bad seasons. When you look as inept as we did last year you just have to take the creaming of bad press, fair or not, and then go out the following season and shut every one up. When your team can’t score a freakin TD, at all, you’re going to catch hell.
As for the draft I believe more and more each day that Jemarcus Russell is an unbelievable talent the likes of which are rarely seen. I besides, I’d bet Dewayne Bowe ends up being as good a pro as Calvin Johnson. And I know we all hate SI on this board but they have been at least offering more NFL & draft articles that most other sites. Some good stories, some bad. I liked Stewart Mandel’s latest article on overrated/underrated in the draft. He, like so many others, cannot believe there is even a comparison between Quinn and Russell. Mandel describes Quinn as average, with decent potential but Russell as clearly an elite prospect that rarely comes along. Guys, when your team sucks like ours has, and you have no proven QB and someone like Russell is on the board for you, you gotta take it. Everyone says he may be a bust. Russell flopping for us is not the worst thing that could happen to us. Not taking him and him ending up being a franchise QB for the next ten years is the worst thing that could happen to us. Think about that. Mandel also goes on to list DE Charles Johnson as a much underrated DE in this draft. This is another guy I have been promoting big time on this board and I am the guy that screamed Demeco Ryan at the top of my lungs last year when everyone else was talking up AJ Hawk. If Johnson is available with our 2nd round pick I sure hope we take him or his counterpart, DE Quentin Moses. Georgia has a great history of late of quick, productive D-lineman: Charles Grant, Jonathan Sullivan, Marcus Stroud, & Richard Seymour are names you all know. As Raider fans we should see the glaring need for a DE… it’s as bad as the O-line situation, which I prefer to continue to fix through free agency… zone blocking guys. At DE we have Burgess and then maybe Huntley. That’s it and Burgess has an injury history that I hope doesn’t re-surface. I think DE is a bigger need than OL in the draft and both Charles Johnson and Quentin Moses are flying under the radar right now because Georgia’s had an off year. If Moses would have left early last year he would have been a sure 1st round pick. DE is a huge priority for us. Our O-line troubles will be much cured with a true FB and modern scheme. I bet we’ll see Gallery at LT next to Cooper Carlisle… and I bet Gallery flourishes in the system. I like G Wolfe if available in the third round.
Finally, I know most will disagree but I think we should pick up Culpepper to tutor Russell. He’d be the perfect tutor to work along side Kiffen & staff in developing this kid and he’d pull Moss back into the fold 100%. Culpepper is not healed but heck Walter could start until Russell is ready."
Scorpio:
As it stands the players making the biggest splash in the draft for us was Mo Collins, Chaz Woodson, I still think Nap Harris could have been good if we had started him outside, Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington is coming around, and the jury is still out on Huff because you can't judge a guy's career by his first year.
One could argue that Robert Gallery is still unproven, simply because he's had 3 coaches coming into his 4th playing year. Like it or not, that does play a big factor on the o-line, especially when learning a new position like Gallery has been put into. It is a make or break season with him though.
I will argue that in our history of draft, a lot more of our first round picks were above average players than any other team.
Chester McGlockton, Tim Brown, Terry McDaniel, Jessie Hester, Don Mosebar, Marcus Allen, Ray Guy, Jack Tatum, Gene Upshaw, Rob Fredrickson, Napoleon Kauffman, and the aforementioned at the top of this post.
I think the problem with Davis has been that the health of his wife has kept him out of the front office for 2 seasons. All of the problems last year resulted in Davis not being there, because he was caring for his wife (who had a stroke, btw). I first read that on InsideBayArea, then saw it pop up all over (foxsports, espn even, etc).
He still hasn't lurked the sidelines at a camp in 3 years (even the most recent one a few weeks ago). He's been at home watching the tapes.
So what's going to happen? Kiffin will eventually take Davis' role as General Managing Partner. He hired Kiffin, and he said it too, because they have similar backgrounds. Both started their careers at USC as an assistant, and were both top recruiters. Both started their NFL coaching careers with the Raiders, and that he felt Kiffin would bring them the success that Davis himself brought. What he didn't say, but left the door open for, was that Kiffin would be running the show soon.
The only thing I hope is that this appeal being taken by the courts doesn't ruin this season with bad calls, like it did for Gruden in his tenure. Those are the things I don't like about Davis. He does tend to shoot himself in the foot.
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