Tiger Woods’ Punishment: Watch the Raiders

As part of his penance for his adulterous behaviour, Tiger Woods should be locked into a darkened room, chained to a chair, and forced to watch every single Oakland Raider game since the Super Bowl defeat of 2003.

Upon emerging from such a harrowing experience, I am sure Tiger would severely regret every single one of his “transgressions.”

However, it would also act as a form of therapy. He would observe the 34-13 humbling of the Raiders by the Washington Redskins this past Sunday. Tiger would be able to watch at first hand the total and utter ineptitude of quarterback JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland Raiders’ offensive line.

Indeed, the inability of the Raider offensive line to protect the quarterback is similar to the inability of Tiger’s PR team to protect him from the parade of female acquaintances lining up to sell their salacious stories.

The performance of the Raider offensive line against the Redskins was very much emblematic of Tiger’s life right now—disorganised, chaotic, and out of control.

Meanwhile, the less said about JaMarcus Russell, the better. We all know his failings, and his teammates appear to have moved on with Bruce Gradkowski at the helm, leaving Russell to either sit on the sidelines or throw interceptions.

Ironically, Tiger Woods on the golf course is the embodiment of everything that the Raiders are not: successful, driven, determined, focused, and unwavering in the pursuit of victory (attributes which would perfectly describe the Raiders of the ’70s).

Al Davis could do no worse than to follow Tiger Woods’ example of admitting to mistakes and apologising to the fans.

At least Tiger did that.

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The End Approches For Jamarcus Russell In Oakland

We can now assume that the JaMarcus Russell era is over with the Oakland Raiders.

Whether he starts next week’s game against Cincinnati is irrelevant. The fact that Tom Cable is now considering benching Russell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski as the starting quarterback means the former LSU player has reached his point of no return with the Raiders. 

Bruce Gradkowski may or may not be the answer (probably the latter) but the Raiders need to move on from JaMarcus Russell. Russell’s deficiencies are well-documented, and it has surely been the pride and embarrassment of Al Davis that has prevented the Raiders from turning the page at the quarterback position.

The only future JaMarcus Russell has with the Raiders (and possibly the NFL) is to accept a drastic pay cut and the role of a back-up for the 2010 season. Meanwhile the Raiders will have to consider their future options.

Do they draft a quarterback or sign an expensive free agent? Neither option is very appealing.

Oakland has a dismal record drafting quarterbacks (Todd Marinovich, Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo spring to mind, as well as the forlorn Russell). Meanwhile the 2010 free agency quarterback pool looks very shallow indeed with Jason Campbell and David Carr leading the charge for free-agent mega-money. Rich Gannon and Jim Plunkett they are not. Indeed Marc Wilson and Jay Schreoder they are not.

The only hope for the Raiders is that they discover a hidden gem in the lower rounds of the draft with a Tony Romo or a Matt Cassell-type selection.

The best way to achieve the above is to have an extensive scouting system with a Director of Personnel monitoring the move of every feasible collegiate quarterback. Al Davis in front of a 50-inch plasma watching tapes of College Gameday in between episodes of Mad Men while drinking chamomile tea will no longer suffice.

While the disheartening efforts of the Raiders continue at an inexorable pace, I may need some of that tea for myself mixed with something a bit stronger to get me through the rest of this most miserable of seasons.

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The End Approches For Jamarcus Russell In Oakland

We can now assume that the JaMarcus Russell era is over with the Oakland Raiders.

Whether he starts next week’s game against Cincinnati is irrelevant. The fact that Tom Cable is now considering benching Russell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski as the starting quarterback means the former LSU player has reached his point of no return with the Raiders. 

Bruce Gradkowski may or may not be the answer (probably the latter) but the Raiders need to move on from JaMarcus Russell. Russell’s deficiencies are well-documented, and it has surely been the pride and embarrassment of Al Davis that has prevented the Raiders from turning the page at the quarterback position.

The only future JaMarcus Russell has with the Raiders (and possibly the NFL) is to accept a drastic pay cut and the role of a back-up for the 2010 season. Meanwhile the Raiders will have to consider their future options.

Do they draft a quarterback or sign an expensive free agent? Neither option is very appealing.

Oakland has a dismal record drafting quarterbacks (Todd Marinovich, Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo spring to mind, as well as the forlorn Russell). Meanwhile the 2010 free agency quarterback pool looks very shallow indeed with Jason Campbell and David Carr leading the charge for free-agent mega-money. Rich Gannon and Jim Plunkett they are not. Indeed Marc Wilson and Jay Schreoder they are not.

The only hope for the Raiders is that they discover a hidden gem in the lower rounds of the draft with a Tony Romo or a Matt Cassell-type selection.

The best way to achieve the above is to have an extensive scouting system with a Director of Personnel monitoring the move of every feasible collegiate quarterback. Al Davis in front of a 50-inch plasma watching tapes of College Gameday in between episodes of Mad Men while drinking chamomile tea will no longer suffice.

While the disheartening efforts of the Raiders continue at an inexorable pace, I may need some of that tea for myself mixed with something a bit stronger to get me through the rest of this most miserable of seasons.

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The Bald Truth Of The Oakland Raiders

Back in 2003, the Oakland Raiders defeated the San Diego Chargers by a score of 21-14.

Doug Gabriel returned a punt to win the game for the visiting Raiders. The win ended a miserable 4-12 season for Oakland one year removed from reaching the Super Bowl.

Curiously, the Raider quarterback performances that day make JaMarcus Russell look like Joe Montana. Rick Mirer and Tee Martin combined to complete six of 22 passes with zero touchdowns and one interception for the grand total of 35 yards (Actually, JaMarcus may be quite envious of those stats).
 
At the time we all thought that the post-Super Bowl season of 2003 was a
one off for the Silver and Black. The mighty Raiders will surely be winning and competing again in quick time. The Raiders’ head coach at the time, Bill Callaghan, said that the Raiders were “ the dumbest team in America.”

Surely, the only way was up.

Events have actually deteriorated greatly since that infamous comment.

Six years, 13 consecutive defeats against San Diego and the writer’s complete loss of hair later the Oakland Raiders have still that Gabriel punt return to thank for the
last time they defeated the Chargers.
 
The last time Oakland beat their California rivals I had a full, bountiful head of hair. I am not blaming Al Davis and the Raiders entirely, but little did I know back in 2003 that that would be the last time I would witness a win over San Diego with hair.

Essentially I have gone from having hair to rival Troy Polamalu to a modern day incarnation of Theo Kojak.

The Raiders and their miserable efforts of the last six years have most certainly contributed in a small way to this follicle challenged situation that I now present to the world on a daily basis.

The question that now arises is will I have a full set of teeth the next time the Raiders beat the Chargers? Or will I still have 20/20 vision?

Given the gross ineptitude so far this season from JaMarcus Russell and Tom Cable and given the unforgiving perennial incompetence of Raider management the question surely must be will my grandchildren have hair the next time the Raiders beat the Chargers.

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What Is The Future For The Oakland Raiders?

The Oakland Raiders’ ongoing disintegration shows no sign of abating and indeed seems to be progressing at an alarming rate.

Raider fans are both exhausted and weary of the dissolution of this once proud team. The latest debacle—a humiliating 28-6 defeat to the Houston Texans—reinforces this oppressive mood.

We, as fans, need to find solutions even if the organisation itself continues to flounder and continues to focus primarily on making enemies with former players.

I have come up with three possible scenarios which could unfold for the Raiders.

Fire the Coaching Staff

This is the easy option. The first person to get blamed is always the coach. Tom Cable deserves the entire season but a change in player attitude and improved play calling is needed for Cable to keep his job.

 

Fire the Coaching Staff and Clear Out Team Personnel

It is clear there are many in the Raiders organization who are more concerned with collecting pay cheques than winning games and playing with intelligence. A complete overhaul of those who wear the Silver and Black is essential.

The Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins are prime examples of teams that undertook colossal player revamping and both, by and large, seem to be guiding their respective franchises through calmer waters.

Appoint General Manager/President of Football Operations to
Restructure the Franchise

This is the most dramatic, the most revolutionary and the most sweeping of scenarios. But it is a course of action that I believe to be a prerequisite to future success.

Al Davis makes every decision imaginable for the Oakland Raiders.

Well, its not working Al.

The last time the great man relinquished some control was during the Bruce Allen/John Gruden era and the Raiders were one of the pre-eminent teams in the NFL.

The Oakland Raiders need to rethink and reassess everything that they hold sacred and everything that they believe in. This means that every person connected to the organization whether they get paid millions or thousands should have their position scrutinised.

This, in my opinion is the only way forward for this once great franchise.

A wholesale change in personnel is needed to allow for a change in attitude and a resuscitation of belief.
 
Now is the time to make changes Al. Not in two years. Not in five years.

Now.

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Modern Day Raiders’ Not Fit to Wear the Silver and Black

This year, the Oakland Raiders celebrate their 50th anniversary and
during that time a celebrated list of Hall of Fame members have worn
the silver and black.

From Marcus Allen to Fred Billetnikoff and Art Shell to Howie Long, the
Raiders were a storied franchise during the 70’s and 80’s. The teams
assembled by John Madden and Tom Flores attained legendary status in
NFL folklore.

How times have changed.

The failings and shortcomings of the current Raiders have been
dissected across the internet and media at large for many a year and
the fact is that players, coaches and even the owner himself are a
pale shadow of what the franchise used to be.

The “Commitment to Excellence” is officially over. The only
“Commitment” the Raiders now achieve are high salaries to
underwhelming players and long contracts to equally incompetent
coaches.

The ineffective, unprofessional structure of the club is galling for
all Raider fans.

Where is the General Manager? Where is the scouting structure? Where
are the talent evaluators? Where are the leaders on the field?

The Oakland Raiders are an antiquated sporting enterprise, and it pains
me to state the same.

The halcyon era that all Raider fans revelled in is long since over

Given the rabble that currently take to the field, it will be a long
time before Raider fans will enjoy watching players who will emulate
the Hall of Fame Raider heroes.

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Note to Media: Tom Cable Is Innocent Until Proven Guilty

It is obvious that many of today’s media members have never set foot inside an NFL locker room.

Training camp is an intense, secluded, pressurized period of time where many a coach realizes that the groundwork is being set for the forthcoming season, and in turn, so is their own future employment prospectus.

We will, in all likelihood, never fully discover what precisely happened between Tom Cable and Randy Hanson. But clearly, many media members have decided that Cable is guilty of an offense before he has even spoken to the police.

The likes of Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News and Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports have forged careers out of reporting every single mishap and malfunction of the Oakland Raiders.

While the Raiders have supplied many a malfunction to report, the above mentioned dynamic duo do seem to have particular relish in the Raiders’ malaise. Both seem to be at the doorway to the Raiders’ Alameda headquarters, waiting with glee for the next dysfunctional story to scribe.

Meanwhile, over on the NFL Network, former Raider Warren Sapp does not hide his hatred of an organization that paid him millions. I find this especially odd, as I personally would show eternal gratefulness to any organization that paid me close to $15 million.

I am finding it a struggle to determine what exactly the point is of having Sapp on the NFL Network. He openly despises, distrusts, and abhors the Raiders, yet us fans gave him nothing but unwavering support in his four years in Oakland.

Give me Rod Woodson, Jamie Dukes, or Marshall Faulk any day of the week.

Until we know the facts and we are able to fully ascertain what happened inside the Raiders’ training camp on the day of Aug. 5 nobody, especially the media, should jump to any conclusion. “Sheriff” Roger Goodell should also take note.

Is this not the foundation for every democracy?

JaMarcus Russell: Make or Break Season

It may be the beginning of July but there is no denying the fact that the Oakland Raiders sit proudly atop the AFC West.

Then again the Detroit Lions are in joint pole position in the NFC North and those Cincinnati Bengals are challenging for top spot in the AFC North with the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Setting aside my flippancy this is a crucial year for the Raiders franchise. Specifically it is a crucial year for quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

This is Russell’s third year. In recent years the likes of Philip Rivers and Eli Manning were proven NFL starters by the end of the same period. Ben Roethlisberger had famously won a Super Bowl by the end of his second year and of course there are last year’s rookie sensations Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan for Russell to emulate.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that Oakland acquired a veteran alternative in the off season. Jeff Garcia did not join the Raiders to hold a clip board and take in the tourist sites of the Bay Area. He will expect to start.

The Raiders will officially support JaMarcus Russell and will continue with the established rhetoric of Garcia being a mentor/backup figure.

In reality Russell is one early poor performance away from getting benched.

Al Davis wants to win and win now. Garcia is insurance for the Raiders and the 79 year-old owner (80 on July 4) will have no hesitation in clamouring for Garcia’s inclusion whenever he thinks the Raiders have a superior chance of winning with the former 49er stalwart.

Al Davis has invested plenty of dollars into JaMarcus Russell and publicly has lavished praise on his quarterback—cast your minds back to last season and “that” press conference.

The former LSU standout also has many positives in his favour: A strong arm, a great habit of not throwing interceptions and he finished the 2009 season in impressive fashion leading Oakland to wins over Houston and Tampa Bay with Russell throwing four touchdowns in the process.

That said the acquisition of Jeff Garcia is a statement of intent by the Raiders.

Regardless of who is under centre, winning is now expected.

The Importance of the NFL International Series

If the NFL wants to develop an international legacy to last for generations, then the International Series must continue in London and expand globally.

Of equal importance to this success, both the US media and public alike must begin to support the move and not express vitriol at the concept of playing the game internationally (i.e Len Pasquarelli, Tony Kornheiser, and Michael Wilbon amongst others).
 
Football does not have an Olympics or a World Championship with which to express itself globally, and I cannot understand the reluctance of some media members to embrace the International Series as it will ensure extra revenue streams (very important in these torrid economic times) and nurture an expanded fan base for time immemorial. 

The latter point would be a proud moment for any NFL fan.
 
Of course I cannot force others to come around to my way of thinking, and it is quite clear that the NFL public do not support the International Series. But without the support of both the American media and the public, the International Series will most probably be terminated in the next year or two.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the bigger picture that awaits the NFL is not being viewed by some and not being articulated by many.
 
I work in a dead end office job in Dublin, Ireland, and I make a meagre $26,000 a year. If I was given the opportunity of working in America for one day a year I would embrace and relish the opportunity and not cry about the hardship of travelling in business class and having my routine interrupted.

I would also broaden my horizons and my mind, and become a more rounded person.

New Oakland Raiders Ready to Strike Back

“A huge reach and not enough value”

—Larry Weisman, USA Today, commenting on the selection by the Raiders of Darrius Heyward-Bey. Weisman graded the Raiders an F for their 2009 Draft.

 

“Al Davis is borderline crazy”

—Matt Williamson, ESPN’s Scouts Inc, commenting on the Al Davis-led 2009 Draft on ESPN’s Dave Dameshek Podcast.

 

“To me this has bust written all over it”

—ESPN’s Todd McShay on the selection of Heyward-Bey.

 

The above comments are but a mere sample of media views on the decisions taken by the Oakland Raiders at the 2009 NFL Draft.

We all witnessed the unanimous disbelief and wild disdain expressed by various media members (Mel Kiper Jr., Mike Mayock, Cris Carter, Tom Jackson, et AL) when the Raiders selected Ohio safety Michael Mitchell in the second round.

The disbelief quickly turned into outright condemnation from journalists and pundits alike as they struggled to find any information on the aforementioned Mitchell.

But was this criticism inspired by ignorance, as the so-called experts failed to take notice of Mitchell? We now know that the Chicago Bears would have selected him a few picks later.

Journalistic integrity was in short supply in Radio City Music Hall that evening.

The new additions to the Oakland Raiders have much to prove. Both the NFL and the sports media are expecting little and waiting for failure.  

But have the Raiders uncovered some hidden gems from their new assembly of rookies?

We know Heyward-Bey is fast. He also played in a pro-style offense with as much emphasis on the run as the pass and with an average offensive line not helping matters

Raiders head coach Tom Cable described Heyward-Bey as the most “NFL-ready” of all the available wide receivers.

We know that Mitchell is a ferocious hitter and a tough run-stopper. He is also super-fast and lists the great Raider Jack Tatum as his idol.

Louis Murphy, the Raiders’ third-round pick from Florida, went from last on Florida’s wide receiver depth chart to a leading performer in the Gators’ national championship success.

The media already are underestimating the Raiders. If the NFL does likewise, then Oakland will be ready to strike with what is now, in hindsight, an excellent group of hard-working young men, and a group of players with high football intelligence.

The maturity of Heyward-Bey can be summed up in the following quote attributed to the former Maryland standout:

“All I can do is worry about me and the efforts I put in to be the best player I can be.”

Meanwhile, Mitchell’s determination to prove himself is summed up by the following quote:

“Mel Kiper has his opinion, and I respect it. But what does it mean? My nine-year-old nephew can watch film and make an opinion.”

NFL—be ready.

ESPN—get the humble pie ready.

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