OAKLAND RAIDERS OFFSEASON THREAD
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When the Raiders drafted Arizona State tight end Zach Miller 38th overall in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft, it was the third time in six years Oakland chose a tight end in round 2.
The third time proved a charm, as Miller started all 16 games, broke Tim Brown’s rookie receiving record with his 44th catch in the final one and, as a bonus, proved a solid blocker.
Not to mention erasing memories of failed predecessors Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson.
Now, the members of Raiderfans.net have capped off Miller’s year by nearly unanimously voting him the winner of the “After Further Review” First-Year Star Award.
The “After Further Review” First-Year Star award is given to the rookie or first-season Raider judged by the members of Raiderfans.net to have contributed the most to the team in the just-completed season.
A total of 75 votes were cast on Raiderfans.net, and Miller received all but four of them, for a 95 percent victory.
It’s the second year in a row the Raiders have had the 38th overall pick, and the second year that player won: Linebacker Thomas Howard was the 2006 winner after his dazzling rookie year.
Miller is no stranger to first-year success and records. As a freshman at Arizona State, he was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, breaking the Sun Devils’ records for receptions by a freshman and receptions by a tight end with 56.
After two more seasons of 38 and 50 receptions, respectively, Miller came out for the draft as a junior eligible. He was widely considered one of the top two tight ends in the rookie class, along with Greg Olsen, eventually chosen 31st overall in the first round by the Chicago Bears.
Miller, who “does everything well, but is not exceptional in any area,” according to Pro Football Weekly’s 2007 Draft Preview, indeed didn’t have a lot of highlight-reel plays on the year, averaging only 10.1 yards per catch and scoring only three touchdowns.
But after not catching more than four balls in any game, he saved the best for last, catching eight passes from No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell in Game 16, racking up a career-high in receptions and yardage.
The suggests the Class of 2007’s top-two tandem of Russell and Miller could be a strong combination for the Raiders for years to come.
For Miller, the contributions have already come. That’s what made him the “After Further Review” First-Year Star.
With any luck, Miller will take the next step forward as a sophomore, like Howard before him, and become the long-term solution at tight end the Raiders have been looking for since the days of Ethan Horton in the early 1990s.
If there was no surprise whatsoever about the winner, the surprise may have been the runner-up.
Fifth-round pick Jay Richardson wound up starting 11 games at defensive end, second-best among the rookie and first-year class, but it was sixth-round fullback Oren O’Neal who got the four votes that didn’t go to Miller.
O’Neal was not much more than a bit player early in the season, but as the year went on, he showed signs he could be the road-grader fullback the team hasn’t had since Jon Ritchie left in 2003.
And if there’s one thing Raiders fans love, it’s a tough, pancake-blocking fullback.
It was a tough year for the rookie Raiders: Russell held out and didn’t get much playing time. Third-rounder Johnnie Lee Higgins struggled as a receiver and punt returner. Fellow third-rounder Mario Henderson and fourth-rounder John Bowie barely played, and fourth-rounder Michael Bush and seventh-rounder Johnathan Holland didn’t play at all. Worst, top third-rounder Quentin Moses and fifth-rounder Eric Frampton didn’t make it out of training camp.
Amid all that, not to mention a 4-12 season, Miller was a rock of consistency.
After further review, that’s what made tight end Zach Miller the team’s First-Year Star.
The third time proved a charm, as Miller started all 16 games, broke Tim Brown’s rookie receiving record with his 44th catch in the final one and, as a bonus, proved a solid blocker.
Not to mention erasing memories of failed predecessors Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson.
Now, the members of Raiderfans.net have capped off Miller’s year by nearly unanimously voting him the winner of the “After Further Review” First-Year Star Award.
The “After Further Review” First-Year Star award is given to the rookie or first-season Raider judged by the members of Raiderfans.net to have contributed the most to the team in the just-completed season.
A total of 75 votes were cast on Raiderfans.net, and Miller received all but four of them, for a 95 percent victory.
It’s the second year in a row the Raiders have had the 38th overall pick, and the second year that player won: Linebacker Thomas Howard was the 2006 winner after his dazzling rookie year.
Miller is no stranger to first-year success and records. As a freshman at Arizona State, he was Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, breaking the Sun Devils’ records for receptions by a freshman and receptions by a tight end with 56.
After two more seasons of 38 and 50 receptions, respectively, Miller came out for the draft as a junior eligible. He was widely considered one of the top two tight ends in the rookie class, along with Greg Olsen, eventually chosen 31st overall in the first round by the Chicago Bears.
Miller, who “does everything well, but is not exceptional in any area,” according to Pro Football Weekly’s 2007 Draft Preview, indeed didn’t have a lot of highlight-reel plays on the year, averaging only 10.1 yards per catch and scoring only three touchdowns.
But after not catching more than four balls in any game, he saved the best for last, catching eight passes from No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell in Game 16, racking up a career-high in receptions and yardage.
The suggests the Class of 2007’s top-two tandem of Russell and Miller could be a strong combination for the Raiders for years to come.
For Miller, the contributions have already come. That’s what made him the “After Further Review” First-Year Star.
With any luck, Miller will take the next step forward as a sophomore, like Howard before him, and become the long-term solution at tight end the Raiders have been looking for since the days of Ethan Horton in the early 1990s.
If there was no surprise whatsoever about the winner, the surprise may have been the runner-up.
Fifth-round pick Jay Richardson wound up starting 11 games at defensive end, second-best among the rookie and first-year class, but it was sixth-round fullback Oren O’Neal who got the four votes that didn’t go to Miller.
O’Neal was not much more than a bit player early in the season, but as the year went on, he showed signs he could be the road-grader fullback the team hasn’t had since Jon Ritchie left in 2003.
And if there’s one thing Raiders fans love, it’s a tough, pancake-blocking fullback.
It was a tough year for the rookie Raiders: Russell held out and didn’t get much playing time. Third-rounder Johnnie Lee Higgins struggled as a receiver and punt returner. Fellow third-rounder Mario Henderson and fourth-rounder John Bowie barely played, and fourth-rounder Michael Bush and seventh-rounder Johnathan Holland didn’t play at all. Worst, top third-rounder Quentin Moses and fifth-rounder Eric Frampton didn’t make it out of training camp.
Amid all that, not to mention a 4-12 season, Miller was a rock of consistency.
After further review, that’s what made tight end Zach Miller the team’s First-Year Star.
THIS HAS BEEN GOIN AROUND FOR A COUPLE MONTHS NOW. I BELIEVE AL WAS PLAYING WITH THE IDEA OF MAKING A TRADE FOR D HALL..
THIS IS PROBABLY NOT GONNA HAPPEN.. THERE IS SOMETHIN EVEN BIGGER IN THE WORKS FROM WHAT I HEAR...
REMEMBER PEOPLE JERRY JONES AND AL DAVIS GO WAAAAY BACK..
THIS IS PROBABLY NOT GONNA HAPPEN.. THERE IS SOMETHIN EVEN BIGGER IN THE WORKS FROM WHAT I HEAR...
REMEMBER PEOPLE JERRY JONES AND AL DAVIS GO WAAAAY BACK..
Hurry up and weight
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm in Oakland Raiders.
You may have noticed in a CNN-SI column by Don Banks a rather heavy reference to quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
“At this point, quarterback is again a concern, because no one knows if JaMarcus Russell is ready to take over the starting job. There are rumors that he’s close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up,” Banks writes.
Russell’s weight was indeed a topic of interest in the hallways (plus the restaurants and bars) of the NFL scouting combine, where both information and gossip are generously doled out.
The highest estimate I heard was 320 pounds, and assumed it was only in half-seriousness, someone exaggerating for effect.
The reason I never mentioned it was I never spoke with anyone who had actually seen Russell. It was always from someone who saw someone who talked to someone else. I couldn’t even begin to trace the validity.
By contrast, I had no problem writing about the issues between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis because I had talked to people with direct knowledge of the situation, even if they weren’t comfortable being quoted as a source.
Russell could be a svelte 250 or a porky 275. In the limited clips I’ve seen of Russell his clothes are too baggy to determine what kind of shape he is in.
When Russell was hidden from view last year during the contract stalemate, stories tended to take on a life of their own. Remember how Russell’s family didn’t want him playing in Oakland? Something about not enough pass protection. That story went away as soon as the contract was finally finished.
One area of at least minor concern is that so few people have seen him. I’ve talked to a player or three who work out in Alameda, and none of them have seen Russell. They have no idea what kind of shape he is in but are extremely curious to find out.
I talked to someone else in the organization whose business it would be to know Russell’s current level of conditioning, and got nothing but a shrug. Didn’t have a clue.
What would any of us do in our early 20s with a sudden guarantee of $31 million? Buy a lot of nice things. And a lot of good food.
You’d hope Russell will arrive at the post-draft minicamp having undergone a Warren Sapp-like transformation in terms of weight and conditioning, sending a message that he is ready to assume his role as the starting quarterback and is a serious and dedicated professional.
Russell is compared with Daunte Culpepper, but he was no more like Culpepper last year in terms of body type than a pillow is like a rock.
Considering the financial investment the Raiders made, you’d hope it included a fulltime trainer and nutritionist, and that Russell shows up at the postdraft minicamp with six-pack abs and a loose-fiitting uniform.
And if Russell has been living the good life, he still has plenty of time to get there.
Hall and Pacman
ESPN’s Michael Smith linked the Raiders with DeAngelo Hall, and the Tennessean had Oakland inquiring about Pacman Jones.
If that’s the case, I guess the whole “character” and locker room issues which were so big with Kiffin last season have been pushed to the background.
Of course, it’s entirely possible the Raiders are being floated as an interested party by agents trying to drum up interest who know they won’t publicly refute the claim. It’s something that has been going on for years.
I say bring ‘em both in. And throw Ricky Williams in while you’re at it.
My son needs a project for the science fair, and this chemistry lesson could be just the ticket.
Free agent lull
The only reason I mention it is because the last time I didn’t post for a couple of days and proclaimed a lull, Javon Walker and Kwame Harris were signed the next day.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 3:50 pm in Oakland Raiders.
You may have noticed in a CNN-SI column by Don Banks a rather heavy reference to quarterback JaMarcus Russell.
“At this point, quarterback is again a concern, because no one knows if JaMarcus Russell is ready to take over the starting job. There are rumors that he’s close to 300 pounds and not exactly prepared for his close-up,” Banks writes.
Russell’s weight was indeed a topic of interest in the hallways (plus the restaurants and bars) of the NFL scouting combine, where both information and gossip are generously doled out.
The highest estimate I heard was 320 pounds, and assumed it was only in half-seriousness, someone exaggerating for effect.
The reason I never mentioned it was I never spoke with anyone who had actually seen Russell. It was always from someone who saw someone who talked to someone else. I couldn’t even begin to trace the validity.
By contrast, I had no problem writing about the issues between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis because I had talked to people with direct knowledge of the situation, even if they weren’t comfortable being quoted as a source.
Russell could be a svelte 250 or a porky 275. In the limited clips I’ve seen of Russell his clothes are too baggy to determine what kind of shape he is in.
When Russell was hidden from view last year during the contract stalemate, stories tended to take on a life of their own. Remember how Russell’s family didn’t want him playing in Oakland? Something about not enough pass protection. That story went away as soon as the contract was finally finished.
One area of at least minor concern is that so few people have seen him. I’ve talked to a player or three who work out in Alameda, and none of them have seen Russell. They have no idea what kind of shape he is in but are extremely curious to find out.
I talked to someone else in the organization whose business it would be to know Russell’s current level of conditioning, and got nothing but a shrug. Didn’t have a clue.
What would any of us do in our early 20s with a sudden guarantee of $31 million? Buy a lot of nice things. And a lot of good food.
You’d hope Russell will arrive at the post-draft minicamp having undergone a Warren Sapp-like transformation in terms of weight and conditioning, sending a message that he is ready to assume his role as the starting quarterback and is a serious and dedicated professional.
Russell is compared with Daunte Culpepper, but he was no more like Culpepper last year in terms of body type than a pillow is like a rock.
Considering the financial investment the Raiders made, you’d hope it included a fulltime trainer and nutritionist, and that Russell shows up at the postdraft minicamp with six-pack abs and a loose-fiitting uniform.
And if Russell has been living the good life, he still has plenty of time to get there.
Hall and Pacman
ESPN’s Michael Smith linked the Raiders with DeAngelo Hall, and the Tennessean had Oakland inquiring about Pacman Jones.
If that’s the case, I guess the whole “character” and locker room issues which were so big with Kiffin last season have been pushed to the background.
Of course, it’s entirely possible the Raiders are being floated as an interested party by agents trying to drum up interest who know they won’t publicly refute the claim. It’s something that has been going on for years.
I say bring ‘em both in. And throw Ricky Williams in while you’re at it.
My son needs a project for the science fair, and this chemistry lesson could be just the ticket.
Free agent lull
The only reason I mention it is because the last time I didn’t post for a couple of days and proclaimed a lull, Javon Walker and Kwame Harris were signed the next day.
Well when there was the miami rumor we were only givin up our 2 first rounders and Barber for the #1 overall pick. So now u tell me that we will give up even more way more for the 4th overall pick??? Thats stupid!! Ill believe it when see it!! Jones aint that dumb to give up all that for the 4th pick. Got Em!!!