OAKLAND RAIDERS OFFSEASON THREAD
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Raiders lose coin flip, will pick 4th
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Article Created: 02/22/2008 09:23:31 AM PST
INDIANAPOLIS _ The Oakland Raiders lost a coin toss for draft position on Friday, meaning the Atlanta Falcons will pick third in the April 26 draft with the Raiders fourth and Kansas City fifth.
In a ballroom at the Westin Hotel at 7:30 a.m., the Falcons' new general manager Thomas Dimitroff called tails and won the flip.
The Raiders were represented by scout Jon Kingdon.
All three teams finished at 4-12 and their opponents had an identical record, the first tiebreaker. After the first round, the three teams will continue rotating between the third, fourth and fifth picks in each round. Thus, the Raiders will select third in the second round, followed by Kansas City, then Atlanta.
There will be 31 picks in the first round, with New England losing its choice, taken away as part of the penalty for its illegal taping of opponents' signals.
Miami holds the No. 1 selection, followed by St. Louis. The Dolphins, coming off a 1-15 season, may be choosing between Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, defensive linemen Chris Long of Virginia and Glenn Dorsey of Lousiana State, or offensive tackle Jake Long of Michigan.
Running back Darren McFadden of Arkansas is also considered a lock to be a Top 5 pick.
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Article Created: 02/22/2008 09:23:31 AM PST
INDIANAPOLIS _ The Oakland Raiders lost a coin toss for draft position on Friday, meaning the Atlanta Falcons will pick third in the April 26 draft with the Raiders fourth and Kansas City fifth.
In a ballroom at the Westin Hotel at 7:30 a.m., the Falcons' new general manager Thomas Dimitroff called tails and won the flip.
The Raiders were represented by scout Jon Kingdon.
All three teams finished at 4-12 and their opponents had an identical record, the first tiebreaker. After the first round, the three teams will continue rotating between the third, fourth and fifth picks in each round. Thus, the Raiders will select third in the second round, followed by Kansas City, then Atlanta.
There will be 31 picks in the first round, with New England losing its choice, taken away as part of the penalty for its illegal taping of opponents' signals.
Miami holds the No. 1 selection, followed by St. Louis. The Dolphins, coming off a 1-15 season, may be choosing between Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, defensive linemen Chris Long of Virginia and Glenn Dorsey of Lousiana State, or offensive tackle Jake Long of Michigan.
Running back Darren McFadden of Arkansas is also considered a lock to be a Top 5 pick.
OH I AGREE FA SHO. WILLIAMS IS A LEGITIMATE #1 RECIEVER. BERRIAN IS DOPE BUT NOT QUITE AS GOOD.
I WAS THINKING THAT WE COULD TRADE FOR A PACKAGE DEAL FOR WILLIAMS AND ROGERS TOO BUT NOW MY HEART IS SET ON DRAFTING A DT LIKE DORSEY OR ELLIS IN THE DRAFT. ROGERS IS GOOD BUT HE DISAPPEARS AT TIMES. I THINK DORSEY AND ELLIS WILL BOTH BE BEASTS IN THE LEAGUE
McFadden makes his case
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm in Oakland Raiders.
There is speculation among some prognosticators and scouts that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden could be headed for a fall.
McFadden, a multi-talented running back who has running and receiving skills, could be available when the Raiders pick with the No,. 4 overall selection in the NFL draft. McFadden’s fans look at the first three-time rushing leader in the Southeastern Conference since Herschel Walker and see a Marcus Allen-type player who can even play quarterback in trick formations.
Detractors wonder about his performance against quality opponents, a penchant for fumbling and some off-the-field issues which could be red flags. Last Jan. 10, McFadden was handcuffed but not charged in a night club brawl in Little Rock when he was not yet 21.
In 2006, McFadden sustained a toe injury in a night club parking lot.
“I know I’m going to hear a lot of different questions, from why I get up early to the different incidents I’ve had outside of nightlclubs,” McFadden said.
(McFadden can go ahead and assume being an early riser will be well behind his night life when it comes to interviews).
McFadden’s answer?
“I know I’ve put myself in a bad situation I shouldn’t have been in, and I take full responsibility for it,” McFadden said.
As for his place in the NFL pecking order, McFadden said, “I feel like I am the best player in the draft” and sees no reason why he can’t duplicate the heroics of NFL rookie of the year Adrian Peterson of Minnesota.
“If I go in and do all the work I could have the type of season he did,” McFadden said. “I can do a lot of different things. I feel like I’m a very versatile player. I can go out there and line up at receiver. I can line up in the backfield and block, line up back there and run. I can throw a pass if you need me to. If I had to, I could play defense.”
More combine notes:
– Texas wide recever Limus Sweed, at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds and considered first-round potential, plans on running the 40-yard dash to disprove the notion he is not merely a move-the-chains possession receiver.
“That’s one of the biggest questions is how fast I am, so I plan on showing them how fast I am,” Sweed said.
– Speed being a prime asset in any Raiders draft, they no doubt have taken notice of Houston’s Donnie Avery and Appalachian State’s Dexter Jackson.
Avery led the nation with 112 yards per game receiving at Houston and claims to have run a 4.25 40-yard dash last January.
The Raiders got a look at Avery at the Senior Bowl, where the Houston receiver said he had a “pretty productive week.”
Jackson, the star of Appalachian State’s upset win at Michigan with three receptions for 92 yards, plans on running between a 4.28 and 4.33. He joined the track team for the first time in April.
Jackson said the teams which had shown the most interest so far were the Raiders, Rams and Patriots.
From here, both players sound a little too much like Carlos Francis.
– If the Raiders are at all interested in plummeting Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, plane fair to his pro day will be cheap. Brennan will work out at the Home Depot Center the day before USC’s highly-attended pro day.
– DeSean Jackson, the junior-eligible receiver/return specialist from Cal, also said the Raiders have taken notice.
“I talked to a couple of scouts for the Raiders and they’re definitely a great program and I look forward to meeting with them,” Jackson said.
– Quote of the day came from Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly, who like Sweed of Texas, is a big receiver (6-3 5/8) in the Terrell Owens-Calvin Johnson mold. Kelly said he got advice from Oklahoma alum Mark Clayton about what it’s like to play in the NFL, although the initial response probably didn’t please commissioner Roger Goodell.
“He told me it’s going to be a lot more technique,” Kelly said. “He told me it’s more like a dice game out there.”
Kelly quickly corrected himself to say he meant a “chess game.”
In his interview sessions, Kelly was surprised to be talking so little technical football.
“I never really did anything on the board, as far as writing or whatever,” Kelly said. “I mean, I know it. I know how to draw up coverages and stuff like that, but I was expecting to do it.”
– Sam Baker, a 6-4, 309 pound tackle from USC, was surprised at the change in demeanor in coach Lane Kiffin at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s really different to see him in that role,” Baker said. “He’s changed a lot. At SC, he was more of a behind-the-scenes guy that ran the passing game. Now he’s the vocal leader of everything. I thought he was going to run the meeting just like Pete Carroll did, but he has his own philosophy and everything.”
“He’s got his own uniqueness. If you see both of them give a speech, I thought it was going to be exactly what Coach Carroll says but it was very different. He has his own style. He’s a lot more serious. Where Coach Carroll is more of the
having-fun guy, Coach Kiff’s more of the more serious type.”
Baker met with the Raiders, said he talked to line coach Tom Cable, and noted that the blocking philosophies are similar if not exactly alike.
“A lot of the plays are similar, but schematically they block them a little different,” Baker said. “It’s the same kind of terminology, just little intricacies here and there.”
– If the Raiders are in the market for a talented but disgruntled corner to pair with exclusive franchise free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall planted himself in the hallway of the Indianapolis Convention center and attempted to set fire to ever bridge between himself and the Falcons.
“I don’t want to stay there,” Hall said. “I would go anywhere that wants me.”
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm in Oakland Raiders.
There is speculation among some prognosticators and scouts that Arkansas running back Darren McFadden could be headed for a fall.
McFadden, a multi-talented running back who has running and receiving skills, could be available when the Raiders pick with the No,. 4 overall selection in the NFL draft. McFadden’s fans look at the first three-time rushing leader in the Southeastern Conference since Herschel Walker and see a Marcus Allen-type player who can even play quarterback in trick formations.
Detractors wonder about his performance against quality opponents, a penchant for fumbling and some off-the-field issues which could be red flags. Last Jan. 10, McFadden was handcuffed but not charged in a night club brawl in Little Rock when he was not yet 21.
In 2006, McFadden sustained a toe injury in a night club parking lot.
“I know I’m going to hear a lot of different questions, from why I get up early to the different incidents I’ve had outside of nightlclubs,” McFadden said.
(McFadden can go ahead and assume being an early riser will be well behind his night life when it comes to interviews).
McFadden’s answer?
“I know I’ve put myself in a bad situation I shouldn’t have been in, and I take full responsibility for it,” McFadden said.
As for his place in the NFL pecking order, McFadden said, “I feel like I am the best player in the draft” and sees no reason why he can’t duplicate the heroics of NFL rookie of the year Adrian Peterson of Minnesota.
“If I go in and do all the work I could have the type of season he did,” McFadden said. “I can do a lot of different things. I feel like I’m a very versatile player. I can go out there and line up at receiver. I can line up in the backfield and block, line up back there and run. I can throw a pass if you need me to. If I had to, I could play defense.”
More combine notes:
– Texas wide recever Limus Sweed, at 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds and considered first-round potential, plans on running the 40-yard dash to disprove the notion he is not merely a move-the-chains possession receiver.
“That’s one of the biggest questions is how fast I am, so I plan on showing them how fast I am,” Sweed said.
– Speed being a prime asset in any Raiders draft, they no doubt have taken notice of Houston’s Donnie Avery and Appalachian State’s Dexter Jackson.
Avery led the nation with 112 yards per game receiving at Houston and claims to have run a 4.25 40-yard dash last January.
The Raiders got a look at Avery at the Senior Bowl, where the Houston receiver said he had a “pretty productive week.”
Jackson, the star of Appalachian State’s upset win at Michigan with three receptions for 92 yards, plans on running between a 4.28 and 4.33. He joined the track team for the first time in April.
Jackson said the teams which had shown the most interest so far were the Raiders, Rams and Patriots.
From here, both players sound a little too much like Carlos Francis.
– If the Raiders are at all interested in plummeting Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, plane fair to his pro day will be cheap. Brennan will work out at the Home Depot Center the day before USC’s highly-attended pro day.
– DeSean Jackson, the junior-eligible receiver/return specialist from Cal, also said the Raiders have taken notice.
“I talked to a couple of scouts for the Raiders and they’re definitely a great program and I look forward to meeting with them,” Jackson said.
– Quote of the day came from Oklahoma’s Malcolm Kelly, who like Sweed of Texas, is a big receiver (6-3 5/8) in the Terrell Owens-Calvin Johnson mold. Kelly said he got advice from Oklahoma alum Mark Clayton about what it’s like to play in the NFL, although the initial response probably didn’t please commissioner Roger Goodell.
“He told me it’s going to be a lot more technique,” Kelly said. “He told me it’s more like a dice game out there.”
Kelly quickly corrected himself to say he meant a “chess game.”
In his interview sessions, Kelly was surprised to be talking so little technical football.
“I never really did anything on the board, as far as writing or whatever,” Kelly said. “I mean, I know it. I know how to draw up coverages and stuff like that, but I was expecting to do it.”
– Sam Baker, a 6-4, 309 pound tackle from USC, was surprised at the change in demeanor in coach Lane Kiffin at the Senior Bowl.
“It’s really different to see him in that role,” Baker said. “He’s changed a lot. At SC, he was more of a behind-the-scenes guy that ran the passing game. Now he’s the vocal leader of everything. I thought he was going to run the meeting just like Pete Carroll did, but he has his own philosophy and everything.”
“He’s got his own uniqueness. If you see both of them give a speech, I thought it was going to be exactly what Coach Carroll says but it was very different. He has his own style. He’s a lot more serious. Where Coach Carroll is more of the
having-fun guy, Coach Kiff’s more of the more serious type.”
Baker met with the Raiders, said he talked to line coach Tom Cable, and noted that the blocking philosophies are similar if not exactly alike.
“A lot of the plays are similar, but schematically they block them a little different,” Baker said. “It’s the same kind of terminology, just little intricacies here and there.”
– If the Raiders are in the market for a talented but disgruntled corner to pair with exclusive franchise free agent Nnamdi Asomugha, Atlanta’s DeAngelo Hall planted himself in the hallway of the Indianapolis Convention center and attempted to set fire to ever bridge between himself and the Falcons.
“I don’t want to stay there,” Hall said. “I would go anywhere that wants me.”
A few minutes with Ryan
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders defensvie coordinator Rob Ryan stood in the Indianapolis Convention Center hallway with his brother Rex and Raiders linebackers coach Don Martindale, talking to friends and telling unprintable stories.
Then he stopped for a few minutes to go on the record about the turbulent offseason of the Raiders. Included since the end of a 4-12 season were reports that coach Lane Kiffin wanted Ryan out as defensive coordinator.
Much ado about nothing, Ryan insists.
“It was a joke to me, but I don’t care who you are, you get a little upset when you see your name flashed across the board that you’ve been fired. When it’s not true it kind of pisses you off,” Ryan said. “I mean, what you can you do? There’s a difference between fact and fiction, and the fact is I’m with the Oakland Raiders and I want to be with the Oakland Raiders.”
He professed to be oblivious regarding reports that Kiffin wanted him out.
“Everything is fine. I don’t know if there was anything written about that or not, but if there was, whatever,” Ryan said. “Some people get it right, some don’t. Everybody’s got a job to do. You guys have got a job to do, get information, get the story out there, but my job is to coach defense and that’s what I do. I don’t know, some information is correct, some of it’s not, and I don’t know how it gets out there, but that’s not my job to know.”
Ryan said the Raiders were busy self-scouting, evaluating college talent and working on ways to improve.
“You’ve got what you see as your needs and you’re identifying all the prospects and it’s a great thing, getting a first look at some of these guys,” Ryan said. “The advantage for us us we did coach in the Senior Bowl so we feel we know a good portion of the guys, but it’s obviously important. You can’t improve a team more than with personnel.”
Ryan said he was optimistic about the club bringing back defensive end Chris Clemons and was ecstatic about the franchise tag given to Nnamdi Asomugha.
“Mr. Davis knew he was player when he got him, and he’s such a great player, a great person. It’s great to keep him,” Ryan said.
Still no sign of coach Kiffin, who a Raiders team employee said was due to arrive Friday evening.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 1:49 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Raiders defensvie coordinator Rob Ryan stood in the Indianapolis Convention Center hallway with his brother Rex and Raiders linebackers coach Don Martindale, talking to friends and telling unprintable stories.
Then he stopped for a few minutes to go on the record about the turbulent offseason of the Raiders. Included since the end of a 4-12 season were reports that coach Lane Kiffin wanted Ryan out as defensive coordinator.
Much ado about nothing, Ryan insists.
“It was a joke to me, but I don’t care who you are, you get a little upset when you see your name flashed across the board that you’ve been fired. When it’s not true it kind of pisses you off,” Ryan said. “I mean, what you can you do? There’s a difference between fact and fiction, and the fact is I’m with the Oakland Raiders and I want to be with the Oakland Raiders.”
He professed to be oblivious regarding reports that Kiffin wanted him out.
“Everything is fine. I don’t know if there was anything written about that or not, but if there was, whatever,” Ryan said. “Some people get it right, some don’t. Everybody’s got a job to do. You guys have got a job to do, get information, get the story out there, but my job is to coach defense and that’s what I do. I don’t know, some information is correct, some of it’s not, and I don’t know how it gets out there, but that’s not my job to know.”
Ryan said the Raiders were busy self-scouting, evaluating college talent and working on ways to improve.
“You’ve got what you see as your needs and you’re identifying all the prospects and it’s a great thing, getting a first look at some of these guys,” Ryan said. “The advantage for us us we did coach in the Senior Bowl so we feel we know a good portion of the guys, but it’s obviously important. You can’t improve a team more than with personnel.”
Ryan said he was optimistic about the club bringing back defensive end Chris Clemons and was ecstatic about the franchise tag given to Nnamdi Asomugha.
“Mr. Davis knew he was player when he got him, and he’s such a great player, a great person. It’s great to keep him,” Ryan said.
Still no sign of coach Kiffin, who a Raiders team employee said was due to arrive Friday evening.