October 30th, 2006 06:01pm
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The Raiders’ lingering issues on offense – temporarily
crowded from the picture by a brilliant defensive effort – can be summed up
sublimely by consecutive questions thrown at coach Art Shell during his Monday
press conference. Individually, neither question would be noteworthy. Taken
together, they were priceless.
Question No. 1: Are you happy with offensive coordinator Tom Walsh’s play-calling?
Question No. 2: Was Chad Slaughter the intended receiver on that third-down
play at the goal line?
Other random …
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October 27th, 2006 01:40pm
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Last November, I wrote an article about Raiders tackle Robert Gallery
and his failure to live up to the sky-high expectations that accompanied him
into the NFL. In that story, I quoted an NFL team personnel director who said:
“I just don’t think he’s playing that well. – He’s not consistent with his
hands, and he’s still not good with technique. He has a hard time with power
(rushers), which is surprising at his size. …
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October 26th, 2006 02:55pm
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Jerry Porter was back in Raiderland on Thursday, and it
seemed he was never gone. The prodigal wide receiver wore a big smile, pranced
in and out of the locker room a couple times, and declined to answer even a
single question from reporters. When a cameraman turned on his machine and made
toward him, Porter said, “Please go away,” and ducked into the players-only
area.
He was on the practice field at
2:00 p.m., preparing to …
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October 25th, 2006 11:33am
by admin
Jerry Porter has plea-bargained. Well, nobody is officially
describing it in those terms, but his reinstatement has the distinct aroma of
compromise.
Coach Art Shell got a call Tuesday night informing him that
Porter would be reporting back to the team. And the Raiders had nothing to do
with the decision. The NFL Management Council and NFL Players Association – the
yin and yang of pro football labor relations – negotiated Porter’s four-game
suspension down to two …
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October 23rd, 2006 06:24pm
by admin
The Raiders are the best team in the NFL! Don’t believe me?
Well, a week ago, everyone was calling the Chicago Bears the league’s No. 1
team. Then the Cardinals played them to a virtual standstill, actually
outperforming them until giving away the game with several late blunders. So
you can make the argument that Arizona
was on a par with the NFL’s best. And we all saw what the Raiders did to the
Cardinals on …
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October 20th, 2006 02:13pm
by admin
When you’re 0-5 and showing few signs of a turnaround, it’s
only a matter of time before the kettle starts to boil. It happened
dramatically in 2003, the Raiders’ first-to-worst year, when Charles Woodson
began sniping at coach Bill Callahan right around this time of year, and
Callahan wound up blowing his top and calling his players “the dumbest team in America.”
So far this season, there is no evidence pointing to a
spectacular meltdown. But …
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October 19th, 2006 02:33pm
by admin
Nothing like the threat of a dirty bomb to liven up your
Wednesday. Revelations that McAfee Coliseum was one of seven stadiums marked
for possible terrorist attacks had the electronic media scrambling to Alameda for information,
and there wasn’t much. This hubbub had all the earmarks of some guy in Milwaukee making an
Internet boast in the privacy of his living room, forgetting that it could
eventually result in the FBI kicking in his door …
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October 18th, 2006 03:59pm
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Running back LaMont Jordan was added to the Raiders’ official injury list with a back problem Wednesday. He exited the locker room in sweats about 20 minutes into practice, and began a slow, almost painful walk to the field. He is listed as probable for the Cardinals game. The timing of the injury couldn’t be worse, with Jordan’s backup — Justin Fargas — questionable with a subluxated shoulder. If neither …
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October 16th, 2006 06:34pm
by admin
The Raiders are gradually improving in several areas, and were more or less competitive with a good Broncos team at Denver on Sunday. But they aren’t even close to the crisp offensive rhythm demonstrated by the league’s elite teams – or like the Raiders in the Rich Gannon era.
After the game, coach Art Shell and a couple of the offensive linemen admitted that miscommunication led to many of Oakland’s eight …
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October 13th, 2006 01:19pm
by admin
From the vantage point of the chalkboard, the Raiders’
defense couldn’t have drawn a tougher assignment this week. Mike Shanahan’s
Broncos are a team that relies on motion and misdirection – bootlegs, screens,
play-action passes, etc. Those are exactly the types of plays that have killed
the Raiders recently.
The Browns punctured Oakland
with draws and screens two weeks ago, and Charlie Frye’s three-yard touchdown
pass to tight end Darnell Dinkins came after a play-action fake. It …
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Phil Barber covers the Raiders for The Press Democrat, uncovering news and features despite the team’s best efforts to keep everything a secret. He’ll keep our online audience up-to-date and informed with his blog “Instant Raiders.”
