I know I’m about to sound like a fuddy-duddy. (And let’s face it, only a fuddy-duddy would even use that term.) I know people will accuse me of being out of touch with hip-hop-era culture, of lecturing like some 1950s chemistry teacher. But I’ll say it anyway: There are athletes who should manage their images a little better, and a couple of Raiders are prime examples. First is quarterback JaMarcus Russell, who in May was snapped in photos that were… Read More »

The rumor making its way along the NFL telephone line right now has the Raiders trying to shop two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Burgess. Former Raiders scout Michael Lombardi ” who certainly has great contacts in the league but is hard to view as an objective voice when it comes to his former employer ” addressed the notion in his National Football Post column today. Lombardi said the Raiders offered Burgess to New England for recent second-round draft choice… Read More »

As with many struggling franchises, the Raiders’ downfall over the past six seasons has been hard to define in a sentence or two. The running game has been at times tepid, at times formidable. The pass rush has been occasionally strong, often nonexistent. The locker-room vibe has spiraled into near-chaos at certain points, but has more often been surprisingly solid. There has been one constant, though: shabby run defense. As the team followed up a Super Bowl campaign in 2002… Read More »

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Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Al Davis dunk tank. Step right up and make a throw. Hit the target and the Raiders’ 79-year-old owner will fall into a tank of silver-and-black Kool-Aid. Two weeks ago, it was Tim Brown reflecting on his first day with the Raiders, when teammates supposedly told him Davis doesn’t like black players from Notre Dame. Now it’s cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who had one disastrous half-season in Oakland before the Raiders cut him loose. Hall… Read More »

In case you hadn’t read the quotes yet, former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown has responded to the uproar over his recent reflections on Al Davis. About a week ago, station WCNN in Atlanta interviewed Brown regarding his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. During the spot, the retired wide receiver said that when he joined the Raiders in 1988, teammates told him that Davis doesn’t like African-American players from Notre Dame, suggesting they are over-educated and potentially… Read More »

Hey, Tim Brown, this is no way to land a job. Last year, Brown, a Raider for 16 seasons and one of the leading receivers in NFL history – he’s fourth all-time with 1,094 catches, third with 14,934 receiving yards – was openly lobbying for a position with his old team, suggesting he could be some sort of liaison between owner Al Davis and his players. Now Brown may need a liaison just to enter the Oakland Coliseum. Speaking to… Read More »

There’s something about wide receiver Javon Walker that makes you want to follow his every word and every step. It would be easy to make the car-wreck analogy; you know, you don’t want to look, but you’re unable to avert your gaze. That’s kind of unfair, though. Walker hasn’t been a disaster in Oakland. Just a curiosity, a frustrating mystery. He isn’t a car wreck. He’s a car pulling away from the curb with a steaming go-cup of Peet’s sitting… Read More »

Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey sat out the afternoon practice in Alameda, though the Raiders declined to state a reason. “He’ll get into it tomorrow,” team spokesman John Herrera said, referring to coach Tom Cable. Heyward-Bey struggled to catch the ball in the morning session, but didn’t suffer any apparent injury. One other note from the minicamp: John Marshall will not address the media. Reporters from virtually every Bay Area outlet have requested the defensive coordinator, but Cable wants to answer… Read More »

It’s Day 2 of Raiders minicamp No. 1, in between practices 3 and 4, and the unstoppable touchdown combination of the future has taken a step backward. It was not a good morning for JaMarcus Russell or Darrius Heyward-Bey. The third-year quarterback sprayed incompletions all over the field – short and long, behind and in front – when the Raiders went to 11-on-11 team period. One short throw over the middle hit linebacker Kirk Morrison in the back. Defensive end… Read More »