After the Raiders spent the fist part of free agency relatively quite, they've now made a trade. This time, they've made a trade to address the depth at the center position.
The Raiders have sent a draft pick to Miami for center Samson Satele.
Not sure how this will work out; Satele had been a starter in Miami, but became expendable when they got Jake Grove in free agency. The word floating around the internet is that Satele is too undersized to handle the defensive tackles of the AFC East. We'll have to wait and see. People thought Grove was undersized, but he did just fine at the center position for the Raiders.
My bigger wonder is what implications this move will have on the draft (outside of the obvious fact that the Raiders have one less pick). Clearly, Al Davis and Tom Cable aren't sold on the depth at the center position. Does this move, though, mean that drafting a wide receiver at the number seven spot in the first round is a given? The talk lately had been about Alex Mack and that Tom Cable was impressed by Mack at his pro day at Cal. This move has to make that decision a little less clear cut.
Speaking of the draft, Yahoo! has released the sixth version of their mock draft and it's interesting, to say the least. They have the Raiders taking B.J. Raji, defensive tackle out of Boston College. As they have it, Crabtree drops to tenth, into the lap of the 49ers and Maclin Jeremy Maclin dropping to 22nd to the Vikings. I just don't see that happening. We have too much money wrapped up in Tommy Kelly to pay first round money to someone at that position. The need at receiver is too big to use the pick on a defensive tackle. Now, this is just me....either take the receiver at that spot or trade down for more picks (the latter would be preferrable). The Raiders have been too fiscally unintelligent that past year and a half and the only way to get out from under that is build through youth, stock up on young talent and clear cap space, smartly, when necessary. Drafting a defensive tackle at the number seven spot is not the answer.
Finally, the Raiders will open the season on Monday night for the second straight year (against the Chargers) and play on Thanksgiving Day (against the Cowboys). Personally, I'm pretty excited. We, in the Nation, can now actually look forward to watching a game we care about and can look forward to making that a Silver and Black holiday. That should be a fun game to watch and an excellent treat for all us fans.
(Editorial note.....Get on over to The Raider Image and get your 50th season gear ordered for the upcoming season. Regardless of the W-L record, I know all the members of Raider Nation will make it one for the ages.)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Get it done
Orlando Pace is now a free agent.
Al needs to get the deal done. Period.
This is an opportunity for a second shot at Pace. After moving up to get him in the 1997 draft, the Rams traded up ahead of the Raiders and took Pace. The Raiders used their selection that year to take Darrell Russell.
Even as a 12 year veteran, Pace is what the Raiders need. There's not a better left tackle out there. You can say, "Well, they can draft a young kid to play left tackle." I don't see it. Al got burned by Robert Gallery when they took him at number two (overall) in the 2004 draft. I just don't see Al going that route again.
Picking up Pace leaves the Raiders with holes to fill at center, safety, wide receiver and a true strong side linebacker.
The receiver hole will probably be filled with their first round pick with Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is more of the stereotypical "Al Davis type" player, with his speed. Crabtree brings the size, hands and flash. Center and safety can be addressed in the later draft rounds. If Al decides he wants a veteran wide receiver presence, it sounds like Torry Holt is more than likely going to be the next Ram to be released.
As for the strong side linebacker spot, there is an offer on the table to Kevin Burnett. Playing strong side linebacker in a 4-3 should make Burnett a good fit. That will give them a true strong side player and end the musical chairs at that spot, like we saw last season. He's deciding between offers from the Chargers and the Raiders.
These are all encouraging signs, as a fan. It's great to see the Raiders use common sense and patience when making these off season moves. Be smart, spend smart, build through the draft and fill the holes with free agents.
It's also encouraging to hear that Cable is also beginning to change the attitude around the team. Derrick Burgess, who has always worked out during the offseason by himself, away from the Alameda complex, has already been seen around the Raiders facility working out. His mantra of wanting players there who want to win and be a part of the Raiders' return to prominence seems to be taking hold. We'll see the full effect when off season OTAs begin March 16th.
Al needs to get the deal done. Period.
This is an opportunity for a second shot at Pace. After moving up to get him in the 1997 draft, the Rams traded up ahead of the Raiders and took Pace. The Raiders used their selection that year to take Darrell Russell.
Even as a 12 year veteran, Pace is what the Raiders need. There's not a better left tackle out there. You can say, "Well, they can draft a young kid to play left tackle." I don't see it. Al got burned by Robert Gallery when they took him at number two (overall) in the 2004 draft. I just don't see Al going that route again.
Picking up Pace leaves the Raiders with holes to fill at center, safety, wide receiver and a true strong side linebacker.
The receiver hole will probably be filled with their first round pick with Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin. Maclin is more of the stereotypical "Al Davis type" player, with his speed. Crabtree brings the size, hands and flash. Center and safety can be addressed in the later draft rounds. If Al decides he wants a veteran wide receiver presence, it sounds like Torry Holt is more than likely going to be the next Ram to be released.
As for the strong side linebacker spot, there is an offer on the table to Kevin Burnett. Playing strong side linebacker in a 4-3 should make Burnett a good fit. That will give them a true strong side player and end the musical chairs at that spot, like we saw last season. He's deciding between offers from the Chargers and the Raiders.
These are all encouraging signs, as a fan. It's great to see the Raiders use common sense and patience when making these off season moves. Be smart, spend smart, build through the draft and fill the holes with free agents.
It's also encouraging to hear that Cable is also beginning to change the attitude around the team. Derrick Burgess, who has always worked out during the offseason by himself, away from the Alameda complex, has already been seen around the Raiders facility working out. His mantra of wanting players there who want to win and be a part of the Raiders' return to prominence seems to be taking hold. We'll see the full effect when off season OTAs begin March 16th.
Monday, March 2, 2009
A lot going on in Florida
A quick update on Marquis Cooper......
They found his overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico with one of the passengers, Nick Schuyler, was found holding on to the capsized boat. It's awesome news that they found Schuyler and the boat.
Cooper, Smith and the fourth boater are still listed as missing and the search is continuing through the night. The three of them were last seen with life vests, according to Schuyler. Hopefully, with the Coast Guard finding the boat and Schuyler will help them narrow down the search and get Cooper (and Smith) back home safe to their families. The Nation will keep hoping and keep them in our thoughts until that point and hopefully we'll see Cooper back in Alameda for the start of off-season workouts.
A second happening out of the state of Florida (but less important) is that Jake Grove has agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins. The deal will be finalized tomorrow, barring any unforeseen circumstances. This is a guy that Cable wanted back and has been a huge part of the Raiders the past five years. That leaves the team with Chris Morris and John Wade on the roster at center. Wade was barely beaten out by Grove for the starting job this season, so this leaves the Raiders with a decision of whether to go after a center in free agency or to draft a center. They'll probably give Morris an offer in order to get some youth behind Wade. From there, they may ahve to look at addressing the need through the draft.
The pool of free agents at wide receiver shrunk by one today, too. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is on his way up to the Puget Sound. That's one less veteran, free agent option for Oakland. (Not that they had a ton of money to be out on the free agent market making it rain like Pacman Jones at a strip club.) This puts a little more emphasis on the Raiders' number seven pick in this year's draft. Seattle was rumored to be all over Michael Crabtree, but with his foot surgery and them picking up Houshmandzadeh, that leaves this to be a situation worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the free agency period.
They found his overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico with one of the passengers, Nick Schuyler, was found holding on to the capsized boat. It's awesome news that they found Schuyler and the boat.
Cooper, Smith and the fourth boater are still listed as missing and the search is continuing through the night. The three of them were last seen with life vests, according to Schuyler. Hopefully, with the Coast Guard finding the boat and Schuyler will help them narrow down the search and get Cooper (and Smith) back home safe to their families. The Nation will keep hoping and keep them in our thoughts until that point and hopefully we'll see Cooper back in Alameda for the start of off-season workouts.
A second happening out of the state of Florida (but less important) is that Jake Grove has agreed to a deal with the Miami Dolphins. The deal will be finalized tomorrow, barring any unforeseen circumstances. This is a guy that Cable wanted back and has been a huge part of the Raiders the past five years. That leaves the team with Chris Morris and John Wade on the roster at center. Wade was barely beaten out by Grove for the starting job this season, so this leaves the Raiders with a decision of whether to go after a center in free agency or to draft a center. They'll probably give Morris an offer in order to get some youth behind Wade. From there, they may ahve to look at addressing the need through the draft.
The pool of free agents at wide receiver shrunk by one today, too. T.J. Houshmandzadeh is on his way up to the Puget Sound. That's one less veteran, free agent option for Oakland. (Not that they had a ton of money to be out on the free agent market making it rain like Pacman Jones at a strip club.) This puts a little more emphasis on the Raiders' number seven pick in this year's draft. Seattle was rumored to be all over Michael Crabtree, but with his foot surgery and them picking up Houshmandzadeh, that leaves this to be a situation worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the free agency period.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Breaking News
A quick update.....
Four boaters have been pronounced missing off the Florida coast after bad weather. The Coast Guard has reported that of the four boaters one is Raiders linebacker, Marquis Cooper.
Also missing is Detroit Lions defensive end, Corey Smith. Cooper and Smith were together on Cooper's boat on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Raider Nation is thinking about Cooper (and Smith) and hope they are found safe and can return home.
Four boaters have been pronounced missing off the Florida coast after bad weather. The Coast Guard has reported that of the four boaters one is Raiders linebacker, Marquis Cooper.
Also missing is Detroit Lions defensive end, Corey Smith. Cooper and Smith were together on Cooper's boat on a fishing trip in the Gulf of Mexico.
I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that Raider Nation is thinking about Cooper (and Smith) and hope they are found safe and can return home.
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