Comments on Raider Take: The Fall of Hall?

Hall is now a "For-Skin"...He said he wanted to go...

2008-11-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Hall is now a "For-Skin"...

He said he wanted to go to a contender so the 6/3 "Skins" look better than the 2/6 Raiders....

Anno 12am....The last time I saw Walter start it w...

2008-11-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Anno 12am....

The last time I saw Walter start it was under Shell and he was a "Dear in Head-Lights"....NO Mobility -n- NO Reaction...Just stand there and get hit like a big tackling dumby...So lets hope there has been alot of improvement sense then....He played OK in the pre-season but how much does that count...He has a passer rating of "55.8"....That should scare the hell out of the "BlackCats"....

"JRus" is a rookey with a "69"...6"TD"s...4"INT"s-n-5 Fumbles...22 Sacks in 8 starts tells the story....Walter had 46 in 12 games-w-8 starts....Look for the "BlackCats" to through everything at him right from the start...

PantyRaider....Scared to Watch!!!/...

Holly Cow!!! Jamarco Busto may not start this week...

2008-11-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

Holly Cow!!! Jamarco Busto may not start this week!!! i hope this is true and we once and for all start Andrew Walter!!! a blessing from the skies i do hope so...wont hold my breath but i am excited about the possibilities...hope we can see some rhythm going on the offense (at least get one first down in the first freakin half)I know WR core sucks but they will get the ball thrown to them instead of to high, behind, or no where near them. Are run game better step up so we can run effective play actions, screen plays etc. offensive has the though task with the panthers defensive line but just need to hold them for a very few seconds becuz Walter can see the field and read defense faster than JaDummy and will take what the defense gives them faster and smarter by checking his check downs or tucking the ball him self for a few yards. and more importantly we should see him connect well with his fellow ASU alumni TE Miller.
ahhhh but this is pure fantasy and we will see if its true if JaDummy will sit out on "injury" (I think he might just be getting benched himself...finally!!) and we will get to see a QB with at least the basic fundamentals down.......

First a note that does NOT pertain to football.......

2008-11-07T23:08:00.000-08:00

First a note that does NOT pertain to football....

If anyone is planing a trip stay clear of China Air....I missed my return flight 10/21 because a small war broke out between Thailand and Cambodia 10/17 and people were dieing and running...I took my young wife to an area of safety 250 km away...Now I'm told to extend my ticket they want $650 for a return ticket that I paid $916 Round-Trip for...Or I can pay $750 for a new ticket One-Way...I will give the money to someone else and never give a dime to those bastards again...

On to football...

RT...I would like to have your tickets but I'm stuck here for another month or so....Not that I'm complaining....Warm-Wet-n-Friendly...

This week we will see if the "Shake-Up" in personel has any effect on the remaining players...If Not...The sword must seperate several more from the team...All high cap players should be a target...on the "O"-n-"D"-n-"ST"....Cut out the "Cancer" and rebuild around what should be a solid nucleous...

Only a few young players would be given an exception and a few veterans who have proven they have a desire to play the damn game...

"McFab"-n-"JRus"-n-Bush are our "Nucleous" in the "O" Back-Field...Also our 2 "FB"s on the "IR" and "TE" Miller...

Namdi-n-Wilson are the same for the "DB"s...

"LB"-n-"DL" may contain a player or two worth keeping...

We have NO "WR"s worth giving a pay-check although Higgins and a couple other young players may be showing some promise....

"OL" as usual is a total Question-Mark....

"ST"s has a punter worth keeping..."Sea-Bass" is rated as the #2 "K" at nfl.com but in "FG"s he is #16...1/2 40+yds -n- 2/5 50+yds...I have to question his "Cap" value....

Hire a "GM"-n-"NEW" Coaching Staff and rebuild from the bottom up...What coaches are worth keeping should be up the the "GM" and "HC"....Al....Just try to enjoy watching the games and leave the decissions to your staff...

Don't hire another Matt Millan type...He may have been a good player but he sucks big time in the "MotorCity"...The fact is few teams have proven "GM"s-n-"HC"s...Some are up for a year or two and back in the "Dumper" again...SadFran-AZ-Seattle-Lambs...SD-KC-Donko's...They only look good when compaired to us...

Here is the short-list of teams who are consistant...

NE Cheatsters
Pitts Squeelers
Indy
CheseHeads

PantyRaider...Off-the-Map!!!!/...

H: Glad to see you back on the board. I disagree ...

2008-11-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

H: Glad to see you back on the board. I disagree about your "wait and see" approach. We have been "waiting and seeing" a very poorly run organization with piss poor results on the field for six seasons.

I agree with JF. Immediately following the SB season, the hand writing was on the wall. A blind squirrel could see that the team needed a complete overhaul due primarily to a roster filled with aging veterans.

As I mentioned on my blog last night, the Raiders are a mess from top to bottom ... bottom being the key word since we have literally reached rock bottom (I hope).

Think about the following and tell me we can take a half hearted, "wait and see" approach.

* We have the highest payroll in the entire league at a whopping $153M.

* We have a lame duck interim Head Coach.

* We have a vacancy at one of the most important executive slots, the GM.

* We have disgruntled players like Asomugha and Wilson, who by every account are team first professionals.

* We have players openly remarking about the dysfunction, distractions, and uncertainty about the team and it's direction.

* We have a high profile FA cut in mid season.

* We have one of the Captains of the team benched (Curry) and a high round picks and recent FA acquisitions benched (Routt, Huff, Harris).

I am not opposed of a shake up of the roster, benchings, and players being cut. What I am opposed to is the total mismanagement of the team in general.

If a dubious record of six consecutive seasons of double digit losses doesn't prompt drastic changes, tangible improvements, and a committment to do whatever it takes to get our house in order ... what does?

Now is not the time to take baby steps or half hearted measures. Now is not the time to wait to forumulate and execute a well designed plan to turn things around. For example, Davis is notorious for taking his sweet time to recruit and hire a HC. Today, not in January or February, he should already have a list contructed of potential recruits. Same goes for the hiring of a GM. Time is of the essence.

What I admire the most about the Dolphins turnaround is the decisiveness and clarity of their plan. Parcells knew exactly what he wanted. Everything was built with a comprehensive, coherent, singular plan.

There was no doubt about the types of players to keep, cut, draft, and acquire. Parcells immediately restored a sense of order. There is a sense of professionalism with how everyone in the organization conducts business including the culture of the players. With the Dolphins their is a clear map and clear directions. With the Raiders there is no rhyme or reason to the vast majority of moves made.

3 clear cut examples of headscratchers;

(1) Signing Hall for $70M when it was the run D that needed the most help. For most of this season we have had only 3 serviceable DTs.
A DB is simply not worth the big bucks.

(2) Signing Walker to a mega contract when two things were known ... #1 he had a serious injury history and #2 he had character issues and was known as a bad apple at GBay and Denver.

(3) The Kelly mega conract was puzzling to say the least. Who exactly were we bidding against? Whatever we are paying him, I would say he would have taken a contract for 50% of the value. On top of that, he was coming off a serious injury.

All of the media scoffed at the Raiders spending spree this offseason and for good reason. We were throwing money around at bad investments. The worst part about it is the cap hell we are currently sitting in.

i don't want to throw cold water on this, but, her...

2008-11-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

i don't want to throw cold water on this, but, here is what the raiders have done so far.

benched huff and curry.

waived hall.

benched rout and partially benched harris.

ok, i guess it's a start, especially for the raiders. but lets not act like we've actually done something to really help the team like firing ryan and waiving more then one player.

I'd say that's impossible. However, with the capit...

2008-11-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'd say that's impossible. However, with the capital gains tax possibly going up shortly, that might not be such an outlandish theory. Davis's gains in his interest in the team must be astronomical. A 10 or 15 percent increase in the gains tax would probably skim tens of millions of dollars of profit off a future sale of the team. It probably depends on how committed his heirs are to running the organization.

I'm surprised no one's brought this up yet (or may...

2008-11-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised no one's brought this up yet (or maybe they did and I missed it), but what if Al's dumping salary in anticipation of selling the team?

H, I know we were just coming off a superbowl visi...

2008-11-07T12:29:00.000-08:00

H,

I know we were just coming off a superbowl visit, but even then it was obvious things were in major disarray. I agree, hindsight is 20/20, but I still maintain the change should have started 5 yrs ago. But I guess that really doesn't matter now, does it?

JF

JF,Five years ago we were just coming off a visit ...

2008-11-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

JF,

Five years ago we were just coming off a visit to the Super Bowl. No organization would have done what Miami did last year.

I'd say it should have been done two years ago. But, as always it will have to be a wait and see situation.

As for McCloughlan, Reggie McKenzie has a Ron Wolf petigree and is a former Raider. He was on staff in the 90's when Wolf rebuilt the Cheezers.

H

The roster shake up is fine. The overhaul kind of...

2008-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

The roster shake up is fine. The overhaul kind of change I'm hoping for is like what occured in Miami at the end of last season. That should of happened in Oakland 5 yrs ago.

Not until a proven consultant/GM is hired and a major shake up is underway will I know things have changed in Oakland.

Who says you can't hire a GM mid season?

JF

Priceless, indeed. And folks wonder why I've been ...

2008-11-07T11:49:00.000-08:00

Priceless, indeed. And folks wonder why I've been utterly outraged and unwilling to make excuses for what is so obviously a biblical case of defiant mismanagement.

I keep hearing about how Mr. Davis wants to win so badly. Atkinson and gang on KSFO were jabbering about it last Sunday. As if simply wanting something makes it true.

A lot of people want a lot of things badly, but if they don't do what it takes, and if they keep repeating the same mistakes out of stubbornness and defiance, then what they supposedly want really isn't the true priority.

RT: Having the highest payroll(2008)in the entire ...

2008-11-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

RT:
Having the highest payroll(2008)in the entire league does not make things easier ... I was alarmed & dumbfounded to learn about our payroll. $153M for 2008! Yikes.

HC situation:
Lame-duck/interim status; check

GM:
vacant; check

Cap Position:
A complete mess ($63M higher than Ravens); check

Performance:
6 consecutive double digit losses; pending check but more than likely

Being a Raider fan:
priceless!

Quite a roster shakeup going on. Nice to see the s...

2008-11-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

Quite a roster shakeup going on. Nice to see the scholarship program finally being detonated.

I lost my cool two weeks ago and, voila, the Raiders have finally followed suit, saying enough is enough. Nice to know that the organization actually has limits.

Unfortunately, the organization has painted itself into a corner. Awful scouting and ineffective drafting have resulted in minimal depth at nearly every position. Heads are rolling, but who's going to pick them up and run with them?

Calico... points well made.

2008-11-06T20:47:00.000-08:00

Calico... points well made.

Sorry but here i have to disagree. I don't think R...

2008-11-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry but here i have to disagree. I don't think Russell is a bust...yet. He has not had a stable environment, I mean it is the raiders we are talking about, so give him a chance. He will probably undergo a scheme change this off-season. He also has one of the worst offensive lines and wide receiving corps in the NFL. I think they should draft a WR early which gives the offense a strong armed QB, a RB that can break open any play, and a WR that actually has hands and then the Raiders should draft linemen, specifically tackles in Rounds two through five. Then Russell has training camp to get a rhythm and timing down and learn the new playbook. After that there are no more excuses.

Lane Kiffin is at home laughing his ass off about ...

2008-11-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

Lane Kiffin is at home laughing his ass off about Jamarco Busto too...our defense is being held back by Ryan....and our offense is being held back by our "Rookie" QB, I mean can't even throw ten yards for a first down? and so week after week we are overmatched by others QB's (even by rookies Flaco, Ryan, and Edwards)and our defense is left on the field for too long and loose rest with our Bust of a QB.

Part of the whole Hall being waived thing. One has...

2008-11-06T17:15:00.000-08:00

Part of the whole Hall being waived thing. One has to wonder if Lane Kiffin is at home laughing his ass off. He disagreed on Javon Walker and DeAngelo Hall and possibly Tommy Kelly but im unsure about that one. He also wanted Ryan gone. Hall and possibly Walker are gone. The only thing we have heard about Tommy Kelly is that he can drink and drive and Ryan is driving our defense into the ground. I mean seriously getting our asses kicked by not one BUT TWO rookie quarterbacks in two straight weeks? Im as big a raider fan as anyone else in the Raider Nation and living in Wichita Kansas I have had to defend my loyalties many times but it gets wearisome to watch this team week in and week out. We need change we can believe in. Barack for GM haha? Just kidding but hopefully we see something fresh this off season.

Hall on leaving the Raiders...http://www.nfl.com/n...

2008-11-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Hall on leaving the Raiders...

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true

Gary: There is the real world and Al's world. In ...

2008-11-06T15:41:00.000-08:00

Gary:

There is the real world and Al's world. In the real world you go after the best available GM without any restrictions or limitiations.

In Al's world, it is a far different picture.

The GM will need to be someone on the rise or has a past connection/relationship with Al. It would need to be a person who could deal with a team at the bottom AND work for a difficult owner.

Scot McCloughlan (current SF GM) is a football lifer from a football family. The obvious connection is his dad Kent who was a Raider player (1965-1970) and a scout since 1971.

This is what Ron Wolf, who mentored Scot, said about Scot:

"He's very good at what he does and has tremendous desire to improve," Wolf says. "He has an exceptional eye for talent".

As far as Tom Gamble (current Director of Pro Peronnel, SF);

Gamble has had past conversations with Al. He has 21 years of NFL experience. He was mentored by Bill Polian for 7 years at Indy.

If either McCloughlan or Gamble joins the Raiders as GM, we will be better off than we are today.

Raidetake,rob ryan cannot get promoted because al ...

2008-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

Raidetake,

rob ryan cannot get promoted because al davis does not believe in hiring his head coaches from the defense side.

i guess it's the only thing holding him back because he's done such a great coaching job with the D.....LOL !!!!!!!!!

RT, I think you are right... we have a defense tha...

2008-11-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

RT, I think you are right... we have a defense that relies so much on the second tier of defense that I guess it shouldn't surprise me that two of them get so many tackles.

Kinda weird to see two in the top five is all.

You'd think it would be two Ravens or something.

Ryan can't get fired OR promoted. Go figure.

2008-11-06T11:42:00.001-08:00

Ryan can't get fired OR promoted. Go figure.

Regarding the waiving of Hall - two words: Larry B...

2008-11-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

Regarding the waiving of Hall - two words: Larry Brown.

Following the 1995 Dallas SB win v Pittsburgh, where Larry Brown had two interceptions, Al Davis signed Larry Brown to a big free agent contract.

Trouble was, Brown was adept at a zone defense and constantly got crushed in the Raiders man-to-man coverages.

Sound familiar?

oxner2010,i agree with you about rob ryan, and i t...

2008-11-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

oxner2010,

i agree with you about rob ryan, and i think that't what we all are saying here.

hire a Gm. give the Gm real authority. let the Gm hire the head coach. let the head coach pick his ENTIRE staff.

there is no way on earth rob ryan can survive a proccess like this.

the problem with the raiders, as we know, there is no proccess like this.

al likes rob, so rob stays, and the HC likes it or lumps it.