Las Vegas Raiders Thread

Chucky the tree

mikemac1 wrote: »

Is Charles Woodson returning?

I've been googling for info but there is no news out there.

Would Raiders fans like him to return?

Probably won't find out until later. He played okay, did some things well and some terrible. I'd like him to return for his veteran presence though.

Prefab Sprouter

Woodson would be a positive if we could retain his services, Would he play with Branch or are the two vying for the same position?

Prefab Sprouter

And Sparano has signed a 2 year deal!

Chucky the tree

Prefab Sprouter wrote: »

Woodson would be a positive if we could retain his services, Would he play with Branch or are the two vying for the same position?

He's play with Branch. Branch at strong safety and Woodson and Free. Sparano is great signing considering what he managed to do with some of the bums we had at OL this year.

Prefab Sprouter

Chucky the tree wrote: »

He's play with Branch. Branch at strong safety and Woodson and Free. Sparano is great signing considering what he managed to do with some of the bums we had at OL this year.

Agreed, would like to see continuity at Coaching staff level as much as possible.

Prefab Sprouter

And now they have resigned Jason Tarver, with a good squad his Defense could be a top 10 one.

Prefab Sprouter

So, Raiders Fans, what do ye think of our forays into Free Agency so far?

Chucky the tree

I've been drowned in a sea of alcohol for the last 3 days so a bit lost as to whats happened now.

So far I know of:
James Jones
Justin Tuck
Lamarr Woodley
Kevin Boothe
Tarell Brown
Austin Howard

Not sure who else. Losing Veldheer takes a huge shine of this free agency for me. So far judging by that list I'd give a C grade or so.

HigginsJ

Chucky the tree wrote: »

I've been drowned in a sea of alcohol for the last 3 days so a bit lost as to whats happened now.

So far I know of:
James Jones
Justin Tuck
Lamarr Woodley
Kevin Boothe
Tarell Brown
Austin Howard

Not sure who else. Losing Veldheer takes a huge shine of this free agency for me. So far judging by that list I'd give a C grade or so.

As an outsider I would have thought Veldheer & Lamarr Houston would have been the bedrocks of the franchise so losing them must be disappointing.

The 2 Giants ye have signed are good additions. Boothe is not the flashiest player but is a solid OG who can play C if needed. Think ye over payed Tuck a bit but he is still very good against the run but I wouldn't be expecting huge sack numbers.

Having Howard, Boothe & Donald Penn added to Watson & Wiesnicki (sorry for the spelling) should be a solid O-Line.

I think James Jones is a very good addition.

Again I will say that if I were a fan I would have faith that Reggie McKenzie (the potential Franchise killing Saffold deal aside) & Dennis Allen are the right men to trust to lead the franchise back to the top.

Chucky the tree

I was very disappointed about Veldheer, seemed crazy to let him go. Didn't really care about Houston, he was fairly average as a LDE.

TO.

You guys happy with the Schaub trade?

ButcherOfNog

Yup, very happy with the Schaub trade, he's a big upgrade on what we had at QB.

Veldheer, looking at it and the roster needs, we probably shouldn't be paying the sort of salary to a LT that we would have needed to to keep him. I can understand the logic in letting him go.

Next season is beginning to look interesting.

Chucky the tree

TO. wrote: »

You guys happy with the Schaub trade?

Certainly a useful veteran to have. Would prefer to see McGloin start the season though.

ButcherOfNog wrote: »

Yup, very happy with the Schaub trade, he's a big upgrade on what we had at QB.

Veldheer, looking at it and the roster needs, we probably shouldn't be paying the sort of salary to a LT that we would have needed to to keep him. I can understand the logic in letting him go.

Next season is beginning to look interesting.

I can't really understand the logic in then giving even more money to Roger Saffold though. Bizarre decision by Reggie.

ButcherOfNog

Agreed, that was a bizarre start to free agency, glad the deal fell through

heyjude

Satisfied with the Schaub signing, a sixth round pick for a starting QB is pretty cheap especially if he reverts back to the QB he was before last season(in either case, its a high reward low risk move). Waiting until he was released by Houston would have seen the Raiders bidding against Cleveland and possibly the NY Jets, Schaub may not have chosen Oakland and any new contract would have included signing bonuses and a multi year contract with cap implications if he didn't work out. Signing Schaub in a trade they have him under contract for several years, but there is no guaranteed money, so if he doesn't work out(or if they think he's too expensive) then they can release him with no cap impact for the future.

McKenzie said last year that he was trying to fill all the holes before the draft, so that in the draft he could choose the best player available, so signing Schaub, Woodley, Tuck, Smith, Brown, Boothe, Jones and Penn plus re-signing Woodson and Young has meant that apart from DT, most areas have been improved. This leaves McKenzie and Allen the opportunity to enter the draft looking for the playmakers that they have admitted that they need, whether this is on defence or offence.

Mark Davis has made it clear that the Raiders must win this year, which effectively means that Dennis Allen and possibly Reggie McKenzie could be fired if there isn't significant improvement. With six AFC West games against last years playoff teams and cross conference games against the 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals and Rams, they have the toughest schedule in the league, so the build through the draft strategy which McKenzie espouses, but which will take several years to work through, will have to be put slightly to one side, as they need wins now to keep their jobs.

I expect to see them try to add a DT or two before the draft and then it depends whether the playmaker they seek is available or whether they trade back a few spots for extra picks. I don't see them picking Matthews or Robinson in the draft, as they have Penn now(and Watson from last year) and while Matthews/Robinson might be the best long term pick, they need impact players that can help them win immediately to somebody like Watkins or Mack would make more sense.

heyjude

I've never been that impressed with the neutrality of the official NFL website or many of the other mainstream websites covering the NFL towards the Oakland Raiders, but this off-season the bias in the coverage has gone into overdrive.

I would have thought that given that these websites have long reported the lack of talent on the Raiders roster and the oversized contracts offered by Al Davis, that the signing of experienced former Pro Bowlers on relatively modest contracts would have been greeted as a significant improvement, but instead every signing has been reported with sniping comments about their age, injuries, lack of form or the fact that they were only signing for the money( as if any free agent isn't)

The Raiders signed Matt Schaub, a former Pro Bowl player, who despite a rough year, has a career QB rating of near 90 and whose contract is voidable with no cap hit, for just a 6th round pick, to replace former undrafted free agent Matt McGloin and Tyrelle Pryor. Its clearly an upgrade in experience and past performance, at a low cost. Yet the media has largely panned the move, though they haven't explained who they should have signed instead and if they had not signed an experienced QB and had instead drafted a QB they would have been panned for not having an experienced QB to mentor the rookie.

The signing of Maurice Jones Drew to replace Rashad Jennings was also pilloried, yet if he had instead been signed by Pittsburgh or New England, it would have been reported as a solid/great signing, yet he's the same player no matter who he signs for.

The signing of Justin Tuck(age 31 - 11 sacks last year) and Lamarr Woodley(age 29 - 5 sacks last year) were both dismissed on the basis of age and production, yet Demarcus Ware(age 31 - 6 sacks last year) going to Denver, Julius Peppers(age 34 - 7 Sacks last year) going to Green Bay and Jared Allen( 32 on Apr 3rd 11.5 sacks last year)going to Chicago were all highly praised. Not to mention the wholesome praise for New England re-signing 32 year old Vince Wilfork to a new 3 year deal despite him starting just 4 games last year.

I don' think you can dispute that in almost all cases, the Raiders free agent signings are better than the players they are replacing, but the media coverage suggests the opposite

Matt Schaub > Matt McGloin/Tyrelle Pryor
Maurice Jones Drew >= Rashad Jennings
James Jones > Denarius Moore/Rod Streater
Austin Howard > Tony Pashos
Kevin Boothe > Mike Brisiel/Khalif Barnes/Lucas Nix
Lamarr Woodley > Jason Hunter
Justin Tuck(at RDE) >= Lamarr Houston

while you could debate the merits of Tarell Brown, Antonio Smith.

They are also strongly in the running to sign DeSean Jackson, but doubtless the NFL.com scribes will be drafting 2 reports in preparation for his signing, one emphasizing his stats/production, in case he signs for certain teams and a report emphasizing his off field problems, if he signs for the Raiders.

Prefab Sprouter

The Free Agency period started disastrously for the Raiders and by the end of day 1 we appeared to be the NFL's laughing stock YET again. However as it has gone on, McKenzie has shown himself to be a shrewd operator and we now have some players who can make a difference and without killing ourselves on the Salary cap front. I like the signing of Schaub and MJD, these players should be competitive and they will make us stronger as a result. Whilst McKenzie has made some good moves, his 2 biggest tests remain: 1. The Draft. He has to nail this draft and ensure that his selections dont turn out to be failures a la Tyler Wilson. I know the Draft is a lottery, but the Raiders have never drafted consistently and more often miss than hit. 2. Schedule - This could well be McKenzie's undoing. Possibly the worst schedule of all the NFL teams and they need to win now. But it will be interesting, as ever!

HigginsJ

In relation to the Giants in your post heyjude: Tuck is in no way an upgrade on Lamarr Houston. The 11 sacks last year are a terribly misleading stat. He had 6 in 2 games against the Skins & 5 in the remaining 14 games. He is far from the player he once was but he is still a solid player (& good against the run) but I would not get my hopes too high with him.

Boothe is an excellent signing. He is a very capable LG & offers great versatility along the o-line. I think it's a huge shame we didn't bring him back. He isn't going to suddenly become a pro-bowler or anything like that but you simply put him in your line-up & don't have to worry

Chucky the tree

Lamarr Houstons career high is 6 sacks. From your description Tuck sounds like a cheaper clone. Houston is a below average pass rusher who is very good against the run. He's an ideal RDE.

TO.

Chucky the tree wrote: »

Lamarr Houstons career high is 6 sacks. From your description Tuck sounds like a cheaper clone. Houston is a below average pass rusher who is very good against the run. He's an ideal RDE.

Tuck is a smarter player as well. I have to say I am liking what the Raiders are doing. Been keeping an eye on them as my bro is a Raiders fan and they have done a cracking job with experience and good experience not just throwing money into the wind like they used to. Leads for an interesting draft for the.

James Jones as a 1 or 2 WR with Schaub throwing to him in my eyes will be a great signing. Lived in the shadows in Green Bay. Also having Jones Drew back there with McFadden and them sharing loads is a potentially lethal backfield if they both stay healthy.

Syferus

James Jones ain't better than Moore.

Prefab Sprouter

He might not be but his signing hasn't made the WR corps worse and thats the key. Plus Schaub can throw the ball, he's proven that he can play, we just have to hope that last season was aberration.

Leslie91

Jaysus lads.... you sure are stacking the roster with FAs, will it get you into a position to compete in the West?.... Carlos Rogers being the latest.

Prefab Sprouter

I dont know if it will Leslie, but I suppose the approach most Raiders fans are taking is, are the new signings an upgrade over the incumbent? In a lot of cases, the answer is "Yes". Having said that, we may regret not signing Jackson. He was of an age where his best days were still potentially ahead of him. It would have opened our options in the draft further, now we may need to draft a playmaker early, as opposed to making the selection of the best player available. Schaub needs legitimate targets to make the defense honest.

Leslie91

Prefab Sprouter wrote: »

I dont know if it will Leslie, but I suppose the approach most Raiders fans are taking is, are the new signings an upgrade over the incumbent? In a lot of cases, the answer is "Yes". Having said that, we may regret not signing Jackson. He was of an age where his best days were still potentially ahead of him. It would have opened our options in the draft further, now we may need to draft a playmaker early, as opposed to making the selection of the best player available. Schaub needs legitimate targets to make the defense honest.

If it's a choice between Watkins and Evans at pick #5 who is your pick?

Prefab Sprouter

I dont know enough about them to be honest Leslie. Watkins seemed to draw most of the hype up to now, but as I havent seen them I cant make that call. Do you know much about them?

Leslie91

Prefab Sprouter wrote: »

I dont know enough about them to be honest Leslie. Watkins seemed to draw most of the hype up to now, but as I havent seen them I cant make that call. Do you know much about them?

I reckon both will be v good at next level. I am leaning towards Watkins because he gives you kick/punt return too. Evans is a BIG receiver in the mould of a (ex-Charger) Vincent Jackson, Watkins is smaller. If Al was still with us Watkins would be the pick easy.

Prefab Sprouter

Ah yes the Al pick, pure speed. The only criteria being the 40 yard dash. And thats why we've never been known as a team that could build through the draft.

Leslie91

Prefab Sprouter wrote: »

Ah yes the Al pick, pure speed. The only criteria being the 40 yard dash. And thats why we've never been known as a team that could build through the draft.

Haha yes. But Watkins is no Heyward-Bey. He can catch a ball thrown his way ha ha ha. I will never understand the DHB pick, even Al got a pick right once every 10 yrs but that one was a stinker.

Prefab Sprouter

Leslie91 wrote: »

Haha yes. But Watkins is no Heyward-Bey. He can catch a ball thrown his way ha ha ha. I will never understand the DHB pick, even Al got a pick right once every 10 yrs but that one was a stinker.

Heyward Bey, Jamarcus Russell, Rolando McClain, Robert Gallery, a veritable rogues gallery of failed hype and false dawns.