NEWS
The Oakland Raiders have hired Baltimore Ravens quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson as their new offensive coordinator.
The Raiders were impressed with the job that Jackson did in Baltimore with Joe Flacco and hope he can work similar magic in Oakland.
Jackson’s job will be decidedly more difficult with the Raiders, as fixing JaMarcus Russell looks like a tall task.
Head coach Tom Cable will relinquish the playcalling duties, which will now be Jackson’s responsibility.
A lot of people wonder why Jackson jumped at the Oakland job when he could have patiently waited for a better offer to become available.
Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:39 pm by steve · No Comments
After a lot of deliberating, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has decided that head coach Tom Cable will return next year in the same position.
It is the final year of Cable’s contract, and it remains to be seen whether he is a lame duck coach or could earn himself some type of contract extension.
It seemed that Cable was most certainly going to be fired at year’s end after allegations of hitting females began to emerge, but the team played pretty well at different points in the season.
The coach has widespread support throughout the locker room from his players, which had to play a big role on Davis’ final decision.
Despite his return, changes will be made to Cable’s coaching staff, particularly among the assistants. I would expect a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach to work with JaMarcus Russell.
Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 8:48 am by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders are still trying to decide the fate of head coach Tom Cable, who was supposed to be fired weeks ago.
Owner Al Davis had planned to fire him after the season once rumors emerged that he beat women.
He was also unhappy at Cable’s lack of patience with No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell, who has struggled on and off the field.
Davis has met with Cable and the two have tried to discuss their feelings about Russell and what the plan will be with the quarterback going forward.
While every other coaching staff has been asked to return or been fired, Davis continues to mull over what to do.
Friday, January 22, 2010 at 5:57 pm by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders put up a solid fight but fell short in their upset bid of the Baltimore Ravens, 21-13.
Quarterback Charlie Frye threw for 180 yards and a touchdown in the first half but spent the rest of the game on the sidelines.
He spent most of the first half limping around the field as he got crushed time and time again after delivering a pass.
Backup quarterback JaMarcus Russell played the entire second half and only led the offense to a field goal.
He threw a costly interception and lost a fumble on back-to-back series, effectively ending any upset hope.
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 8:10 pm by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders once again failed to back up a quality win in a 23-9 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
For all the talk of inconsistency around the league, no team is as maddeningly frustrating as the Raiders.
For some reason, the Raiders have no problems beating good teams but really struggle against the lousy ones.
Certainly a trip from the West Coast all the way to Cleveland makes for a bit of a rough trip, but there is no excuse for being blow out by the Browns.
Quarterback Charlie Frye made his return to the lineup and showed exactly why he shouldn’t be an NFL starter.
Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 9:46 am by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders used another fourth quarter comeback to pull off yet another upset in a 20-19 win over the Denver Broncos.
Despite the absence of quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, the Raiders still managed to keep things close, putting them in the position to try and pull off the upset at the end.
Oakland launched the game-winning drive led by JaMarcus Russell of all people, as starting quarterback Charlie Frye had to be removed from the game due to a concussion.
Russell showed why the Raiders made him the No. 1 overall pick, as he marched Oakland down the field and converted on a number of pivotal third downs during the drive.
This Oakland team is the hardest to figure out in the NFL. They have beaten then the Broncos and Steelers on the road and also knocked off the Eagles and Bengals. If they could just beat the bad teams, who knows where they would be.
Saturday, December 26, 2009 at 9:49 am by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders returned to their normal selves in a 34-13 loss to the Washington Redskins.
Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski was knocked out of the game in the first quarter, and with him any hopes for an Oakland win.
Oakland’s defense picked up where it left off last week, surrending a lot of yards to a weak Redskins offense.
The Raiders are going to need to address the defensive side of the ball in the offseason and find some players who can get stops.
Maybe Oakland was still riding high after last week’s win, but they should have come more focused and prepared to play Sunday.
Friday, December 18, 2009 at 5:50 pm by steve · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders pulled off their biggest win of the season with a stunning, 27-24 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Raiders held the lead for much of the game until the fourth quarter, when the lead continued to exchange hands.
The Raiders gave up the go-ahead touchdown with just under two minutes to play, and it seemed like all upset hopes were gone.
However, quarterback Bruce Gradkowski marched the Raiders down the field and threw the game-winning touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.
Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, threw for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns in the decisive fourth quarter.
Friday, December 11, 2009 at 4:08 pm by steve · No Comments
Former Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson, who was involved in an altercation with head coach Tom Cable in training camp earlier this season, recently returned to work in Oakland’s personnel department.
Hanson accused Cable of assaulting him and breaking his jaw during an altercation that erupted during a meeting in training camp.
Hanson initially resisted police help, but quickly turned a new leaf after consulting with a legal team.
But Cable was cleared of all charges, as Napa County District Attorney Gary Lieberstein refused to press charges against Cable, saying that Hanson’s allegations could not be corroborated with the accounts of other coaches who were present in the room at the time.
Hanson returned to work on Wednesday to the surprise of coach Cable, who didn’t know that Hanson would be returning.
“Sure, but right now my focus is this football team,” Cable said. “That’s behind us and we’re moving forward.”
Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 10:14 pm by bryan · No Comments
The Oakland Raiders have suddenly started looking like a legitimate football team, at the same time the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers have fallen into a slump that could cost them the playoffs.
Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski tossed three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to lead a huge upset over the Steelers, as the Raiders won 27-24 on Sunday.
Last season in a game against the Steelers, Gradkowski posted a 1.0 QB rating (if a QB throws every pass straight into the ground, incomplete, he gets a passer rating above a 35). This year? Gradkowski finished 20-of-33 for 308 yards and three TDs, the last an 11-yard strike to Louis Murphy with nine seconds left in the game.
“Our receivers coach [Sanjay Lal] gave us a message, and he brought up the Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out [Mike] Tyson, and things that were just unbelievable but the people that did it believed they could,” wide receiver Todd Watkins said.
With the teams’ defenses dominating for three quarters, the fourth quarter quickly evolved into an offensive shootout, with the lead changing hands five times on five touchdowns.
“That was so exciting, I can’t even put into words how I feel,” said Gradkowski.
The Raiders have now moved themselves to a semi-respectable 4-8, also meaning they’re likely to not have one of the top five draft picks in the 2010 NFL draft.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 12:17 am by bryan · No Comments
