Tuesday 2012: Oakland Raiders Training Camp

The Raiders took the field today for their second day of training camp. QB Carson Palmer has been on fire today and is showing phenomenal timing with his ever so speedy wide receivers. The Raiders were working on a lot of bootlegs roll outs today, and its obvious that Carson has been working on his footwork this past off season. The player that stood out the most today is FB Marcel Reece. He was a play maker today and showed off his incredible hands. WR Jacoby Ford showed of with his amazing athleticism by making some incredible diving catches. The Raiders first team offensive line remains intact with Veldheer, Carlisle, Wiz, Brisiel, Barnes, 

The practices so far have been pad less, so its difficult to see how the Raiders defense is adapting to the new defensive schemes that have been bestowed by Allen and McKenzie. However, DE Lamarr Houston looks hungry and ready to dominate this year.   

   

Monday 2012: Oakland Raiders Training Camp

Day one of training camp is going well for the Raiders. Quarterback Carson Palmer is throwing tight, accurate passes. This is also the first time that Carson Palmer, RB Darren McFadden and FB Marcel Reece have been in the backfield together. Its a sharp looking trio.

McFadden is looking dangerous and extremely explosive. Wide receiver Eddie McGee is also showing the coaching staff that he came to play. McGee is looking and playing extraordinary and has had some amazing catches. QB Matt Leinart is continuaslly throwing amazing long balls. Though its the first Monday of training camp, Leinart is looking exceptionally well and it is obvious that he worked on a lot of fundamentals this off season.  

I was shocked yesterday when I heard the news that the once Raider legend Steve Wisniewski decided to resign as the assistant offensive line coach. I was so upset that I couldn’t even comment about it until this morning. Even though Wisniewski was only an assistant offensive line coach, he had a lot to offer to the Raiders and his years of being committed to excellence would have been no doubt a necessary advantage for the Raiders offensive line.

I can’t blame Wisniewski for leaving. Coaching in the NFL is extremely brutal. 15 to 17 hour days, 7 days a week can take a toll on anybody; especially somebody that has many positive outside obligations. Wisniewski not only a family man, but is also a minister at the Raiders team Chaplain's Napolean Kaufman's East Bay church.

A large portion of NFL teams do not hire assistant offensive line coaches. Therefore, the Raiders will not be signing one for this upcoming season. Offensive line coach Frank Pollack will continue to coach the Raiders offensive line, but having Wisniewski present would’ve helped the Raiders because Wisniewski could've assisted in technique building and schemes.

Wisniewski was an eight-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders during his career. He joined the coaching staff last year and remained when new coach Dennis Allen took over.

You will be missed.

 
Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey pleaded no contest today to a misdemeanor DUI charge. Heyward-Bey was arrested on the Bay Bridge on April 7th.

On April 7th, Heyward-Bey was pulled over at 2 a.m. on the Bay Bridge after he left a nightclub in San Francisco. It was alleged that he was speeding and weaving on the Bay Bridge, which is why he was pulled over. Prosecutors said that Heyward-Bey's blood-alcohol content was .13 percent on scene.

Heyward-Bey agreed to plead no contest to the misdemeanor charge today, so that he would receive three years' probation and three months of DUI classes.

Last season, Heyward-Bey led the Raiders with 64 receptions giving him a total of 965 receiving yards. The Raiders, along with Heyward-Bey, report to Napa this Sunday for their team’s preseason training camp.   

According to bleacherreport.com their are three Oakland Raiders that need to step up in this seasons training camp and prove themselves to be more of an asset to the Raiders organization. I agree with bleacherreport.com and think that tight end Brandon Myers, wide receiver Jacoby and safety Tyvon Branch need to step it up in this coming training camp and set the team’s precedence.  

Brandon Myers:

In the 2011 season, Myers had 16 receptions for 151 yards. He had no touchdowns, but now with the departure of Kevin Boss, Myers will be the key tight end for short routes. Myers, size and run blocking is up to par, but he needs to focus in this years training camp on his development of running explosive, sneaky short routes.

Jacoby Ford:

Ford had 19 receptions for 279 yards in the 2011 season. He totaled only two touchdowns. It’s obvious his numbers would have been a lot higher if he wouldn’t of suffered an ankle injury, forcing him to miss a few games. Ford has phenomenal speed and is a threat to any defensive back that attempts to cover him. This training camp, Ford needs to focus on developing his timing with Carson Palmer, and work on the finesse of his routes.

Tyvon Branch:

Branch had an excellent 2011 season with 109 tackles, 80 of them being solos, with 1 sack. Branch recently signed a long term contract with the Raiders and should have the stability of knowing that he will be a Raider for sometime. The Raiders have historically based their defense on man coverage. I expect McKenzie and Allen will utilize more blitzes and zone coverage’s this season. Branch will have to adapt to this in training camp and hopefully get more sacks in the 2012 season.       

Raiders Saftey Tyvon Branch agreed to a four-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. CBS Sports reported that the contract is worth $26.6 million with  $17.1 million guaranteed.

Branch was drafted in the fourth round in 2008 and since then he has started every games in the past three seasons. Branch has also led the Raiders in tackles for the past two years. In the past three seasons, Branch has accumulated 327 total tackles and has been a dominate force in the defensive backfield.

I’m glad that the Raiders are finally starting to try and keep their good players.

Tragedy struck the NFL on May 2 when Junior Seau's girlfriend found the 10-time pro bowl linebacker dead in his Oceanside home. Seau was found with what appeared to be a self inflicted gunshot wound to his chest and the Oceanside police chief Frank McCoy stated, "This case, at this point is being investigated as a suicide, and a handgun was found by the body."

The loss of Junior Seau is an extreme tragedy not to only the NFL, but to a countless amount of fans. Even if certain fans did not like the teams Seau played on throughout his 20-year NFL career, it would be hard for them to dislike the intensity and extreme workout regiment that he based his life on while playing in the NFL. Click to Read More.

COMMENTARY | The NFL Draft begins Thursday and ends Saturday. This will be the first draft that the legendary former Raiders owner, Al Davis will not be attending. This year, the Raiders General Manager Reggie McKenzie is taking the helm and hopefully pushing the team in a much needed direction.

However, McKenzie will not be doing any handshaking, or picture taking with any newly drafted athletes until the third round of the draft. The Raiders gave up their first round pick last year when they picked up Carson Palmer. The Raiders also lost their second round draft choices to the Click to Read More.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Oakland Raiders announced the signing of quarterback Matt Leinart to their roster. Leinart signed a one-year deal and is expected to be the backup quarterback for Carson Palmer. This will not be Leinart's first time being second in line to Palmer. Leinart backed up Palmer when they both played football at USC. Both ended their career at USC by winning the Heisman Trophy, Palmer in 2002 and Leinart in 2004. 

Leinart had an amazing career with the USC Trojans. Leinart was a three-time All-American and in 2004, he led the Trojans to a BCS national championship. In 2004, Leinart also won the Heisman Trophy. According to Click to Read More.

COMMENTARY | It's official. The Oakland Raiders 2012 NFL schedule has been released to the public and so far it's apparent that the Raiders will have their work cut out for them this season.

The Raiders finished last season with an 8-8 record. Though disappointing, the past two seasons have been considered a turn around because at least they have not dropped below 500 like they have for nearly a decade.

The 2012 season is filled with teams that have not been shy about winning playoff games in the past. The Raiders will face the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Click to Read More.