Author: Pete D. Camarillo

Pete D. Camarillo is the founder for Left Coast sports as well as a credentialed Lakers writer for SportsOutWest and co-host of the weekly Touchdowns and Tangents podcast. Pete enjoys creating content about music, life and West Coast Sports, specifically the NBA and NFL. He has published more than 1,000 articles across various publications including ClutchPoints, FullPressCoverage, Fanside and more. Pete is also currently a full-time media relations professional for Business Wire and he is active in ONA, SPJ, NABJ and AAJA organizations. The 2015 CSUN Journalism grad volunteers on his Journalism Alumni Association Board of Directors now. His background includes community relations with the L.A. Clippers during the 2014-15 season. studying sports management, NFL scouting and football coaching and earning a fellowship for his entrepreneurship ventures. Follow him on Twitter @petecertified.

Marcel Reece suspended for finale

A week after securing a spot on his fourth Pro Bowl roster, full back Marcel Reece was suspended by the league for four games.

Multiple reports indicated Reece’s suspension coming from a violation of the League’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.

 

Reece will miss the Raiders’ next four games, including three games next season. He also loses eligibility for participation in Pro Bowl.

“I know he’s disappointed and doesn’t really feel like it’s justified.” Head Coach Jack Del Rio said Monday after the announcement.

Now, the Raiders will rely on Jamize Olawale as Reece’s primary replacement. Olawale signed a three-year contract extension earlier this season.

Otherwise, Del Rio said Roy Helu Jr. could also get some added snaps in the season finale versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reece was already facing a diminishing role with the Raiders this season, but it is still a huge blow to the Raider fan favorite.

This season, Reece posted 3 receiving touchdowns and 266 yards receiving.

The fullback has a $3.58 million cap hit this season, and a $3.53 cap hit next season, the final year of his current deal.

In my opinion, Reece should be back with the squad next season. For the past few seasons, Reece represented the brand well in the community and at the Pro Bowl.

The Raiders have more than $65 million in cap. They must pay someone, so why not one of their own?

It may be redundant with Olawale on the Roster, but they could battle for the position in training camp. The loser could be cut or traded for a seventh rounder.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what the Raiders do with Reece moving forward.

Tony Bergstrom should start versus the Green Bay Packers

Lately, rumors surfaced that Jon Feliciano will make his first start at right guard.

J’Marcus Webb is ruled out with an injury. Oh No!?!

However, Webb ranks as one of the worst starting linemen in the league. He is the only Raiders linemen with a negative grade, according to Pro Football Focus.

However, the rookie Feliciano should not start. Neither should the always reliable and available Khalif Barnes.

Barnes is on the downside of his career and those reps should be used to develop the future right guard.

Tony Bergstrom was the first draft pick of Reggie McKenzie. Out of Utah, Bergstrom played all across the offensive line.

However, he represents the previous regime’s philosophy of quick offensive linemen for the zone blocking scheme.

Thus, he moved from the guard position to the center position. A position he started at while Rodney Hudson was out with injury. Bergstrom shined and also registered a positive PFF grade.

Of course, he was not gonna dethrown Hudson from the starting job. Hudson is one of the best centers in the league.

Therefore, Bergstrom should enter the starting lineup again. I understand he is a little smaller than the other Raiders guards. However, he would help with blitz pickup against a Green Bay Packers defense that is renowned for confusion.

As for the run game, the Raiders offensive line can not play much worst. I’d like to see them bring in Bergstrom so we can see more stretch and zone plays. I like the playcalls because they utilize the speed of Latavius Murray and Taiwan Jones.

Lastly, Bergstrom should start so we can see what we have in him. His contract is ending soon, and it will be his last shot to prove he can be a full-time starter. That alone should motivate him to play his best.

As for Feliciano, the Raiders drafted him as a developmental piece. I do not know if he is ready to start. IF he is not ready to start, throwing him to the Packers will not help his confidence or development.

 

 

 

Raiders must win over the Broncos

The Oakland Raiders are 5-7 and they need to win out for any shot at the playoffs.

That is almost common knowledge. The squad needed a victory the past few weeks, but they came out short against the Chiefs.

How can the team secure a victory? 

It starts up-front. 

The Raiders must establish the running game. This Broncos defense is the best in the league. Oakland can not afford 3rd and 8. Nor can they force sophomore quarterback Derek Carr to do too much.

Between Marceel Reece, Jamize Olawale and Latavius Murray, someone must get going on the ground. The running backs are too physical to not wear down this physical Broncos defense.

On defense, the Raiders line must show-up big again. Khalil Mack dominated against the Chiefs. He must do the same this week. Brock OsWeiler is athletic and the ends must keep containment. However, Mack and company need pressure versus the explosive Broncos offense.

Coverage is key.

Speaking of explosive offense, the Broncos stable of receivers consists of size and speed. The Raiders corners must show-up.

Safety Nate Allen will not play this game. Will TJ Carrie return to safety? Will DJ Hayden return to the starting lineup or stay on Nickel corner duties?

Regardless of who plays, the Raiders corners must compete. If they get beat, they need to find ways to battle back. If they can find a way to create turnovers, they can stay in the game. That is what kept the first Chiefs and Broncos game close.

Find a way for explosive plays.

The Raiders may or may not be overmatched for this game. Nonetheless, the same could be said about next week’s Packers game. Hence, the Raiders need to do whatever it takes to make big plays.

They just paid Michael Crabtree a wad of cash. He needs to be the sure-handed receiver. He dropped a few against the Chiefs.

Plus, Andre Holmes and Seth Roberts are the big-play guys. Do not just use them as decoys. Stretch the ball down the field. Look at the Raiders five wins. They won those games with big shots, not by playing to stay close. Further, utilize Amari Cooper as much as possible. He is our best offensive player, and let him show it. How about an end around or reverse?

Ultimately, this is a divisional game which always makes it a must win. However, this game will test the Raiders heart. Can they battle themselves into playoff contention?

Can they knock out an AFC Conender?

Those are my three keys to keeping their season alive and beating the Broncos.

Three ways to seal must win over Tennessee Titans

The 4-6 Oakland Raiders are on a three game losing streak.

Before we all freak out, let’s remember this team 0-10 a year ago. Hence, there has been progress.

To keep that progress alive, the Raiders must defeat the Titans on the road.

Here are three ways Oakland can smoke the Titans.

Run the ball

This was a key for last week’s game, but the Raiders failed against the Detroit Lions.

Latavius Murray only racked-up 28 rushing yards against the Lions. The Raiders needed more third and shorts. They needed to control the clock better.

The same goes for this week. Moreover, the Raiders need Murray and the running backs to kill the clock if they get a lead.

The running game will also help neutralize the Titans’ blitz happy defense.

Cooper must show up

Amari Cooper seems to have hit the rookie wall. He’s dropped some balls and has not made the game-changing plays he made earlier in the season.

Last week, Crabtree was the Raiders only reliable target. This week the Raiders will need to get Cooper going early and often.

Throw him some bubble screens to gain some confidence.

Defense must keep contain

This should probably be the No. 1 key for Sunday’s game. The Raiders let Landry Jones, Teddy Bridewater and Matt Stafford embarrass them with their feet.

Now they face rookie Marcus Mariota who is actually a dynamic scrambler.

The Raiders must limit Mariota’s ability to make plays with his feet.

Oakland’s corners already struggle. They will struggle more if Mariota breaks contain and delivers strikes on the run.

Ultimately, the Raiders should win this game.

However, fans know there is no such thing as an easy win with this young football team.

How the Oakland Raiders can prevent a let down versus the Detriot Lions

The Oakland Raiders (4-5) find themselves playing the Detroit Lions (2-7) a week after they defeated their division rival Green Bay Packers.

Meanwhile, the Raiders are in the middle of a two game losing skid. They are headed to the east coast for a road game against a team they should beat.

Oakland needs to beat Detroit to keep their playoff hopes alive. How can the Raiders prevent letting fans down for a third week?

Here are some key game plan points:

Run the Ball

The Raiders defense is so much better on third and short than they are on third and medium. Hence, they need to find ways to run the ball and get into those short down situations.

That means Latavius Murray needs to get fed consistently. Moreover, the team needs to utilize Taiwan Jones, Jamize Olawale and Marcel Reece.

These three guys all bring different skill-sets that can keep the defense off balance. The Raiders offense failed to find any rhythm last week, but instituting the running game will open up the Raiders play action game.

Further, the Raiders offense staying on the field means the Raiders secondary is not getting beat deep on defense…

Pass Defense

Rushing the passer and playing tight coverage will be equally important this week. The Lions are going to feel confident at home, after defeating the Packers in Green Bay.

The Raiders need to silence that confidence with some takeaways or sacks.

Don’t get it twisted, Matt Stafford will take some chances in the passing game. Ball hawks Nate Allen and Charles Woodson must take advantage.

Also, D.J. Hayden can not get picked on this week. Let’s rephrase that, he can not get down WHEN he gets picked on. Hayden is among the worst rated CBs by PFF, but he needs to find a way to play better against the explosive Detroit receivers.

All of this will be difficult, as the Raiders will be without their second best pass rusher on defense. Aldon Smith is suspended, and the Raiders need to find a pass rusher who can replace him.

Smith was literally just finding his stride with the defense. However, now they will need to find other ways to disrupt Stafford. Like most quarterbacks, Stafford does not like pressure.

The Raiders need to do their best to pressure Stafford, even if that means taking chances with the blitzes.

Play to win

It sounds corny, but the Raiders need to stay aggressive. They are a good team and they need to play to win.

On defense, they need to blitz even if they get beat deep. Forget the prevent defenses if they get a lead.

On offense they need to try to score everytime they have the ball. Forget the screen and draw plays on third and long.

The Raiders are the superior team who should win. They need to play like a team that believes that, if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The AFC West is wide open, and the Raiders need to JUST WIN, BABY!

Aldon Smith catches year ban

Aldon Smith caught a year ban from the league. Here is my initial reaction. As you can tell… I was hot.

Great timing NFL.

Let dude play 9 games, before you decided to suspend him. I get he violated terms of his probation, but really?

Crazy!

Now his contract expires after the year, and he won’t be eligible for reinstatement. He can apply for reinstatement in 300 days. Then the Raiders would have to bid for his services.

 

SMH

Don’t call it a let it down: Oakland Raiders show promise versus Pittsburgh Steelers

The Oakland Raiders set the stage for a huge road win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Oakland started the game hot by stopping the Steelers’ first drive.  Then the Raider offense got the ball and scored on just a few big plays.

The Steelers seemed to strip the ball from the Raiders every chance they got. Many times the Raiders were saved by the balls.

However, they could not help themselves on a few occasions. Latavius Murray put the ball on the grown after a hit which led to a concussion.

Back and forth, the two teams battled and exchanged big hits. Antonio Brown ran rapid in the secondary. He racked 180 yards just before the half. DeAngelo Williams did not allow the Pittsburgh offense to miss a beat without LeVeon Bell. Williams charged for more than 170 yards game.

Even with their starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the locker room with an ankle injury, the Steelers seized all the momentum at home.

Eventually, the Raiders found themselves with a 14 point deceit, thanks to a Taiwan Jones fumble after a Steelers touchdown. Oakland seemed headed for a loss.

Then they showed something we have not seen in years. Some belief and playoff fight.

Derek Carr threw seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in the previous two games. Hence, he was due for one.

Nonetheless, he lead a drive that brought the Raiders within a touchdown. Then he helped the team tie the game by throwing another touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree with just over a minute left.

It was not enough to win the game. A 50 yard pass to Antonio Brown delivered the dagger by setting up the game-winning field goal.

Regardless, the Raiders have nothing to be ashamed about from the 35-38 loss.

Yes, the defense played terrible. But what did we expect against the high powered Steelers offense?

We knew the Raiders had a terrible secondary. We knew the run defense was inconsistent. We knew the team had a bad history on the road.

What we did not know is if this team had the confidence to fight back.

The Raiders entered a hostile environment and they got hit in the month many times. Unlike years past, the team did not just get up but they struck back.

Of course it would have been great to win the game. But the Raiders are still learning to win.

Oakland is young at key positions including defensive line, corner back, wide receiver, quarterback and running back.

Forget morale victories or excuses. There are no such thing in football, which requires both teams to leave the field battered and bruised. Hence every football team is disappointed when they don’t get a win.

That said, I am still proud of my football team after Sunday’s loss. They battled until the final whistle.

Are they perfect? God no.

But the heart breaker against the Steelers shows Oakland is clearly headed in the right direction.  The Raiders showed the competitive fight that you want to see in a young team battling for the AFC Playoffs.

Trade deadline passes and Raiders stay put

Surprise! The Oakland Raiders made no changes before the trade deadline passed.

In four years as general manager, Reggie Mckenzie continues to not make any trades.

 

Of course fans like myself would like to see him take some gambles. However, the team is winning this year so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

In past years I have been adament about the Raiders making a play on some star power. This year I would have said the same, but the Raiders are in the playoff hunt. Moreover, they have all of their draft picks.

Raider fans know Reggie McKenzie loves him some draft picks.

Some of the names rumored on the trading block included Brian Cushing and Eric Weddle. Who wants some washed up defensive players?

Sheldon Richardson and Jason Pierre-Paul are probably the only names I would have traded for. They have enough off-field risks to warrant a discount price.

But let’s get real. It still would have cost a couple of high draft picks. Not worth it considering the Raiders are young and only getting better.

Plus, McKenzie has done a fine enough job scouring the waiver wire. He found gold in cornerback David Amerson.

Oakland basically resurrected Amerson’s career. Not to mention, he licked his chops with a hit on Geno Smith this Sunday versus the New York Jets.

Then there was also the Week 1 signing of Aldon Smith. Smith faced some legal troubles, but McKenzie took the gamble. Now he might have a cornerstone pass rusher across from Khalil Mack

Hence, we should forget about the trade deadline. Lets just be happy we are winning.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Oakland Raiders Strategies versus New York Jets: Turn-up or Throw-out

The game is simple. Here are some gameplan elements from the New York Jets win that the Raiders need to keep or get rid of.

Turn-Up

  1. Taiwan Jones… Dude made four guys miss on his way to a 50 yard touchdown reception. Finally, we are seeing the Raiders implement his speed into the offensive game plan. He is the perfect compliment for Latavius Murray’s bruising style.
  2. Speaking of running backs, the Raiders made a Jets’ top run-defense look silly. In fact, this was the first time in franchise history that the team had 300 yard passer, 100 yard receiver and 100 yard runner twice in the same season. Keep trying to build the offensive gameplan around the running game
  3. Deep Passes…. You know Al Davis smiled from heaven when the Raiders completed those deep passes. It was great to see Andre Holmes finally put that big body and speed to use. Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper might both head for 1,000 yard seasons, but Holmes will be critical if he can develop into that No. 3 target.
  4. Clive Walford…. Walford made another big play in this game. This time it was a touchdown pass. The Raiders will need him to continue occupying the middle of the field. It should help them proceed pushing deep.

Throw-out

  1. The Swagger… I get it, the Raiders are relevant for the first time in 13 years. However, keep the humble and quiet swagger. There is no need to shout-out just yet. Let’s keep winning and not get ahead of ourselves.
  2. There was not much else to throw out. The Raiders basically played a perfect game… Even the secondary found some swagger.

//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Young players stepped up against the San Diego Chargers

The Oakland Raiders secured a huge victory over the San Diego Chargers, on Oct. 25. Not only did they win on the road versus a division opponent, but they dominated from the beginning.

What was the biggest reason? The Raiders finally got development from their young players.

D.J. Hayden caught an interception of Philip Rivers, that electrified Raider fans across the country. Hayden has been one of our biggest liabilities on defense, but the team needed him to perform. Hayden also racked 10 tackles during the contest. If he can continue creating turnovers, Hayden might become a legit starting corner.

Clive Walford finally caught his first touchdown pass. After being hyped through mini-camp, Walford sat out almost all of training camp. Derek Carr missed a tight end target in the middle of the field all season. He found one in this contest as Walford caught his first touchdown pass. Look for that connection to continue getting stronger. Walford brings blocking and catching skills. He should secure most of the reps at tight end moving forward.

Running back Taiwan Jones also made a contribution. The special teams player and former corner back finally showed the running ability he had at Eastern Carolina, before the Raiders drafted him as a running back in the fourth round. Jones missed 17 of the last 22 games with different injuries. Now that he is healthy, he is the perfect compliment to Latavius’ Murray’s physical running style. Jones converted a key first down and racked up more than thirty yards on 3 plays.

Of course, Amari Cooper balled out too. He took a screen play 52 yards to the house, in the first half. Cooper finished with another 100 yard game. He once again showed he is one of the best receivers in the league.

Lastly, Derek Carr made the whole team go. Once again, Carr displayed the poise and confidence that the Raiders need as a Leader. He threw three touchdown passes to three different receivers. Best of all, he did not throw any interceptions. Look out, Carr might be the best quarterback in California after defeating Philip Rivers.

The Raiders need continued development from their young players moving forward. Nonetheless, some of the crop made strides versus the Chargers. See what they can do next against the New York Jets Nov. 1.