Category: News

Oakland Raiders Notes: Cory James, Karl Joseph, & Ken Norton Jr.

Cory James

The Raiders will play rookie Corey James more on Sunday versus Tennessee, according to CSN Bay Area.

Starter Ben Heeney put up mixed results, but head coach Jack Del Rio said his backup Cowser is a ball magnent.

“It took some time to grow on me since OTAs and everything, but I think I’m getting more and more comfortable with it,” James said. “…I’m still learning, still working to get more comfortable with recognizing formations and things like that, but I still need work there. Playing and knowing the plays, I am pretty comfortable with that.”

As for how much James will play versus the Titans, Del Rio said there was no benefit to declaring the team’s plans.

Karl Joseph

Speaking of rookies getting more plenty time, first-round draft pick Karl Joseph should make his NFL debut.

Del Rio said he is impressed with Joseph’s attitude and overall work ethic via the Raiders.com

“I think the health issue is really kind of behind him now.” Del Rio said. “I feel good about that. I feel good about the way he’s preparing. Now we just look forward to all of us going out and playing well on Sunday.”

Ken Norton Jr.

Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. took some of the blame for the Raiders’ poor defensive outings in two games, via SF Gate.

“ I’m accountable for it. We have to work harder, work better and we expect to come out of this.” Norton said.

The defensive coordinator said he still believes the team can turn it around.

“Again, no one said it was going to be easy. You’re going to have adverse times and those adverse times really reveal us, reveal who you are, and I think that the team has come together, come close.” Norton said. “You can tell the guys really care. No one wants to play as bad as we’ve played.”

Check out offensive notes for the week here.

Raiders at Saints: Oakland’s Best Quotes

Oakland Raiders Head Coach Jack Del Rio said his team put on a gritty performance in a win over the New Orleans Saints. He said the team is learning how to win and close games.

“Let’s win it right now. I thought that we took some clock there at the end so they would not have as much (time). That is why we went for two after the score…..I let them know early in that drive (that we would go for it). I said, ‘When we go score here, we’re going to go for two and we’re going to win it right here.’ I said that right when the drive started.” The Raiders coach said about his decision to go for a two-point conversion that would decide the game.

Quarterback Derek Carr on the playcall:

“When I got the call, I took a deep breath, made sure my footwork was right, and just lobbed it up for Crab. That’s just my thought process. I say lob it up, but obviously trying to put it in a certain spot where he can make a play.”

Receiver Michael Crabtree said that the team practices that play so much that it becomes routine.

“He (QB Carr) gave me a great ball there, and he did that the entire game. That shows he trusts me. And it wasn’t a gutsy call at all, not at all. He (Coach Del Rio) has a lot of trust in us, and we have a lot of trust in him. I mean when you put in so much work in camp and in the preseason, I feel like all we have to do as players is execute.” Crabtree said after the game.

Added, the receiver said the team showed heart by not giving up when they were down late.

Fellow receiver Amari Cooper also said the team is learning how to win.

“When we got down late in the game, no one got upset about it,” said Cooper. “We just kept going. We were resilient today. We all knew we just had to keep playing and make plays.”

In the end, the Raiders offense proved they could keep pace with the high-octane New Orleans Saints offense. More importantly, the team never seem rattled. Despite sputtering on both sides of the ball in the second-half, Oakland seemed like they were the better team. The Silver and Black proved it by taking the win via the two-point conversion.

*Quotes released by the team website.

 

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders at New Orleans Saints: Quick Hits

The Oakland Raiders begin their season 1-0, after a thrilling 35-34 win over the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints led 17-10 at  halftime in the Super Dome.

Out of the second half, both offenses sputtered. Then the Saint hits on a deep pass that ignited them.

Oakland put together some drives also. Richard got a big-play that would lead to a tie game. Here are some big plays and points from the game.

  • Raiders defense started the game with Bruce Irvin strip sack which ended the Saints’first drive. This lead to Sebastian Janikowski kick.
  • Murray had 7 carries for 32 yards in the first half. Jalen Richard caught a pass. Taiwan Jones also got a carry but lost yards.
  • Amari Cooper setup first touchdown of the season. Cooper caught two passes before the Latavius Murray 11-yard touchdown run. Cooper made a sprawling catch at the five before Murray punched it in for 10-3 lead.
  • On defense, the secondary struggled in the first half. Sean Smith gave up a long pass play to rookie Michael Thomas. Brandin Cooks caught a touchdown pass with D.J. Hayden in coverage. Willie Snead tore up the Raiders from the slot. He caught a short touchdown pass on fourth down, but he consistently got open.
  • Raiders offense punts on first drive after halftime as they trail 17-10 but defense holds Saints to the same. Richard gets nice punt return negated by holding.
  • Sean Smith dusted by Brandin Cooks for 98-yard touchdown run. New Orleans takes 24-10 lead  in the third.
  • Crabtree came up big in the second-half. Raiders held to a field goal after a solid drive, Saints maintain a 24-13 lead.
  • Matt McCants goes down at right tackle. Oakland moves Penn to fill his spot. Kelechi Osemele plays left tackle and Jon Feliciano comes in at left guard.
  • Carr leads Raiders on a drive to start the fourth quarter. Finds Cooper on a deep pass after having lots of time in the pocket. Then throws a strike to Crabtree at the five. Jamize Olawale punches in the touchdown. The Silver and Black miss the two-point conversion, as the score is 19-24.
  • Saints answer with a field goal drive. Mark Ingrim dragging defenders and Drew Brees dodged Raiders pass pressure. A questionable P.I. call keeps the drive alive.
  • Richard busts 75-yard touchdown run that gives the Raiders a chance to tie the game. Carr then finds Cooper for two-point conversion. Game tied at 27.
  • New Orleans scores after a deep pass to Snead is fumbled but then recovered by a fellow-Saints receiver. Brees throws fourth touchdown as they go up 34-27.
  • Crabtree makes great catch on Raiders answering drive. Carr throws ball late, but Crabtree finds the ball. Raiders miss on some passes within the twenty. A pass interference call on Jalen Richard saves the drive on fourth down. Seth Roberts scores touchdown which ties the game at with less than a minute left. Crabtree catches two-point conversion to give Oakland 35-34 lead with :47 left in the game.
  • Willie Snead catches a couple of passes in the middle of the field for the Saints. New Orleans kicked a 61-yard-filed goal attempt which was wide right.

 

Ultimately, the secondary struggling almost cost them the game.Hayden had some penalties and Smith got beat. They also had some questionable tackling from their linebackers. Carr’s decision making was also late. However, he did enough to lead the Silver and Black to their first win of the season.

What a game?!

Oakland Raiders at New Orleans Saints: First Half Notes

The Oakland Raiders took on the New Orleans Saints for the first game of the season. The Saints lead 17-10 at home.

DEFENSE:

  • Bruce Irvin sacked and forced a fumble on Drew Brees which ends first drive. Leads to first points of the season off of Sebastian Janikowski kick.
  • Mark Ingrim gets 12 and 20-yard gains for Saints on the second series. Saints held to a field goal, which ties game at three all.
  • Tim Hightower gets run going again later in first. Willie Snead tears apart Raiders. Snead Catches a deep ball that puts them in the red zone. He then catches short fourth and goal touchdown pass to make game 10-10.
  • Saints go up 17-10 in second quarter thanks to Brandin  Cooks touchdown pass. He beat D.J. Hayden in coverage. Sean Smith also gave up the crucial play that put Saints inside the red zone. Michael Thomas catches a pass, then registers some yards after the catch.
  • D.J. Hayden gets defensive holding call that negates Bruce Irvin sack. Luckily, Raiders defense forces punt with a little more than a minute left in first half.

OFFENSE:

  • Latavius Murray gets the Raiders first touchdown of the year via an 11-yard run thanks to an Amari Cooper sprawling catch which put Raiders at the five-yard-line. It was Cooper’s second catch on the drive. Oakland goes up 10-3.
  • Jalen Richard made his first appearance with a catch in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Taiwan Jones loses eight yards on a carry later in the first half.
  • Derek Carr shows his scrambling ability in second quarter. Makes first down run and leaps for extra yards. However, this drive did not lead to points.
  • Menelik Watson goes down during Raiders final drive with about a minute left in the second quarter. He walks off the field on his own, but it looked like an ankle injury.
  • Cooper catches the final pass of the half via a hitch route.

Oakland must try to stop the run on defense. Hightower and Ingrim were having their way. On offense, look for Oakland to continue establishing the run. Hopefully, Watson’s injury is not serious. Backup right tackle Austin Howard got hurt last week, so he is inactive.

Raiders Rants: Sean Smith, Jack Del Rio and John Madden

Check out the latest headlines and notes with my take on the news and issues facing the Oakland Raiders.

Sean Smith

  • Earlier this week, Sean Smith spoke to the media about the Raiders secondary reinventing itself.
  • Smith said, David Amerson has impressed him with his size and athleticism.
  • As for DJ Hayden, Smith said he believes Hayden can turn his career around.

I hope Smith is right about Hayden. It would be nice if the Raiders could salvage the 2013 first round pick. Hayden’s skill set fits the slot corner role. If Hayden wants to make the roster he must beat out TJ Carrie and Neiko Thorpe at the Nickel spot.

Raiders schedule

  • Pro Football Focus put the Raiders at 11-5.
  • ESPN also has the Raiders favored in every game except 4.
  • Raiders will travel the most miles in the league.
  • Oakland faces the toughest second half of the schedule, and the easiest first half.

Earlier this offseason, Vegas had the Raiders record at 8 wins. Now, the Raiders are expected to do a lot better. This is the first time in years that the Raiders have gotten this much preseason hype. Hopefully, they will live up to expectations when the time comes.

Ken Norton Jr. on Ali

  • The great Muhammad Ali died last week, and Ken Norton Jr., whose father fought Ali three-times, opened up about the champ.
  • Norton Jr. talked about Ali helping out his family and being intertwined.
  • Ali used to do magic for Norton Jr.

It is always great to hear about Ali. Norton Jr. brought an interesting perspective because he lived during Ali’s time. Ali also helped his family make it as Heavyweight Champion.

Relocation update

  • NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell encouraged the Oakland mayor to meet with Oakland investors lead by Ronnie Lott.
  • Earlier this week, a Vegas strip club offered the Raiders free limo rides and lapdances.
  • In the same article, former player Donte Stallworth said any Vegas team would lose every game.

First, I am glad that there is some news on the Oakland front. Second, I agree with Stallworth that Vegas is a unique party area. Sin City is not the greatest place for an NFL team.

Mainstream attention

  • The NFL is finally taking notice of the Raiders with their Mack Mondays and Woodson Wednesdays.
  • Speaking of attention, two Raiders will participate in Family Feud. 

The Raiders are actually newsworthy? We don’t want your mainstream hype or bandwagon fans. Period.

Jack Del Rio

  • The Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio finally joined Twitter.
  • Del Rio posted some cool picks of the media and the team.
  • Oakland’s head coach said he wanted to get up with the times.

Congrats coach! Welcome to Twitter.

John Madden

  • Raiders great John Madden missed his annual Bocce Tournament.
  • Madden is rehabbing a new hip.
  • The Raiders Hall of Fame coach underwent open heart surgery earlier this year.

Prays for Madden. For reals. Let’s hope one of the greatest gets back to full strength.

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.