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

Commentary, News, Oakland Raiders 2 Minutes

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.

Published by 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.

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