I want to take this post to honor a former Raider, Thomas Howard.
Thomas Howard played Will, OLB for the Oakland Raiders and Bengals. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 2nd round out of UTEP. The linebacker showed great athleticism as a Raider, and was a fan favorite. I loved watching Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison lead the linebacker corps of the Mediocre Raiders Defense. Even though the two lacked the physical toughness to stop the run plays both players flashed potential. I loved Thomas Howard on his interceptions because his speed always gave him a chance to take it to the house. I remember voting for him for the pro bowl 07 when he had 6 interceptions. I never really understood why he fell out of favor with the Raiders. I hoped that the Bengals would give him an opportunity but he continued to get hurt. The man was only 30 years old when he died in a high speed car accident yesterday. If you want to know more you can type his name in Google. Outside of that, here is a short photo tribute to the big #53 and his time with with the Raiders. He finished his 8 year career with almost 500 tackles and 90 games played. He was most recently cut by the Falcons.