Just Win Baby!

[kdmajoslin]

Raider Resignings

The Raiders agree to an extension with DE Derrick Burgess. DE Burgess who had an unbelievable year in 2008 with 34 sacks agreed to come extend his deal at a discount agreeing to a 2yr deal worth $5.8M with a $1M bonus. You have to think that if became a free agent, he could of made way more than that. His new deal ranks him as the 20th best paid player at LE, earning $4M less than the top paid guy (Jets DE Shaun Ellis who managed a meager 6 sacks last season)

MLB Kirk Morrison may not be the starter anymore, but Coach Joslin still feels he's valuable, especially with the all the sets using 2 Middle Linebackers. Morrison gets a 5yr deal worth $13.9M with a $5.5M bonus.

DE Kabeer Gbaja Biamilia may be getting old, but the Raiders think that he has enough gas in the tank to be a solid backup and situational pass rusher for them. Biamilia gets a 2yr deal for $1.9M and no bonus

There was a lot of debate about what the Raiders would do with QB Andrew Walter. Would they keep him? Could they afford to keep him? Would Walter be willing to backup Ken Dorsey for another year? Well the answers are the Raiders want him to stay, he's willing to stay and for a price that Raiders GM Al Davis could stomach. Walter signed a 2yr deal worth $3.8M with a $500K bonus.

Despite some injury concerns the Raiders agreed to an extension for C Damien Woody. Woody agrees to a 3yr deal woth $2.1M

Undrafted Rookie Free Agent TE Sedrick Kaye gets a big time payday. Kaye got a 6yr deal woth $14.7M with a $4M bonus. The rookie now makes over twice what starter Zach Miller makes...that can't make Miller happy.

Despite losing his job to undrafted rookie free agent Duane Beal, the Raiders still feel that OLB Leon Williams has some value. They were happy to lock him up with a 3yr deal worth $4.4M with a $2.5M bonus

OLB Barry Red also got a new deal, 2yr $1M

Undrafted Free Agent Rookie HB Leron Gabriel has priced himself out of a job. Gabriel's agent Tom Condon is reported to be seeking a long term deal that will pay his client in the neighborhood of $1.5M a year, well above what the Raiders are paying 2nd round pick HB Jamel Keddington or free agent acquisition HB Charles Johnson. Gabriel's unreasonable demands may open the door for HB Dantrell Savage who many thought to be expendable after the Raiders drafted Keddington and picked up Johnson and Gabriel to backup starter HB Justin Fargas.

CB Fabian Washington is looking for a new deal that will pay him in the neighborhood of $3.5M a year, but the Raiders aren't intrested siting his poor man to man skills. "If you can't play man defense, we don't need you.", said Coach Joslin.

SS Stuart Sweigert looks to be on his way out as well. Sweigert is a malcotent, never happy with Coaches and quite frankly Coach Joslin has had enough of it. Sweigert has been inactive for the last few games with converted CB Demario Minter getting the start in his spot. Minter isn't a natural safety, but has far better Man Cover skills.

The Raiders have a few more guys they'd like to resign: LT Torrin Tucker, RG Jeb Terry, RT Andrew Crummey, SS Demario Minter, WR Bryant Johnson, and possible HB Dantrell Savage.

[kdmajoslin]

week 7

Broncos (1-5) @ Raiders (6-0)

1st Quarter

Oakland scores first with a 32yd FG by K Matt Prater.

DEN 0 OAK 3

Denver QB Jay Cutler responds with a 13yd TD strike to V. Bates

DEN 7 OAK 3

2nd Quarter

Denver adds a rush TD when HB Julius Jones goes in from 5 yds out.

DEN 14 OAK 3

QB Ken Dorsey finds WR David Tyree for an 11yd TD for Oakland. HB Justin Fargas can't make the 2pt conversion.

DEN 14 OAK 9

A Jay Cutler interception sets up the Raiders next score. TE Zach Miller catches, then has the ball knocked free, then catches it again as he falls to the ground for an 11yd TD. The Raiders try the 2pt. conversion again and fail again.

DEN 14 OAK 15 at the half

3rd Quarter

Oakland can't punch it in from the redzone and settles for a 29yd FG by K Matt Prater.

DEN 14 OAK 18

4th Quarter

Oakland HB Justin Fargas gets his first touchdown of the game.

DEN 14 OAK 25

With the lead and time running out, Oakland runs the ball and the clock. HB Justin Fargas breaks fre and goes 14yds for the TD.

DEN 14 OAK 32 Final- The Raiders Win

The Raiders have their bye next week, then face the Chargers in week 9.

Key Performers

OAK QB Ken Dorsey 19/31 for 260yds 2 TDs
DEN QB Jay Cutler 16/32 for 221yds TD, 2 Ints

OAK HB Justin Fargas 37 carries for 177yds 2 TDs
DEN HB Julius Jones 8 carries for 39yds TD

OAK WR Kevin Robinson 8 catches for 120yds
DEN WR Brandon Marshall 6 catches for 84yds

OAK SS Ken Hamlin 9 tackles, 1 TFL, Sack, INT
DEN DE Tim Crowder 5 tackles, 2 TFL, Sack

Time of Possession: DEN 21:45/38:13 OAK

[kdmajoslin]

Week 9

Chargers (4-3) @ Raiders (7-0)

1st Quarter

The Raiders fail to punch it in on a 4th and Goal from the 2yd line, but waste no time putting points on the board regardless when DT Tommy Kelly hauls HB LaDanian Tomlinson down in the endzone for a Safety!

SD 0 OAK 2

2nd Quarter

The Raiders add a K Matt Prater 37yd FG

SD 0 OAK 5

All Raiders in this one so far with WR Ronald Curry catching an 11yd TD pass from QB Ken Dorsey

SD 0 OAK 12 at the half

3rd Quarter

OAK K Matt Prater continues to show that he was a good pickup in the off season as he nails a 46yd FG

SD 0 OAK 15

San Diego finally shows some signs of life when HB LaDanian Tomlinson goes 62yds for a TD

SD 7 OAK 15

OAK QB Ken Dorsey wastes no time in responding, finding WR David Tyree for a 67yd TD.

SD 7 OAK 22

The Chargers come right back with a 68yd TD from QB Phillip Rivers and TE Antonio Gates.

SD 14 OAK 22

The Raiders aren't letting the Chargers climb back into this one. KR Josh Cribbs goes 89yds for a Kickoff Return TD

SD 14 OAK 29

4th Quarter

A 40yd Interception return for a TD by OAK CB Nmandi Asomugha looks to have put this one out of reach.

SD 14 OAK 36

The Raiders run the ball and the clock. Adding another 28yd FG to cap their drive.

SD 14 OAK 39 Final- Raiders Win!

Key Performers:

OAK QB Ken Dorsey 16/25 for 306yds 2 TDs
SD QB Phillip Rivers 11/30 for 220yds TD, 2 Ints

OAK HB Justin Fargas 36 carries for 183ds
SD HB LaDanian Tomlinson 16 carries for 79yds TD

OAK WR David Tyree 4 catches for 116yds TD
SD TE Antonio Gates 2 catches for 87yds TD

OAK CB Nmandi Asomugha 3 tackles, INT, TD
SD S Eric Weddle 14 tackles

Time of Possession: SD 22:07/37:51 OAK

[kdmajoslin]

Mid Season Leaders

Passing (by yards)
BAL QB Luke Rambis (R) 25 TD, 7 Int, 2902yds, 64%
DAL QB Tony Romo 17 TD, 11 Int, 2665yds, 65%
NYG QB Eli Manning 22 TD, 8 Int, 2657yds, 65%
NE QB Tom Brady 18 TD, 14 Int, 2610yds, 64%
NO QB Drew Brees 16 TD, 9 Int, 2606yds, 64%

#13 OAK QB Ken Dorsey 14 TD, 5 Int, 1859yds, 62%

Rushing (by yards)
OAK HB Justin Fargas 256 for 1269yd (4.9 avg) 11 TD
STL HB Steven Jackson 195 for 873yd (4.4 avg) 4 TD
MIA HB Ronnie Brown 146 for 763yd (5.2 avg) 5 TD
GB HB Ryan Grant 137 for 706yd (5.1 avg) 6 TD
ATL HB Michael Turner 187 for 699yd (3.7 avg) 4 TD

Receiving (by yards)
DAL WR Terrell Owens 89 for 1164yds 7 TD
NO WR Marques Colston 71 for 1103yds 8 TD
SD TE Antonio Gates 58 for 941yds 7 TD
IND WR Marvin Harrison 50 for 846yds 5 TD
DAL WR Patrick Crayton 64 for 818yds 5 TD

#14 OAK WR Kevin Robinson 42 for 693yds 5 TD

Sacks
TB DE Gaines Adams 10 Sacks
OAK SS Ken Hamlin 9 Sacks
OAK DE Victor Abiamiri 8 Sacks
MIN DE Jared Allen 7 Sacks
HOU DE Mario Williams 7 Sacks

Interceptions
NYG SS Craig Steltz 8 Ints
HOU OLB Morlon Greenwood 6 Ints
CAR OLB Thomas Davis 6 Ints
BAL CB Carlos Rogers 5 Ints
GB OLB Brice Cauley 5 Ints

#33 OAK SS Ken Hamlin 3 Ints

[kdmajoslin]

Mid Season Standings

AFC North

Ravens 8-1, Gary Hammermill, Doing OK
Bengals 6-2, Marvin Lewis, Doing a great job
Steelers 5-4, Mike Tomlin, Doing a Great Job
Browns 0-9, Romeo Crennel, On the Hot Seat

AFC South

Titans 7-2, Jeff Fisher, Doiing a great job
Colts 7-2, Tony Dungy, Unbelievable!
Texans 4-5, Gary Kubiak, Doing OK
Jaguars 4-5, Jack Del Rio, Doing OK


AFC East

Patriots 7-1, Hal Ophamer, Doing a great job
Bills 4-5, Dick Jauron, Doing OK
Dolphins 5-4, Tony Sparano, Doing OK
Jets 1-8, Eric Mangini, On the Hot Seat

AFC West

Raiders 8-0, Ken Joslin, Doing a great job
Chargers 4-5, Norv Turner, Doing OK
Chiefs 2-7, Herm Edwards, Doing OK
Broncos 2-7, Mike Shanahan, Doing OK

NFC North


Vikings 6-3, Brad Childress, Doing OK
Packers 5-4, Mike McCarthy, Unbelievable
Lions 4-5, Rod Marinelli, On the Hot Seat
Bears 1-8, Lovie Smith, On the Hot Seat

NFC South

Buccaneers 7-2, Jon Gruden, Unbelievable
Saints 5-4, Sean Payton, Unbelievable
Falcons 3-5, Mike Smith, Doing OK
Panthers 1-8, John Fox, Doing OK

NFC East

Cowboys 8-1, Wade Phillips, Doing a Great Job
Giants 6-3, Tom Coughlin, Doing a great job
Eagles 5-4, Andy Reid, Doing a great job
Redskins 4-5, Jim Zorn, On the hot seat

NFC West

Rams 5-4, Scott Linehan, Doing OK
Cardinals 3-6, Alex Gibbs, On the Hot Seat
Seahawks 4-5, Mike Holmgren, Unbelievable
49ers 1-8, Mike Nolan, On the Hot Seat

[kdmajoslin]

Out for the Season

At the halfway mark, injuries are clobbering NFL teams as usual. MLB Antonio Pierce of the Giants, Fred Taylor of the Seahawks, Jamal Lewis of the Browns, Matt Birk of the Falcons and other important players already have sustained injuries that sent them to injured reserve. Other big-name players also soon might go on the IR list. The annoying thing is that even if the wounds to any players on injured reserve heal -- some might be ready to play in a few weeks -- they can't return, because being placed on injured reserve means you're done for the season. Those on injured reserve receive full pay for the season, but are forbidden to dress again that season regardless of whether they recover. Which raises the question: Why does injured reserve exist at all?

Players on Injured Reserve:

CLE DE Bertrand Berry
CLE HB Jamal Lewis

BUF DT Lance Legree

BAL WR Derrick Mason
BAL WR Desean Jackson

IND OLB Maurice Ghoggins (R)

STL MLB Will Witherspoon
STL HB Domanick Williams

ARI DE Brett Keisel

NYJ OLB Tyjuan Hagler
NYJ DE Kenyon Coleman

NYG MLB Antonio Pierce
NYG HB Brandon Jacobs
NYG HB Reuben Droughns
NYG QB Sam Keller
NYG WR Plaxico Burress
NYG OLB Takeo Spikes
NYG C Shaun O'Hara

DEN SS Shaun Williams

CIN DE Ebenezer Ekuban

ATL C Matt Birk

KC DT Ted Washington
KC HB Larry Johnson
KC SS Gary Baxter
KC OLB Channing Crowder

SEA HB Fred Taylor
SEA C Justin Hartwig
SEA WR Bobby Engram

NO LG Rick DeMulling

DET RE Reggie Heyward

PHI C Jamaal Jackson

TB RT Jeremy Trueblood
TB TE Bo Scaife

HOU WR Andre Johnson
HOU LT Jordan Black
HOU LT Ephraim Salaam

MIA WR Donte Stallworth

[kdmajoslin]

Week 10

Bengals (6-2) @ Raiders (8-0)

Oakland QB Ken Dorsey has his worst game since coming to Oakland in monsoon type weather. In an interesting side note, every home game the Raiders have played so far this year has been in a rain storm.


1st Quarter

Oakland QB Ken Dorsey can't connect with a WR to get a critical 3rd down, so K Matt Prater goes in for a 47yd FG

CIN 0 OAK 3

Oakland WR/KR Josh Cribbs shows off his Pro Bowl skills going 56yds for a punt return TD.

CIN 0 OAK 10

2nd Quarter

The Oakland offense can't get anything going, but that doesn't mean they aren't putting points on the boards. CB DeAngelo Hall returns an interception 45yds for a TD.

CIN 0 OAK 17

The Raiders look to have this one well in hand when K Matt Prater adds a 27yd FG

CIN 0 OAK 20

CIN QB Carson Palmer finally comes alive. He moves the Bengals down the field with percision and caps the drive with a 15yd TD to WR Mario Manningham.

CIN 7 OAK 20

The Bengals end the half with a 50yd FG by K Shayne Graham

CIN 10 OAK 20 at the half

3rd Quarter

CIN KR D. Felder goes 95yds for a kickoff return TD

CIN 17 OAK 20

WR Mario Manningham adds another TD, giving the Bengals the lead.

CIN 24 OAK 20

4th Quarter

QB Ken Dorsey brings the Raiders back and give the Raiders the lead with a 16yd TD pass to TE Zach Miller.

CIN 24 OAK 27

CB Nmandi Asomugha kills a promising Bengals drive when he intercepts Carson Palmer and goes 83yds for the TD.

CIN 24 OAK 34

Oakland CB Nmandi Asomugha intercepts CIN QB Carson Palmer again (his 3rd of the game) to end another Bengals drive. The Raiders run the ball and the clock. HB Justin Fargas goes out with a chest injury. Backup HB Charles Johnson goes in from 1yd out to put this one out of reach.

CIN 24 OAK 41 Final- Raiders Win! Next week they face the Patriots!

Key Performers

OAK QB Ken Dorsey 6 of 17 for 61yds TD, Int
CIN QB Carson Palmer 16 of 32 for 246yds 2 TDs, 4 Ints

OAK HB Justin Fargas 29 runs for 172yds
CIN HB Rudi Johnson 15 runs for 11yds

OAK TE Zach Miller 2 catches for 25yds, TD
CIN WR Mario Manningham 11 catches for 152yds 2 TDs

OAK CB Nmandi Asomugha 3 tackles, 3 Ints, TD
CIN DE Justin Smith 10 tackles, 4 TFL, Sack

Time of Possession: CIN 29:19/30:35 OAK

In a post game note, Coach Joslin let it be known that the Raiders wouldn't be considering a switch at QB, "It was one bad game, Ken's our guy. A team has to be more than just one guy, and today we showed that, winning with defense and special teams."

HB Justin Fargas left late in the game with a chest injury, but is expected t be ready to play next week vs. the Patriots.

[kdmajoslin]

Week 11

Raiders (9-0) @ Patriots (8-1)

The Raiders face their toughest challenge of the season and with QB Ken Dorsey coming off a down week, this one could get ugly.

1st Quarter

The Raiders defense makes a statement early on when MLB Kirk Morrison intercepts QB Tom Brady and returns it 59yds for the TD.

OAK 7 NE 0

New England responds immediately when their 1st round pick from last year, HB/KR Darren McFadden goes 94yds for a kickoff return TD.

OAK 7 NE 7

2nd Quarter

The Raiders lose the ball on the goal line, but once again the defense comes up big, getting the Safety!

OAK 9 NE 7

The Patriots come right back and score on a whacky play that has TE Ben Watson scooping up a fumble by QB Tom Brady and going 52yds for the TD!

OAK 9 NE 14

Oakland HB Justin Fargas busts a 24yd TD Run to retake the lead.

OAK 16 NE 14

QB Tom Brady Hooks up with WR Randy Moss for a 74yd TD

OAK 16 NE 21

It looks like NE adds another TD, but it is called back on a penalty. Oakland HB Justin Fargas takes advantage and takes a pitch 7yds for a TD.

OAK 23 NE 21

With less than a minute left in the half the Patriots march down the field and K Stephen Gostkowski gives them the lead w ith a 46yd FG.

OAK 23 NE 24

With 3 seconds on the clock, NE kicks off and figures after a routine stop, they'll head into the locker room with a 1pt lead. HB/KR Chris Johnson has other ideas. Johnson spins out of two tackles and goes 89yds for the kickoff return TD!

OAK 30 NE 24 at the half

3rd Quarter

After putting up a combined 54 points in the first half, no one can do anything in the 3rd quarter.

4th Quarter

HB Justin Fargas continues to make his case for league MVP with a 15yd TD run. The 2pt conversion fails

OAK 36 NE 24

HB Fargas gets his 4th TD of the game on a 3yd run up the middle.

OAK 43 NE 24

Backup HB Jamaal Keddington comes in for a dinged up Justin Fargas and gets an 8yd TD on the pitch.

OAK 50 NE 24

With time dwindling New England HB Laurence Maroney adds a meaningless TD

OAK 50 NE 31 Final- The Raiders remain undefeated.

Key Performers

OAK QB Ken Dorsey 25/39 for 268yds
NE QB Tom Brady 21/37 for 290yds 2 TD, 2 INTs

OAK HB Justin Fargas 28 carries for 164yds 4 TDs
NE HB Laurence Maroney 5 carries for 21yds TD

OAK WR Kevin Robinson 11 catches for 146yds
NE WR Randy Moss 8 catches for 157yds TD

OAK MLB Kirk Morrison 3 tackles, INT, TD
NE LB Matt Vrabel 7 tackles, 4 TFL, Sack

Time of Possession: OAK 42:16/17:41 NE