Will the Rams be the team to move to LA? posted by Rams Fan

It’s been a recurring theme, an almost inside joke of the NFL, of who is going to be the team to move back to Los Angeles and fill one of the biggest markets with a premiere NFL franchise? It has been a musical chairs of sorts when it comes to potential suitors, but the music may have slowed down as rumors and reports are coming out that the Rams might be the team to make the plunge back into the city of Angels.

But James Butts, mayor of Inglewood, Calif., made some delayed headlines this week when he made comments upon his re-election about a forthcoming meeting with Rams owner Stan Kroenke were discovered. Mayor Butt has met with both owners of the Rams and Raiders to discuss a possible team relocation to Los Angeles as early as 2015. And this is no hot air as the Inglewood mayor has the land to support an NFL team, owning a 60 acre plot of land where a top level NFL stadium could be constructed.

The Rams and Raiders have leases that expire after the season and Kroenke's purchase of that land has made the Rams a front-runner to move there.

In addition to his interactions with owners, however, Butts pointed out that roughly half a dozen "heavily financed development consortiums" have reached out to him as well about potential stadium projects around either the Hollywood Park or LA Forum area, both of which he represents.

While the Chavez Ravine around Dodgers Stadium is the preferred site for the future LA NFL team, with it’s cast parking infrastructure, access to freeways, and general proximity to the surrounding LA area, it may look to be that Inglewood will be the future site of LA’s team.

Why Defensive Injuries will keep Chargers out of Playoffs. posted by Chargers Fan

The chargers have the highest percentage of touchdowns allowed in the Red Zone in the NFL. That is not a playoff caliber team. That means not only are the Chargers giving up points, they are letting offenses sustain drives, which eats up clock, energy, and manpower. The Chargers can make the playoffs, but that means they have to be good again on defense, and that starts with getting healthy.

But the Chargers have the bye week to regroup and assess it’s gaping holes on defense. It shouldn’t be too hard as the Chargers, as late as five games into the season, where dominating on the defensive side of the ball. The rushed the passer, stuffed the run, had take-aways, and shut receivers down.

In fact, they led the NFL is scoring defense. They man handled Arizona, left the defending Super Bowl champs in the dust, and had their way with the Buffalo Bills as they notched a shut-out, the definition of a complete defensive performance.

But that only worked because the Chargers had youthful speed and depth to constantly rotate in and keep offenses on their heels. Rookie Jerry Attaochu is able to speed around tackles and get to the quarterback in no time. Rookie Jason Verrett with a sub 4.4 40 speed can keep up with any receiver in the league but also has the bulk to come up and stuff the run from the outside. Manti Te’o’s ability to read the line allows him to fill running gaps better than anyone in the league.

But all of that talent is of no use when all of the players sit watching the games from the sidelines for long periods of time.

Defensive inconsistency hurting the Raiders when it comes to interceptions. posted by Raiders News

An interception is more than just a take away or a change of possession. It’s a huge momentum changer and one pic can bring a team from being out of the game to a roaring comeback.

However, the 0-8 Raiders don’t know much about momentum changes as they rank dead last in the league in defensive interceptions with only 3 so far on the season and 23 over the past 3 years.

Sure, the game has changed considerably. With greater concerns for player safety, hard nosed defense isn’t what it used to be. The NFL is becoming more and more a flag football league where completions and record high passing games the norm, but that shouldn’t stop a team from having an aggressive defensive mindset.

The greatest reason why the Raiders rank last in INTs is the lack of consistency in the secondary. The Raiders have had a different set of starting cornerbacks in each of the past three seasons.

That lack of continuity causes a defense to play more cautious, not knowing the ebb and flow of their teammates so they can read off each other and know when one is going for the receiver and one is free to try and snatch the ball out of the air from the receiver without worry that he’ll miss and give up 6 points.

So how does a team build that mindset without getting burned on each and every play? Practice. Practicing a more aggressive, interception friendly defense during practice is the only way the Raiders will ever climb out of the bottom of the Interceptions ranking. Because game time is too late for on the field experiments, especially with All-Pro Peyton Manning and the Broncos coming to town on Sunday.

The 2014 Oakland Raiders posted by Raiders News

Matt Schaub, formerly of the Houston Texans, is now with the Raiders after a disastrous 2014 campaign where he set a NFL record for consecutive games with a pick-six. He’ll be the starter until rookie Derek Carr proves himself worthy of the position. It would be foolish to expect Carr to be the starter right away, but expect him to win the starting job by the middle of the season.

There’s some cause for optimism in Oakland. Running back Darren McFadden is looking to have a banner year after changing his offseason workout habits. The injury-prone McFadden has never been known for training properly in the offseason so Raiders fans can expect good things from him this year.

The team did improve their offensive line by signing left tackle Donald Penn and right tackle Austin Howard. Howard is a fine acquisition but Penn has had weight problems throughout his career.

The Raiders hope that former Packer James Jones will help the receiving corps. Jones has had some good seasons playing with Aaron Rodgers, but playing with either Schaub or Carr will definitely affect his performance. In case Jones fails to meet expectations, third-year receiver Andre Holmes will get more minutes.

On defense, the Raiders will have five new defenders in their roster. While the new acquisitions are talented than what the team had before, it remains to be seen if they’ll stick with the Raiders beyond this season. Free agents Justin Tuck and LaMarr Woodley are on the decline, while defensive lineman Antonio Smith is also showing some signs of slowing down. The other new players are Carlos Rodgers and Tarell Brown who were signed from the 49ers.

What’s in Store for the Oakland Raiders in 2013? posted by Raiders News

The Oakland Raiders are coming off a pitiful season last year when they finished 4-12. Overall, it’s been a bad decade for the team ever since they lost Super Bowl XXXVI to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, the last time that they finished above the .500 mark. The past ten years has also seen the franchise employ seven head coaches and having two seasons where they had split their wins and losses.

Will the bad luck continue for the Raiders this year?

A lot of it will depend on their quarterbacks. Last year, Carson Palmer threw for 4,018 yards and 22 touchdowns before he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason. Although Palmer’s production is not exactly of all-world quality, his work won’t be easy to duplicate whoever wins the quarterback duties. Matt Flynn is one of those expected to fill Palmer’s shoes but he needs to limit his turnovers to become a more effective quarterback. Draft pick Tyler Wilson is also competing for the job although his small hands may hinder him from becoming a good quarterback as small-handed quarterbacks rarely find success in the NFL.

The Raiders will become successful this year if their offensive line improves. Players Jared Veldheer, Stefen Wisniewski and Menelik Watson, a rookie, are expected to contribute to this fact. Right guard Mike Brisiel showed a lot of promise in 2011 during his stint with the Houston Texans and if he returns that form, then the Raiders will be in a good position to win games and make those who bet for the Raiders as advised by sportsbettingprofessor com happy.

2013 NFL Offseason: Quarterback Craze! posted by Joe Anello

Aside from a few relatively noteworthy transactions in NFL free agency, the past few days have been all about the quarterbacks. There’s been news aplenty regarding some premiere and not-so-premiere signal-callers across the league and the ramifications of their movements. Let’s get through all the news!

Dallas Cowboys extend QB Tony Romo with a six-year, $108 million deal ($55M gtd.)

So we’ve all heard about the basic numbers here, but there’s definitely some “fine print” to this contract. The extension does give Romo $55 million in guaranteed money, but that includes the $11.5M he was scheduled to make next season. He did get a $25M signing bonus, which is pro-rated over the life of the deal (which technically ends after the 2019 season).

This is the contract the Cowboys needed to get done. Through an odd contract loophole, Romo could have become a free agent after the 2013 season… but also after the franchising period ended. So he would have been able to simply walk out on Dallas and get into the free agent market directly, without fear of being franchised. So without a better plan in place or being in any sort of position to draft a quarterback, Dallas made the right, sensible move here. They locked up their franchise quarterback for the long-term.

QB Kevin Kolb signs a 2-year, $13 million deal with the Buffalo Bills

WHOAH. Did NOT see this coming. Can I still get partial credit for saying he’d land in the AFC East? Kolb somehow skirts the sideshow that is the Jets quarterback competition and lands in Buffalo, where he currently only has to beat out Tarvaris Jackson, who isn’t exactly Jim Kelly. Don’t expect this move to stop the Bills from taking a quarterback somewhere in the first two rounds. Kolb might be better than Ryan Fitzpatrick. But at least he’s not making a ludicrous amount of cash.

The Opening Drive: Week 2, 2012 posted by Joe Anello

Week two begins in earnest today and hopes to rectify some of the inevitable upsets and craziness that comes in week one. These games are a better gauge of the teams we’ll be watching during the regular season. Let’s get into the games to watch in week two of the NFL season!

(0-1) Oakland Raiders at
(0-1) Miami Dolphins

What can I say? I love garbage games and this should be a prime example of one. The Raiders are favored on the road, but I don’t trust the old Palmer this week. It’s a bit of a stretch methinks, but I’m dubbing this crapshow my “Trap of the Week.” It’s a shot for Miami to get a win at home. (Something that’s awfully rare.)

(1-0) Arizona Cardinals at
(1-0) New England Patriots

Two undefeated powerhouses meet in Foxboro in what could end up being a preview of the Super Bowl. (Okay, who made it past “powerhouses” without giggling? You get a gold star.) There’s nothing here that suggest this is going to be a competitive game. Next!

Hey, it’s the East Coast Bird-Off. That’s what we’re calling this game, right? Anyways, this should be one of the more exciting days of the day. Michael Vick is either going to rebound from his horrible performance in week one or he’s going to get battered and picked off by a Ravens defense that has to be frothing at the mouth.  

The Opening Drive: Week 15, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

Week 15??? Really? Time goes by so fast! With the playoff races tight and Tebow versus Brady on the schedule, week 15 has everything you want. Let’s set-up for The Opening Drive!

We’re starting this week’s drive by diving right into the “Trap of the Week!” The Giants are coming off a huge win against the Cowboys, with whom they’re tussling for the division title. It would be fitting of this annually inconsistent team to lose a game late in the season that they absolutely should win.

I seriously have no idea what’s going on in this game. Two aggressive defensive lines, but two very different offenses will take the field. The Lions can’t run the ball to save their lives and the Raiders would prefer to simply pound you into the dust. Something has to give.

Speaking of something has to give… I will do anything to be able to see a beatdown of these Broncos. Tom Brady… I will do ANYTHING. Just have the Patriot PR person get in touch with me. Away from divine interference on the field, I simply don’t see the Broncos keeping pace offensively with the Patriots. Brady should have a two-touchdown lead going into the fourth quarter, which should be more than enough. If the Pats score more than 24, they should win.

The Opening Drive: Week 14, 2011 posted by Joe Anello

After the Big Ben-flavored drama on Thursday night, week 14 in the NFL season keeps on trucking in Sunday’s slate of games. While some will take a first glance at most of the games and shrug them off as meaningless, there are some hidden contests that could be much better than fans may expect. Plenty of options for “Trap of the Week.”

Houston’s been running along surprisingly smoothly since the loss of Matt’s Schaub and Leinart. However, T.J. Yates won’t have the home crown behind him as he takes on a desperate Bengal squad this week. I’m not sure the Texans will have enough success on the ground to make up for Andre Johnson’s absence.

Boom. Trap it up. New Orleans is on the road after a pretty convincing whupping of the Lions last week. Tennessee is very quietly eking their way into the AFC playoffs with all-around solid team play. New Orleans may be trying to keep pace with the Niners, but they don’t NEED this game like the Titans do. Drew Brees could have one of his famous “Throw for 345 yards, 3 TD’s and 3 INT’s” days, giving the Saints points, but not a win.

Joe's 2011 Gameday Recap: Raiders 25, Bears 20 posted by Joe Anello

As I assumed, today’s loss to the Raiders was a slow, painful death. Chicago hung around after several costly turnovers, but couldn’t mount the offense to overcome Sebastian Janikowski’s six field goals and a late touchdown from Michael Bush, halting their five game win streak. As much as I’d prefer not to, let’s get to the breakdown.

Chicago Tribune

(7-4) Oakland Raiders 25
(7-4) Chicago Bears 20

With Caleb Hanie at the helm, the Bears struggled to move the ball through the air. Going into this game, most fans would have expected Martz to rely more heavily on the run than he would if Cutler was playing, but that wasn’t the case. The game started off balanced in terms of run/pass ratio, but that eventually faded away as Hanie was forced to throw from behind. However, Martz needed to give his QB help by focusing on getting the ball to Forte and Barber, both of which had solid numbers despite their lack of attempts. Hanie was jittery early on, overthrowing or vastly under-throwing his receivers, which led to the first and second of his three interceptions. He played relatively well after he settled down, making scrambles for large gains and big throws to Johnny Knox for a 29 yard TD in the second and a deep throw for 81 yards as the Bears mounted a miracle comeback in the fourth.

One of the key blunders of the game came on a trick screen play that came in Bear territory.  Hanie looked right but came back to Kellen Davis on the left side, but Kamerion Wimbley got in the way and took it back 73 yards. The execution was bad but the play-call was even worse. I have no idea what Mike Martz was thinking, I only know that it was utterly idiotic. The only positive on that play was the all-out hustle from Lance Louis, who ran down Wimbley from behind and horse-collared him for the touchdown-saving tackle.

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