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Not Cam
Teams Las Vegas Raiders - The Black Hole
- Thread starter Burzum
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with the news of the LA rams releasing chris long and james laurinaitis, both positions of need, if i were reggie i'd sign both to a tidy three-year contract or two year prove it kinda deal. wouldn't hurt our cap space at all. both needed depth. and if one or both do a "crabtree" then we're laughing.
- Sep 6, 2005
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I'd like to see us release Janikowski, and expand King's role to Punter AND Kicker. Create an extra roster spot. Streamline the whole kicking aspect in the NFL to one specialist player.
- Feb 25, 2013
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Always wondered why this hasn't become a thing
Like backs who can play receiver often, i.e. Woodhead, Sproles?
Chewy316
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I'd certainly look to get another interior rusher. Malik Jackson would obviously be the #1 guy but it's a fairly deep draft on the D-Line this year so if not Malik, we can always look to the draft. I really hope Mario Edwards recovers because he is going to be an All Pro provided he stays healthy.
As for the book-end rusher, Olivier Vernon is the best available but he will command mega bucks. I'm not convinced either that another edge rusher is as big a need as many think it is. Aldon Smith will be returning for the long term. I like the idea of signing Bruce Irvin as an exclusive pass rusher on passing downs.
Chewy316
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Wouldn't go near Chris Long. 30 years old, hasn't played well since 2013. Last 2 years have been piss poor and issues with injury. The Raiders don't need to bring in "leadership guys" in free agency anymore. Guys like Carr, Mack etc are no longer the young guys. These are the guys who are the leaders of the team now. Woodson, Tuck etc have done their jobs but it's time to focus more on guys who will have an impact through playing, rather than through leadership.
As for Laurinaitis, I'd consider him at the very least. Would certainly improve the middle of our D.
Chewy316
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Nice idea in theory, but this isn't Madden. I asked a friend who was a College Punter a few years ago the same question, and they said the technique is completely different, release point is different etc. Would also need to find a "holder" for the place kicks. Teams don't like using a "position player" as the holder because of the risk the holder has regarding their fingers.
- Sep 6, 2005
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Back-up QB can do the holding, they generally do. Adds trick-play element too.
And kicking is kicking. In the old days, players went two ways (even three ways). It's not rocket science.
by Joel Childers
Consider this a Public Service Announcement to all 2016 NFL Free Agents: Come to Oakland! They’ve got money, they’ve got a spot for you, and they’ve got potential. Oakland is officially the hottest free agent destination this offseason.
Consider this a Public Service Announcement to all 2016 NFL Free Agents: Come to Oakland! They’ve got money, they’ve got a spot for you, and they’ve got potential. Oakland is officially the hottest free agent destination this offseason.
- Sep 6, 2005
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Impending free agent LT Donald Penn removed all references to the Raiders from his social media accounts.
The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald takes this as a sign Penn plans to hit the open market. Penn has already said he will not give the Raiders a hometown discount, and Oakland likely does not want to overpay for a tackle heading into his age-33 season. In a cap-rich environment, Penn should get a nice payday if he hits the market.
Source: The Oakland Tribune
The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald takes this as a sign Penn plans to hit the open market. Penn has already said he will not give the Raiders a hometown discount, and Oakland likely does not want to overpay for a tackle heading into his age-33 season. In a cap-rich environment, Penn should get a nice payday if he hits the market.
Source: The Oakland Tribune
Chewy316
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Teams don't like the backup QB to do the holding, because of the risk associated with getting their fingers injured on the placekick. It's why they designate that job to the punter. Very few QBs in the league are holders these days.
In the old days, kickers could barely kick 40 yards and they kicked directly front on with the toes. Times have changed. Football is now so specialised, it's not a game anymore where you will see a Blanda throw a TD pass and then kick the extra point
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Just saying it's not like players can't do that. If a team did revolutionize the roster by having just one all purpose kicker, other teams would follow imo.Teams don't like the backup QB to do the holding, because of the risk associated with getting their fingers injured on the placekick. It's why they designate that job to the punter. Very few QBs in the league are holders these days.
In the old days, kickers could barely kick 40 yards and they kicked directly front on with the toes. Times have changed. Football is now so specialised, it's not a game anymore where you will see a Blanda throw a TD pass and then kick the extra point
Chewy316
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And the moment that the kicker gets injured in a game, who as head coach will you give the kicking duties to in that instance? Kickers and punters do get injured during games. I was at the Coliseum when Shane Lechler got injured and Seabass did his 1 and only punt in the league. Teams just won't take that risk. It's akin to the ridiculous risk that DA had by not having a designated long snapper at the start of 2012 only for Condo to go down.
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What happens if the kicker gets injured during the game currently? The punter has to take kicks. It's no different.
Chewy316
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That is a much easier option that having someone like a wide receiver do it.
Woodson
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I find it strange that this doesn't happen already. With the kick-off spot moved five yards fwd.. kickers usually sink it past the end zone and FG attempts are rarely beyond 50 yards.. the punter needs to be adaptable too. Catching the tight snap to set up the ball laces out for the kicker is a skill in itself… esp if you play for 'Sota.
Ram-Man
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Saw this article about the legendary Fred Biletnikoff ...
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/02/24/fred-biletnikoff-daughter-tracey-homes
A Legend and his Daughter’s Legacy
Seventeen years ago, Tracey Biletnikoff was murdered. Her life’s work is now carried on by her father, the Hall of Fame receiver and Oakland Raiders legend by Emily Kaplan
LOOMIS, Calif. — In the pageantry before Super Bowl 50, the game’s former MVPs paraded into Levi’s Stadium. Among the biggest roars were for 72-year-old Fred Biletnikoff, the Hall of Fame receiver who led Oakland to its first championship. Aided by a cane, Biletnikoff waved to the crowd as wind whisked his silvery hair.
Three days later, Biletnikoff is in a shrubby Sacramento suburb standing in a soon-to-be living room of a half-constructed house. A van pulls up and six teenage girls pour out. Each of them was born more than a decade after Biletnikoff played his final NFL snap; still they squeal upon seeing the former Raiders star. “Fred!” one girl says, barreling toward the right knee he had surgically repaired two months earlier. She gives him a hug. “Hiiiii!” two others shout.
“Well hi, ladies” Biletnikoff says, chuckling, as they gather on the freshly sanded floorboards. “It’s so great to welcome you all here.”
The teenage girls tour the shell of a home, which they will move into once it’s finished. “This is amazing,” says 16-year-old Rosie Guerrero.
“There’s going to be outlets in the bathroom?” asks 16-year-old Yesenia Ochoa. “So two of us can blow-dry our hair at once?”
“And a kitchen more than one of us can use at once!” Guerrero says. “The home we’re in now, it’s nice, but nothing like this.” She grins as she peeks at the backyard.
Each smile feels personal for Biletnikoff: They remind him of his daughter, Tracey.
“The Super Bowl introduction was flattering,” he says later. “But really, this is when I am most humbled.”
Tracey Biletnikoff was born in 1978, the year Fred retired from the NFL after a career that included six Pro Bowls and an MVP performance in Super Bowl XI.
In 1999, Tracey was murdered, her body discovered lying in a ravine. Her death was mourned by the Bay Area. She grew up with a famous father and as such, her life and struggles were oft publicized. Tracey used crystal meth, then heroin, and by 18 had checked herself into rehab. She fought her addictions until age 20, when the family says she turned a corner.
She was clean, and began working as a drug counselor for teens. An ex-boyfriend whom she had met in rehab told her about a relapse, leading to a fight. Mohammed Haroon Ali strangled Tracey, then dumped her body. He is serving a 55-year sentence for first-degree murder after being convicted a second time in 2009 (the first conviction was overturned by an appellate court).
“The moment I heard that Tracey passed, I walked into the other room, and I spoke to her,” says Fred’s wife, Angela, Tracey’s stepmother, “I said, ‘Tracey, we will never, ever forget your spirit. We will continue your story. We will continue your life’s dream.’ I made a promise to her then, and that was an important promise. This is us continuing that vow.”
The new house will be called Tracey’s Place of Hope. It’s a $500,000 project, funded by the Biletnikoff Foundation and by Fred’s celebrity. Raiders owner Mark Davis wrote a $50,000 check last year; others donated their services (the electrician, for example, worked pro bono).
The residents have all battled substance abuse. They grew up in far corners of Northern California; some have been homeless, some physically abused. Most have been arrested, and because of their age, the state is willing to pay for their treatment. A court has mandated that each of them participates in programs run by Koinonia Family Services, an agency that partnered with the Biletnikoffs. Koinonia has five homes in Northern California; the Biletnikoff’s are helping upgrade their facilities, including Tracey’s Place of Hope.
Residents typically stay 12 to 15 months, although they can leave at any time (and some do). The goal is to keep them long enough for the program to resonate. The girls have chores and 10:00 bed times. They are bussed to an alternative high school during the day where algebra classes are intermixed with therapy sessions.
At night they attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. On Saturdays they go to Cross Fit and on Sunday’s, church. Every few weeks, Biletnikoff comes in to tell stories. He says how lucky they are to have each other: When Tracey first entered rehab at 18, she was the youngest by nearly a decade. Programs for adolescent girls, like this one, didn’t exist.
He also tells them about the choices Tracey made, about weighing influences and relationships. “When I first heard him talk about Tracey,” Guerrero says, “I could relate. I thought about my own choices, about the people in my life and what path I wanted.”
Biletnikoff and Yesenia, one of the residents of Tracey’s Place of Hope.
In many ways, Biletnikoff is the NFL’s most prominent domestic violence advocate. But the he doesn’t want anything to do with the league’s effort to eradicate what has become a hot-button issue. He has never served as a consultant, never appeared in an official capacity.
Photo: Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated
A Raiders legend, Biletnikoff was inducted into the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame.
“I think they have their own people in place, and that’s fine,” Biletnikoff says. “Because what we’re doing here is personal. We speak to a few girls, but we really speak to them. If we get to them, it’s worth it.” Biletnikoff boasts the Raiders were undefeated in games the girls attended last fall (2-0). He is just as proud to talk about Guerrero’s upcoming high school graduation, which he and Angela will attend.
A few feet away, Ochoa listens in. She has only been with Koinonia for a month. Before that, she was in jail and before that, she lived on the streets of Sacramento. She hated her first few nights at the shelter; the rigidness, the structure. She resented being around other girls. Behind her pink lipstick and leopard-print hoodie, she’s a tomboy.
“Always been around guys,” she says. “Growing up, on the streets, everywhere.” She thought about running, and about what busses might take her back to Sacramento. “But after a week or so, it’s not that bad,” she says. “Plus if I stay here, I think I can get my degree.”
She watches Biletnikoff out of the corner of her eye. She wants to say hello, but she’s shy.
After a few minutes of trepidation, she introduces herself. “I’m a really big Raiders fan,” she gushes.
“That’s very nice of you,” Belintikoff says. “But I bet you don’t remember me playing.”
She blushes. Soon, conversation floods. Ochoa tells him about how she was just three months old when she emigrated from Mexico and how she dreams of being a nurse in the Navy. “I hear that they are always looking for people who are bilingual,” she says. “So I think I have a shot.”
“Do you know what?” Belintikoff says. “You’re going to be a great nurse one day.”
http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/02/24/fred-biletnikoff-daughter-tracey-homes
A Legend and his Daughter’s Legacy
Seventeen years ago, Tracey Biletnikoff was murdered. Her life’s work is now carried on by her father, the Hall of Fame receiver and Oakland Raiders legend by Emily Kaplan
LOOMIS, Calif. — In the pageantry before Super Bowl 50, the game’s former MVPs paraded into Levi’s Stadium. Among the biggest roars were for 72-year-old Fred Biletnikoff, the Hall of Fame receiver who led Oakland to its first championship. Aided by a cane, Biletnikoff waved to the crowd as wind whisked his silvery hair.
Three days later, Biletnikoff is in a shrubby Sacramento suburb standing in a soon-to-be living room of a half-constructed house. A van pulls up and six teenage girls pour out. Each of them was born more than a decade after Biletnikoff played his final NFL snap; still they squeal upon seeing the former Raiders star. “Fred!” one girl says, barreling toward the right knee he had surgically repaired two months earlier. She gives him a hug. “Hiiiii!” two others shout.
“Well hi, ladies” Biletnikoff says, chuckling, as they gather on the freshly sanded floorboards. “It’s so great to welcome you all here.”
The teenage girls tour the shell of a home, which they will move into once it’s finished. “This is amazing,” says 16-year-old Rosie Guerrero.
“There’s going to be outlets in the bathroom?” asks 16-year-old Yesenia Ochoa. “So two of us can blow-dry our hair at once?”
“And a kitchen more than one of us can use at once!” Guerrero says. “The home we’re in now, it’s nice, but nothing like this.” She grins as she peeks at the backyard.
Each smile feels personal for Biletnikoff: They remind him of his daughter, Tracey.
“The Super Bowl introduction was flattering,” he says later. “But really, this is when I am most humbled.”
Tracey Biletnikoff was born in 1978, the year Fred retired from the NFL after a career that included six Pro Bowls and an MVP performance in Super Bowl XI.
In 1999, Tracey was murdered, her body discovered lying in a ravine. Her death was mourned by the Bay Area. She grew up with a famous father and as such, her life and struggles were oft publicized. Tracey used crystal meth, then heroin, and by 18 had checked herself into rehab. She fought her addictions until age 20, when the family says she turned a corner.
She was clean, and began working as a drug counselor for teens. An ex-boyfriend whom she had met in rehab told her about a relapse, leading to a fight. Mohammed Haroon Ali strangled Tracey, then dumped her body. He is serving a 55-year sentence for first-degree murder after being convicted a second time in 2009 (the first conviction was overturned by an appellate court).
“The moment I heard that Tracey passed, I walked into the other room, and I spoke to her,” says Fred’s wife, Angela, Tracey’s stepmother, “I said, ‘Tracey, we will never, ever forget your spirit. We will continue your story. We will continue your life’s dream.’ I made a promise to her then, and that was an important promise. This is us continuing that vow.”
The new house will be called Tracey’s Place of Hope. It’s a $500,000 project, funded by the Biletnikoff Foundation and by Fred’s celebrity. Raiders owner Mark Davis wrote a $50,000 check last year; others donated their services (the electrician, for example, worked pro bono).
The residents have all battled substance abuse. They grew up in far corners of Northern California; some have been homeless, some physically abused. Most have been arrested, and because of their age, the state is willing to pay for their treatment. A court has mandated that each of them participates in programs run by Koinonia Family Services, an agency that partnered with the Biletnikoffs. Koinonia has five homes in Northern California; the Biletnikoff’s are helping upgrade their facilities, including Tracey’s Place of Hope.
Residents typically stay 12 to 15 months, although they can leave at any time (and some do). The goal is to keep them long enough for the program to resonate. The girls have chores and 10:00 bed times. They are bussed to an alternative high school during the day where algebra classes are intermixed with therapy sessions.
At night they attend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings. On Saturdays they go to Cross Fit and on Sunday’s, church. Every few weeks, Biletnikoff comes in to tell stories. He says how lucky they are to have each other: When Tracey first entered rehab at 18, she was the youngest by nearly a decade. Programs for adolescent girls, like this one, didn’t exist.
He also tells them about the choices Tracey made, about weighing influences and relationships. “When I first heard him talk about Tracey,” Guerrero says, “I could relate. I thought about my own choices, about the people in my life and what path I wanted.”
Biletnikoff and Yesenia, one of the residents of Tracey’s Place of Hope.
In many ways, Biletnikoff is the NFL’s most prominent domestic violence advocate. But the he doesn’t want anything to do with the league’s effort to eradicate what has become a hot-button issue. He has never served as a consultant, never appeared in an official capacity.
Photo: Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated
A Raiders legend, Biletnikoff was inducted into the Pro and College Football Halls of Fame.
“I think they have their own people in place, and that’s fine,” Biletnikoff says. “Because what we’re doing here is personal. We speak to a few girls, but we really speak to them. If we get to them, it’s worth it.” Biletnikoff boasts the Raiders were undefeated in games the girls attended last fall (2-0). He is just as proud to talk about Guerrero’s upcoming high school graduation, which he and Angela will attend.
A few feet away, Ochoa listens in. She has only been with Koinonia for a month. Before that, she was in jail and before that, she lived on the streets of Sacramento. She hated her first few nights at the shelter; the rigidness, the structure. She resented being around other girls. Behind her pink lipstick and leopard-print hoodie, she’s a tomboy.
“Always been around guys,” she says. “Growing up, on the streets, everywhere.” She thought about running, and about what busses might take her back to Sacramento. “But after a week or so, it’s not that bad,” she says. “Plus if I stay here, I think I can get my degree.”
She watches Biletnikoff out of the corner of her eye. She wants to say hello, but she’s shy.
After a few minutes of trepidation, she introduces herself. “I’m a really big Raiders fan,” she gushes.
“That’s very nice of you,” Belintikoff says. “But I bet you don’t remember me playing.”
She blushes. Soon, conversation floods. Ochoa tells him about how she was just three months old when she emigrated from Mexico and how she dreams of being a nurse in the Navy. “I hear that they are always looking for people who are bilingual,” she says. “So I think I have a shot.”
“Do you know what?” Belintikoff says. “You’re going to be a great nurse one day.”
Chewy316
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The Raiders and Donald Penn are closing in on a new deal to keep Penn in the Silver and Black. This may be announced if all goes to plan, as soon as this weekend.
Chewy316
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Update on Penn:
The Raiders want to keep him, but he's definitely checking his value on the market. The Raiders have gone hard after Kelechi Osemele, and per my sources, believe that they are very close to securing a deal for him. The Raiders want Osemele to play RG, but that is provided Penn re-signs. Alternatively, the Raiders may look at other LT options such as Russell Okung in addition to signing Osemele. Bottom line is that the Raiders feel they can have an elite offense for a long time in the coming years, and are committed to investing heavy in the last piece of the puzzle on offense: the O-Line. The Raiders also need a RB, hence the Chris Ivory interest. Interestingly enough, if the Raiders sign Ivory, I've been told they'll look for an additional RB who is more of a scatback who has great hands (i.e. a Taiwan Jones with good hands). Such a player would be acquired via the draft most likely.
On defense, the Raiders have heavily pursued Malik Jackson and Sean Smith. Smith has the Raiders high on his wishlist and a deal could potentially be done there. However, a source on Smith's side of negotiations has informed me that the current offer the Raiders have put to them isn't even in the ball park, and that they're no chance to get him if they don't significantly up the offer. As for Jackson, I don't know much there apart from that he was their top target going into free agency.
The tampering window has been a lot quieter than previous years, which is exactly how the NFL wanted it. Hopefully more news will come to light tomorrow.
The Raiders want to keep him, but he's definitely checking his value on the market. The Raiders have gone hard after Kelechi Osemele, and per my sources, believe that they are very close to securing a deal for him. The Raiders want Osemele to play RG, but that is provided Penn re-signs. Alternatively, the Raiders may look at other LT options such as Russell Okung in addition to signing Osemele. Bottom line is that the Raiders feel they can have an elite offense for a long time in the coming years, and are committed to investing heavy in the last piece of the puzzle on offense: the O-Line. The Raiders also need a RB, hence the Chris Ivory interest. Interestingly enough, if the Raiders sign Ivory, I've been told they'll look for an additional RB who is more of a scatback who has great hands (i.e. a Taiwan Jones with good hands). Such a player would be acquired via the draft most likely.
On defense, the Raiders have heavily pursued Malik Jackson and Sean Smith. Smith has the Raiders high on his wishlist and a deal could potentially be done there. However, a source on Smith's side of negotiations has informed me that the current offer the Raiders have put to them isn't even in the ball park, and that they're no chance to get him if they don't significantly up the offer. As for Jackson, I don't know much there apart from that he was their top target going into free agency.
The tampering window has been a lot quieter than previous years, which is exactly how the NFL wanted it. Hopefully more news will come to light tomorrow.
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I'm most excited about having a beastial OL. Okung + Osemele.
- Sep 6, 2005
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Youngsters in draft at Safety, DL, LB, RB, OL.
+
Veteran FAs at CB, CB, OT, OG.
=
GG.exe happy face.
+
Veteran FAs at CB, CB, OT, OG.
=
GG.exe happy face.
Chewy316
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The key is just to keep acquiring talent. Doesn't matter where it comes from, as long as the pay scale matches the talent (or better) then we will be fine.
Chewy316
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Just added Bruce Irvin to the mix. There's our strong side linebacker who will play opposite Mack on passing downs. Norton pushed HARD for him.
Chewy316
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Spoke to a source connected with Janoris Jenkins. The Raiders made a compelling pitch to Jenkins, one of which was well received. Negotiations are ongoing. The Raiders believe that they may have another deal done (Jenkins) by the start of free agency tomorrow.
manureid
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Yes please. And Smith from KC would be epic.
