Teams Las Vegas Raiders - The Black Hole

Remove this Banner Ad

Following Cuts, Raiders Worked Out 11 Players

by RaidersBeat.com • September 8, 2015

According to the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, the Raiders tried out 11 players over the past few days. Among the list were 2 quarterbacks, 4 wide receivers, 2 safeties, 2 cornerbacks, and a center.

  • QB Jeff Tuel, 24, Washington State. A second-year QB from Washington State, Tuel started one game in Buffalo last year.
  • CB BW Webb, 25, William & Mary. A fourth-round pick by the Cowboys in 2013, Webb played his rookie year in Dallas and spent last year with the Steelers.
  • SS Tyrequek Zimmerman, 22, Oregon State. A three-year starter at OSU, Zimmerman went undrafted in 2015 and spent the preseason with the Seahawks.
  • WR Phil Bates, 25, Ohio. The 6’1, 220-pound wide receiver spent the majority of the past three years with the Seahawks.
  • CB Tommie Campbell, 27, Pittsburgh/California (PA). A 6’2 cornerback entering his fifth season in the NFL, the Raiders were undoubtedly intrigued by Campbell’s size.
  • WR DeAndre Carter, 22, Sacramento State. A rookie in 2015, the 5’8, 185-pound speedster spent camp with the Ravens.
  • C Dillon Farrell, 25, New Mexico. Undrafted in 2014, Farrell spent the past two season with the 49ers.
  • WR TJ Graham, 26, North Carolina State. A third-round pick by the Bills in 2013, the speedy Graham spent the past two years with the Titans and Jets.
  • WR John Harris, 23, Texas. Undrafted in 2015, the 6’2 wide receiver spent the offseason with the Falcons and Eagles.
  • QB Phillip Sims, 23, Winston-Salem State. Sims spent the offseason with the Cardinals after going undrafted.
  • S Phillip Thomas, 26, Fresno State. A fourth-round pick in 2013, Thomas has battled injuries including a Lisfranc tear that ended his rookie season with the Redskins.
 
Raiders announce practice squad, claim DE Edwards from Cowboys

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Jimmy Durkin

ALAMEDA — The Raiders stayed mostly in house to craft their 10-man practice squad.

Nine of the players whom the Raiders officially signed Monday were with the team during training camp, with quarterback Garrett Gilbert the only outsider.
Gilbert, originally a sixth-round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2014, was cut by the Detroit Lions during training camp. He spent last season on the practice squads of the Rams and New England Patriots, earning a Super Bowl ring. The rest of the group was all among the Raiders recent cuts: running back George Atkinson III, guard Mitch Bell, cornerback SaQuan Edwards, defensive end Shelby Harris, tackle Dan Kistler, safety Tevin McDonald, defensive tackle Leon Orr, linebacker Josh Shirley and defensive end Max Valles. One surprising omission was running back Michael Dyer, who seemed to be making a good push for the 53-man roster. He was cut Saturday with the team deciding to keep a second fullback in Jamize Olawale and Atkinson was the lone running back on the practice squad. Atkinson, a product of Granada High-Livermore and son of former Raiders great George Atkinson, can provide protection for the active roster as a return specialist. The Raiders didn’t keep a designated returner on their initial 53-man roster, with Taiwan Jones and TJ Carrie likely to start out handling those roles.

The Raiders also claimed defensive end Lavar Edwards off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys. A former fifth-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2013, Edwards has played in 11 career games with one start and has 11 tackles and three passes defended.

To make room for Edwards, cornerback Chimdi Chekwa was placed on injured reserve.
 
With the regular Raiders regular season opener this Sunday, the team put out their first regular season depth chart. Here is what it looks like:

OFFENSE

WR 15 Michael Crabtree 10 Seth Roberts 12 Brice Butler
LT 72 Donald Penn 69 Khalif Barnes
LG 66 Gabe Jackson 68 Jon Feliciano
C 61 Rodney Hudson 70 Tony Bergstrom
RG 76 J'Marcus Webb 68 Jon Feliciano
RT 77 Austin Howard 73 Matt McCants
TE 81 Mychal Rivera 86 Lee Smith 88 Clive Walford 82 Gabe Holmes
WR 89 Amari Cooper 80 Rod Streater 18 Andre Holmes
QB 4 Derek Carr 14 Matt McGloin
RB 28 Latavius Murray 22 Taiwan Jones 26 Roy Helu, Jr.
FB 45 Marcel Reece 49 Jamize Olawale

DEFENSE

DE 91 Justin Tuck 97 Mario Edwards Jr. 93 Lavar Edwards
DT 90 Dan Williams 96 Denico Autry
NT 78 Justin Ellis 92 Stacy McGee
DE 52 Khalil Mack 95 Benson Mayowa
OLB 57 Ray-Ray Armstrong 56 Lorenzo Alexander
MLB 50 Curtis Lofton 51 Ben Heeney
OLB 53 Malcolm Smith 58 Neiron Ball
CB 25 DJ Hayden 31 Neiko Thorpe 21 Dexter McDonald
CB 38 TJ Carrie 39 Keith McGill
S 24 Charles Woodson 42 Larry Asante
S 20 Nate Allen 32 Keenan Lambert
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Opportunity knocks for a guy I like.

ALAMEDA -– Fullback isn’t a fixture in the new Raiders offense. This leads to the age-old question of what to do with Marcel Reece, who isn’t a fullback in the truest sense. The versatile veteran does several things well when put in a position to succeed.

That has been tough at times, leading to uneven production that downright disappears in spurts.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave might be the man to use Reece right. He’s a coordinator who values players over plays, and will try to find a proper mix of fullback and receiving responsibilities for No. 45.

“Marcel has some dominant traits. He does,” Musgrave said after Thursday’s practice. “So part of coaching for us is we think players first, then plays. We think a lot about Marcel, think about what his strengths are, where his dominant traits lie and then devise some plays where he could use those. So his title may say fullback, but in terms of fullback jobs, he’s going to be asked to do a few of those. But also he’s going to be asked to do a few other jobs that may be unconventional.”


Reece can line up in the slot, or at several spots in the backfield trying to find a mismatch. Some work in his favor, and can prompt significant production. Others, however, do not. Customizing Reece’s role is an important task that, if done right, can add another dimension to the Raiders offense.

“We’re ready to show the world what we’ve been working on,” Reece said. “We’ve kept a lot to ourselves, and we’re excited to let our play speak for itself."
 
“Aldon is an extremely talented young player,” said Head Coach Jack Del Rio. “We welcome him to the Raiders family and expect him to bring his best every day and be a great teammate.”

“We are confident that the Raiders provide an environment where Aldon can thrive through the support, structure and leadership within the building,” said General Manager Reggie McKenzie. “We are excited to have Aldon here in the Raiders family.”
 
The NFL is still reviewing Smith’s status after last month’s arrest that led to his release from the 49ers. That means, for now, he could potentially play on Sunday. Will that happen for a guy who hasn’t practiced yet with this team (even if he does Friday, it’s just a very short, light practice) and hasn’t been playing football the past month.

The Raiders undoubtedly know Smith faces an NFL suspension at some point. Terms of the Smith deal, believed to be for one year, haven’t come out yet. His suspension, when it occurs, would be without pay so that would limit some of the cost of this move, which most likely does not include a ton of guaranteed money.

However much Smith is able to play this year for Oakland will be interesting, but when he does, that’s a pretty lethal combination in the pass rush of Smith and Khalil Mack. Then of course there is Justin Tuck as well, who is still just two years removed from an 11-sack season. The ability to rotate Tuck and Smith — and maybe even get creative and get all three out there — will be something to watch.
 
Thanks to clandestine meeting, ex-Oilers QB Ken Stabler to be honored by Raiders

By Ultimate Texans on September 11, 2015 4:42 PM

By Frank Cooney

ALAMEDA, Calif. — It will be more than an obligatory gesture when the family of former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler ignites the Eternal Flame of late owner Al Davis before Sunday’s season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals at O.com Coliseum.

In fact, Stabler himself was scheduled to light the flame at this game, but the fabled Raiders quarterback succumbed to complications of colon cancer July 8 at the age of 69.

Rather than change the plan, Al’s son and current Raiders owner Mark Davis preferred to pay homage to the storied relationship between the two men, a relationship known for years by many as one of acrimony.

It is almost unknown that these two Raider icons made peace in 2009 when they met in Davis’ office.

They talked. They embraced. They shook hands. They agreed that their parting — when Stabler was traded to the Houston Oilers in March 1980 — might have cost the Raiders a couple of more Super Bowls.

Last year, Stabler recalled that meeting while talking with Tom LaMarre, who covered the Raiders for the Oakland Tribune during the 1970s, as they discussed elements of a book that was in works about the life and career of the man they called “The Snake.”

“It was a great meeting, I am really glad we finally got together and tried to heal some old wounds,” Stabler said.

“Al’s health was failing and he didn’t look great, but Al was still Al. He was sharp. We talked about games, players, plays. It was special because you knew he was getting near the end.”

Stabler, who might be the most revered Raider of them all to the Raider Nation, recalled one particularly poignant comment.

“He told me, ‘It’s my fault you are not in the Hall of Fame,'” Stabler said, adding that Davis went on to say: ‘We need to correct that. I need to work on that.'”

Davis passed away two years later in October 2011. Stabler was among the select group of 100 people to attend the funeral service in Oakland at Conservative Temple Beth Abraham.

Last mont,h Stabler was nominated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Senior Committee to be a finalist for the Class of 2016. He needs 80 percent of the selectors to vote yes in their meeting the day before Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif.

At Sunday’s lighting of the Al Davis Eternal flame, among those representing Stabler will be his three daughters, Alexa, Marissa and Kendra and his twin grandsons Jack and Justin Moyes, whom the Snake watched play football last season at Chaparrel High School in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Also on hand will be Kim Ross Bush, Stabler’s life partner the last 16 years. She was there when Stabler met Davis at Raiders headquarters in 2009.

“We were in Mr. Davis’ office and it was a little icy to start, like nobody knew what to say first,” Bush recalled. “Kenny went over to Al and they embraced. It was emotional. Mr. Davis started by talking to me, noting I was from Biloxi, Mississippi, and he spent time there in the military. He called me Miss Biloxi for the rest of the time. At the beginning, he talked to Kenny through me.

“We sat at a big table and Kenny called Mr. Davis ‘Coach.’ They talked for about 40 minutes non-stop, like two old friends. Mr. Davis said the game changed and it was harder to build a team. They talked about their good years together and then how it ended when Kenny wanted a trade and the Raiders traded him to Houston.”

She said the conversation seemed to get a little more emotional then.

“Mr. Davis pointed at the big ring from the Super Bowl,” Bush said, referencing the Raiders’ Super Bowl XI championship when Stabler was the quarterback. “Mr. Davis said ‘I should have kept you. … we would have got a couple more of those.’

“Kenny sighed and said, ‘Yeah, I should have stayed.'”

This little-known meeting between Davis and Stabler might shock those who remember only their infamous feud which began about a year after that Super Bowl XI championship.

Unlike the meeting in 2009, the feud was not private.

When the Raiders were was struggling in 1978, headlines screamed that Davis said “blame Lefty, he makes the most money.”

In 1979 Stabler didn’t report on time on training camp. Asked if he could bury the hatchet and go to camp, Stabler said “I’ll bury the hatchet – between his shoulder blades.”

So it was that Stabler demanded a trade and Davis finally obliged.

Stabler moved on the Oilers, whom he led to an 11-5 record in 1980 to match the most victories in franchise hisory at that time, and, of course, played against the Raiders in the first round of the playoffs.

Oakland went on to win that Super Bowl (XV). Stabler moved to the New Orleans Saints, leading them to an 8-8 record in 1983, tying the franchise’s best record ever until then and finishing one game out of the playoffs.

The Snake retired after the 1984 season at the age of 39.

Stabler’s legacy is among the best in pro football. He won 100 games as a starting quarterback faster than anybody in NFL history up to that time, getting No. 100 in his 150th game (beating Johnny Unitas’ 153).

Since then he was surpassed only by Joe Montana (139 games) and Tom Brady (131).

Stabler is the only quarterback to lead a team to five consecutive conference championship games, and that was during the so-called Golden Era of the NFL (1973-1977). The Raiders were 56-13-1 over those five seasons, plus 7-4 in the post-season.

Stabler is the only quarterback to take three teams to their most number of season victories in franchise history — 1976 Raiders (15-1), 1980 Oilers (11-5) and 1983 Saints (8-8), although the Oilers and Saints later surpassed those marks.

When Stabler retired, his winning percentage of .661 was third among modern era quarterbacks, behind Roger Staubach (.746) and Terry Bradshaw (.677).

It still stands seventh all-time, behind Hall of Famers Staubach, Bradshaw and Montana, and three quarterbacks still playing — Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

When the eternal flame is lit Sunday, two of the greatest figures in Raiders history will be linked one more time. Depending on the voting early next year, they still have a chance to be on the same team one more time in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

GG said:
Chewy316 any inkling on whether we're a player for Chancellor?
Click to expand...

Its all part of the plan

You had to figure that with Ken Norton Jr in Oakland, the Raiders would be watching the Seahawks' cuts pretty closely. There was one reported waiver claim by the Raiders today and it was former Seahawks' safety Keenan Lambert


The funny thing is, the guy they claimed never played with Norton in Seattle. But Kam Chancellor did, and Lambert is his half brother.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

FrontnCentrePod
MVP Watch in the Playoffs 🏆
Replies
0
Views
326
FrontnCentrePod
FrontnCentrePod
manureid
Fantasy The Terrible Fantasy Manager / Bad Beats Thread
3 4 5 6 7
Replies
174
Views
5K
Constantgin
Constantgin
The Cardtrader
Aussie Punters a hit in the Canadian Football League global draft
Replies
0
Views
438
The Cardtrader
The Cardtrader

Remove this Banner Ad

Back
Top