Teams Las Vegas Raiders - The Black Hole

[Chewy316]

My only query is that it sounds so stupid is he being set up. But yeh, maybe he is that stupid.

If it's a setup they will have used voice alteration. It's clearly his voice.
But because there was no definitive image of him smoking anything, it's hard to punish him for it, especially if his drug tests are clean.

 

[andana]

Smith is saying its not him

 

[Chewy316]

Smith is saying its not him

He's also informed the Raiders (via his agent) that it's not him. Raiders aren't going to do anything in relation to this until the NFL determines whether or not he has failed a drug test whilst in the program.

 

[Chewy316]

So today is when the real training camp starts. All the players are here. Time to get out on the grind in wine country!

Additionally, I have some great info about the Raiders stadium saga which I hope to announce in the coming days. It's quite the game changer.

 

[Exe Gesis]

So today is when the real training camp starts. All the players are here. Time to get out on the grind in wine country!

Additionally, I have some great info about the Raiders stadium saga which I hope to announce in the coming days. It's quite the game changer.

Spit it out already! Don't withhold.

 

[Exe Gesis]

So today is when the real training camp starts. All the players are here. Time to get out on the grind in wine country!

Additionally, I have some great info about the Raiders stadium saga which I hope to announce in the coming days. It's quite the game changer.

Thinking what could amount to game changers. 1) The A's have found land to build their own stadium. 2) The A's have agreed to be part of the Coliseum City project.

Spit it out, dude!!

 

[Exe Gesis]

Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis denies Ronnie Lott offer

by Chase Ruttig 3 minutes ago
Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis has denied the rumors that a group led by Ronnie Lott have placed an offer to buy a portion of the franchise.

Last week it was reported by a Bay Area blogger that an investor group headed by former Oakland Raiders safety Ronnie Lott were set to place an offer to purchase a portion of the team in order to keep the franchise in Oakland. A rumor that had been gathering steam for weeks as the Lott group are trying to keep football in Oakland with a new stadium.

However, according to owner Mark Davis there has been no such offer put on the table from the Lott group to buy a portion of the franchise. Davis claiming he hasn’t received a single word from the Lott group in regards to making an offer to buy a portion of the team.

Bleacher Report NFL insider Jason Cole reported on Friday that Davis is denying the rumor that a group has attempted to purchase a portion of his team.

Davis’ denial of the rumor is perhaps not surprising as the owner has been focused on Las Vegas due to a lack of interest in Oakland for quite some time now. Expect Davis to continue to focus on the Sin City as until there is a deal on the table that entices the Raiders owner in Oakland it appears that his current Plan A will be outside of the Bay Area for the time being.

 

[Chewy316]

EXCLUSIVE:

Sources close to the situation have informed me that the preferred site for a Las Vegas football stadium is the old Wild Wild West Casino land plot of a little over 100 acres. The Raiders and The Sands like its close proximity to The Strip, the large amount of land allowing ancillary development similar to that of LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles, along with being a little further out of the way of McCarran International Airport to limit any difficulties with the FAA.

The site is currently owned by the Fertitta brothers. In exchange for the land, the Fertitta brothers have expressed an interest and are currently negotiating with the Raiders to invest in a minority share of the team. Mark Davis and the Raiders organisation as a whole are determined to see that any new stadium ensures the long-term viability of the franchise. Additionally, they have welcomed the Fertittas' overtures because the brothers are local to Las Vegas, which is going to be essential to maximising fan support, along with their coloured history in turning UFC into one of the biggest top flight entertainment events on the globe today.

 

[Exe Gesis]

EXCLUSIVE:

Sources close to the situation have informed me that the preferred site for a Las Vegas football stadium is the old Wild Wild West Casino land plot of a little over 100 acres. The Raiders and The Sands like its close proximity to The Strip, the large amount of land allowing ancillary development similar to that of LA Live in Downtown Los Angeles, along with being a little further out of the way of McCarran International Airport to limit any difficulties with the FAA.

The site is currently owned by the Fertitta brothers. In exchange for the land, the Fertitta brothers have expressed an interest and are currently negotiating with the Raiders to invest in a minority share of the team. Mark Davis and the Raiders organisation as a whole are determined to see that any new stadium ensures the long-term viability of the franchise. Additionally, they have welcomed the Fertittas' overtures because the brothers are local to Las Vegas, which is going to be essential to maximising fan support, along with their coloured history in turning UFC into one of the biggest top flight entertainment events on the globe today.

Whats the game changer? I was looking forward to it being oakland related

Still.....thanks as always for all the info you provide.

 

[Chewy316]

Whats the game changer? I was looking forward to it being oakland related

Still.....thanks as always for all the info you provide.

You're welcome.

Nothing is going to happen in Oakland. The Raiders expect to be given the green light for relocation in the 1st quarter of 2017.

 

[Exe Gesis]

You're welcome.

Nothing is going to happen in Oakland. The Raiders expect to be given the green light for relocation in the 1st quarter of 2017.

 

[Exe Gesis]

JT The Brick @JTTheBrick

6m 6 minutes ago

I just introduced #Raiders owner Mark Davis in Napa as he extended Reggie McKenzie's 4 years on his existing contract. Huge moment! #NFL

 

[Exe Gesis]

JT The Brick @JTTheBrick

6m 6 minutes ago

I just introduced #Raiders owner Mark Davis in Napa as he extended Reggie McKenzie's 4 years on his existing contract. Huge moment! #NFL

Probably the only GM in history to have gotten a 4 year extension after 4 consecutive losing seasons.
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On the surface of it, how you put it, it doesn't make sense. But the deeper reason is that the Raiders culture/organization was a trainwreck when Al passed away. It needed a number of years to change it all from the grassroots up, and from the top bottom, and then have that seed take hold and flourish.

Raiders are set up for the long-haul now a la Packers.

 

[Chewy316]

Reggie McKenzie has signed a new

Probably the only GM in history to have gotten a 4 year extension after 4 consecutive losing seasons.
-------
On the surface of it, how you put it, it doesn't make sense. But the deeper reason is that the Raiders culture/organization was a trainwreck when Al passed away. It needed a number of years to change it all from the grassroots up, and from the top bottom, and then have that seed take hold and flourish.

Raiders are set up for the long-haul now a la Packers.

If you ignore the situation and look purely at the numbers, you'd be asking why he's getting an extension. When looking at the personnel, how he revamped the team from top to bottom, assembling the best young QB, pass rusher and wide receiver in the league, not to mention preserving salary cap space in future years, it's easy to see why he's gotten an extension.

I was one who thought Reggie was on very thin ice in 2014, but the 2014 draft class was unbelievably talented, and it's been used as a springboard going forward. The plan was always to build through the draft, and I was one of the impatient ones who wanted more tangible progress early on in the piece. Credit to RM for seeing the plan through, because this is a team that's only going to get better over the next few years.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Reggie McKenzie has signed a new


If you ignore the situation and look purely at the numbers, you'd be asking why he's getting an extension. When looking at the personnel, how he revamped the team from top to bottom, assembling the best young QB, pass rusher and wide receiver in the league, not to mention preserving salary cap space in future years, it's easy to see why he's gotten an extension.

I was one who thought Reggie was on very thin ice in 2014, but the 2014 draft class was unbelievably talented, and it's been used as a springboard going forward. The plan was always to build through the draft, and I was one of the impatient ones who wanted more tangible progress early on in the piece. Credit to RM for seeing the plan through, because this is a team that's only going to get better over the next few years.

Debate in RN about whether it's all Reggie or not. Some say it's on the players, not the GM. Some say the GM is the boss and everything on his watch, like any other big company performance review. Some say, yeah bad record, but he turned around a culture first. Some say, when Al was GM everything was his fault, hatred toward Al, but Reggie is excused. Some say, even dying Al put together better performing teams even if he stunk the draft year after year. So many all-time franchise records for patheticness owned by Reggie's tenure, never by Al even in his dying years.

Another millennial being rewarded for mediocrity

2011 = 2-2 against playoff teams
2012-2015 = 1-24 against playoff teams

1-5 and allowing 32ppg to Alex Smith gets you a contract extension

1-7 in 4 years in Denver including 0-4 at home against them in his tenure

1-7 against playoff teams in the past 9 months

No matter how badly Al stank up the drafts, no matter how poor the coaches, and the overall roster, and how decrepit Al was, and all with an organizational dysfunction taking place, rifts going on in front office, etc etc.....Al still never had god awful teams and all-time worst records in various facets of the game like what Reggie had the first three years.

The main thing I'm focusing on tho is 1) how Al got assassinated by RN etc, yet 2) reggie gets a free pass.

And...that Al never had really good rosters these last few years before he passed away, nor good coaches per se, and he STILL performed better than Reggie did in his first contract tenure.

 

[Exe Gesis]

I championed Reggie's new contract just a few hours ago. But I'm switching hats for now

However...you could also look at it like Reggie didn't know wtf he was doing the first three years really. He wasn't pulling anything apart and putting it back together as such. He was just getting his bearings. Look how badly he did in the Hayden draft. And the drafts before. He was STILL meandering about at his core-most responsibility.

His first contract was basically a GM on training wheels. Learning on the job. Work experience guy. He could've had far better record those first four years if he was actually good at his job thruout those years. There are GMs who come right in first year and immediately get results.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Raiders 2016 training camp day 2 wrap: Ben Heeney steps up to the Mike linebacker spot

By Levi Damien @LeviDamien on Jul 30, 2016, 5:11p

My observations from day two of Raiders 2016 training camp including the increased role for their second year inside linebacker.

As the second day of Raiders 2016 training camp went down, we continue to see some position battle questions being answered. The first day, it was who was currently the team’s first team right tackle – Menelik Watson. Saturday it was who would be manning the middle linebacker spot – Ben Heeney.

Even with the Raiders running a 3-4 the greater percentage of the time, someone had to be the one who received plays from the sideline. Aka the green dot helmet. Aka the Mike linebacker.

"Wearing the green dot, yup, playing Mike," Heeney confirmed. "That's been the goal. It's what I've been wanting to do. Just happy to be there and do whatever I can to keep the spot."

Last year it was Malcolm Smith who took those duties after Curtis Lofton was reduced to a situational player. As the season went on, Smith was increasingly accompanied on the field by Heeney -- a fifth round rookie -- but it was Smith who never left the field. Now that job is slated for Heeney.

"Coach Norton’s got confidence in me going into year two," said Heeney. "It’s just a lot easier for me this year. Same defense. That helps me a lot. Last year I was kinda all over the place during camp, so I was kinda not really knowing what I was doing. But just being in the same defense for the second year in a row has helped me a lot."

Stepping into that role is a big responsibility. One that requires a greater level of film study and conditioning.

Heeney has also leaned more on his coaches and veteran teammates to help him prepare for his new role in the defense.

One thing Heeney has never lacked is the instincts and aggressiveness for the position. He flashed tremendous closing speed and instincts last season, something he said has gotten him in trouble throughout his college and pro career.

"There was a lot of times where I was overaggressive last year," said Heeney. "That’s something that hurt me in college and that’s one of the knocks I had as a guy who missed a lot of tackles or whatever the case may be. It’s just, that’s how I play."

That aggressiveness has shown up over the first two days of camp. He is usually around the ball. That’s not a surprise. Even though he can’t take players to the ground, he play through the whistle and is constantly punching at the ball. He had a forced fumble on Clive Walford day one and another one on Amari Cooper day two. He also sniffed out a screen pass to DeAndre Washington to stuff him at the line.

It think it’s safe to say he is trying to make an impression with his new increased responsibility

Injuries: PUP list still consists of Greg Townsend Jr and Denico Autry. Not seeing much time on day two was Neiron Ball. He was thought to be ready to go by now, but the coaching staff is taking their time and bringing him back slowly. He was relegated to the sideline most the entire practice both for drills and team sessions.

Observations:

The defense had a good day today. Ben Heeney I already covered, so I’ll move onto others.

David Amerson was back at it, knocking down passes several times.

DJ Hayden picked a Matt McGloin pass intended for Seth Roberts. Hayden has looked pretty good in the slot at times so far. It would appear he’s settling into his new role.

Malcolm Smith was showing off his coverage skills as well. He had a pass defended on a McGloin pass intended for Mychal Rivera and later tipped a McGloin pass in the air and tracked it down for the interception.

There was a pretty good looking throw and catch in which Andre Holmes got a step on Neiko Thorpe up the left sideline. McGloin saw him and placed the ball perfectly to him over his shoulder for a big gain.

McGloin had another good looking pass, again up the left sideline, and again with Thorpe in coverage. This time he went for KJ Brent’s back shoulder and Brent broke back to go up and get it.

Connor Cook had another erratic day. His throws were all over the place. Off target and often wobbly.

Several players got in for would-be sacks as well. Khalil Mack got the edge on Donald Penn to sack Carr, Shilique Calhoun got around Austin Howard to sack McGloin, Stacy McGee found a gap up the middle to get to McGloin, and Damontre Moore got into the backfield for a sack on Cook.

Pads go on tomorrow, so things should get far more interesting."

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Connor Cook had another erratic day. His throws were all over the place. Off target and often wobbly.

This has me concerned. Cook might not be on the field long enough this pre season to run a highlights tape over an entire Beach Boy's song. #bestQBinthe16draft

Does Matt McGloin happen to like the song "kokomo" ? A back up plan might need to be put in place.

 

[Exe Gesis]

This has me concerned. Cook might not be on the field long enough this pre season to run a highlights tape over an entire Beach Boy's song. #bestQBinthe16draft

Does Matt McGloin happen to like the song "kokomo" ? A back up plan might need to be put in place.

pfftt, it's like day 2 of camp.
cook will get there, patience.
aaron rodgers needed two training camps to be ready.

 

[Exe Gesis]

Cook is gonna be something special, that's for sure.
Great day again for him on day 2.
Great because he's going thru those rookie struggles early. Setting the platform for a concerted renewed effort to be better. Nothing like a little humiliation to get a born leader and born winner more determined.

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

Cook is gonna be something special, that's for sure.
Great day again for him on day 2.
Great because he's going thru those rookie struggles early. Setting the platform for a concerted renewed effort to be better. Nothing like a little humiliation to get a born leader and born winner more determined.

I see you have been attending LicoriceAllsorts "spin" classes frequently of late.

 

[Exe Gesis]

 

[Exe Gesis]

I see you have been attending LicoriceAllsorts "spin" classes frequently of late.

LA's spin classes are at a Zumbo level to be fair.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

That image there, that's the one that tells me he's going to be great

 

[A11dAtP0w3R]

At least the hand off doesnt look wobbly.