Teams Oakland Raiders - The Black Hole

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Chewy316

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GG.exe

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OAKLAND — Every NFL team plays at least one prime-time game per season, but it has been 10 years since the Raiders played Sunday Night Football, the biggest stage of them all.

The Raiders for years have gotten the token Thursday night game, with an opening week late start Monday night game mixed in. There was one Week 3 Monday night game in 2013, but NBC’s Sunday Night Football has largely taken over as the premiere slot since taking over the broadcast in 2006.

The Raiders — and the Coliseum — make their glorious return to the NFL’s showcase game when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in a battle for first place in the AFC West.

“Those are things that happen when you play good football,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “We anticipate having a lot of these kinds of games.”

This is the Raiders’ first scheduled Sunday Night Football appearance since 2006 (they played a late Sunday night game in 2013 to accommodate converting the Coliseum over from a baseball field when the A’s had a playoff game the night before). The last one at home came in September 2005.
This game’s selection for prime time showed faith in the Raiders’ resurgence and has been justified with their 6-2 start, their best since 2001. Oakland enters the game — and the second half of the season — in a flat-footed tie for first place with the Broncos (6-2). Third-place Kansas City (5-2) is lurking right behind them.

It’s the most significant home game since at least the finale in 2011, when a win over the Chargers would’ve sent the Raiders to the playoffs. In reality, it might be the biggest since the AFC championship game in 2002.

But don’t tell the players that.

“It’s cool to talk about,” quarterback Derek Carr said of the Sunday night hype. “But when it comes down to it, when the ball’s kicked off, you just want to win. It doesn’t change anything and that’s with any game.”

That rings especially true for linebacker Bruce Irvin, who played in a pair of Super Bowls and plenty of prime time showcases during his four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.

“I’m used to it,” Irvin said.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who played in the national championship game his freshman year of college at Alabama and then twice in the Sugar Bowl, was another to downplay Sunday’s matchup.

“It’s not like it’s a playoff game or anything like that,” Cooper said. “We just have to go out there and play ball.”

Just because they are downplaying it, doesn’t mean the Raiders aren’t happy to be in this position.

“It’s always good to be talked about in a positive way,” Irvin said. “It’s been a long time since the Raiders have been really highlighted like this during the season, but we’re going to try to keep it as normal as possible. Have a great week of practice, make sure we’re on our assignments as a defense, make sure we communicate — over-communicate — during the week so we have no issues at home with the crowd. But other than that we’re just trying to have a good week of practice so it translates to Sunday.”

The Broncos are a team plenty familiar with this stage. This season marks their fifth straight year with multiple SNF appearances. But that doesn’t mean it’s gotten old for star linebacker Von Miller.

“I still get up for them,” Miller said on a conference call with Bay Area media this week. “It’s still important to me. It will always be important to me. I’m looking forward to going out there and putting our best foot forward.”

The atmosphere will be worth watching. Whether it’s the extra pregame time or playing under the lights, there’s always a different feeling to night games at the Coliseum. The Raiders are 17-18 all-time on Sunday Night Football dating to 1978.

“Anytime you’re going to be under the lights, regardless of the records, I think you get a little fired up for that,” Del Rio said. “It ought to be an amazing atmosphere, so I think enjoy it. That’s what we do these things for, that’s what all of the sacrifices are for. Games like this, they’re a lot of fun. So, we’re going to enjoy it.”

Carr has played in two Thursday night games at the Coliseum, both victories, and said it reminds him of the atmosphere you wish for as a kid.

“You always dream of those kinds of things and it’s always fun,” Carr said. “It’s just always cool to play under the lights.”

The Raiders haven’t played their best football at home yet this season, going just 1-2. That’s mostly just brushed off as coincidence combined with competition — their two losses are to the only two teams they’ve faced with a winning record. But Oakland would love to end that chatter with the nation watching.

“That was the goal for us this year, to make sure we go out and hold down at home,” defensive end Khalil Mack said. “Being that we didn’t do it early on, this is going to be a new challenge for us and going against a team like this on a big stage is going to be a good way to put it out there on film.”
 

GG.exe

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ALAMEDA — When Donald Penn caught his fourth career touchdown — an NFL record for players 300 pounds or more — it was more than just an effective play to deliver a game-tying score.

Penn’s touchdown came in his emotional return to Tampa Bay, where he played eight seasons before being cut three years ago and signing with the Raiders.

Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said Thursday at his weekly news conference that the play call was a matter of finally getting into position to call on it.

“We’ve had some other ones for him in the past, but this year and last year and haven’t been in position to call them,” Musgrave said. “It worked out the other day.”

The play call goes deeper than that. Yes, catching the ball is part of Penn’s repertoire, as evidence by his three previous scores. And yes, the Raiders had been practicing that play for much of the season.

“It’s been stewing there in the pot so it was just about ready to come out,” Raiders quarterbacks coach Todd Downing said.

But there was a definite extra emphasis to try to get that play into the game for Penn against the Buccaneers. Downing explains.

“It’s really more of the family environment and aspect,” he said on this week’s episode of the “Raiders Talk” podcast. “(Penn) played for Tampa. Certainly it was fun to give him something special when he went home.

“Coach (Jack) Del Rio has created such a family environment where we all have each other’s back. We can argue like family, but when it boils down to it, we’re taking care of each other every way we can. To give Donald a little nugget and get a touchdown in the process is pretty fun.”

Now that Penn’s gotten back in the end zone, who’s next? If we’re going based on backgrounds, Austin Howard is the obvious choice.

“The fact is, I did play tight end in college,” Howard was quick to point out. “I played basketball. I’m athletic. I can get there. I can catch a ball.”’

Howard indeed came to Northern Iowa as a tight end and even caught five passes for 36 yards and a touchdown his sophomore season. That’s after playing five games for the Panthers basketball team his first year on campus. He eventually made the move to offensive line, but wouldn’t mind getting his chance to find the end zone again.

“He’s been posturing to the right people for that ever since I got here three years ago,” Howard said of Penn. “We’re happy for him. Hopefully one day I can experience that feeling, but right now I’m happy just blocking for the quarterback and making holes for the running back.”
 

GG.exe

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Remaining schedule...

9 Nov. 6 Denver Broncos
10 BYE WEEK
11 Nov. 21 Houston Texans (Mexico City)
12 Nov. 27 Carolina Panthers
13 Dec. 4 Buffalo Bills
14 Dec. 8 at Kansas City Chiefs
15 Dec. 18 at San Diego Chargers
16 Dec. 24 Indianapolis Colts
17 Jan. 1 at Denver Broncos

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I don't see us losing to anyone but Denver (x2 at worst), Kansas City one more time (at worst), San Diego (x1 at worst), Panthers (x1). The rest are likely wins. Why we REALLY need to go 1-1 against Denver and KC.
 

andana

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Remaining schedule...

9 Nov. 6 Denver Broncos
10 BYE WEEK
11 Nov. 21 Houston Texans (Mexico City)
12 Nov. 27 Carolina Panthers
13 Dec. 4 Buffalo Bills
14 Dec. 8 at Kansas City Chiefs
15 Dec. 18 at San Diego Chargers
16 Dec. 24 Indianapolis Colts
17 Jan. 1 at Denver Broncos

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I don't see us losing to anyone but Denver (x2 at worst), Kansas City one more time (at worst), San Diego (x1 at worst), Panthers (x1). The rest are likely wins. Why we REALLY need to go 1-1 against Denver and KC.
If we can win 4 games we should be ok coz lots of teams in the AFC are below.500
 
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Osemele,Penn & Hudson were totally dominant. Murray's 3TDs were awesome but it was the O-Line led by those 3 that allowed Murray to have such a big running game.The Osemele signing has proved to be massive already, having an outstanding season. Good week to have the bye with a few sore bodies, hopefully Sean Smith/Mario Edwards & possibly Aldon Smith can return for the Texans game after the bye.

Great position to be in, can make a serious run at the division title from here, anything else is a bonus really but who knows... The Pats are about the only team I can't see us beating currently, anyone else & I think we have genuine chance against especially if the D can perform like they did tonight.
 
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http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...ful-returning-oakland-raiders-suspension-soon
Suspended Oakland Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith plans to return to football in two weeks. He's optimistic the NFL will grant his wish.

"Hopefully, soon," he said Thursday night of being allowed back in the league.

The menacing pass-rusher applied for reinstatement to the NFL late last month, asking commissioner Roger Goodell to let him play again when his yearlong suspension is over Nov. 17 for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

San Francisco 49ersimmediately released Smith, who had his fifth run-in with the law since joining the NFL as a first-round pick and seventh overall by San Francisco in 2011.

The 27-year-old Smith, who has 47½ sacks in 59 career games, signed with Oakland last September and played nine games before being suspended by the NFL, his second suspension by the league.
 
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