Raiders news

[Twinkie defense]

Stanford Routt lets them hang out

"The main thing is you've got to go out there and make plays. You realize you're not going to have much help as far as double teaming. We don't blitz as other teams do because we have such a strong front four in the pass rush. You've just got to go out there, do your job, (and) cover your man. The thing we live by is "no excuses" and "find a way to make it happen". The scheme isn't going to change and most of the time the play calling isn't going to change, so it's all on you. You've got to go out there and let your nuts hang. We always said that there's no long distance on the island. You can't call for help."

PFF's Steve Wyremski asked Routt which was his best game of the season, and Routt proceeded "to walk through every game and detail every catch he gave up including the player, route, etc. for all over the course of the season in each game."

SW: (Halfway through Stanford's games) It's crazy how you remember this. Do you have this all written down or something?

SR: Trust me. Playing corner for the Raiders, your job is to cover. You don't have to worry much about run responsibility and Cover-2, so it forces you to live in your own world when we play on an island as much as we do. You have to grade yourself on catches and touchdowns.

(Proceeds to finish detailing every game and the catches against him in each game.)

Rich Gannon: Falcons should sign Nnamdi Asomugha

[Twinkie defense]

Ravens lukewarm on signing Nnamdi

Speaking of really good football players, Harbaugh kind of talked about Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, a free agent who should command top dollar on the open market. The fourth-year coach said he has been asked about “one of the top corners” -- we can assume he meant Asomugha --but he’s not a top priority.

[Twinkie defense]

Explosive Taiwan Jones struggles with dyslexia

[Twinkie defense]

New CBA to make four-year players unrestricted?

Jerry McDonald says

That means Miller and Bush would be be on the open market and go to the highest bidder rather than be tied to the Raiders with the first- and third-round tenders which were given before the work stoppage.

It would likely mean a lot more to Miller than to Bush.

Even if both are UFAs, Raiders owner Al Davis is know for writing huge checks for players he wants to keep, and the tenders applied to each man were a tip-off they are valued by the organization.

[Twinkie defense]

Maybe the chances are good that Miller and Bush stick around...

Chris Mortensen of ESPN told 101 ESPN in St. Louis that, once the free-agency frenzy commences, the owners want to have a right of first refusal as to three or four players per team. This would operate essentially as the transition tag, which provides a right to match but no compensation. And, in cases where the current team chooses to match, it means that the team that pursued the player negotiated his new contract with his old team at no charge. (In this regard, it would be wise for the new CBA to deal with the whole Steve Hutchinson “poison pill” thing.)

[Twinkie defense]

Hue loves Tyvon Branch

“There are some players I think this season are going to have breakout seasons... Tyvon Branch, who people don’t give a lot of credit to, this guy plays football the way it’s supposed to be played,” Jackson said, before kicking it into high gear.

“He plays as well and as hard as anyone I’ve ever seen play the game.”

Roll that one around in your mind for a minute. Tyvon Branch plays as well and as hard as anyone Jackson has ever seen play the game.

Keep in mind he worked in Baltimore, where Ray Lewis plays middle linebacker.

[HMFFL]

Maybe the chances are good that Miller and Bush stick around...

Chris Mortensen of ESPN told 101 ESPN in St. Louis that, once the free-agency frenzy commences, the owners want to have a right of first refusal as to three or four players per team. This would operate essentially as the transition tag, which provides a right to match but no compensation. And, in cases where the current team chooses to match, it means that the team that pursued the player negotiated his new contract with his old team at no charge. (In this regard, it would be wise for the new CBA to deal with the whole Steve Hutchinson “poison pill” thing.)

I sure hope we keep them both.

[Twinkie defense]

Bush with only three years of service, may be a restricted free agent after all...

[Twinkie defense]

Nnamdi Asomugha could command a contract in free agency that approaches $19 million a year.
It'd make him the highest paid player in NFL history.

Yikes.

La Canfora believes the Bucs could be serious bidders for Asomugha, pointing to their "pretty massive" proposal to Albert Haynesworth in February of 2009, and need to reach the salary cap "floor" in the new CBA.

[Twinkie defense]

AFC West's biggest future stars

Lamarr Houston, Raiders defensive lineman: I’m taking Matt Williamson’s lead here. The Scouts Inc. brainiac is extremely high on the Raiders’ second-season defensive lineman. In fact, Williamson believes Houston could be one of the NFL’s best defensive linemen soon. He thinks Houston, a second-round pick from Texas, has no ceiling. Houston has the look of an impact player who plays with a mean streak. He was easy to notice in the preseason last year, and he made one big play after another as a rookie. He looks like he’ll be in the NFL for the next dozen years. He is versatile and can play in virtually every defensive situation. The Raiders have a host of young, intriguing players, including Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, Matt Shaughnessy, Rolando McClain and Tyvon Branch. But Houston seems like he can be special.

[HMFFL]

I have a bad feeling about free agency once the lockout ends. I just hope we retain some of our key players and young talent.

[Twinkie defense]

Raiders LB depth is a little thin, but ex-Patriot and Niner Tully Banta-Cain is in the house.

This comes after considering bringing back Kirk Morrison, before he signed with Buffalo, as well as kicking the tires on that Seahawks free agent whose name escapes me...

Raiders may well sign Banta-Cain... would they wait until after Monday, when his salary is not guaranteed? That might risk other teams getting in on the action, should they lose an LB this weekend. If they feel they really need some LB help they might decide not to risk it and sign Tully today or tomorrow.

[Twinkie defense]

I have a bad feeling about free agency once the lockout ends. I just hope we retain some of our key players and young talent.

Well we lost Nnamdi, which was expected. Kept Bush. Lost Gallery and replaced him with Wisniewski; lost Miller and replaced him with Boss.

On the whole that doesn't seem like a big talent drain, though national columnists are playing up the angle. For me the biggest question there is how much losing Nnamdi hurts the pass defense. But he was only one guy covering one of four receivers, and he had a lot of help from the pass rush... so I'm hopeful that Routte can fill his shoes (and it wasn't like we weren't getting beat elsewhere in the secondary last season anyway).

Would be helpful if one of the many young DBs on the roster could step up, like Nnamdi did when Woodson left.