Posts Tagged ‘oakland raiders’
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013
Matt Flynn (Gabriel Cervantes, Wikimedia Commons)
The Oakland Raiders have decided to go with a different quarterback in 2013. In will come Matt Flynn, who backed up Russell Wilson last year in Seattle, and out is Carson Palmer, who was acquired by the Arizona Cardinals in a deal involving draft picks.
Meanwhile, Kevin Kolb who quarterbacked the Cardinals a year ago, is off to Buffalo. The Bills were in need of a quarterback after releasing Ryan Fitzpatrick.
I think it is fair to say that Kolb, Flynn, and Palmer all have something in common. They are all average quarterbacks who at times have shown flashes of brilliance, but are simply not consistent enough at this stage of their careers.
Meanwhile, one could argue that the Dallas Cowboys rewarded a quarterback for being average when they signed Tony Romo to an amazing six year deal worth $108 million on Friday. Romo was one of three professional athletes who signed massive contracts last week, joining Detroit Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander (seven years, $180 million) and San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey (nine years, $167 million). The biggest differences between Romo’s contract versus Verlander and Posey’s contract is that Romo’s contract is not guaranteed.
Tags: arizona cardinals, buffalo bills, buster posey, carson palmer, dallas cowboys, detroit tigers, justin verlander, kevin kolb, matt flynn, oakland raiders, san francisco giants, tony romo
Posted in NFL |
Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
Well it appears that Jimmy Johnson was correct after all. Just days after the former Dallas Cowboys head coach and FOX Sports analyst tweeted that Marc Trestman would be going to the Chicago Bears, Trestman is indeed off to Chicago.
Trestman, who has spent the last five years with the Montreal Alouettes, will try to follow in the footsteps of Bud Grant and Marv Levy rather than Hugh Campbell and Mike Riley.
The Bears are making a strong commitment to offense in the NFC North and hope that Trestman will be able to deliver the same sort of magic with Jay Cutler that he had with Anthony Calvillo.
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Tags: anthony calvillo, arizona cardinals, bud grant, chicago bears, cleveland browns, jay cutler, jimmy johnson, marc trestman, marv levy, montreal alouettes, oakland raiders, san francisco 49ers
Posted in CFL, NFL |
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
Michael Vick (Wikimedia Commons)
Many football fans have been cringing over the last couple of days with the enormous amount of injuries at the quarterback position since Sunday.
The list includes Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Michael Vick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears and Alex Smith of the San Francisco 49ers.
Cutler, Smith and Vick all suffered concussions while Roethlisberger went down with a shoulder injury. Unless Cutler and Smith make significant improvements, next Monday’s prime time game featuring the 7-2 Bears and 6-2-1 49ers, will see Jason Campbell versus Colin Kaepernick at the helm. Yikes!
Getting back to the 49ers, they tied this week at 24 against St. Louis on Sunday. It was the first game that ended in a tie since 2008 when Philadelphia and Cincinnati tied at 13. From the San Francisco-St. Louis game Sunday, ESPN was reporting last night that many players didn’t realize the game could end in a tie. It made Donovan McNabb not look so dumb after all.
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Tags: alex smith, baltimore ravens, ben roethlisberger, brett favre, chicago bears, dan marino, denver broncos, houston texans, jay cutler, michael vick, oakland raiders, peyton manning, san francisco 49ers, st. louis rams
Posted in NFL |
Monday, November 5th, 2012
Andrew Luck (Mark Susina, Wikimedia Commons)
Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck is now in the record books. Sunday, Luck broke the NFL record for most passing yards by a rookie quarterback in a single game as the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Miami Dolphins 23-20.
Luck threw for 433 yards and broke Cam Newton’s record for most passing yards in a game. Newton set the NFL rookie record last year by throwing 432 yards in a 30-23 Carolina loss to Green Bay last season. Indianapolis improves to 5-3, while Miami drops to 4-4.
In other NFL action, Isaac Redman ran for 147 yards as the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New York Giants 24-20. The Giants had a short week of practice because of Hurricane Sandy and the storm was strong enough to cause severe flooding in Eli Manning’s New Jersey home. The Steelers improve to 5-3, while the Giants drop to 6-3.
Meanwhile, Doug Martin is starting to become quite possibly the best running back in the NFL. He was outstanding Sunday as he set Buccaneers records for most rushing yards in a game (251) and most rushing touchdowns in a game (four) as Tampa Bay beat Oakland 42-32.
Tags: andrew luck, cam newton, carolina panthers, doug martin, eli manning, green bay packers, indianapolis colts, isaac redman, miami dolphins, new york giants, oakland raiders, pittsburgh steelers, tampa bay buccaneers
Posted in NFL |
Sunday, October 28th, 2012
Dwight Freeney (Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons)
I am 59-46 on the season now after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers surprisingly ran all over the Minnesota Vikings Thursday night in a 36-17 upset. Doug Martin had 135 yards rushing, another 79 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Here are the rest of my week eight picks:
11am
Pittsburgh over Washington–In a close battle, the Steelers defense is experienced enough to stop RG3, just like they did Michael Vick earlier in the season.
Detroit over Seattle–The Seahawks are just not a great road team.
Chicago over Carolina–Julius Peppers continues to look impressive at 32.
New England over Saint Louis–The Rams are moving in one direction, and the Patriots the other.
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Tags: chicago bears, doug martin, dwight freeney, indianapolis colts, julius peppers, new orleans saints, oakland raiders, tampa bay buccaneers
Posted in NFL |
Saturday, October 20th, 2012
There will be a sixth game in the National League Championship Series. Last night in St. Louis, the San Francisco Giants stayed alive with a brilliant pitching performance from Barry Zito in a 5-0 win over the Cardinals.
Now the series shifts back to Northern California for Game 6 (Sunday, FOX, 5pm). In order for the Cardinals to win and advance to the World Series, they’ll need to win on the road. Ironically, the Cardinals (38-43) and the Tigers (38-43), were the only two teams this season with losing records on the road to make the playoffs and they are the clubs that are in the best position at the moment to win the World Series.
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Tags: a.j. green, andy dalton, baltimore ravens, barry zito, Calgary Stampeders, charles hamelin, cincinnati bengals, francois-louis tremblay, green bay packers, hamilton tiger-cats, houston texans, jacksonville jaguars, jessica gregg, marianne st-gelais, new england patriots, new york jets, oakland raiders, olivier jean, pablo sandoval, pittsburgh steelers, ryan vogelsong, san francisco giants, st. louis cardinals, st. louis rams, valerie maltais
Posted in Amateur Sports, CFL, Home, MLB, NFL |
Wednesday, January 25th, 2012
The Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders have made a decision on who their next head coaches will be for the 2012 NFL season.
The Colts, who fired Jim Caldwell last Tuesday after an abysmal 2-14 season, have named Chuck Pagano as his replacement. Pagano was the Baltimore Ravens defensive co-ordinator, and with a group of high quality veterans including Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, the Ravens gave up the third fewest points in the NFL this season.
The Raiders meanwhile have also hired a defensive specialist to take the helm, choosing Denver Broncos defensive co-ordinator Dennis Allen.
What Allen was able to do this season was remarkable and was a key reason (not Tim Tebow) why Denver won the AFC West. The Broncos might have given up 390 points, but would have given up less if the offense would have made smarter decisions on the football field this past season. It was the Broncos defense, not their offense, that won many games for them.
In Indianapolis, the future of Peyton Manning as a Colt just got significantly cloudier. The question not only now rises how Manning will adjust to the team drafting quarterback Andrew Luck, but how will he respond to a defensive specialist in charge?
Tags: andrew luck, baltimore ravens, chuck pagano, dennis allen, denver broncos, ed reed, indianapolis colts, oakland raiders, peyton manning, ray lewis, terrell suggs
Posted in NFL |
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
The Oakland Raiders will enter the 2012 season without Hue Jackson as their team’s head coach.
Jackson was fired today by new General Manager Reggie McKenzie.
McKenzie was hired by owner Mark Davis, the son of legendary owner Al Davis, last week. The Raiders, who were 8-8 in the regular season, had the same record as the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers in the AFC West, but struggled down the stretch, going 1-4 in their final five games.
Jackson, who was also in charge of player personnel when Al Davis passed away on October 8, made a controversial move with the Cincinnati Bengals, acquiring quarterback Carson Palmer for a first round pick in 2012 and a conditional pick in 2013. The Bengals are in much better position right now than the Raiders, as they made the playoffs with rookie Andy Dalton at the helm, and they get an extra first round pick.
Now the Raiders are stuck with two above average quarterbacks in Palmer, and Jason Campbell, who broke his collarbone, and no first round pick to improve at another position where they need help–primarily wide receiver.
The injuries of running back Darren McFadden and wide receiver Jacoby Ford played their part in Jackson’s demise but at the end of the day as Al Davis would say, “it’s all about winning baby”.
Tags: al davis, andy dalton, carson palmer, cincinnati bengals, darren mcfadden, hue jackson, jacoby ford, jason campbell, mark davis, oakland raiders, reggie mckenzie
Posted in NFL |
Saturday, December 31st, 2011
What was supposed to be one of the biggest hockey games in quite sometime for the city of Edmonton, in actuality has no meaning whatsoever at all. When Team Canada faces Team United States at Rexall Place tonight (TSN, 6pm) the Canadians know they will be going directly to the semi-finals of the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship, while the Americans are going to the relegation round.
Still, there are a couple of important factors that will come into play. First, it is important that Canada doesn’t get into any bad habits. Team Canada has been a little bit undisciplined at times through their first three games and it is important the team carries their momentum they have now into Tuesday by playing a complete sixty minutes after deciding to take parts of the third period off against Denmark Thursday night.
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Tags: 2012 world junior hockey championships, ales hemsky, andrei vasilevski, dallas cowboys, denver broncos, Edmonton Oilers, eric decker, henrik sedin, kansas city chiefs, ladainian tomlinson, los angeles kings, miami dolphins, new york giants, new york islanders, new york jets, nikita usev, oakland raiders, petr mrazek, reggie bush, san diego chargers, Steve Tambellini, teemu pulkkinen, tim tebow, tony romo, Vancouver Canucks, yevgeni kuznetsov
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, NFL, NHL |
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Tom Brady (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
Week 15 told us one thing. Tom Brady of the New England Patriots is simply a better quarterback than Tim Tebow.
Brady threw for 320 yards–227 more than his positional counterpart on Sunday in the Patriots’ 41-23 romp over the Broncos in a battle of division leaders. With the win New England improves to 11-3, while Denver falls to 8-6.
We also found that Ben Roethlisberger is just an ordinary quarterback when he has to face a tough defense and he isn’t 100% healthy. Despite passing the ball for 330 yards, Roethlisberger simply couldn’t find the end zone and threw three interceptions and was sacked three times in a 20-3 loss to San Francisco. Rookie linebacker Aldon Smith sacked Roethlisberger for 2.5 times for 19 yards. San Francisco falls to 11-3, while Pittsburgh drops to 10-4.
The comeback of the week came in Oakland, as the Detroit Lions recorded two touchdowns in the last five minutes to beat the Oakland Raiders 28-27. Matthew Stafford orchestrated an outstanding drive that went seven plays for 98 yards in 1:32 near the end of the game. Detroit improves to 9-5, and Oakland falls to 7-7.
Tags: aldon smith, denver broncos, detroit lions, matthew stafford, new england patriots, oakland raiders, pittsburgh steelers, san francisco 49ers, tom brady
Posted in NFL |
Saturday, December 17th, 2011
Taylor Hall (Wikimedia Commons)
It might be too early to call a particular game a must win. But on Saturday night at the Shark Tank in San Jose, it could just be a must win for the struggling Edmonton Oilers (CBC, 8pm).
After a hot October where the Oilers at one time led the Western Conference, it has been a tough grind. Since November 5, the Oilers have been 6-13, and have fallen from first to twelfth.
Luckily though, there is still 51 games left for the Oilers to turn things around, but there could be no more important game to their 2011-12 schedule than tonight. The Oilers currently find themselves four points back of the San Jose Sharks and Phoenix Coyotes for a playoff spot in the West. So at the end of the night, they could be as close to two points back, or possibly as far as six points out.
Even though the Oilers lost 4-2 to Phoenix Thursday, a very positive sign was the play of Taylor Hall, who scored both Oiler goals. It was his first game back after missing three weeks with a shoulder injury.
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Tags: baltimore ravens, calgary flames, chicago bears, Chicago Blackhawks, dallas cowboys, denver broncos, detroit lions, Edmonton Oilers, felix jones, henrik sedin, joe flacco, jonathan toews, marshawn lynch, new england patriots, new york giants, oakland raiders, phil kessel, rob grankowski, san diego chargers, San Jose Sharks, seattle seahawks, tampa bay buccaneers, Taylor Hall, tim tebow, toronto maple leafs, Vancouver Canucks, washington redskins
Posted in Home, NFL, NHL |
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Tim Tebow (Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons)
Week 14 in the NFL was mighty magical.
Tim Tebow, the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos, was absolutely dreadful in Denver’s first three quarters yesterday, before guiding his team back from a 10-0 deficit, en route to a 13-10 win over Chicago. The Florida product did have some help along the way from kicker Matt Prater (a 59 yard field goal to tie the game and a 51 yard field goal in overtime to win it), but the bottom line is that Tebowmania is continuing. Tebow is now 7-1 as the Bronco’s starting quarterback as Denver leads the AFC West at 8-5. The Bears meanwhile fall to 7-6.
The Houston Texans have clinched the AFC South after a 20-19 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans at 10-3 have won seven straight. Trailing 19-13, Texans quarterback T.J. Yates threw a six yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter to give the Texans their first playoff spot in franchise history. Cincinnati drops to 7-6.
One of the most impressive teams in the NFL right now are the New Orleans Saints. But one thing to keep in mind, their offense is working at a more prolific pace at home than on the road. Sunday, they only defeated the Tennessee Titans 22-17. New Orleans improves to 10-3 and Tennessee drops to 7-6.
Finally, the Green Bay Packers continue to roll, but it looks like they won’t have Greg Jennings in the lineup until the playoffs. Jennings injured his knee with the Packers leading the Raiders 34-0. The question people are now asking is, why is Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy keeping his starters in, when his team is leading by a ton of points? Oh, yeah. Green Bay spanked Oakland 46-16 to improve to 13-0. Oakland drops to 7-6.
Tags: chicago bears, cincinnati bengals, denver broncos, green bay packers, houston texans, kevin walter, matt prater, new orleans saints, oakland raiders, t.j. yates, Tennessee Titans, tim tebow
Posted in Home, NFL |
Saturday, December 10th, 2011
Alex Tanguay (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames battle in Part Three of the Battle of Alberta tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome (CBC, 8pm). Oilers fans will hope a different chapter is written this time around after the first two were significantly similar. In both occasions, the Flames came from behind in the third period to grab two points in the Northwest Division standings.
On October 18, Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Tanguay each scored in the last six minutes as the Flames defeated the Oilers 2-1. Then last Saturday, Derek Smith, Mikael Backlund and Olli Jokinen scored third period goals for the Flames that eliminated a 3-2 lead for the Oilers en route to a 5-3 Calgary victory.
If Edmonton is going to contend for a playoff spot in March, better consistency throughout the entire 60 minutes is in order. Last night in their 4-1 win over Colorado, they had a solid third period effort while leading 4-1 and didn’t allow a strong quality scoring chance for the Avalanche in the final twenty minutes.
As for the Flames, they are back on track a little bit, at the .500 mark at 13-13-2. They are three points back of the San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Oilers for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference.
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Tags: akiko suzuki, alena leonova, alex tanguay, calgary flames, carolina kostner, chicago bears, cody hodgson, dallas cowboys, denver broncos, derek smith, detroit lions, Edmonton Oilers, green bay packers, javier hernandez, jay bouwmeester, jeremy abbott, jovan haye, Mikael Backlund, minnesota vikings, new york giants, oakland raiders, olli jokinen, Ottawa Senators, patrick chan, Vancouver Canucks
Posted in Amateur Sports, Home, NFL, NHL |
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Sebastian Janikowski (Wikimedia Commons)
There were four major games I paid close attention to this past weekend.
The New Orleans Saints as a collective unit were the most impressive team as they defeated the New York Giants 49-24. Drew Brees threw for 363 yards and four touchdowns, as the Saints improved to 8-4 and a one game lead over the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South. New York meanwhile dropped to 6-5. The one area for the Saints that needs to improve is their defensive pass coverage. Eli Manning threw for 406 yards, with 157 yards to Victor Cruz. Once the playoffs start, New Orleans and Green Bay need to do better in those two areas.
The Packers continued their unbeaten string now at 11-0 with a 27-15 win in Detroit on American Thanksgiving. Like Brees, Aaron Rodgers threw for over 300 yards with 307 in the victory. The Packers passing game was great, but their running game was not as they only rushed for 53 total yards on 18 carries. Green Bay now has a four game lead on 7-4 Chicago and 7-4 Detroit in the NFC North.
The other key American Thanksgiving game was in Baltimore where the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 16-6. The Ravens improved to 8-3, while the 49ers dropped to 9-2. This was an intriguing matchup as the head coaches in the game were brothers. John Harbaugh coaches the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh coaches the 49ers.
Also on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders continued their lead in the AFC West with a 25-20 win over the Chicago Bears. It was the Sebastian Janikowski show as he kicked six field goals in Oakland’s win, who improved to 7-4.
Tags: Aaron Rodgers, baltimore ravens, drew brees, green bay packers, john harbaugh, new orleans saints, oakland raiders, sebastian janikowski
Posted in NFL |
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