Raider REM Sleep
It's a big week in the NFL with the schedule coming out today and the draft coming up on Thursday. It looks like the Raiders caught a couple of advantageous breaks with the 2010 schedule.
The ideal time to have your team's bye week are weeks 8-11 due to the grind and brutality of a 16 game regular season. Fortunately, the Raiders' bye week is week 10. The other component to the 2010 Raiders schedule that works to our favor is the limited amount of traveling for road games. Besides the opener at Tennessee, the Raiders don't travel any farther than Denver in the 1st 10 weeks. The other early road games are at Arizona, at San Francisco, and at Denver.
With the way that the draft boards seem to be lining up and the unsettling draft rumors, I am feeling a bit nauseous. It is looking like the 3 best OTs (Okung, Williams, Bulaga) will be taken by the Skins, Chiefs, and Seahawks. Instead of reaching for workout warrior and gold medal winner in the Underwear Olympics (Bruce Campbell), I would love to see us trade down or do a "mini-reach" for one of the following prospects:
- Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
- Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida
- Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
- Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama
- Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
My dream case scenario is that either Washington, Kansas City, or Seattle goes in an unexpected direction and bypasses an OT for another positional player. If one of the top 3 OTs falls in our lap, I would be thrilled, elated, and relieved. If this doesn't happen, I would at least take comfort in knowing that we picked up one of the above 5 listed prospects who have been highly productive college players and won't be considered a project like Bruce Campbell. Not only had Campbell only started 17 games but he has an injury history and very raw technique. The best that the team could hope for out of Campbell is that he becomes a more refined player by 2012.
Last but not least ... another wonderful early Christmas present for the Nation would be Davis hiring former 49er GM Scot McCloughlan. McLoughlan can be signed by another team immediately following the draft. He is a well respected, highly qualified young football executive who could lessen Davis' load and provide some fresh ideas in terms of personnel and rebuilding the team. The fact that McCloughlan's dad is a longtime scout and former player with the Raiders makes this the proverbial "no brainer". It just makes too much damn sense for our 82 year old Owner/GM to get some executive help and another set of highly qualified ears and eyes.
"And with the 8th selection of the 2010 draft ... the Raiders select Offensive Tackle Trent Williams from the University of Oklahoma."
AP Headline on 4/26: The Oakland Raiders ink Scot McCloughlan as Personnel Director.
Trent Williams, Scot McCloughlan, and a fresh new schedule ... don't wake me up from these pleasant dreams.
The ideal time to have your team's bye week are weeks 8-11 due to the grind and brutality of a 16 game regular season. Fortunately, the Raiders' bye week is week 10. The other component to the 2010 Raiders schedule that works to our favor is the limited amount of traveling for road games. Besides the opener at Tennessee, the Raiders don't travel any farther than Denver in the 1st 10 weeks. The other early road games are at Arizona, at San Francisco, and at Denver.
With the way that the draft boards seem to be lining up and the unsettling draft rumors, I am feeling a bit nauseous. It is looking like the 3 best OTs (Okung, Williams, Bulaga) will be taken by the Skins, Chiefs, and Seahawks. Instead of reaching for workout warrior and gold medal winner in the Underwear Olympics (Bruce Campbell), I would love to see us trade down or do a "mini-reach" for one of the following prospects:
- Mike Iupati, G, Idaho
- Maurkice Pouncey, C/G, Florida
- Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
- Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama
- Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee
My dream case scenario is that either Washington, Kansas City, or Seattle goes in an unexpected direction and bypasses an OT for another positional player. If one of the top 3 OTs falls in our lap, I would be thrilled, elated, and relieved. If this doesn't happen, I would at least take comfort in knowing that we picked up one of the above 5 listed prospects who have been highly productive college players and won't be considered a project like Bruce Campbell. Not only had Campbell only started 17 games but he has an injury history and very raw technique. The best that the team could hope for out of Campbell is that he becomes a more refined player by 2012.
Last but not least ... another wonderful early Christmas present for the Nation would be Davis hiring former 49er GM Scot McCloughlan. McLoughlan can be signed by another team immediately following the draft. He is a well respected, highly qualified young football executive who could lessen Davis' load and provide some fresh ideas in terms of personnel and rebuilding the team. The fact that McCloughlan's dad is a longtime scout and former player with the Raiders makes this the proverbial "no brainer". It just makes too much damn sense for our 82 year old Owner/GM to get some executive help and another set of highly qualified ears and eyes.
"And with the 8th selection of the 2010 draft ... the Raiders select Offensive Tackle Trent Williams from the University of Oklahoma."
AP Headline on 4/26: The Oakland Raiders ink Scot McCloughlan as Personnel Director.
Trent Williams, Scot McCloughlan, and a fresh new schedule ... don't wake me up from these pleasant dreams.
posted by Calico Jack at 7:12 PM
2 Comments:
Great info as always, Calico. Well we picked up Rolando McClain and I would like to see us get an OT,QB,and a Nose Guard. Whats your thoughts on Jamarcus? Really enjoy your blog. Thanks and Go Raiders !!!
My thoughts on Russell is that we can not count on him to be an in-shape, prepared, dedicated leader of our offense.
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