I have been very quiet on this blog for a long time… Not much to say when our record is what is over the last six years… and what point is there to trying to defend against the nonsense spewed by the mediots? esp. since the media has made it very unprofessional and personal on so many levels i.e. with Darrius and Al Davis…
So when Al Davis finally spoke this past Saturday at the Seymour PC, what a treat! Quick synopsis: without using actual names Al called out NFL Network, ESPN, Rodney Harrison, Cris Carter, Mike Lombardi etc, on their lies and biased reporting.
Our new DL Richard Seymour backed-up everything Al Davis said at the PC and what Tom Cable said during the week… My personal favourite highlight: in 2003, a player (Rodney Harrison) asked Al Davis for a contract and Al said “No, I wouldn’t let him be a Raidah”… Is it any wonder Harrison says what he says? Not really, but the real wonder is that his employers, media such as ESPN and NFL Network allow him to spew his nonsense, his garbage, his lies…
There is no question the Raiders deserve criticism after the past 6 years, but what has gone on in the media is beyond critique…. In Al Davis’ case its pure Ageism – there is no way an 80+ year old senior can still do the work on a young man... And in Jamarcus Russell’s case, IMO Racism - stereo-typing JRock as the lazy young black man who is undisciplined and an over-weight 300lb quarterback when in reality he played great football towards the end of last season, showed progression as an true starting NFL QB, showed leadership and great promise, and protected the ball better than any of his peers – all of this with three different play callers and the worst WR corp in Raider history... JRock was at the Raider facility for nearly all the off-season but the reverse was reported.
This is what the media covering the NFL has become, its tabloid journalism at its worst - with no accountability, and portrayed as credible.
Seymour, in true Raider fashion called out the media, saying that he never said anything about the trade to anyone but his family and closest friends and because he remained silent the media “made stuff up”, saying in the end “we all know what it is”. He made it clear the "Seymour Camp" was his wife and kids and not what was reported...
In the end, it was nice to see all the BS called out. It was nice to see Seymour not only corroborate the “Raiders side” but to also criticise the media himself. It was a great shot in the arm for the credibility of Coach Cable – although IMO Cable doesn’t need it after his incredible work pulling the team together at the end of last season after the Kiffin disaster.
So here we are, Kick-off to our 2009 season only hours away... I am very encouraged by what we saw at the end of last year and how our off-season went, but to be honest, IMO our OL still scares the shit out of me…. Henderson and Gallery, no problem, but Morris, Carlisle and Green? Ouch… prove me wrong boys, please prove me wrong…... Will feel better though when Barnes gets back and hopefully moves to RT.
With Schilens, DHB, Louis Murphy, JLH and Nick Miller we can’t expect too much right away, but what we do have is great great young talent and with or without the veteran Walker, JaMarcus has much more than last year to work with.
Regarding Jamarcus, I’m so excited to see this young man develop. Al has given him a great stable of RBs to rely on, he has a true safety valve in Zack Miller and the young WR crew to grow with… a great opportunity for us to see this rising star grow with his young supporting cast.
Defensively, what was an area of weakness is now potentially a strength – conventional wisdom says Ellis and Seymour have a huge impact on the DL and LBs… the secondary with Nnamdi and Johnson on the islands now has the potential to be great if the investments in Branch and Mitchell work at the Safety positions as Al has envisioned.
All this to say, we will be better, much better, esp with Seymour and Ellis, tonight against the SD run game… hopefully the OL can protect Jamarcus and continue to block as one of the NFL’s top running attacks...
I want to end with a tidbit from the Saturday PC: Seymour was asked why he grew up a Raider fan? What player or team drew him to the Silver and Black? Al Davis piped in before Richard could answer: "It was the Own-ah" ... Just Win Baby
Raiders 23 – Chargers 20
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Just Rest Baby
Ivan Fernandes passed away in Bronx NY earlier this week... our hearts are broken, we lost a great friend today, a wonderful person, a kind, gentle and compassionate man... I have no words, only tears... I will miss you BigIV... Every game I watch I will be thinking of you my friend... Rest In Peace Ivan...
Please remember Irma and family if your prayers...
"I'm Floatin'..."
Please remember Irma and family if your prayers...
"I'm Floatin'..."
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy Birthday Mr. Davis
80 years young! Thank you Mr. Davis for giving us the Raiders, for creating our Silver and Black World. Here is to many more years and many more wins!
Just Win Baby
Just Win Baby
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Cable Guy
Bring it on Tom!
Digital Cable
HDTV Cable
Hard Drive Cables
Cable On Demand
I am so glad the Soap Opera is over! Lets get some Pizza!!!
Too Little Too Late from Kiffin
Q: “How would you characterize your last conversation with Mr. Davis? Did he give you any indication of his feelings for the job you’ve been doing?”
Kiffin: “I’m going to kind of stop these questions here and go from here on out that conversations, or lack of conversations with Al, I’m going to keep between Al and I. I just feel we’re going to open up too many things, and those are conversations that I do or do not have with him that should stay between him and I. I apologize for that.”
Thats the answer Kiff should have given in January... maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if he would have learned this sooner...
BTW Lowell Cohen finally takes off his "Al Hater" glasses, at least for a moment... sure he still tries to get in a few "Al Zingers", but the basis of the article is not too far off - hard to believe...
Kiffin: “I’m going to kind of stop these questions here and go from here on out that conversations, or lack of conversations with Al, I’m going to keep between Al and I. I just feel we’re going to open up too many things, and those are conversations that I do or do not have with him that should stay between him and I. I apologize for that.”
Thats the answer Kiff should have given in January... maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if he would have learned this sooner...
BTW Lowell Cohen finally takes off his "Al Hater" glasses, at least for a moment... sure he still tries to get in a few "Al Zingers", but the basis of the article is not too far off - hard to believe...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Al Davis Forever – with Kiffin I hope!
I have hesitated to address this issue, but I just want to summarize my conversations with fellow fans over the last couple of weeks…
The media won't let this “Davis Fires Kiffin” thing go- no way, no how... the media is pissed that they have been wrong about this since January and that Kiffin is still here... they are embarrassed that he was not fired this week, because they all said that even if we won in KC (which they didn't think we would), Kiffin would be gone - and he is still here...
Now reporters are stationed at Raiders HQ, hiding in the f@cking bushes, basically ambushing and trapping Kiff coming back from his morning jog, trying to trick him in saying something else… where else have you seen such media fervour?
Now Kiff brought allot of this on himself, he has to learn to take it on the chin, to man-up and use “coach-speak”…. but don't you think the media is behaving very very weirdly? This goes beyond trying to take advantage of Kiff’s well documented honesty to break a story...that video of Kiff returning from his jog, isn't that, well kinda creepy? what the f@ck is the media doing?
I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago so I was listening to BSPN Late Night... ahole BSPN guy has Jason Jones from BallSacramento Bee and I was shocked that these two idiots couldn't even string proper thoughts or complete sentences together... Jones said he "heard one report, then there is another source, not sure if the sources are real, inside Raiders HQ, some people talk to Al, some don't, not sure what Al is thinking, some say he wanted to fire Kiff but when it got leaked he didn't - just to spite the media, yeah its strange, he was supposed to fire him and he didn't, maybe tomorrow, you never know cuz Al Davis is liable to do anything, what a soap opera blah,blah, blah"... they were just throwing out sh!t and admitting as much as not knowing if any of this is true but covering by saying "well its Raiderland, its Al Davis, its bizarre...what do you expect?" The BSPN scroll the other day said that “Kiffin to be fired Monday or by the end of season" ----WTF!?!!!?!
So, we see this reporter jump out of the bushes and ambush Kiff after his morning jog...and Al is acting strange? its this f@cking media frenzy that is strange... they are obsessed because time and again since January they have not gotten the story straight, they have these "scoops", manufactured or twisted, and they were sure they had it and they didn't... they look more and more foolish so they keep up the shark attack behaviour...
Look obviously something is up... how could there not be after 4-12 and getting spanked on opening night and Kiffin not keeping his issues in-house? something very likely may happen, and this media frenzy is not going away…
They want Kiff to be fired and it is backed by the on-going hatred towards the Raiders and specifically Al Davis... we ruled for a long time, and the NFL feared us... Al kicked sand in everyone faces for years… and Al, for good reason, cuts off the media like no other professional sports team does - and that infuriates them... they did not like it when Al hired Kiff... they wanted us to hire some no balls yes man because as they portray it no one else will work for Al... when Al found the next Shanahan/Gruden, they mocked him for it... and now that there is some smoke, they are doing everything they can to break it up....
Winning in the Buff won't change a thing... beating SD the week after won't change a thing... the media frenzy won't stop... and if we lose, all the better for them, because it might hasten Kiff getting fired... look they will not let it die... for all of you who say well winning will change it - no it won't... success will also intensify it, just like when we won backtobacktoback AFC Championships, when Gru was here the media wanted him gone, they would not let it go....
Kiff will stay as long as we win... which is really no different than any coach… but I hope he grows up abit…he’s not at USC anymore where he and Pete Carrol could do what they wanted, how they wanted, when they wanted... and besides, what exactly has he done to deserve to be GM?...
I ask that question because I was listening to Buff radio - when the Bills IRed their best LB Antonio Crowell a couple of weeks ago, Bills Head Coach Jauron didn't know about it till after, he admitted he heard about it when it was reported on the WGR... I was listening to the interview with the local radio guys when they asked him to explain why Crowell was IRed when it looked like he would only miss 4 weeks... Jauron said, "I can't answer that other than we needed the roster spot"... imagine if that story was in Oakland?
How bout them Cowboys? Head Coach Wade Phillips was brought in after Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett right? Wade was essentially told who his staff will be...Imagine what Kiffin would say to that? BTW, did I see Dave Campo on the sidelines on Monday Night?!?!!?! WTF?, he was fired as Head Coach but still is on the Cowboys sideline in caoching gear today, why? because Jerry Jones loves him… even Al didn’t do that with Art Shell… Does Dick Jauron run the Bills draft? are the free agents his doing? Jauron easily admits and accepts that he does not- its not his job… Does Wade call the shots during the draft? No way, sure he has some input but Jerry makes all the picks, and brings in all the free agents like PacMan and TO... how is that different than Al ---- other than Jerry welcomes the press with open arms while Al closes his door to the media and doesn’t tell them sh!t and that pisses them off… You might blame Al for that, but he has more than enough reasons, legal and otherwise to do as much...
In my opinion players play and coaches coach... Kiff just needs to shut up and coach, then like Gruden he will get more and more - when he earns it… Kiff has three rules for the team and I have them pinned to the top of the blog... one is "Always protect the team", another is "Don't Complain"... I wanna see Kiff live by his own rules, just coach dude - your an incredible coach, just coach - and we will be great...
Another important point… See, we Raider fans are far more active and passionate than any other team's fans... so when they write something "Kiffin Fired On Monday" they are guaranteed how many hits on their web-sites? - many THOUSANDS more than any other story.... its great for them... they are pissed with Al because he won't tell them sh!t, he is an easy target from the perspective that he does not respond to their lunacy (so they can say anything), and the more outrageous the stories are, the more clicks they get from Raider Nation... its a no-lose situation for them... they can and will continue this game regardless of whether there is success or futility on the field....
In the end, if some of you reading this blog can't see that these attacks are very personal on Al Davis, largely because he shuts out the media, well you are blind...
The media won't let this “Davis Fires Kiffin” thing go- no way, no how... the media is pissed that they have been wrong about this since January and that Kiffin is still here... they are embarrassed that he was not fired this week, because they all said that even if we won in KC (which they didn't think we would), Kiffin would be gone - and he is still here...
Now reporters are stationed at Raiders HQ, hiding in the f@cking bushes, basically ambushing and trapping Kiff coming back from his morning jog, trying to trick him in saying something else… where else have you seen such media fervour?
Now Kiff brought allot of this on himself, he has to learn to take it on the chin, to man-up and use “coach-speak”…. but don't you think the media is behaving very very weirdly? This goes beyond trying to take advantage of Kiff’s well documented honesty to break a story...that video of Kiff returning from his jog, isn't that, well kinda creepy? what the f@ck is the media doing?
I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago so I was listening to BSPN Late Night... ahole BSPN guy has Jason Jones from BallSacramento Bee and I was shocked that these two idiots couldn't even string proper thoughts or complete sentences together... Jones said he "heard one report, then there is another source, not sure if the sources are real, inside Raiders HQ, some people talk to Al, some don't, not sure what Al is thinking, some say he wanted to fire Kiff but when it got leaked he didn't - just to spite the media, yeah its strange, he was supposed to fire him and he didn't, maybe tomorrow, you never know cuz Al Davis is liable to do anything, what a soap opera blah,blah, blah"... they were just throwing out sh!t and admitting as much as not knowing if any of this is true but covering by saying "well its Raiderland, its Al Davis, its bizarre...what do you expect?" The BSPN scroll the other day said that “Kiffin to be fired Monday or by the end of season" ----WTF!?!!!?!
So, we see this reporter jump out of the bushes and ambush Kiff after his morning jog...and Al is acting strange? its this f@cking media frenzy that is strange... they are obsessed because time and again since January they have not gotten the story straight, they have these "scoops", manufactured or twisted, and they were sure they had it and they didn't... they look more and more foolish so they keep up the shark attack behaviour...
Look obviously something is up... how could there not be after 4-12 and getting spanked on opening night and Kiffin not keeping his issues in-house? something very likely may happen, and this media frenzy is not going away…
They want Kiff to be fired and it is backed by the on-going hatred towards the Raiders and specifically Al Davis... we ruled for a long time, and the NFL feared us... Al kicked sand in everyone faces for years… and Al, for good reason, cuts off the media like no other professional sports team does - and that infuriates them... they did not like it when Al hired Kiff... they wanted us to hire some no balls yes man because as they portray it no one else will work for Al... when Al found the next Shanahan/Gruden, they mocked him for it... and now that there is some smoke, they are doing everything they can to break it up....
Winning in the Buff won't change a thing... beating SD the week after won't change a thing... the media frenzy won't stop... and if we lose, all the better for them, because it might hasten Kiff getting fired... look they will not let it die... for all of you who say well winning will change it - no it won't... success will also intensify it, just like when we won backtobacktoback AFC Championships, when Gru was here the media wanted him gone, they would not let it go....
Kiff will stay as long as we win... which is really no different than any coach… but I hope he grows up abit…he’s not at USC anymore where he and Pete Carrol could do what they wanted, how they wanted, when they wanted... and besides, what exactly has he done to deserve to be GM?...
I ask that question because I was listening to Buff radio - when the Bills IRed their best LB Antonio Crowell a couple of weeks ago, Bills Head Coach Jauron didn't know about it till after, he admitted he heard about it when it was reported on the WGR... I was listening to the interview with the local radio guys when they asked him to explain why Crowell was IRed when it looked like he would only miss 4 weeks... Jauron said, "I can't answer that other than we needed the roster spot"... imagine if that story was in Oakland?
How bout them Cowboys? Head Coach Wade Phillips was brought in after Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett right? Wade was essentially told who his staff will be...Imagine what Kiffin would say to that? BTW, did I see Dave Campo on the sidelines on Monday Night?!?!!?! WTF?, he was fired as Head Coach but still is on the Cowboys sideline in caoching gear today, why? because Jerry Jones loves him… even Al didn’t do that with Art Shell… Does Dick Jauron run the Bills draft? are the free agents his doing? Jauron easily admits and accepts that he does not- its not his job… Does Wade call the shots during the draft? No way, sure he has some input but Jerry makes all the picks, and brings in all the free agents like PacMan and TO... how is that different than Al ---- other than Jerry welcomes the press with open arms while Al closes his door to the media and doesn’t tell them sh!t and that pisses them off… You might blame Al for that, but he has more than enough reasons, legal and otherwise to do as much...
In my opinion players play and coaches coach... Kiff just needs to shut up and coach, then like Gruden he will get more and more - when he earns it… Kiff has three rules for the team and I have them pinned to the top of the blog... one is "Always protect the team", another is "Don't Complain"... I wanna see Kiff live by his own rules, just coach dude - your an incredible coach, just coach - and we will be great...
Another important point… See, we Raider fans are far more active and passionate than any other team's fans... so when they write something "Kiffin Fired On Monday" they are guaranteed how many hits on their web-sites? - many THOUSANDS more than any other story.... its great for them... they are pissed with Al because he won't tell them sh!t, he is an easy target from the perspective that he does not respond to their lunacy (so they can say anything), and the more outrageous the stories are, the more clicks they get from Raider Nation... its a no-lose situation for them... they can and will continue this game regardless of whether there is success or futility on the field....
In the end, if some of you reading this blog can't see that these attacks are very personal on Al Davis, largely because he shuts out the media, well you are blind...
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