Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 28, 2014


After keeping much of the coaching staff intact, Raiders quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo appears to be drawing some interest from the Cleveland Browns to fill their open offensive coordinator position.

One other offensive coach to keep an eye on for Browns: Raiders QBs coach John DeFilippo. Cleveland has shown some interest.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 28, 2014


DeFilippo has worked with the Raiders for a total of four years, two separate two-year stints (2007-2008, 2012-2013). In between his stints, he worked as a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the San Jose State Spartans.

As offensive coordinator for the San Jose State, the Spartans ranked 23rd in the nation with 276.8 passing yards per game and also set a school single-season record with 297 passing completions.

Should the Browns extend an offer, DeFilippo may be drawn in by the money and the ability to climb up another step of the NFL ladder and being named an offensive coordinator.

UPDATE (12:14 p.m. 1/28/2014): ESPN's Adam Schefter is now reporting that DeFilippo is scheduled for an interview with the Browns on Thursday.

In addition to Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday, Browns also scheduled to interview Raiders QB coach John Defilippo on Thursday for their OC job.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 22, 2014

There will certainly be a lot of news coming out of the Senior Bowl and upcoming events that will relate to the Raiders, but there's no question that any news relating to quarterback prospects are especially interesting.

The team is expected to target a quarterback in this year's draft after missing on Tyler Wilson in the fourth round last year. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie has also made it known that the Raiders do in fact need a franchise quarterback.

Just a day after Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd told WalterFootball.com that the Raiders have shown him the most interest, more news broke about the young quarterback.

According to Rotoworld, a Green Bay Packers scout called Boyd "not draftable."

Boyd possesses many of the assets teams look for in a quarterback but he can also be inaccurate. His accuracy during this weekend's Senior Bowl will certainly be something scouts will be keeping a close eye on.

Boyd finished his senior season completing 69 percent of his passes for 3,851 yards, 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while also rushing for 400 yards.

What occurs for Boyd on the field the remainder of the week and in the game on Saturday will likely have a strong impact on his draft stock. Boyd is currently believed to go in the second round.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 22, 2014

The new NFL Pro Bowl format has NFL Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders "drafting" their respective teams for the Pro Bowl this season.

Raiders fullback Marcel Reece, who is attending his second-straight Pro Bowl, was assigned to Team Sanders after Rice selected Carolina FB Mike Tolber. There are only two fullbacks sent to the Pro Bowl.

But it doesn't sound like Sanders is going to utilize Reece the way that much of Raider Nation knows he can be used.

“That's who we want. We love him because he's not getting the ball. All we want him to do is block, for that man over there,” Sanders said during the broadcast, according to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez. The man he referred to Reece blocking for is Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles.

Reece can be a tough mismatch for linebackers and a defense and Sanders should find innovative ways to get him the ball as we have all seen his ability to be much more than a blocking fullback.

The former University of Washington wide receiver has 1,481 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns to go with his 723 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in his 62 games (45 starts) played in the Silver & Black. Reece finished the 2013 campaign with 218 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and 331 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.

Reece finished last year's Pro Bowl with just one carry for one yard rushing and no receptions on one target.

Lets hope that Sanders' quote is just a smokescreen and he utilizes Reece in other capacities other than just blocking.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 14, 2014


The Raiders announced Tuesday that they have signed one more player to a reserve/future contract, adding safety Tony Dye.

Dye, a 5-foot-10, 205-pound safety, originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in May of 2012 but missed all of 2012 while on the Reserve/Injured list with an ankle injury.

Dye was then waived by the Bengals following the 2013 training camp but quickly signed onto their practice squad. Dye was eventually elevated to the active roster in November and appeared in one game, recording just one special teams tackle before being waived again in December before re-signing to the practice squad.

The three-year starter at UCLA recorded a team-high 95 tackles during his senior year.

The Raiders have now signed 14 players to reserve/future contracts.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 14, 2014

ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter has tweeted that the Raiders have re-signed defensive coordinator Jason Tarver to a new deal.

Not to be outdone by Chargers bringing back their DC John Pagano, Raiders have re-signed their DC Jason Tarver.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2014

Tarver, who's deal expired today, was thought to be exploring other options but it appears that he recent trend of continuity in Oakland will extend to the defensive coordinator position.

It was reporter earlier in the offseason that owner Mark Davis was reluctant to give two-year deals to Dennis Allen's assistant coaches but we have already seen assistant head coach/offensive line coach Tony Sparano sign a two-year extension just three days ago.

Tarver's defense started strong in the season but struggled down the stretch towards the end of the season, giving up 36.8 points per game over the last five contests. The Raiders defense also gave up a franchise-worst 56 points to the Kansas City Chiefs week 15.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 14, 2014

Rookie linebacker Sio Moore has been named to the Pro Football Writers Association's 2013 All-Rookie Team, the PFWA announced on Tuesday.

Moore was selected in the third round (66th overall) of last April's NFL Draft and quickly made an impact while playing in 15 games, with 11 starts, and recording 55 tackles, 4.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Moore's 4.5 sacks was tied for fourth-most among fellow rookies this season.

The 6-foot-1, 240-pound linebacker out of the University of Connecticut was also named the Pepsi Next NFL Rookie of the Week for his play in week eight against the Pittsburgh Steelers, logging eight tackles and 1.5 sacks.

The accolade marks the first time a Raiders rookie has been named to the PFWA All-Rookie team since offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski was named to the team in 2011.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 13, 2014

Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie announced the signing of three more players to reserve/future contracts on Monday.

The Raiders have announced that they have signed linebacker Frank Beltre, center Jarrod Shaw, and cornerback Neiko Thorpe to reserve/future contracts.

The addition of the newest three makes that 13 new players signed to reserve/future contracts by the Raiders since the season ended.

Beltre played defensive end while at Towson University but has since moved to the outside linebacker position in the NFL with his 6-foot-2, 240-pound frame.

Shaw has spent time with the Cleveland Browns after playing both guard positions, and left tackle, while at the University of Tennessee.

Thorpe originally signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2012 out of the University of Auburn. After being released on August 25, 2013, Thorpe signed an agreement with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 12, 2014

Former Raiders punter Ray Guy has been named a finalist for the 2014 class of the NFL Hall of Fame.

Guy is the first and only punter to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft, going 23rd overall to the Raiders in 1973.

Guy is largely considered the best punter of all time finishing with a 42.4 yard average in 207 games with the Raiders. Guy also averaged over 40 yards per punt in 13 of his 14 NFL seasons.

Guy has been named a senior committee selection, giving him a better chance to be inducted after being overlooked over previous years. Seven of the last eight senior nominees have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Guy has been a finalist seven times but has been voted down for a wide-variety of reasons.

Though he is a senior selection, Guy still must receive 80 percent of the vote to be inducted, just as the other finalists must.

The vote takes place on February 1, 2014.

The Oakland Raiders announced via Twitter that offensive line coach Tony Sparano has signed a two-year deal to remain with the team.

Tony Sparano has signed a 2 year contract to remain the Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach of The Oakland Raiders.

Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Jan. 9, 2013


Former Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown was named a finalist for the 2014 NFL Hall of Fame class by the NFL on Thursday.

Brown was named a finalist last year's class but ultimately lost out as Cris Carter was the only wide receiver to be inducted in 2013.

Though fellow wide receivers Andre Reed and Marvin Harrison have also been named finalists for 2014, Brown possesses the numbers to give him a good chance.

Brown, who was with the Raiders from 1988-2003, currently holds the fifth-most receptions in league history with 1,094 to go along with the fifth most receiving yards in league history with 14,934 yards. Brown also is tied for seventh most with 100 touchdown receptions. Brown also averaged 10.1 yards per punt return and added three punt returns for touchdowns. Making his feats even more impressive, Brown suffered a torn MCL and PCL in 1989, his second year in the league.

To put Browns' numbers into perspective, Hall of Famer Carter hauled in 1,101 receptions for 13,899 yards and 130 receiving touchdowns.

Brown does face tough competition once again this year in Reed and Harrison. Reed hauled in 951 receptions for 13,198 yards and 87 touchdown receptions. Harrison snatched 1,102 receptions for 14,580 yards and 128 touchdowns.