Originally published on SBReport.net on May 22, 2012

Linebacker Rolando McClain gave a formal statement from Alameda regarding his legal situation following the Raiders second open OTA session on Tuesday.

McClain did not take any questions, just gave the following statement:

"I am aware of the bad publicity that I’ve given the Raiders. After talking to Coach Allen, I have the support of the Raiders, my teammates as well as the coaching staff. I apologize for the bad publicity that’s been put out there, but it is a legal process so I can’t talk much about it, but i think, in due time, the Raiders and the Raiders fans will all see it come to an end; it is what it is. I can’t talk much about it but it will be resolved in the near future.” 

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 22, 2012

The Oakland Raiders held their second open OTA session at their Alameda practice facility on Tuesday morning. 

Raiders head coach Dennis Allen spoke with the media following the practice session, addressing linebacker Rolando McClain's role with the team, what he saw from his squad on the field, as well as his expectations of this offseason.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 18, 2012

Raiders linebacker Rolando McClain was sentenced to 180 days in prison for his incident last year that involved the middle linebacker assaulting and discharging a firearm beside a man’s head in his hometown of Decatur, Ala.

While little is known as to what may happen to McClain next, the Raiders must continue forward as if they will not have him. Whether the new regime in general manager Reggie McKenzie and head coach Dennis Allen punish or even cut McClain is still to be seen, along with any consequences received from commissioner Roger Goodell.

As it stands, McClain’s 180 days is set to begin on June 1, which makes it incredibly unlikely for him to suit up in the Silver & Black for the 1012 season.

With little cap room and limited free agent linebackers, the Raiders are most likely going to look to replace McClain with a current player on the roster.

Oakland drafted two linebackers in April’s draft, Miles Burris out of San Diego State and Nathan Stupar out of Penn State.

Burris is listed at 6’3”, 236 pounds and has experience playing both inside and outside linebacker positions while at San Diego State. Burris is an athletic, hard-nosed linebacker that brings hard hits and is a sure tackler. The weakness in Burris lies in his ability to cover, a similar weakness to McClain who often looked lost or too slow in coverage.

Stupar, the nephew of former Raiders quarterback Jeff Hostetler, was a seventh-round pick and was used sparingly during his tenure at Penn State. While in college, Stupar showed great motion and ability to diagnose plays. The problem is Stupar was used primarily as an outside linebacker and has the tendency to get swallowed up by blockers. Stupar has already stated that the Raiders intend to move him as an inside linebacker.

The Raiders also have two veterans in Aaron Curry and Travis Goethel who they can turn to in an attempt to replace McClain.

Curry, who was acquired by trade midseason last year, has not lined up in the middle much but did appear as a middle linebacker for some snaps during their OTA session on Tuesday.

The most likely replacement lies in Travis Goethel, a third-year player out of Arizona State who has been hurt for much of the past two years. Goethel has shown he is a solid instinctive player and has looked good in the limited amount of preseason work he has received.

In fact, Goethel hasn’t played a down in the NFL since 2010, where he appeared in eight games and recorded nine tackles.  Despite his injury issues, the former regime in Oakland liked what Goethel brought to the field, and if he can remain healthy, Goethel remains the favorite to start at the middle linebacker position in place of McClain.

McClain not only brought bad publicity to the Oakland Raiders, but he also put them in a tough situation. Head coach Dennis Allen has stated he likes the talent McClain brings to the field, but now he may never see him on the field playing under him. No matter what they chose, the Raiders must find a way to shore up the middle linebacker position as the defense was already a weak unit last season.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 15, 2012

The Oakland Raiders held their first Organized Team Activity on Tuesday at their practice facility in Alameda, Calif.

Only four players missed the practice: Mike Mitchell (knee), Richard Seymour (excused absence), Rolando McClain (legal issue) and Marcel Reece (hasn’t signed tender).

Players participated in both individual and team drills throughout the practice.

One player that stood out was fifth-round draft pick Juron Criner. The 6’3” wide receiver proved to be too much for the defense to handle, consistently making plays against the secondary.

After making a tough catch on a ball thrown behind him from quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Criner beat the first-team defense down the left side and out-jumped safety Tyvon Branch and cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke to come down with the 50-yard touchdown catch that drew chatter from the rest of the team.

Later in the practice, Criner hauled in another deep pass, this time from Pryor down the right hand sideline for a long completion.

Criner seems to be building a repertoire with Palmer, as he was seen talking to him as they walked off the field following practice.

“‘That right there set the standards,’” Criner said of the advice Palmer gave him following practice. “‘you expect nothing less from yourself and if you go a practice without making a play you should be mad at yourself, because you’re expected to do that day in and day out.’”

Head coach Dennis Allen likes what he has seen out of Criner so far, but knows it is still early.

“It’s been a learning process for him,” Allen said of Criner. “I think every day he gets a little bit better and he learning more what to do, so I was pleased with the way he practiced today. It’s not a whole lot different than what he saw from him on tape in college, so it’s what we expect out of him.”

Running back Darren McFadden returned to the field for the first time since being injured midseason last year and appeared to be healthy while making quick cuts. Allen likes what he sees in his star running back’s health.

“I thought he looked pretty good. He’s out here running around and looks like he’s running full speed so I’ve been pleased with what I’ve seen so far,” Allen said.

Having had to gameplan against him before, Allen knows just how dangerous McFadden can be and how important it is to have him healthy and incorporated into the Raiders offense.

“Explosive homerun hitter on any given down and those are guys that are tough to deal with because you might bottle them up for a while but all it takes is one play and he hits a homerun and ends up beating you,” Allen said of McFadden. “He’s an exciting player and he’s working out here to get better, to learn the system, make sure he knows what to do and how to do it, and make sure he can execute it under pressure.”

Quarterback Carson Palmer looked solid, connecting on deep passes along with shorter passes to the outside. Palmer was picked off once when tight end David Ausberry

bobbled a pass that ricocheted off about five players before being caught by linebacker Aaron Curry, who took it back to the end zone.

The Raiders lined up Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore as their primary receivers on offense, with Jacoby Ford as the third receiver.

All three receivers ran crisp routes and looked comfortable running the routes asked of them, with all of them hauling in nice receptions from Palmer.

“I liked our effort. I think our guys are flying around, they’re working hard,” Allen said. “They’re doing what we preach: ‘get a little better everyday,’ and that’s what they’re doing so I’ve been real pleased.”

On defense, the Raiders primarily lined up in the 4-3 as coach Allen said he can’t throw everything at the players at once.

Even while running a 4-3, the defense was able to get a solid push on the offensive line and get some simulated sacks on Palmer, while also getting to the ball carrier quickly on rushing plays.

Raiders second-year cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke appears to be playing much better than last year, looking to be much more instinctive in the secondary and turning his head to find the ball, two things he didn’t do well last season.

Veteran and likely starting cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer looked to be solid in both the pass and the rush game, quickly getting to wherever the ball was.

With Seymour absent, the starting defensive line had Tommy Kelly and Desmond Bryant in the middle with Lamarr Houston in the left defensive end position, along with Matt Shaughnessy and Dave Tollefson splitting time at the right defensive end position.

The Raiders will meet for another OTA session on May 22 in Alameda with SBReport.net in attendance to take down observations.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 15, 2012

Starting quarterback Carson Palmer addressed the media following the Oakland Raiders first OTA session on Tuesday. 

Palmer talked about the Raiders bringing in Matt Leinart, running back Darren McFadden's return to the field, and Juron Criner's impressive day on the practice field. 

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 15, 2012

Fifth-round draft pick Juron Criner spoke with the media following his first Organized Team Activity in which he impressed both his head coach and the media in attendance.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 15, 2012

The Oakland Raiders held their first Organized Team Activity on Tuesday in Alameda, Calif. with a majority of the team attending. 

Head coach Dennis Allen spoke with the media following the practice, discussing everything from injuries, his running back situation, the relationship between quarterbacks Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer, and much more. 

To hear the audio, click on the video below. 

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 14, 2012

Raiders quarterback Matt Leinart attended a conference call with local media on Monday and SBReport.net was there to cover it. 

Leinart discussed a variety of things including his recovery from injury, his relationship with Carson Palmer, and much more. 

Leinart explained that while remaining Houston Texans remained a possibility, he chose to follow former Texans quarterback coach and now Raiders offensive coordinator to Oakland because of his familiarity with the offense. Leinart also explained that the offense that Knapp is introducing will be a "highly-efficient offense built with a lot of big-play possibilities."

Leinart also spoke about his role with the Raiders, his history in the NFL, and his aspirations to be a starter in the NFL. 

To listen to the full audio, click on the video below.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 14, 2012

The Oakland Raiders have signed seven free agents following this past weekend’s rookie mini-camp in Alameda. 

The Raiders announced on Monday the signings of Eddy Carmona (P/K), Wayne Dorsey (DE), Kyle Efaw (TE), Kevin Haslam (OT), LeQuan Lewis (CB), TreShawn Robinson (FB), and Travionte Session (WR).

Carmona comes out of Harding University after transferring from Central Arkansas University before his senior year. During his senior season at Harding University, Carmona handled both the punting and kicking duties. Carmona hit 46-49 PATs and 10-of-13 field goals, including three out of four from 50 yards or more. He also averaged 38.3 yards when punting.

Dorsey, a 6’6” 272-pound defensive end, played his senior season at Ole Miss but only appeared in six games before breaking his arm against Alabama. Dorsey recorded a team-high three sacks despite having his season cut short due to the broken arm.

Efaw comes out of Boise State where he played all four seasons. The 6’4” 247-pound tight end appeared in 53 games and recorded 103 receptions for 1,269 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a senior, Efaw started in eight games and played in all 13 games, recording 31 catches for 264 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns. 

Haslam, offensive tackle out of Rutgers University, starred as a basketball player as a 195-pound senior in high school. Since then, Haslam has grown to a 6’5” 304-pound tackle that started his final 26 games of his college career at both guard and tackle. Haslam originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010 as a non-drafted free agent, but soon missed the 2011 NFL season due to a knee injury. 

Lewis played two seasons for Arizona State before signing with the Tennessee Titans last season as an undrafted free agent. At Arizona State, Lewis appeared in 22 games as a cornerback and wide receiver and recorded one interception.

Robinsons played at the University of Idaho as a linebacker and started at least one game each season. In 2011, Robinson led the team with 117 tackles while starting 12 games, including a 20-tackle game against Utah State. The Raiders currently have him listed as a 5’11”, 246-pound fullback. 

Session provides the Raiders with another wide receiver as a 6’2” 191-pound target out of the University of Nevada. Session played in 42 games during his four-year tenure out of Nevada, hauling in a total of 71 passes for 978 yards and six touchdowns, including 23 catches for 291 yards and one touchdown in his senior year last season.

The Raiders mini-camp hosted a total of 30 tryout players during their rookie mini-camp this past weekend. The Raiders head into their first OTA session on Tuesday, be sure to check back on SBReport.net for reports from Alameda.

Originally published on SBReport.net on May 13, 2012

Third-round draft pick Tony Bergstrom spoke with the media following practice at the 2012 Rookie Minicamp in Alameda, Calif. on Saturday. 

Bergstrom spoke of the honor of being the Raiders first draft pick, along with the nastiness that he hopes to bring to the Raiders offensive line.