|
Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 30, 2013
With the season coming to an end and Black Monday arriving in full force with a variety of firings around the league, many fans speculated that head coach Dennis Allen may also be relieved of his duties. Allen held his season-ending press conference on Monday and stated he believes he will be back next season to coach the team once again. The team is coming off of Allen's second-straight 4-12 season and ended the game on a six-game losing streak. Allen, the youngest coach in the NFL, once again stated that he wants to be back and says that he's going to continue to work towards progress as he hasn't been told he won't be back. "I haven’t been told that I won’t (be here),” Allen said at his press conference on Monday. Allen said that he met with general manager Reggie McKenzie but has not yet met with owner Mark Davis, though "indications" point towards him staying for next year, though "we will wait and see." Allen does not know when the meeting with Davis will take place, but hopes that it occurs soon.
0 Comments
 Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 29, 2013
The Oakland Raiders were on the losing side of records once again on Sunday as Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos added to their resume on Sunday. Manning needed 266 yards to break Drew Brees’ record for most passing yards in a season, and he got just that, only playing in the first half. Fittingly, Manning broke the record on first and goal from the five yard line as he found an open wide receiver in Demaryius Thomas for the touchdown. The completion gave Manning exactly 266 yards on 25/28 throwing and four touchdowns. Manning now holds the record with 5,477 passing yards on the season. Manning’s four touchdowns also increases his record for most touchdown passes in a single season, now at 55. Brady previously held the record with 50 touchdown passes. Manning and the Broncos offense also broke the record for most points scored by a team as well in the first half. Needing just 18 points coming into the game, the Broncos offense broke the record when Manning found Thomas for a 63-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter to give the Broncos the 24-0 lead. Thomas beat cornerback Phillip Adams on the play. The Broncos rout in the first half also marked the most touchdown passes that a Raiders defense has given up. With the four touchdown passes to the Broncos on Sunday, the Raiders defense has now given up 32 passing touchdowns on the season. With so many players on one-year contracts, the Raiders front office has some work to do to repair a defense that declined mightily in the second half of the season. Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 29, 2013
Oakland Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor broke the Raiders' record for most rushing yards for a quarterback when he scrambled for 11 yards on the fourth drive of the day. The rush gave him 540 rushing yards on the season, breaking Gannon's record of 529 yards. Pryor needed just three yards coming into the game to break the record, which former quarterback Rich Gannon previously held the record with 529 rushing yards set in 2000. The young quarterback tied the record on the first drive of the day for the Raiders when he scrambled for two yards on third down, giving him 529 rushing yards on the season. Pryor has showed his athleticism when given the opportunity to use his feet, averaging 7.1 yards per carry in 10 starts this season. Pryor broke the NFL record for longest touchdown run for a quarterback earlier this season when he scampered 93 yards for a touchdown on a read-action play against the Pittsburgh Steelers. There's no doubt that Pryor holds incredible athleticism, but it still remains to be seen if he is the Raiders' answer at quarterback. Coming into the game, Pryor had a 57.7 completion percentage with five touchdowns and 11 interceptions, with 1,591 passing yards.  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 29, 2013
The Oakland Raiders faced a tough match-up for their season finale as they hosted the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Broncos handled the Raiders early on just as they had done to most opponents for the majority of the year, defeating the Raiders easily 34-14. The Raiders offense struggled to get anything going with Terrelle Pryor back as the starting quarterback, going scoreless in the first half. The lone highlight for the Raiders in the first half came when Pryor scrambled for an 11-yard gain, giving the team a first down and giving him 540 rushing yards on the season, the most of any quarterback in Raiders franchise history. Rich Gannon previously held the record with 529 rushing yards, set during the 2000 season. But that was about it for highlights for the Raiders in the first half, as Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense scored on every possession. Manning came into the game needing 266 passing yards to break Drew Brees’ NFL record for most passing yards in a season, and that’s exactly what he got. Manning carved up the Raiders defense in the first half, completing 25/28 passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns to give the Broncos the 31-0 lead in the first half. Fittingly, Manning’s record-breaking pass came on first and goal from the five yard line as he found wide receiver Damaryius Thomas for the touchdown, his fourth of the day. Already up 31-0, Manning gave up the quarterback duties to Brock Osweiler in the second half. The Raiders looked as if they were going to get on the scoreboard finally in the third quarter when backup fullback Jamize Olawale broke free to block a Britton Colquitt punt, but the Raiders offense still couldn’t capitalize. After going three and out, kicker Sebastian Janikowski hooked it wide right to miss his ninth field goal of the year. Janikowski is now 21/30 on the season (70 percent). The Broncos seemingly let off the gas in the second half with Osweiler in at quarterback and didn’t get back on the board until about halfway through the fourth quarter. After punting earlier in the half instead of going for a 54-yard field goal, Broncos head coach John Fox decided to kick a 54-yard field goal that Matt Prater nailed to give the Broncos the 34-0 lead. The Broncos defense came into the game allowing 25.7 yards per game but the Raiders were unable to score until roughly four minutes remaining in the game. Down 34-0, Pryor orchestrated an eight-play, 80-yard drive that culminated in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Rod Streater. The Raiders would score one more touchdown when Pryor found tight end Nick Kasa in the end zone for his first-career touchdown in the regular season, cutting the lead to 34-14 in the final minute. But that would be it for the Raiders as they would fail to recover the onside kick, allowing the Broncos to wind the clock out for the 34-14 victory.  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 27, 2013
The Raiders have announced that fullback Marcel Reece has been named to the 2014 NFL Pro Bowl. The nomination marks Reece's second-straight Pro Bowl after making it last year for the first time. Reece, a former wide receiver at the University of Washington, has quickly become one of the NFL's most-versatile. Reece has played in all 15 games with 14 starts so far in 2013, making 13 starts at fullback and one at running back (Dec. 8 at NYJ) when the Raiders lost Darren McFadden, Rashad Jennings and Jeremy Stewart to injury. “First off, it’s an honor to be recognized amongst the elite players in the NFL,” Reece said. “I just want to say thank you to my family and my teammates for allowing me to be myself and play at a high level, and also say thank you, last but not least, to the Raider Nation for showing their continuous support throughout the season and my career.” The 6-foot-1, 255-pound fullback has rushed for 218 yards on 46 attempts, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and has 31 catches for 320 yards. Starting at running back on Dec. 8 at the NY Jets, Reece rushed for a career-high 123 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown run, the longest rush of his career. Reece originally joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and spent the majority of the first two years on the practice squad before joining the active roster in 2010. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate in 2011.  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 27, 2013
Former Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha chose to announce his retirement as a Raider from Oakland Raiders headquarters in Alameda, Calif. on Friday. Flanked by fellow former Raiders-great cornerbacks Willie Brown, Lester Hayes and now safety Charles Woodson, Asomugha discussed his decision to retire as well as the impact the men on his side had on his career. He also discussed what late Raiders owner Al Davis meant to him and what it meant to play wearing the Silver & Black. The former Cal safety told a story of what it was like to drive back up to the Raiders headquarters, just as he did right after he had been drafted from nearby Berkeley. But this time he is starting a different journey in his life. “It’s the same scenario,” Asomugha said. “I parked my car and walked into the building. And another journey started for me. Asomugha, now 32 years old, was drafted 31st overall in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Silver & Black and moved to cornerback by Al Davis after playing safety at the University of California. Asomugha stated during the press conference that he always intended playing safety in the NFL, but it was a conversation with Davis that made him change his mind. He stated that he knew Davis had reached for him but stated that "In Al Davis fashion, he reached with confidence" and soon convinced him to play corner. Asomugha listened to Davis' advice and went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL, tallying 11 interceptions and earning three Pro Bowl invitations while with the Raiders. With his contract expiring after the 2010 season, Asomugha was largely considered the top free agent available before signing a five-year, $60-million ($25 million guaranteed) contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. After primarily playing in the Raiders' man-to-man defense, Asomugha's play declined while playing in more zone with the Eagles and last just two years in Philadelphia before being released. Asomugha was on the 49er's earlier this season but lost out to Raheem Brock before being released in early November. Asomugha's career ends with 15 interceptions and 80 passes defensed in 143 career games. As the saying goes, "Once a Raider, always a Raider"  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 26, 2013
The Raiders have announced that former cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will announce his retirement from professional football on Friday. Asomugha was once in consideration as the best cornerback in the league, with Buccaneers Darrelle Revis the other corner in consideration. Asomugha, now 32 years old, was drafted 31st overall in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Silver & Black and moved to cornerback by Al Davis after playing safety at the University of California. Asomugha played 11 seasons in the NFL, tallying 11 interceptions and earning three Pro Bowl invitations (all with the Raiders from 2008-2010). With his contract expiring after the 2010 season, Asomugha was largely considered the top free agent available before signing a five-year, $60-million ($25 million guaranteed) contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. After primarily playing in the Raiders' man-to-man defense, Asomugha's play declined while playing in more zone with the Eagles and last just two years in Philadelphia before being released. Asomugha most recently played for the San Francisco 49er's earlier this season before losing out to Raheem Brock as the team's third corner. Asomugha hasn't been on a team since being released in early November. The press conference will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday and the young corner will be flanked by fellow Raider-great cornerbacks Willie Brown, Lester Hayes and current Raiders safety Charles Woodson. Asomugha's career ends with 15 interceptions and 80 passes defensed in 143 career games.  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 26, 2013
The Oakland Raiders return home to finish up the season in front of the Raider Nation, hoping to end a five-game losing streak and head into the offseason on a somewhat positive note. But the Raiders certainly left themselves a difficult match-up for their last chance to get a fifth victory on the season: the 12-3 Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos. The Broncos coming into the game having secured their third-consecutive AFC West Divisional title but benefit with home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a victory against the Raiders at O.Co Coliseum on Sunday, meaning the Raiders will get the Broncos' complete effort. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is looking to break the season-passing yardage record on Sunday Though Manning already holds the record for most touchdown passes in a season (set at 51 last week), he will be looking to extend the record while also breaking Drew Brees' record for most passing yards in a season. The veteran needs just 265 yards this week against the Raiders to beat it. The Raiders are allowing 250.5 passing yards per game, but gave up 374 yards and three touchdowns to Manning in week three. Manning loves to spread the ball around to his target, but wide receiver Demaryius Thomas leads Denver in receiving yards with 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns. Thomas had 10 receptions for 94 yards when the Raiders took on the Broncos in week three. Fellow wide receiver Eric Decker led the team in yardage during said match-up, hauling in eight receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown. Running back Knowshon Moreno has led the way on the ground for the Broncos thus far with 939 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 53 receptions for 481 yards. But with postseason coming upon us, the Broncos may look towards a more running-back-by-committee strategy for Sunday to help conserve Moreno for the playoffs. This means that rookie running back Montee Ball could continue to see an increase in playing time. Ball has shown why he was drafted in the second round while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. The Raiders turned to undrafted rookie Matt McGloin as the starting quarterback the last six weeks but are handing the job back over to the athletic Terrelle Pryor for their season-finale. With little to play for, the coaching staff likely wants to get more film on Pryor for evaluation purposes, though Raiders head coach Dennis Allen states his young quarterback gives them "the best chance to win." Pryor currently leads all quarterbacks with 527 rushing yards and needs just three more rushing yards to break Rich Gannon's Raiders record of 529 rushing yards in a season, set in 2000. Pryor started their week-three matchup with the Broncos and performed well, finishing 19-28 for 281 yards and no turnovers. The no turnovers part will be key in this week's match-up once again as teams can ill-afford to give Manning extra possessions, especially if they occur on a short field. The Raiders offense will look to hold on to the ball for long periods of time in order to keep Manning and the Broncos' prolific offense off the field. The Raiders only held on tot he ball for 24:36 of the two teams' last match-up, they'll look to win the time of possession margin this time around. The Raiders coaching staff hopes to finish the season on a strong note with so many questions remaining heading into the off season. MILESTONES TO WATCH FOR: DE Lamarr Houston • Needs three sacks to enter the top 20 in Raiders team history. K Sebastian Janikowski • Has now converted on 163-consecutive PAT attempts. • Needs just 13 points to reach 1,500 for his career. • Needs 22 games played to pass Tim Brown and move into sole possession of first place on the Raiders’ all-time games played list. CB Mike Jenkins • Needs one interception to eclipse 10 for his career. RB Rashad Jennings • Has already surpassed his career-high with 724 rushing yards on the year. • Has already surpassed his career-high with 1,008 total yards on the year. RB Darren McFadden • Needs 307 rushing yards to eclipse 4,000 yards for his career. • Needs 462 receiving yards to eclipse 1,500 yards for his career. • Needs one rushing TD to tie No. 8 Charlie Smith (24, 1968-74) on the franchise’s career list. McFadden enters the game with 23. WR Denarius Moore • Needs nine receiving yards to reach 2,000 for his career. QB Terrelle Pryor • Is currently first amongst all quarterbacks with 527 rushing yards. Pryor could eclipse the Raiders’ single-season mark of rushing yards by a quarterback with just 3 more yards. Rich Gannon set the mark in 2000 with 529. WR Rod Streater • Needs 68 receiving yards to reach 1,500 for his career and 152 for 1,000 this year. S Charles Woodson • Needs six interceptions to tie Ed Reed for first on the interceptions list among all active players with 62. • Needs one INT-TD to pass Rod Woodson for first on the all-time list with 12. • Needs one defensive touchdown to pass Rod Woodson and Darren Sharper for the most defensive touchdowns in NFL history with 13.  Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 22, 2013
Even with the Raiders were plagued with penalties and many other deficiencies, it looked as if the Raiders were making a late run at a comeback against the Chargers on Sunday with just under 4:46 remaining. Down 26-13, undrafted free agent Matt McGloin found an open Rod Streater at about the two-yard line with the young receiver seemingly tumbling into the end zone for an apparent touchdown. But much to the Raiders' chagrin, the ball popped out in the end zone and the back judge ruled the play incomplete. The play was challenged but ultimately upheld by the referee crew. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen thought that Streater held on to the ball and had possession while over the goal line, which he believed should have resulted in a touchdown, though he knows it ultimately boils down to the refs' call. “I know what the rule is. It looked to me that after he completed the catch, the ball got pulled out in the end zone. I thought it was similar to the two-point conversion, when I was in New Orleans against the Indianapolis Colts, that was called a two-point conversion, but, they make the call." The rule is that you have to maintain possession all the way through the ground. I thought he maintained possession all the way through the ground and then the ball was pulled out after he had gone to the ground," Allen continued. McGloin and Streater were both under the same impression that they had a touchdown completion as a result of the play, but that the refs make the ultimate call no matter what the players think. "I thought I had a couple of feet down and I made a football move to get into the end zone," Streater said. "I thought it was a touchdown, but the refs are the refs, and they thought it wasn’t, so you got to go with them." McGloin was also surprised with the call but was proud of how his team kept fighting after the frustrating call. "It’s a difficult call to make and obviously we’re going to say 'we thought he got in,' but you’ve got to move on from that play," McGloin said. "Obviously it wasn’t touchdown so I thought I was proud of we kept competing there in the end and tried to score there in the end and give us an opportunity to win there.” Former vice president of officiating, Mike Pereira, chimed in on Twitter, stating that it "clearly" was not a completion. Clearly incomplete in SD/OAK game — Mike Pereira (@MikePereira) December 23, 2013 Though it may not be as "clear" to Raiders fans as it is to Pereira, it was clear that the call was a major hinderance to the Raiders' comeback. The play occurred with 4:46 remaining in the fourth quarter and would have brought the score to 26-20, a one-score game with time left for the Raiders to come back. Instead, the Raiders' drive continued to run the clock down as they ultimately failed to get in the end zone when McGloin's fourth-down pass fell incomplete with just 59 seconds on the clock. From there, Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers was able to take a knee and run the clock out. Originally published on Silver & Black Report on Dec. 22, 2013
One of the reasons for the Raiders inability to leave San Diego with a win on Sunday was due to their inability to stop committing penalties. The Raiders finished with a season-high 12 penalties for 73 yards against the Chargers, and that is with three of the flags being declined by San Diego. Many of the penalties occurred on third downs, aiding the Chargers 54-percent third down efficiency. "We had a bunch of offsides and things like that. Just things you can't do," Woodson said of the teams' penalties. "We shot ourselves in the foot all game long. That's how it's been all season. We have made costly mistakes in critical situations that have hurt the football team." The game marks the seventh time in the last 11 games that the team has had eight penalties or more. Raiders head coach Dennis Allen attributes that to the team moving away from fundamentals as a result of players trying to make plays happen. "I really think it boils down to guys are pressing to make something happen and we’re not sticking to our fundamentals and technique like we need to," Allen said. "That’s what happens when you don’t stick to your fundamentals and technique. A lot of penalties we are getting, a lot of them are during the play, at least a lot of them today were during the play. We just got to go back to work on our fundamentals and work on that and continue to improve there." While penalties are going to happen for the most part, Allen knows the un-smart penalties need to be avoided. One such penalty that could have been avoided was when cornerback Mike Jenkins came up to tackle Ryan Mathews for no gain but then decided to knock the ball out of the running back's hands way after the play was dead, resulting in a taunting penalty. "We’ve got to play smarter," Allen said. "Penalties are going to happen in the game, but we can’t have the not-smart penalties which cost your football team." Matt McGloin knows that the offense needs to do a better job of limiting pre-snap penalties as well and believes that working on it at practice will help limit the effect an opposing crowd may have. He also knows that so many penalties make it difficult to win in the NFL. "Obviously you can’t have that many penalties an win a game," McGlaoin said. "As frustrating as it is, we were dealing with a lot of things out there: a loud crowd and things like that. So I thought that definitely played a factor into it, but again, that’s not an excuse it’s just something we have to work more at at practice. You know, working with a lot more silent cadences and stuff like that. It’s just an opportunity for us to keep improving, something to learn from." According the NFL.com, the Raiders now have 114 penalties on the season, second to the Seattle Seahawks who have 121 penalties. The Raiders need to cut down on the penalties next week if they have hopes of surprising the Denver Broncos in their season-finale. |
Archives
May 2014
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
