Raiders "Next Man Up" Policy ... and cruel reality

No depth in the secondary. Half our starters would be second string on other teams to begin with.
If CJ, Routt, Huff, Branch or Mitchell go down for a long period it may get ugly. Im especially worried about losing Cj or Routt. Not they impress me but at least they are serviceable vets. On their best days, the guys behind them are unproven question marks.

On a semi related positive, our d-line looks really really solid. They should be able to put constant pressure on the qb. Forcing them into quick throws

of realizing some of the Emperors have no clothes; that those we had counted on lack those talents we had thought were in evidence. We need to get another CB and S.
Virtually every preseason presents another calamity of injuries for every team, but for OUR team we need a quick & good fix.

I still wondered if they are gonna try switching Branch to free with his speed. They say Mitchell is undisciplined but he made some pretty big plays last year. Took Huff a few years to be a solid safety. I love Mitchell’s intensity and he hits with reckless abandon as a player from the glory days. He just also seems to get nicked up as Hue calls it.

There has been some speculation about Mays being available and a lot of people would welcome that. The only thing that makes me curious about Mays is his own coach Peni$ Carroll didn’t even draft him when he was avail. Not that I give a huge credence to Carroll’s behaviors personally I don’t care for him in the least. It would raise a flag none the less.

I would agree another corner or safety may be needed for insurance if nothing else.

as far as Cb’s go, but the safety position is a need, and it needs to be a vet. MAK’s Atari Bigby is a good choice or anybody that has played safety in the NFL and didn’t totally suck.

Then we come to the way the Raiders use their safeties and how much pressure is put on them because of the system we use. Youngsters are not going to be able to handle the load of being a Raiders safety,
 I like Stevie Brown and he does have a year of experience in our system, but I don’t know if he’s ready for the full time job.

So I voted for absolutely another safety and maybe (but more like probably) another cornerback

@Jerrymcd Jerry McDonald

BLTN Raiders notes: Not sure if Routt is too sensitive to media critiques or just a realist, but regardless, he locked up everyone today.

12 hours ago via TweetDeck

DVD looked bad, but he is a rookie who is raw.

Walter will take time, but I am not ready to sell him out. There was a time where Jonathon Wilhite on the pats looked atrocious, but he is a lot better now as a slot guy.

The same can be said of the other guys.

And checkwa is currently injured, but I think he’ll be great at the slot.

We might have to rely on a short-term solution, such as how we replaced Scott with Moss until he recuperates, and maybe Moss might work out eventually – time will tell. We might have to find a solution at CB or S as we did at DE. I think that the solutions should be viewed as temporary because the long-term solution is next man up. I mean, we have a solid nucleus of starters but with little depth. Next man up should be dealt with solid college drafting as the long-term solution until even the back-ups are solid and reliable as in the old days.

The raiders were .500 with the league’s best corner and the Cards game proved nobody on this team can replace him. Al needs to bring someone in order to compete for a playoff spot. That goes for the WR spot as well. Raiders can’t expect to get by with c+ receivers for long, bringing in a veteran to show rookies and youngsters has been a reason why the raiders were so good 10 years ago. Al davis is trying to function like other teams and it’s not working, he should try to function like the Raiders.

Last season he was our most promising young corner.

Yes, I’ll admit the 2nd and 3rd team were terrible, but then again we were playing our 2nd and 3rd team defense!!
Even with them being as bad, imagine how much easier it would be if we had the rest of our 1st team D out there? there will be more pressure on the QB’s to make bad throws.
Even Walter might play good.
When they play bad with Seymour,Branch,Mcclain,Huff, etc.

Then we can say they suck. But till now.. lets just hope they can step it up.

People say that they feel so bad because he is a high potential guy that has never got the chance to show his real talent because of injurys. But the real reason i feel bad is when your drafted in the 7th round, your not expected to do much. He has the opportunity to be one of the star players to be drafted late, that shows what being a true NFL player, perseverance and any other good words you can think of. But i would not be at all surprised if it dosn’t pan out for this guy, i mean i hope it does, but please dont put your hopes to high, shit happens.

*Offensive lineman Stephon Heyer is wearing a protective sleeve on his upper right arm. He said he suffered a strained triceps in practice Saturday and that he won’t be out for too long.

Heyer was signed to compete for a starting spot on the line, and he has made the most of his opportunity so far. He is working at guard and tackle as a means of making himself more versatile.

"I felt good (before the injury)," Heyer said. "Moving around better. Felt like I’m in good shape right now. Definitely was making strides at either position. Just a minor setback. I’ll get some time here to heal up a little bit and get back to work."

*Approximately 100 fans attended practice Sunday. This marks the second straight day that the Raiders welcomed a small contingent of fans, when normally their practices are closed to the public.

The Nation decides and the Organization acts … at least, when we have such a rational and overwhelming consensus.