Oakland Raiders: Kevin Boss Likely Out Against Broncos

or DMC … that’s who I want with the ball more than anyone

Sproles was ballin tonight its a factor. Also the rookie for Green Bay we have those kind of weapons and if we put Miller there he are handcuffing ourselves…

Still a good down field threat but able to catch across the middle and damn good down field blocker in run support…

Hue did say he would put each player in positions to make plays and design plays around the talent he has…Will we now really see all that come to Pass???

It’s like something MLK would have said.

From here on in, it’s a guessing game.

Al Davis is running the Raiders, but to what extent?

Is the old pirate captain at the helm, lashed to the wheel in the storm, or is he kicking back in an island hammock, sipping a drink from a coconut shell while his mates run the ship?

Davis’ state of involvement – and health – is a mystery and a crucial question hanging over the Raiders as they begin their quest for the winning season that has eluded them the past eight years.

If Davis has backed off and ceded leadership powers, who’s running the show? And how will the who’s-in-charge uncertainty affect the team that always, always has been Al Davis to the core?

We know he’s still calling the big shots. Exhibit A will be seen Monday night, when Darrius Heyward-Bey trots onto the field as a starting wide receiver. That’s pure Al Davis. Davis drafted DHB because of his speed. Davis forced the No. 1 draft pick into the lineup as a rookie when Heyward-Bey’s work ethic was substandard and last season when the results weren’t there (26 catches for 366 yards).

Heyward-Bey has shown improvement, and he works hard now, but based on camp and on preseason games (four catches for 72 yards), DHB clearly rates below veteran free-agent pickup Derek Hagan (12 for 224), who has clicked with quarterback Jason Campbell, and rookie flash Denarius Moore (eight for 88).

Heyward-Bey starts partly because of the Zito Syndrome – if a team is paying a player a massive amount of money, he plays. But Heyward-Bey starts mostly because Al Davis is a stubborn man. Two classic examples:

— Nnamdi Asomugha. Davis drafted him from Cal and converted him to cornerback. Nobody except Davis believed Asomugha could be a viable NFL cornerback – not the team’s coaches and not Asomugha.

— JaMarcus Russell. He is the gold standard for substandard gold. Davis, determined to show the world he was right about Russell’s greatness, still would be running him out there as a starting quarterback had Russell not blown himself up.

The point is, Davis makes the key calls for the Raiders – who’s on the team, who plays and how they play – vertical offense and man-to-man defense.

Campbell is Davis’ baby, and the boss got rid of valuable backup Bruce Gradkowski because Campbell was uncomfortable with Gradkowski breathing down his neck.

Because Davis is the most hands-on owner in team sports, his health is a major question. His ailment is a mystery to the outside world. It has left him mostly confined to a wheelchair and has sapped at least some of the energy that allowed a younger Davis to do the football work of three or four men.

In the old days, Davis was on the field every day, actually coaching the players. In recent years, his appearances at practices have been increasingly rare and mostly ceremonial.

On the telecast of the last exhibition game, a camera zoomed in on Davis in his box. He was wearing a Raiders baseball cap. I’ve never seen Davis wear any type of hat. Something else was different, but it didn’t register until I talked to my mom, who watched the game on TV.

“Every other time I’ve seen him on TV,” Mom said, “he’s leaning forward, intent on the game. This time, he was just sitting back.”

Maybe at that moment nothing was happening on the field and Davis was taking a break. But because the Raiders cloak everything in secrecy and mystery, Raiderland is a speculator’s paradise.

I will bet on this: Gone are the days of Davis dispatching orders, via messenger, to his head coach during games, or stalking the postgame locker room with benevolence and vengeance.

If Davis’ influence has been dialed back severely, head coach Hue Jackson is determined to keep alive the image of Davis as bold, active leader.

Jackson said of his relationship with Davis, “He is someone that I can communicate with, bounce things off and talk to, talk through things with. As I said before, this is his team, I respect that. But, boy, do we really have some great conversations about where we need to go and what we need to do to get better.”

Jackson, referring to the team’s final roster cuts, specifically wide receivers, said with a smile, “I get 51 percent of the vote.”

The new head coach probably is off by 2 percent there, but that’s a nod to Davis. The boss doesn’t want the outside world to think he’s too bossy.

It’s a weird dance the Raiders have danced for decades now, and the dance goes on.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/06/SP5I1L0FI7.DTL#ixzz1XQqdaDWg

Let that “Donkey” Spanking begin!!!

I mean come on guys. I really believe his route running is above average now, mix the with the speed and you got a decent receiver. I have high hopes for him. Watch him on Monday. And MAKE SURE YOU MENTION ME WHEN HE SUCCEEDS.

That means Groves is now awesome!

Although we do feel collectively that you guys will surely miss both Cable and Nnamdi.

Cable will not be missed as Hue was the reason for the offensive upgrade last year.

They have GPS we should be good!