I need some help here. I've been looking all day for solid information on the salary cap issues facing the Raiders this coming offseason. I have seen lots of projections that the Raiders are going to be over the cap by around $17million at approximately $140.9million, but I can't find any solid data to support this. The best I've found is the data at http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/oakland-raiders/cap-hit/ that shows the Raiders have $98.4million committed amongst 29 players to the 2012 salary cap.

Does anyone know if the projections are based on filling the remaining roster spots around league average salary of $1.9million per player? Also do they take into account "dead money" and if so does anyone know where you can track the "dead money" carried by a franchise?

Finally does anyone have the specifics on how the Raiders cap numbers are affected by the release of Stanford Routt? I've seen all sorts of estimates or suggestions but no math to back any of them up. According to http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/oakland-raiders/stanford-routt/ the contract included $20million of guaranteed money. We know that $5million was only guaranteed if he was on the roster 2/10, which didn't happen. That reduces the guaranteed money to $15million, of which $10million was paid last year. So by my math the Raiders are on the hook for $5million this year counting as "dead money" against the cap. Anyone know any different?

Well today I decided to give you all 3 prospects who are probably not talked about at all. I went into CBS Draft and looked around, and I finally spotted these 3 fellows. Yes, two of them are OLBs and one's a Safety. No secret that I think OLB is our primary concern. I'll look at more CBs next post seeing as how Routt got cut, but I'm willing to bet we get a CB through free agency. Anyways, lets all take a look these prospects shall we? Let me keep in mind that since these are THREE prospects I am posting about, I will limit my thoughts on them.... as I would like to present them to you guys as quick as possible so even YOU can tell me YOUR thoughts. ;) (Also want to say that I am trying to find a way to get pictures through sb nation.... so I will get pictures up when I can)

The first prospect we will look at is OLB Demario Davis. Let me post up a couple videos to get you familiar:

demario davis- arkansas state football (via King23Respected)

Demario Davis 2011 preseason highlight (via King23Respected)

Yes, the first thing we all notice is his tackling and his hard hitting ability. But we all know hard hits aren't all important. There are other qualities that define a great OLB. Anyways, Davis is a 7th round prospect out of Arkansas State. That's right 7th. He is 6'2" 232 lbs, and runs a 4.6 40. In 2010 he recorded 63 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one sack, 2 INTs, 2 FF and a fumble recovery. So far in 2011 (through January 9th) he has 31 solo/69 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 1 INT, and 4 passes broken up...... holy crap that's awesome (and he is a 7th rounder). You can view stats from all four of his years here. Oh, and it looks like he plays all the LB positions.

What I saw in the video is his vision. He follows his instincts well, and sacrifices life and limb to get to whoever has the ball. He seems to have pretty good coverage skills as well, judging form some of the video and the stats. For a 7th rounder, he seems like a low risk and VERY high reward. Very interested to see if he can live up to his hopefully high potential. Here is his short profile on CBS Draft: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1263584/demario-davis

Next on our prospect list is OLB Tank Carder, out of Louisiana Tech.Here is a video for ya:

Tank Carder NFL Draft Analysis - 2010 Season (via TMBDraft)

What I really like about Carder is his vision and read and react ability in the vid. I only watched a bit of it, so I don't know if I have seen many big hits, or anything. From what I seen, his tackling is pretty sound, and he can cover both the run and pass. But I just love his read and react. lol

In 2011, he has an INT that went for a TD, 45 solo/70 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 3 passes broken up. In 2010, he had 1 INT, a Fumble Return, 38 solo/61 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 5 passes broken up, 1 QB hurry, and 1 FF.

Here is his profile on CBS Draft:

Overview

Millions of people saw Ricky "Tank" Carder (receiving the nickname fcrom his parents due to his size at birth) earn the 2011 Rose Bowl MVP in the team's win over Wisconsin (three tackles for loss, game-winning pass break-up), but few know the road he took to achieve that success. In the seventh grade, Carder suffered a broken back and punctured lung/diaphragm in a rollover car accident. He was his high school's kicker and punter to avoid contact until his junior year, when he got the medical go-head to play any position; opposing coaches have been paying ever since. The lightly-recruited Carder earned some playing time (nine tackles, one for loss in 11 games) behind future NFLers Jason Phillips and Daryl Washington as a redshirt freshman, then earned second-team All-Mountain West accolades after stepping into Phillips' starting role in the middle in 2009 (89 tackles, 10 for loss, 10 pass break-ups). As a junior, he was named first-team all-conference (60 tackles, 9.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, five pass break-ups), All-American by multiple outlets,. TCU's aggressive 4-2-5 scheme asks Carder to attack gaps, taking himself out of plays, but his ability to close on the ballcarrier and make plays in coverage should earn him an early-round selection as a 4-3 strong-side linebacker or inside 'backer for a 3-4 team at the next level. The only bump in the road would be NFL teams' concerns about those injuries suffered years ago, and their potential to derail his career with the car crash-type collisons that happen every play in the NFL.

Analysis

Read & React: Heady player who always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Attacks ballcarriers in a hurry if a lane opens up in front of him. Loses the ball and overrun plays at times (Jack's notes: This is something that I sort of fear for both OLB prospects I put here), sometimes because he is attacking his assigned gap and other times because he is asked to be so aggressive. Run defense: Regularly flows to the ball using the correct attack angle. Dips shoulder or attacks blockers directly when filling gaps, can anchor to maintain the line of scrimmage. Identifies and avoid pulling guards, fights off multiple blockers in traffic using lateral quickness and strong hands to find his way to the ballcarrier. Will hurdle trash on the ground to get into the backfield, or get down quickly when facing pulling guards to create a pile in the hole. Lacks great upper-body bulk to keep from being engulfed by NFL-caliber linemen. Pass defense: Underrated athlete capable of covering running backs out of the backfield. Fair in dropping into his zone, gets sufficient depth on most plays and could be a bit more fluid moving backwards. Regularly breaks up passes whether making a hit over the middle or getting his hands up near the line of scrimmage. Tackling: Possesses the length and aggressive nature to be a solid tackler, typically dropping his hips and bringing his legs to assure the stop. Strikes ballcarriers with reckless abandon when getting into the backfield. Agile enough to breaks down in the hole and on the outside to prevent being eluded. Has only adequate upper-body strength to corral stronger ballcarriers in the open field with arm tackles. Pass Rush/Blitz: Good closing speed and strong hands to be effective as a blitzer. Lacks pass rush moves but has quick hands to swim past slower linemen and can find creases to knife through. Agile enough to grab mobile quarterbacks in the pocket. Benefits from being part of an aggressive scheme, consistently attacks the line. Intangibles: Team leader on and off the field, plays with fiery attitude. BMX off-road biking world champion at just nine years old. Some teams may consider him an injury risk due to the broken back, punctured lung and diaphragm suffered in a car accident in grade school. Plays with a neck roll as a precaution. Missed time before 2010 season after undergoing shoulder surgery, but returned for opening week. Was a kicking specialist in high school. --Chad Reuter

Okay now, the next prospect I want us all to look at is 6'2" 196 lbs (4.48 40 time) SS/FS Kelcie McCray out of Arkansas State. here is video for this intriguing 7th round prospect:

Kelcie McCray College Highlight (via seanm77722)

I'm not going to lie. He reminds me of Ed Reed. No way am I saying that he IS Ed Reed, but his ability to break tackles, be in position to get an INT, his instincts and vision in both the pass and run, it just feels like he has the potential to be an Ed Reed. In any case, here are some stats from 2010 and 2011.

2010: Started every game, and has not been injured. Recorded 47 solo/79 tackles (YIKES!!!), 2 INTs, 1 tackles for loss, 2 passes broken up. Okay so... he got a lot of tackles, but not a lot of tackles for loss. Something I believe Ed Reed does well, but not too entirely sure. And maybe teams did not pass his way at one point. But it seems I have talked him up a bit, but judging from the video, he looks pretty good for a 7th rounder no? Lets look at his 2011 season.

2011: 4 INTs, 34 solo/70 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 4 passes broken up.

Well I suppose he looks consistent to me. He can tackle for sure, but he also looks like a ball hawk. He looks more like a 3rd rounder, or 4th rounder to me. Hell maybe even a 2nd rounder if he increased his stock. For a 7th rounder? Don't tell me that he doesn't look like an intriguing safety prospect to me.

Well that's it. If I can get pictures, I will include them. tell me your thoughts, and I'll try and find more lower round prospects soon. :)

Being that we have brought over half the Houston Texan's coaches and Ben Tate and Bush in very similar situations what do you think would work out best. Both backs are looking for more of a lead role, even though bush has stated on his twitter that him and DMC are a 1-2 punch. Houston's 1-2 punch was foster and Tate. with DMC and Foster both having injury issues and both being the elite talent on their team it is almost identical. In our current position trading McFadden is a HELL NO!!, he is only due under $6mil next two seasons that's average for RB in the league right now even the franchise tag is way more than what we are paying. But I would rather take Ben Tate and our coaches knowing his running style over Bush. The franchise and trade is always an option, but not sure if teams are willing to pay franchise money and we could possibly get a 2-3 round for him.

Our backfield would look like this DMC/Tate/Jones/and I would so love picking up Doug Martin. Jones/Martin combo would be nice for the future. Then at FB: Reece and Late Draft Pick,Cartwright or Gordon thought he was decent back there in the limited action for blocking.

Hello Raider Nation. I just bought a white Bo Jackson raiders jersey and now I really want a black jersey. Many might not think Bo was one of the greatest Raiders since he only played for a four years. Since I love the #34 (you can tell by my user handle) and Bo Jacksons game I was debating on getting the black jersey as a Bo as well.

Now this is where I need your help. I will be purchasing one more throwback jersey in black but i need reccomendations on which player I should get. I was also debating Marcus Allen, Howie Long or Rich Gannon. Your input would be appreciated

Cutting Stanford Routt, the much maligned super athlete, chosen by Al Davis over Nnamdi Asmugha (the False Raider) and paid an unconscionable salary - $10 million - for pre-tackling WRs - who would otherwise have burned him, was a prudent decision by GM Reggie McKenzie.

I'd expected Reggie to first start shaping the roster by cutting the gross underachievers - the slothful players, e.g. McClain, or the undisciplined ones, e.g. Groves, and the timid ones, e.g. Murphy. But the realities of the cap and sound business practice are apparently of primary concern. Routt wasn't (by far) the worst starter - he simply was grossly overpaid.

Oakland's GM said he would hire our HC and let the man hire his staff; Reggie, for his part, will be deeply involved in player personnel and today he made the first corrective move and, I fully expect, this will be followed by several more ... and in short order.

What do think McKenzie's next move will be? Who goes next? Who will either refuse to restructure .... if even given that opportunity? Or, who is so undesirable that even a modest salary won't save him?

Man, when I started this site back in 2006, the Oakland Raiders had Art Shell as Head Coach, "Bed and Breakfast" Tom Walsh as OC and Aaron Brooks finished the season at 0-8 while the Raiders went 2-14.

As a team, the Raiders only scored 168 points. Insane!

Back then we used to have to write our own code in order to post photos or insert links and sometimes it took three minutes for a post to show up and I oun't tell you how many of my best posts enth eost when the spotty wi-fi of 2006 went down!

Fast forward to today and the has-beens, Shell and Walsh, have been replaced by the dynamic duo of Allen and Tarver, Carson Palmer is throwing the rock and the Raiders are coming off of an "Underachieving" 8-8 season.

The most noticeable difference, besides this awesome interface built by Trei Brundrett and his buddies in his basement, is that Al Davis is no longer with us.

I am wondering what, if anything you old timers miss about the old days or like about the new days. And for the new blood, what is it that draws you to S&BP?

I have a very special surprise for all of you coming soon as well as some really cool insider info to share once it is released but, for now, I'd like to hear from you, or rather from "Us".

If you'd like a format, here you go, otherwise just go free form:

When did you join?

What brings you here?

What do you miss?

What would you like to see?

Cheers!

WTF was my initial reaction. Not even a trade. Just released. I will look for a link but this is not good unless they are going to bring in a couple shut down corners. I got this from The Oakland Raiders Facebook page. This might be the start of a whole new defense with all new players. Who is next? Seymore? McClain? Was this a cost cutting move or the start of something good?. What is your guys reaction?

(Editor's Note: This news has been confirmed from multiple sources and from where I am sitting I see this as a shot over the bow to players who were overpaid by Mr. Davis. Stanford was our best corner last year and definitely had some trade value, so I am curious to know more about his structure )

The official Facebook for the Oakland Raiders just posted:

"The Raiders have released cornerback Stanford Routt."

Confirmed by Official Raiders Site: http://www.raiders.com/team/transactions.html

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