As you know we now have a weekly piece with , Oakland Raider Strong Safety, Tyvon Branch.
This week he followed up his piece by commenting in the comment section.
In case you missed it, here are some questions that he answered:
Tommy Kelly is a great player and for him to be able to do what he does takes a lot of pressure off our backers and secondary. When Seymour gets in here he will become a cornerstone of this defense. I look forward to his playmaking.
As you all know Greg has been in the league a long time. As a verteran player it is important for him to lead with his actions and be vocal when the time is right. Greg is an excellent leader for this team.
RG playing guard is just a change of scenery for him I guess. What happens in the offensive meeting rooms I dont know, but I guess it is working out.
Playing safety is a position where playing the box and coverage is both required and I think that is why I like it so much. It allows me to be versatile with my skills.
by TyvonB33 on Sep 9, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I like the direction the team is going
we finally have classy players and players committed to winning. i have been watching the raiders since early 95. TB and the rest of our guys look like there focused and are ready for the season. go raiders. i looked at who we have to play and i think we can go either 8-8 or 11-5 depends on how bias i am lol
YOU CAN PUT IT ON THE BOARD YES!
www.reverbnation.com/czheckproductions
by Czheck on Sep 8, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Tyvon I hope you are our starter!!!
Has the preseason affected the teams confidence one way or the other, and is the team focused on winning or was there validity to Greg Ellis’ statement about staying out all night then showing up to the game the next morning?
I ask this because over the last few seasons it seems like the team has been back and fourth about having a winning attitude. Last season I thought we competed, and fought hard, but just did not have the weapons on O to keep the D off the field, and we lost a bunch of games in the fourth quarter… (BTW that is very painful to sit through week in and week out), and other years, like when Jerry Porter (tooey!) was going through his grievance period (i.e. suspension) it just seemed like a good percentage of the team just gave up hope, and we played some terrible games. Im just wondering if we will ever be able to right the ship because it starts with HEART and I’m wondering if we have it.
Oh one more… Are players happy to be playing for the Raiders, or does everybody want out?
I ask this in ref to: Sapp, JP (tooey!), Curry, Moss (tooey!), Burgess, and other players who were so excited to jump ship then badmouth the organization.
by Oaktizzle on Sep 8, 2009 11:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I think we are turning over a new leaf in Oakland. The guys that are here want to be here. Like I have mentioned before and I am sure you have heard on ESPN for years, the preseason is much more important for guys like me then Greg Ellis. He is an amazing player and those guys are there to get back in football shape. He knows the defense and it shows. Whether he was out that late or not, I dont know, but trust me the focus is there.
by TyvonB33 on Sep 9, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was already a big fan, Tyvon...
…but seeing that you model yourself after Jack Tatum—my favorite Raider of all time—just made me a bigger one!
I’ve got a bunch of random questions….feel free to answer all or some or none!
It’s no secret that Tommy Kelly has been drawing the majority of double-teams for the last year which has limited his effectiveness to some degree. (I think it speaks volumes about his talent that he was still able to accumulate 79 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year) Do you think Kelly will be able to emerge this year as the dominant defensive tackle he has shown flashes of being now that offensive lines will be forced to devote more double teams to Richard Seymour?
During games, is Greg Ellis as quietly intense as he is during interviews or does he get more vocal?
If what I hear is right, Slade Norris was signed to the practice squad to give him more time to transition from defensive end who played some LB to full time linebacker in the NFL. Is he better suited to the strong-side, middle or weak side? What do you think is his best asset that will allow him to make the team next year?
Everyone here was thrilled when the Raiders signed Desmond Bryant as an undrafted free agent and I don’t think any of us were surprised that he made the team. He’s listed at 290 lbs….are there any plans for him to bulk up to 300-310?
How is Oren O’Neal’s knee looking? Does it seem to trouble him at all still?
Do you know what happened to turn Robert Gallery from talented-but-inconsisent tackle into a dominant mauler of a guard?
What do you like better….coming up to stack the box or playing pass coverage?
Finally, Rodney Harrison claimed yesterday that the team lacks confidence in JaMarcus Russell. Any chance I can get a from-the-horse’s-mouth statement from a member of the team that such a statement is the B.S. it sounds like?
Thanks once again!
by Raybin on Sep 8, 2009 10:09 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs