Argh! The Pirate Booty is bountiful today me mateys! We have all kinds of various tidbits in the Raiders news treasure chest. Like the headline suggests there are numbers pointing towards the greatness of Michael Bush on third downs, an adoption of Al Davis' policy to domestic affairs, and perhaps the most important negotiation in the history of the league are set to begin today.
Check it all out yourselves....
Michael Bush was rated as the third best third down back in all of football by football outsiders according to their DVOA statistic, which I would explain, but can't since I am not a physicist.Higher Education: The best third-down running backs - Shutdown Corner - NFL Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Michael Bush(notes), Oakland Raiders -- 32.8% DVOA (18 carries, 112 yards, 50% Success Rate) Bush and Darren McFadden(notes) comprised one of the league's best rushing attacks; that's why the Raiders ranked sixth overall in Rushing DYAR despite a passing attack that was well below average. It's unknown how a new coaching staff, many new offensive linemen, and a change in blocking scheme will change that; it has to be frustrating for Raiders fans that just as Oakland got an offensive philosophy together for the first time in years, everything's now up in the air.
I think they get a little carried away with the potential impact of the change. The offense will have the same play caller, and the only O-linemen that you can assume will be gone is Gallery, and any other change is theoretically for the better.
This article has nothing to do with football and everything to do with politics. It is an interesting article, and the merits of the ideas could be debated now and from the end of time, and this isn't a forum for political debates, but it's cool to read about the Al Davis philosophy transferring over.
The Al Davis Doctrine - Colin Dueck - National Review Online
Here lies the relevance of Al Davis. In warfare, the most important thing is not really the declared support of the Arab League, or the public-opinion polls, or the exhaustion of all other alternatives. Once warfare is initiated, the most important thing is to win. In the absence of winning, no other good outcomes or objectives are operative.
If Al Davis were involved with warfare I can see him being very similar to George Patton, or maybe even Col. Kuertz from Apocalypse Now.
This is a completely mediocre article, but I say a medicore article about the Raiders is better than a Pulitzer quality article about anything else.
Raiders Must Improve to Become Contenders | isportsweb
Behind the defensive line is a young talented group of linebackers and defensive backs that includes all-pro safety Michael Huff and standout safety Tyvon Branch. Huff is more of a coverage safety, but Branch is the type of linebacker that can come in the box and make a huge stop in the run game.
Raiders Roster Ramblings
Who knows where Vince Young is going to wind up, or if he will even be in shape to play football when the lockout ends. I do know that if he were willing to come in as a backup and prove his worth I would sign him to the Raiders in a second.
Teams are looking at whether Vince Young mishandled money | ProFootballTalk
Len Pasquarelli of the Sports XChange writes that a few teams are "investigating rumors [Young] may have mishandled his money" and are worried about his perceived lack of maturity. Mishandling money would hardly be a unique issue for a top-ten pick, so a deeper investigation could indicate a larger problem. We went back and watched Young’s snaps from 2010. It wasn’t all perfect, but his play on third downs and his ability to fit the ball into tight windows was impressive. Take away the baggage, and he’d easily be the top name available this offseason.
Nnam News
Peter King weighs in on Nnam's future home, and he sounds like every other NFL "expert" by listing the Eagle, Dallas and Baltimore (an emerging favorite) as his top three. Then as a dark horse he brings up a team I hadn't seen or thought about, but makes sense, the Seahawks.
Peter King - SI.com
Phili Dallas Balt I could see Seattle kicking the tires. The Seahawks don't have a $10-million-a-year player, and Paul Allen's got the dough. We'll see, but my guess is Asomugha ends up in the NFC East.
The Seahawks definitely need a corner, but in the end I don't see them making this move. Peter Carroll is going young. He is trying to patch together the present while building to the future. Signing Nnamdi is the exact opposite of that strategy.
Terrelle Pryor Connections
Terrelle Pryor to the Raiders makes sense on the surface, but the below reasoning and the fact the Raiders have never ventured into the supplemental draft make a pretty compelling argument that it is not a likely destination.
ProFootballWeekly.com - Raiders have choice to make on Pryor
Problem is, to acquire the prospect, Oakland would have to sacrifice a 2012 draft pick. The team is already without its second- and fourth-round picks because of prior trades, one of which netted them Campbell. By adding Pryor, the team would have only four picks next April.
Around the AFC West
San Diego Chargers
I find this funny. I am glad this is not my coach saying this:
Turner eager to do what Nowitzki did: prove he can win it all - SignOnSanDiego.com
The reality hasn’t changed. He’s the same guy he’s always been. He might be a little better right now than he was at some point. He may have a better supporting cast. Maybe they didn’t have to beat the Lakers when the Lakers were at their best. So it’s timing and all that.
I don't want my coach to admit he is aware of his public perception. He needs to have a thicker skin than that, and for the record Dirk wasn't the same guy he's always been. He elevated his play and leadership this year—especially in the playoffs.
Denver Broncos
John Fox has a lot of work to do. I can't imagine there are many coaches in the NFL more anxious for the lockout to end than he is.
Broncos coach John Fox still waiting as NFL lockout hits 100 days - The Denver Post
"As soon as that gun goes off we've got multiple plans in place, so we're just waiting for the race to start," Fox said.
Kansas City Chiefs
ProFootballWeekly.com - Chiefs could be ready to let go of OLG Waters
For the past decade, OLG Brian Waters has been a premier player for the Chiefs, earning five Pro Bowl appearances while being a leader both on and off the field. However, he might be nearing the end of his Kansas City career. According to our team sources, Chiefs management is very high on reserve OG Jon Asamoah, a third-round pick a year ago. GM Scott Pioli comes from New England, which was known for getting rid of veterans with big salaries and replacing them with younger players. That scenario might play out soon with Waters.
The Patriots philosophy has turned them into a perennial contender and playoff disappointment. I am all for the Chiefs adopting that strategy. The fact that they will be doing it with Matt Casel under center instead of Mr. Bundchen should turn them into perennial mediocrity defined.
Around the Lockout
NFL owners to discuss labor talks Tuesday - ESPN
One day of owners' meetings could turn into two. Whether that's a sign of progress toward the end of the lockout and labor peace is debatable.
What I don't think is debatable is the fact that the agreement the owners come to is the real key to the future health of this league, and not what they agree to with the players.
And this is a fight in which the Chiefs and Raiders are in the same pirate ship:
Clark Hunt must stand up to big-market NFL owners - KansasCity.com
The key point of this, though, is that the owners agree to continue the most equal revenue sharing system in major professional sports. More money to share doesn’t help the Chiefs if it’s shared unequally, and this is a battle that is much less players union vs. owners than it is Clark Hunt vs. Jerry Jones. Jones, the outspoken Cowboys owner constantly pushing for individual teams to control more of their own revenue, is influential enough throughout the league that any deal probably needs his approval before enough other owners agree.
These assholes are selfish
NFL lockout takes toll on the American economy - The League - The Washington Post
Consider that for the average city hosting an NFL team, a regular season accounts for the employment of about 3,739 people, according to an Edgeworth Economics report commissioned by the NFL Players Association. That’s 115,000 jobs across the entire country. Each community that hosts an NFL team would suffer a loss of approximately $160 million in economic activity, about $5 billion spread across the 31 communities that NFL teams call home.