It is a slow go not just in the world of NFL football, but the world of sports. We are in the dog days of summer in the baseball season. There is some Gold Cup soccer action and the Americans just qualified for the finals against Mexico, but that is the wrong football. That reminds me: do any of you watch sports show with Norm McDonald? Anyway, Norm wondered, "why do they call it football if they play it with a soccer ball?"
See how slow it is in sports? It's not just slow it is downright depressing. Looking at sports headlines is like watching court TV right now. The NBA is just getting cranked up on their own labor issues, which means double doses of headlines about people fighting over billions of dollars.
Onto the booty! There is not much in the way of Raider news right now. Check it out for yourselves....
Raiders Grab Bag O' Booty
Apparently the inverto Raiders are in two championship games. I have no idea how this works, but I do know it would be pretty damn sweet to celebrate two championships in a week.
SWARCO Raiders Play in Austrian Bowl Against Vienna
"We didn’t have much time to celebrate. And we didn’t have much time to prepare either," said SWARCO Raiders head coach Shuan Fatah. "Vienna will be absolutely motivated. They play in legendary Ernst-Happel stadium and they want revenge for the loss in the Eurobowl semifinal. We have tob e ready for anything. This will be the toughest challenge we have faced all season long."
SOB gave us a great look at how key time of possession was to the 2010 Raiders:
Below is another person waxing poetic about people trashing the Raiders as Marcus Allen Krause did here:
So Sick of All the Outdated Raider Jokes - Silver And Black Pride
Nobody wants it more than Al Davis | June
Bottom line in all of this rehashing is that nobody is laughing anymore. As early as the preseason last year, ESPN writers John Clayton and Chris Mortensen specifically, could tell there was something different about the Raiders now. As far as I can tell, it had a lot to do with that epic trade for the studly defensive tackle Richard Seymour. That is when things started to be not so meager.
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NFL Lockout: Resolution Day Predictions - Silver And Black Pride
Rolando McClain vs Eric Berry: Who Will Have the Better Career? - Silver And Black Pride
Raiders Roster Ramblings
I can't see Nnam going to Detroit. It would also mean the Raiders would have to face him next year. Lions fans are ready for it! They are taking any report they can get and running with it.
Detroit Lions To 'Make A Big Play' For Nnamdi Asomugha? - Pride Of Detroit
During the lead-up to the draft, Brandt said he has a "little bit of a connection" to Lions head coach Jim Schwartz. Brandt mentioned this because he said he didn't think the Lions would draft an offensive lineman, and he turned out to be right. Now Brandt is thinking the Lions have "legitimate interest" in Asomugha, and it's possible this could be based on more than just speculation. If he is once again indeed correct, things could get interesting when free agency opens.
Around the AFC West
A couple of days ago I took a look at how the likely new rules governing restricted vs. unrestricted free agents would play out in the AFC West:
NFL Free Agency: How the Proposed Free Agency Rules Affect the AFC West - Silver And Black Pride
The Chargers and Raiders are the losers of the proposed free agency rules
Here is a good overview including players that don't fall in the gray unrestricted range:
What AFC West FA class could look like - AFC West Blog - ESPN
ESPN Stats & Information prepared a free-agent primer. Listed below are key AFC West players who would be affected if Schefter’s expectation plays out:
Denver Broncos
I am really hoping the Broncos trade Orton. I don't think Tebow is a starting caliber NFL QB, and I know Brady Quinn isn't.
NFL.com news: Expect Kolb, not McNabb, Palmer or Orton, to get dealt
Despite Tebow mania sweeping the country and a segment of the Broncos' fanbase, Orton by far gives the team its best chance of winning games now ... something the Broncos haven't done an awful lot of lately. It would take a lot to pry him away (starting in the second-round level), and team officials doubt that kind of demand will be there. If it materializes, the Broncos will listen but I'd be surprised given this unusual offseason if he's not their opening-day starter.
Kansas City Chiefs
Apparently some Chiefs fans are going Lady Gaga over Ricky Stanzi.
Slow Down, Stanzi: It's Time For The Press To Respect Matt Cassel - SB Nation Kansas City
Yet another article recently came out at ESPN praising the Chiefs draft selection of former Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi (and rightfully so), and yet another pundit (in this instance, Steve Muench) has Stanzi as the Chiefs future signalcaller.
San Diego Chargers
This article brings up an interesting point...
San Diego Reader | "Salary Cap Issue May Keep Chargers in Town" by Dave_Rice
If the salary floor continues to increase, as it has in every year since its inception, teams in the smallest markets with the least opportunities for revenue may soon find themselves unable to raise enough to pay their players even the league minimum. This in turn will force team owners to operate at a loss or relocate their franchises to a bigger market. This, hopefully, means that some other owner inks a deal to land in LA before the Chargers can get the moving vans packed.
but I don't think owners needed any more motivation to possibly make more money.
Around the Lockout
NFL lockout has 'still maybe two weeks to go'
One NFL player said the NFLPA told him progress is being made "but there's still maybe two weeks to go" before a settlement is likely. The main topic of discussion is the breakdown of total revenues.