With all eyes turned to the lockout our Oakland Raiders once again made waves. The team that is never afraid to go it alone, went it alone. As you probably know by now, they were the only team not to vote on the proposed new CBA.
Here is quote released by the club:
"We have profound philosophical differences on a number of issues -- both of a football and economic nature. We have consistently expressed our views on these matters to the league. We have consistently expressed our views on these matters to the League. We voted in the manner we believe best for football and with the courage of our convictions.""
As it turns out the owners had a couple of last second addendum that the players weren't all that happy about. They are expected to vote on that today. So today we either end the lockout or head back to the negotiating table.
We've got the reactions from around the web to the Raiders abstinence and a few other gems in today's Booty. Jump over....
Reactions to the Raiders withholding their vote
NFL owners approve CBA 31-0, Raiders abstain | National Football Post
The Oakland Raiders, as they have done many times in the past, abstained from voting. So, it wasn't technically unanimous.NFL Fans: It's Happened | Who Dat Dish
Oakland Raiders being the only one to abstain. C’mon Raiders, just vote baby!Gentlemen, Start Your Footballs? - Battle Red Blog
Vote was 31-0 by the owners with the Oakland Los Angeles Oakland Raiders and Crazy Al Davis abstaining.Owners OK NFL labor deal; players still to vote - The Denver Post
Who knew that Oakland Raiders maverick Al Davis, the only owner to abstain from voting Thursday, would be management's only voice of reason?Al Davis "A True Raider" In Players’ Eyes Following Non-Vote | Football News Now
"Man I love Mr. Davis trendsetter he never follows the crowd," safety Mike Mitchell tweeted. "That’s a true Raider."Safety Michael Huff was also grateful for Davis’ actions, or lack thereof. "AL didn’t vote???? And that’s why he’s the man!!!!! He plays by his own rules," Huff posted on Twitter.
Raiders CEO: We have 'profound philosophical differences' with NFL - The Huddle - USATODAY.com
Trask said the team's misgivings stem from an organizational perspective, not directly from Raiders owner Al Davis. She did say the abstention had nothing to do with Oakland's stadium issues. Trask also underscored that the team is happy to see the lockout move toward resolution. "We've always looked forward to the resumption of football," she said.
Raiders Grab Bag O' Booty
Bruce Campbell Confirms Position Switch On O-Line | Football News Now
Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Bruce Campbell confirmed reports he would be switching back to tackle this season.
Click the above link to read more about Campbell or listen to the whole interview.
The fans think the Raiders are going to be the dominant team in the AFC West in 2014-2016. I don't even think we need to bother playing those seasons now.
Poll results: Raiders' dominance expected - AFC West Blog - ESPN
In the user poll (in which we received more than 8,000 votes), the Oakland Raiders were the wining team by a slight margin. As of 6:20 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oakland received 31 percent of the vote. Kansas City received 28 percent, Denver received 24 percent and San Diego received 17 percent.
It sounds like Jeremy Ware is hungry and staying in great shape.
NFL's work stoppage fails to slow down Ware | The News-Press | news-press.com
n addition to doing speed and agility drills on one of the softball fields, Ware, Indianapolis Colts running back Javarris James and others also have been running the stairs within Hammond Stadium during the afternoon. "Oh, let's see," Ware said, asked about the biggest challenge Booth gave him. "Trying to figure out what Matt's going to do to us today. That's the challenge."
I like Ware. I think he is going to have trouble making the roster as a corner this year. As I've said before, I hope he makes the shift to free safety. He is a solid tackler and has good feet. If he can learn how to read the offense, he could be top notch FS.
Around the Lockout
Lockout -- NFL owners approve proposed labor agreement, await vote of players - ESPN
NFL owners approved a proposed 10-year labor agreement with the NFL Players Association on Thursday, leaving the potential end to the league's lockout in the hands of the players' vote.
Mort: Players vote expected on Friday | ProFootballTalk
"All in all, despite the games that were played by the NFL, things look much more optimistic," a source in player leadership told Mortensen.