Silver Mining 1/14: Raiders rookie class in 2018 forced into action earlier than anticipated

Raiders News

Raiders' rookies pressed into action earlier than anticipated for 4-12 team - NFL Nation- ESPN
Among the Raiders' rookies, first-rounder Kolton Miller had his ups and downs and Maurice Hurst proved to be a steal.

Revisiting 25 predictions for the Raiders’ season - SFChronicle.com
Just for fun, let’s revisit what seemed possible back in training camp, in the first season of Jon Gruden’s return as head coach, if only to underscore the turbulence of what came to pass.

Hey, insert name of American city here, wanna host the Raiders in 2019? - The Washington Post
Mark Davis said he won't renew his lease if he's being sued by the city of Oakland, raising the possibility that the new Black Hole could be coming to a city near you.

Raiders Opportunity: Senior Bowl Gives Gruden Upfront Opportunity - Full Press Coverage
“The Oakland Raiders are excited to coach in the premier all-star game in the land,” Gruden said. “The opportunity to interact with the Senior Bowl rosters and help these great young men achieve their dreams has the entire Raider staff galvanized. We could not be more pumped to get to Mobile.”

Oakland Raiders have no need for Nick Foles or Kyler Murray
The latest Oakland Raiders rumors suggest they could be targeting Nick Foles or Kyler Murray this offseason. The problem is they don't need either.

Raiders 2019 NFL Draft order: Final first round pick tumble stops at 27 as top seeds sweep Divisional round - Silver And Black Pride
All Raiders picks in the top three rounds are now set.

AFC West

Chargers return to playoffs but fall short of potential - Los Angeles Chargers Blog- ESPN
It was an early exit for the 12-4 Chargers in their first postseason appearance since 2013, but this team should be back.

Patriots defeat the Chargers 41-28 - Bolts From The Blue
Chargers trail from start to finish, can’t keep the momentum of the 2018 season rolling in frigid Foxborough

John Elway's new Broncos coach, Vic Fangio, is a "man of few words, except when you get him mad"
Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio is the proud son of a tailor, a prouder son of Dunmore, Pa., a burg of 14,000 and change tucked next to Scranton along the northeast corner of the Rust Belt

With the hiring of Vic Fangio, Broncos opt for defense - The Washington Post
The selection of the Bears' defensive coordinator breaks the trend of the NFL's offense-heavy hiring cycle.

Chiefs' Jeff Allen gets stuck in snow, finds homeless man who helped him and gives him AFC Championship tickets - CBSSports.com
A Good Samaritan down on his luck helped Allen get to the Chiefs game on Saturday

Forget the AFC championship, Andy Reid wants more - Arrowhead Pride
Andy Reid can taste the Super Bowl championship.

NFL News

NFL playoffs 2019: 32 things we learned in divisional round
All the top seeds moved on, and both the AFC and NFC Championship Games will be rematches pitting highly powered offenses against one another.

What We Learned in the N.F.L.’s Divisional Round - The New York Times
From the Chiefs’ running game to the Saints’ versatility at quarterback, there was plenty to note as four teams advanced to the conference championships.

NFL coaches get fired by the handful, but for the league's GMs, results don't seem to matter - CBSSports.com
Owners are more willing than ever to accept what their GMs tell them, regardless of what the standings suggest

NFL playoffs 2019: 9 Winners and 8 losers from the Divisional Round - SBNation.com
Patrick Mahomes, C.J. Anderson, and Michael Thomas are all smiles after this weekend. Philip Rivers, less so.