Every year, the so called "experts" jump down the throats of the Raiders for players signed and the money spent to sign them.
Now, when you have been as bad as the Raiders have been over the past five years, you become an easy target.
But anytime a team brings in new players it is a crap shoot.
As you will read below, the Raiders have found a few jewels that others have laughed at the Raiders for signing.
How many remember when the Raiders brought in Lincoln Kennedy from the Atlanta Falcons?
Kennedy was a first-round pick of the Falcons in the draft and Atlanta had him figured for a bust. When the Raiders signed Kennedy, out came all the so called experts.
The Raiders are nuts. The Raiders paid too much money. Kennedy is a bust!
These are just a few of the views of these experts. The end result is that Kennedy turned into a dominate Pro-Bowl guard for the Raiders for many years.
I always had a good laugh at how these same so called experts raved about Kennedy once he was playing at Pro Bowl levels with the Raiders.
How many remember the Derrick Burgess sining?
Here came many of these same so called experts to beat the drums. Who would pay that kind of money to an often hurt unproven young player?
With their smirks on TV, they would laugh and say only the Raiders.
Well after Burgess has played in the Pro Bowl two out of the three years he has been on the team, the laughing has stopped.
The Raiders ended up with one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and the money the Raiders ended up paying looks like a bargain today.
And who remembers when the Raiders drafted in the first round Nnamdi Asomugha?
Again, came the so called experts. The Raiders are nuts! Who would move up to take a player that would have been around in later rounds?
As the Raiders were figuring out how best to use Asoumgha, here came more.
He is a bust! The Raiders wasted a first-round pick on him!
Well, a few years down the road the Raiders have one of the best corner backs in the entire NFL in Asoumga.
I could go on for days. Rod Coleman DT, Grady Jackson DT, and La'Roi Glover DT are all Pro Bowl players the Raiders drafted that many of these experts questioned.
If I went back through time to list all the instances these experts were made to look like fools by the Raiders, I would be here for days.
The funny thing is what a short memory all these bright experts have on their past evaluations of many of the players that they have knocked in regards to the Raiders.
Now here we are in 2008 and they have all come out to beat the drums.
The Raiders have been big players in the free agent market this year and have been spending some money. I had to laugh when I read an article by a Bay Area Sports writer that I will not name.
A broken watch has been more on point than this guy has been over the years in regards to the Raiders.
He wrote that he had spoken with a team's GM that had played the Raiders in 2007. The writer goes on to say that the GM told him that Al Davis has sold part of the team and is flush with new money.
Then he goes on to say that the Raiders' free agent signings are a joke this year and that Al Davis is just spending someone else's money.
10 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Jeff Little about 1 year ago
I see where you're going Sonny and as a Raider fan I've had to read the same madness due to the team being as easy target to pick on but you do what you have to do to improve your team. All the so called experts can sit back and say what they want everyone over spends on players in free agency. As a team you've got holes to fill and you can and should build your team through the draft for long term success but if you feel a free agent can do the job immediately instead of waiting for him to develop you have to do. If said free agent works out and helps to improve the team it will prove all these experts wrong and the cost will be a mute point. We signed the majority of our own free agents and we picked Free Agents the fit needs the team has they are all good fits and its just a matter of if some of the guys are healthy and I feel they are. Oh and Lincoln Kennedy was an All Pro Right Tackle not Guard.
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Umer Waris about 1 year ago
I agree with you Sonny that only time will tell whether the moves by the Raiders in this free agency period were worth while or not and that these so-called experts have no right to determine the potential of a player. To me the Raiders have made terrific moves this offseason and still have the Darft to further improve their status. I for one anxiously await the arrival of next season. Who knows the Raiders may return to their reign of supremacy for which we all Raider fanatics have lived for.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Good Article, it was like coming up for a much needed breath of fresh air, after all those "experts" keep spitting this drivel, its all I read.
Good points and well done. Go Raiders.
Now lets go get Gholston. Gho Raiders
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cordell robinson about 1 year ago
yeah nice article. I listen to satelite radio football shows and they praise other teams moves or lack thereof. They can't wait to kill the raiders. Its amazing to watch how people love to follow someone else and not form there own orginal thought. If the raiders let namdi go like the pats let samuel go they would kill us, they would say that just the raiders being the raiders making dumb moves letting a great player go. go raiders f- the rest
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Sonny about 1 year ago
The Raiders are not going to let Nnamdi go even if they bring D Hall in by trade with Atlanta. He is the foundation of our D and is turning into a great leader. They will get a long term deal done with him. Wow I hope this deal goes through for Hall, with us finally getting a true SS in Wilson the Raiders will have one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Thanks for taking the time to read my article.
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Pete Politis about 1 year ago
Greatest article I've read in a very long time.
I wish I could put all those so called experts and ex-nobodys in a class-room.
Force them to watch their past words on a TV. Then bring in men like Kennedy to give them a lesson plan. All they do is smear the worst and laugh. Not professional at all, but at the same time they are putting The Raiders and Mr. Davis on a pedestal. They really don't have to. The trophy case in Oakland has been filling up over the decades and the HOF is full of Raiders. The Silver and Black will be back and as Al has said, "The greatness of The Raiders is in it's future."
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James Whitt about 1 year ago
One of best articles on the RAIDERS to date.It will not change the overall experts(so called) hate for the Raiders but at least you told them where tha stand.
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Sonny about 1 year ago
I know it will not stop anything but it sure made me feel good writing it LOL. I wrote it because I have been reading comments by some Raider Fans that look like they take everything these people write or say about the Raiders as Gospel. Thanks for taking your time to read it.
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Anonymous about 1 year ago
Great Read Sonny...I couldn't have said it better myself even though I've been saying it to everyone else. I get frustrated like all other fans do but also understand all teams of all sports go through roller coaster rides. I contend that the Raiders roller coaster has risen higher than most other teams coasters and have been to the high point almost as any other team. After losing all the great players to retirement and injury from the most recent Super Bowl team, I tell other Raider fans to hang in there because we lost way too many people to just fix this in a couple years. Keep up the good work.
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Sonny about 1 year ago
Thank you my friend. I know the Raiders and Al Davis have made some mistakes and the rebuilding has taken a little longer then I had hoped. But you hit it right on the head, Al and the Raiders made a Super Bowl Run a few years back with a team that had gotten older.
Had to rebuild and get younger and I think we are getting close and should be even closer after the draft. I am not blind and when someone writes something that is true regarding the Raiders that is not good it is what it is.
I just get tired off all the false and out right fabricated articles with regards to the Raiders. Thanks again for taking the time to read the article, Raider Rock.
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