Bleacher Report - Articles by FL Raider Girl

Al Davis Fired the Wrong Coach

FL Raider Girl — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:48:20 -0400

I said it to all of my friends and family the minute I found out that Al Davis had fired Lane Kiffin: "Al Davis fired the wrong guy."

The defense is sketchy. They played well against Kansas City, but hey, it's Kansas City. They did well against Buffalo—until they went to Prevent Defense, and then they sucked again. They did well against San Diego, until the wonderful Prevent D, and again they gave their opponents the game.

As I type this, it's the fourth quarter of the Raiders-Saints game, and there are 34 unanswered points on the board from the Saints. The Raiders' defense, mostly the secondary, is falling apart under Rob Ryan.

I don't know what Al was thinking. He can't be happy with what is going on down in New Orleans. It's a mess. I know they're on the field a lot, but that excuse is getting old. They weren't tired in the first quarter when the game started. And they started off crappy.

The whole point of this article, which will be short, is that Al Davis needs to give this team to someone else. He cannot run this organization anymore. This team has gone to hell in a hand basket and I feel sorry for some of the players that are good.

I'm done complaining and I'm done saying that maybe next week we will win. We will not win again until Al Davis signs his name on the dotted line.

I'm glad Al Davis is at the game, and that he sees first-hand that he should have fired Rob Ryan instead of Kiffin. Big mistake, Al.

Hope you're happy!

Raiders-Chiefs: Oakland Is Slowly Restoring the Faith!

FL Raider Girl — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 13:21:46 -0400

The Raiders did a phenomenal job today against a piss-poor offense and defense. Don't get me wrong; we had flashes of brilliance: Our QB wasn't sacked and he threw zero interceptions.

Darren McFadden showed us today why he was the No. 1 draft pick, and why he will be Rookie of the Year. I won't put the fumble on him. It was knocked out by his teammate's foot. That was just luck, or lack of it.

Still, McFadden definitely has proven to me why he was picked. He's damn good. Adrian Peterson was beat out by this guy today.

The comparison is this: Adrian Peterson had 29 attempts for 160 yards, 26 yards being his longest.

McFadden has 21 attempts for 164 yards, 50 yards being his longest, and he had a TD.

I'm not saying that he is better than Peterson, but that shows that he is damn good. Russell is still making the rookie mistakes that I expect him to make. He was rushing his throws out there today, even with some decent protection. But it's gonna happen.

Mario Henderson...He did really well today. Did they threaten to bench him if he didn't step up or what? I was real happy with his play today.

Our secondary was doing its job as well. Hall still had his miscues, but compared to last week, need I say more. Asomugha was his usual self. Morrison and Howard are beasts. I'm just glad they're Raiders.

Burgess had a phenomenal game as well, as did Kalimba Edwards and Gerard Warren. Looks like Ryan had all their asses in a sling this week. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for those meetings.

Michael Bush had a great showing today, with 16 attempts for 92 yards and a TD. Yes, he did have a fumble, but hey, this was pretty much his first regular-season game, if you don't count the one play he had last week.

Fargas is out with a groin injury. We're not sure how serious, but it's probably just a pulled groin.

Now, let's see how we do against a team that actually has an offense and defense. We play the Bills on the road next week. This will tell everyone how the Raiders really are.

And to give a little credit to the Chargers, they got duped by the refs today. First the (non) fumble and then the Cutler, incomplete, whatever the hell that was at the end.

Oh, and to all of the Bronco fans that were making fun of JaMarcus last week for going to throw the ball and he brought his arm back, and he fumbled it. Look familiar!

Raiders-Broncos: Oakland Suffers Disastrous Start to a Supposed Great Year!

FL Raider Girl — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 08:29:25 -0400

All right, this hurts to break down, but it has to happen. And it's gonna be HARSH!

I had high hopes, just like a lot of other people, about DeAngelo Hall. Those hopes were deflated Monday night. You cannot be 10 feet away from your receiver every single play. He was burnt—badly—by a rookie, no less.

I hope it was fluke, and I won't make any predictions on how we will do until Week Four of regular season, as always, but if this is how the Raiders' defense is gonna play, then pack it up and put it away. That was horrendous in every form of the word. No heart!

Rob Ryan's lackluster defense underperformed on all sides. The penalties? Bad! No blitzing is ridiculous. Why not blitz??? Is that Ryan's fault or Al Davis? I don't know, and nobody else knows either, but somebody better infiltrate the Raiders' organization and clue somebody in on blitzing your opponent.

The only decent performance was from Russell. Give credit where credit is due. He has a crappy, Swiss cheese O-line and clueless, slippery-handed receivers. This is pretty much his rookie year, and the stats for the game with what he had to work with weren't bad.

The RBs are next. I don't care if you have Adrian Peterson, put him behind our O-line and he's gonna be crap. You can't call McFadden bad until you see him behind an O-line that opens up lines. Our O-line has the holes, but they are filled up with defenders. I actually feel bad for a few people on this team right now. There's such wasted talent!

If this happens again next week against the Chiefs, then we're in trouble. BIG Trouble!

I have nothing else to write about. That was just plain embarrassing, horrendous, ridiculous, stupid, and whatever other negative comment you can come up with.

Oakland Raiders Have Issues That Are in Dire Need of Resolution

FL Raider Girl — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:40:50 -0400

As a devout Raider fan, I am gonna take a different stab at this. Instead of being overly optimistic, I'm gonna be super picky!

Lane Kiffin said it himself at halftime during the Cards game last night. Our defense is ready, but our offense is embarrassing.

With that said, I would like to point out areas that really need some help and fast.

If the Raiders play a team that has a shutdown run defense, we are in serious trouble. JaMarcus needs a better WR corps. That is such a waste of QB talent in my opinion. Well, I started off with the most obvious issues.

Next, our suspect run defense. It was good the first half of the Cards game, but fell apart, even with most of our first-team defense still in. There looks to be a lot of confusion during the run.

And someone please tell me why Rob Ryan doesn't blitz. What is the rationale of his thinking? If you don't pressure the QB, then they will be successful, period.

Where is Russell's pass protection? JaMarcus was running for his life 75 percent of the game last night. That's ridiculous. Cooper Carlisle seemed to be "not there" last night. Three or four times, I watched as he ran around with his head up his ass.

Now, with the season-ending injury of Drew Carter, we're down one on our already thin WR corps. So actually, with what I saw last night, we might be in some trouble.

Hopefully, the play calling that Kiffin was putting out was meant to put them in situations that were difficult. That's my only hope at this point, but I am not sure.

I'll be happy with seven wins this year. That is to be compared to my prediction of nine before preseason. I still can't wait for my trip out to Oakland in September. Hopefully they pull out a win against Denver. I think we can win some games with our rushing attack alone, but we'll see.

NFL Rookies Making Way Too Much Money

FL Raider Girl — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 09:47:18 -0400

I agree with Roger Goodell about the rookies making way too much moolah! I understand that these are supposed to be the best of the best from college. But that doesn't mean that they are going to be superstars in the NFL.

So you look at Tom Brady. (I know that I am going to catch hell from my Raider Nation for using him, sorry) But, Brady wasn't even taken until the last pick in the sixth round.

Now I don't know what he received in his rookie season, but I am sure it wasn't $70 million. However, as he progressed in his career, he earned more and more money.

You need to prove yourself. And each year that you do that, you get a raise. Just like in a regular career. That just might make a player play harder. Which would make the NFL a lot more interesting.

I am tired of watching players that stop playing their hardest because they aren't winning. If there was a set amount that a rookie started with, then they also couldn't hold out with their contract.

This aggravated me so much last year with JaMarcus Russell. In my book he is starting as a full rookie this year. So that's my rant on contracts. Agree or disagree, I think that all sports should adopt this policy.

Oakland Raiders: Which Young Players Could Make the Biggest Impact?

FL Raider Girl — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:10:42 -0400

Darren McFadden, Gibril Wilson, DeAngelo Hall, Kwame Harris, Javon Walker, Drew Carter...the list goes on and on.

Do you know how excited I am?

Of course, there is some apprehension, but a lot less this year than in previous seasons.

The biggest area of concern is still the defense. The biggest question mark is, "Can they stop the run?" If they can do that effectively, then they will get at least eight wins. One of those being San Diego.

If they can stop LT, then the Chargers will have to contend with Hall, Asomugha, Wilson, Huff, Howard, and Morrison. And that is six players that are going to get a lot of attention this season. Nobody wanted to throw to Asomugha last year, so now with the addition of Hall, it's gonna be a free-for-all.

Another person of serious interest this year (my favorite future pro-bowler), tight end Zach Miller. This guy is going to be great. Give him another year under his belt and he's going to explode. He's got good hands, very athletic, and he reads very natural.

Just watch him, and all the new blood, Raider Nation! I'm out!

Oakland Raiders: Why So Hated?

FL Raider Girl — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 04:45:10 -0400

The Oakland Raiders, have from inception, had their up and downs, just like every other team. They have won three Superbowls. Some teams have won more and some have won less. Others, none at all. I know our record speaks for itself. So why are we so hated!

I see teams that didn't do well last year, like the Miami Dolphins, 1-15. But they aren't talked about like the Raiders are.

Is it because the of the fans of the Raider Nation? Are they too loyal? Wait, can you be too loyal? I know that I have seen more Giants gear worn by more people since they won the Superbowl. But, that's the case with every team.

Is it because of stick-um and the days when the Raiders knew how to tackle? And I only say it that way, because I think the Raiders need to get back to the days of when they hit someone, the other guy fell down hard. But that is another story (hmmmm....Hey maybe another article later).

Is it because of our wonderful catchphrases like "Just Win Baby", "Pride and Poise", "Commitment to Excellence"?

Or is it because of the "House of Thrills", good ole Oakland Coliseum? How other teams don't like to play in "our" house. Because of the Black Hole and our committed fans that dress in skulls and pirate outfits. Fans that usually bring a dummy dressed in the other teams colors to tear apart when the other team gets close enough to see it.

I am going to actually welcome comments from people that are willing to tell me why they hate the Raiders.

But one condition, I don't want people that come in and say "because they suck". I admit it's been a bad five years, but after 48 years we've had more good than bad. So, really think about it and comment. Myself, as a 28-year fan, is dying to know.

Javon Walker, Oakland Raiders Hope for Stellar Season

FL Raider Girl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:55:31 -0400

Well, here we sit. Three weeks away from preseason’s start and it’s time to analyze. I first want to start off saying that I love this team. We have gone from one extreme to the next. We have been the biggest winners and biggest losers, but we are still the “Team of the Decades” and that won’t ever change.

This is the year that we will start to see a difference to this team, a swagger if you will, when all the pieces start to click. The only question is Javon Walker. Will he be ok?

Is the death of Darrent Williams still a factor? And will the recent attack have any lasting effects on this could-be No. 1 wideout? Those are the questions I have.

This is the year for JaMarcus to shine and shine is exactly what I think he will do. McFadden is another key addition. Even though we have Fargas, I think McFadden, Fargas, and Bush will be a trio of Backs that will help each other stay healthy for years to come.

Another person to watch again this year is TE Zach Miller. I think this guy is phenomenal. Book that. Thomas and Howard, as good as they are, will get even better. Asomugha and Hall, who are you gonna throw to now?

One more little question, is Tommy Kelly. I know that he is moving to a new position, but it is a more natural position. He’s one that is either gonna be really good, or stink up the joint. Then Huff and Wilson…another good pair to keep eyes on.

Now, my personal opinion about the AFC West this season. I think the Raiders have the ability to at least take the second spot. Our only issue will still be San Diego. Albeit, not a big issue. We just have to stop LT and they’re ours.

Simple, but true. Time to close this out. Next blog will be as the season starts. This is the year to kick it into gear! GO RAIDERS!