0 comments by Asher Mathews on 4/18/2014
In anticipation of the draft, which is now only 3 weeks away, we are going to look at the Raiders current team roster and see what areas they most need to address in the draft, with undrafted free agents or current NFL free agents and which position groups are strong enough that the team will […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 4/14/2014
Slowly and surely, through multiple sources and different writers, pieces of the Raiders’ 2014 Draft strategy are becoming clear. First, the Raiders are unlikely to take a quarterback in the first round or, at least, not at the #5 spot. Per multiple reports, this is because the Raiders aren’t in love with any of the […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 4/7/2014
The last two seasons, the Raiders have not been able to sign any “name” players in free agency while GM Reggie McKenzie was clearing the teams’ “out of whack” contracts. This year, for the first time since McKenzie became a GM, the Raiders have been able to sign players that have a reputation around the […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 4/3/2014
It seems like every year in Oakland is an offseason of change and 2014 has been no exception so far. The team has drastically changed at almost every position – the linebacker corps being, perhaps, the one exception. While we are still a month away from the Draft, I wanted to get an idea of […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 4/1/2014
The Raiders have been signing free agents left and right this offseason, going mostly with older veterans with a history of good to great production. Perhaps the one signing that bucked the trend was when the Raiders signed Austin Howard, a large offensive tackle who started every game in the last two seasons at right tackle for the Jets. […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/22/2014
The Raiders addressed their top position of need, yesterday, by trading the Texans for QB Matt Schaub. In doing so, they have given themselves extreme Draft flexibility. While the Raiders have need for depth and long-term solutions at every single position, their free agency strategy has bought them some time by signing productive, older vets […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews
As expected, the Raiders completed a trade with the Houston Texans for quarterback Matt Schaub yesterday. It has been reported that the Raiders traded their 6th round pick for the quarterback, who struggled mightily in 2013. When announcing the trade and bring out Schaub to talk to the media, Dennis Allen confirmed the mostly-obvious: that […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/21/2014
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Raiders are expected to trade the Houston Texans a late round 2014 draft pick in exchange for QB Matt Schaub. Schaub, who has been with the Texans since 2007 when he was acquired by Houston in a trade with Atlanta, had a down year last season and eventually lost his […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/19/2014
We are through the first week of free agency and the Raiders have been one of the most active teams. Free Agency started with the Raiders allowing both of their stated priority re-signs, Jared Veldheer and Lamarr Houston, go without contracts. In the first day, the Raiders were twice laughed at by national media and […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/16/2014
A sports radio station in Houston, TX, SportsRadio 610, is reporting that the Raiders are in "serious talks" to trade the Texans for QB Matt Schaub. The trade details are unknown at this time. If the Raiders completed this trade, it would likely be for a late round pick of the Raiders as the Texans […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews
Every year, I look at the Raiders new additions, both through free agency and the draft, and break down what I see are the strengths and weaknesses of each player. This year, I am starting with recent addition, CB Tarell Brown, who jumped the bay from San Francisco to Oakland on a 1 year, $3.5 […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/13/2014
The Raiders signed their second pass-rusher of the day, signing LaMarr Woodley this afternoon, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal is reported to be two years and have a max value of $12 million. Guaranteed money is not yet known. Woodley has played OLB in the Steelers 3-4 scheme but will likely play many […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews
The Raiders tried to put yesterday’s events behind them by signing former Giants defensive end Justin Tuck today, for a reported two year contract worth up to $11 million. The guaranteed money has not been disclosed. Tuck has been a very productive force for the New York Giants since 2007. In the last seven seasons […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews
Full disclosure: I’m a highly patient and deliberate man. I don’t like to react immediately to things because it takes me time to sift through the complicated and often conflicting details that emerge from the various reports. The situation with Rodger Saffold is particularly complicated because it looks so bad for the franchise. If perception is reality, […]
0 comments by Asher Mathews on 3/12/2014
The Raiders looked to be sitting pretty riding into free agency. They had a large amount of cap space and the will, it appeared, to re-sign their own to-be free agents plus a few others. A day after free agency, the Raiders have signed three players, only one of which was in Oakland last season. […]
