On Michael Irvin's radio show on Thursday, new Raider defensive end Greg Ellis spoke about the problems with his former Cowboy team, his regrets, and what he looks forward to on his new team.

For quite a few years now, many Raider fans have thought that Sam Williams' time with the Raiders would come to an end. Well, from the looks of things, this year could just be that year.

Recently the Raiders coaching staff said they were going to be keeping seven line backers on the teams heading into the season. The starters look to be MLB Kirk Morrison, WLB Thomas Howard and Jon Alston. The team also clearly has plans for Isaiah Ekejiuba and Ricky Brown based on the fact that both were given nice salaries to be brought back.

That just leaves Sam Williams, Slade Norris and undrafted FAs David Nixon and Frantz Joseph competing for the final two spots.

This isn't a story that will pump blood through your veins and make you yearn more for the season to start. No, this is a story about the fame that often comes with the bone-jarring hits and the last-second touchdown score.

I'm sure that by now, you have much of the details related to the shooting death of Steve "Air" McNair or the lunacy of the last moments of Michael Jackson's life. Maybe you don't even care, but it's difficult to believe that neither death made you ponder life in some way.

It is not usual for sixth round picks to become starters in their rookie years, but Scott did just that. Not only was he a starter, he became a factor as the season wore on.

He has some suggestions of who could be a good player to grab in your fantasy football draft. And since it is nearing that time of year, it is time to start making a note of who could be a good steal or wise free agent pick up.

The list starts with a guy that ESPN AFC West blogger, Bill Williamson, calls his breakout player of the year in the division. Then it goes on to other players that may or may not be getting similar press, but should not go unnoticed by the savvy fantasy drafter. In this case: You.

The Raider Nation sends their thoughts and prayers out to the family and friends of "Air McNair." He will be remembered as a fierce competitor.

A few days ago, I layed out my Ballers and Busters for the offense in this game so now it is time to focus on the defensive side of the ball and on Special Teams.

I mentioned that the offense of this squad was a "who's who" list of Hall of Famers and potential Hall of Famers. Well, the defense is no different. These guys struck fear in everyone who played against them. That fear may not show up in the stats as interceptions or tackles but it always showed in the opponents' eyes and in the score at the end of the game.

If stats were kept of concussions given, bones broken and blood lost, this team would have had the all-time record. These guys gave up one touchdown in the game and no field goals. The second TD of the game was in the final minutes when the Raiders had the game well in hand and were playing their backups. This corps completely neutralized the talents of the Vikings all pro quarterback Fran Tarkenton as well as the rest of that vaunted Viking offense. And here are the guys that were the most responsible for it:

A few of the photos that exist of the plane have been cobbled together for this story. Patrick was the first to break the story on Examiner.com after the tail of the plane had been caught by the pop culture website jaunted.com.

He goes out on a limb in his opinion on Morrison and his thoughts on the overall opinion held by the Raider Nation. Carefully laying out the reasons why he thinks the Raiders middle line backer needs his play to catch up with his talk.

And he thinks you should take the same critical eye when analyzing Morrison's production and leadership.

For those of you who are familiar with my Ballers and Busters series, you know how this works. I put out the list of those players who were part of the solution and those who were part of the problem. Not everyone gets a mention because these two lists are reserved for those who really stood out, either to get credit for their accomplishments or blame for their shortcomings.

In this case, though, instead of breaking down the game of the week (since there isn't one), we turn back the clock to 1977 and the Raiders' first Superbowl win.

It is Bush who is the next player that is being spotlighted in the "Under the Raider" series. Outside of the Raider Nation, Bush is mostly a forgotten man, but inside the Raider Nation he is well known.

While researching an article for Examiner.com, I came across an interesting quote from a player thought to be a favorite in the coming season's Heisman voting. It's no secret that Al Davis loves three things in a football player: speed, Heisman trophies, and Super Bowl MVP winners. It's an added bonus if the player is a legacy, (a son of a great NFL player), or he's a Raiders fan as a kid.

If Jahvid Best wins the Heisman this season, he will have three of the five qualities that attracts Davis to a player. Best, who won the California track and field championships as a high school senior with a 10.31s 100-meter dash, is plenty fast. He's also on track to unseat Tim Tebow as the Heisman winner this season. Now, he's revealed that he has always been a fan of the Raiders.

Today, DeMello looks at the a few of the additions to the Oakland Raiders coaching staff and explains his thoughts on the enormous effect it should have on the offense.

Last year, the RNC came in the midst of rumors of a rift between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis, putting a little bit of a damper on the day's events. We all now know that there was some truth to those rumors.

With the chronic soreness in the hamstring of Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, he was nearly non-existent at mini camp and OTA's.

When he was drafted, he was seen as an extremely durable player who never misses games but that is about to change.

Hamstring problems can be nasty and lingering. They can keep a player out an entire season and often end a player's career. Heyward-Bey is just that kind of player. Without his speed, he is an average receiver. Perhaps even pedestrian. Even if he was slowed by his hamstring, it would mean big trouble.