1. I have to take a moment and pay respect to Al Davis. The legendary Oakland Raiders owner passed away on Saturday. Born in Brockton, MA, the rebel and leader of the Silver and Black was a steward of the AFL and helped form the modern day NFL. The Patriots held a moment of silence before the game to honor Davis. The league lost an icon.
Oakland Raiders
10 October 2011
2 October 2011
Go For Two: Say what you want about the Oakland Raiders and the franchise’s attitude, but give them credit for showing respect.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
1 October 2011
Matt Light knows he’s there. You can’t miss the shadow of a 6-8 319 pound man-child standing behind you.
Light is the Patriots’ starting left tackle. For now. He’s expected to hold on to that position through the rest of the season. If Light is lucky, he keeps the job through next season as well. But Light knows his days are numbered.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
11 August 2011
Charles Woodson.
Woodson made his name as an elite corner, first with the Oakland Raiders and now with the Packers. At 6-1 and just four pounds heavier than Dowling, Woodson battles the best receivers weekly. He earned seven Pro Bowl and two All-Pro selections and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
11 November 2010
Remember back in 2009 how we thought the Patriots pulled another fast one on the Oakland Raiders when New England traded DL Richard Seymour for a 2011 first round draft pick? Remember calling the Raiders “suckers” because we though the Pats would get a high draft pick for a player that maybe had a couple of good years left?
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
7 May 2010
If your jaw dropped five feet from the amount of Jahri Evans’ new contract, understand a smile of equal distance stretched across the face of Logan Mankins’ agent Frank Bauer.
In case you missed it, before the Lawrence Taylor arrest and JaMarcus Russell’s release (talk about polar opposite stories – Taylor goes to a New York prison while Russell gets out of Oakland, which replicates the depressing hopelessness found behind bars), the Saints agreed to pay Evans $56.7 million over seven years, the biggest contract in NFL history for a guard.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
4 November 2009
Pro Bowl balloting is open to the public. Choose wisely.
This year New England fans will have a tough time rationalizing Patriot players worthy of being selected. The offense’s big three of QB Tom Brady and WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker will get their share of votes. Beyond them…good luck.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
18 August 2009
A team strength just got a tiny bit weaker. The Patriots traded DL Le Kevin Smith to Denver for a 5th round pick. That selection was then sent to Oakland to complete the Derrick Burgess trade. The agreement was New England gave the Raiders 3rd and 4th round selections unless the Pats could get Oakland a 5th round pick. If the Pats came through with the fifth rounder, then that would replace the fourth round pick.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
7 August 2009
OK, now I’m sold.
Since the end of the regular season I’ve been waiting for the Patriots to get a rush linebacker I could believe in. Whether it was a rookie day one draft pick, a free agent, or by trade, I wanted someone that could get to the quarterback better than Mike Vrabel did in 2008. His trade to Kansas City made the need urgent.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
4 August 2009
I’m not much of a poker player, but since the beginning of training camp, head coach Bill Belichick has been exchanging cards, looking for a full house.
They looked at QB Cleo Lemon. DE Kevin Carter seems to be getting serious consideration. QB Matt Gutierrez was cut and QB Andrew Walter signed to replace Gutz.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
29 July 2009
The Patriots could have a full-blown rivalry with the Oakland Raiders, but it would be restricted to the front office.
Former Missouri DE Stryker Sulak was at Gillette Stadium yesterday, as he was worked out by the Pats. The 6-4 251-pound rookie will then travel to Carolina and do the same. If Sulak shows the athleticism to make the switch from college defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker, New England would be very interested in signing him.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
20 May 2009
Just today I read in The Boston Herald that New England was discussing a trade with the Oakland Raiders for DE Derrick Burgess. Apparently these talks have been going on since around draft time. Oakland’s asking price is a second or third round pick for the veteran entering his eighth year.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
9 April 2009
In the world of journalism, it's the greatest compliment when an article you wrote inspires others to express their own opinion on the same subject.
Back in February, I wrote an article asking the question should teams draft tight ends in the first round. It was a relevant question because Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew could be the only TE selected within the first 32 picks.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
28 December 2008
According to The Boston Globe, DE Richard Seyour will miss today's game. With Big Sey is out, DE Jarvis Green probably starts in Richard's place.
While it's nothing new to the team, I'm going to repeat head coach Bill Belichick's mantra that worked so well in the past and this season:
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
21 December 2008
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13 December 2008
I don't like this match-up. This isn't paranoia carried over from last week's comeback win over a bad Seattle Seahawks team. Oakland is about as bad as the Seahawks. This Patriots-Raiders game has me very concerned because the Raiders can run the ball.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
10 December 2008
The Raiders offer sympathy to the young passer and his family, but Oakland probably hopes Cassel doesn't play. Back in 2003, Brett Favre, then playing for Green Bay, lost his father Irvin the day before a Monday night game in Oakland. Brett decided to play that night and passed for 399 yards and four touchdowns. The chances that Cassel finds the inner strength to play the game of his career in honor of his father like Brett Favre did isn't likely, but the Raiders don't want to be on the wrong end of another dramatic performance.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
21 November 2008
My interview with Bill Romanowski is on Real GM. You can read the trimmed for print edition or go to the end of the article and read the full interview.
Or watch the interview as it happened. Your choice.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
15 November 2008
The Miami Dolphins are improving and quite intriguing, but they play the Oakland Raiders, a team that probably couldn’t compete in Canada, let alone the NFL.
I could go down the list, but all we would find are teams with flaws, with gaping holes. One team has no defense, another has no quarterback. Parity in the NFL has robbed us of any one great football team to watch.
Posted by Jeremy Peters | No comments yet
Holy crap, the Oakland Raiders suck! How do you take a once proud franchise and systematically drain it down the toilet? John Madden, put down the turkey leg and race your Winnebago straight to Oakland and do something about this please!
Posted by Dayne Duranti | No comments yet
7 October 2008
The Oakland Raiders fired yet another coach yesterday. Lane Kiffin, who was a surprise appointee to the head coach position in January of 2007, was fired by Al Davis over the telephone after a dismal 1-4 start to the 2008 season. Offensive line coach Tom Cable has been named interim coach. At the televised news conference to announce the firing, Raiders owner Al Davis called Kiffin, “a flat-out liar” and accused Kiffin of “bringing disgrace to the organization.” After last seasons 4-12 showing, it was reported by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen that Al Davis drafted a letter of resignation for Lane Kiffin and asked him to sign it, which Kiffin refused to do. The reason for this was so the Raiders could avoid paying the remaining $2,000,000 on Kiffin’s contract. The Raiders denied the report. Since there was much speculation during the off-season and preseason regarding Kiffin’s job, it did not come as a surprise to anyone when word came down of his firing yesterday. The Raiders claim the move was made for cause, meaning they will likely try not to pay Kiffin for the remainder of his contract.
Posted by Seth Mott | No comments yet
1 October 2008
Boy, that didn't take long. I know Moss is under constant scrutiny, but I thought he'd get the benefit of the doubt after last season. Nope, Randy Moss still is the media's curiosity, with every move, gesture, soundbite, and hair braiding scrutinized with the power of an electron microscope.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | 1 comment
21 August 2008
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19 April 2008
NFL commissioner Roger Godell wasted little time handing out penalties after head coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots were caught with the poorly hidden camera. Besides the monentary fines, he docked the Pats their first round pick.
Posted by Randolph Charlotin | No comments yet
10 April 2008
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