New Kid in Town

Freakshow

Freakshow

<--Bad ass
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Thought I'd start my first thread by saying what up to the forum and I'm happy to be joining such a distinguished group of fellow Raider fans. Been a diehard silver and black guy since '74 and that aint ever changing (it's a curse I think). I've been reading your posts on KFFL for a couple years now and seeing how that board is going these days I figured this would be the place start.

Anyway, here goes...Given the obvious need for o-line I still think taking Peterson or Lynch next april would be the smart move. Backs of that caliber don't often come in the later rounds but decent lineman do. L. Jordan is just flat out too slow to be an impact rb. Have you ever noticed how great backs can make their suspect lines look respectable (O.J., Peyton, Sanders, Tomlinson, etc...)?
 
San Diego doesn't seem to be regretting taking LT and passing on the wonerboy Michael Vick.

Works for me.

Welcome to the forum.
 
Welcome man, a good start topic for sure

I think I am the only guy not quite sold on Walter, who wouldnt mind Brady Quinn in round one. (A prototype franchise QB, IMO)

Realistically though, Lynch or Peterson SHOULD be the picks. Can't go wrong with either guy. (I like CJ as a Terrell Owens type, without the baggage though)

At this point I rank the top guys who have a real shot at our pick:

1. Peterson
2. Branch
3. Gaines Adams
4. CJ (I couldnt see us keeping Moss/Porter/and CJ though)
5. Quinn

Outside shot at Joe Thomas, Lynch (Top 15 guy, not top 5 IMO)
 
Running backs have less of an adjustment to make coming out of college too, which makes them a little more "nfl ready" right out of the shoot (which is something we can use right about now). Great Raider teams of the past always seemed to have superrior backs (VanEagan, Marcus, Bo, Garner) and the lean years had guys like Aurthor Whittinton, Harvey Williams, Nick Bell, MaCallumn, Kauffman, Wheatley, Fargus, Jordan, etc. Seems to be a pattern here...
 
Kaufman was good dammit!

LJ isnt that bad, IMO. He was 7th in the NFL in yards from scrimmage last year on a horrible team...

That being said, Peterson would give me a full out explosion in April... :)
 
The only thing I keep thinking about AP and Lynch or running backs in general is that the postion hasn't really been all that "in" as fqr as the draft is concerned...a lot of teams think they can get by with lesser talent at the RB postion.

I'm in the RB camp though. I'd rather AP than Johnson or any receiver for that matter. We're probably gonna be in the top 7 again and man we need an impact player.
 
BTW Freakshow, get your ass in the 20 question's thread.

It's mandatory round these parts... ;)
 
CrossBones said:
The only thing I keep thinking about AP and Lynch or running backs in general is that the postion hasn't really been all that "in" as fqr as the draft is concerned...a lot of teams think they can get by with lesser talent at the RB postion.

I'm in the RB camp though. I'd rather AP than Johnson or any receiver for that matter. We're probably gonna be in the top 7 again and man we need an impact player.
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CJ might be the most talented receiver to come out in 10 years, other than Moss.

Seriously, he is big, strong, runs routes well, has good hands, amazing body control and is a great character guy.

His speed is probably going to be 4.5ish, which is okay in the NFL. I think he plays faster than that too. (Fitzgerald type)

He is an impact player in every sense of the word.
 
Kaufman was good, and quick as hell but never got the full load of carries to make much of an impact. It pissed me off how he was always labled as a "change of pace" guy and the coaching staff sort of bought into that too. His teams really never did much though.

Jordan is just OK. He's normally two yards and a cloud of dust but every once in a while he'll rumble for a sizable gain. He needs a gaping hole though and our line can't help much in that department. I'm looking for the rare back that creates his own hole. Peterson to me has the rare combination of size, speed, vision, burst and balance you hardly ever see. Injuries aside, the dude can flat out run the football.

Quinn could be an option obviously but I'd give AW at least another year before starting all over again with a new quarterback hopeful. Until we fix our line no qb is going to help but a quality running back could still shine and help our struggling offense.
 
Peterson is the man. If we get him, Im a happy camper.
 
Freakshow said:
Quinn could be an option obviously but I'd give AW at least another year before starting all over again with a new quarterback hopeful. Until we fix our line no qb is going to help but a quality running back could still shine and help our struggling offense.
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I agree Walter needs time.

But when I watched Palmer in Cinci or Smith as a rook in San Fran or even Manning with the Giants, even though they were abused, they had 'it' (As cheesy as it sounds).

Im torn on Walter...I just dont know what to think. He had happy feet, he was tentative, held onto the ball too long, and made some questionable choices.

I hope he improves, but a guy like Quinn is the type that could be around once every 5-10 years. You take him if he's there, IMO.
 
Raiderfan007 said:
I agree Walter needs time.

But when I watched Palmer in Cinci or Smith as a rook in San Fran or even Manning with the Giants, even though they were abused, they had 'it' (As cheesy as it sounds).

Im torn on Walter...I just dont know what to think. He had happy feet, he was tentative, held onto the ball too long, and made some questionable choices.

I hope he improves, but a guy like Quinn is the type that could be around once every 5-10 years. You take him if he's there, IMO.
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I agree with you 007. I'm not sure what to think about AW. He looks like a QB and with all the troubles with the OL and that dummy Walsh it seems unfair to give up on him in this changing year.

The reason I'm off the QB pick is because I finally understand that short of another John Elway, Al Daivs isn't going to take a QB high in the draft.

He passed on Roethlisberger, Leinart and Cutler. I don't think Brady Quinn is gonna be any different. Besides I doubt we'll be picking that high. Just some thoughts.

I'd love to see us get Adrian Peterson but that might be wishful thinking too. He could easily be the #1 or #2 pick in the draft.
 
I'm not doubting the potential of Quinn and he may well turn out to be another great one. But, how many great quarterbacks struggled their first season or two? Aikman, P. Manning, C. Palmer, D. McNabb, Brees, and going back a ways...Staubach, Fouts, Elway, Gannon, Steve Young...all these guys looked like dogshit at first but you could see something great in them.

Walter could be a great one too (in my opinion) as long as he continues his development and is afforded the opportunity - and pass blocking - and a decent running game. Way too early to tell right now. Does he hold on to it too long? Yes. Does he struggle reading coverages at times? Yes. But, he has some moxy and leadership abilities to go with that right arm that keep me believing.
 
I hope you are right freakshow.

All I've got to go on is a gut feeling, and that and a nickel won't get you much nowadays.

Going forward, if AW is the QB and Peterson is the RB...I'll be okay. :)
 
1. I would love to see Adrian Peterson in Silver and Black. I agree that LaMont, for all his heart, just doesn't hit the hole quickly enough. This weekend, watch the difference in acceleration between Jordan and Fargas. It is very pronounced. For that matter, it seems like Crockett hits the hole more quickly than does Jordan. I like LaMont a lot... but he's got to start getting it done or I'll be the Goddamned driver of the Peterson bandwagon.

2. Tyrone Wheatley does not belong on any list of "bad" Raider running backs. First off, the guy gave us what is probably our single most thrilling running play since Bo Jackson's halcyon days, with his "Wheatley won't go down" run against Kansas City. Secondly, he was the first guy since Bo Jackson to actually allow us to establish a physical, between-the-tackles style of running. Say what you want in praise of Kaufman, but he'll never be remembered as a physical runner. Third, in his first two seasons with us, Wheatley ran for 1,982 yards, 352 receiving yards, and accounted for 21 touchdowns. I'm not saying he should be in the Hall of Fame or anything... but Wheat was a good running back for us. I liked him then and I still do. Shit, if Jordan ran with Wheat's attitude, we'd be a much better team for it.
 
TheNextStep said:
Shit, if Jordan ran with Wheat's attitude, we'd be a much better team for it.
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I have to agree with that. We have been promised a physical running game for the last 3 years and I want one and I want it next year. We need to become a team that can run the ball consistently to take the pressure off the QB and keep that young defense fresh. I think Al will go for the person he thinks will most help us to put TDs on the board.
 
CrossBones said:
The only thing I keep thinking about AP and Lynch or running backs in general is that the postion hasn't really been all that "in" as fqr as the draft is concerned...a lot of teams think they can get by with lesser talent at the RB postion.

I'm in the RB camp though. I'd rather AP than Johnson or any receiver for that matter. We're probably gonna be in the top 7 again and man we need an impact player.
Click to expand...

I don't know that RB hasn't been a popular position in the draft lately. There were three taken in the top 10 in 2005 and quite a few taken in the first round overall in the last couple of years. Unless you are Denver, you don’t pass up a chance to get a franchise RB. Frankly, no move outside of firing Tom Walsh could have a more immediate and significant impact on our entire team than getting a stud RB IMO. Especially with defense being the strength to the team.
 
The backs I listed during the lean years weren't necessarily bad, and as NextStep pointed out Wheat was pretty impressive during his few seasons in Oaktown (as opposed to his time in N.Y.). My impression of these guys is that they simply weren't impact-type runners and the teams they played on didn't amount to much. Maybe a corrolation there or maybe not but I do know that life in the NFL gets a lot easier when you have a star in your backfield.

Someone like AP or Marshawn could give us an immediate edge that defensive coordinators would have to account for week in week out (obviously if they pan out like we all expect them to). We could become the running team we claim we want to be and Walter would have seriously less pressure on his shoulders. That alone could improve our quarterback problems ten fold. You needn't look any further than San Diego to see what I'm talking about. Great defense, great running game and a heady young qb with potential.
 
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