Pre-Preseason camp questions

Langlier

Langlier

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Starting QB? Is it walter? McCown? Russell? Josh Booty? ok well its not the big bad booty daddy and likely we will let russ sit for a little while... but I don't think McCown has clearly taken the #1 position yet... He may not even have by the end of preseason

OL... everywhere. Where people end up playing along our OL is still a big question... that hasnt even started to be answered

RB - Rhodes, Jordan, Bush, Fargas... they will all get a chance at filling the #1 and #2 roles... who takes which is yet to be seen.

FS/SS - Not a huge question yet but guys like Bing and Frampton will give us more options... and Huff to me looks to have a better future at FS and if Bing and Frampton look like suitable NFL starters at SS we may move him there.

Nickel Back - Starks, Routt, Bowie. All could end up being our nickel back... or it could be some yet unsigned guy,

WR - We know Curry and Porter are the projected starters... but guys like Higgins, BMW, Travis Taylor, and Doug Gabriel all have NFL starting potential... which could change things at the top of the order quickly if they look like better fits in Kiffs system.

TE - Yea Zach Miller should be our unquestioned starter... but whos #2... and #3... its an all out brawl between new guys and converted WRs

RDE - Kevin Huntley has been penciled in (with a very light fine pencil) to start here. Brayton, Moses, Kelly, Jay Richardson even may factor in here.

4th DT - Sands, Kelly and Sapp have the first 3 spots locked down... but it sounds like competition for that 4th spot may heat up quickly. Brayton, Hawthorne, and Shaw have all shown they want it.

SLB - Sam is a heavy favorite to return as the starter... and he has the physical skills to do well... However Robert Thomas played like he wanted to start last year and we may have to give him that opportunity.

STs - Cooper, R Brown, Ekijuba and Carr were STs standouts last year... but we brought in a lot of guys that fit that bill: O'Neal, Ward, Frampton, Higgins, and Shotwell will give these guys a hard push to keep thier jobs.
 
two things,

1.) I think John Madsen has all the skills to get a chance to be our #2 Receiving TE. But either Wakefield or stewart will be our Blocking TE.


2.)Huff will be SS and Sweigert will be FS from all that i've seen. Sugar plum dreams of the hard hitting SS whose slow ass gets served because he gambles too much are not something I'm feeling. I just dont see Bing and frampton being picked up to move huff to FS. In fact they are both here to fill other positions. The role they will fight for is Cooper's ST slot(I think Cooper is on the bubble) and the Third safety/LB nickel coverage role that we used Gibson in. That role was very important to our defense last year and I think both guys will be important to that spot(it'll probably go to Bing easy).

Also Sweigert's ability to make our reads and audibles(underrated thing that can be the difference in your secondary) locks his spot down at FS. If anything I could see Huff shifting to CB if Nandi bails on us. Only way he sits on the bubble is if our secondary sucks ass this year.
 
Huff did see some time at FS in the last OTA. I agree that when the season starts, Huff will be at SS and Schwiegert at FS.

McCown is the odds on favorite to open the season at QB. Forget that recent quip from Kiffin about Walter "improving" or whatever. That was Big Time Coach Speak.

OL? Who the fuck knows. They are moving guys all around during the OTA's to find the best 5. My concern is that we really don't have 5 guys that qualify.

DL? Brayton will NOT make the team IMO. Too slow as a DE and doesn't have enough rocks in his pockets to play DT. He'd get pushed around badly. Very badly at DT. Huntley is already better, Mr. Burgess holds down the other side, Kelly is all but a lock to play DT almost exclusively and if our drafting of Moses & Richardson is any indication, Brayton will be very hard pressed to make the club.

We can just as easily get "solid effort" and ZERO sacks from Richardson as we can from Brayton IMO.
 
I think Brayton slips in as a 3rd down DT. But i'm not investing my life funds in that theory. :o :p
 
Brayton has no trade value at this time, isn't he a UFA after this season anyway? He's not counting much against the cap, probably will stay on for DL depth unless someone like Richardson has a strong camp. Moses and Huntley are pretty much locks IMO and I agree that Brayton would get destroyed at UT.
 
Another thing that concerns me is the lack of depth at LB. After Morrison, Howard, Sam and Thomas we're basically left with career ST types with little experience. I hope we can at least bring in another veteran from the waiver pile.
 
Madturk said:
Another thing that concerns me is the lack of depth at LB. After Morrison, Howard, Sam and Thomas we're basically left with career ST types with little experience. I hope we can at least bring in another veteran from the waiver pile.
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im actually not too concerned over LB depth. we've got the big 4 and then a guy I really like as a 5th in shotwell. hes not the fastest guy (but neither beikert nor morrison are/were that fast either) but hes got good instincts.
 
I could see our defensive line rotation being very effective this year. I just hope we can find a combo to stop the run. No doubt Burgess, Sapp, Moses and Huntley can give us pressure. Sands and Kelly need to both have career years for this defense to turn the corner.
 
Langlier said:
im actually not too concerned over LB depth. we've got the big 4 and then a guy I really like as a 5th in shotwell. hes not the fastest guy (but neither beikert nor morrison are/were that fast either) but hes got good instincts.
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Shotwell seems pretty damn fast/quick to me. I think the question marks on him are size (a bit smallish IMO) and of course level of competition. He's making a BIG leap from Division-II or whatever to what he'll see on Sunday.

I do have some concern about LB'er, but if D-Line & Secondary take care of business, we should be OK. We are thin at experienced depth. I think we can sustain one major injury, but not two at LB.
 
BigTron said:
I could see our defensive line rotation being very effective this year. I just hope we can find a combo to stop the run. No doubt Burgess, Sapp, Moses and Huntley can give us pressure. Sands and Kelly need to both have career years for this defense to turn the corner.
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I think it Hawthorne will make his presence known this season. The Raiders have been bringing him along slowly, and to his credit, he's kept his nose clean, has apparently been a willing worker and I think it will pay dividends now.

There is another UDFA that we picked up (Larry Brown?) that some Raider fans are buzzing about. I believe he got some 1st team reps at the last OTA. One thing is for sure, the Raiders have a proven track record at developing DT's. I'm starting to feel better about our rotation all along the DL.
 
Josh Shaw is the giuy that got reps with the first team. not a UDFA but a decent pickup none the less
 
RaiderIVlife said:
Shotwell seems pretty damn fast/quick to me. I think the question marks on him are size (a bit smallish IMO) and of course level of competition. He's making a BIG leap from Division-II or whatever to what he'll see on Sunday.

I do have some concern about LB'er, but if D-Line & Secondary take care of business, we should be OK. We are thin at experienced depth. I think we can sustain one major injury, but not two at LB.
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I like Shotwell and I think he makes the team initially as a ST'r. He can play both the WILL and MIKE which could help us in a pinch but playing D2 ball and transitioning to the pros, like you say, is a huge step. Has anyone heard anything on Al Wilson lately, is he done for good?
 
Madturk said:
I like Shotwell and I think he makes the team initially as a ST'r. He can play both the WILL and MIKE which could help us in a pinch but playing D2 ball and transitioning to the pros, like you say, is a huge step. Has anyone heard anything on Al Wilson lately, is he done for good?
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Funny, I was thinking about Al Wilson too. Though I'm torn between 2 schools of thought:

1.) Al Wilson would be a very solid veteran that could not only provide credible depth, but also mentor our young guys.

OR

2.) This team is not competing for a SB in 2007 (unlike 2002 when we signed Rod Woodson & Bill Romanowski) so why not give the PT to our crop of young LB'ers and develop them?

Shotwell, Ricky Brown, The guy from Africa who's name I can't recall at the moment, surely one of them will pan out?
 
Madturk said:
You mean HB's boy Isiah Ekijuba? ST terror
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Yes thanks. That dude. One of them should pan out, right?

Then again, I remember the days of James Folston, Travian Smith, Mike Morton, etc. etc. etc.

None of them ever really panned out either.
 
Travian Smith, there's a blast. A lot of speed with basically no football instincts. I still remember the play a few years back against the Niners. A critical 3rd and long late in the game and Smith had contain on Jeff Garthia and totally whiffed on him enabling the Niners to pick up a first down and ultimately take the game.
 
Langlier said:
Starting QB? Is it walter? McCown? Russell? Josh Booty? ok well its not the big bad booty daddy and likely we will let russ sit for a little while... but I don't think McCown has clearly taken the #1 position yet... He may not even have by the end of preseason
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I think it'll be McCown right out of the gate... His mobility will be a huge plus while the O-line gels... I'd like to see Walter perform well during the preseason... There may be some trade value there dependent on what happens with Vick, Travarious Jackson etc...



OL... everywhere. Where people end up playing along our OL is still a big question... that hasnt even started to be answered
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I'll stay with my initial prediction for now:

LT: Gallery
LG: Grove
OC: Newberry
RG: Boothe
RT: McQ

If Grove stays at center, Carlisle gets the nod... Once the pads go on, it's going to be hard to keep Newberry off the field IMO...



RB - Rhodes, Jordan, Bush, Fargas... they will all get a chance at filling the #1 and #2 roles... who takes which is yet to be seen.
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If Lamont Jordan is able to show the initial quickness he displayed with the Jets, he gets the start and the bulk of the carries... If he's the slow roly-poly back we've seen thus far for the most part, Rhodes becomes the primary and Jordan's roster spot is definitely in question because I think he's prone to be a squeeky wheel at this stage...
IMO, keeping the high effort Rashard Lee as a backup is better for team chemistry than keeping an unhappy LJ... Of course, Bush showing up healthy and ready to roll shakes things up... Best case scenario may be ending up with a 2004 Steeler like RBBC thing (Bush/Bettis, Rhodes/Parker, Fargas/Haynes) until Bush is ready to be a 250+ carry back...



FS/SS - Not a huge question yet but guys like Bing and Frampton will give us more options... and Huff to me looks to have a better future at FS and if Bing and Frampton look like suitable NFL starters at SS we may move him there.
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I personally don't think it's a coincidence that Rob Ryan was said to be scouting safties pretty hard this offseason... Scwheig posting no forced turnovers out of a man free safety position designed to get TO's can't make coaches happy... I think Scweig gets another year, but I think Frampton is just the kind of Mike Brown-ish tough as nails, always in the right place at the right time,instinctual playmaker that'll be hard to keep off the field... I could see Frampton and Huff paired together in '08 with Huff playing a centerfield position that allows him to freelance to take advantage of his speed and in the air ball skills...



Nickel Back - Starks, Routt, Bowie. All could end up being our nickel back... or it could be some yet unsigned guy,
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This may be a bit of a shock, but I think Chris Carr steps up and grabs the nickle... When he got the chance, he showed very good coverage skills and vision last season IMO.... He's a tough little bastard and will allow Ryan to put another playmaker out there... Right now, I think the coaches hope is that Routt shows well and can be brought in to play the weakside corner with Fabs moving inside on the slot in nickle situations... That allows two things: 1) Gets the high draft pick in Routt on the field and getting game experience in preperation of possibly taking Nnamdi's starting spot in '08 should we decide the money is too stoopid to bring him back... 2) Puts Fabs and his speed between the numbers and in a better spot to make plays... (same thing we did with Wood under Bres for awhile till Wood got hurt)...



WR - We know Curry and Porter are the projected starters... but guys like Higgins, BMW, Travis Taylor, and Doug Gabriel all have NFL starting potential... which could change things at the top of the order quickly if they look like better fits in Kiffs system.
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This one gets alot of discussion, but when the rubber hits the road, the top 3 will be Porter, BMW and Curry with Higgins getting specialty package snaps...



TE - Yea Zach Miller should be our unquestioned starter... but whos #2... and #3... its an all out brawl between new guys and converted WRs
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Miller, Tony Stewart and Madsen probably make up the depth chart with Wakefield the fourth if we keep 4 TE's...



RDE - Kevin Huntley has been penciled in (with a very light fine pencil) to start here. Brayton, Moses, Kelly, Jay Richardson even may factor in here.
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I'm a Tyler Brayton apologist, I admit it... an apologist to the fact that circumstance has really disserviced him.... We've made him a set the edge 34 OLB, a rush end and now a rush end/swing tackle... everywhere but the natural stack end he projects as... With any bit of luck, he would have been a Greg Spires/Bobby Hamilton not flashy but effective type of LE whose work ethic, motor and hustle made him a Raider fan favorite... I think defensive coaches will think much more highly of Brayton once he hits free agency than Raider fans have...

I think Brayton starts again at RE and gives way to Huntley on passing downs... Moses may get a few snaps here and there, but I expect he'll be brought along slowly until he gets alot stronger...



4th DT - Sands, Kelly and Sapp have the first 3 spots locked down... but it sounds like competition for that 4th spot may heat up quickly. Brayton, Hawthorne, and Shaw have all shown they want it.
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U-G-L-Y... Ugly,ugly, fugly ugly... That we're giving Brayton a look there shows how much we're really relying on Hawthorne to step his game up... Frankly I haven't seen the hunger or nastiness that had Antaj so highly thought of at one time... Is Ian Scott still available?... Do we still have Sad Sam Adams on speed dial?...



SLB - Sam is a heavy favorite to return as the starter... and he has the physical skills to do well... However Robert Thomas played like he wanted to start last year and we may have to give him that opportunity.
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Status quo here with Sam starting and Thomas as the swing LB... I actually think Thomas is the kind of player that looks better when his snaps are situationally limited... he had a real bad tendancy to overrun plays with starters snaps... People will laugh at me, but keep an eye out for Ekijiuba as he starts to get more acclimated with playing LB... There are guys that hit and there are guys that collide... Ekijiuba is a collision guy with good size and great speed but still a newbie to football and to playing LB... Alot of Shotwell fans here, but I've never heard of the guy prior to us signing him... Got a Dave Morretti feel to him... We seem to like Ricky Brown so Shotwell's got his work cut out for him as far as a roster spot goes...
 
I am staying at the Airport Hilton in Oakland right now and just finished dinner at the sports bar in the hotel where many of the Raiders frequent. Apparently a lot of the younger one's just "live" at the hotel until they can/have reason to take up residence here. Anyway I recognized a few of the rooks but I got a chance to meet Michael Bush (at the free popcorn bin). Dude's thick and in shape. So I say "biggest steal in the draft getting you in the 4th round" to which he said "thanks...I think so too - I can't wait to get it going". He was humble and hungry - two great characteristics. I think he even looked a little suprised that someone recognized him, but than again he didn't know I took second in the Little Al contest either...
 
hawaiianboy said:
I'll stay with my initial prediction for now:

LT: Gallery
LG: Grove
OC: Newberry
RG: Boothe
RT: McQ

If Grove stays at center, Carlisle gets the nod... Once the pads go on, it's going to be hard to keep Newberry off the field IMO...
Click to expand...

I don't think there's anyway Carlisle doesn't start barring an injury, especially coming from a ZBS at Denver. I was under the impression that Grove was having a really solid pre-season thus far at center and that he'd probably retain his starting gig. Personally I see Boothe as being the odd man out in this new scheme. While I liked his progress last season, I don't think he has the athleticism to be a full time starter in Cable's system.
 
Madturk said:
I don't think there's anyway Carlisle doesn't start barring an injury, especially coming from a ZBS at Denver. I was under the impression that Grove was having a really solid pre-season thus far at center and that he'd probably retain his starting gig. Personally I see Boothe as being the odd man out in this new scheme. While I liked his progress last season, I don't think he has the athleticism to be a full time starter in Cable's system.
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I also think Carlisle start as well as Sims as much as some of you don't believe in him, he is still one of the better lineman we have. I also am no longer sure of Newberry beating Grove out? I think Newberry is the back up with Treu on the way out?
 
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