Scrapping our team... Changes for next year

[Langlier]

lots of players on this team pissing me off right now... so next year I'm making some slashing cuts
Bold means they stay
Italics mean they go

64 Grove, Jake C 6-4 300 26 3 Virginia Tech
62 Treu, Adam C 6-5 300 32 10 Nebraska
22 Starks, Duane CB 5-10 175 32 9 Miami (Fla.)
26 Routt, Stanford CB 6-1 195 23 2 Houston
27 Washington, Fabian CB 5-11 185 23 2 Nebraska
21 Asomugha, Nnamdi CB 6-2 210 25 4 California
23 Carr, Chris CB 5-10 180 23 2 Boise State
38 Poole, Tyrone DB 5-8 190 34 12 Fort Valley State
56 Burgess, Derrick DE 6-2 260 28 6 Mississippi
91 Brayton, Tyler DE 6-6 280 26 4 Colorado
94 Huntley, Kevin DE 6-7 270 24 1 Kansas State
51 Johnstone, Lance DE 6-5 250 33 11 Temple
93 Kelly, Tommy DT 6-6 300 25 3 Mississippi State
77 Hawthorne, Anttaj DT 6-3 310 24 2 Wisconsin
90 Sands, Terdell DT 6-7 335 27 4 Tenn.-Chattanooga
99 Sapp, Warren DT 6-2 300 33 12 Miami (Fla.)
71 Hulsey, Corey G 6-4 325 29 5 Clemson
67 Boothe, Kevin G 6-5 315 23 R Cornell
70 Badger, Brad G 6-4 320 31 10 Stanford
11 Janikowski, Sebastian K 6-2 250 28 7 Florida State
53 Howard, Thomas LB 6-3 240 23 R UTEP
57 Brown, Ricky LB 6-2 235 22 R Boston College
50 Ekejiuba , Isaiah LB 6-4 240 25 2 Virginia
52 Morrison, Kirk LB 6-2 240 24 2 San Diego State
55 Thomas, Robert LB 6-0 235 26 5 UCLA
54 Williams, Sam LB 6-5 260 26 4 Fresno State
9 Lechler, Shane P 6-2 225 30 7 Texas A&M
2 Brooks, Aaron QB 6-4 220 30 8 Virginia
16 Walter, Andrew QB 6-6 230 24 2 Arizona State
8 Tuiasosopo, Marques QB 6-1 220 27 6 Washington
25 Fargas, Justin RB 6-1 220 26 4 USC
20 Echemandu, Adimchinobe RB 6-0 225 25 3 California
32 Crockett, Zack RB 6-2 240 33 12 Florida State
42 Lee, ReShard RB 5-10 220 26 3 Middle Tennessee State
34 Jordan, LaMont RB 5-10 230 27 6 Maryland
24 Huff, Michael S 6-1 205 23 R Texas
40 Cooper, Jarrod S 6-1 215 28 6 Kansas State
30 Schweigert, Stuart S 6-1 210 25 3 Purdue
36 Gibson, Derrick SS 6-2 215 27 6 Florida State
76 Gallery, Robert T 6-7 325 26 3 Iowa
79 McQuistan, Paul T 6-6 315 23 R Weber State
65 Sims, Barry T 6-5 300 31 8 Utah
78 Slaughter, Chad T 6-8 340 28 6 Alcorn State
66 Walker, Langston T 6-8 345 27 5 California
86 Williams, Randal TE 6-3 235 28 6 New Hampshire
85 Madsen, John TE 6-5 220 23 R Utah
88 Adkisson, James TE 6-5 230 26 1 South Carolina
83 Anderson, Courtney TE 6-6 270 25 3 San Jose State
89 Curry, Ronald WR 6-2 210 27 5 North Carolina
87 Whitted, Alvis WR 6-0 185 32 9 North Carolina State
19 Morant, Johnnie WR 6-4 220 24 3 Syracuse
18 Moss, Randy WR 6-4 210 29 9 Marshall
84 Porter, Jerry WR 6-2 220 28 7 West Virginia

Practice Squad
31 Eugene, Hiram DB 6-2 200 25 1 Louisiana Tech
92 McNeal, Bryant DE 6-4 250 27 3 Clemson
61 Morris, Chris OL 6-4 305 23 R Michigan State
14 Smith, Kent QB 6-5 215 23 R Central Michigan
46 Miller, Derek TE 6-7 270 23 R Maryland
0 Jackson, Tony TE 6-2 264 24 R Iowa
0 Bookman, Leo WR 6-2 215 24 R Kansas
13 Buchanon, Will WR 6-3 185 23 R USC

Injured Reserve
73 Quarshie, Michael DT 6-2 295 26 1 Columbia
59 Bing, Darnell LB 6-2 230 22 R USC
96 Irons, Grant LB 6-6 285 27 5 Notre Dame
28 Green, DeJuan RB 5-11 205 26 1 South Florida
82 Francis, Carlos WR 5-10 190 25 3 Texas Tech

Seeing that theres a lot of dead weight and some major holes now... We need some replacements

1st Round - Adrian Peterson... Yes he's and injury concern but he is a running threat that Jordan isnt. I like jordan and would love to keep him... but not at what we are paying him and not as our primary back.

FA - We need the best available RT... Either through the draft or through FA... I'm not a big Mike Gandy fan but he'd work at LT and we shift Gallery back to RT... I'm not as down on Gallery as most but we do need to shore up our OL.

FA - Not Dwight Freeney but we need an RDE to compliment Burgess.

FA - We need a Center to push Grove.

FA - unless I see a lot of stepping up from McQ we need an LG... If McQ steps up I see him as our RG and Boothe as our LG. I'd like to see us toss a lot of money Eric Steinbachs way to man either position and let McQ try his hand at RT.

FA/Round 2 - Defensive Tackle to place next to sapp and one to eventually replace him. Hawthorne and Sands could end up being both of those guys but I'd like to get some more bodies in here... and If Sands walks as an FA this is a bigger need.

FA - We need a guy to mentor Walter... I'm not sure who this guy is but... Trent Green maybe?

If theres a guy who can be an upgrade over Stu at FS I'd take it but its not a huge need.

Oh and the biggest aquisition? Scrap all our offensive coordinators... Bring in an entire new squad of them.

 

[Seraph24]

i say keep Gibson honestly. crockett and jordan too. but crockett needs to be moved to being in on certain downs. its hard to judge this offenses personel under walsh in alot of ways.

 

[Langlier]

Theres a lot of guys I put under cut that I wouldnt mind back... Jordan esp and Gibby falls under that too... But its more I'd prefer some either better depth or better upside from the position.

 

[Seraph24]

we pay gibson nothing of consequence. as long as he stays in that range keep him.

 

[Turo]

The Cap Monster will rear its ugly head if we did that kind of purge, unfortunately.

 

[Madturk]

There's no way both Moss and Porter are both coming back next season. I'm pretty sure Jordan will be back next year. I think we'd take too big of a hit if we outright release him. I don't see much trade value with him either. He probably gets a pass because of the sorry state of our OL.

I'm wondering if we should take a run at Damon Huard if KC doesn't retain him. I suspect he'd be a hot commodity this offseason. Looks like Aaron Brooks has fallen out of favor with Coach Shell.

I Don't see any purpose in releasing Corey Hulsey. He's versatile enough and provides decent back-up and doesn't command a ton of money.. Sims will most likely be back too.

I'd like to see Sapp return for one more season. This young defense needs a veteran leader like him and I like what Rob Ryan has built here. We definitely need to re-sign the Terd. I'll be real pissed if we let him walk.

My ideal draft would be picking a RB in Rd1 whether it be AP or Marshawn Lynch. If not, trade down and take a DT or DE.

I'd throw a boatload of cash at OL FA's. Leonard Davis to shore up the RT spot. I don't want to move Gallery anymore unless it's to guard. Let him sink or swim at LT. Ryan Lilja or Eric Steinbach to take over the LG position. Draft another center to compete with Grove. Either Kyle Young from Fresno State who's versatile enough to play elsewhere or Doug Datish from Ohio State.

Get a legit TE in here. Gonzo is a pipe dream but if there's any way to get him to leave KC, I'd do it in a heart beat. Eric Johnson would be a more logical choice to be the #1 option here with Courtney at #2. Bring Dwayne Carswell in here for his blocking.

Use the remaining draft picks to solidify the defense with a LB or Safety and a blocking FB.

 

[massraider]

THe TE's have been such a disappointment to me, and I'm sure to others. Anderson and Williams have both shown no ability to catch the ball at all. Depressing.

 

[hawaiianboy]

Hard to argue with much of this...

I hate to see Crockett go, but since we're using him as a FB for the most part, it makes sense... I'd love to just line him up as a TB behind a punishing FB and have him run as hard as he can 8-10 times a game as a relief to the main back...

I still think Courtney is a good option as a second TE that just sits in the 6-10 yard range and uses his body to wall off defenders... I'd overspend to get a guy like Gonzo in here to run the routes that require the ability to catch the ball on the run...

If I'm reading it correctly, Sims salary drops to the 1 million range next season... He's a solid guy to have as a backup player or maybe trade him to a West Coast offense team in need of a LT...

1st Round - Adrian Peterson... Yes he's and injury concern but he is a running threat that Jordan isnt. I like jordan and would love to keep him... but not at what we are paying him and not as our primary back.

If we're going to draft offense, I'd prefer to draft Peterson as well... Alan Branch is my main mancrush, but I'd certainly look at trading down a bit and getting Levi Brown in there to play RT, even though 'we never trade down'...

The only thing that scares me about drafting a RB is the Thomas Jones syndrome... Looks great in college, gets stuck in a bad scheme and a bad O-line and looks like a bust... Moves teams and is a star again...

I don't know TJ's contract situation, but I'd work a trade for him as long as it doesn't require giving up a 1st round pick... Send them Porter and a 3 or something...

And it's really sad that we even have to think about WR's when it seemed like we had that spot on cruise control for a few years to come...

I'm wondering if we should take a run at Damon Huard if KC doesn't retain him. I suspect he'd be a hot commodity this offseason.

Maybe it's just me, but I still see Huard as more of a WCO kind of fit... I think we're more likely to make crow 'happy' and take a run at Byron Leftwich if we're looking to add a vet...

As much as it pains me to praise KC, I think Mike Solari has done a fabulous job adapting his scheme in a way that allows Huard just to manage the game... They had problems with injuries/ineffectiveness at OT, so he moves Gonzo out into the slot and motions his FB to the flat to take defenders out of the box and open things up for LJ, which in turn gives their play action passing game some legs...

 

[Crossbones]

I gotta believe Al would rather draft a DT like Branch rather than a running back that he may feel he could get through FA (Garner type)...Calvin Johnson? Well yeah I know he's fast as hell but is a WR going to really make a difference? Nah, not in my view. Building the team around a WR is not a good idea. Didn't we jsut ry that sort of?

And there is precedent. Al took Marcus Allen with the 10th pick in the draft. RB could happen but I'd bet on the DT.

 

[Madturk]

Maybe it's just me, but I still see Huard as more of a WCO kind of fit... I think we're more likely to make crow 'happy' and take a run at Byron Leftwich if we're looking to add a vet...

I guess there was a rumor floating around on ESPN radio that Leftwich would be a good fit here. First Martin Lawrence, then Gary Coleman. WTF?
Anyone know the cap hit we take on Brooks if we outright release him?

 

[hawaiianboy]

And there is precedent. Al took Marcus Allen with the 10th pick in the draft. RB could happen but I'd bet on the DT.

Remember that story Ron Wolf tells about how he and Al argued about who to take that year and Al sends Wolf out to make a call in regards to the player Wolf wants... Wolf is on the phone when he hears over the loudspeaker that the Raiders have selected the guy Al wanted in Marcus Allen?...


Turk, I'm probably wrong but from what I recall, Brooks 2 year deal was essentially a one year contract... I don't know how I'd feel about Leftwich... I thought he was a can't miss guy coming out but my confidence regarding QB's has been completely shattered...

 

[Crossbones]

Remember that story Ron Wolf tells about how he and Al argued about who to take that year and Al sends Wolf out to make a call in regards to the player Wolf wants... Wolf is on the phone when he hears over the loudspeaker that the Raiders have selected the guy Al wanted in Marcus Allen?...

Isn't that how it's suppose to work? Similar thing with Villipiano trade. Heh.

Turk, I'm probably wrong but from what I recall, Brooks 2 year deal was essentially a one year contract... I don't know how I'd feel about Leftwich... I thought he was a can't miss guy coming out but my confidence regarding QB's has been completely shattered...

I think I too remember the Brooks thing being a 1 year deal with very little ramification if we let him go.

Stanny probably knows for sure! Or maybe Mass...

 

[Madturk]

Calvin Johnson? Well yeah I know he's fast as hell but is a WR going to really make a difference? Nah, not in my view. Building the team around a WR is not a good idea. Didn't we jsut ry that sort of?

Exactly but you know the old geezer. I suspect that if both Moss and Porter are gone after the season then the odds of us taking a wr become greater, although I agree, we need to fix this thing before spending high draft picks and loot on a wr. It's like putting some $10,000 sound system in that 73 Gremlin, what's the point?

 

[Crossbones]

'73 Gremlin >

 

[RaiderIVlife]

Byron Leftwich? I'm not sold on this guy either. The Jags are starting the better QB in Gerrard IMO. He's sort of a Rich Gannon type QB.

As for Leftwich, assuming we aren't chasing a QB with our top pick, how about signing him so that he could truly compete with Walter for the job?

I don't think either player should be handed a starting QB nod without earning it.

 

[Madturk]

Count me out of the Leftwich jihad. Just way too inconsistent for my tastes plus he's slow as shit. For that matter, I'd just assume bring in Chris Simms.

 

[NIPS]

The Raiders have the same OL on their roster plus additions that they had last year, minus one

Ron Stone

The Raiders led the league in both passing and receiving up until week 4 when Moss got hurt, Jordan ran for 1100 yards and caught 500 yards

What changed?

Shuffling of the OL and the OC

Anyone here having trouble figuring out what went fuckin wrong?

 

[RaiderIVlife]

The Raiders have the same OL on their roster plus additions that they had last year, minus one

Ron Stone

The Raiders led the league in both passing and receiving up until week 4 when Moss got hurt, Jordan ran for 1100 yards and caught 500 yards

What changed?

Shuffling of the OL and the OC

Anyone here having trouble figuring out what went fuckin wrong?

You seem to be forgetting that the O-line became progressively worse as the season wore on last year and by year's end, was one of the worst in football.

Moreover, practically everyone in Raider Nation was screaming to have Gallery at LT, Sims at LG and Grove at C.

This line sucks.

 

[Ghost To The Post]

In fairness to the coaching staff:

Gallery did fairly well at RT last season and really had to be tried at LT. He may be suited back at RT, if he can strengthen and bulk-up his physique. His hand-work is atrocious for a LT.

Grove is playing a position that really takes about three seasons to master. The turn on that, is that if you get a great center and invest the time, they can play for another 7 or 9 seasons due to the lack of wear and tear typically associated with interior line positions. Grove has had 3 (albeit injury-riddled) seasons without showing any signs of improvement. He lacks the physique and strength of a prototypical OG so he may have run his race with the Raiders.

Sims was a legacy from his days at LT. He did play well in the quick passing offense the Raiders ran and it played to his forte. Sims was never good at man-handling defensive players. He didn't move people out of position. What he did do well was control space and get his hat on people. With Gannon operating his quick passing offense and Garner / Wheatley hitting the holes very quickly, Sims was asked to get in front of people or limit their pathways in space. He never had to control or dominate his opponent but rather just inhibit their progress. Unfortunately that doesn't play well at OG but he may play in the NFL at LT for a quick passing offense.

 

[Langlier]

More specific FA (and some conjecture on this) list.

Byron Leftwich
Eric Steinbach
Tony Gonzalez
Charles Grant