Mark Davis: No More Excuses

[Forbiddenraider]

Art Shell = legend as a player. I'm talking about a real GM like Bill Polian. A man that has had success and knows his shit. Fuck what Al did over the last few years, I think the NFL should have stepped in at some point and made Al resign or something do to mental illness, or being senile. He should have been put through brain tests to see if he was all there witch I think he wasn't. He was fucked up. Reggie has no excuse he's just plain stupid.

[Del]

Al was 1 good DC away from a superbowl contender. We had one of the most dangerous offenses those years with Hue. Raiders arent the only team to suck it up for a long period of time.

[RF34]

As my colleague Andrew Brandt has often pointed out, the NFL's long offseason is when a team's players and even coaches step to the background and the front office takes center stage, attempting to distinguish itself in the business of football. The multifaceted roster-building portion of the NFL year is upon us, and it will hit high gear starting next Tuesday afternoon (4 p.m. ET), when the league's free agency period opens and the wheeling and dealing commences. A little less than two months later, the NFL draft will complete the majority of the annual assembly project for most teams.

As March begins to unfold, here's a look at the four front offices -- one in each AFC division -- that are the under the most pressure to get it right this offseason, improving the fortunes of the product they field this fall. We tackled the NFC clubs on Tuesday, and now conclude with the under-the-gun set in the AFC. The story of how these teams fare in 2014 will largely be written in the coming two-plus months, in the decisions, acquisitions and determinations that are about to be made. As always, the results will vary widely.

• AFC West -- Oakland: At least no one is laboring under any misconceptions this year in Raider-land. Team owner Mark Davis has labeled this a "transformative offseason'' in Oakland, and it darn well had better be for head coach Dennis Allen's and general manager Reggie McKenzie's sake. Both realize there's zero chance they make it to Year 4 in their jobs if the Raiders don't show significant improvement in 2014. The good news is, after back-to-back 4-12 seasons under Allen and McKenzie, improvement is a fairly low bar to clear.

The Raiders have the weight of those 11 consecutive non-winning seasons to drag around, but they also have by far the most salary cap room in the league ($66.4 million) to offer hope for a better day. After years of being in the salary-cap stockade due to poor personnel decision-making, Oakland has the mother of all makeover opportunities and Monopoly money to hand out. But the task of laying the foundation for a turnaround season won't be as easy as spending big in free agency and drafting well, not with three 2013 playoff teams in the AFC West and the powerful NFC West on the schedule in 2014. The Raiders can afford to take a shotgun approach to their acquisition spree, with needs almost everywhere, but they still have to be judicious and make every move count if they're going to threaten the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers in any real way.

With all that dough to work with, it's a little surprising McKenzie hasn't already moved to lock up the Raiders' two priority free agents with long-term deals: offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston. Both are young cornerstones who are part of the solution rather than part of the problem in Oakland, and it would send a confusing signal if the Raiders let either escape.

Defensive tackle Pat Sims and cornerback Tracy Porter are also Oakland free agents worth investing in, and last year's emergence of running back Rashad Jennings (another eligible free agent) should make it an easy call to bid farewell to eternally injured veteran rusher Darren McFadden, the team's star-crossed No. 1 pick in 2008. As for available free-agent talent on other rosters, a complementary receiver like James Jones makes some sense, as does a veteran pass-rushing defensive end along the lines of Jared Allen, if the Raiders can coax him into silver and black.

But the decision that will matter most and should get the most thought will come at quarterback, where Oakland has to find better starting options than the 2013 tandem of Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. The undrafted McGloin is seen as a decent short-term bridge quarterback if the Raiders opt to spend their No. 5 draft pick on a franchise QB, but Pryor might be gone by the time training camp opens. Oakland could also get into the veteran quarterback market by signing Josh Freeman, Josh McCown or Michael Vick, giving itself the option to take someone like Khalil Mack or Sammy Watkins at No. 5, and perhaps look for a quarterback in the second round. Freeman worked with Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson in Tampa Bay and might be the leader in that clubhouse.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... z2vHojtbJ6

[Forbiddenraider]

YOU STINKY HORSE MANURE SMELLIN MUTHAFUCKA YOU! If this stunod Reggie brings Josh Freeman in as a starting QB he should be ass raped by a pack of Iranian camel rapists

[Tenebrous]

As my colleague Andrew Brandt has often pointed out, the NFL's long offseason is when a team's players and even coaches step to the background and the front office takes center stage, attempting to distinguish itself in the business of football. The multifaceted roster-building portion of the NFL year is upon us, and it will hit high gear starting next Tuesday afternoon (4 p.m. ET), when the league's free agency period opens and the wheeling and dealing commences. A little less than two months later, the NFL draft will complete the majority of the annual assembly project for most teams.

As March begins to unfold, here's a look at the four front offices -- one in each AFC division -- that are the under the most pressure to get it right this offseason, improving the fortunes of the product they field this fall. We tackled the NFC clubs on Tuesday, and now conclude with the under-the-gun set in the AFC. The story of how these teams fare in 2014 will largely be written in the coming two-plus months, in the decisions, acquisitions and determinations that are about to be made. As always, the results will vary widely.

• AFC West -- Oakland: At least no one is laboring under any misconceptions this year in Raider-land. Team owner Mark Davis has labeled this a "transformative offseason'' in Oakland, and it darn well had better be for head coach Dennis Allen's and general manager Reggie McKenzie's sake. Both realize there's zero chance they make it to Year 4 in their jobs if the Raiders don't show significant improvement in 2014. The good news is, after back-to-back 4-12 seasons under Allen and McKenzie, improvement is a fairly low bar to clear.

The Raiders have the weight of those 11 consecutive non-winning seasons to drag around, but they also have by far the most salary cap room in the league ($66.4 million) to offer hope for a better day. After years of being in the salary-cap stockade due to poor personnel decision-making, Oakland has the mother of all makeover opportunities and Monopoly money to hand out. But the task of laying the foundation for a turnaround season won't be as easy as spending big in free agency and drafting well, not with three 2013 playoff teams in the AFC West and the powerful NFC West on the schedule in 2014. The Raiders can afford to take a shotgun approach to their acquisition spree, with needs almost everywhere, but they still have to be judicious and make every move count if they're going to threaten the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers in any real way.

With all that dough to work with, it's a little surprising McKenzie hasn't already moved to lock up the Raiders' two priority free agents with long-term deals: offensive tackle Jared Veldheer and defensive end Lamarr Houston. Both are young cornerstones who are part of the solution rather than part of the problem in Oakland, and it would send a confusing signal if the Raiders let either escape.

Defensive tackle Pat Sims and cornerback Tracy Porter are also Oakland free agents worth investing in, and last year's emergence of running back Rashad Jennings (another eligible free agent) should make it an easy call to bid farewell to eternally injured veteran rusher Darren McFadden, the team's star-crossed No. 1 pick in 2008. As for available free-agent talent on other rosters, a complementary receiver like James Jones makes some sense, as does a veteran pass-rushing defensive end along the lines of Jared Allen, if the Raiders can coax him into silver and black.

But the decision that will matter most and should get the most thought will come at quarterback, where Oakland has to find better starting options than the 2013 tandem of Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. The undrafted McGloin is seen as a decent short-term bridge quarterback if the Raiders opt to spend their No. 5 draft pick on a franchise QB, but Pryor might be gone by the time training camp opens. Oakland could also get into the veteran quarterback market by signing Josh Freeman, Josh McCown or Michael Vick, giving itself the option to take someone like Khalil Mack or Sammy Watkins at No. 5, and perhaps look for a quarterback in the second round. Freeman worked with Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson in Tampa Bay and might be the leader in that clubhouse.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/ne ... z2vHojtbJ6

Interesting read - thank. Still shocked that niether Houston nor Veldheer have been signed longterm. If RM is operating under the assumption that players will take a pay cut to play in Oakland after a near decade of frustration and the last two disastrous seasons under Allen, the Raiders are in for another frustrating season.

[Tenebrous]

Al was 1 good DC away from a superbowl contender. We had one of the most dangerous offenses those years with Hue. Raiders arent the only team to suck it up for a long period of time.

Del hit it on the head. Say what you will about Al Davis' later years, but he was finally on to something just before he passed away. The tragedy not only involved Davis' death, but the lost opportunity RM simply pissed away. The last two pathetic seasons were wholly avoidable and the playoffs were there for the taking. What a waste. What a shame.