Silver And Black Pride

Raiders free agent linebacker Groves signs with Cardinals

2012-05-24T23:16:53Z

Raiders former starting linebacker Quentin Groves has signed with the Arizona Cardinals according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Groves spent the past two season in Oakland after they traded a fifth round pick to the Jaguars to acquire him.

The Jaguars drafted Groves in the second round and after two seasons there, he was considered a disappointment and the team sought to move on from him while receiving some compensation in return. They found a willing trade partner in the Raiders who saw a speedy young linebacker they could plug in on the weak side to replace the departed Thomas Howard.

Groves struggled to find his way in the Raiders defense and after a 22 games as the everyday starter, the team acquired former first round pick Aaron Curry from the Seahawks in trade just before the 2011 trade deadline.

Curry was instantly named the starter by then coach Hue Jackson which effectively ended Groves' run in Oakland. He played out the season mostly on special teams and following the season he saw the writing on the wall.

"First off I just want to say thank you," said Groves. "Thank [the fans] for eight sellouts... I just wanna say thank you to them for all the love and the gracious support they showed us. I love them to death. I might sign to another team next year, but at the end of the day I'm still a Raider. Deep down in my heart, I'm still a Raider... You know, this league is funny. You can be here one year and gone the next. I could be here one day and gone the next. That's the funny thing about this league. I pray I'm back though."

"You just have to say, 'It's a business'... You just gotta roam. You just gotta roam when you're free."

Groves was a fan favorite for his outreach on Twitter to meet up with fans. He even once offered autographed photos to anyone on Twitter who asked for one. If he can find a home with the Cardinals, the fans there will love having him on their team.

In Arizona, Groves is expected to provide depth at the outside linebacker behind starters O'Brien Schofield and Sam Acho. He will also, of course, contribute on special teams.

Signing draft picks is not high priority for Raiders

2012-05-24T22:57:14Z

It's certainly a new era for the draft with the new rookie cap being implemented. Most of this year's 253 draft picks have been signed already. It used to be this process wouldn't really kick into high gear until July. But it is past mistakes combined with the new era in Oakland that has the team waiting on signing their picks.

While most NFL teams have signed some or all of their draft picks, the Raiders have not signed any of their picks. They are among five teams who have yet to sign a single draft pick. The others are the Cowboys, Jaguars, Saints, and Rams.

The Raiders have six picks in the 2012 NFL draft with the first pick not coming until the final selection of the third round. Their picks plus those of the other four teams' picks make up 34 of the 79 unsigned draftees this season.

While just ten of the first round picks signed, the league is still well ahead of schedule. Typically most of those first round picks don't begin signing until training camp nears. And often times they don't sign until late in camp or even hold out into the regular season. Such was the case with Raiders 2007 number on overall pick, JaMarcus Russell. He held out into the season and the result was a huge contract and him not seeing the field until the final two games of his rookie season.

That huge contract Russell received continues to haunt the Raiders to this day. He busted out of the league and the Raiders used the uncapped 2010 season to dump him and once there was a new CBA and a new salary cap in place, the league punished the Raiders for their actions by not giving them the same $1.6 million cap bonus they gave 28 other teams.

You may notice two of the other teams who have not signed their draft picks-- the Cowboys and Saints-- were among those penalized for contract manipulation during the uncapped year. The Cowboys were docked $10 million on their cap spread over the next two seasons and the Saints, like the Raiders, didn't receive the league wide cap bonus.

Oddly enough, the most penalized team-- the Redskins who were docked $36 million-- have signed three draft picks. Although, they were two seventh round picks and on fifth rounder so it isn't a big investment. They still have six picks yet to sign (equal to or greater than the total number of 2012 draft picks by the Jaguars, Saints, and Raiders) including the number two overall pick, Robert Griffin III.

The Saints also have the whole bounty suspension and appeals thing to worry about right now. It's hard to say why the Jaguars and Rams are waiting on signing their rookies but the Raiders, Cowboys, and Saints simply have greater issues to deal with at present. There is no real rush on signing their draft picks. Training camp is still two months away so it doesn't take high priority.

The Raiders have been in cap hell all off season and continue to try to get Tyvon Branch and Marcel Reece signed long term. Thus far Branch has signed his franchise tag which has him participating in OTA sessions but Reece hasn't signed his exclusive rights restricted free agent tender and he can't report until he either signs that or a new deal.

On top of the contract dealings with players, the Raiders are still actively hiring front office personnel. They just recently announced a major overhaul to their personnel department as well as a new director of security.

There is nothing to worry about with regard to the Raiders signing their picks. All the players are able to participate in OTA's and there are no first round picks so there will be no worries about coming up with the money to sign them.

These signings will come in due time and my guess is once they shift their focus to getting them done, they will have them lined up and ready with a pen and announce them in one lump.

Spencer, Bartell relishing fresh start in Oakland

2012-05-24T13:01:28Z

The Raiders have two new starting cornerbacks coming into this season. They are former long time starters Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer. The team didn't make a big trade for them and they certainly didn't sign them to big free agent contracts. As happy as the Raiders are to have these two, they are just as happy to be in Oakland.

Spencer and Bartell have a lot in common. The first being that they were born on the same day. To be clear, they don't just have the same birthday. They were literally born on the same day-- February 22, 1982. Spencer came into the league a year ahead of Bartell (2004) but both players have essentially five years of experience as starters.

The two players both played in the NFC West, Bartell for the Rams and Spencer for the Niners, for their entire careers up to last season. With the Rams and 49ers playing each other twice a year, they have grown very familiar with each other's work over the past seven seasons.

Both were also injured in the preseason last year with Bartell going on injured reserve and Spencer losing his starting job and not getting back. Spencer went down with a hamstring injury and by the time he was recovered, he had been replaced and essentially phased out in San Francisco.

"It's a breath of fresh air," said Spencer of his new team. "Prior to leaving San Francisco, at the end of the season, I sat down and talked to Trent Baalke and he was gracious enough and nice enough to say ‘you know what let's do this in a timely manner instead of dragging it out' until, you know, August and then releasing me and all that other stuff. So I do appreciate that on his behalf. It was something that for both sides, all parties involved, it was the best thing, it was time."

Bartell had a fractured vertebra in his neck and was out all of last season. And rather than see if he was recovered from his injury, the Rams showed no interest in bringing him back. Even though he checked out completely and was cleared to play.

"I feel great and I'm just happy to be back on the field." said Bartell. "It's the first time I've ever been injured. You get banged up a lot in this game, but it's the first injury I've ever had where I've had to miss a significant amount of time. Luckily for me, it was not a simple injury but a straightforward, or fracture, and everything healed up fine. I'm just ready to play ball and I'm happy to be back.

"I don't have any fear at all. The funny thing about it is, when I had the injury, I didn't actually know that I had fractured my neck. It felt more like a stinger. I walked off corner of the field under my own power and I was actually about to check back into the game, and they just held me out since the game was pretty much over. We didn't find out that I had the fracture until I got the C-T scan... once I got the clearance, I'm fine, I'm ready to go."

"For me, being in my eighth year, being in St. Louis seven straight years and to see guys come and go, to have the type of injury I had, just from that standpoint, just being able to get back out on the field and compete, that's all I can ask for. Another chance, another opportunity to play again.

"It's a good situation, it's a good opportunity... a whole new city, a whole new part of the country, a new organization, so it brings some excitement for me. I'm looking forward to it."

For the Raiders, it is a classic resurrection story. They were once known as a team who took on those players other teams have given up for dead, and resurrected their careers. But these are players with plenty of good years left in them. It isn't like they are ready for retirement.

"(We're) Old men if you let everyone else tell it," Bartell quipped. "Yeah, yeah, me and Shawntae played a lot of football in this league, we started a lot of games, been in a lot of battles."

With several big names at corner on the free agent market this offseason, guys like Spencer and Bartell went relatively unnoticed. A lot of people heard the words "broken neck" and wrote off Bartell's career. Spencer was not set to become a free agent and was released. But for a team like the Raiders who needed to find instant starters at bargain basement prices, these two fit the bill perfectly.

The Raiders signed both players to one year deals which allows both players the chance to show they can still play at a high level and earn a possible longer, more lucrative deal next year. The flip side is if they don't play well, the Raiders won't be tied to them.

But for now, they have the fresh start they wanted and are coming in as the starters. It is an opportunity they were not going to have for their previous teams and one that can be rare in this league.

The two veteran cornerbacks saw a chance to prove themselves and the Raiders saw two guys who had already proven themselves. It is really no wonder these two are as excited to be here as they are.

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Darren McFadden makes #60 on NFL top 100 players of 2012

2012-05-24T00:58:14Z

NFL.com is making its way through their top 100 players of 2012. They reached number sixty today and the first Oakland Raider made the list-Darren McFadden.

NFL.com laid out several big performances McFadden had last season in the six full games he played. Those six games showed them enough to jump him up from his previous ranking of number 98. He made the list in 2011 after breaking out for 1157 rushing yards and 507 receiving yards.

The games last season that earned McFadden his new ranking include his 150 yard performance in week one, his two touchdowns in week two, and his career high 171 yards versus a Jets defense that hadn't given up a 100 yard rusher since Rex Ryan took over as head coach three seasons ago-and McFadden was over 100 before halftime.

Prior to the Chiefs game in week seven in which he went down on his second carry of the game, McFadden had run for 610 yards. He was on pace to run for over 1600 yards that season.

NFL.com put together a highlight reel of McFadden's big plays last season. It includes some player testimonials from Champ Bailey and Kirk Morrison on the difficulties of facing McFadden. Bailey even says that he thinks McFadden is the best running back in football. See that video here.

There is no doubt Darren McFadden has talent. His issue has been and always will be his health. He has never played an entire sixteen game season. His one season over 1000 yards rushing, he played in and started 13 games.

Suggestion for Raider players commenting on new leg-pad rule: You should have said nothing

2012-05-23T14:17:32Z

I haven't posted a story on Silver and Black Pride in quite a while, but after going through the regular Raiders news this morning I felt I had to comment on this topic.

Jerry McDonald wrote an interesting article for the Bay Area News Group yesterday about the new leg-pad rules the NFL wants to mandate starting in the 2013 season, and reaction from some of the Raiders players. For the most part, the rule did not seem to go over well with the Raiders' defensive players. For example, new cornerback Ron Bartell was quoted as saying:

"Personally, I won't be wearing them...So I'd better put some fine money away. It takes away from the speed of the game. Hip pads, knee pads, thigh pads. They're not going to stop you from tearing an ACL. It may stop a couple of soft-tissue injuries, but a knee pad isn't going to stop a guy from blowing out a knee."

Linebacker Travis Goethel also commented:

"I hate that. I don't want that at all. I don't like having anything restricting my movement in my legs. If you get hit in the thigh it really doesn't do too much to help you out."

What stands out most to me is the self-centered approach these players are taking to the issue. Look at the quotes - it's all about "this isn't going to help me", "this isn't going to protect me", "this is going to slow me down." By taking this approach, these Raiders players have put themselves squarely in the category of players who don't care about player safety and are unwilling to change the way they play the game in the interest of keeping all those who play it healthy. Steelers linebacker James Harrison may be the leader of that group, but he just found new members with Ron Bartell and Travis Goethel.

To Bartell and Goethel - you have to realize that the pads aren't just for your own protection, they are also for the protection of the running back or wide receiver you're barreling down on. If you're trying to make a tackle and wind up slamming your knee or thigh into the guy's helmet, the padding may be the difference between a hard hit and a concussion. Your flippant indignation toward the health and well-being of your fellow NFL players puts you on the wrong side of this issue, and for that, what you should have said was nothing.

Silver and Black Pride, what are your thoughts on the NFL's attempts to make the game safer and the players' response?

Raiders defensive backs enjoying new defensive scheme

2012-05-23T13:01:50Z

The Raiders are rolling out new schemes on both sides of the ball this year with the new coaching staff in place. And while the offensive scheme is well-known-West Coast offense with zone blocking-the defense has been somewhat of a mystery.

The thinking up to this point is the Raiders will play a mixture of the 4-3 and 3-4 with more of a zone scheme in the secondary. The term defensive coordinator Jason Tarver and head coach Dennis Allen have used to describe it is "multiple". That word doesn't really explain exactly what they intend to do and is ambiguous by design.

But whatever the specific defensive style they deploy, or rather combination of styles, the Raiders defensive backs are liking what they see.

"This new defense we've got gives us more opportunities to make plays," Says strong safety Tyvon Branch. "We're not as predictable as we have been in years before... Defense as a whole, the concepts, we got some good stuff"

You must assume what he means when he says the Raiders won't be as predictable is they won't be such a strict man defense as they had for nearly their entire existence. Opposing teams always knew what to expect. That statement suggests at very least a steady dose of zone defense.

Also suggesting a more zone style are the type of corners the team brought in. Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer are known to be solid zone corners. So expectedly, they are very excited at what Tarver and Allen have cooked up for them. He and Branch had similar things to say about the defense.

"I love the scheme. I love the scheme," said Bartell. "It's a multiple-look scheme, it puts a lot of different people in positions to make plays. Some schemes are predicated upon D-line, some are on linebackers, some are on secondary play, but it puts everybody, on every level of the defense, it gives you the opportunity to make plays. It gives guys the chance to show their versatility. So, from that standpoint, I'm excited. Coach Tarver, he's a young, energetic coordinator, we've got some good DB coaches, a young staff, so it's just a lot of excitement right now. From that standpoint, we're just ready to get everybody on the same page and see what happens."

Getting everyone on the same page is of utmost importance. But to do that, they need everyone to be on the right track. That track in Oakland is a new one and it starts with discipline. Shawntae Spencer understands and respects coach Allen's emphasis on discipline.

"I tell you what, man, it's ‘do it or come stand next to me. Or go home', you know what I mean? And that's just what it is. It's very in your face as far as Coach Allen, very, very instrumental on the defense, especially with the secondary, he's a secondary coach, he knows what it looks like, what it's supposed to look like and that's what he's demanding from us... You hear different things, you know, when I came in, about previous staffs and things like that and how different this one is. It's no nonsense. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. They want everyone to embrace the team concept and playing together and playing within each scheme."

Thus far most of the defensive players have bought into the team's new direction along with the new scheme. One possible exception may be Rolando McClain although his transgressions happened prior to the new regime's arrival.

As for McClain or anyone else who isn't onboard, as Spencer pointed out, "do it... or go home".

From the sounds of it, there is no reason why anyone on this team should have trepidation about conforming to the new scheme. Whatever it may be at any given play during the course of a game.

Raiders second OTA: Standouts and sit-outs

2012-05-22T22:58:07Z

It was time for round two of Raiders offseason OTA's. Time to see if anyone has progressed or if those who shined before can do it again. It also seemed to be a who's who of who's not practicing which is reminiscent of last year's training camp. The good news is that most of those not practicing were only out for precautionary measures.

It was the return of Rolando McClain and the anticipation of what he would have to say about his legal situation was thick. There was more thick stuff to tread through when he took no questions and gave only a statement.

But there was still a practice to watch and players to evaluate. A reminder that there is no contact. The new schemes have kinks still to work out and what we see now is only a small portion of what we will see by the time training camp rolls around so not a lot can be judged from a defensive standpoint.

Sit-outs

Those who were here and not practicing for the second straight week were wide receivers Louis Murphy and Eddie McGee who both have little nagging hamstring issues. Stefen Wisniewski was out again as well along with Matt Shaughnessy. Both of them had shoulder injuries from last season.

Joining the present-but-injured list was WR Denarius Moore, LB Aaron Curry, and OL Zach Hurd. Tommy Kelly was not at practice with what Dennis Allen referred to as personal issues.

Not present at practice again this week was Mike Mitchell, who is rehabbing a knee injury, along with Sebastian Janikowski, Shane Lechler, and Richard Seymour. They are all simply vets who the team has excused from these OTA's.

Wide receiver Thomas Mayo left practice last week holding his hamstring. He was back at it this week with no ill effects.

Rolando McClain was out last week dealing with his legal matters that had him in court. He was found guilty by a judge but his lawyer requested a trial by jury which means he is eligible to practice until he is needed back in court.

Standouts

The bright spot this week is David Ausberry. He was Matt Leinart's favorite target and he was hauling in every type of catch thrown his way. Just once, he went out for a Palmer pass and didn't stop on his route in the proper place and Palmer threw it to where he was supposed to have been. But his overall body of work on Tuesday more than made up for the lapse. Read more about Ausberry's day here.

Rod Streater continues his work as a favorite to hang on to a roster spot among the undrafted free agents on this team. He makes some fine catches and if not for a Twitter jynx that caused him to drop a leaping sideline grab, he would have had a near flawless day catching the football.

Newcomer QB Kyle Newhall-Caballero is a decent size at 6-3 but next to a 6-5 Palmer, 6-5 Leinart, and 6-6 Pryor, he looks short. He is also has a thin frame at 214 pounds which has him outweighed by his fellow QB's by between 15 and 20 pounds. That being said, he throws a pretty good ball. Most passes were nice spirals with some velocity on them and I didn't see any passes sail or dive.

Safety Curtis Taylor has looked good in drills overall. He is making a case for a roster spot as a reserve safety and special teams player. The team ran two minute drills at the end of practice and he intercepted Matt Leinart on the final play. Lasting impressions are good.

Standing out in a negative way was Darren McFadden. The team is clearly making efforts to get him in open space in a receiver role. He couldn't track a long sideline pass from Palmer that was placed in stride. He was extremely disappointed in himself after that one. He later let a ball go right through his hands from Terrelle Pryor and dropped another pass from Palmer that was right in his hands.

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Raiders TE David Ausberry making strong case to start

2012-05-22T22:09:09Z

Raiders tight end David Ausberry and quarterback Matt Leinart both went to USC. And with the way they are connecting in practice, you may have thought they were there at the same time. In actuality, they have never played together until they worked out together this offseason.

Being that Ausberry is catching most of his passes from Leinart means he is still working with the second team. But with the way he is playing, he could see himself connecting much more often with another former USC quarterback in Oakland-- Carson Palmer.

The first observation that impresses with regard to Ausberry is his size. He has bulked up considerably since last season. He came to the team as a former college wide receiver and he looked it. He was listed at 6-4, 245 last year with a leaner build. Now after a year in the NFL as a tight end, he is looking the part.

"[I'm]265 right now." Said Ausberry. "Last year, I was about 250. At the beginning of the year I was about 245 coming in.

"I don't feel like I lost any [speed] but that just comes with a lot of technique. You gotta know your opponent and be able to separate from people, and that's what I am trying to do.

"It wasn't that hard [putting on weight] if you're lifting a lot. That's pretty much what happened. Playing weight, I will probably be down to 258. It am trying to get more muscle in the upper body and trying to stay fit."

Despite his size, he is still a mismatch for defenders with his wide receiver hands and speed. His added weight has not diminished his ability to get open on linebackers so thus far it has not affected his ability to gain separation on defenders. The benefit to his bulking up is as a pass blocker. In OTA's there is no contact so we have yet to see if he has improved in that area.

Last season he was seen as a guy with a lot of potential and it appears that potential is being realized. He worked hard to live up to some of the expectations of him after he stood out last year's training camp. And in the offseason, that work has continued. He knows what he needs to do and he is doing it.

"I was doing a lot of the same things last year, but now it's pretty much hand in dirt. There's also a lot of formations where I am split out wide and all that, but now it's more about being a real tight end. It feels pretty good.

"Recognizing defensive fronts. Coming from the outside back to the interior, you have to be aware of what's going on in front of you now. You're not reading too many safeties now."

His talents and work ethic has not gone unnoticed by the guy from whom Ausberry hopes to be catching a lot more passes in the near future. He worked out extensively with Palmer in the offseason including spending a month with him and several other Raider players in Los Angeles.

Prior to those workouts, Palmer had some good things to say about Ausberry. Since the workouts, he has had a more glowing endorsement of his skills. Palmers approval means a great deal to Ausberry. …

"A vet like Carson," said Ausberry. "you always want a guy like that in your corner. It helps when you have some sort of relationship with the starting quarterback. You start to feel each other on the field and it helps a lot. I am just blessed to be in this position."

This means Ausberry now has great chemistry with both the Raiders' top two quarterbacks. Which explains why he doesn't miss a beat regardless of who is throwing the passes. And with the way he is playing, he could be moving on up real soon.

"Yeah, that's what I am trying to do. If I get a chance to get out there, I will get it."

Dennis Allen isn't quite ready to jump him up to starter during OTA's when he has yet to see how he performs in his blocking assignments or when he has defenders looking to take him out. But the competition is open to say the least.

"I don't want to put a timetable on it as to when he will develop into a full-time player," said Dennis Allen. "I think he definitely has that ability to. If he keeps getting better we'll play that out as we get through training camp and kind of see where we're at."

The incumbant starter at tight end is Brandon Myers. Also fighting for a spot in the tight end rotation is second year man, Richard Gordon and rookie undrafted free agent Kyle Efaw.

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