THIS WILL BE A GREAT YEAR FOR THE RAIDERS!

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE HAS BEEN LOOKIN DOWN AT THE RAIDERS WITH OUR SITUATION THIS YEAR WITH COLLINS, OFFENSE LINE AND OUR DEFENSE.
BUT THESE PROBLEMS LOOK VERY FIXABLE THIS YEAR. WE HAVE AN ABILITY TO SOLVE EVERY SITUATION  EITHER THROUGH THE FREE AGENT MARKET OR THE DRAFT. THE AMOUNT OF OPTIONS AT LINE BACKER AND QB ARE PLENTYFULL. THE OFFENSIVE LINE CAN ALSO QUICKLY BE UPGRADED BY PICKING UP A FEW FREE AGENTS.

IF THE DRAFT LOOKS UGLY TO YOU NOW JUST THINK THAT THE WORST OPTION MIGHT BE HUFF/DAVIS WITH THE BEST OPTION BEING HAWK, WILLIAMS, YOUNG, OR BRICK. NOW ANYONE OF THOSE PLAYERS WOULD BE GREAT FOR THE TEAM.

NO MATTER WHAT THE RAIDERS STILL COULD SIGN BIG NAME LB WITHERSPOON, PETERSON, AYODELE, OR ARRINGTON. THE DE POSITION HAS OPERTUNITYS AS WELL WITH THE JETS TRING TO TRADE ABRAHAM, PLUS ROBERT MATHIS AND CARLOS HALL.

THE SAFTEY POSITION HAS GREAT OPTIONS AS WELL, MILLOY ARCHULETA, MCREE, HOPE, CHAVOUS, BASHIR, SCHULTERS, AND TANK WILLIAMS

WITH THE DRAFT USUALLY FIELDING THE TOP 3 ROUNDS SPOTS WITH PLAYER YOU COULD START IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT WOULD BE 3 NEW STARTERS THAT ALONE COULD BOOST OUR DEFENSE OF COURSE DEPENDING ON WHO WE AQUIRE.

WE HAVE TONS OF NEEDS AND WANTS BUT THE FACT REMAINS THIS DRAFT SEEMS TO BE RICH FULL OF IMPACT STARTERS IN THE TOP 6 SPOTS. IF CUTLER AND YOUNG TAKE UP 2 TOP 6 SPOTS THEN WE HAVE A CHANCE LAND ONE OF THE THREE PLAYERS I FEEL COULD HELP PUT US BACK WHERE WE NEED TO BE. (BRICK, MARIO, AJ) IN THE SECOND ROUND WE COULD POTENTIALY CLEAN UP PICKING UP THE BEST PLAYER AVAIL. OR TAKING A NEEDED STARTING POSITION. 

WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS US TRADE COLLINS AND AQUIRE CULPEPPER SOME HOW, SOME WAY.
IF WE LAND VINCE YOUNG AND COULD DO NO BETTER I WOULD BE FINE WITH THAT IF WE ALREADY HAD PEPPER (THINK THE CHARGERS WITH BREES AND RIVERS)  OTHERWISE I REALLY AM UNSURE HOW YOUNG WINNING THE ROSE BOWL WIN HELP US WIN THE WEST. HE HAS BAD THROWING MECANICS AND  HAS TOLD EVERYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN THAT HE DOESNT WANT HIS THROWING MECANICS CHANGED. A MOBILE QB IS HELPFUL BUT DOES NOT WIN GAMES ALONE. YOU NEED TO THROW THE BALL ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE RECEIVERS LIKE PORTER AND MOSS.

OF COURSE YOU COULD MAKE AN ARGUMENT AGAINST MOST PLAYERS IN THE DRAFT. EVEN THE SUPPOSED #1 PICK HAS "SIZE ISSUES", BUT THE PLAYERS IN THIS YEARS DRAFT COMPARED TO OTHER YEARS IS FULL OF STUDS JUST FOAMING AT THE MOUTH TO HIT SOMEONE.

NFL is an open market for free agents

Since the NFL owners had a meeting with the player's union yesterday the deadline for free agency has been moved to this Sunday. What does all that really mean? I can put in simple terms, if the the two sides don't come to an agreement on the salary cap a lot of good to great players will be cut in order to save money. 

I see this as an opportunity for teams to use free agency as a way to turn their teams around  into contenders. I'm not saying to sign a man just because he has a big name, but because, the free agent market will not produce high number contracts instead there will be smart, big bonus short year contracts that reduce the teams ability to clog up the money drain on a few players.

So what could this mean for the Raiders well Al Davis loves big name splashes and there are some middle big names already being released. It might be smart to wait after the initial week or two to sign-resign players but then again the Raiders may want to swoop on a player(s) they know they what before anyone else wants him.

Already you could make a case for the Raiders to resign any or all its players that they cut but the true fun will be when they sign free agents.

Here is a list on needs I feel we need:

for defense, linebackers, corner, safety, d tackle, and d end

for offense, o line, backup-starting RB, QB

Its painfully obvious to me that the defense needs to charge it's engine with new blood. The Raiders need stone cold hitters, smart hard playing, determined men that want to win. When the Raiders had the teams that full of menacing "bad boys" it was there defense that brought that reputation to the table.

Offensive line is the second most important piece to the championship. Without this line working as a well oiled machine we will never beat the teams we have to beat no matter how well our quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs are.  

The rookies that were drafted last year will hopefully be better during their second year in the league. They played well enough on defense in a pinch but I never got the feeling that they were the answer.

The whole team will have old and new questions to answer with the new/old head coach. Those questions may be the determining factor for the whole season. Can and will Art Shell lead this team to the promise land?

To some Raider fans what I say makes sense. To other Raider fans, they just want to eat the heart of the Broncos players in which they don't believe the Raiders have any problems whatsoever. 

Warriors in the trenches and they have no clue!

I love the Lakers and I follow the Warriors because I live close enough to read about them. I've seen that over the years the Warriors don't make the right decisions 90% of the time. I always said, "it started with management". The Warriors finally fired St.Jean and hired Chris Mullen. The only problem is that the Warriors are too cheap, unstable and a virus that makes any Warrior player a loser. Its similar to Clipperites.

I hoped Mullen would have made another trade this year for the player he needs but I guess he will continue to try and build his team through the draft. The problem with that is that he has not drafted particularly well enough to have a great team. The Warriors traded for the teams best player Baron Davis. 

The second best player is Jason Richardson, and the third best player is Derek Fisher, whom they overpaid as a free agent. For the record Fisher is still a good acquisition.

I see that the second best player that the Warriors drafted (Gilbert Arenas) they allowed to walk away because they couldn't make the numbers work. I feel that reason is garbage, because they had the means but couldn't find the guts to do it after so many years of bad deals.

So I sit here and wonder if the Warriors will ever pull themselves out of damnation? Well they didn't take any steps forward this season and as much optimism the newspapers have you would think the Warriors did something fantastic by not making any trades. The newspapers and online sports sites see the Warriors trying to acquire a certain Timberwolf this off season. Hah hah hah hah hah!!! That is the funniest thing I've heard. No way would any big name player want to come (via free agency) to a franchise that is considered the worst in the league year after year. I'm sorry, (for all you Warrior fans with the idea that people want to come to Golden State) but the only way to get a player is to trade away 2 to 3 ok players for one star player.

I feel that the Warriors should have traded for a player even if they traded to many player just to get one great player. For two reasons:

The first reason is the best reason you get a great player on your roster that can make your other players better. And finally make the playoffs. No matter how many players the Warriors gave up they have a deep, decent squad of starting fill ins that could make a push into the playoffs.

The second reason is one I've already stated but its important, you need to trade for a player because nobody wants to come to the Golden State Warriors as a free agent!!

There it is in a nutshell the reasons why I think the Warriors wont be able to be strike gold three times in four years with the draft. Yes its been four years since drafting Richardson and Arenas. In those four years its been one hopeful drafted year after year. All the while the draft has been good to the Warriors they've groomed a team rich with role player. Now is the time to grab the bull by the horns and start playing stars instead of starting solid players who one day should, could, or maybe play like stars. 

sorry it took so long to get back!/Art Shell

Ok the raiders hired Art Shell and I really don't know how to view this. I remember asking (in my head) Al Davis to fire Art during his first go around. To me, he didn't get the team in going in the right direction. 

Mr. Shell  failed to advance the Raiders to the super bowl. Although he had a decent run via win/loss totals, he didn't do what the ultimate prize asked of him. All I can remember is his Quarterback yelling at him on the sidelines during a game and a championship loss that still haunts me to this day. In that loss the Raiders shriveled up more like raisins against the Bills.

 I recall a huge issue with Al Davis and Marcus Allen. I consider that issue one of the biggest black eyes in the Raiders good eye. Art may not have all the answers but he should of stepped in and be a go between the two pride full men. Art may have tried to solve the dilemma for all I know, but if he did try he didn't succeed. 

I want the Raiders to be a dominant force again. I believe that Art Shell may be the one to do it because he wants to do it. Others say one thing and do another but Art Shell understands how many second chances are given to a head coach. Especially a black head coach. How many coaches get fired and hired by the same team? Very few. How many interviews did he receive over the years? Very, Very few. So why hire a man that nobody else wanted? Al Davis has the answers, I just hope we see the results to those questions in a light that makes us happy Raider fans. 

Martz for the Raiders?