Biggest Question Marks for the Raiders coming into the new season

Personally I like to look at the positives coming into a new season but sometimes the negatives get in the way. Here are the biggest question marks for the Raiders that are worrying me heading into the new season.

Can Darren McFadden stay healthy? - Not only does McFadden getting injured every year hurt the Raiders but it also wrecks my chance at fantasy football glory. When healthy McFadden is a game changing player and one of the best backs in the league. But that is When healthy. Last year McFadden only played 7 games before suffering a season ending linsfrac injury. This year for the first time we will see both Palmer and McFadden play together and it should be scary good. IF McFadden can stay healthy then I don't see why the Raiders can't make a deep playoff run.

Can The Raiders defense get it together under Coach Allen and co? - Last year Chucky Bresnahan failed to turn the Raiders defense into a 'bully' like Hue Jax wanted. In reality it was the 29th worst defence and looked appalling especially in pass defence losing us key games against the Lions, Packers, Dolphins and Chargers. Reggie McKenzie came in and immediatly fired Hue and brought in Allen, a defensive minded HC. Hopefully Allen can do what he did in Denver and turn around a poor defence.


Can Palmer return to his best and lead the team to Playoff glory? - Palmer was very hot and cold last season as he shook off the rust after seating on his couch for half the season. There were glimpses of his old self and it looked promising in week 10 when he connected with D.Moore on some big plays but after that he didn't really look much better that Jason Campbell. In a recent CSN interview he claimed his best days were still ahead of him. Lets hope he really means it.

Can our new players replace old ones and be difference makers? - Stanford Routt, Kamerion Wimbley and Michael Bush are all former Raiders. All 3 were key players last year and all 3 must be replaced. At CB the Raiders have signed Ron Bartell and Spencer. At LB we signed Phillip Wheeler and drafted Miles Burris and at RB we traded for Mike Goodson. Aswell as these player the Raiders have brought in several other free agents as well our 2012 draft class. Nobody truly knows how well these players will perform which is why it is a big question mark. Hopefully they will not only replace but improve from last years players.   

The Best Raiders players to follow on Twitter

Recently I have become a 'Twitter addict' as it is one of the best ways to get instant info on anything Raiders. You can get instant updates from analysts, beat-writers and the players themselves. Below is a list of my favourite Raiders tweeters!

Tyvon Branch - @tyvonbranch - 23,751 followers The Raiders franchise player keeps it real with his tweets and has some good jokes with other Raiders players. Top tweet "I really can't believe @Huffy247 really ran back in the house just to put on the same hoody as me smh"

Michael Huff - @Huffy247 - 33,323 followers The hero last year vs the Texans after the passing of Al Davis, Huffy loves teasing fellow raiders and a must follow for any raiders fan. Top tweet "I'm thinkin about growing my hair out and bringing my shag back for the season, what do yall think"

Marcel Reece - @CelReece45 - 17,008 followers Although still holding out from Raiders OTAs, Reece is one of my favourite raiders and his tweets are among the best. Top tweet "don't ever give him that title! U crazy? RT @nikkyface: Metta is so #THUGLIFE"

Mike Goodson - @GoodNplenty33 - 8,306 followers Mike Goodson is yet to play a down of Raider football but has already shown his worth on Twitter. And if you ask nicely he gives you a follow back. Top tweet "#PSA Ok LeBron fans seriously he's a great player without a doubt!! But not like Mike and Kobe *kanye shrug*"

Jacoby Ford - @JacobyFord12 - 50,403 followers Jacoby tweets a lot and most of it doesn't really make much sense but every now and again he tweets something awesome and that is why he has 50,000+ followers. Top tweet "@DonteStallworth you ain't bout that sushi life".....Do you see what I mean about his tweets not making much sense now.

Those are my top 5 Raiders tweeters. There are some other good tweeters like Terrelle Pryor and Taiwan Jones who you should go follow but if you are going to follow anyone, those top 5 are your best bet!

Follow me @HNeedell if you want and also one of my favourite Raiders bloggers who writes for Thoughts from the Dark Side @AsherMathews who deserves some more followers.

Why the Oakland Raiders should go after Kellen Winslow Jr.

Earlier this morning (May 21) Winslow announced on Sirius XM NFL radio that Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano had informed him that he won't be back with the team in 2012 and this makes a lot of sense. It is a new era in Tampa bay and Winslow who can be a bit of a head-ache at times in the locker room was never really in Schiano's long-term plans, add that to the fact that he has 3 years remaining on his contract and is guaranteed $3.3 million this year it was a no brainer really.

Although never living up to his full-potential he is still only 28 years old. He has had numerous surgeries on his knees and the strain is showing after only achieving a 10.2 YPC average last year however he has remained productive in Tampa, getting 700+ yards for the third straight season in 2011.

There won't be any teams out there that are willing to trade for him as he carries a high price tag so It will be no surprise when the Bucs cut him. So long as nobody with more money gets him he will be a great addition to the Raiders (Thats if he will take the salary cut). At the moment there is not a stand out TE on our roster, Kevin Boss is headed to the Chiefs leaving us with David Ausberry who is basically a WR and Brandon Myers who is basically another O-Lineman. Winslow's all round ability at TE is just what the Raiders and Carson Palmer need and In my opinion signing him to a 1 year contract will be a low risk/high reward scenario.

My Thoughts on Rolando McClain

Last week as we all know McClain was sentenced to 180 days in jail on charges of third-degree assault, recklass endangerment and discharging a firearm inside the city limits. 

What I find most disturbing about this whole affair is that all this happened 3 days before a key game down in Miami and one the Raiders ultimately lost, you can't fully blame Rolando for the defeat but why? Why would he visit his hometown in Decatur, Alabama (A place where in January 2011, he was driving a car that was shot at)  get a gun and then go to a house to beat up a childhood friend? The Video footage of the attack that surfaced (see here Video-of-Rolando-McClain-incident-surfaces) is very depressing to see. No doubt McClain is a multi-millionaire yet he is seen in a small house in a 'ghetto' in a town where crime rates are very high. 

The Raiders organisation has always produced violent 'criminal' players on the field and are often described as the 'bad-boys of the NFL' and you just have to look at the penalties the raiders conceded last year to confirm this but does being a 'criminal' on the field make you a criminal off it and does playing for the Raiders make you a violent person? In my opinion it has nothing to do with the Raiders culture, yes our fans are a lil' crazy but If you look at Rolando on the field he plays with so much anger (Just look at his body slam on Danny Amendola http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJ0LH_jiCDY). This could be just the way he is but this is apparent in so many linebackers in the NFL these days, Ray Lewis may or may not have killed somebody and just recently Junior Seau committed suicide most likely due to his experiences in the NFL. Yes, American Football is a violent game and that is why so many people tune in every Sunday but if it is so violent that it is making somebody like Rolando who before the NFL was clean a thug who goes around threatening to kill people then something must be done.

I think some Jail time will do McClain some good and help him in controlling his anger but a suspension from Roger Goodell isn't going to do much in terms of helping linebackers across the NFL realises that it is just a game after all and I think that is the message that needs to be drilled into current NFL players heads before it is too late and they turn into another Junior Seau. (R.I.P by the way...)

The best and worst of the Raiders 2012 schedule

In 2012 the Raiders are playing teams from the AFC North and the NFC west as well as games against the Dolphins and the Jaguars due to where we finished last year in our division and if i'm honest, looking through the schedule there isn't one game where I think that the Raiders have no shot in this one..Then again there isnt any games where I think it is an easy win. It is going to be a very interesting season for the Raiders and here are my 3 easiest and hardest games of the 2012 season.

Easiest

Week 7 vs Jacksonville - The Jaguars don't really know what direction to go in at the moment. Blaine Gabbert looked woeful last season and even though they had a decent draft, drafting top WR J.Blackmon and DE Andre Branch and have one of the best backs in the league in MJD their GM is still in love with Tebow and drafting a punter in the 3rd isn't really going to help that much. This should (fingers crossed) be a breather in an otherwise hectic season

Week 2 at Miami - Yeah I know they destroyed us last year 34-14 and probably ruined are chance at the playoffs but in my opinion they took a step back this offseason. Ryan Tannehill isn't going to help them this year especially with no Brandon Marshall. The Raiders should have a more enjoyable trip to the south beach this year

Week 13 vs Cleveland - Do I really need to explain this one?

Hardest
Week 3 vs Pittsburgh - This game promises to be a great game and I hope that the old Raiders/Steelers rivalry can re-establish itself this year. The Steelers are getting old but still manage to dominate year after year. With no real run attack as Mendanhall  is out with a torn ACL this game will be very close and one the Raiders will have to win if they want to make a playoff run

Week 4 at Denver - The following week the Raiders travel to mile high to face Manning and the Broncos. By week 4 expect Peyton to be back on top of his game and pick many holes in a week Raiders secondary. The Raiders are going to need that bye week in week 5!

Week 16 at Carolina - I could have gone for lots of teams here, games against the Falcons, Ravens, Saints and Chargers will all be difficult. However I think the NFC south is wide open at the moment, the Saints are a mess at the moment with no Sean Payton or Vilma and at the moment no Drew Brees and the Falcons haven't done anything to show that they have improved from last year so I think the Panthers and Super Cam will grab it by the horns and come week 16 be one of the best teams in the NFL

My Bold predictions for the Raiders 2012 season

After a disappointing 2011 campaign the Raiders finished on 8-8 again and for the 9th year in a row missed out on the playoffs. During the off-season Oakland has been very quiet with little cap space or draft picks to play with but they have been very effective with what they have done. The Raiders now have a new man leading the show in Reggie McKenzie and 'his guy' Dennis Allen and the Raider nation should expect big things out of the Raiders this year. These are my 5 Bold predictions for the 2012 season.

1) Darren McFadden rushes for 1800 yards, leading the league in rush yards - This one is not even that bold, the key for McFadden is staying healthy if he can this will be easy. The news from camp is that he is looking as fast as ever so expect Run DMC to be on top of his game come September.

2) Rookie WR Juron Criner shows he is not just a camp star by catching 10 TDS - If you haven't seen the highlight reel for this kid then you should probably check it out, Im expecting great things from Juron, a steal in the 5th round.

3) Darrius Heyward-Bey will have a pro-bowl season and finally surpasses 1000 yards receiving - He got close to the 1000 yard mark last year and has been drastically improving every year, it is only a matter of time before he finally shows the league he was worthy of that top 10 draft pick and I think he will do it this year

4) Ron Bartell proves to be the bargain of free agency coming up big with 5 INTs - This guy was overlooked in free agency because of neck injury that ruled him out for the entire 2011 season but under Dennis Allen who was the secondary coach for the superbowl winning Saints in 2009 Ron Bartell will shock many people around the NFL.

5) HC Dennis Allen and DC Jason Tarver turn the 29th ranked Raiders defense in 2011 to a top ten defense in 2012 - Allen worked wonders with the Denver defense last year and the Raiders do have talent on defense. I think the rookie LB Miles Burris starts at LB after a couple of weeks and the heavy hitting Raiders defense of old will be back in a big way in 2012.

These are BOLD statements so don't take them too seriously but on the other hand don't sleep on the Raiders in 2012 and I wouldn't be at all surprised if two or three of these turn out to be true!

Ranking current Raiders players nicknames

The Raiders have had a good history due to some great players and great players get great nicknames. But Jack 'The Assasin' Tatum, Dave 'The Ghost' Casper and Kenny 'The Snake' Stabler are long gone. Here is my list of the best nicknames for current Raiders players

1) Darren McFadden - RUN DMC - Darren certainly knows how to 'walk this way' and this nickname does him justice
2) Rolando McClain - Death Ro' - He might just end up on death row himself if he isn't careful
3) Jacoby Ford - V12 - He's fast like a V12 engine and he also wears no.12. This nickname fits the bill nicely
4) Sebastian Janikowski - Sea-Bass - I know he is a kicker but he kicks it from 63 yards away, he deserves a nickname
5) Richard Seymour - King Richard - The King is getting old but he is still our stud defensive player and this nickname gives him the respect he deserves

So that is my top 5 Raider players nicknames. There are more such as DHB, Wiz 2.0 and D.Moore (well D.Moore isn't really a nickname but anything with a D at the start sounds cool a la D.Wade). Hopefully our new players and rookies will play well enough to grant themselves nicknames and bright times our ahead Raider Nation !

If you have any other Nicknames you would like to share please post them in the comments section.