This is an excellent preview of some of the Raiders training camp positional battles.

The NFL's offseason is almost over. Several free agents have changed teams, and the draft choices have settled in with the respective teams, learning their role on the team.



This is the time of the year that NFL teams put in a tremendous amount of work, focusing on installing their system, coaching philosophies, developing chemistry, and coming together as a team.

The Oakland Raiders will yield several improvements due to this being the second year in the system for the majority of the team.

This is a series based on the question posed above: players that are worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame but for some reason have not been.

He had a stellar AFL & NFL career and put up Hall of Fame numbers. He wore jersey numbers 12 & 3. He had two nicknames "The Fireman" and "The Mad Bomber".

Daryle Lamonica QB -- 1963 -- 1974 Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Southern California Sun

The historic loss is still fresh in their minds and unfortunately will be for a while. The good thing is that it is over, now the Lakers are in the healing process. The Lakers have to mentally recover from the beat down laid on them at the hands of the Celtics and learn from it and mature.

Unfortunately we won't know exactly what happened for a while but this article was found on the Drudge Report. I can't confirm or deny what happened but I will post information as I receive it.

Oakland Raiders wide receiver Javon Walker told a Web site Tuesday that he was knocked unconscious at gunpoint in his Bellagio hotel room and abducted.

Here is an interesting story of a forgotten hero.

This is a series based on the question posed above: players that are worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame but for some reason have not been.



He had a stellar NFL career, he put up Hall of Fame caliber numbers. This forgotten guy is the answer to several trivia questions. Three questions NFL trivia fans:



Who is the greatest backup QB in NFL history?



What two-time league MVP as a QB isn't in the Hall of Fame?



What QB, who was a part of two of the biggest events in NFL history and possesses three Super Bowl rings, isn't in the Hall of Fame?



Earl Morrall—QB, six different teams, 1956–1976

This is a good recap of a must win game for the Lakers. The Lakers show their physical side and that they can win an ugly game. Kobe Bryant dominated and Sasha Vujacic had a bit of a coming out party as the Lakers bench out played the Celtics bench.

This is a good argument for the greatest punter in NFL to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

This is a series based on the question posed above, players that are worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame but for some reason have not been.

Ray Guy – Punter #8 Oakland / Los Angeles Raiders 1973 – 1986



Some my say he is a punter and shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame because punters are insignificant and don't have a real impact on a game. I wouldn't agree with that statement and state that his career statistics prove that statement incorrect.

After all of the talk of the rivalry, the legends and the entire history of the match up, game one was played. The Celtics out-played the Lakers and took game one.



I'm not going to say that Paul Pierce faked the injury as some have. I totally disagree with that statement. He is a relentless competitor, an excellent player and true professional. He was terrified, as any athlete that hears a 'pop' in their knee would be. He was experiencing intense pain, as anyone who ever had a knee injury can attest to.

I thought the reaction of everyone not named Paul Pierce was strange. You could see the concern in everyone's face because no one wants to see an injury. I can understand him being carried off the court to eliminate the possibility of further injury and assess the damage.

It left me with a few questions. Was the wheel-chair really necessary?

This is a good NBA Finals preview!

The Lakers swept the Nuggets, beat the Utah Jazz in six games and dethroned the former defending NBA champions in five games to win the tough Western Conference. The Celtics were taken to seven games, in the process of beating the Hawks & Cavaliers, then beating the Pistons on the road in six games to win the rugged Eastern Conference. This is the NBA Finals match-up that several people wanted to see.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points (without a taken free throw) and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Lakers past the Spurs 93-91 last night. The road win ended the Spurs 13-game home winning streak.

The Lakers came out and got into a good offensive rhythm early, making five of their first seven shots. The Lakers went on an 18-4 run, led 22-8, and never looked back.

Game three was a must-win game for the Spurs and the defending champs stood up to the challenge. The Spurs had to regroup after that 30 point beat down the Lakers put on them because if the Lakers had won game three, this series would've been over.



The Spurs needed to score more points and were looking gassed. In game three, the Spurs not only knocked down shots, they knocked down ten three-point shots.

Here is one man's opinion on some moves that could work toward improving the Oakland Raiders defense.

Raider Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan, son of infamously feisty defensive guru Buddy Ryan is a proponent of the 3-4 defenses, although he isn't married to the scheme.



He was much maligned in 2007 when the Raider defense regressed from making a great amount of progress in 2006 and it was rumored that he would be fired until Al Davis intervened.

It can't be overstated that Rob Ryan's knowledge of defense is vast. He spent three years in New England as the Outside Linebackers coach learning the system under Bill Belichick & Romeo Crennel. He probably knew more X's and O's as a teen that some assistant coaches absorb.

These teams know each other well. The Lakers battle the Spurs for the right to play for a championship. Check out the breakdown.

#1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. #4 San Antonio Spurs

Here we go again. Lakers vs. Spurs -- the last time the two teams saw each other the Lakers were in the middle of a hot weekend where the Lakers beat the Western Conference leading (at that time) New Orleans Hornets and the defending World Champion San Antonio Spurs on their way to winning the top seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs were without the services of Manu Ginobli.

That was then, this is now. The teams split the season series each winning at home.

He is finally going to go through all of the mini-camps, OTA's and the Training Camp. We all read the rumors that he was north of 300 lbs. and discovered that the stories weren't true. He is a big guy and keeping his weight down will be something that have to be constantly monitered.

Coming to the Oakland Raiders as the No. 1 overall draft choice in 2007, now is the time for QB JaMarcus Russell to step up and take control of the offense.

He is huge--6'6" and 255 lbs.--with a howitzer for an arm. His weight has been the topic of discussion by some sportswriters of late, but once again a rumor by--you guessed it--an unnamed source.

Saddled by a lengthy contract holdout, it took JaMarcus Russell a while to ascend to the starting spot. The business part of the NFL clearly tooks its toll on the young quarterback, but his representatives negotiated with Al Davis and fought hard to get the contract numbers they were after.

This delay cost JaMarcus the majority of his rookie season. Ending months of negotiations and one of the longest rookie holdouts in recent history JaMarcus Russell signed his deal on September 11, 2007--basically, the second week of the season. It caused him to miss the majority of mini-camp, training camp, the entire preseason and the first two weeks of the season.

This is a story written prior to the 2008 NFL Draft.

The 2007 season started with a lot of hope and promise of a new day in Oakland, as Al Davis named Lane Kiffin the new head coach.

That was last year's story. This season started with a lot of talk this off-season of owner Al Davis sending Coach Kiffin a letter asking him to resign, followed by reports that he was on the verge of being fired. But as usual, time has proven that someone in the media heard it from one of my personal favorites—the unnamed source.

It happens often in the Bay Area press, just like watching a writer from SF Gate comment on the state of the Raiders franchise on the NFL Network. I'm guessing a writer from Oakland was unavailable?