Category: NFL

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders have had their share of players with drama; Brown once tried to sneak in painted helmet; plus more

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes:

#1 The Raiders have a history of players that have had misfit issues or just wouldn’t play or couldn’t perform such as Randy Moss, JaMarcus Russell, Khalil Mack, and Aldon Smith. How would Antonio Brown match up with the best of those players?

#2 With Brown almost holding out because of his helmet issue now settled, does that still stain the team does that serve as a disruption?

#3 Brown tried to sneak his helmet into practice and had it painted silver and black it had to be a first for a counterfeit helmet.

#4 Brown’s story was a rough upbringing. When Brown was 16, his step father kicked him out of the house and Brown was a walk-on at Central Michigan and ended up getting drafted in the sixth round by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

#5 The Raiders back up quarterback Mike Glennon in Thursday’s preseason game in Glendale against the Arizona Cardinals had a productive game, going 11-14 for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He’s had a couple of impressive preseason games.

Joe Hawkes does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders hang on for a 33-26 win in the desert

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

Jon Gruden will definitely have a smile on his face after what he saw from his starting quarterback Derek Carr on his only series of the game.

Carr threw a 13-yard pass to Ryan Grant, helping the Oakland Raiders to a hard fought 33-26 over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

The Raiders were cruising, as they jumped out to a 26-0 lead on the home standing Cardinals; however, the Cardinals attempted to get back into the game, as they cut the lead down to 26-10 at the end of the first half.

Zane Gonzalez kicked his second field goal in the third quarter, as the Cardinals cut the Raiders in half; however, Mack Brown on a three-yard run early in the fourth quarter, helping the Raiders gain a 20-point in the desert.

Yes, it may be in the preseason; however, the Cardinals did not give up, as Charles Kanoff found Andy Isabella for a 59-yard touchdown and in the waning seconds of the game, Caleb Wilson caught a 13-yard touchdown pass with three seconds remaining.

Carr ended his evening going 2-for-2 with 40 yards passing, two touchdown passes and ended with a passer rating of 158.3.

Mike Glennon, who is in battle with Nathan Peterman went 11-for-14 for 175 yards and two touchdowns and also ended with a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

Peterman went a perfect 8-for-8 for 41 yards, as the trio of Raiders quarterbacks went a combined 21-for-24 with three touchdowns and no interceptions.

James Butler led the Raiders with 32 yards rushing on eight carries, while Brown also carried the eight times for 27 yards.

Rico Gafford made the most of his only catch of the night, as on his only catch of the night, he hauled in a 53-yard touchdown pass from Glennon.

Keelan Doss led the Raiders in receptions, as he caught five passes for 38 yards against the Cardinals defense.

Number one overall pick Kyler Murray went 3-for-8 for 12 yards passing, and was also sacked twice.

Brett Hundley led the Cardinals in passing, as he went 10-for-15 for 139 yards passing with a touchdown pass.

The Raiders next play the Green Bay Packers in Thursday Night Football at 5:00 p.m. PT.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Gruden prepares team for Cardinals on Thursday Night Football

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Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 The NFL preseason has kicked off and head coach Jon Gruden is taking a look at his team for preseason Week 2 as the Raiders head to State Farm Stadium in Glendale to face the Arizona Cardinal for another edition of Thursday Night Football.

#2 Amongst those that Gruden will be looking at are his backup quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman, who both threw in Week 1 of the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams. Tony was at the game and tells us how Glennon and Peterman looked.

#3 Coach Gruden says at wide receiver this is his best core of receivers that he’s had as head coach at the Raiders with Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, Hunter Renfrow, and JJ Nelson.

#4 How much time will Derek Carr get at quarterback for Thursday night against the Cardinals?

#5 What does it mean to have Antonio Brown back in camp after he threaten to retire if he couldn’t wear his old Pittsburgh Steelers helmet?

Join Tony for Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers preview: Jimmy G has practice to throw into sea of forgetfulness

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mercurynews.com photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tunes up at practice on Tuesday, Aug. 6th is expected to see some action on Monday Night Football Aug. 19th in Denver after sitting out last Saturday.

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA — Either the defense had a lights-out practice, or quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had one of the worst in recent memory.

Garoppolo’s return from and ACL tear he suffered last September has been rather low-key up to this point, but during Thursday’s practice against the starting defense, he was a victim of Murphy’s Law.

To this point, 49ers fans are hoping that this is just a part of getting all the kinks out before the regular season starts and not part of any long-term issue. At one point in the live scrimmage, Garoppolo threw five straight interceptions.

Yes, you read that right. Five.

Straight.

Interceptions.

Now if there is a positive to take out of this, it’s that the starting defense is starting to show its teeth, something that did not happen very often during a 2018 campaign that saw the team finish near the bottom in takeaways.

The defense is a bit short-handed, as Dee Ford has been dealing with knee tendinitis but is expected to return next week, per reports. Meanwhile, top draft pick Nick Bosa suffered a high ankle sprain and will miss the entire preseason, and his status for Week 1 is in doubt because of it.

Simply put, the 49ers will need to improve on defense this season if they are going to contend for a playoff spot in a very tough NFC. Another positive sign came last Saturday, when the mostly second-string defense held the Dallas Cowboys’ offensive starters to a field goal after being backed up inside their own 10-yard line.

The 49ers will hold joint practices with the Denver Broncos on Friday and Saturday before they square off for a preseason game.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Quakes have 4 straight fall-behind games going into Sporting KC match; Did Brown cave after he was mandated to wear new helmet?

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Photo credit: pressdemocrat.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1  The San Jose Earthquakes took a tough loss to the Colorado Rapids in Colorado last Saturday 2-1. The Quakes came back down 1-0 to tie it, but the Rapids wrapped it up in the end for the win Colorado went back up 2-1.

#2 For Colorado, Diego Rubio received the pass from Keegan Rosenberry with space, Rubio was easily able to maneuver himself into an advantageous position in the 73rd minute for the go ahead and later game-winning goal.

#3 This was the fourth straight game that the Earthquakes had fallen behind in a game something. They’ll have to work on for their next game coming up as they play Sporting KC in their next match their second of three games on the road.

#4 How close or how serious do you think the Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown was to calling it quits if he didn’t get to keep his old Pittsburgh Steelers helmet?

#5 A’s and Giants  played a two-game series, which concluded on Wednesday night. These are two teams fighting for a wild card spot and it was a series for the ages because a lot is at stake in the final two months of the season.

London is a beat writer for the San Jose Earthquakes and does Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders take on Cardinals in the desert on Thursday

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Photo credit: youtube.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

Looking to build off their victory over the Los Angeles Rams at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum last Saturday night in both team’s first exhibition game, the Raiders will travel for the first time in 2019 to Glendale to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday at State Farm Stadium.

Kickoff for this exhibition game will be at 5:00 p.m. PDT, and can be seen nationally on ESPN.

Last week, the Raiders (1-0) defeated the visiting Rams, 14-3, as both teams held out many of its starters including quarterbacks Derek Carr and Jared Goff, respectively and opted to play younger guys and backups.

With Carr on the sideline wearing team issued sweats, Oakland started seven-year veteran Mike Glennon in the first-half, while letting third-year player Nathan Peterman handle the second-half to do battle for the QB2 position behind Carr.

Glennon completed 17-of-25 passes for 200 yards, but threw two interceptions, including one inside the red zone shortly before halftime.

Glennon did lead Oakland to their first touchdown of the exhibition season on the team’s first drive, which culminated in a 7-yard rushing touchdown by backup running back DeAndre Washington.

In the six drives that Glennon led Oakland’s offense: one led to a touchdown, two ended in interceptions and three ended in punts.

Albeit it was the first exhibition game for Glennon, he didn’t show that he was ready to be QB2 behind Carr.

Peterman played decent, but didn’t set the world on fire with his play.

Outside of the 50-yard scramble that setup Oakland’s second score of the game, Peterman was purely pedestrian. On the scoring drive, Peterman was flushed out of the pocket on third-and-4 from Oakland’s own 42-yard line before sliding down at the Rams’ 8-yard line.

Two plays later, Peterman threw a 3-yard touchdown to Alameda High School and UC Davis product Keelan Doss for a 14-3 lead that the Raiders never surrendered.

“He can run,” Oakland coach Jon Gruden said during his postgame press conference. “As he continues to gain command of the offense he’s going to be an interesting guy to watch.”

“It was a super clean pocket and I was able to get out to my left.” Peterman said. “Took off and I was about to slide then noticed that there was nobody else there. I think it was because of guys blocking downfield, guys making big plays for me. Tried to get in there, didn’t quite make it.”

Typically, the second exhibition game is usually when we get to see more of the projected starting lineup. So don’t be surprised if Carr starts the game and plays 2-3 series before giving way to Glennon and Peterman.

Defensively, the Raiders didn’t have that much to write home about but, second-year defensive end Arden Key played well. Key recorded a sack and two hurries. Oakland had one of the worse pass rushes in the league last season, finishing last in sacks with just 13.

Arizona (1-0) defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 17-13, at State Farm Stadium.

Rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, who the Cardinals drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, made his pro debut against the Chargers and looked smooth. Murray completed 6-of-7 passes for 44 yards, his longest completion was a 14-yard short pass to star running back David Johnson.

The 2018 Heiseman Trophy winner is slated to be Arizona’s starter in Week 1 when the Cardinals host the Detroit Lions, so the Cardinals played it safe with its new franchise quarterback who only played one series on the night.

“I was just going out there and being myself, like always. Trusting in my abilities,” Murray said after the game. “I wanted to score. I wanted to go back in. I was definitely itching for more.”

Backup quarterback Brett Hundley saw most of the action following Murray’s exit, completed 10-of-14 passes for 104 yards and a 22-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Trent Sherfield in the second quarter.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Will injuries impact 49ers going into the regular season?; Mullens and Beathard, who will be the backup at QB?

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Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 What is it with all the injuries? It wasn’t even until the first preseason game and you had lineman Shon Coleman out after the third offensive play of the game with an ankle injury, wide receiver Trent Taylor had surgery on his broken pinkie toe, Taylor could come back from the injury in time for the regular season, running back Raheem Mostert and defensive lineman DJ Jones left at the end of Saturday night’s game Mostert with a concussion and Jones with a knee.

#2 Compare the quarterbacks Nick Mullens, who threw for 11 for 17 for 105 yards, and CJ Beathard, who went 13-17 for 145 yards. Looks like the quarterbacking situation at least for the first preseason game is a good problem to have for head coach Kyle Shanahan.

David does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Barbara Mason: Giants to hoist Clark’s retired #22; Raiders’ Brown agrees to wearing new helmet; plus more

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photo from sfgate.com: Former San Francisco Giants player Will Clark gestures to fans during a ceremony honoring the 1989 World Series team prior to a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019, in San Francisco.

On Headline Sports with Barbara:

#1 From that 1989 San Francisco Giants reunion on Sunday night at Oracle Park in San Francisco, former Giants first baseman Will Clark’s number 22 is being retired, Clark hit .303, 2,176 hits, 284 home runs, with 1,205 RBIs in his MLB career.

#2 The Oakland Raiders’ Antonio Brown said he will wear the NFL issued helmet losing the grievance wanted to continue wearing the old helmet that he wore when he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL is insisting that all players wear the newly designed helmet that help prevent concussions. Brown said that if he is required to wear the new issued helmet he was going to retire. Brown has had limited play with his frostbite feet holding him back.

#3 Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said that the Raiders wide receiving depth is as good as it’s ever been with Hunter Renfrow, Tyrell Williams, JJ Nelson, and Antonio Brown. Raider quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Nathan Peterman in preseason are impressed with the receiving core.

#4 The Oakland A’s keep on rolling. They are now 1.5 back of first place for the American League wild card. On Sunday, the A’s kept up their winning ways with a 2-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. A’s pitcher Chris Bassitt started the game and went seven innings, four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

#5 While the San Francisco Giants might be out a whopping 19.5 games in the NL West race, their wild card chance improved a whole lot on Sunday with their comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park with a 9-6 win. The Giants are now 3.5 games back and had the day off on Monday night.

Join Barbara for Headline Sports each Tuesday night at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Rookies Shine While Injuries and Penalties Concern 49ers in 17-9 Win

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file photo by sfgate.com: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens, right, throws a pass at the team’s NFL football training camp in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, July 29, 2019

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA — Despite sitting nearly 30 players in their pre-season opener, the 49ers couldn’t stay away from the injury bug on Saturday night’s 17-9 win over the Cowboys.

Expected swing lineman, Shon Coleman, went down during San Francisco’s third offensive play of the game. Ruled with an ankle injury, he was put in an air cast and carted off the field.

The injury to the back-up tackle could be a huge storyline this season since he’s listed as the number two to both LT Joe Staley and RT Mike McGlinchey.

Reports also surfaced during the game that wide receiver Trent Taylor had surgery on a broken pinkie toe on Friday. He’s expected to miss the entirety of the pre-season but hopes to come back early in the regular season via a message from Instagram.

Both running back Raheem Mostert and defensive lineman DJ Jones went down for the conclusion of the contest. Mostert suffered a concussion, while Jones went out with a knee.

The battle for the back-up quarterback spot has been highlighted through camp so far. Despite their records, both Nick Mullens and CJ Beathard are neck and neck heading into the first game.

Mullens played the entire first half on Saturday night, throwing 11 of 17 for 105 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Mullens found third-round rookie Jalen Hurd for the half’s only touchdown. Chalk the interception up to Mullens getting hit during a throw.

CJ Beathard saw the field in the second half. On his first drop back, he was sacked for five yards but fared better as his night went on. Finishing 13 of 17 for 145 yards, Beathard threw a pick and a TD to Hurd.

The Niners defense held up for the most part. Bending at most times but not breaking, they forced the Cowboys to kick three field goals. Dak Prescott started the first drive for Dallas, going four-of-four for 23 yards before stalling and forced to kick a field goal.

Penalties once again remain a concern for the Niners and could be a significant sign of things to come, as they committed 18 penalties for 216 yards. In both seasons under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers have finished in the bottom third of the NFL in penalties committed and Saturday night was glaring.

Rookie Spotlight

Three rookies made an impression on Saturday night. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw made the immediate impression; tallying five tackles in the first half, including four on Cowboys’ opening drive. His pursuit is noticeable and it’s obvious the fifth-round pick from Arkansas has a nose for the football.

At times, he over pursuits; picking up a roughing the passer penalty after getting to the QB too late. However, on the next play, he continued to show aggressiveness getting a tackle for loss.

Jalen Hurd’s first catch in a 49er uniform found paydirt. After a play-action rollout from Mullens, Hurd broke one tackle and battled through another defender past the goal line. Hurd added his second of the night when Beathard found him in the left corner of the end zone to start the fourth quarter.

After spending three seasons at Tennessee as a running back, Hurd converted to wide receiver while transferring to Baylor. The 6-foot-5-inch receiver has the size and means streak to become San Francisco’s answer to poor red-zone performance.

We saw second-round pick Debo Samuel get the ball once, but the kid can fly. He was able to turn the corner on a jet sweep and pick up 14 yards like it was nothing. In the third quarter, he climbed the ladder on a 45-yard reception hopping over a Cowboys’ DB to make the snag.

He finished for a combined 75 yards on five touches. He will be fun to watch as the pre-season continues.

Glennon, Peterman lead Raiders over Rams in exhibition opener

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sfgate.com photo:  In this June 11, 2019, file photo, Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown is shown during an NFL football minicamp in Alameda, Calif. The Raiders and their big personalities like Antonio Brown and Richie Incognito are ready to be stars on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The NFL exhibition season is nothing more than drinking non-alcoholic beer. You’ll be satisfied momentarily by the buzz it creates but in the end, you’re sober again looking for another fix.

With roster spots up for grabs, the first exhibition game can go a long way in determining a player’s long-term future with a football team.

With many of the starters for both the visiting Los Angeles Rams and Oakland Raiders, including starting quarterbacks Jared Goff and Derek Carr respectively not suiting up, Oakland defeated Los Angeles, 14-3, in the exhibition opener for both teams at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Saturday night.

Seven-year pro Mike Glennon, who signed with Oakland in the offseason after playing for the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, started the game for Oakland over third-year pro Nathan Peterman.

Glennon drove Oakland down the field on their first possession of the game, engineering a six-play, 70-yard drive in 2:45 resulting in a seven-yard touchdown run by backup running back DeAndre Washington for an early 7-0 lead.

But Glennon struggled overall, completing 17-of-25 passes for 200 yards to go along with two interceptions. Glennon’s second interception came in the red zone with Oakland driving down the field.

On the ensuing drive, the Rams would get on the board for the first time behind a 36-yard field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein to make the score, 7-3, before halftime.

In the second half, Peterman took over the offense and quickly setup Oakland’s second touchdown of the game thanks to his 50-yard run on 3rd down-and-4 from the Raiders’ own 42-yard line moving the football to the Rams’ 8-yard line.

After a five-yard run by running back James Butler that moved the football to the 3-yard line, Peterman found reserve wide receiver Keelan Doss on an in-route for the score to make the game, 14-3, in the third quarter.

Peterman threw for 66 yards on 9-of-12 passes, and led the Raiders in rushing with 56 yards on three carries.

Second-year wide receiver Keon Hatcher, who is fighting for roster spot in a crowded wide receiver room that includes veterans J.J. Nelson and Ryan Grant, caught just two passes for a team-high 45 yards.

Nelson, who is in his first year with the Raiders after spending his first four seasons in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, finished with 43 yards on two catches.

Grant added three catches for 32 yards.

Defensively, defensive end Arden Key recorded Oakland’s lone sack of the game. The second-year player finished tied with defensive backs Nevin Lawson, D.J. Killings, linebacker Marquel Lee and defensive lineman Anthony Rush with three tackles tonight.

Oakland held Los Angeles to just 190 yards of total offense on the night.

For the Rams, quarterback Blake Bortles started the game for Los Angeles but wasn’t impressive at all.

Bortles, who signed with the Rams in the offseason to be the primary backup to starter Jared Goff after spending his first five years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, completed just 3-of-8 passes for 50 yards on two drives before giving way to Brandon Allen (6-of-12 passing for 34 yards) and John Wolford (6-of-8 passing for a team-high 54 yards).

Rookie running back Darrell Henderson, Jr. led the team in rushing yards with six carries for 13 yards. Second-year wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge led the team with three catches for 48 yards.

The game was filled with penalties as both teams combined for 23 penalties (12 by the Rams, 11 by the Raiders).

Up next: Raiders will take on the Arizona Cardinals in the desert on Thursday night, while the Rams will host the visiting Dallas Cowboys at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum next Saturday night.