Tag: Darren McFadden

Tough loss in the Big Apple

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By Jeremy Kahn

One day very soon the Oakland Raiders will get back on track and prove to everyone that they are a good football team, and they will return to “The Greatness,” very soon.

Andre Brown scored on a one-yard run after Terrell Thomas returned a Terrelle Pryor interception 65 yards to setup Brown’s one-yard run, as the New York Giants defeated the Raiders 24-20 at MetLife Stadium.

The Giants, who lost their first six games of the season have now three straight, and are right back in the hunt in the NFC East.

Both Brown and Thomas are coming serious injuries to lead the Giants to the victory over the Raiders, who have dropped two in a row.

Pryor and the Raiders offense seemed grounded all day, as they gained only 213 yards of offense on the afternoon.

After a taking 7-0 lead just 53 seconds into the game, things got interesting after the Raiders could not convert on their next series.

Marquette King’s punt was blocked and Cooper Taylor returned it 21 yards for a touchdown to tie up the game.

This was the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown by the Giants since Tom Flynn in 1988.

Sebastian Janikowski gave the Raiders the lead after he connected for a 33–yard field goal, but the lead was short lived.

Ruben Randle caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Eli Manning to give the Giants their first lead the afternoon.

Manning made a huge mistake, as he threw an interception that Tracy Porter returned 43 yards to the end zone, giving the Raiders a 17-14 lead at the half.

Janikowski extended the lead up to six points at 20-14 in the third quarter, as he nailed a 24-yard field goal.

Brown then scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 2:15 remaining in the third quarter.

Josh Brown kicked a 23-yard field goal with just over eight minutes left in the game for the final points of the game.

In the absence of Darren McFadden, who sat out the game while nursing an injured hamstring, Rashad Jennings led the Raiders on the ground with 88 yards on 20 carries.

Pryor, who scored the Raiders first touchdown of the game carried the ball five times and gained just 19 yards.

In the air, Pryor went just 11-for-26 for 122 yards and that costly interception that eventually cost the Raiders the game.

New York State of Mind: Raiders invade MetLife Sunday

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By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Looking to put behind that 49-20 beat down at the hands of quarterback Nick Foles, and the Philadelphia Eagles at O.co Coliseum last Sunday, the Raiders will visit MetLife Stadium for the first time when they take on the New York Giants Sunday. It’s the second straight week that the Silver and Black will face an NFC East team.

There is no question that Oakland’s (3-5) defense was embarrassed by Foles, who tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes, but they have to put that performance behind them. Rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden is still trying to chase down Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper.

Even with Giants quarterback Eli Manning struggling this year throwing the ball(2,167 YDs, 10 TDs, and a league-leading 15 INTs), Oakland needs to be real careful because the younger Manning brother has a propensity to have a big when his team needs one.

With running back Darren McFadden hurt once again (boy, has that been the norm for his career in Oakland), expect backup running back Rashad Jennings to get the start Sunday.

Jennings picked up his first 100-yard rushing game since 2010 against the Eagles, racking up 102 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. The bruising running back also showed his versatility in the passing game, with 74 yards on seven catches.

New York (2-6), are coming off their bye week.

After starting the season 0-6, the Giants have won two straight games and are playing better, especially against the run.

In their last game (coincidently against Philadelphia), the Giants held the Eagles to 48 rushing yards. New York will look to stop Oakland’s ground game, particularly quarterback Terrelle Pryor by having middle linebacker Jon Beason spy on Pryor throughout the game.

The Giants know that Pryor is the key to Oakland’s offense and are going to throw everything (including the kitchen sink) at him. New York is currently ranked 28th in the league defensively, ninth against the run.

After sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times and collecting two interceptions in a 21-18 nail-biter in Oakland two weeks ago, the Raiders sacked Foles only twice, but allowed him to pick apart the defense. Outside of his seven touchdowns, Foles finished 22-of-28 for 406 yards passing and a perfect quarterback rating (158.3).

Oakland must get back to what they do best: get after the quarterback. The Raiders have sacked the opposing quarterback 23 times this year. Manning has been sacked 19 times this year.

Something has to give right? Giants are a 7.5-point favorite Sunday.

Will the Raiders ground game help the offense against Giants?

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Raiders Report

by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA– I don’t think you could look at the Raiders and say they’re going to win any particular game I know that the Giants have had a tough season so far they’re only 2-6.The Raiders are just 2-5 this is a long road trip, it’s a cross country game at the Meadowlands for this Sunday it’ll be a tough one.

While New York is not having a good season the Raiders are not in a position to take anyone for granted the Giants might not be the best team in the league but they still have quarterback Eli Manning whose a two time Super Bowl winner. They still have some very good skilled position players most notably Victor Cruz. This is not a team the Raiders can take lightly no matter what their record is.

The Raiders are going to especially feel a little embarrassed by what happened last week by the Eagles at the Oakland Coliseum losing 49-20 you have to feel bad about it. You got to forget about it, you can’t let that carry over to the following week. The Raiders have to take this one as it comes and take their opponents that is in front of them and play those guys.

The Raiders go into this game and try to regroup, they’re perfectly capable of hanging with this Giants team and New York doesn’t have a great offensive line right now. The Raiders on defense have been pretty solid last week not withstanding. So the Raiders can take advantage of the Giants offensive line they could make some headway in this game this coming Sunday.

What got the Giants into trouble all year is Manning was forced into throwing bad passes and giving up interceptions. Last time I looked Manning had ten touchdown passes on the year but 15 interceptions which is just awful especially for a guy of his pedigree. So the Raiders can go into the Meadowlands and make some noise but a win is not guaranteed by any stretch.

The other problem the Raiders have is their offense is sputtering a bit Raider quarterback Terrelle Pryor had that great 93 yard run against the Steelers on October 27th at the Coliseum but the offense is struggling right now they have injuries up and down the offensive line. Running back Darren McFadden is injured, the receiving core has really not come together.

So it’s really Pryor, Running back Rod Streater and occasionally Denarius Moore shows up, that’s about it there’s really been no kind of offense and Rashad Jennings had a decent game last week but that was mostly garbage time. So a running game without McFadden is a question mark as to if Pryor continues to go to the playbook.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio

Oakland host Philadelphia Sunday looking to reach .500

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — After gutting out a 21-18  home victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday, the Raiders can reach the .500 mark with a win over another team from the Keystone State, when they host the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday at O.co Coliseum. This will mark the fifth straight sellout for the Silver and Black this season.

The game will be seen locally on Fox KTVU Channel 2 in the Bay Area.

Terrelle Pryor took the first snap of the game and blazed past a slow and old Steelers defense for a 93-yard touchdown. Pryor’s touchdown run was the longest in NFL history by a quarterback, and broke running back Bo Jackson’s franchise record 92-yard touchdown run set in 1989.

Running back Darren McFadden played a key role in the running, racking up 73 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

But the strength of the team was the play of Oakland’s (3-4) 10th ranked defense. Oakland’s defense limited Pittsburgh (2-5) to 276 yards of total offense and intercepted Ben Roethlisberger twice and sacking the Steeler’s quarterback five times.

Philadelphia (3-5) is coming off a 15-7 home loss against NFC East rival, the New York Giants. The Eagles looked inept on offense, and was nearly shutout by the Giants if it weren’t for an Eagles’ touchdown on special teams late in the fourth quarter.

Nick Foles, who has been cleared after suffering a concussion against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago, is expected to start for Philadelphia in place of Michael Vick. Vick left last weekend’s game  with a pulled hamstring after passing for 158 yards. Third-string rookie quarterback Matt Barkley finished the game for Philadelphia.

Let’s face it, the Eagles are a bad football team that has been playing musical chairs at the quarterback position. Oakland should feed off from a strong defensive effort and raucously loud crowd against Pittsburgh, and continue that intensity against Philadelphia.

.500 mark for Oakland? Could be in the cards.

Pryor goes for record run

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-Terrelle Pryor grew up rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers as a child growing up in Jeanette,PA and on his first play from scrimmage against his boyhood team, Pryor put himself in the record books.

Pryor went weaving and scampering through the Steelers all the way to the end zone for a 93-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and the Oakland Raiders hung on to defeat the Steelers 21-18 before 52,950 at the Coliseum.

The 93-yard touchdown run by Pryor was not only the longest run play in Raiders’ history, but it was the longest run by a quarterback in NFL history.

Despite a big day on the ground, as he carried the ball nine times for 106 yards, Pryor went just 10-for-19 for 88 yards in the air with two interceptions.

“Like coach said, we started fast, the defense was playing good, It’s a team win. Our defense had a phenomenal second half. At the end of the day it’s a team win, very proud, we got a ‘w’ and that’s really it,” said Pryor.

Darren McFadden carried the ball a whopping 24 for just 73 yards, but scored two touchdowns on the afternoon.

McFadden gave the Raiders a 14-0 lead halfway gone in the first quarter, as he ran through the Steelers defense for a seven-yard touchdown tun.

Shawn Suisham finally got the Steelers on the board with just 46 seconds off the clock in the second quarter, as he nailed a 47-yarder thru the uprights that cut the Raiders lead down to 14-3.

It was McFadden scoring on a four-yard run with 1:55 remaining in the first half, as he scored his second touchdown of the afternoon and gave the Raiders a 21-3 lead.

After the Steelers went three-and-out on the next series, Pryor and the Raiders got the ball back; however Pryor a huge mistake and Cortez Allen picked off the Pryor pass.

Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers all the way down to the Raiders 16-yard line, but Suisham missed a 34-yard field goal wide to the right.

The Steelers got the ball to open the second half, and with the help of a 15-yard facemask penalty on Mike Jenkins, the Steelers were in business.

Unfortunately, the 16 play 66 yard drive that took nine minutes and six seconds off the clock was all for naught, as Suisham missed a 32-yard field goal wide to the right.

“Look, it’s no secret, the impact my missed field goals had on the game. We’d have won the game if I made those field goals. It’s a tough one to swallow. No choice but to do it. I should have been better today and we lost because of it,” said Suisham.

Following a Jenkins interception in the beginning in the fourth quarter, Pryor threw a pass that Jacoby Ford caught, but on the play, the wide receiver fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Brett Keisel at the Raiders 11-yard line.

After a Roethlisberger touchdown pass to Heath Miller was overturned, the quarterback regrouped and two plays later, he found Emmanuel Sanders for a nine-yard touchdown pass to get the Steelers within 11 points.

Unfortunately, the Raiders were unable to put the game away, as they went three and out on their next three possessions, giving the Steelers a glitter of hope.

With just under two minutes remaining in the game, rookie Le’Veon Bell scored on a two-yard run and Sanders added the two-point conversion that got the Steelers within three.

Rashad Jennings was able to recover the onside kick, but like all their drives in the fourth quarter, the Raiders went three and out and the Steelers got the ball back with 18 seconds remaining on their own three-yard line and no timeouts.

Roethlisberger found Sanders down the middle for 33 yards, but the clock ran out before the Steelers could get lined up and the Raiders escaped with a three-point victory.

 

Raiders, Steelers set to battle in Oakland Sunday

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By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Fresh off their bye week, the Oakland Raiders will look to get back on the winning track when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday at O.co Coliseum.  The game is sold out and will be seen locally on CBS affiliate, KPIX Ch. 5. Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m.

Oakland (2-4), leads the all-time series, 11-9, and hold an 8-5 edge in home games over the Steelers. The Silver and Black have not lost to the Steelers at O.co Coliseum since 1995.

In last year’s meeting in Oakland, the Raiders dropped the Steelers 34-31 behind a 43-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski in the final seconds of a tough battle. Running back Darren McFadden had a great day, carrying the ball 18 times for 113 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown run.  Oakland will need a healthy McFadden against the sixth ranked Steelers defense.

Raiders quarterback Terrelle Pryor spent the bye week working with quarterbacks coach, Tom House refining his mechanics. Pryor worked with House during this past offseason, and House has worked with quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and Drew Brees.

Pittsburgh (2-4), started the season 0-4, but are coming along after winning their last two games, including a 19-16 victory over their AFC North foe, the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

It’s no secret that the Steelers will only go as far as the right arm of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can take them.

Roethlisberger is coming into Sunday’s game completing 66-percent of his passes for 1,655 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Owner of two Super Bowl rings, Roethlisberger is a top-five quarterback in the NFL and the Raiders are going to have their hands full with him, but if Oakland is going to have any success, it will be on the defensive front.

Defensive ends Lamarr Houston (team leader with three sacks) and Jason Hunter (two sacks), will have their chances to get their hands on Roethlisberger, especially with the anchor of the offensive line, center Maurkice Pouncy, on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

Roethlisberger has been sacked 21 times this season (third behind New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (25 times), and Miami Dolphins quarterback  Ryan Tannehill (26 times)). Oakland has been getting after the quarterback this season, sacking the opposing quarterback 16 times through six games.

In order for Oakland to have a chance at moving to 3-4, they will need to apply pressure on Roethlisberger and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. Defensive Coordinator Jason Tarver will need to be creative in concocting blitzes if Oakland is going to have chances at throwing Roethlisberger’s timing off to his wide receivers, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

Sprinkle in a few timely plays by Pryor and the offense, Oakland has a legitimate shot at winning Sunday.

 

 

Quarterback uncertainty with Washington coming to Oakland Sunday

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Terrelle Pryor

By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Oakland Raiders starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been medically cleared for full contact, but it’s still uncertain if Pryor or backup Matt Flynn will be under center when the Silver and Black take the field against the down-trodden Washington Redskins Sunday at O.co Coliseum.

According to CSNCalifornia.com Raiders’ insider Scott Bair, Oakland will not announce a starter before Sunday’s game, partially for competitive reasons.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2009.

Pryor, who sustained a concussion after taking a helmet-to-chin hit from Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard Monday night during Oakland’s 37-21 loss in Denver, was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, but saw an increased workload after participating in practice Thursday and Friday.

Against the aggressive Denver defense, Pryor had a career-best quarterback rating of 112.4, completing 19 of 28 passes for 281 yards and, including a 73-yard touchdown catch and run by speedster Denarius Moore.

Whichever quarterback starts for Oakland (1-2), the game plan should feature a heavy dose of running back Darren McFadden. Washington is surrendering a league-worst 155 yards per game on the ground and has given up at least 130 yards rushing in two of their three losses on the season.

McFadden arguably had his worst game of his career Monday night, rushing for just 9 yards on 12 carries (0.8 yards per attempt). McFadden did have two touchdowns, one on a 1-yard run and the other, a 16-yard pass to fullback Marcel Reese, but he should be the Raiders’ workhorse come Sunday.

Washington (0-3) is off to a rough start to the season, to say the least.

Starting quarterback Robert Griffin III is coming off a third-straight 300-yard passing game, but Washington couldn’t overcome two critical fumbles in the fourth quarter and dropped a backbreaker to the Detroit Lions, 27-20 at home.

Running back Alfred Morris finished with 15 carries for 73 yards and  a touchdown.

The game is expected to be a sell out and will be seen locally on FOX/KTVU Ch. 2 at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

Players to Watch for Washington:

  • No. 10) Robert Griffin III (QB) – After not playing a single second during the preseason while recovering from offseason knee surgery to repair his ACL, Griffin is still shaking off the rust but appears to be playing better. The second-year quarter from Baylor is sixth in the league among quarterbacks with five touchdown passes.
  • No. 46) Alfred Morris (RB) – Outside of Griffin, Morris is Washington’s next best offensive weapon. Morris finished second to Adrian Peterson in  both rushing yards (1,613), touchdowns (13), and third in rushes (335) in 2012. Morris has rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries so far in 2013.
  • No. 91) Ryan Kerrigan (OLB) – Kerrigan, along with teammate Perry Riley, Washington has significant punch in the pass rushing department and Oakland has a leaky offensive line. Kerrigan leads Washington with three sacks this season and five quarterback pressures, while Riley leads Washington in tackles with 29.

Players to Watch for Oakland:

  • No. 17) Denarius Moore (WR) – Sure I said that Oakland needs to feed the ball to McFadden earlier, but Moore is starting to be the dependable wide receiver that Oakland is drastically looking for. Moore had six receptions of 124 receiving yards and a touchdown Monday night. Look for Washington’s veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall to shadow Moore.
  • No. 94) Kevin Burnett (MLB) – Burnett was very active in Denver, finishing with a game-high 10 tackles. Burnett will have his hands full keeping an eye on Morris.
  • No. 79) Tony Pashos (OT) – The veteran Pashos will draw the assignment of trying to block Kerrigan one-on-one. If Pashos is able to prevent Kerrigan from having a big day, Oakland has a great chance of keeping its quarterback upright.

Over/Under (for entertainment purposes only) 42 – Washington (-3) vs. Oakland according to vegasinsider.com

 

Manning makes history in win

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By Jeremy Kahn

Peyton Manning is like a fine wine, he just gets better with age and he is proving it week after week.

Manning went 32-for-37 for 374 yards passing with three touchdowns, as the Denver Broncos defeated the Oakland Raiders 37-21 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

With the victory, the Broncos have won 14 consecutive regular games, tying the 1998 team for consecutive wins in team history and the Broncos won the Super Bowl that season over the Atlanta Falcons by the final score of 34-19 in Miami.

With three more touchdown passes on the evening, Manning passes Tom Brady for the most touchdown passes thru three games, as the 16-year veteran has thrown 12 touchdowns.

Brady set the record in 2011, and Manning has yet to be intercepted on the season, tying Michael Vick’s 2010 record when he threw 12 touchdowns before his frat interception.

Terrelle Pryor was forced to leave the game with a concussion, but before leaving, Pryor went 19-for-28 for 281 yards.

Pryor threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore that cut the Broncos down to 17-7 midway thru the second quarter.

Darren McFadden was held to just nine yards on the ground, but did throw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marcel Reece with 17 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Jeremy Kahn hosts Sportstalk Radio right here on http://www.sportsradioservice.com/BRONCOS_RAIDERS_ES

Raiders face tough test in Denver

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Looking to build off the 19-9 victory in their home opener Sunday over the pathetic Jacksonville Jaguars, the Oakland Raiders head into Denver to face the Broncos on ESPN’s Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 3 in the NFL. Oakland picked up their first win of the season behind a stellar rushing attack, racking up 226 yards.

Running back Darren McFadden was a monster, rushing for 129 yards, including three runs of 20-or-more yards. Terrelle Pryor added in 50 rushing yards, while finishing 15-of-24 for 126 yards passing. Fullback Marcel Reese scored Oakland’s (1-1) only touchdown, on a 11-yard run in the first quarter of Sunday’s game.

What does that say?

Oakland will need more from Pryor and Co. but if Oakland has any chance of winning Monday night, it’s fifth-ranked defense will have to answer the bell against Denver’s third-ranked offense. Oakland leads the NFL with nine sacks on the season after sacking Jaguars quarterback, Chad Henne five times Sunday.  With the news of stellar Broncos’ All-Pro left tackle Ryan Clady being lost for the season with a Lis-franc sprain, Oakland’s defensive line could be the difference.

Manning and the Broncos (2-0) return home after beating the New York Giants 41-23 at MetLife Stadium Sunday. After passing for a career-high seven touchdowns in Week 1, Manning was virtually flawless completing 30-of-43 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns in the road win. Denver’s offense totaled 416 yards.

Believe me after seeing that performance, Oakland will have it’s hands full against one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, but Raiders head coach welcomes the challenge.

“This will be the best team we’ve faced and they’re very talented,” Allen said Monday, “so we’re going to have to do a good job of changing things up and mixing some things up, mixing up some looks and be able to play a good, team game.”

Players to Watch for Oakland:

  • No. 2) Terrelle Pryor (QB) — Pryor picked up his first home win (and first win of his career) against Jacksonville and will look to pick up his first road win of his career on national television Monday night. Pryor leads all quarterbacks with 162 rushing yards.
  • No. 24) Charles Woodson (FS) — The Raiders’ veteran starting free safety will be the one who will have to get Oakland’s secondary in place to defend a bevy of Broncos pass-catchers. Woodson finished with six tackles against Jacksonville Sunday.
  • No. 25) D.J. Hayden (CB) — Manning loves testing rookies and Hayden will see a lot of Broncos’ sensational wide receiver, Demaryius Thomas. Good luck.

Players to Watch for Denver:

  • No. 83) Wes Welker (WR) — You think that Tom Brady wishes he had the reliable Welker now?
  • No. 80) Julian Thomas (TE) — Looks like a younger version of San Diego Chargers standout, Antonio Gates. Thomas played power forward at Portland St. In his first start, Thomas recorded five catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
  • No. 11) Trindon Holliday (KR) — The reigning AFC Player of the Week  was a blur on his 81-yard punt return for a touchdown that put the final dagger in the Giants’ hearts. The return highlighted Holliday’s day, where he saw four punts and returning them for a 30.3 yards per return. Through two weeks, Holliday is averaging a league-high 19.6 yards per return.

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Oakland Raiders’ Jared Veldheer needs surgery, still able to play season

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By Kahlil Najar

NAPA –

It was revealed in a MRI on Tuesday that Oakland Raiders Left tackle Jared Veldheer partially tore his triceps at practice in Napa. Veldheer will undergo surgery to fix the tear however luckily it’s not a full tear which the Raiders had initially feared. If it had been a full tear Veldheer would have been out for the entire year but now it looks like he’ll be ready to play for most of the season.

If Veldheer’s injury was worse, it would have thrown a wrench into the system as the Raiders would have had to find someone to protect newly acquired Quarterback Matt Flynn as well as All-Pro but injury prone running back Darren McFadden – who with the addition of new offensive coordinator Greg Olson, is promised to get more time to run the ball and find his blockers which is where Veldheer excels.

With this scare, it points out that the Raiders do have some planning to do with finding a competent back up left tackle. As of right now they have Alex Barron who although being a first round draft pick when he entered the league in 2005, hasn’t played a game since 2010 when he started 11 games for the Dallas Cowboys. Then there’s second-round draft pick Menelik Watson from Florida State who can be groomed for the left tackle position but he has been out for almost all of camp with a calf injury.

Jared Veldheer has impressed all Raider fans ever since he came to the league in 2010 with his near perfect play and his durability as he’s started every game for the last two years. The injury couldn’t have come at a worse time for Veldheer as he’s in his contract year and since the Raiders will have a good amount of salary-cap room next year, it’s been speculated that he was a guaranteed signing before free agency. Hopefully Veldheer will be able to com back from this surgery and continue the form that all Raider fans are used to.