Tag: Derek Carr

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Carr need to adjust anything on offense in preparation for Sunday’s game?

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On the Raiders podcast with Tony:

#1 The Raiders must like the first half of football games because they always take the lead and lose them in the second half.

#2 Things were so bad for the Raiders in their 28-20 loss in Miami that Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson threw a 52-yard touchdown and also caught a 74-yard touchdown to come back from being down 17-7.

#3 The Miami Dolphins’ Xavien Howard played some good defense stopping quarterback Derek Carr’s throws. Howard also stuck the Raiders from scoring a goal line touchdown in the second quarter.

#4 Carr had a 27-39 day for 345 yards and got picked off twice. What does Carr needs to improve for this Sunday after the Raiders have now gone to 0-3?

#5 The Raiders’ Jordy Nelson was the Raiders’ top receiver with six passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Tony does the Raiders podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Winless Raiders to host Baker Mayfield and the Browns in Week 4

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With the first quarter of the season drawing to a close, the Oakland Raiders are in dire need of their first win…and they hope it’ll be versus the Cleveland Browns.

After playing two of their first three games of the season on the road, the Raiders return home to play two of their next three games beginning this Sunday when they will host the Browns and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Week 4’s matchup will mark only the second time since the Browns have traveled to the Black Hole and their most recent game, in 2015 at Cleveland, the Raiders defeated the Browns 27-20 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT. The Browns are 12-10 all-time versus the Raiders in the regular season.

Last week, Oakland (0-3) lost to the first-place AFC East Miami Dolphins 28-20 in South Florida. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson had the biggest day for the Raiders, hauling in six catches for 173 yards (28.8 yards per catch) and a touchdown. In his last two meeting with the Dolphins, Nelson has destroyed Miami catching 15 passes for 280 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

Nelson became just the third Raider pass-catcher this season to top 100 yards in a game, joining tight end Jared Cook (180 yards against the Rams in Week 1), and fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper (116 yards against AFC West rival Denver in Week 2), making Oakland one of two teams to accomplish the feat.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 345 yards on 27-of-39 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was Carr’s second 300-yard passing day of the season (Carr threw for 303 yards against the Rams in Week 1). Through the first three games of the season, Carr is sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game (302) and second in completion percentage (76.6).

Oakland held a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter before the Dolphins scored 21 unanswered points in the second-half to overtake the Raiders. Before kicker Mike Nugent booted a 52-yard field goal, the Raiders didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter in their previous two games.

Speaking of Nugent, the Raiders placed Nugent on injured reserve with a hip injury and signed kicker Matt McCrane. McCrane is in his first year in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent with Arizona at the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Strangely, the Raiders have led after three quarters in each of their previous three games but have yet to notch a win this season.

The Browns (1-1-1) are coming off 21-17 victory over the New York Jets in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football. Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson is just 2-32-1 as he enters his third season at the helm. Jackson, who spent 2010 as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach in 2011 where he led the club to an 8-8 finish, but wasn’t retained as the team hired Dennis Allen heading into the 2012 season.

Allen finished 8-28 in his two-plus seasons in Oakland before being fired four games into the 2014 season as the team got off to a 1-10 start.

For Cleveland, quarterback Baker Mayfield will make his first-career NFL start when he leads the Browns into the Black Hole. Mayfield was selected first overall by the Browns in this year’s NFL Draft, but the Browns opted to start the season with Taylor under center and wanted Mayfield to watch and learn.

With Cleveland trailing 14-3 shortly before halftime, the rookie replaced veteran Tyrod Taylor, who was already playing poorly completing just 4-of-14 passes for 19 yards, when Taylor suffered his third concussion in the past 13 months.

In the second half, Mayfield energize that team and the home crowd, helping the Browns outscore the Jets 18-3. Mayfield threw for 201 yards on 17-of-23 attempts and even caught a two-point conversion from wide receiver Jarvis Landry that tied the game 14-14 in the third quarter.

Landry caught a game-high eight catches for 103 yards against the Jets, and leads the Browns with 20 catches for 278 yards. Rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway has the Browns’ lone touchdown catch this season.

Running back Carlos Hyde rushed for 98 yards on 22 attempts and scored two touchdowns last week and given the Raiders inability to stop the run, (Oakland surrenders 116.3 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 22nd in the NFL), there could be some opportunities for Hyde to have another big game.

Defensively, Cleveland has some good, young players on that side of the ball that new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams can mold into a formidable group.

Second-year defensive end Myles Garrett has become one of the more feared pass rushers in the NFL. Garrett’s four sacks this season are tied for the most in the NFL with New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan, Chicago defensive end Khalil Mack (sorry Raider Nation), and Von Miller.

Garrett also has two forced fumbles.

Fellow defensive lineman in second-year defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi is quickly making a name for himself too, pacing second on the Browns with three sacks.

Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, who the Browns selected fourth in the same draft as Mayfield, has played great for Cleveland so far this season. In his first pro game, Ward intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice.

Ward leads the team with two interceptions and along with fellow cornerback Terrance Mitchell, has solidified Cleveland’s pass defense.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders heads south to Los Angeles for a tough matchup in the AFC West against the Chargers in Week 5 before flying to London to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, while Cleveland will head home to prepare for back-to-back visits from AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens and Chargers.

Raiders will head to Miami for Week 3 tilt with Dolphins

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Photo credit: nj.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif — If one road game wasn’t enough, how about a double-dip?

The Raiders are hitting the road once again this time, they are heading to South Beach where they will take on a surprisingly undefeated Dolphins team in a key Week 3 matchup for Oakland this Sunday.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET, which means 10:00 a.m. PT for West Coasters.

Last season, the two teams faced each other in Week 9 with the Raiders defeating the Dolphins, 27-24, behind a three-yard touchdown run by running back Marshawn Lynch late in the fourth quarter.

Oakland (0-2) lost a heart-breaker last week in Denver, 20-19, wasting an awesome performance by starting quarterback Derek Carr.

Carr was sharp all game, completing 29-of-32 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown. He’s the only quarterback in NFL history to complete 90 percent of his passes with more than 30 attempts, per ESPN. It was nice to see Carr bounce back from an ugly game in Week 1, where he threw three interceptions in Oakland’s 33-13 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Rams.

Out of those 29 completions, 10 were to wide receiver Amari Cooper, who also rebounded from a bad first game of the season where he posted just one catch for nine yards on three targets.

Against the Broncos, Cooper was targeted 10 times (catching each one) for 116 yards. It was a welcoming sign for Oakland, albeit in a loss.

Oakland held a 19-7 lead into the third quarter before the Broncos rallied with 13 unanswered points, including kicker Brandon McManus’s game-winning 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game.

Without stud defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago prior to the start of the regular season because the Silver and Black were hesitant to reward Mack with a new contract extension, Oakland’s defense has been a no show through the first two games of the season.

The Raiders have had a tough time generating any kind of pass rush this season. Only linebacker Bruce Irvin and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst have recorded a quarterback sack, but that could change against Miami. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been sacked five times this season, which ranks 13th in the NFL. Tannehill has also been hit nine times in the pocket.

Miami (2-0) defeated the Jets, 20-12, in New York at MetLife Stadium behind Tannehill and the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense.

Tannehill completed 17-of-23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Dolphins a 20-0 lead before halftime. Through two games this season, Tannehill has completed 31-of-57 passes for 398 yards with four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 104.9 passer rating.

Running back Kenyan Drake had 11 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown against the Jets. Drake leads the Dolphins with 25 carries for 101 yards this season.

Backup running back Frank Gore finished with just nine carries for 25 yards, but those yards were all he needed to pass Hall of Famer Curtis Martin (14,101) for fourth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 14,103 yards. Gore, who is in his 14th season, signed a 1-year deal with his hometown Dolphins in the offseason.

Electric wide receiver Jarvis Landry was traded to Cleveland in the offseason, leaving the Dolphins with question marks at the position. Holdover Kenny Stills leads the Dolphins in receiving yards (123) and touchdowns (2) through two games, while free agent addition Danny Amendola leads the team in catches (8).

Amendola, who won two Super Bowl rings in four seasons with the New England Patriots, signed with the Dolphins this past offseason to give Tannehill another reliable target.

Middle linebacker Kiko Alonso and safety Reshad Jones are two of Miami’s prime defenders that Oakland must be aware at all times.

Jones is arguably the Dolphins most reliable playmaker, as he leads Miami with two interceptions this season. Last season, Jones led Miami in tackles with 122.

The two-time Pro Bowler will likely be following Raiders tight end Jared Cook, who has been explosive the first two weeks of the season. In 2017, Cook led all Raiders receivers with 688 yards and this season, he leads Oakland with 229 yards, which includes his franchise record-setting 180-yard performance in Week 1.

After posting back-to-back seasons of 115 tackles, Alonso is a major focal point for the Dolphins defense. Last week against the Jets, Alonso recorded a 13 tackles and two forced fumbles, coming up huge for Miami many times in that contest.

Sunday’s game in Miami is a must-win for Oakland. There’s no way to sugarcoat it.

Falling to 0-3 with a loss before coming home to take on a puzzling Cleveland Browns team in Week 4 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum would be catastrophic.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Martavis Bryant is back once again after being waived for 11 days; Bryant very quick and difficult to cover says Derek Carr

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Photo credit: @NBCSRaiders

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Raiders receiver Martavis Bryant is back after being waived by the team 11 days ago. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie brought Bryant back on Tuesday.

#2 This move was made because Bryant had out-performed the other receivers and the Raiders had waived receiver Keon Hatcher, which was also a surprise move.

#3 Bryant’s return was based on some of the things that took place on offense receiving on Monday night and after weighing what they saw Bryant cut mustard and Gruden and McKenzie was glad that he was not signed by anybody else.

#4 On September 1st, Bryant was under consideration by the NFL to be suspended a third time by the league for substance abuse and he would have been banned for one year or the rest of this season. The league did not decide to discipline Bryant and allowed him to play and the Raiders got him back.

#5 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said that other teams try to contain Bryant on defense, but have trouble covering him because he’s so quick off the line. Carr and Gruden are anxious to see what he can do in Denver this Sunday.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders previews each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders travel to Denver looking to bounce back after home loss

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — After a very poor showing at home against the Los Angeles Rams, the Raiders travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in an AFC West matchup Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT. The two teams will meet each other later this year on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Christmas Eve in Oakland.

Last season, the two teams split their two-game series winning on their home turf.

The Raiders (0-1) fell flat on their faces to the Rams 33-13 in front of a sold out Raider Nation crowd of 53,857 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on ESPN’s Monday Night Football to closeout Week 1. Oakland held a 13-10 lead at halftime in head coach Jon Gruden’s return to the sidelines after a nine-year hiatus, before the wheels fell off for the Silver and Black in the second half as the Rams scored 23 unanswered points to claim the victory.

In the battle of franchise quarterbacks, Rams signal-caller Jared Goff clearly outplayed Derek Carr in front of a nationally televised audience. Both quarterbacks played a handful of snaps in the preseason and there was bound to be some rust in the first game.

For Goff, he completed 18 of 33 passes for 233 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions picking up right where he left off engineering the NFL’s top scoring offense from a season ago. The Rams averaged 29.9 points per game last year.

Oakland’s defense couldn’t generate a consistent pass rush against Goff, only sacking him once in the game by Bruce Irvin.

Neither could they stop last year’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley. The Rams running back looked in midseason form, carrying the ball 20 times for 108 yards. Gurley also hauled in three passes for 39 yards and a touchdown.

After a hot start to the game where he completed 20 of 24 passes for 199 yards, Carr played pedestrian finishing 29 of 40 for 303 yards and three interceptions. Carr did have good chemistry with tight end Jared Cook, who caught a game-high nine balls or a league-high 180 yards.

Seven of Cook’s catches went for first downs, which tied for the most in Week 1.

Cook’s 45-yard catch-and-run down the middle of the field in the first quarter on the Raiders’ opening drive did set up Oakland’s first touchdown of the season, a 10-yard powerful run by running back Marshawn Lynch that gave the Raiders a 7-0 lead, but those were the only real highlights for the Raiders offensively as Oakland settled for two Mike Nugent field goals.

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who Gruden said would be a “focal point” to the offense this season, was missing in action as he caught just one pass for nine yards.

Cooper looked out of place on opening night, matched up with cornerback and Oakland native Marcus Peters for most of the night. If you go back and look at the game film, Cooper appeared open down the field on occasions but for some strange reason, Carr couldn’t get him the ball.

Peters would take Carr’s third interception 50 yards for a touchdown that punctuated a night to forget for Carr.

Oakland could find it difficult to get back on track against Denver (1-0), who prevailed over the visiting Seattle Seahawks 27-24 last Sunday at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.

Broncos starting quarterback Case Keenum completed 25 of 39 passes for 329 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions in his first game with the team.

Keenum enjoyed a career-year last season in Minnesota, throwing for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns to just seven interceptions while leading the Vikings to a 13-3 regular season record, an NFC North title, and appearance in the NFC Championship Game before signing a two-year, $36 million (with $25 million guaranteed) with Denver in the offseason.

Wide receiver Emmauel Sanders led the Broncos with 10 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown (fellow wide out Demaryius Thomas chipped in with six catches for 63 yards and a touchdown), while Denver’s ground game anchored by rookie running backs Royce Freeman and Phillip Lindsay (15 carries for 71 each), found holes to run through in Seattle’s defense. Lindsay also caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Keenum.

Denver’s defense had a huge day against Seattle forcing three turnovers and sacking Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson six times, three by linebacker Von Miller, who finished with six tackles (one assisted).

Miller also forced two fumbles, one of which where he ripped the ball away from running back Chris Carson for a Broncos takeaway.

Linebacker Todd Davis led Denver with eight tackles.

Following Sunday’s game, both teams head east as the Broncos travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens, while Oakland invades Miami for a matchup with the Dolphins.

Raiders to host Rams in regular season opener on Monday Night Football

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — Yes, the NFL regular season is finally here. No more of watching unwatchable preseason football and hoping that both teams put on solid efforts.

The Oakland Raiders will begin their 2018 regular season on Monday night when they will welcome the Los Angeles Rams to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The game between the two clubs will be the second game of ESPN’s Monday Night Football doubleheader, which kicks off at 7:20 p.m. PT.

The New York Jets travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions in Game 1. Kickoff for that game is at 4:10 p.m. PT.

The Raiders met the Rams in Week 2 of the preseason in Los Angeles. The Rams won a snore of a game, 19-15, with both teams opting to hold out their starters.

This time around, things will be different as this is the regular season and the games count more than they do in the preseason.

The big story surrounding the Raiders has been the trade of defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears on Sept. 2. Oakland was unable to come to terms on a new longterm contract for the star defender.

The Raiders were hoping that Mack would return to the team and play under the franchise tag of $13.8 million but when it appeared that Mack wasn’t going to show up for any of Oakland’s training camp, head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie shipped the 27-year-old former NFL Defensive Player of the Year to the Bears for a boatload of draft picks: first- and sixth-round picks in 2019, and first- and third-round picks in 2020.

Along with Mack, the Bears received second- and fifth-round picks in 2020 as part of the deal.

Oakland will miss Mack no doubt. Mack amassed 40.5 sacks over the past four seasons for the Raiders and the name of the game on defense is to hit the quarterback and Oakland just let their best pass rusher walk out the door.

Last season, the Raiders finished 24th in defense last year despite Mack’s 10.5 sacks. This season, the Raiders will need to improve that ranking if they are to return to the playoffs after a dismal 6-10 season last year following a 12-4 campaign in 2016. That means rookies on the defensive line such as P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst and Arden Key will be tasked to pick up the slack for Mack.

Quarterback Derek Carr is looking for a bounce back season of his own in 2018.

Last season, Carr’s numbers dipped a bit: throwing for 3,496 yards, with 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions with a 86.4 passer rating after throwing for 3,937 yards with 28 touchdowns and just six interceptions to go along with a career-high 96.7 passer rating in 2016.

With Gruden back in town (after taking over for the fired Jack Del Rio), Carr’s play is expected to take off. Gruden is credited as being an offensive genius when designing plays and Carr’s performance will be critical for the Raiders’ offense that finished  23rd in production in 2017.

The Rams defense finished in 12th in scoring defense (20.6 points per game) and are loaded.

Defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Rams into Oakland looking to build off of the team’s first postseason birth since 2004. Los Angeles won the NFC West title after finishing 11-5 last season and are one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2019.

Los Angeles added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to play next to Donald in the offseason, along with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters via trades to shore up their secondary.

The Rams have one of the best offenses in the league, led by third-year quarterback Jared Goff and running back Todd Gurley.

After a subpar rookie season in 2016 in which he threw for just 1,089 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions under former head coach Jeff Fisher, Goff exploded in 2017 under first-year head coach Sean McVay throwing for career-highs in yards (3,804), touchdowns (28) and passer rating (100.5).

Goff threw just seven interceptions during the 2017 campaign.

Gurley had a bounce back season too under McVay after a disappointing 2016 season where Gurley rushed for a career-low 885 yards and six touchdowns. The fourth-year running back rushed for career-highs in yards (1,305) and touchdowns (13). Gurley finished second in the NFL in total rushing, falling just 22 yards short of league-leader in rookie Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders could have their hands full with a Rams offense that finished first in scoring last season, averaging 29.9 points per game.

After Monday night’s game, both teams will begin their divisional schedule Sunday, September 16, with the Raiders traveling to Denver to take on the Broncos, while the Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Games will be scheduled for 1:25 pm and 1:05 pm, respectively.

Raiders get set for LA trip, take on Rams at Memorial Coliseum Saturday

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Photo credit: therams.com

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — For the first time in 24 years, the Raiders will play a game in Los Angeles when they face the Rams at the Memorial Coliseum Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. PT.

This is the second-straight season that the Rams and the Raiders link up in the preseason.

Los Angeles won 24-21 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum last August. Oakland will host the Rams in Week 1 as part of a double-header on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, but don’t expect both teams to reveal any true game plans Saturday.

It was December 24, 1994 that the then-Los Angeles Raiders lost a 19-9 game to the Kansas City Chiefs that would end the Raiders’ 12-year run in Southern California. Depending on who you talk to, the Raiders still hold a major footprint in the country’s second-largest media market next to New York.

Even with the Rams back in town after relocating from St. Louis, where they won the franchise’s only Super Bowl trophy, following a 20-year stint from 1995-2015, it’s as if the Raiders have never left as you can still see people wearing Raiders’ gear.

The Raiders did win a Super Bowl in Los Angeles following the 1983 season, the third trophy in franchise history.

That’s why I’m very interested to see how much of the 93,607-seat Memorial Coliseum will be Silver and Black Saturday afternoon as both teams will play their second preseason game.

The Raiders defeated the visiting Detroit Lions, 16-10, last Friday night at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Quarterback Derek Carr and the first-team offense started the game, playing just one drive before heading to the sideline. Carr completed just 2-of-4 passes for 11 yards in his night of work, but the first-team offense did show some potential of being a big-play offense this season, after seeing running back Marshawn Lynch dart down the Oakland sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run before the play was called back following a holding call on rookie left tackle Kolton Miller.

Expect Carr and the first-team offense to play more than one series, after Raiders head coach Jon Gruden broke training camp Thursday giving the players the day off.

Connor Cook, who took over for Carr, completed 11-of-19 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown while playing the remainder of the first half. Cook would lead the Raiders to a 13-7 halftime lead, looked good engineering the Raiders’ second-team offense.

Undrafted rookie running back Chris Warren III played extensively, recording 13 carries for 86 yards. Its just one preseason game, but Warren III is making a strong case to make the team with impressive showings in recent training camp practices according to reports from Napa.

Defensively, Oakland was without star defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who has been a training camp holdout as he seeks a new contract. Missing that game cost Mack $814,000. Mack won’t play Saturday, which will cost him another $814,000.

Oakland’s defense won’t nearly be as formidable without Mack, who has made three trips to the Pro Bowl, named All-Pro twice, and won Defensive Player of the Year in his first four seasons in the NFL.

Rookie defensive tackle P.J. Hall showed great activity when he stepped on the field, recording a sack and a batted pass on his first two plays in the NFL. Other rookies like defensive tackle Maurice Hurst and cornerback Nick Nelson will get more playing time Saturday.

New kicker Eddy Pineiro made a case to be Oakland’s permanent kicker, nailing all three of his field goals. The rookie made field goals from 21, 48, and 45 yards.

Fellow rookie in defensive end Arden Key is expected to play Saturday after missing the previous game with a “tweaked” ankle per reports. As a sophomore at LSU, Key would set a school-record by registering 12 sacks in 2016.

As a matter of fact, Oakland could have their entire rookie class available this Saturday for the first time since their rookie class of 2016, per Marcus Allen Krause of Silver and Black Pride.

Second-year cornerback Gareon Conley, who has been nursing a shin injury, is expected to make is preseason debut against the Rams.  It was revealed early in training camp that Conley had suffered vitamin D deficiency, which became a major talking point on the Raiders.

Last week, the Rams traveled to Baltimore to open up their preseason slate, before being toppled by the Ravens 33-7.

Backup quarterback Sean Mannion started for the Rams in place of starter Jared Goff, completed just 3-of-13 passes for 16 yards and one interception, as Los Angeles held out the majority of their starting offense. Third-year quarterback Brandon Allen fared better, connecting on 10-of-15 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown.

Star running back Todd Gurley didn’t suit up for the Rams, but was on the sideline.

Los Angeles rewarded Gurley with a four-year $57 million extension with $45 million guaranteed in the offseason following a career-year in 2017 in which he rushed for 1,305 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Gurley also finished with career-highs in receptions (64), receiving yards (788) and touchdowns (5) last season in route to being named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

Los Angeles traded for former Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks, who is coming off his third-straight of a least 60 catches, 1,000 yards and six touchdowns, and gave the aforementioned Goff another weapon to throw to.

Los Angeles led the NFL in scoring, averaging 29.9 points per game in 2017, and were a top-10 offense orchestrated by the second-year Goff (who threw for a career-high 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 100.5 passer rating), designed by first-year head coach Sean McVay.

McVay, the NFL’s youngest head coach at age 31, is a Gruden disciple, cutting his teeth as a coaching assistant on Gruden’s staff with the Buccaneers in 2008. The former wide receiver at Miami of Ohio from 2004 to 2007 eventually would work his way to being the offensive coordinator at Washington under head coach Jay Gruden, the brother of Jon.

After leading the Rams to an 11-5 season, the NFC West title and the team’s first playoff appearance in 13 years, expectations are running high for McVay and Co. in Year 2.

Whenever the Rams come to terms with star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year (and former Defensive Rookie of the Year) on a new contract, Los Angeles will have one of the best defenses in the league heading into the season. The Rams added defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib via trades to bolster the defense around Donald.

Just like Mack, Donald is holding out of training camp looking for new long term deal. Donald didn’t make the trip to Baltimore last week, and he too was fined a game check.

Donald missed out on a $405,000 payday for skipping the game.

The four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro is adamant that he’s not playing a game without a new deal after outplaying his rookie deal after the Rams selected him 13th overall in 2014.

So the similarities are there between the Rams and the Raiders:

  1. Head coaches that are offensively innovative and detailed, but don’t expect Gruden or McVay to reveal their hands prior to Week 1.
  2. Star defensive players that should get massive deals, but when will Mack and Donald sign?

Following Saturday’s game, the Raiders will host the Green Bay Packers at home next Friday, while Los Angeles will host the Houston Texas next Saturday.

Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders draft–Can Gruden and McKenzie get what they want?

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Photo credit pro32.ap.org: Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie right and Raiders head coach Jon Gruden left will be making decisions on today’s draft

On the Headline Sports podcast with Tony Renteria:

#1 For today’s draft, what are some of the positions that Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie will be looking for?

#2 The Raiders were taking drills with quarterback Derek Carr and the Raider offensive players and it was Gruden’s first practice drill to run since he was a head coach in 2008.

#3 For general manager Reggie McKenzie, how much success will he and Gruden have in recruiting and selecting players out of the draft on defense?

#4 Receiver Jordy Nelson said that the energy level that Gruden brings to camp is amazing. Knowing what you’ve seen of Gruden when he was in Oakland before and listening to Nelson, what’s your take on that energy level?

#5 The Raiders said that Khalil Mack remains absent from the Raiders camp as he wants to negotiate a contract extension. Mack was the Raiders 2016 Defensive Player of the Year.

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

If Jon Gruden is “surprised” that Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned, then he should sign him

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Photo credit: @BleacherReport

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

Speaking from the coaches breakfast at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday, Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden offered his thoughts on why Colin Kaepernick remains unsigned.

“I think there’s a lot of intrigue,” Gruden said via ESPN staff writer Paul Gutierrez. “His performance on the field wasn’t very good, on tape. I think, Robert Griffin, a rookie of the year, [I’m surprised] he’s out there. Tim Tebow takes a team to the playoffs, there’s some surprise that he never came back. You know, Johnny Manziel, he’s out there.

“Back to Kapernick, he got beat out by [Blaine] Gabbert to start the [2016] season. I think that say’s something. [But] I am surprised he’s not in camp with somebody. He probably will be soon.”

Memo to Gruden: No one, not even you, should be ‘surprised’ that Kaepernick remains unsigned by an NFL team.

Not due to the fact that he knelt during the national anthem to protest social injustice and police brutality, but he’s got a pending lawsuit against league owners for collusion, which was filed last October by Kaepernick.

But if Gruden is truly that ‘surprised’ that Kaepernick isn’t on an NFL roster, my only question to him is: why haven’t the Raiders signed him?

It’s a good idea, right?

No one is saying that Kaepernick would overthrow Derek Carr as Oakland’s signal-caller in 2018, but Kaepernick is much better than E.J. Manuel and Josh Johnson combined.

Both Manuel and Johnson are on the Raiders roster.

Since being drafted by the 49ers in 2011 out of Nevada in the second round of the NFL draft, Kaepernick has thrown for 12,271 yards with 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions while completing 59.8-percent of his passes in 58 career starts.

Manuel does have a career completion percentage of 58.1 to go along with 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 18 starts (which includes one start for Oakland last season), while Johnson is 0-5 in his  five career starts.

But Kaepernick would provide better insurance for Gruden and the Raiders in the event that Carr was injured than either Manuel or Johnson in my opinion. I know I’m not the only one that feels that way too.

It wasn’t too long ago that Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback in Super Bowl XLVII, was making defenses look foolish trying to tackle him in the open field with the dreaded read-option. In 2016, Kaepernick’s last season in the league, he was recovering from three surgeries when Gabbert beat him out for the starting the job.

But once he proved to be healthy, Kaepernick replaced Gabbert as San Francisco’s starting quarterback and posted a 92.6 passer rating in his final six starts of the season. Kaepernick threw for 2,241 yards with 16 touchdowns to just four interceptions with a 90.7 passer rating, but the 49ers were just 1-10 in his 11 starts as the team dealt with injuries and inconsistency along the offensive line.

San Francisco finished 2-14 that year.

After sitting out all of 2017, does Kaepernick even want to play football or continue to bring awareness to social injustice and police brutality in 2018? Kaepernick has already gone on record saying that he wouldn’t kneel during the national anthem if signed by an NFL team.

There was the internet video recently of Kaepernick working out in Houston throwing the football appearing to be in tremendous condition. Maybe there’s a chance that Kaepernick does play again in the NFL after.

But could it be in Silver and Black?

Gruden and the Raiders should give the idea some serious consideration.

The Philadelphia Eagles, who won Super Bowl LII, showed how important having a capable backup quarterback like Nick Foles on the roster was after losing franchise quarterback Carson Wentz late in the year with a torn ACL.

It’s good to have an insurance policy in case of emergencies, Oakland.

Despite doubts, Jon Gruden is the right mechanic to fix Derek Carr and the Raiders

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

Photo credit: @BleacherReport

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — For those who thought it was a cold-blooded move by Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis to fire former head coach Jack Del Rio 20 minutes after a 30-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers to close out a disappointing 2017 at 6-10, let me just put you at ease:

It was rightfully timed, but honestly, it could’ve came earlier in the year.

In fact, Davis’ frustration can be traced back to Week 4. After starting the season 2-0 with impressive wins against the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, the Raiders would go on to lose their next four straight games, bringing their record to 2-4.

Following a 2-2 stretch in late November and early December that pulled the Raiders into a three-way tie in the AFC West at 6-6, the Raiders never looked like the team that finished 12-4 in 2016 and made the playoffs for the first time since 2002.

Davis didn’t talk to reporters after Oakland’s fourth straight loss to end the season, but those close to the owner have said that Davis has grown frustrated with the team’s lackluster performance, most notably on the offensive side of the football, after committing big money contracts to quarterback Derek Carr and offensive linemen Gabe Jackson, Donald Penn and Kelechi Osemele in recent seasons.

Davis wanted to turn the page quickly to 2018 and handing the keys to the franchise over to former Raiders head coach and current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Jon Gruden was supposedly the way to do it.

According to multiple reports, Gruden is expected to be named the next head coach of the Oakland Raiders, which also includes an ownership stake in the team. No deal is official, but the deal is “imminent” according to the reports.

In his first stint with Oakland, Gruden compiled a 64-38 regular season record, including a 4-2 postseason record. Gruden also led the Raiders to the AFC Championship Game in 2000, but was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for draft picks following the 2001 season after a contract dispute with Mark’s father, Al.

Gruden would lead the Buccaneers to a 48-21 victory over the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII following the 2002 season. During his seven years in West Florida, he was 112-57 in the regular season, including a 3-2 postseason record.

The reunion between the Raiders and Gruden makes sense. Gruden is beloved by Raider Nation in Oakland. He never wanted to leave the Silver and Black and had the team on the verge of a Super Bowl championship, and Davis desperately wants to win a Super Bowl for the City of Oakland before the team moves to Las Vegas in 2020.

Gruden’s eventual hiring will do wonders for the Raiders, but most notably for quarterback Derek Carr, who regressed a bit in 2017. Carr did suffer a broken bone in his back, where he missed just one game but didn’t look healthy or confident all year.

After back-to-back seasons of averaging 3,900 yards and 25 touchdowns for a 93.9 quarterback rating, Carr took a step back in 2017, throwing for just 3,496 yards and 22 touchdowns for a quarterback rating of 86.4.

In 2017, Carr threw 13 interceptions after throwing just six in 2016.

Carr’s top wide receivers, Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, didn’t scare many teams this season. After an 89-catch, 1,003-yard receiving season in 2016, Crabtree finished with the season as the team’s leader in catches (58) and touchdowns (8) to go along with 618 yards in 14 games played after missing two games.

But Cooper’s 2017 season was just harder to figure out. Cooper was on his way of becoming one of the more electrifying wide receivers in the NFL with back-to-back 1,000-yards seasons, finished with just 680 yards receiving on 48 catches with seven touchdowns.

Tight end Jared Cook led Oakland in receiving yards with 688 on 54 catches for two touchdowns in his first season in Oakland.

But Carr is the the driver of the offense and Gruden will be tasked to repair a broken offense that finished 23rd in the NFL in scoring offense at 18.8 points per game in 2017 under first-time offensive coordinator Todd Downing after finishing fifth in scoring offense at 26.0 points per game in 2016 under then-offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.

Whispers around the organization suggest that Carr had a hand in the shakeup at offensive coordinator, switching from the demanding Musgrave to the laid back Downing.

Simply put, Carr and Downing were best buddies and Musgrave was the third wheel. Carr and Downing hated having Musgrave’s hands in the offensive popcorn bucket and had to go.

Musgrave’s contract wasn’t renewed after the 2016 concluded.

If/when Gruden is named head coach of the Raiders, Downing won’t be retained which will put Carr on notice immediately with the new coaching staff. Gruden, along with former franchise quarterback Rich Gannon who is rumored to join Gruden’s staff as the quarterback coach, will make it their personal goal to get every ounce of talent out of Carr.

From footwork to calling the plays in the huddle, Carr will be broken down and rebuilt by Gruden and Gannon.

In the end, the play of the the Raiders’ $125 million quarterback will determine the team’s success, but Gruden will be responsible for delivering the organization’s elusive fourth Super Bowl title it thirsts for.