Silver and Black Report

Former Seattle Seahawk Aaron Curry has only been with the Oakland Raiders for little more than a month and he’s already been a force on defense at WLB with 18 solo tackles and came up huge in last Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears when he disrupted and tipped a Chad Hanie screen pass to his teammate Kamerion Wimbley who in turn ran the ball back for 73-yards before getting tackled at the 12-yard line. “It was really good. We felt better as a unit as far as energy-wise, but it was still… I think, we had more of a mental energy. You could feel the focus. You could feel the excitement too. But you could feel the focus more than the excitement and I think that turned into turnovers and turned into getting the stops we needed to get stopped.”

Aaron Curry makes a tackle

Curry, a God fearing and humble man, has brought with him a level of intense energy that seems to compliment the mentality and purpose coach Hue Jackson demands. In turn, his positive energy has helped the Raiders get closer to winning it’s division again. “I’m just excited that the fans got what they needed and what they deserved and it’s big to come out of the game 7-4″, said Curry.

When asked about the team’s confidence earlier last week heading into it’s match-ups against the Chicago Bears, Curry expressed, “That’s one thing you’re going to learn about the Raiders; we’re always going to be confident. You’re never gonna see us with our heads down. We don’t go for that. We don’t agree with bad energy, negative energy. We’re going to be confident and we’re just going to take pride in being a Raider. For us, being a Raider is passed just you and your uniform. Being a Raider goes all the way back to the history of being a Raider and it’s not too many times you’re gonna see a Raider that wasn’t confident in his craft and what they did.”

Oh yeah…about that trade from Seattle to Oakland? “Yeah, I’m extremely happy. I couldn’t be happier. I love being a Raider. I love everything about being an Oakland Raider. This is what football is about! I haven’t felt this way…I haven’t felt this way in a long time about where I’m at in my life (and) about what my purpose is. I haven’t felt this way about my teammates, about OUR purpose. Being a Raider, this is the best I’ve felt in a long time and I’m very excited. And possibly, my purpose may have been to be a Raider…That’s how it feels.”

November 30, 2011
Staff Writer, SBReport, Raiderfans.net

The Oakland Raiders have issued an official statement regarding the untimely passing of Raider great Chester McGlockton:

The Raider family is deeply saddened by the passing of Chester McGlockton.
“The thoughts and prayers of the Raider Nation are with the McGlockton family during this
difficult time,” said Raiders Chief Executive Amy Trask.
McGlockton was the 16th overall pick by the Raiders in the 1992 NFL Draft and played with
the Silver and Black from 1992-97, earning four straight Pro Bowl selections as a Raider. He
also played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and New York Jets during a 12-year
professional career and served on the football staff at Stanford for the past two seasons.
A native of Whiteville, N.C., McGlockton was a three-year standout at Clemson and earned
his undergraduate degree from Tennessee-Martin in 2010.

It has been reported that McGlockton died at the young age of 41 from a “massive heart attack.” His death comes at the heels of one-of-a-kind Legendary Raiders Owner Al Davis’ death almost two months ago. Raiderfans.net extends our condolences to the McGlockton family, the Raiders organization, and the entire Raider Nation. Once a Raider, ALWAYS a Raider!

Covering the game last Saturday night, I found myself having to keep my head on a swivel as I had to walk through the throngs of fans to get from the pressbox to the filed for lockerroom access post game; not knowing if I was going to get sucker punched or beer spilled on my by a drunken fan (which seemed to be in plentiful supply).

On the way back from player interviews, heading back up to the pressbox with other writers, one of the elevator operators informed us that one Raider fan had gotten beaten somewhere on the first level (likely the bathroom incident that was already reported on) and another Raider fan was shot in the face in the parking lot. We were all stunned to hear the news. It wasn’t until I was walking back to the car, did I see someone being taken away in an ambulance. I asked one of the officers what had happened. He informed me that someone had gotten shot. Me not knowing when the first shooting occurred, I asked him was this the second one? He said he wasn’t sure. That is when his partner added that it was the second shooting.

Early stories were circulating that one of the people of interest was a Raider fan. However, after a few hours from the initial news reports, the suspecting a Raider fan was retracted and the affiliation of the victim went from 49er fan to Raider fan. Also, the team affiliation of the previous shooting victim and suspect was Oakland Raiders fan. However, in a posted Youtube clip, it turns out that the earlier shooting victim was a 49er fan being shot by another 49er fan after he/she was beaten by several other 49er fans; all while laying on the ground.

The video in question shows was appears to be a woman fan in a black shirt being assaulted by several 49er fans. The team affiliation that fan in black is unknown because no team logo could be seen on her shirt. Just because someone wears a black shirt doesn’t always mean that person is a fan of a particular team. As in the same video, one of the other combatants with the other 49er fans wore a black shirt with red trim. None the less, the central theme was one fan being jumped by no less than 4 other fans. The other theme was the apparent ages (25 or younger) and alcohol.

If you scroll to about the 1:40 mark, you will see the moment just before the shooting. In it, you will see some commotion around someone on the ground towards the front of a parked car. Then a fan in a red #21 jersey race in and with his arm extended, you can see the gas/blast from a gun and you can hear a small, almost inaudible “pop”. Surrounding bystanders don’t seem to react to the sound as if it were a small calibre weapon such as a .22 calibre handgun.

San Francisco, CA - Raider head coach Hue Jackson said earlier in training camp that he wants to, “Build a Bully.” Instead, it was his defense that got bullied by a 49er offense that just last week, seemed like it didn’t know what a first down looked like or whether a drive without a sack or interception was even possible.

In that 49er vs Saints game, New Orleans blitz heavily and often which gave San Francisco’s offensive line protection fits. Tonight, the Raiders backed off the heavy blitz concept and attempted to learn what it’s defense could do in more simple coverages. What it found out was not pretty.

Oakland’s defense gave up 105 yards to one carrier, (Kendall Hunter) on 9 carries; one of which was a back breaking 53-yard gash for the 49ers first touchdown, 62 yards to Xavier Omon, and a 53 yards to runningback Anthony Dixon. On Hunter’s touchdown run, Raider defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie got blocked of the point and linebacker Travis Goethel made the wrong read by running to the outside of the line where he both got blocked by the tackle and sealed off by the guard. This left the single high safety Jerome Boyd isolated in deep coverage to make a solo tackle in the open field, but Boyd couldn’t make a play on the runner as he got caught flat-footed stuck half way in no-man’s-land.

Oakland’s offense made little strides coming off last week’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals; failing to score a touchdown in the redzone, despite timely big catches by Raider receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey for 18 and 22 yards on 2-of-3 pass attempts thrown his way. The only other bright spot for the Silver and Black came from rookie wide receiver Denarius Moore; whose smooth, veteran-like receptions accumulated receptions of 18 and 22 yards. He also smacked the new NFL kickoff rule (and it’s naysayers) in the face by fielding a kickoff 3-yards deep into his own endzone and returned it for 48 yards.

On the 3rd offensive series for Oakland, quarterback Jason Campbell got injured after he recovered his own fumble and got struck in the head from a knee of a 49er player. Campbell looked to be out of it initially. After taking his time, he walked off the filed under his own power. Trainers further evaluated Campbell on the sidelines. He would not return to the game.

With Oakland already seeing injuries from it’s starting players, Chris Johnson, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, and Darren McFadden, the Raiders can ill-afford to lose it’s starting quarterback in this crucial, shortened, and important evaluation of not only it’s players, but it’s new offense. The Raiders play host to the New Orleans Saints next week.

Raider Head Coach Hue Jackson introduced four of his 2011 draftees to the local media; Stefen Wisniewski, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Jospeh Barksdale, and Taiwan Jones. Hear the audio from today’s press conference here:

Audio of Barksdale and Jones as they talk about being drafted by the Oakland Raiders

Audio of Wiz and Van Dyke as they talk about being drafted by the Oakland Raiders

Al Davis grants a less informal interview/discussion session with the local media that were in attendance for the Hue Jackson press conference. “Coach” Davis, as Hue Jackson calls him, touched on a plethora or topics ranging from the Randy Hanson incident, the New England Patriots, and Jon Gruden, to the current issues between NFL owners and the Players Union. This unscripted and uncut sit down with Mr. Davis gives you not only an insight into the mind of Al Davis, but leaves you the impression that he is not as “crazy” as many have painted him as being.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis introduced Hue Jackson as the next Raider Head Coach. The two spent over an hour and a half discussing various topics. Coach Jackson talking about the talent that is currently on the Roster and him wanting to score MORE points offensively and the desire to create a “bully” with this team. Then you had Mr. Davis expounding on everything from his players, him wanting a new stadium built here in Oakland, and retaining players such as Nnamdi Asomugha to the 800lb. gorilla in the room; namely former Head Coach Tom Cable, former team assistant Randy Hanson, and former Raider quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Davis, at the end portion of the Hue Jackson Q&A session stole the spotlight when he delve into the issue of Tom Cable’s departure of the team. He laid out the reasons why he was fined by the team and also shed light on possible lurid details surrounding Cable and his bringing his wife along on away games and the claims of domestic abuse made by other women earlier in 2010.

Once again, this is the FULL hour and a half audio from today’s press conference that mostly everyone didn’t get to hear or see because of time constraints of various networks.

Part 1
video management, video solution, video streaming

Part 2
video management, video solution, video streaming

Part 3
video management, video solution, video streaming

Quentin Groves
video management, video solution, video streaming

Tommy Kelly
video management, video solution, video streaming

OAKLAND, CA — The Oakland Raiders may have been officially eliminated with the earlier Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, but that hasn’t stopped the Raiders from coming out on special teams and looking like a team who has something to play for. Right out of the gate, Raiders’ rookie sensation Jacoby Ford ran back the game opening kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.

Now up 7-0, the Raider defense also showed that they too were up to the task at the beginning of the contest by stopping the perennial great Peyton Manning when they forced the Colts to go three-and-out on Manning’s initial drive. Likewise, the Oakland offense, which had shown great inconsistency throughout today’s game, was shut down as well on their first drive from scrimmage. In fact, Oakland gave up back-to-back three-and-out drives to start their offensive game.

Peyton Manning would however bounce back from his previous two failed drives and follow it up with a brilliant 57-yard slice and dice of a drive that ended with a 6-yard touchdown run by RB Joseph Addai to even up the score 7-7.

It wouldn’t be until Oakland’s third drive did QB Jason Campbell complete his first pass of the game; a 1-yard dump off to RB Darren McFadden. Campbell would complete only 1-for-3 in pass attempts, but leads the game with 3 three-and-outs at this point in the first half. I’m sure that did little to endear the defense as they had to come back into the game after another very short breather after another punt.

Manning, again with enough time to bake a cake, was allowed to carve up and confuse a Raider defense that at times seemed powerless to stop the Indy offense, but was able to prevent them getting in the endzone and hold the Colts to a field goal; making the score 10-7 Indy.

Oakland’s offense would get of the schneid and gain their first first down of the game to help extend their drive. In fact, the Raiders gained two first downs in this drive; a 1-yd run by RB Marcel Reece and a 17-yd run by RB Michael Bush. Those two drive savers would be key in the 9-play, 34-yard offensive drive because it allowed coach Tom Cable to elect to kick a field from 59 yards on 4th down. The gamble would pay off as K Sebastian Janikowski would blast one from 59-yards out that squeaked it’s way inside the left upright to tie the game at 10-10. After a defensive stop by Oakland, the Raiders offense continued to look much better than it did in the first as they would once again get into Janikowski field goal range. Jano would make the attempt to put the Raiders ahead 13-10.

However, the Colts would be left with too much time on the clock, and Peyton would make the most of it by marching his offense 88 yards in 1:19 for a touchdown and reclaimed the lead with a score of 17-13. With a precious few ticks on the clock, the Raiders could mount nothing heading into the locker room to end the first half.

Oakland’s defense caught a break when safety Michael Huff intercepted a Peyton Manning pass, but due to the lack of any real consistency by the Raider offense, Oakland would be forced to punt yet again. To the Raiders credit, the defense held and kept Oakland in the game and gave its offense an opportunity to live up to their side of the bargain. The best they could come away with would be a field goal to get them closer to the Colts and reduce the deficit to 1-point in a 16-17 game.

Peyton Manning would put on another clinic when he consistently picked on Raider cornerback Stanford Routt. One such attack count for a touchdown as the Colt lead would extend to 24-16. During the 4th quarter, Oakland had an opportunity to get back into the game when a Peyton Manning pass would get tipped by Raider LB Rolando McClain, picked off by CB Chris Johnson, fumbled and recovered by safety Mike Mitchell. But once again, because of very little offensive production, the only scoring came on the leg of kicker Sebastian Janikowski as he successfully booted a field goal to make the score 19-24 and make it a one score game.

Later in the 4th quarter, Peyton Manning continued to shine but this time, picking on Raider cornerback Chris Johnson who failed to turn around until after the receiver had caught the ball in the endzone. The Colts would now make it a 31-19 affair.

Oakland would show some life when Oakland generated a 12 play, 80-yard drive culminating in a 6-yard touchdown reception by TE Zach Miller to get them back to a one score game (26-31). The Raiders attempted an onside kick that was nullified because Indy called a time out just before the kick. But because Janikowski was already in his motion and kicked it anyway, the Colts got to see where the Raiders were going to kick the ball. After the timeout, Oakland kicked the ball exactly where they kicked it a moment ago, but was recovered by the Colts. The last ray of hope rested on the Raiders’ defense on 3rd down and no time outs for Oakland when Manning ran a bootleg and ran untouched just short of the goal line when Manning downed the ball to end the play and keep the clock running. Peyton would have scored the touchdown, but he exercised a bit of class by opting not to score. The Colts would then kill the clock by kneeling to preserve their 31-26 lead to end the game.

Raiders Head Coach addresses the media following today’s practice and spoke about not even worrying about what the Chiefs do. He is focusing solely on the visiting Colts’ Peyton Manning and their pass rush.