Silver and Black Report

Here’s a list of Oakland Raiders that will be free agents this off-season with an explanation of their status after the 2011 season.

UFA: Unrestricted free agent; a player who has completed four or more accrued seasons and whose contract has expired.

RFA: Restricted free agent; a player who has completed three accrued seasons and whose contract has expired.

OFFENSE

• Jason Campbell QB – UFA
• Khalif Barnes T – UFA
• Kyle Boller QB – UFA
• Michael Bush RB – UFA
• Rock Cartwright RB – UFA
• Stephon Heyer OL – UFA
• T.J. Houshmanzadeh WR – UFA
• Marcel Reece FB — UFA
• Samson Satele C – UFA
• Chaz Schilens WR – UFA

DEFENSE

• Darryl Blackstock LB – UFA
• Desmond Bryant DL – RFA
• Tyvon Branch SS – UFA
• Matt Giordano – UFA
• Quentin Groves LB – UFA
• Jarvis Moss DE – UFA
• Trevor Scott DE – UFA
• Lito Sheppard – UFA

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Jon Condo LS – UFA
• Bryan McCann – UFA

OFFENSE ANALYSIS

Undoubtedly, Campbell would like to be a starter and probably feels like he can lead a team. But those chances went down the drain in Oakland when he got injured and Carson Palmer was acquired. The problem for Campbell is that there may not be many jobs for him available. Very few teams are starving for a starter. Miami may be happy with Matt Moore, or they could passer in the draft, Cleveland is going with Colt McCoy, the Chiefs may be in the market for a new face, a return to the Redskins won’t be an option and Seattle, who may look for a quarterback, may look at Vince Young, Matt Flynn or Kyle Orton. A back-up role is his destiny, but where? In Oakland where Jackson showed confidence in him prior to his injury, or elsewhere where he could sneak up on a passer that may be on shaky ground?

Keeping Bush will be imperative. Spending big bucks on running backs isn’t the norm in the NFL, but the former 4^th round pick has little wear and tear on his body, is young and versatile enough to add some pop to any club lacking a ground attack. Oakland would have been in serious trouble if not for Bush’s presence. With questions surrounding Darren McFadden’s durability, the Raiders need to keep this tandem together. A franchise tag for Bush could be an option, especially if they fear he will depart to another club that could front-load a contract for his services.

Reece is a multi-dimensional weapon, out of the backfield or split out wide as a receiver. He is a match-up nightmare that Jackson cannot afford to lose.

Barnes was the weak-link on a very good offensive line this past season. But keeping cohesion in this group will be key. He’ll come cheap, so unless the Raiders are looking for a major upgrade, there’s no way he goes anywhere. Heyer was a serviceable back up, so unless someone showers him with a big contract or a starting role, which is unlikely, Oakland could retain his services. Satele was tough, played injured and gained the respect of Jackson throughout the campaign. That may be enough for him to be retained and keep the powerful left side in tact.

Boller will move on, especially if Campbell is retained. Terrelle Pryor will be third on the depth chart until further notice.

Houshmanzadeh or Schilens will move on. One has the full support of Palmer; the other is young and has a history of injuries, which will dampen interest league wide. If Hue Jackson thinks Houshmanzadeh has anything left in the tank, he’ll be retained.

SPECIAL TEAMS ANALYSIS

Jon Condo will be retained and paid well. Oakland tends to compensate their specialists and breaking up the dynamic kicking and long-snapping trio wouldn’t make sense. Cartwright is a emotional leader and a special teams ace. How much will they value that, especially with Hiram Eugene coming back in 2012?

DEFENSE ANALYSIS

Branch may draw enough interest league wide which could land him a contract big enough that would force Oakland to let him walk. He has youth on his side and is very versatile. The former 4^th round pick could be enticed away by a team in need of starting strong safety.

Chuck Bresnahan was a major reason why Blackstock was brought in. Good on special teams and there for depth, we’ll see if his fate is tied together with Bresnahan’s.

Groves has already mentioned the possibility of him playing elsewhere. Aaron Curry took his job and at this point, Oakland sees him as a one-way player on special teams. With Matt Shaughnessy’s return, it’s unlikely that Jarvis Moss returns, especially if they opt for other choices at end. They’ll likely pick between Moss and Trevor Scott. Scott is more versatile, but the injury he sustained in 2010 made him a non-factor in 2011. A change in defensive alignment could also sway which one stays.

Bryant has developed into a serviceable lineman in a rotation. Some team may be intrigued by his abilities, and if he gets a decent offer, the defender will depart.

Sheppard was picked up mid-season and will not be welcomed back. Especially with Michael Huff moving to cornerback and other youthful options at defensive back.

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Apparently, Chaz Schilens had heard enough.

The often-injured wide receiver told the San Francisco Chronicle that, “Warren Sapp is a fool.”

Sapp, a former Raider and current NFL Network analyst, has been critical of the Silver & Black through the years, many times with merit, but Schilens and a lot of the fan-base has taken it to heart, his verbal barrage.

Schilens continued, “That dude is stupid. He played for the Raiders 20 years ago. No one cares what he says, nobody likes him, he’s a joke. … Everyone on this team thinks he’s a joke.”

The former NFL defensive player of the year responded, “Ok Just Woke Up From My Tuesday Slumber. Who’s Chaz Schilens ?? Oh Wasn’t He Just On DWTS? Did He Win??”, via twitter.

Then: “My Bad! I Looked Ole Chaz Up, 8 & 6 Starts His 1st Two Yrs. ONE Start In Last 2yrs, Better Start a Career Before Its Over! #BiggerFishToFry”

Schilens, who has done very little in his career to distinguish himself and has been known more for his fragility than actual skill level, had no reason to stir this up.

His team is atop the division at 6-4 and eyeing their first playoff berth since 2002. Whether his team does really believe Sapp is a joke or not, it makes no sense to bring further attention to a team that should be flying under the radar.

If he wanted notoriety, he got it. Now, can he actually help this team go forward, or continue his pedestrian NFL career?

Sapp has been critical many times of the Silver & Black. But who hasn’t when the team posted a historical losing stretch, finally got to 8-8 last season and many questions surrounded this year’s club ability to improve upon that with a first year head coach.

Oakland has been a pleasant surprise and with continued growth heading into the latter part of the schedule, they could become one of the scarier threats to come out of the AFC.

Fans believe that, and Schilens probably does to. If Sapp doesn’t, why bother going after him?

He gets paid by the NFL network to give his insight, thoughts and opinions on varying topics. He’s doing his job.

BEARS NEXT…

Brian Urlacher believes that Caleb Hanie will be just fine in his first NFL start…

But he’s also putting more of the onus on the defense to clamp down over the next few weeks.

“Our mindset right now is we’re going to have to carry this team,” Urlacher said. “Not to take anything away from our offense right now, but our mindset is we have to play better and get more takeaways and put them in better field position to be able to be successful.

“We can do that. We’ve done it in the past. We’ve got to do it again. No more mistakes for us. We didn’t play well [last Sunday against the Chargers]. We can’t have any mistakes this late in the season. So we’ve got to play better and hopefully our offense can pick it up when they have to.”

ORTON EFFECT…

Today is the deadline for teams to claim Kyle Orton. Candidates include the Chiefs, Bears and Texans.

Sources have stated that Chicago could claim him, but it will be unlikely he starts Sunday if that is the case. Any team claiming the passer would owe him the pro-rated portion of his $8.8 million contract, which would be around $2.58 million. If Orton goes unclaimed, Denver would be on the hook for his remaining salary.

MORE…

“That’d be 90 in three games. That’d be pretty good,” said Hue Jackson, regarding Michael Bush’s workload the last couple of weeks and his expected contributions this week.

“I think Sammy will be fine,” commented Jackson his starting center (Samson Satele).

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There’s no doubt that the Chicago Bears will miss Jay Cutler’s presence as the season winds down. The beneficiary of that right off the bat will be the Oakland Raiders, who will face a transitioning Caleb Hanie this Sunday.

Hanie has just thrown 14 regular season passes in four seasons. “He came in and ran the offense and got us within a touchdown of possibly taking us to the Super Bowl,” Lovie Smith said of his back-up, and his surprising performance in the playoffs last year, in relief. “So as you talk with our team, they are all going to say the same thing: We will miss Jay, but we’ll keep his spot warm. In the meantime, we’re going to continue to win with Caleb.”

“Obviously, Jay Cutler is one of the better quarterbacks in this league and one of their best offensive players,” Hue Jackson stated Monday. “But Caleb Hanie is a really good player. This guy played in the NFC championship game and almost won the game for them.”

Chicago has won five in a row and in the playoff hunt at 7-3, but unfortunately in the same division as the Lions, who also share the same record and the Green Bay Packers, who have not lost a game yet.

Long-snapper Patrick Mannelly will miss the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL. “We’re losing him for the season,” said Smith. “We’ll put him on IR, so two valuable guys in our program went down [Sunday].”

Oakland’s John Fassel has taken advantage of protection schemes in the past. He’s designed successful attacks at opposing punters with Brandon Myers and Rock Cartwright. The Raiders’ speed will be a concern for Chicago, especially since their staple on special teams won’t be there manning the middle.

Mannelly has played in 147 straight games and a franchise-record 215 games, missing just three contests in 14 seasons.

Whether Darren McFadden finally gets back into action will depend on the workweek. Jackson stated that his rusher made strides last week, but he hasn’t seen any reps in practice since his injury on Oct. 23.

The progress Jackson talked about was McFadden being out of his boot observing practice. Real progress will be when he is padded and running around at full speed, something we may not see this week.

“I don’t want a 70 percent Darren McFadden,” Jackson said. “I think that’s unfair to the player and unfair to the football team.”

Darrius Heyward-Bey looks to be in the clear now after sustaining a scary neck injury versus the Vikings.

“I think we’re beyond the major part of it,” Jackson said. “Now let’s see how fast he heals and see exactly where he is.”

DHB was seen wearing a neck brace and will likely have to go through a battery of tests, like Samson Satele (concussion) before they get back on the field.

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DeMarcus Van Dyke is one of many Raiders currently nursing injuries.

The Oakland Raiders infirmary list was pretty lengthy on Tuesday evening.

Eleven players did not participate in practice, just two days before their highly anticipated game versus the San Diego Chargers on national television.

Both teams are 4-4 and tied atop the AFC West. The Chargers want payback after Oakland swept them last year. And it appears that the Silver & Black will be without a few of their key players, or have a few of them not at full strength.

It’s almost a given that running back Darren McFadden will be inactive for a second consecutive game. He was seen with a protective boot again Tuesday, a week after being on crutches due to his foot sprain.

Expect Michael Bush to start again and carry the load with Taiwan Jones as his back up.

Along the offensive line, starting center Samson Satele (knee) and right tackle Khalif Barnes (shoulder) were held out of action, but neither is expected to miss the pivotal game on Thursday.

Richard Seymour (ankle) and Mike Mitchell (ankle) did not practice and were held back mainly for precautions and/or rest, and will likely play.

Sebastian Janikowski, who kicked gingerly versus the Broncos and was clearly hindered by his hamstring injury, did not practice. Dave Rayner, who kicked for Oakland during their trouncing at the hands of the Chiefs, signed with the Buffalo Bills today.

Chris Johnson (hamstring) is still ailing and rookie cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke (hamstring) joined him on the sideline. Another member of the secondary, Michael Huff, has been slowed with an ankle injury.

For the Chargers, Ryan Matthews is expected to play and share carries with Mike Tolbert.

The official injury report to the league won’t be released till tomorrow.

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Darrius Heyward-Bey was mysteriously sidelined yesterday during the Oakland Raiders 38-24 trampling at the hands of the Denver Broncos.

Was playing the best football of his career the last four contests and being Oakland’s most reliable receiver not enough for the speedster to get into many of the packages Hue Jackson used on Sunday?

“We had certain sets where we have a bunch of guys targeting for those particular sets because of comfortability. It had nothing to do with … Darrius is a good player, and he’s doing well, so that had nothing to do with that,” said the head coach.

Instead, Carson Palmer targeted Denarius Moore all afternoon, Jacoby Ford had his best outing as a pass catcher this campaign and newly acquired T.J Houshmandzadeh got his run with the first unit.

Chaz Schilens was sprinkled in, and even Louis Murphy got some reps.

It is a crowded unit, but that does not excuse the coach from keeping Heyward-Bey off the field at a time when his confidence is skyrocketing and winning over many of his naysayers.

“We have some very talented players, and he’s one of them,” Jackson said.

DHB is still a work in progress and the coach has been one of his many boisterous supporters. But relegating him to spectator and rationalizing that based on the sets used is not a way to bring along a highly scrutinized selection.

Another dubious move by Jackson was releasing Dave Rayner during the bye, especially since Sebastian Janikowski was obviously not healed up for the game yesterday.

“It held up good,” Janikowski said of his injured hamstring. “On kick-offs, I was just doing whatever I could. That’s the hardest I could swing.”

Oakland dodged a bullet when he came away without any further damage.

Jackson did a disservice to his return unit by putting Janikowski out there. What if he had to chance to tackle dashing returner heading towards the end zone? What if he aggravated the injury even more? Even if Jackson knowingly knew coming in that his kicker was not ready to go, why risk him missing more time or playing a man short out there on returns if he was such an impediment?

Another week of rest would have been more beneficial than a few obviously arduous swipes at the football.

NOTES

• Carson Palmer has thrown six interceptions in six quarters of play.
• Rolando McClain was dressed, but did not see any action.
• In their last five games against the Broncos, Oakland has compiled 58 penalties for 501-yards.
• Erick Decker in week-one had a 90-yard punt return for a score. Eddie Royal yesterday had a momentum swinging 85-yard return to paydirt.
• Samson Satele had injuries to his knee and quadriceps per Hue Jackson.

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According to sources, the Oakland Raiders are looking to start Carson Palmer this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Just a day after his acquisition, Palmer was working with the Silver & Black’s first team offense, donning the no. 3 jersey. Kyle Boller was also observed taking snaps with the first team.

Center Samson Satele worked with the first unit after sustaining a sprained knee last Sunday. Tight end Richard Gordon returned to practice.

Fullback Marcel Reece and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy still are not healthy enough to participate during drills. There was a new face at the facility, no. 70, offensive lineman Zach Hurd, who was added to the practice squad.

Both passers taking reps could mean a few things. They could keep Kansas City guessing on who will be under center. Hue Jackson may also want both signal callers in tune with what they want to accomplish on Sunday, just in case Palmer isn’t ready for live action.

OUTLOOK:

If you are going to get his feet wet, why not now? Palmer will be facing a Chiefs defense that is last in points per game allowed. Oakland has had big rushing games against Kansas City in recent years, and Darren McFadden has enjoyed a lot of success against the rivals. Lean on the ground game, let him get started in his in-game conditioning and then you have bye week to get Palmer ready for the Broncos.

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Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson continued his audacious play calling on Sunday afternoon versus the Cleveland Browns.

A week after calling a fake punt, that ended in a 35-yard run by Rock Cartwright, Jackson picked the right spot to pull off a fake punt.

He said, “We are going to do whatever it takes to win football games.”

Even if it’s Shane Lechler tossing his first NFL pass. The lob to Kevin Boss, who scored for the first time as a Raider, gave Oakland a 24-7 lead.

Special teams kept them alive last week when Sebastian Janikowski booted some long field goals and they got a blocked punt. Dating back to last year, John Fassel’s unit has keyed many Raider victories.

Jacoby Ford returned a kickoff 101-yards for a score as well.

And let’s not forget the containment of Joshua Cribbs. Oakland held the dangerous return man at bay, led by Quentin Groves, who was pushed back onto the depth chart with the arrival of Aaron Curry.

“How about the play Quentin Groves made on special teams, down there on [Cribbs]? That’s what a team is. I put a guy ahead of another guy and the other guy went and did his other job and made plays,” stated Jackson.

Jackson’s daring decision making almost came back to haunt the Silver & Black. He went for it on 4^th and 1 at the Cleveland 5-yard line, opting to pass on a easy field goal and expanding their lead to 27-10. The Browns drove the length of the field, got a score, recovered the onsides kick and struck fear into the Black Hole in the closing moments.

“I kind of live on the edge,” said Jackson. “It didn’t burn me.”

CURRY AT HOME

Aaron Curry played his first game as a Raider and ended with two solo tackles. He started at weak-side linebacker and had glaring miscues. Not too shabby of a performance considering he only had one practice in Silver & Black. “I thought the guy was out there flying around and trying to make plays. As I told you when I traded for him, I traded for him for a reason,” commented Jackson.

LEFT IS THE WAY…

Rookie left guard Stefen Wisniewski and left tackle Jared Veldheer continue to get stronger as a pairing, as Oakland continues to pound away with Darren McFadden on that side of the formation.

McFadden tallied 57 of his 91 yards and the score on carries to the left side yesterday.

Jared Veldheer is becoming one of the steadiest left tackles in the AFC.

OTHER NOTES

• Samson Satele sustained a sprained knee. Jackson stated he would be day-to-day and the center said he would be able to play next weekend.
• “I love it,” Shane Lechler said about the trickery. “This is a very, very aggressive staff. Hue is an aggressive play caller. Some of the chances we take on special teams, a few weeks in a row, it’s fun to play for him. You feel like you always have a chance.”

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Here are some images from the New England Patriots 31-19 road victory against the Oakland Raiders:

Richard Seymour’s roughing the passer flag wiped away what could’ve been a 3rd and 14, on the Patriots opening series.

Darren McFadden’s longest run of the game was for 41-yards. He ended the contest with 14-carries for 75-yards.

Jason Campbell (#8), completed 25-passes for 344-yards. Samson Satele (#64) and the rest of the offensive line did not allow a sack.

Bill Belichick and Hue Jackson meet at midfield after the game. The Raiders head coach stated during his press conference, “We’re going to go back to work. We got beat by a team and an organization that’s a little bit better than us at this point.”

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Many good things came out of the Oakland Raiders 34-24 victory yesterday against the New York Jets.

Not only did they outmuscle Rex Ryan’s defense with a powerful ground game, but they also rallied after allowing 17-unanswered points by reeling off 24 of their own. “Last week, we didn’t dig when we were in Buffalo and we dug today,” Hue Jackson said. “Talk about priming a pump. We were going to pump this thing out.”

Early in the contest, veteran starters in the secondary got nicked up and Oakland’s youth played admirably against a New York team that aired it out all afternoon. “Next man up,” Jackson commented. “They competed. That’s what we talk about. The next group of guys went in there and kept fighting.”

And even though the defense helped keep Jet drives alive with some unfortunate infractions, the Raiders have improved on that front, only getting flagged seven times for 55-yards.

It wasn’t a completely clean game for the Silver & Black. They failed to convert any 3^rd downs (0-8) and got beat in the time of possession. But the constant pressure in the 2^nd half and Darren McFadden’s presence was enough to tilt the game in their favor.

“First off, you’ve got to give the Raiders a ton of credit. They played a great game today, both sides of the ball. I thought they played really well. Obviously (Darren) McFadden had a huge game. They made plays, we didn’t,” stated the Jets head coach after the game.

THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT…

Rex Ryan: “This thing stings, there’s no question. You have 439 yards on offense and you lose the game. It’s unbelievable.”

Without Nick Mangold, the Jets did a commendable job against the Raiders interior. In spurts, New York’s ground game went back to ‘ground & pound,’ even though they only ended with 100-yards rushing on 25-carries.

LaDanian Tomlinson continued haunting the Silver & Black with 154-total yards and a score. Some poor tackling was on display at times, but since the Jets were content in their aerial attack, Oakland was able to let loose the pass rush and eventually capitalize on Antonio Cromartie’s mistakes.

Oakland allowed a lot of yardage on Sunday, which will be a major concern moving forward.

DECLEATING…

Samson Satele had a crushing block on Jim Leonhard on Denarius Moore’s score. The offensive line’s play was a key point during Jason Campbell’s chat with the media. “You see the block that Sammy (Satele, center) made on the reverse that sprung Denarius to score? The guys are taking that approach and having the right attitude of being a physical bunch. They take pride in working together and protecting the quarterback and protecting the run game, and it’s going to pay off for us.”

GAME NOTES

• Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson was in attendance, sporting Silver & Black gear.
• The previous high for rushing yards in a game against a Ryan Jets defense was 153 by the New Orleans Saints, in 2009.
• McFadden’s 70-yard run was the longest versus the Jets since Charlie Garner’s 80-yard score in the 2001 playoffs in front of the Black Hole.
• “This ain’t the same old Raiders of the last five or six years. We made big stops when we needed to.” – Tommy Kelly

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It appears that the Oakland Raiders have not tendered quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

That should not be such a surprise considering that the fiery passer is fragile and when he was injured, Jason Campbell played his best football, with no looming controversy.

Gradkowski hypes up an offense, players love to be in the same huddle with the career back up, but facts are, he probably feels he deserves a shot to start in Oakland, even though the team won the majority of their games with Campbell.

There is no denying his effort on and off the field. But that same tenacity plays with has been his downfall. Gradkowski plays recklessly, and that fires up a team and crowd. But with that reckless style comes injuries that far too often sideline the fragile passer.

Plus, it doesn’t help that the owner doesn’t see him as a long-term solution and possibly, a player who is living off his memorable comeback victory in Pittsburgh, two seasons ago.

“I also realized that as good as Gradkowski is for a single game, we can’t hold up the injury factor from happening,” Al Davis stated in January. “He incurs injuries, and that worries the hell out of me.”

Not that Campbell needs any more assurances, but Gradkowski being out of the picture could help the former Redskin take a grasp of the locker room, the offense and lead them, undoubtedly.

Davis was the one who brought in Campbell. It was Davis that compared him to Jim Plunkett and it was Davis that extended him an extra year last April.

Hue Jackson stated at the combine: “I am looking forward to Jason leading our offensive football team to winning this AFC West championship and the playoffs. Jason Campbell came in last year and, in my opinion, did a tremendous job.”

So both owner and coach want to go full steam ahead with Campbell. The next move in making him feel this is his team was letting Gradkowski walk away.

Could Gradkowski return, with the staff clearly stating his role as a back up and him accepting it? Possibly.

But the likely scenario could be drafting a passer in April, and then letting Charlie Frye and Kyle Boller compete for the back up job.

Oakland could also get a veteran passer with clear intentions to place him behind Campbell and go with Frye, Boller a draftee at the back-end of the depth chart.

Frye is a favorite of the staff, a coach in the making and was the ultimate soldier after being placed on injured reserve.

SATELE TENDERIZED

Samson Satele was reportedly tendered prior to Thursday’s deadline.

The speculation is that he was given a second-round tender.

The center played well as the season wound down. Oakland could not risk losing many of their linemen and then starting anew in 2011 with a bunch of youngsters all over the front.

Satele could bring back some cohesion and stability to a unit that will likely feature Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell at a guard spot, with Robert Gallery looking to sign elsewhere.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist