Jaymo76: Madden 15 CFM

[jaymo76]

Jaymo's 2014 and beyond Madden 15 CFM experience...



With a new season of Madden upon us, I have begun my Madden :NFL: 15 CFM. This year I am doing an OWNER MODE franchise. Please welcome the NEW owner of the :Oakland_Raiders:

I am also doing a "pet project with a created player. His name is Pierce Liam, an undrafted free agent out of Simon Fraser University. He's a speed back but no team was interested at draft time. However, just yesterday he was signed by the :Miami_Dolphins:

And with that, the CFM is underway.

[jaymo76]

This Raiders squad is in tough. The roster is NOT stacked with a lot of talent and a number of older veterans have been added. How will they mesh with the youth? There are also concernsa bout coaching. Is Dennis Allen the right fit for this team? Then let's not forget the stadium situation. A dalapitated facility with minimal luxuries makes it a necessity to upgrade or rebuild the stadium entirely.

Of course there is anoter issue; the proverbial elephant in the room: Is this team looking at relocation? As a kid I fell in love with the Raiders when they were in Los Angeles. Is this team destined to go back? What about San Antonio...? Is there a desire?

On the field there are a number of interestng story lines...

1. At RB is it MJD or Darren McFadden? MJD was a nice pick up in the off-season but is he what this team needs? I like McFadden but the guy cannot stay healthy. There is also another consideration... should Latavious Murray move up the depth chart? Another interesting wrinkle is that the Raiders signed FA Korey Sheets. Sheets is a CFL all star and won the Grey Cup last year with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

2. What to do at QB? Is Shaub the answer? What about McGloin? I'm not a huge Carr fan as I was hoping to see Teddy Bridgewater in the silver and black. Shaub will probably start but is that the best option? Even Trent Edwards is on the roster... is he what is needed???

3. Who should start at TE? Ausberry is penciled in but what about Michael Rivera? Plus, Nick Kasa has shown some moments. Should he get some consideration? Ultimately are any of them good enough

4. MLB is a tough call. Should Nick Roach or Kevin Burnett be the guy? Both are vets

5. Will the WR's be able to outrun anybody? These recievers are slow! How will this impact the offense?

[jaymo76]

According to the experts the Raiders will be in tough in the :AFC: West division. Early season predictions are as follows.

1. :Denver_Broncos:
2. :Kansas_City_Chiefs:
3. :San_Diego_Chargers:
4. :Oakland_Raiders:

The goal for this season is 8 wins but is that fair? The Raiders have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL.

[jaymo76]

Forgot to mention that a goal this year is to use development time to improve some of the rookies. I am less interested in pumping up the short term vets but QB, TE's, etc., especially the backups need more reps.

[jaymo76]

2014 Oakland Raiders Pre-season Recap...

Week 1: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Minnesota_Vikings:


The Raiders pulled out a victory on a last second field goal by Janikowski to win the game 13-10. The Raiders had no right to win this game but sometimes fate smiles upon you. Schaub played well in one quarter of work going 8/10 for 93 yards. At RB, McFadden and Sheets had a strong game.

Week 1 transactions: (cuts)
FS Shelton Johnson
RG Lamar Mady

Week 2: :Detroit_Lions: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Raiders dropped a tough one, 16-6 to the Lions. The only real bright spot was the play of RB Latavius Murray who had 10 carries for 65 yards.

Week 2 transactions: (cuts)
TE Jon Condo
LG Lucas Nix
CB Neiko Thorpe
SS Brandian Ross
HB Jeremy Stewart


Week 3: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Green_Bay_Packers:

The Raiders stunned the Pack 13-7 at Lambeau Field. A two minutes offense drive led by Trent Edwards and Korey Sheets gave the Raiders a very much undeserved win. The Raiders now move to 2-1.

Week 3 transactions: (cuts)
QB Trent Edwards
FB Jamize Olawale
WR Greg Jenkins
RT Mathews McCants
RE Ryan Robinson
CB Chance Casey


Week 4: :Seattle_Seahawks: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Super Bowl Champs take on a stingy Raiders D but the Raiders come out victorious in a hard fought 14-13 victory. Carr led the Seahawks down the field with bundler two minutes left to score a TD and take the lead. Again the Raiders had no right to win this game but they found a way.

With the end of preseason, the Raiders sit at a preseason record of 3-1. However, they are punching well above their weight. Realistically the Raiders should be 2-2 this preseason as the Seahawks game was pure luck.

The Raiders emerged from exhibition by missing the injury bug. Only WR Rod Streater is out, recovering from an abdominal TEAR. He will most likely miss two games.

At QB the decision has been made to keep Schaub the starter. Who will be #2?
Schaub 26/38 227 yards and 1 int.
Carr 24/41 188 yards 1 td and 3 int.
McGloin 21/41 193 yards 1 td and 6 int.

RB was very impressive this pre-season as both Murray and Sheets played well enough to lead the team (Murray 24 carries 130 yards, Sheets 26 carries for 119 yards). No decision has been made on the starter at this time.



Week 4 transactions (cuts)
DT Ricky Lumpkin
DT Stacey McGee
LOLB Kaelin Burnett
ROLB Marshall McFadden
LE Jack Crawford

[steelerfan]

Those games were all low scoring. Do you think that is simply a product of the preseason? Or is it a low snap count or are your sliders not allowing enough offense?

Just wondering. Good luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

Those games were all low scoring. Do you think that is simply a product of the preseason? Or is it a low snap count or are your sliders not allowing enough offense?

Just wondering. Good luck!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

Honestly I don't know. I am getting a lot of plays each game but the D is definitely more powerful than the O this season. I don't think I have ever punted this much before. In order to up the score I would need to increase cpu acc and hum acc but them I would be 70-90% completions and I don't want that. I will have a better idea once the season starts.

[jaymo76]

The 2014 seaso kicks off for Oakland as the :Oakland_Raiders: travel to New York to battle the :New_York_Jets:

In a tough competition, some decisions have been made.

1. Shaub is day one starter with McGloin #2.
2. MJD gets the start with McFadden as 3rd down back.
3. Nick Roach gets the MLB start over Kevin Burnett.
4. Kory Sheets is the new kickoff returner while T.J. Carrie will do punt returns.

[jaymo76]

Week 1:

A lot of focus has been put on the TE's, linebackers, receivers and CB's. This is what I will be looking for today. Also, this team has a lot of confidence right now and the players are feeling good.

The first play of the game is not a good sign as MJD gets stuffed in the backfield. However, 9 plays and 76 yards later it's 7-0 Oakland on a one yard td run by McFadden. Shaub was 3-3 for 39 yards and the rest was MJD and McFadden. This team didn't do that all preseason.

On the jets first drive they move the ball well... until Smith throws a pic six to CB McGill. He had a lot of work in practise this week and it's paying off. 14-0 Raiders.

The Jets strike back in an 11 play 82 yard drive as Smith hits Nielsen from the 5 to make it 14-7 Raiders. On the next drive Shaub holds onto the ball too long on a screen and as a result gets crushed. He has a dislocated shoulder and is out for the game... it's McGloin time now. Three plays later MJB powers to the outside and takes it to the house... 21-7 Raiders.

The Jets are running the ball well but Smith's passing is killing them. The jets punt it away and on the next series it's McGloin's turn to throw a pic six. 21-14.

With under two minutes to go McGloin gets rocked and now Carr is in the game! However, the injury is minor and he will be back. The Jets get the ball and drive all the way to the Oakland five. They take the FG as time runs out and at the half it's 21-17 Raiders. Where have all the points come from???

After exchanging possessions the raiders hit a Janikowski FG to go up 24-17. MJB breaks 100 yards on the drive. The 3rd ends with the same score.

With 5:08 left Janikowski kicks a FG attempt off the cross bar and the score stays 21-17 Raiders. After the firestorm of points in the 1st half, the scoring stopped and the D's took over.

The Raiders end up holding on for a 24-17 win to begin the season 1-0. This was a run heavy game. MJD had 24 rushes for 141 yards and a td. McFadden had 10 carries for 44 yards. The Jets got away from the run which was a mistake as Johnson was chewing it up.

Jets MLB David Harris led in tackles with 17. Raiders Lamar Woodley led everyone with 2 sacks.

Passing-wise Geno Smith was 15-23 for 149 yards with 1 td and 1int. Matt McGloin in relief was 12-17 for 100 yards and 1 int.

[jaymo76]

Week 2: :Houston_Texans: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Raiders home opener... Matt Schaub has had this game circled on his calendar for awhile. This game also features the return of Shane Lechler to Oakland. For the first time Oakland fans will get to see Clowney up close... Both teams are 1-0. The sun is shining. This should be a fun game!

The game starts with a 13 play Raider drive ending in a 37 yard Janikowski FG to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead. After a quick Texans possession the Raiders get the ball back and a lovely drive ends with a 46 yard FG... MISS. Ouch! Both teams continue to exchange possessions. With 37 seconds left in the 2nd and the Raiders driving, Schaub throws a soft pic to stop the drive.

The half ends 3-0 Oakland. Schaub has gone 14/18 for 119 yards. The entire Texans offense has been limited to 22 yards (5 pass 17 run). Fitzpatrick has not been able to adjust to the non-stop Rader blitzes thus far.

Houston gets the ball to start the 3rd. For some reason the Texans try the fake punt and give the Raiders great position. No matter as the Raiders go three and out. King does a beauty of a coffin corner and the Texans start at the 1. With a quick punt Oakland is winning the field position battle. 7 plays later Shaub hits Jones for a 6 yard TD and it's 10-0 Raiders.

The Texans have a huge kickoff return but Fitzpatrick can do nothing. The Texans hit a 41 yard FG to make the score Oakland 10- Houston 3 with 44 seconds left in the 3rd.

After another Raider three and out the Texans move down the field and hit a 46 yard FG to make the score 10-6 Oakland. However, Matt Schaub takes the game over and drive the team down the field before hitting MJD on a screen for a TD. That makes it 17-6 Oakland with 2:07 left. The game ends two drives later with the final score Oakland 17 Houston 6.

The player of the game... matt Schaub. He went 28/37 for 219 yards 2td and 1 int. Fitzpatrick cost his team today with terrible play going 10/23 for 139 yards and 1 int. He was also sacked 8 times with both Woodley and Smith recording 3 each. The only letdown today was MJD as he had 24 carries for 87 yards.

With the victory the Raiders move to a surprising 2-0 start.

[jaymo76]

Week 3: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :NE_Patriots:

Oakland's first real test of the season. Both teams are 2-0. This will be a very, very tough game. Brady is having a great season thus far.

What a great start to the game. On the first drive Schaub hits Moore for a 61 yard TD bomb. The Pats strike back with a field goal to make it 7-3 Raiders. Brady was 4-5 on the drive for 51 yards and if not for a drop would have tied the game.

After a Raider 3 and out Brady gets the ball back and ends up hitting Williams for a TD to start the 2nd quarter. The Pats take the lead 10-7. Not to be upstaged Schaub moves down the field and Janikowski hits a 40 yard FG to tie the game at 10-10.

Oakland's D begins to bring the heat. Smith crunches Brady and knocks him out of the game. That slowed the pace down. The Pats have lost Brady, Gronkowski and Edelman to injuries.

The Raiders end the half by going for a 62 yard FG. Janikowski misses and the score remains 10-10.

The Pats begin the 3rd with the ball. Two back-to-back sacks by Harris and Mack push the Pats out of FG range. On Oakland's next drive the Pats reciprocate and the game remains a 10-10 deadlock.

With the 3rd coming to an end the score remains 10-10. However Mallett has the Pats at the 6. Nick Roach has a huge interception in the endzone. That keeps the score 10-10. The Raiders are hanging on by a thread.

Some bad news as Antonio Smith has left the game with an abdominal tear. He will probably be out for quite awhile. Speaking of injuries... the Pats lose another player... Vereen is out for the game.

With 6:03 left in the 4th, the Pats break the deadlock with a 51 yard FG to take the lead 13-10. Oakland goes 3 and out as the run and pass game are dead. The Pats begin to move the chains again. They are just methodical at moving the ball. The Raiders catch a break as mallett overthrew a wide open Ridley. Ridley would have been untouched and headed for the endzone. However, the Pats are forced to punt it away.

What a final drive! With 2 minutes left the Raiders begin the drive to tie. With 9 seconds left Schaub hits McFadden who is heading for the endzone but he is stopped at the 2 by Revis as the clock hits zero. The pats win a barn burner 13-10.

Oakland falls to 2-1 on the season. Oakland's offense had a bad game.

Schaub 15/27 205 yards 1 td
MJD 12 rushes 42 yards
RG Gabe Jackson gave up three sacks

Jerod mayo was player of the game with 9 tackles and 2 sacks to go along with two blocked passes. The guy was a beast. Mallett played great as well going 18/23 for 134 yards.

The score of this game really flattered the Raiders. They played poorly and should have lost by a lot more.

Update: Antonio Smith will be out for 5 weeks with his injury. That will hurt as he has had an amazing start to the season with 8 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks.

[jaymo76]

Week 4: :Miami_Dolphins: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The offensively anemic Dolphins bring their 1-2 record to Oakland by way of LONDON, ENGLAND (generic stadium but it looks cool nonetheless with all the British flags). The Dolphins have a bad offense this season. They struggle to score so this should be a lower scoring game.

The game-plan today is heavy run. MJD hasn't performed well in the last two outings...

The opening drive is a great one for the Raiders. 11 plays 71 yards and a 7 yards pass from Schaub to Kasa for the TD. 7-0 Oakland goes out in front. Tannehill is only 54 % on the season so the Raiders will be blitz heavy as per usual. The Dolphins go 3 and out the raiders begin another long drive. As the first quarter ends, the Raiders have 14 runs to only 6 passes.

On 3rd and 3 MJB is stopped at the 4 so Janikowski converts on a FG... 10-0 Raiders. The Dolphins next possession is pure gold as Tannehill has a 61 yard TD strike... 10-7 Oaktown. On the next drive Schaub throws a pic at centre field and the fins take over. Lamar Woodley decides to take control and gets two straight sacks. The guy is having a monster year thus far. On the 2nd one he smokes Tannehill and knocks him out of the game.

On the next possession Shaub again throws a pic at centre field. With 1:33 left in the half Matt Moore takes over. He gets the Fins into FG position and Miami makes the 45 yard FG. The score is tied 10-10 going into the half.

The Raiders dominted time of possession 18 mins+ to 6 mins. On 18 carries MJD has 81 yards. Schaub has played well going 10/12 but the 2 misses were interceptions.

The Raiders get possession after a 3 and out by Miami at the start of the 3rd. However, Janikowski continues to struggle as he misses a 58 yarder. On the next series Moore hits Wallace for 48 yards on a blown coverage and the Dolphins go up 17-10. That's now 17 unanswered points for Miami.

The raiders cannot move the ball in the 2nd half but the raider D continues to excel. The 3 and outs continue on both sides as the bltiz happy Raiders are holding Moore is check with 7-8 men on the line most plays.

MJD hits the 105 yard mark on his 24th carry to end the 3rd quarter. The Raiders claw themselves back into the game as Schaub hits Jones on a 5 yard WR screen for a TD. That makes it 17-17 with 9:57 left in the 4th.

The Fins go on another 3 and out and the Raiders chew the clock and drive. In FG position on 3rd and 9 Schaub fumbles and the Raiders are knocked out of FG range. With 1:58 left Moore takes over at his own 20. He gets the Fins into FG range and with 46 seconds left, Miami hits a 49 yard FG. 20-17

Schaub hits Ausberry with 9 seconds left and gets into FG range. From 45 yards out Mr. Automatic Sabastian Janikowski... comes up short and Miaimi wins!

Damn!!! The Raiders fall to 2-2. Schaub played well throwing for 234 yards and MJD had 124 yards on the ground. The Raiders deserved better but Janikowski is ice cold.

With that the raiders enter their bye week.

[jaymo76]

The Raiders get their bye in week 5.

:AFC: WEST STANDINGS:

:Denver_Broncos: 3-0
:San_Diego_Chargers: 4-0
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 3-1
:Oakland_Raiders: 2-2

Some highlights thus far.

Schaub 726 yards passing (9th in the NFL)
Lamarr Woodley, 8 sacks (1st in NFL)
MJD 394 rushing yards (4th in NFL)
James Jones with 24 catches for 193 yards (7th highest catch total in the NFL)
Janikowski with the worst FG % (44%)
Marquette King leads the lead in avg punt length (43.9)

[jaymo76]

Week 6: :San_Diego_Chargers: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The first division matchup of the season should be a good one. The 4-0 Chargers travel to Oakland to take on the 2-2 Raiders. Rod Streater returns from injury for Oakland. This game also kicks off breast cancer awareness. The pink is out in full effect.

The Chargers are the highest scoring ream in the NFL but starter Danny Woodhead is out so that may hurt? The Raiders are #1 in QB sacks and love to blitz big-time.

The game starts in an unexpected way... the Chargers are running the ball over and over. Rivers then steps up in the pocket and goes 48 yards to Floyd for a TD. It's 7-0 Chargers.

On the Raiders first possession Rod Streater makes his return known as he has two catches, one of which was for a touchdown. That makes the score 7-7 with 22 seconds left in the 1st.

Janikowski is about to go for a 46 yard FG... this is scary... but it's a fake and McGloin hits TE Kasa and he takes it in for a TD. Oakland storms out in front 14-37.

The all out blitz strategy is not working against Rivers. He hits Floyd for a 52 yard TD pass and it's tied 14-14 with 4:15 left in the 2nd.

In the last minute T.J Carrie gets a safety for the raiders, sacking Rivers in the endzone. That makes it 16-14 Raiders. Note: on the previous drive Schaub left as he has a herneated disk and is out for the game. McGloin went 0/4 in relief.

The Chargers had a great offensive performance in the 1st half but it didn't translate into the lead.

After T.J. Carrie's big play in the 1st half he starts the 2nd half with a broken jaw on the return. He will be out for awhile.

After a few back and forth possessions McGloin hits Jones or a 7 yard TD to start the 4th quarter. That makes it 23-14 Raiders.

Oakland keeps up the D pressure and the offense is beginning to fire. McGloin hits Streater for a blown coverage TD and then hits him again on a 2 pt conversion. Oakland takes a commanding 31-14 lead with 7:50 left in the game.

The chargers just cannot figure out the Raiders blitz and Rivers cannot evade the pressure. The final score is Oakland 31 San Diego 14.

Thi is a big win for the Raiders as they get a division win and climb to 3-2 and stop the two game skid. McGloin struggled with completions (54%) but he was gold for TD's as he threw three of them in the game. He may have to be good too as Schaub's injury status is currently unknown.

[jaymo76]

The prognosis is in. QB Matt Schaub will be out for 9 weeks with a RUPTURED DISK. Schaub was having a nice season thus far.

86/113 837 yards 6TD 3INT. 76% completion % and a whopping 103 QB rating.

He will be replaced by Matt McGloin whose stats are not as good.

25/39 226 yards 3TD 1INT. 64% completion % and a 94.6 QB rating.

The decision was made late tonight to put Matt Shaub on IR. From this point forward it will be McGloin and Carr. In a related story, the Raiders announce the signing of backup QB Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi will be listed 3rd on the depth chart.

[jaymo76]

Week 7: :Arizona_Cardinals: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

This matchup see's the 1st place 4-1 Cards travel to Oaktown to take on the 3-2 Raiders. According to Simms these two teams hate each other. Well, that's news to me!!!

The raiders start with a 3 and out. McGloins looked shaky. Then the despised Carson Palmer takes the ball and throws for 0 yards before his RB punches it in from the 1. 7-0 Cards.

McGloin then drives the field but gets picked off inside the 20. However, DT Sims gets a safety on Palmer... 7-2 Cards.

After a whole lot of nothing, Palmer hits Ginn for a 9 yard TD and it's 14-2 Cardinals with 1:01 left in the 2nd.

The half ends and that was domination. The Cards have 152 yards through the air compared to 56 by Oakland. Fitzgerald already has 7 catches. Palmer is deadly accurate today. McGloin continues to rock the 3 and out mantra.

Arizona starts the 3rd with a nice drive ending in a 40 yard FG. That increases their lead to 17-2.

After (finally) a decent drive by the Raiders, Janikowski shanks a 43 yarder... man he sucks when he has no confidence!!!!
The score remains 17-2 Arizona at the end of the 3rd. This game is ugly!!!

Feeley adds to the Cards lead with a 48 yard FG... 20-2 Cards. One their next drive he does it again with a 50 yarder and the lead increases to 23-2 with 1:57 left.

On the next drive McGloin gets knocked out of the game with a high ankle sprain... Carr goes 4 and out and that's pretty much the game. The raiders get destroyed 23-2 and fall to 3-3.

McGloin had a fair game, going 24/37 for 154 yards and 1 pic. The real issue today was the run game. MJD had 40 yards on 14 carries. He was awful! The only real positive is that James Jones reached the 40 catch mark.

Next up a trip to Cleveland. This needs to be a win as the Browns are awful!

[jaymo76]

Week 8: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Cleveland_Browns:

The 3-3 Raiders travel to Cleveland to take on the 2-4 Browns. Both teams are bottom dwellers in their respective divisions. The Raiders after a strong start have been slumping. The Browns have just been downright bad.

The first quarter dominated by the Raiders in rushing, passing and time of possession. In fact both Browns drives were three and out. However, the score remains 0-0 as the only action involved Janikowski MISSING yet another FG, this time from 51 into a heavy wind.

Late into the 2nd quarter the Raiders go on a 9 play 72 yard drive and MJD punches it in from the 2 to make it 7-0 Oakland with 2:39 left in the half. To this point Hoyer has not led a drive longer than three plays.

With time running down Carlos Rogers pics off Hoyer and moves the ball into Browns territory. A few plays later MJD runs it in from the six and that makes it 14-0 Raiders. Hoyer has had a rough half as that is his second int. of the game.

Hoyer puts a nice drive together right at the end of the half andx get a 33 yard FG as the clock hits zero. The Raiders lead 14-3.

MJD with 16 carries for 74 yards and 2 TD's... needless to say that was a monster half. The plan is to keep feeding him the rock until Cleveland can stop it.

After a brilliant drive, MJD gets his 3rd TD of the game taking it in from 14 yards out and the Raiders build a commanding 21-3 lead with 4:43 left in the 3rd.

As the 3rd ends Cleveland is on the 1 with 3rd and goal. To start the fourth the Raiders have a huge goal line stand and Cleveland is forced to kick the short FG. That makes the score 21-6 Oakland.

After an exchange of possessions, Tarrel Brown pics of Hoyer inside Cleveland's own 20. Three plays later MJD breaks the 100 yard mark and punches in his fourth rushing TD of the game. That makes the score 28-6 Oakland with 8:24 left in the game.

On the next drive Carlos Rogers pics off Hoyer on the raider two. That's his second pic today and Hoyer's fourth. The Raiders drive ends quickly and the Browns get the ball back. However, hoyer's nightmare continues as for the third time, Carlos Rogers pics off Hoyer in the raider endzone. that is five pics today for Hoyer. Brutal!

So with that the game ends 28-6 Oakland. The Raiders improve to 4-3 while the Browns drop to 2-5.

The stories of the game...

1. MJD 31 carries 137 yards 4 rushing Td's
2. Raider secondary: five total interceptions!!!

[jaymo76]

Not all good news this week as DT Torell Troup has an upper arm fracture and will miss the next six weeks. However, DT Antonio Smith returns to action after missing a number of weeks due to injury.

Sidenote: MJD and Carlos Rogers both won AFC Awards for the week. Well done boys!

[jaymo76]

Week 9: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Seattle_Seahawks:

The 4-3 Raiders face off versus the 4-3 Hawks. This is the brutal part of the raiders schedule. Will they be able to pull out a win at the toughest stadium in the NFL?

The raiders get the ball to start and it goes nowhere. The Hawks then ground and pound down the field then Wilson hit Rice for a TD strike! 7-0 Hawks.

On the Raiders next drive McFadden gets rocked and fumbles. This is not the start I was looking for. The Seahawks are held for a Fg and that makes it 10-0 Seattle.

The next drive for the Raiders see's Chancellor pick off McGloin on a freak play where the ball bounced off of three different helmets. Five plays later Wilson hits McCoy ad it's 17-0 Seattle with 4:53 left in the 2nd.

Two drives later McGloin gets tackled in the endzone for a safety. That makes it 19-0.

With no time left on the clock the Hawks hit a 36 yard FG to make it 22-0 at the half. Oakland has been held to 18 pass yards and 25 rush yards. Brutal!!!

Oakland caught a break as Wilson has been knocked out of the game. Tavaris Jackson just isn't much of a threat.

Midway through the 3rd, MJD has been benched for McFadden. MJD had 19 yards on 10 rushes.

To start the 4th Oakland has a fourth and goal... and McGloin is intercepted in the endzone. The score remains 22-0 Seattle.

With Seattle's next possession on 3rd down Lynch breaks one for 91 yards and that makes it 29-0 Hawks.

With under four minutes left, Stanzi replaces McGloin at QB. This was doen to give Stanzi some confidence and for a few plays he did... until he was hit and fumbled the ball. Seattle takes over in Oakland territory.

A 41 yard FG puts Seattle up 32-0. This game is just dreadful!!! Thankfully it comes to an end shortly thereafter.

The final score, Seattle 32 and Oakland 0. Lynch had 178 yards on 21 carries and Wilson up until his injury was on fire. Cliff Avril had three sacks and dominated the lineplay. The only highlight for Oakland was Darren Mcfadden who had 12 carries for 62 yards.

With the loss Oakland slips to 4-4 while Seattle improves to 5-3.

[jaymo76]

Halfway point of the season...

:AFC: WEST

:San_Diego_Chargers: 7-1-1
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 5-3
:Oakland_Raiders: 4-4
:Denver_Broncos: 4-4

Even though they haven't played great the Raiders are still in the playoff picture. The offense is very week while the D is keeping the team afloat.

[JeffHCross]

Jaymo taking advantage of the weekend!

[jaymo76]

Jaymo taking advantage of the weekend!

Hell yeah! Plus more updates tonight.

[steelerfan]

Hell yeah! Plus more updates tonight.
Haven't said much buddy, but just know I am following along. That loss to Seattle was BRUTAL!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

Week 10: :Denver_Broncos: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The 4-4 Raiders were expected to struggle but the Broncos with a record of 4-4... nobody saw that coming! Both teams are battling it out for the basement of the AFC West. Denver is stacked and far stronger than Oakland. This could be ugly! The Raiders need some long offensive drives that result in TD's.

Maybe the reason why Denver is struggling is the fact that Manning has thrown 9TD's and 8ints.??? Yikes! (offline sim stats need to be patched soooooooo badly!!!)

Raiders draw firs blood with a 48 yard Janikowski FG. That makes it 3-0 Oakland. On the next Denver possession, MLB Nick Roach pics off Manning at the Denver 26. It's go time! Well not really... Oakland cannot move the ball and Janikowski makes his second FG of the 1st quarter... 6-0 Oakland.

Denver is really struggling on offense. Perhaps it has something to do with the non-stop running of the ball? Seriously you have Manning! pass the ball!!!

Halfway through the 2nd, "the greatness of the Raiders in on display as Woodley slams Manning in the backfield and mack recovers the ball in the endzone for a TD. That makes it 13-0 Raiders. Denver looks to be in shock.

The Raider show keeps going as with 2 seconds left in the half Janikowski hits a 38 yard FG to make it 16-0 Oakland. McGloin was 20/31 for 137 yards while Manning was 5/10 for 44 yards...

10 minutes into the 3rd the silver and black do it again as MJD punches it in from the 1 on 4th down and the raiders are shocking everyone with a 23-0 lead.

Finally the Broncos respond with a beauty of a drive as Manning hits Thomas in the endzone and then Welker fr the 2points to make the score 23-8 Oakland with 10:39 left.

With the broncos driving on their next possession, Manning is injured deep in Oakland territory. Oswheiller comes in and throws a pic six to Carlos Rogers and that makes it 30-8.

On the kickoff Oakland strips the ball and takes possession at the Denver 19. On the next play McGloin hits TE Rivera for a beautiful TD strike and Oakland increases their lead to 37-8. What a blowout!

The Raiders wrap things up with a 9 yard TD run from McFadden. The final score: Oakland 44 Denver 8. Wow! I would not have predicted this outcome.

Looking at these stats you would think the game was closer. The raiders had 401 yards as compared to the meager 295 by Denver.

McGloin 29/43 217 yards 1 TD
Manning 14/21 152 yards 1TD 1int.

MJD 20 carries 64 yards 1 TD
Ball 14 carries 70 yards

Jones 8 rec. 51 yards
Sanders 6 rec. 81 yards

Branch 8 tackles
Ihenacho 12 tackles


With the win Oakland moves to 5-4 and a solid lock on 3rd while Denver moves to 4-5 and bottom of the AFC West.

[jaymo76]

Haven't said much buddy, but just know I am following along. That loss to Seattle was BRUTAL!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

Yup. that beating was epic. I still hurt from it and the score flattered Oakland. it was far, far worse.

[jaymo76]

The Raiders secured C Stefen Wisnieski to a five year deal. He is now under contract for the next six years and at an affordable 32.3 million. He is by far the best OL the team has and needed to be re signed.

Negotiations have also begun with Punter Marquette King. King however is looking for big money and the raiders owner doesn't have deep, deep pockets...

[jaymo76]

Just an interesting bit of feedback from the Broncos. looking at their roster, Manning only has 32 confidence right now. I guess that explains why he played so badly???

[jaymo76]

Week 11: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :San_Diego_Chargers:

The 5-4 Raiders travel to San Diego to take on a beat up 7-1 Chargers team. San Diego is hurting as they have no Phillip Rivers. The rock goes to Kellen Clemens and he is pretty weak as a backup to say the least. Here is the game in full via twitch. Warnig it was not a very exciting game as both offenses were sluggish.

http://www.twitch.tv/jaymo76/c/5052269

If you just want to know the result. The Raiders defeated the Chargers 22-14 in a defensive struggle. Clemens really struggled and Mathews could not run the ball. Both QB's had very low passing totals and both run games were dead. Carlos Rogers sealed the deal with a pic late in the game to stop San Diego and ensure the victory. With the win the Raiders go to 6-4 and are right in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot. Oakland has now won two straight and the Defense just gets better and better. The offense still struggles but McGloin continues to be a better option than Carr at this time.

[jaymo76]

Week 12: :Kansas_City_Chiefs: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

Welcome to Thursday Night football! The 7-3 Chiefs travel to Oakland to battle the 6-4 Raiders. This AFC rivalry has playoff implications. The Chiefs currently hold the last playoff spot. Is there anything better than Chiefs and Raiders in primetime? (rhetorical question... no need to answer lol).

After a 3 and out to start the game Oakland punts it to KC. Smith and the run game power KC to the 1 but the Raiders D holds and KC is forced to go for the FG. 3-0 Chiefs.

To start the 2nd quarter, the Raiders convert on 4th down... well they don't actually as the ref places the ball in a poor spot. The raiders challenge and even though the ball is clearly in a first down mark the ref disagrees and the raiders lose the challenge. The Chiefs take this gift from the ref and move down the field. Knile Davis runs it in from the 1 and the Chiefs go up 10-0. Thanks again refs for the great spot!

McGloin is really struggling this game. However, redemption comes on their last drive of the half as he marches the team down the field and then hits Moore in the endzone for a TD. That makes it 10-7 KC with 1:04 remaining. The half ends with that score.

Overall the raiders started slow but recovered nicely. The Chiefs lead across the board: run, pass, tos, etc. Smith is 10/13 for 97 yards. He has been deadly accurate and combined with a non-Jamaal Charles run game, the Chiefs are really controlling the flow of the game.

To start the 3rd the raiders D get back to what works... blitz! The Chiefs go 3 and out for the first time in the game. The raiders respond in kind.

Brutal! After a coffin corner kick by King, the Chiefs start at the 1. Davis goes 97 yards for a TD. It's 17-7.

The 4th starts with the Raiders driving. However, the drive stalls at the 6 and the Raiders get the short FG. That makes it 17-10 KC with 9:21 remaining.

With 1:55 remaining the Raiders D holds and forces the Chiefs to punt. The Raiders get it done as McGloin hits MJD in the endzone with 11 seconds left. That ties the game at 17-17.

With that we are off to overtime. The Raiders win the toss and choose to receive. Janikowski hits a 37 yard FG and the Raiders go ahead 20-17. All the D needs to do is hold! On 4th and 3 Sio Moore brings the heat and sacks Smith!

What an epic game! Raiders win! Raiders win! Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McGloin 25/41 209 yards 2 TD
Smith 18/23 165 yards

MJD 27 rushes 133 yards
Davis 25 rushes 181 yards 2 TD

Jones 6 rec 37 yards
Bowe 8 rec. 90 yards

The Raiders out gained the Chefs 484 to 446 in total yardage. What a game.

With that Oakland and KC are now both 7-4.

[JeffHCross]

Jaymo, I think you should relocate the Raiders to Springfield. The Barbarian would fit right in with the Black Hole.

[jaymo76]

Jaymo, I think you should relocate the Raiders to Springfield. The Barbarian would fit right in with the Black Hole.

LOL. Well here is the thing. Because of the offline CFM glitch I will NOT be able to think about relocation. I will most likely not be able to sign any free agents either. As it stands right now I only have about 3 million in funds. I really want to resign Marquette King but his bonus alone would wipe out my funds. They need to patch this ASAP!!!

[jaymo76]

Week 13: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :St_Louis_Rams:

The 7-4 Raiders are punching well above their weight. Defense has been the key to success as the Raiders lead the league in sacks and for yardage the Raider D is ranked #7 overall. Comparatively, 4-7 St. Louis doesn't do anything particularly well. Bradford has been injured since week 1 but he makes his return today. Will he be rusty???

So let's kick off the former battle of Los Angeles...

Oakland starts with some nice runs but McGloin goes 0 for 2 and it's a quick punt. The Rams open the scoring as Bradford connects with Givens for a 51 yard TD. That makes it 7-0 Rams.

With time running down in the 1st, Janikowski hits a 44 yard FG to make it 7-3 St. Louis. The quarter ends with that score.

Late in tne 2nd the Raiders go on a long 14 pay drive but again are held to a FG and that makes it 7-6 Rams with 1:55 left in the half. That score holds to start the 3rd.

At the half, the Rams are playing very well. Bradford is moving the ball effectively. MJD has 15 carries for 90 yards. He is the most effective player for Oakland today. The Raiders are only getting minimal defensive pressure.

Early in the 3rd, o MJD's 17th carry he goes over 100 yards. Later that drive, McGloin connects with Moore for a TD strike. The Raiders go for 2 but cannot convert. That makes the score Raiders 12 Rams 7.

Midway through the 4th the Rams go for it on 4th ad goal but Bradford throws a pic to Woodson in the endzone. The Raiders go 3 and out and give the ball back and on the next play Bradford hits Britt for a 92 yard TD strike. The Rams go for 2 but are not successful. The Rams take the lead 13-12 with 5:48 left

The Raiders respond quickly as Janikowski hits a 53 yard FG. The Raiders go back on top 15-13. The rams then go 3 and out and the Raiders burn the clock and kick a 53 yard FG with 12 seconds left. That makes the score 18-13 Oakland.

18-13 is how it ends as Antonio Smith sacks bradford to run out the clock. The Raiders win streak now hits 4 games as they improve to 8-4.

This was a win that should have been a loss. McGloin was awful (14/30 for 130 yards 1TD 1INT.) and the Rams offense lit t up with 461 total yards. However, the difference maker today was the play of MJD. He had 27 carries for 165 yards and a 6.1ypc average. He won the game, not the team.

Nonetheless a win is a win. The raiders have now met the win target for the season and still have four games remaining. A playoff spot at this time is more that possible.

[jaymo76]

After 12 games...

:AFC: WEST standings

:San_Diego_Chargers: 9-2-1
:Oakland_Raiders: 8-4
:Denver_Broncos: 7-5
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 7-5

Currently the Raiders and Chiefs hold the two AFC Wildcard spots. In the mix for the Wildcards are:

:Denver_Broncos::Cincinnati_Bengals::Buffalo_Bills :

The rest of the AFC is just trash.

Right now the two top dogs in the NFL at 10-2: :NE_Patriots::Green_Bay_Packers:

[jaymo76]

Some key stats after 12 games:

QB McGloin 1,3840 yards passing 8 TD 5 INT. 159/256 (62%)
RB MJD 265 att 1,113 yards 4.2 avg. 6 TD (in 2nd place)
WR Jones 66 rec 476 yards 4 TD
SS Branch 73 tackles
LE Woodley 18 sacks!!! (in 1st place)
CB Rogers 5 int.

Raiders offense 26th overall (#8 rushing #24 passing)
Raiders defense 2nd overall (#3 rushing #7 passing)

[jaymo76]

Today the Raiders organization announced the re-signing of WR Denarius Moore. The deal is for FOUR years and 8.4 million dollars. Most of the money is in the contract and NOT signing bonus as the Raiders owner is strapped for cash. Still no updates on the Marquette King negotiations. Last we heard the negotiations were going well but King's asking price was high.

[jaymo76]

Week 14: :San_Fran_49ers: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

It's the battle of the Bay. The 49ers and Raiders are both in the playoff chase. This should be a good one.

Oakland opens the scoring with a 53 yard Janikowski FG. That makes it 3-0 Oakland. However the 9ers respond as Kap hits Boldin for 52 yards and the TD. That makes it 7-3 SF. The 1st quarter ends on that score.

After a few back and forth possession McGloin finds Moore in the endzone for a TD strike and Oakland pulls out in front, 10-7. Moore is going to earn that contract extension!

With 2 minutes to go the Raider 2 mi ute offense kicks in and McGloin leads the Raiders down the field and then hits TE Ausberry in the endzone for the TD. 17-7 Raiders with 43 seconds left in the 2nd.

The Raiders cannot run the ball today but McGloin is on fire 15/22 172 yards and 2 TD's... nice work!

On the first drive of the third, SF moves the ball well and Hyde punches it in from the 2 to make the score 17-14 Raiders.

The 3rd ends with the Raiders driving. The drive ends with a 20 yard Janikowski FG. That makes it 20-14 Raiders. The 9ers then go 3 and out and on the Raiders next drive Janikowski hits a 39 yard FG to increase the lead to 23-14 with 5:05 left in the game.

With 3:02 left SF hits a 46 yard FG and cuts into the lead. The Raiders are still out in front 23-17.

1:47 left on the clock and SF starts at their own 47. They have two timeouts. Can the Raider D hold? The answer is yes because kap refuses to throw the ball. He is sacked on three straight plays and then SF turns the ball over on downs. The Raiders win.

McGloin had a strong game going 19/29 for 218 yards and 2 TD's. MJD struggled badly as he had 67 yards on 21 carries. The real story of this game however is that the Oakland D had ten sacks!!! Wow!

With the win the Raiders improve to 9-4 with a 5 game win streak. The 49ers fall to 7-6 and MAY have lost their chance to make the playoffs???

[jaymo76]

Week 15: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Kansas_City_Chiefs:

This game is brought to you live by twitch tv.

http://www.twitch.tv/jaymo76/c/5066735


No time for the video?
Oakland's dominance continues while the KC slide is in full effect. The Raiders won 10-0 in a pure defensive struggle. Strangely, what mae KC so good in the first game they do not do in the 2nd game: run the football. Also, the Raiders D didn't let Smith breathe. He was lit up all day long. MJD had another strong day with 23 carries for 127 yards and McGloin had some beautiful passes but overall he had a terrible game going 10/21 for 111 yards and 1TD.

The Raiders keep winning moving to 10-4 and only one game back of San Diego. The Chiefs continue to fall apart and after an amazing start now sit at 7-7. Oakland now holds the #1 wildcard berth.

[jaymo76]

Week 16: :Buffalo_Bills: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

7-7 Buffalo is fighting for a playoff spot while the 10-4 Raiders are a win/loss away from clinching a wildcard spot and maybe more???

The game starts very slow and the 1st quarter is pretty much a wash. Things change though in the 2nd when McGloin hits Moore for a 52 yard TD bomb and Oakland goes up 7-0.

Then wit under a minute left in the 2nd, McGlin throws a bad int. in Oakland territory. With 23 seconds left, Jackson punches it in from the 4 and that makes it 7-7 going into the half.

The next points don't come until half way through the 3rd when MJD punches it in from the 2 to make the score 14-7 Oakland.

The last score comes with 1:17 left as Janikowski hits a 19 yard FG to increase Oakland's lead to 17-7. That's how the game will end and Oakland moves to 11-4 and extends the win streak to 7 straight. Oakland also locks up a playoff spot with the win. Buffalo's chances of a playoff spot come to an end today.

McGloin had a strong game going 27/38 242 yards 1 D and 1 INT. MJD had 23 carries for 98 yards and 1 TD. The player of the game... Denarius Moore who had 7 catches for 115 yards ad 1 TD.

[JeffHCross]

You sunk my battleship (flattened my castles). I'm no longer following.

:D

Good luck in the playoffs!

[jaymo76]

Week 17: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Denver_Broncos:

The 11-4 Raiders travel to Oakland to take on the 8-7 Broncos. The Raiders have a shot at first place while the Broncos are fighting for their playoff lives. The Broncos need to win as they are in a dog fight with :Pitt_Steelers::Cincinnati_Bengals: for the last Wildcard (Cincy 8-6-1 and Pitt 9-6 are battling for the division as well.

For the Raiders, the :San_Diego_Chargers: are 10-4-1. An Oakland win gives them the division while an Oakland loss and San Diego win gives the Bolts the division.

Here is the game in its entirety via twitch.

http://www.twitch.tv/jaymo76/c/5071933

The game was a real defensive struggle in the first half. Both quarterbacks played very poorly. The raiders had two FG in the first half and held the Broncos scoreless. The Denver philosophy was run heavy today and it didn't kick in until the 2nd half. The Broncos then got things going in the 3rd and scored 17 points. To start the fourth Denver lead 17-13. The last few minutes of the game were action packed. Oakland scored a TD to go up 20-17 and thenDenver in the last minute kick a FG to tie. The games goes to OT with a 20-20 score. McGloin was injured in the last few minutes of the game so Carr needed to lead the team. In OT he could not move the ball. Denver kicked a 58 yard FG on the possession and with that won the game 23-20.

[jaymo76]

:AFC: Playoffs

Division winners (1st round byes)
1. :NE_Patriots: 14-2
2. :San_Diego_Chargers: 11-4-1


Division winners
3. :Pitt_Steelers: 10-6
4. :Indianapolis_Colts: 9-7


Wildcards
5. :Oakland_Raiders: 11-5
6. :Denver_Broncos: 9-7

[jaymo76]

:NFC: Playoffs

Division winners (byes)
1. :Green_Bay_Packers: 12-3-1
2. :Arizona_Cardinals: 12-3-1


Division winners
3. :TB_Buccaneers: 12-3-1
4. :Philly_Eagles: 10-6


Wildcards
5. :Chicago_Bears: 10-6
6. :Seattle_Seahawks: 9-7

The top three teams in the NFC have 12-3-1 records. That is absolutely bizarre!

[jaymo76]

Rudy, dont know if you ever follow this thread but I have some bad news if you do...

WORST TEAM IN THE NFL FOR 2014:

:Miami_Dolphins: 3-13

The worst team in the NFC... :Atlanta_Falcons: 4-12

[SmoothPancakes]

Go Broncos! :D

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk because I'm a lazy ass

[jaymo76]

looking at the season, :Oakland_Raiders: had two players who got some big-time recognition.

Maurice Jones-Drew: AFC offensive player of the year
-353 carries 1,501 yards 4.3ypc 7 TD 93.8 ypg. avg.
-23 rec. 192 yards

Lamarr Woodley
-37 tackles
-23 sacks (new NFL record!)

[jaymo76]

2014 key player stats: :Oakland_Raiders:


Passing:

Matt McGloin (79.8 QB rating)
-234/370 2,066 yards 12TD 8Int. 63% comp.


Receiving:

James Jones 85 rec. 631 yards 5 TD
Denarius Moore 55 rec. 700 yards 6 TD


Blocking:

Donald Penn 12 pancakes and 9 sacks given up


Tackling:

Tyvon Branch 92 tackles


Interceptions:

Carlos Rogers 5 Int.


Kicking (FG)


Sebastian Janikowski 22/29 75% (longest 57 yards)


Punting:

Marquette King 68 punts 46.3 avg. longest 74 yards


Kickoff returns:

Kory Sheets 33 kick returns 646 yards 19.6 avg.


Punt returns:

Denarius Moore 29 returns 252 yards 8.7 avg.

[jaymo76]

:NFL: 2014 Awards:

League MVP: Drew Brees :New_Orleans_Saints:
Coach of the Year: Chad masters :NE_Patriots:
** Dennis Allen took 3rd

[jaymo76]

:AFC: AWARDS

OPOY: Maurice Jones Drew :Oakland_Raiders:
DPOY: Jerod Mayo :NE_Patriots:

OROY: Blake Bortles :Jax_Jaguars:
DROY: Ryan Shazier :Pitt_Steelers:

QB: Phillip Rivers :San_Diego_Chargers:
RB: MJD :Oakland_Raiders:
WR: Keenan Allen :San_Diego_Chargers:
OL: Nate Solder :NE_Patriots:
DL: Lamarr Woodley :Oakland_Raiders:
DB: Eric Weddle :San_Diego_Chargers:
K: Justin Tucker :Baltimore_Ravens:

[jaymo76]

:NFC: AWARDS

OPOY: Adrian Peterson :Minnesota_Vikings:
DPOY: Daryl Washington :Arizona_Cardinals:
OROY: Carlos Hyde :San_Fran_49ers:
DROY: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix :Green_Bay_Packers:

QB: Drew Brees :New_Orleans_Saints:
RB: Adrian Peterson :Minnesota_Vikings:
WR: Calvin Johnson :Detroit_Lions:
OL: Joe Staley :San_Fran_49ers:
DL: Michael Johnson :TB_Buccaneers:
DB: Richard Sherman :Seattle_Seahawks:
K: Jay Feely :Arizona_Cardinals:

[jaymo76]

:NFL: Key stats for 2014:

Passing:
-Peyton Manning 3, 803 yards
-Drew Brees 27 TD's
-Jay Cutler 19 INT.


Rushing:
-Adrian Peterson 1,925 yards
-Adrian Peterson 5.4 yards per carry
-EddieLacy 12 TD's

Receiving:
-Dez Bryant 94 receptions
-Dez Bryant 1,371 yards
-Keenan Allen 10 TD's


Blocking:
-Donald Penn 12 pancakes


Defense:
-Daryl Washington 170 tackles
-Brian Orakpo 29 tackles for loss
-Lamarr Woodley 23 sacks
-Derelle Revis & Richard Sherman 7 int.


Kicking:
-Justin Tucker 95% FG kicking
-Matt Prater 59 yards... longest FG
-Marquette King 46.3 yard avg. punting


Returning:
-Mike Wallace 953 kickoff yards
-Patrick Peterson 435 punt return yards

[jaymo76]

2014 :NFL_Playoffs: Wildcard matchups

Saturday:

:Denver_Broncos: @ :Pitt_Steelers:
:Seattle_Seahawks: @ :TB_Buccaneers:


Sunday:

:Oakland_Raiders: @ :Indianapolis_Colts:
:Chicago_Bears: @ :Philly_Eagles:

[steelerfan]

Here We Go, Steelers!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

At then end of the season some coaching changes have been made.

Retired:
-Tom Coughlin :New_York_Giants:


Fired:
- Jason Garrett :Dallas_Cowboys:
- Mike Smith :Atlanta_Falcons:
- Dusty McDonald :New_Orleans_Saints:

[souljahbill]

Why are Sean Payton and Bill Belichick different people?

[steelerfan]

Why are Sean Payton and Bill Belichick different people?
Sir Spygate has never allowed his name to be used. I'm guessing Payton falls under the same category?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[souljahbill]

Sir Spygate has never allowed his name to be used. I'm guessing Payton falls under the same category?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

Can coach names be edited?

[JeffHCross]

Why are Sean Payton and Bill Belichick different people?Like the players association, coaches have the NFL coaches association. Unlike the NFLPA, the coaches association, somehow, isn't a union. Either way, the Coaches Association holds the license EA uses.

[steelerfan]

Can coach names be edited?
I haven't played Madden since 12, but in my experience - no.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

No, coaches cannot be edited. There isn't very much customization in CFM.

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: Wildcard Weekend: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Indianapolis_Colts:

The 11-5 Raiders travel to 9-7 Indianapolis to take on the Colts in the first round of the playoffs. The Raiders are heavy favourites as their D is tenacious. Indy slumped into the playoffs. Do they have what it takes to claim victory?


The game is it's entirety:

http://www.twitch.tv/jaymo76/c/5075967

The game was a massive defensive struggle. Indy starts off strong going up 7-3 but the Raiders respond with a FG to make it 7-3. However, the Colts storm back to go up 14-3. Both teams exchanges interceptions multiple times in the first half. The first half ends with the Colts up 14-6. Both offense could not move the ball. Indy was running the ball well but had no pass game while the Raiders were the opposite. . Lots of sacks, interceptions and drops sum up the first half. The next points are not scored until early in the 4th hen Janikowski hits another FG to make it 14-9 Colts. With 2:45 left the Raiders drive stall close to the goal line and again Janikowski hits a FG to make the score 14-12 Indy. Raiders have all of their timeouts and the game will be in the D's hands. The D gets the stop and conserves the clock by burning the timeouts. Raiders get the ball back at their own 35. On 4th down and 19, McGloin throws to Streater. The pass is over his head but it hits the defensive back and bounces into Streater's hands. He takes it in for the TD! Raiders go up 19-14. The Colts get the ball back and get to midfield but on 4th and 9, Luck's pass is incomplete. Raiders win! Raiders win! Raiders win! This game had a ton of sacks and interceptions. It was an ugly win but it still counts.

[Rudy]

I do follow from time to time Jaymo. No way Miami goes 3-13 this year! I am outraged!! :) (I do expect at least 9 wins and I want to be in the playoffs or people fired).

Second, have you done any scouting and how many points per week do you get? AJ_EA on twitter said that 90 points a week is not a bug and normal for my coach. I call BS. A team builder coach used to get 2000 and then 3000 with the extra scouting package. If 90 is normal then I will be extremely disappointed in Madden as scouting would SUCK.

Do you like the game prep? I'm fine with the cpu doing it for me as I don't care that much but I do want XP to get that scouting package.

[jaymo76]

I do follow from time to time Jaymo. No way Miami goes 3-13 this year! I am outraged!! :) (I do expect at least 9 wins and I want to be in the playoffs or people fired).

Second, have you done any scouting and how many points per week do you get? AJ_EA on twitter said that 90 points a week is not a bug and normal for my coach. I call BS. A team builder coach used to get 2000 and then 3000 with the extra scouting package. If 90 is normal then I will be extremely disappointed in Madden as scouting would SUCK.

Do you like the game prep? I'm fine with the cpu doing it for me as I don't care that much but I do want XP to get that scouting package.

Yes the 90 sounds right but I am currently in the playoffs so I cannot access it right now. Points are less but cost is also significantly less. Either way the end result is still blind drafting. The scouting/drafting need a big overhaul next year IMO.

As to game prep, I do it myself but I don't do any practise. I like having the ability to choose what to focus on and who gets focus. It des make developing non-starters more difficult. My concern though is that the cpu doesn't do it right and it creates a screwed up franchise in future years...

[jaymo76]

Playoffs recap: Wildcard weekend...

:Denver_Broncos: 20 :Pitt_Steelers: 26

:Seattle_Seahawks: 12 :TB_Buccaneers: 0


:Oakland_Raiders: 19 :Indianapolis_Colts: 14

:Chicago_Bears: 6 :Philly_Eagles: 41

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: Divisional Round

Saturday:

:Oakland_Raiders: @ :NE_Patriots:

:Seattle_Seahawks: @ :Green_Bay_Packers:



Sunday:

:Pitt_Steelers: @ :San_Diego_Chargers:

:Philly_Eagles: @ :Arizona_Cardinals:

[jaymo76]

Divisional Round: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :NE_Patriots:

The Raiders travel to Foxboro for the 2nd time this season. They lost earlier in the year 13-10. Brady didn't do much last game. Could that be the case again today???

The only major injury affecting the game DT Wilfork. That's a big hole to fill for the Pats. The Raiders strategy will be to try and run it down the middle. McGloin had a terrible game versus the Colts in the Wildcard matchup. He threw 4 pics and it was a fluke that Oakland won that game. He will need to step up today.

So let's get to it...

The Pats strike early with a TD as Vereen takes it in for a TD. The Pats hold the lead at 7-0 to end the first quarter. Oakland's D is playing well but cracks are showing as the Pats are getting some decent runs.

Oakland just cannot close the deal. They get a FG at the beginning f the 2nd and get another near the end of the second. That makes the score 7-6 for New England at halftime. Both offenses have sputtered. New England's front 7 is fierce and McGloin is non-stop on his back.

The breakthrough comes in the 3rd when Janikowski puts Oakland into the lead 9-7. With only a few minutes remaining it looks like Oakland willl be off to the conference championship. However, Brady is Brady for a reason. He begins to drive the ball and Oakland cannot stop him. The Pats get a FG t take the lead 10-9. McGlin cannot move the ball and the Pats go at it again. This time, Ridley then busts into the open for a TD and the Pats go up 17-9. Oakland gets the ball and gets 4 and out and Brady, possibly for spite, hits Thompkins in the back of the endzone and that makes it 24-9 New England.

The final score holds at 24-9 New England. The raiders dream season comes to a crashing end. Is there anything worse than losing to New England!?!?

McGloin 19/40 186 yards (5 sacks)
Brady 20/24 252 yards 1 TD (6 sacks)


MJD 17 rushes 67 yards
McFadden 1 rush 9 yards
Ridley 9 rushes 85 yards 1 TD
Vereen 8 rushes 31 yards (injured in the first half)

Other:
Wisniewski gave up 2 sacks
Mayo had 12 tackles 3 TFL and a sack
Hayden and Moore both had 2 sacks

McGloin was pretty accurate in the first half. However, in the 1st both WR's Jones and Moore were injured and could not return. This really was a death blow to the passing offense and it never recovered.

Here is the game via twitch
http://www.twitch.tv/jaymo76/c/5093650

[jaymo76]

Divisional Round: Results

:Oakland_Raiders: 9 :NE_Patriots: 24
:Seattle_Seahawks: 19 :Green_Bay_Packers: 22


:Pitt_Steelers: 10 :San_Diego_Chargers: 24
Big Ben was 26/41 for 206 yards and 1 TD. However, he also threw FOUR interceptions which cost Pittsburgh the victory.

:Philly_Eagles: 36 :Arizona_Cardinals: 21

[jaymo76]

The Raiders announce that Scout Greg Burris will Not be resigned. The Raiders have now begun contract discussions with Frederick Richards. His specialty area is physical WR's. The Raiders are currently offering $100,000 for a three year deal. Richards is thinking it over.

[jaymo76]

Conference Finals:


:AFC: matchup :San_Diego_Chargers: @ :NE_Patriots:


:NFC: matchup :Philly_Eagles: @ :Green_Bay_Packers:

[steelerfan]

Good season, jaymo.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland...

It is being reported that Head Scout Frederick Richards has accepted the contract offer from the Oakland Raiders organization. The deal is for 3 years at an estimated $100,000 dollars. With that the Oakland caching staff is complete.

[jaymo76]

Good season, jaymo.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

Yeah it was a good season but not very realistic. Overall I find Madden 15 a much, much better games than 25. However, it seems to be a lot easier as well. I really was expecting/hoping to go 8-8.

[jaymo76]

Around the :NFL:

* Dallas hires Sean Millsaps as their new head coach.

* New Orleans hires Tomas Single as their new head coach.

[jaymo76]

Conference Championships:

:AFC:

:San_Diego_Chargers: 10 :NE_Patriots: 38



:NFC:


:Philly_Eagles: 31 :Green_Bay_Packers: 22


So to battle it out for the :Lombardi_Trophy: :Philly_Eagles: VS :NE_Patriots:

[jaymo76]

For the Pro Bowl this year we have Warren Moon VS. Steve Young...

The first two picks.... Warren chooses Ben Roethlisberger and Steve choses Aaron Rodgers. A very strange second pick for Warren Mon... he chose Mike Glennon...???...

:Oakland_Raiders: selections

HB1: MJD (Steve's team)
FB1: Marcel Reece (Warren's team)
WR5: James Jones (Warren's team)
LT2: Donald Penn (Warren's team)
C1: Steve Wisniewski (Steve's team)
RG2: Gabe Jackson (Warren's team)
RT2: Austin Howard (Steve's team)
LE1: Lamarr Woodley (Steve's team)
DT3: Pat Sims (Steve's team)
P1: Marquette King (Steve's team)

Not too bad overall for Oakland. There were 10 Raiders picked between both teams.

[jaymo76]

And the winner of your 2014 Super Bowl...

:Philly_Eagles: 10 :NE_Patriots: 20


The :Lombardi_Trophy: goes to New England and Tom Brady walks off with another MVP.

[jaymo76]

Around the :NFL:

Retirements:

The :Oakland_Raiders: only lost RT Khalif Barnes to retirement. I guess Woodson has anther season in him?

Other notable figures include:
-ROLB John Abraham
-K Adam Vinatieri
-K Phil Dawson
-K Matt bryant
-HB Steven Jackson
-CB Terrance Neman
-WR Brandon Lloyd
-DT Tmmy Kelly
-LOLB James Harrison
-P Sav Rocca
-HB Ronnie Brown

[jaymo76]

The Raiders end the 2014 campaign sitting at 14th in overall value. The team ran a surplus of $9.98 million dollars. Popularity puts the team at 10th. From a national standpoint support could not be better (100%). However there is work to be done at the regional (57%) and local (64%) levels.

While the stadium ranks #31, concessions and ticket prices are ranked #2 respectively. Merchandise comes in at a solid #7 with MJD and Woodson leading the way in sales.

[jaymo76]

Failed re signings:

HB Kory Sheets
QB Ricky Stanzi
P Marquette King
WR Rod Streater
HB Darren McFadden
FS Charles Woodson
WR Andre Holmes
RE C.J. Wilson
TE David Ausberry
WR Greg Little

Contracts accepted:
DT Pat Sims (2 years 8.8 million)
MLB Kevin Burnett (2 years 4.6 million)
CB Carlos Rogers(1 year 2.6 million)
CB Tarell Brown (1 year 7 million)
ROLB Justin Cole (1 year 800,000)
DT Torell Troup (1 year 800,000)

Rogers and Brown were given one year deals as Hayden and McGill still need time to mature at CB. he loss of King will hurt. The receivers will look very different in 2015.


Players outright released:

CB Chimdi Chekwa

[jaymo76]

The Raiders were not to active during free agency as they have limited budget. However there were four singings to report.

-HB Kory Sheets (1 year, 800,000)
-QB Jake Locker (2 years 1.79 million)
-FS Tashaun Gipson (3 year 3.48 million)
-P Jeff Locke (2 year 1.22 million)

[jaymo76]

Welcome to the 2015 draft...

:Oakland_Raiders: have some holes to fill. Picking at #27 is not a great situation. Is there a possibility to trade up?

Picks:

1. :Miami_Dolphins: RE Justin Lawson
2. :New_York_Jets: ROLB Charly Hammond
3. :New_York_Giants: CB Cedric Branch
4. :Jax_Jaguars: WR Quinston Hernandez
5. :Atlanta_Falcons: LOLB Walker Nelson
6. :Cleveland_Browns: WR Dior Minor
7. :St_Louis_Rams: ROLB Dndre Charles
8. :Detroit_Lions: WR Alfy Mathis
9. :Tennessee_Titans: LT Harris Neal
10. :Wash_Redskins: WR Keithen Farris
11. :Houston_Texans: QB Carl McLendon
12. :Cleveland_Browns: LE Ransford Beachum
13. :Kansas_City_Chiefs: TE Elisha Dobbins
14. :Baltimore_Ravens: C Felix Dawson
15. :New_Orleans_Saints: ROLB Keegan Gooden
16. :Carolina_Panthers: LT Rico Fernandez
17. :Minnesota_Vikings: CB Branch Schofield
18. :Dallas_Cowboys: LE Rainey Thompson
19. :Cincinnati_Bengals: LT Al McCray
20. :San_Fran_49ers: LOLB Khari Bell
21. :Indianapolis_Colts: CB Shaynon Randle
22. :Denver_Broncos: TE DeAndrew Walden
23. :Chicago_Bears: QB Steve Sanford
24. :TB_Buccaneers: TE Tavaras Monroe (I wanted him!!!)
25. :Seattle_Seahawks: LOLB Bryan Baca (I tried t trade up here but it didn't happen)
26. :Pitt_Steelers: Trade with :Oakland_Raiders: swap first picks and Pitt gets WR Criner
*** Oakland chooses WR Randy Chaney
27. :Pitt_Steelers: RE Evan Fuller
28. :Arizona_Cardinals: SS Demetre Gonzalez
29. :San_Diego_Chargers: DT Vincent Hampton
30. :Green_Bay_Packers: WR martin McGhee
31. :Philly_Eagles: CB Dajuan Hunter
32. :NE_Patriots: C Eric Hudson


Extra reason to hate Denver... they took my LG (Anton Porter) in the 2nd round. I tried for five picks to move to get him but nobody would bite.

Round 2: RG Cy Patterson (will be moved to LG)
Round 3: HB Sherrod Stevenson
Round 4: RE Darrell Floyd (apparently this kid has a severe eating disorder...)
Round 5: WR Terik Lattimore
Round 6: TE Ryker McGhee (an off the board selection...)
Round 7: LE Seth Hyde (may be able to be moved around as he's a 3-4 guy)

[jaymo76]

Breakdown of Raiders picks.

1. Chaney... 81 ovr
2. Patterson... 72 ovr
3. Stevenson... 68 ovr.
4. Floyd... 69 ovr.
5. Lattimore... 66 ovr.
6. McGhee... 62 ovr.
7. Hyde... 66 ovr.

[jaymo76]

As it stands right now, two of the :Oakland_Raiders: draft picks are scheduled to make immediate impacts.

WR Randy Chaney: he's a possession receiver with great hands. He doesn't have great speed but he can get open. With the loss of Little, Streater and Holmes to free agency (and trading Criner to Pittsburgh) Chaney will slide in as the #3 receiver.

RG Cy Patterson: Patterson is a project who may need time to develop. However, he will be thrown into the fire and have to learn on the fly. The decision was made to convert him to a LG position in order to fill in a position of need. Patterson was not the first choice but this draft had very few guards and an upgrade at the position is desperately needed. I am sure he will do a great job.

The RB chosen in the 3rd round, Stevenson is an interesting pick. He is a speed back. Originally the goal was to look at him for a depth back and kick returner. However, upon closer inspection he looks to has an impressive skill-set. He will compete with Murray for backup reps at the HB position.

All of the other players have an excellent shot of making the team. Heading into training camp the only person on the bubble may be 6th rounder TE Rhyder McGhee. He was a "potential" pick. If he works out in pre-season great. If not then at least we tried.

[jaymo76]

The big question of the off-season... what do the Raiders do with Matt Schaub???

Schaub played great last year before being injured. However, with another year under his belt his skills have really dropped off (67 ovr). He is no longer the starter for this team. That job currently is in Matt McGloin's hands. However, Carr may still be in the plans (though there are rumours that a Carr for Bridgewater deal may be in the wings...??? It is a know fact the owner of the Raiders is a big Bridgewater fan).

So is there a trade market for Schaub? It seems unlikely. Should he be cut? Tough call because he has a big cap hit. Keep him on the roster as the 3rd stringer? Again, not desirable as Jake Locker was just brought in for 3rd string duties and Oakland will NOT carry 4 QB's.

[Rudy]

How blind were you on draft day? How many points did you have to scout?

[jaymo76]

How blind were you on draft day? How many points did you have to scout?

You have 90 points to scout each week. Each attribute to unlock is usually 5,8 or 10 points. As for the draft... very blind. basically it's the same as last year except for the fact that they give you the scheme fit. That in and of itself is very important. Personally I think that all players should also have speed displayed as well. As for blind drafting, age, scheme and production are pretty much all that is available. I would love to see a lot more work put in for next year. This includes a draft board and combine.

[Rudy]

I think a letter grade for speed should be automatic given the 40 times. I used to spend most of my points on letter grade overall and try to focus on drafting the few kids I found were good. I had a lot of fun with that but they nerfed that completely this year.

[jaymo76]

I think a letter grade for speed should be automatic given the 40 times. I used to spend most of my points on letter grade overall and try to focus on drafting the few kids I found were good. I had a lot of fun with that but they nerfed that completely this year.

I really would like to see more/less points available based on the quality of your scout. There are so many things they could do with the draft. They just need the initiative to do them. That being said, I have found this year's draft to be more enjoyable and realistic. Also, it's only the 2nd time I have had a player with a backstory (out of shape, overweight could be a bust et. al.).

[jaymo76]

Oakland fills out its rosters with a few last minute signings.

WR Cole Beasley

TE Allen Reisner

Both deals are one year contracts with no signing bonus. Both may be cut in the pre-season. Raiders ownership is tempted to make a big splash by signing WR Julio Jones but his price tag will break the bank.

[jaymo76]

looking over the schedule:

The Raiders play the AFC & NFC NORTH this season. Highlights of the schedule include:

Week 1: @:Buffalo_Bills:

Week 8: MONDAY NIGHT vs. :San_Diego_Chargers:

Week 9: @ :Pitt_Steelers:

Week 16: SUNDAY NIGHT vs. :Green_Bay_Packers:

[jaymo76]

Around the :NFL:

:Houston_Texans: will be starting rookie QB Carl McLendon

:Tennessee_Titans: name Matt Flynn the starting QB

:Minnesota_Vikings: promote Teddy Bridgewater to starting QB over Matt Cassel

:Chicago_Bears: QB battle between Cutler and rookie Steve Sanford

:Arizona_Cardinals: name Ryan Mallett the starting QB

:Miami_Dolphins: name rookie Brent Francis starter over Tannehill

:New_York_Giants: QB depth chart: Case Keenum, Ryan Nassib, Eli Manning

:Detroit_Lions: only have Matt Stafford on the roster at QB... no other QBs???


Amazing talent remains unsigned in the FA pool. This list includes:

WR Julio Jones
WR Pierre Garcon
CB Jimmy Smith
CB Prince Amukamara
TE Ben Watson
HB Mark Ingram
ROLB Lance Briggs
K Billy Cundiff
LE Cry Redding
CB Asante Samuel
TE Heath Miller
SS Antrel Rolle
etc. etc. etc.

:NE_Patriots: Robert Craft has been named to the Hall of Fame.

[jaymo76]

Several attempts were made at trades with regards to QB's on the Raiders roster. These include McGloin, Carr and Schaub. A couple of deals were close but final compensation could not be agreed upon so Oakland walked away.

[Rudy]

Why don't you sign Julio? How much does he want?

[JeffHCross]

I really would like to see more/less points available based on the quality of your scout. There are so many things they could do with the draft. They just need the initiative to do them. That being said, I have found this year's draft to be more enjoyable and realistic. Also, it's only the 2nd time I have had a player with a backstory (out of shape, overweight could be a bust et. al.).If EA would just implement a lot of the off-season features from Head Coach 09, the game would be a lot better IMO.

[jaymo76]

Why don't you sign Julio? How much does he want?

Due to the way they changed funds for owner mode, I cannot afford to sign him as my team will drop into negative funds. Plus I need to save money to upgrade the stadium as it's in bad shape. The change to owner mode money (apparently is not a bug) does NOT let you spend to the cap, only to the amount of money your owner has available (eg. I think I have 7 million). With my first two preseason games on the road I may drop into negative funds?

[Rudy]

How do you like game prep? I've never tried it yet. Just delegated it and trying to play.

[jaymo76]

How do you like game prep? I've never tried it yet. Just delegated it and trying to play.

Honestly, I like it because it is quick and simple yet also has a lot of strategy to it. I don't do any of the drills though.

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: 2015 Pre-season synopsis:

There is reason to be optimistic in Oakland this season. After a shocker of a 2014 campaign where the team broke all expectations, this team has something to prove... ultimately the 2014 was not a fluke. However, there has been some big roster turnover. Can the new players step it up?

Many f the decisions for this team were based on going with youth and draft picks to get younger. If the pre-season is any indicator, this will be a big season for Oakland!


Preseason:

Week 1: :Oakland_Raiders: 31 :Green_Bay_Packers: 15


Week 2: :Oakland_Raiders: 26 :Pitt_Steelers: 12


:Baltimore_Ravens: 13 :Oakland_Raiders: 16


:New_York_Giants: 3 :Oakland_Raiders: 33

The Raiders were a perfect 4-0 and looked very good in the process. McGloin played well at QB but it was Locker who was lights out at the QB spot. As a result he made the team. However, that meant that Matt Schaub was given his walking papers.

At RB, ROOKIE Sherrod Stevenson played well enough to wrap up the #2 spot on the RB depth chart. He will also be the feature 3rd down back. Murray and Sheets will follow on the depth chart.

WR... ROOKIE Randy Chaney is going to be something special. Next year he will be the #1 receiver, no question. This season he will start in the #3 spot behind Jones and Moore. The kid is a beast. A huge surprise... the play of ROOKIE Terik Lattimore. His play has earned him the #4 job, just edging out newcomer Cole Beasley (who also had a good preseason. Brice Butler will fill in at 6th spot.

The Raiders will start the season with 4 TE's. Rivera earns the start and he will be backed up by Kasa. ROOKIE Ryder McGhee earned a spot on the team and gets to go ahead on the depth chart in front of newcomer Allen Reisner.

At LG Cy Patterson transitioned well and as a result earns the starting job over Tony Bergstrom. As for the OL, backup RG Boothe was released to make room for Patterson.

On the line, ROOKIE Seth Hyde has been converted to DT. He will hold down the #4 spot on the depth chart.

There have been some changes on the corners. D.J hayden had an otstanding preseason and will earn the #2 spot ver Carlo Rogers. Keith McGill will be biting at his heals all season. To fill out the DB's, newcomer Tracy Porter has made the roster for spot #5 (in place of Carrie who is on I.R.).

At FS, Tashaun Gipson was brought in as an FA. However, returning veteran Usama Young played better and as a result will be the starter. At SS, Larry Asante has been just signed to backup Tyvon Branch.

At the kickoff return position, Lattimore and Kory Sheets will split reps. Lattimore will also do punt returns. Speaking of punting, Jeff Locke will be Oakland's new punter. He is not as accurate as marquette King but he's still young and will improve.

[jaymo76]

Season two kicks off...

Week 1: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Buffalo_Bills:

A windy day in Orchard park kicks off the season. For the first time since the 1970's, the Raiders are decked out in white.

The Raiders start with the ball and go 12 plays for a TD as McGloin hits Jones from three yards out. On Buffalo's first possession Manuel throws an int. A few plays later it's 10-0 Oakland. What a start!

Oakland keeps on coming and early in the 2nd, Chaney makes his first TD catch of his career to give the Raiders a 17-0 lead. The half ends 17-3 Oakland. Both QB's are playing well but the difference is the int thrown by Manuel. McGoin went 16/20 for 104 yards and 2 TD's. For Buffalo, Watkins and Welker have zero catches but Brent Celek has been a beast.

After a beautiful drive to start the 3rd, Manuel gets popped and fumbles. The Raiders respond with a 53 yard Janikowski FG to increase the lead 20-3.

Late in the 4th the Raiders add salt to the wound by punching in a TD from three yards out. That makes the score and the final... 27-3 Oakland.

McGloin 22/31 167 yards 2 TD's
MJD 24 carries 100 yards 4.1 ypc

Give it up for the rookies:

RB Sherrod Stevenson 7 carries 42 yards 1 TD
WR Randy Chaney 7 rec 60 yards 1 TD
LG Cy Patterson 1 pancake
Seth Hyde 1 sack, 1 tackle, 1 tfl
punt returns: Terik lattimore 4 returns for 59 yards.

The downside of the game: WR James Jones is out for 8 weeks with a broken collarbone. That means Chaney moves into the #2 WR spot.

[jaymo76]

Week 2: :Houston_Texans: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Raiders get some prime-time action in week two as they kick off their home schedule with a visit from the Texans on Thursday night. The game turned out to be a real show of offense on both sides. Houston started off the game with a 3-0 lead in the first. The 2nd quarter ended with the score 10-10. After the 3rd quarter, the Texans were up by a score of 20-17. That's when things went south for Houston.

In the 4th quarter the raider offense exploded for 21 unanswered points. That made the score Oakland 38 Houston 20. The Raiders O out-gained Houston 584 yards to 334 yards.

Houston was on the road to victory until their starter rookie QB, Carl McClendon was knocked out of the game late in the 3rd. His backup, Tom Savage came in and went 5/7 and then also got injured and then 3rd stringer Tavaris Jackson came in and, ... well... you know the results.

Matt McGloin 26/32 295 yards 3 TD 1 int.
Carl McClendon 13/16 147 yards 2 TD.

Houston could not run the ball but Oakland had a field day. MJD had 22 carries for 98 yards before being injured. Rookie Sherrod Stevenson came in and had 18 carries for 82 yards and 2 TD's.

Rookie WR Randy Chaney had a monster game in his first as a starter. He had 8 catches for 121 yards and 2 TD's.

After week two, the Raiders have the number 2 offense and number 2 defense. How long will this ride continue???

[jaymo76]

Week 3: :Minnesota_Vikings: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

Oakland gets its first look at Teddy Bridgewater. Management has made it no secret that in the offseason several attempts were made to get Teddy. However Minnesota wouldn't have it. McGloin has something to prove this game.

Beautiful weather in the bay area... it's time for kickoff!

Oakland starts off the game with a 52 yard FG to take a 3-0 lead. That score holds until the 2nd quarter. After a long drive by the Vikes they convert on a 52 yard FG to tie the game 3-3.

With 1:22 left in the half McGloin throws a pic six and Minnesota goes up 10-3. It was a terrible read by McGloin!!! The hald ends 10-3. This game is a dog! 52 pass yards for the Vikes to 49 for the Raiders and 32 rush yards for Minnesota to 30 for Oakland. Both Bridgewater and McGloin have looked average at best. MJJ only has a 2.7 ypc average. Ugly all around!!!

Minnesota starts the 3rd with a nice, fast paced drive and it ends with a 48 yard FG to give the Vikes a 13-3 lead. Oakland cannot respond and McGloin is now 8 for 17 for 54 yards. Is it time for a switch???

The Raiders next drive see's Janikwoski hit the post on a 55 yard attempt. The score remains 13-3 Minnesota late in the 3rd. Minnesota is really chewing the clock with run after run after run. They can't move the ball but they sure are committed to running it.

The 4th begins with a 37 yard FG by Minnesota. That makes it 16-3. Is this game slipping away?

With 4:26 left Oakland goes for it on 4th and 12 at the Viking 27. Oakland cannot convert. Minnesota cannot move the ball so Oakland gets it back and goes another 4 and out. On Minnesota's next possession they continue to run the ball and the clock. With 1:14 left Minnesota hits a 30 yard FG and cements their lead, 19-3.

The last drive of the game, Carr gets some action and he takes advantage of it, leading Oakland down the field ad hitting TE McGhee for a TD. The Raiders miss the 2 point conversion but do get the onside kick with 3 seconds left. The Hail Mary comes up incomplete and the game ends with the Vikings winning 19-9.

McGloin was awful going 16/31 for 117 yards and 1 int. Carr was 5/9 for 80 yards and a TD. MJD had 63 yards on 15 carries. The only real positive of the game saw Mychal Rivera snag six catches.

With the loss Oakland falls to 2-1 on the season.

[jaymo76]

Week 4: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Denver_Broncos:

A huge matchup this weekend as the :AFC: West's two top dogs battle it out at Milehigh. Demarcus Ware, A.J Hawk and Terrance Knighton are all injured so Denver's D is vulnerable. Also, the Bronco O-line is a mess... it's the weak spot on their solid roster. Can Oakland find the advantage? After a terrible outing versus Minnesota, Oakland needs to respond.

Denver starts off the scoring with a 50 yard FG by Prater. Later in the first quarter, breakout rookie RB Stephenson fumbles the ball in Denver territory. On the next raider drive McGloin gets sacked and fumbles the ball deep in Oakland territory. Three plays later Manning hits Sanders for the Td and it's 10-0 Denver.

On the next Oakland drive... finally a response! The raiders drive the field and then MJD punches it in from the 2 to make the score 10-7 with 3:40 left in the half.

With time running out the Raiders begin their last drive of the half and with 0:00 on the clock, Janikowski hits a 36 yard FG to tie the game at 10-10 going into halftime. McGloin started slow but at this point he is on fire throwing for 166 yards in the first half! Denver cannot run the ball. Ball has 8 rushes for 2 yards. Manning and the pass game are the only thing working for Denver's offense.

On Denver's first drive of the 3rd quarter, Manning throws a pic six to Usama Young and the Raiders take their first lead of the game. That's 17 unanswered points by Oakland. You can hear the boos from the Denver fans. Ouch!

Denver responds with a beautiful drive ending with Manning hitting Thomas for the TD and a 17-17 tie game. The third comes to an end with the score 17-17.

With 9:21 left in the 4th, Janikowski hits a FG from 34 yards out and Oakland goes back on top, 20-17. As Denver begins their next drive, the Oakland D steps up and backup CB McGill takes a 71 yard pic six to the house... 27-17 Oakland. With 7:20 remaining that could be the game???

Not so fast. Manning goes 82 yards in six plays and hits his rookie TE for a TD. That makes it 27-24. However the MJD show takes over and the Raiders begin to chew the clock. They key play of the game... 3rd and 7. Denver has no timeouts and there is on 1:44 left on the clock... McGloin hits Moore on a crossing pattern and he fights for the first down. That ensures the win for Oakland with the final score Oakland 27 Denver 24.

The QB play for both teams was strong.

McGloin 22/30 217 yards
Manning 22/29 268 yards 3TD 2 INT

* the two pic six plays for manning was a real game killer.

As for the run game... no comparison

MJD 22 carries 108 yards 1 TD
Ball 13 carries 39 yards

The difference in the game was the pic six plays and no run game by Denver. Those things ensured an Oakland victory.

[jaymo76]

In week five Oakland gets its bye week.

:AFC: WEST standings:

:Oakland_Raiders: 3-1
:Denver_Broncos: 3-1
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 2-2
:San_Diego_Chargers: 1-3

The :NE_Patriots::Philly_Eagles::Seattle_Seahawks: are all 4-0 to start the year.

The :New_York_Giants::Cleveland_Browns::New_York_Jets: :Atlanta_Falcons: are all winless.

The worst injury of the season thus far goes to Sen'Derrick Marks of the :Jax_Jaguars: as he is out 38 weeks with a complete PCL tear. The Jags are also demolished with injuries as they have 8 starters out and 4 of them are 12 or more weeks.

Edit: after simming week five, Revis of the Pats will miss 42 weeks with an achilles tear.

[jaymo76]

Entering the bye week the :Oakland_Raiders: have looked good. However the play has not translated well into profits. The Raiders are currently the 21st highest earning team with just a little over 23.3 million in revenue.

[jaymo76]

Week 6: :Cincinnati_Bengals: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

At 2-3 the Bengals have struggled out of the gate. On the other side the raiders, especially the D have been outstanding thus far and as such the team sits a 3-1. Today's test versus AJ Green may be a real challenge...

Dalton starts with the ball. He has had a brutal season throwing only 5 TD's as compared to 14 pics. The opening drive stalls and P Marquette King makes his return to Oakland. With Oakland's first offensive possession McGloin and crew move the ball perfectly and MJD takes it in from the 1 for a TD and that makes it 7-0 Raider nation.

Well at half-time and if you don't like tenacious D you will not like this game. The score remains 7-0 Oakland. McGloin has gone 7/12 109 yards while Dalton is 9/16 113 yards. The stats are pretty much the same across the board.

Halfway through the 3rd Janikowski hits a 28 yard FG and the Raiders go up 10-0. The Bengals respond with a 29 yard FG near the end of the quarter... 10-3 Raiders.

To start the 4th the Bengals have the ball in Raider territory. Well they did until Justin Tuck humiliated the OL. That being said, the drive continues and on 3rd down Dalton converts and a few plays later Bernard punches it in from the 2 and just like that it's 10-10 with 7:29 remaining.

With the clock ticking away, rookie RB Stevenson gets a major injury... a partial PCL tear. He is going to miss a lot of games!!!

With 1:59 on the clock, MJD caps a 16 play drive with a TD on a one yard rush and the Raiders go up 17-10. Dalton responds and with 31 seconds left Dalton scrambles for the TD to make it 17-17.

On 3rd and 8 Lattimore drops a wide open pass. He would have scored a TD for sure. Ouch!

So we are off to OT. This dog of a game has become on heck of a game! Cincy takes the ball and move it well. They make it to the Oakland 38 but the wind is too strong for a kick.

Oakland starts at their own five and put a beautiful drive together on the back of Lattimore. He had three monster catches. Sadly though he was badly injured on the drive. With 1 second left Janikowski hits a 4o yard FG and Oakland wins 20-17. What a game!!!

McGloin 21/36 237 yards
Dalton 28/43 285 yards

MJD 28 carries 115 yards 2 TD
Bernard 14 carries 67 yards 1 TD

Lattimore 5 rec 76 yards
Green 7 rec 76 yards

[jaymo76]

Update: Lattimore's injury only looked bad. He will be back on the field next week. Also, Stevenson got lucky... his partial tear will only cost him 7 weeks. However, he may be put on IR for the season just to be safe.

[jaymo76]

Week 7: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Kansas_City_Chiefs:

The 4-1 Raiders head to KC to take on the hated 3-3 Chiefs. KC has the 32nd rated D in the league. This could be a big day for MJD and McGloin??? Speaking of McGloin, Raiders ownership officially reached out this weekend to try to get him int a new deal. McGloin is looking for a short-term deal while the Raiders want to go longer term... more on this at a later date...

Khalil Mack has the first big play of the game as he pics off Smith at centre-field. The first score comes shortly after as Janikowski hits a 44 yard FG and the raiders go up 3-0.

Early in the 2nd, Oakland goes for it on 4th and 1 from the goalline. McGloin calls an I slant and hits Moore for the TD strike. That makes it 10-0 Oakland.

Bad news... Terrick Lattimore has a ripped pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season. This is a huge injury for the rookie who was really starting to come into his own. Korey Sheets will resume pr/pr duties and WR Beasley will move up on the depth chart.

With under 5 minute remaining in the 2nd, Janikowski hits a 29 yard FG to increase Oakland's lead to 13-0. However KC moves the ball well on their next drive and Charles punches it in from the goalline with 1:37 remaining in the half. That makes the score 13-7 Raiders.

The Raiders dominated the first half but not on the scoreboard nor with the run game. McGloin has been awesome but MJD is dead in the water. Nonetheless on the Raiders first drive of the half, Reece punches it in from the 1 and the Raiders go up 19-7. Beasley dropped the 2 point conversion on a big hit from Berry.

The 4th quarter begins with a 42 yard KC FG to make the score 19-10 Oakland. However that is as far as KC would go as with 1:32 left they cannot convert on 4th and 12 from the Oakland 13. The Raiders get the ball back and move the sticks once and end the game. What a grudge match!

The two players of the game...

McGloin 28/38 241 yards and 1 TD
Chaney 9 catches 89 yards

Honourable mention goes to SS Tyvon Branch as he had 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and one sack.

That improve the Raiders to 5-1 on the season.

[jaymo76]

Injury update: WR Terik Lattimore will be out for 22 weeks with a pectoral tear. The Raiders will look to the FA pool for a roster player.

[jaymo76]

Roster update: The Raiders have announced the FA signing of WR Stedman Bailey. Bailey will wear #13 for the Raiders. Currently he is slotted in at the #4 WR spot but a strong performance may move him up past Beasley who has struggled with drops this season.

[jaymo76]

Week 8: :San_Diego_Chargers: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Raiders return home after last week's trip to KC. New addition Stedman Bailey is looking good thus far. The Chargers are playing very poorly and at 2-5 their season is slipping away. This is a huge game for Oakland as it's a primetime Monday night matchup.

The first drive is not what Oakland wanted... Fred Jackson breaks a run for 58 yards and a TD. It's 7-0 SD. On Oakland's first offensve play, McGloin throws an INT and SD takes over on the Raider 20. Ouch! The damage is minimal as the Chargers are held to a 27 yard FG and increase the lead to 10-0.

The Raiders respond quickly as cGloin hits Chaney for a 22 yard TD strike and that makes it 10-7 SD. However that score doens't last long as Rivers hits Kearse for 72 yards and a TD. The chargers have come to play as it's now 17-7 midway through the 1st.

Janikowski hts a 33 yard FG to make the game closer as that makes it 17-10 early into the 2nd quarter. Can the Oakland D get a stop here? The answer is yes!

With 1:28 left in the 2nd, McGloin hits Chaney in the endzone for the TD and that makes it 17-17. Chaney has had a phenomenal half... 10 catches, 102 yards and 2 TD's.

The half ends tied 17-17. MJD has 94 yards on 14 carries and he will be depended on in the 2nd half to keep time of possession on Oakland's side.

MJD!!! The first play of the third quarter and MJD breaks 2 tackles and goes 80 yards to the house. Oakland takes their first lead of the game, 24-17. WOW!

SD goes three and out and has to punt. On Oakland's very next play, McGloin sense pressure and hot routes Chaney... who brings in a 48 yard bomb for the TD (his 3rd of the game) and that makes it 31-17 with 9:25 left in the 3rd. The "greatness of the Raiders" is truly on display today.

SD hits a 45 yard FG to pull a little closer and that makes it 31-20 Oakland. To start the 4th, the Raiders respond with a 27 yard Janikowski FG and that makes it 34-20 Oakland.

To rub salt in the wound, DT Antonio Smith gets a safety on Rivers and that makes it 36-20 with 5:37 remaining.

On the next drive, McGloin hits Chaney for 52 yards and a TD, his 4th of the game. That makes it 43-20 Oakland. Time for the backups to get some action. The game ends with the same score, Oakland 43 San Diego 20.

McGloin 20/28 314 yards 4TD 1Int
MJD24 carries 208 yards 1TD
Chaney 11 rec. 216 yards 19.6 ypc 4TD

With the victory the Raiders improve to 6-1

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: Rookie WR Randy Chaney wins the :AFC: offensive player of the week award and rightly so. He is the first Raider to earn a player of the week award this season. Chaney has now moved to #1 on the WR depth chart, passing Moore.

[jaymo76]

WR James Jones has returned from injury this week. He originally was the #1 WR and I am not a believer in losing your job due to inury. However, Chaney is too hot to go to drop on the depth chart. Therefore, Chaney will stay at #1, Jones will go #2 and Moore will go #3.

Next up... a trip to Pittsburgh.

[steelerfan]

Is #1 the Split End and #2 the Flanker in Madden or is it the other way around? I can't remember (haven't played since Madden 12). Just curious.

Anyway, hopefully the virtual Steelers are worth a damn. :)

[jaymo76]

Is #1 the Split End and #2 the Flanker in Madden or is it the other way around? I can't remember (haven't played since Madden 12). Just curious.

Anyway, hopefully the virtual Steelers are worth a damn. :)

Generally speaking Madden treats #1 as the flanker when running two receiver sets. However, as you know, madden does what madden does so its a little but of both. As to the Steelers... they are not having a great season. Two weeks ago they released RB Blount. Big Ben is not lighting it up so the offense is struggling. However, I have a tough time when I play in Pittsburgh so I am not taking this game lightly.

[jaymo76]

Week 9: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Pitt_Steelers:

The 6-1 Raiders travel to Pittsburgh to take on the mediocre 4-3 Steelers. Big Ben has been average at best this season. Can he compete against a stingy Raider-Dline? Pitt TE Mercedes Lewis needs to have a big game for Ben to succeed.

What a beauty... 60F and sunny. Weather will not be an issue today.

Late in the first quarter Janikowski gets the party started with a 36 yard FG and Oakland goes up 3-0. Three plays later Big Ben responds with a TD strike to Wheaton. What a drive! That makes it 7-3 Steelers. However, the Raiders fly down the field and to start the 2nd, MJD rushes it in from the 10 and just like that it's 10-7 Oakland.

Pittsburgh has come to play... 10 plays 74 yards ending with the Big Ben rushing TD from the 12 yard line and that makes it 14-10 Steelers. The Raiders respond with a beautiful drive but McGloin throws a bad INT. at the Pittsburgh 20.

Ben hits ex-Raider Criner for a 52 yard TD and the Steelers shock everyone with a 21-10 lead. The raiders strike back with 00:00 on the clock as janikowski hits a 33 yard FG to make the score 21-13. Ben is beastly today going 7/8 for 155 yards and 2 Td's. Vereen has 9 carries for 84 yards. The raider D is being owned. McGloin is only 15/27 and MJD is DOA today.

The Raiders get a TD midway through the 3rd as MJD punches it in from the 2. However the 2point conversion is missed and the score is 21-19 Steelers. On the next drive, CB Brown intercepts Ben deep in Steeler territory. WR Jones, back in the lineup after injury snags a TD pass from 3 yards out and the Raiders take the lead, 26-21.

What has happened to the Steeler offense???

With time running down in the 3rd, McGloin makes another bad pass and the result is an INT. Pittsburgh starts the 4th with a TD strike to WR Whalen and Pittsburgh goes up 27-26 as they fail to convert the 2 points.

On the next drive McGloin throws his third pic of the game, this time a pic six to Troy P. and the Steelers go up big, 34-26. Dennis Allen has seen enough... Carr is coming in.

Well, Carr coming in at QB does very little as Oakland goes 3 and out. Pittsburgh gets the ball back and Ben throws off two DL's and throws a TD strike... that makes it 41-26 Pittsburgh with 6:08 remaining.

But it's not over... on the next play, Carr throws an 80 yard TD bomb to Chaney and that makes it 41-33 Pittsburgh. The Raider D needs to hold now!!!

With 2:23 remaining Woodley strips the ball from Big Ben... Raiders take over at their own 35. With 2 seconds left and out of time outs, Carr puts it up into the endzone but the catch cannot be made... and the raiders lose 41-33.

Raiders were owned in this game. McGloin was awful but the team wasn't much better. The Steelers deserved the win today. The Raiders fall to 6-2 while Pittsburgh improves to 5-3.

[jaymo76]

After 8 games:

:AFC: WEST

:Denver_Broncos: 7-1
:Oakland_Raiders: 6-2
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 3-5
:San_Diego_Chargers: 2-6

Top of the :AFC: :NE_Patriots: (7-1) :Denver_Broncos: (7-1) :Tennessee_Titans: (7-2)

Top of the :NFC: :Philly_Eagles: (9-0) :Seattle_Seahawks: (9-0)


Raider highlights:
Woodley leads the league in sacks with 11
Chaney is 2nd in the NFL with 737 receiving yards
MJD is 2nd in the league with 809 rush yards
McGloin has thrown for 1835 yards with 11 TD and 6 INT.

[steelerfan]

Here We Go, Steelers!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

Week 10: :Denver_Broncos: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The :AFC: WEST hosts a first place showdown as the 7-1 Broncos travel to Oakland to battle the 6-2 Raiders. The Raiders won the first meeting of the season but their confidence is down after a poor performance in Pittsburgh.

On a beauty of a day Manning starts the game with a long drive ending in a TD toss to Shorts III. 7-0 Broncos. The Raiders first drive lasts 6 plays in which McGloin goes 0/3. This was not the start the Raiders wanted.

The first quarter ends 7-0 Denver. The Broncos have dominated every facet of the game. Passing an running with ease, the Broncos start the 2nd quarter with another long drive and prater hits the 3 from 36 yards out and just like that it's 10-0 Denver.

With 1:48 left in the half, Janikowski hits a 48 yard FG to make the score 10-3 Denver. McGloin has had a terrible half, going 4/11 for 66 yards. He has also been sacked three times and hit six times. Manning cannot be stopped and the Raider D has struggled to reach him.

With 2 seconds left, Denver hits a 20 yard FG to make the score 13-3 Denver. What a brutal half for Oakland! Denver had the ball for 17 minutes as compared to Oakland's six. Manning is already 18/23 for 187 yards and 1 TD.

The Raiders respond to start the 2nd half with a 14 play drive that lasts 7 minutes and 22 seconds and ends with Reece punching it in from the 1 to make the score 13-10 Denver. That pumps up the fans and the Raider D who get their first three and out of the game.

The 4th quarter starts with the score holding the same. With 6:18 left, Janikowski hits a 51 yard FG and that ties the game at 13-13.

Damn you Manning!!! A TD strike to Lattimer with 3:37 remaining and the Broncos go on top 20-13.

With 2:21 left the Raiders go for it on 4th and it's no dice. Broncos take over at midfield. However, the Raiders get the stop, suing their timeouts and with 1 minute left and starting from their on 1, the Raiders get the ball back. McGloin gets the team to the Denver 32 but the clock hits zero and the Broncos hold on for the win, 20-13.

That makes it two losses in a row for Oakland.

Manning 23/30 278 yards 2 TD
McGloin 19/36 257 yards

Ball 13 rushes 77 yards
MJD 16 rushes 83 yards

Shorts III 6 rec 90 yards
Rivera 7 rec 95 yards

[jaymo76]

Update: WR Cole Beasley suffered a partial PCL tear and will be out 8 weeks. A decision on ether to go on IR will be made later in the week.

[jaymo76]

Update: WR Jeremy Kerley has been signed to a one year $730,000 contract. In order to make room, Beaseley has been put on IR. The WR depth chart is as follows:

1. Chaney
2. Jones
3. Moore
4. Bailey
5. Kerley
6. Butler

[jaymo76]

Update: Jeremy Kerley has been upgraded to starting kick returner as Korey Sheets has done little as of late. This will be a nice way to get Kerley more involved.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland!!!

Matt McGloin just signed a 5 year contract extension with the Raiders. The deal will pay him 13.8 million over the next six years. With a 3.25 million bonus, the deal guarantees McGloin to be the starter into the future. The Raiders believe that they have the best chance to win with Matt McGloin. Now the real question, what does this mean for Derek Carr? According to the Raiders, Carr is under contract for three more seasons and current plans have him remaining in Oakland...

[jaymo76]

Week 11: :Kansas_City_Chiefs: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

It is cliche and overused but this week truly is a "must win" game for the Raiders. After losing two straight the Raiders are falling out of the hunt for the :AFC: WEST title and are also losing a lot of ground in the playoff hunt. The Chiefs are struggling right now. A fast start would be huge for Oaktown.

Oakland storms out of the game. McGloin goes 5/6 and the drive is capped off with a 2 yard TD run by MJD. 7-0 Oakland with 7:03 left in the 1st quarter. The Raiders D then holds KC to a 3 and out. However Oakland can do nothing on the next drive... MJD cannot move the ball.

Janikowski starts the 2nd quarter with a 50 yard FG and the Raiders increase their lead to 10-0. With 2 minutes remaining in the half, Smith is picked off at the Oakland 45 by Brown. McGloin then hits TE Rivera at the 5 and he powers in to the endzone for his first TD of the season. That makes it 17-0 Oakland.

KC had a dreadful half and are lucky to be down by 17. Smith is 6/15 for 77 yards and an int while Charlles has 6 carries for 22 yards. Compare that to McGloin who went 15/24 for 180 yards and 1 TD and MJD with 10 carries for 39 yards and 1 TD. The Raiders had 230 yards of offense to KC's 94 yards.

KC starts the 2nd half with the ball. Another 3 and out and the Raiders begin at their own 22. No damage is done. The teams exchange possessions. Then on the next Oakland drive, MJD runs it in from the 12 and that makes it 24-0 Oakland with 43 seconds left in the 3rd.

To start the 4th, the Chiefs go for it on 4th down and they turn the ball over. Oakland starts at the KC 40. Chewing the clock, the Raiders move the ball well and the drive ends with a 9 yard McGloin strike to TE Rivera for the TD. That makes it 31-0 Oakland with 3:31 remaining in the game.

Bring on the subs! Speaking of subs, Sheets fumbles at the Oakland 1. Oakland gets it back but it is his 2nd fumble today.

With 1:01 left KC hits a 48 yard FG to break Oakland's shut out. Damn!!! On Oakland's next drive, Sheets fumbles again!!! That is three today. He gets it back but the damage may be done...

The game ends with the final 31-3 Oakland. What a blowout! Oakland had 368 yards to KC's 139. Wow!

McGloin 26/39 258 yards 2 TD's and no sacks
Smith 11/27 111 yards 1 INT.

MJD 18 carries 74 yards 2 TD's
Charles 13 carries 31 yards

Chaney 7 rec 74 yards
Floyd 3 rec 28 yards

Oakland had 4 sacks while KC had zero. The huge stat though, TOS 32:41 for Oakland and only 15:19 for KC.

With the win Oakland moves to 7-3 while KC falls to 4-6.

[jaymo76]

Update: the Raiders announce they have cut backup RB and kick returner Kory Sheets. Sheets put the ball on the grass three times versus KC. Plus his production on returns was way down this year. Rumour has it that Sheets may return to Saskatchewan of the CFL...?

[jaymo76]

Breaking news: The Raiders have signed FA RB Lamar Miller to a one year $640,000 deal. Miller will wear #36 for the Raiders. He will have a chance to show his stuff Thanksgiving weekend versus the Chargers.

[Rudy]

Breaking news out of Oakland!!!

Matt McGloin just signed a 5 year contract extension with the Raiders. The deal will pay him 13.8 million over the next six years. With a 3.25 million bonus, the deal guarantees McGloin to be the starter into the future. The Raiders believe that they have the best chance to win with Matt McGloin. Now the real question, what does this mean for Derek Carr? According to the Raiders, Carr is under contract for three more seasons and current plans have him remaining in Oakland...

That's backup qb money lol and would rank near the bottom of backup salaries. I see no guarantees for the job!

[jaymo76]

That's backup qb money lol and would rank near the bottom of backup salaries. I see no guarantees for the job!

It was actually cheaper to sign him to a five year deal. He only wanted a two year deal and I was prepared to give it to him but them he kept telling me to give him more so I went wit 5 years which is way cheaper. Now I am dumping a ton of development points into him. He is up to 80 ovr while Carr is 74 ovr.

[jaymo76]

Week 12: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :San_Diego_Chargers:

The 7-3 Raiders take on the slumping 4-6 Chargers. Monday night football is a great opportunity for Oakland to show off their skills to the world. Currently Oakland holds the 1st Wildcard spot but Pittsburgh is right on their tails.

The game starts off with the Chargers moving the ball at ease but they come up a little short and have to settle for a 36 yard FG. That makes it 3-0 SD. However, Oakland responds with a long, long drive ending with MJD punching it in from the 1. That makes it 7-3 Oakland, early in the 2nd quarter.

SD responds by getting to the Oakland 1 but the Raiders hold them to a FG and that makes it 7-6 Oakland with 4:56 left in the half. With 1:51 left Sand Diego makes an interception as their rookie LB went about 9 feet into the air to make the pic. Nice vertical... However, no damage done as Oakland's Dline takes over with 2 straight sacks.

With 10 seconds left in the half, Oakland behind the arm of McGloin scores a TD on a 71 yard strike to Chaney. That makes it 14-6 Oakland at the half.

McGloin was 11/14 for 182 yards 1 TD and 1 INT. Fred Jackson for SD ran the ball well. Overall it was a very even half of football.

SD starts the half with a 3 and out and on Oakland's first possession, Janikowski hits a 30 yard FG to make it 17-6 Oakland. After a short possession by SD, Oakland strikes again as McGloin hits Jones in the endzone for the TD and that makes the score 24-6 Oakland.

Early in the 4th, SD goes for it on 4th down and deep in their own territory. They fail to convert. Oaktown takes over. A few plays later, Janikowski hits a 20 yard FG and increases the lead to 27-6 with 8:05 left in the game.

SD follows up their last possession with a Rivers int. by Brown This results in a 29 yard FG by Janikowski and that makes it 30-6 with 2:44 remaining. This game is over...

SD has another 3 and out and now the Oakland backups are in. Lamarr Miller welcome to the team! On his second carry he goes 50 yards for a TD and that makes it 37-6.

The nightmare continues as with 53 seconds left, Rivers is picked off by FS Young. Carr takes a knee and the game is over. Raiders win in a blowout.

The Oakland Dline was phenomenal today. Player of the game is a tie between DE Justin Tuck (3 sacks, 5 tackles) and Antonio Smith (4 sacks, 5 tackles). Honourable mention goes to McGloin who was 18/25 for 249 yards 2 TD and 1 int.

[jaymo76]

It was a big week for Oakland as two players broke the 1,000 yard mark.

Rookie WR Chaney now has 1,003 receiving yards on the season.
MJD no has 1059 rushing yards on the season

In addition, Lamarr Woodley reclaimed the sack lead as he hit 12 after a 2 sack performance versus SD.

[jaymo76]

Week 13: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Chicago_Bears:

A tale of opposites as the 8-3 Raiders head to Chicago to take on the 3-8 Bears. The weather will NOT be a factor today as it is bright and sunny.

Oakland starts the day with a 14 play TD drive with McGloin hitting Jones in the endzone. The drive took 8:34 and the end result is a 7-0 Oakland lead. The 1st quarter ends with the Bears driving. Chicago is awful this year but this game their offense is doing well thus far. Early in the 2nd, Cutler carves up the Raider secondary and just like that it's 7-7.

After another long Oakland drive, Janikowski converts on a 22 yard FG. Chicago has the worst run D in the league, but not today. Thus far they have been tough to run against.

After holding Chicago to a 3 and out, Oakland starts with the ball near the 50. After a beauty of a pass by McGloin, Moore fumbles at the Chicago 40. Chicago has 49 seconds to move the ball. Cutler moves the ball and the drive ends with a 38 yard FG to tie the game 10-10. Cutler is on fire this game! (you know it isn't real...)

Overall the 1st half was very disappointing for the Raiders. The D was weak considering how little they were on the field. On offense MJD decided not to show up this half. The only highlight is McGloin going 14/15 1o5 yards and 1 TD.

After holding Chicago to a 3 and out on the first drive of the half, Oakland responds with another long drive and for the 2nd time today, McGloin hits Jones for the TD to make the score 17-10 Oakland.

Bad news for Oakland as late in the 3rd, MLB Nick Roach leaves the game with a dislocated hip. It is unclear how long he will be out for. More will be known after the game.

To start the 4th, Oakland has the ball. However, MJD just cannot move the ball and Chicago takes over. How is Chicago the worst run D in the league??? Nothing Oakland does run-wise works.

With 4:35 remaining, Chicago goes for it on 4th but cannot convert. Oakland begins at their own 36. The drive ends with a 40 yard FG. With 1:03 remaining, the Raiders lead 20-10. That should just about do it.

Big news, CB McGill suffered a broken collarbone in the last minute of play. Ouch!!!

With 20 seconds left, Hayden intercepts Cutler and the game is over. Raiders win 20-10. This game really as a great display of the two quarterbacks.

McGloin 22/24171 yards 2 TD
Cutler 20/26 227 yards 1 TD 1 INT.

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: INJURY UPDATE:

MLB Nick Roach out 7 weeks
CB Keith McGill out 8 weeks

The Roach injury is huge. McGill will likely be put on IR and a FA CB will be brought in.

[jaymo76]

After 12 games...

:AFC: WEST

:Denver_Broncos: 10-2
:Oakland_Raiders: 9-3
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 5-7
:San_Diego_Chargers: 4-8

Baltimore had a huge upset over Denver. That is the window the Raiders need to make a run at the division crown.

:NE_Patriots: lead the :AFC: at 11-1

In the :NFC: the race is between :Seattle_Seahawks: 11-1 :Philly_Eagles: 10-1 :Carolina_Panthers: 10-2

[JeffHCross]

Nice, jaymo!

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: have announced the resigning of LT D. Penn. The deal is 27.3 million dollars over four years with a 4.5 million signing bonus.

In other news, talks with Lamarr Woodley continue at this hour. Woodley wants 27.4 million over four. Oakland has countered with 16.8 over three. Woodley is a weapon but at the age of 30, how much will he have left?

No decision has been made with regards to Justin Tuck. Tuck will be an FA at season's end. He's 32 but wants a 4 year deal. Would it be cheaper to go the draft route? he is a weapon on the right side but age is a concern.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news: Oakland has placed CB McGill onto IR. They have also announced the signing of 16 year veteran CB Champ Bailey. Bailey will slot in as the #4 CB. The move was made to sign Bailey because Raiders management believes they have a shot to go deep in the playoffs.

[jaymo76]

Week 14: :Cleveland_Browns: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

This could be ugly as the 2-10 Manziel led Browns travel to Oakland to take on the 9-3 Raiders.

On Cleveland's first possession, Bailey makes his presence known with a knockdown on 3rd and 16. On Oakland's first possession Joe Haden makes his presence felt with a pic six. Damn! That makes it 7-0 Cleveland.

Oakland follows their first drive up with a 3 and out. Cleveland has come to play today. Manziel hits Gordon in the back of the endzone and it's 14-0 Browns late in the 1st. Manziel is on fire!!!!

Raiders next possession ends in a punt... again. McGloin is awful today going 3/8 for 20 yards and 1 int. The 2nd quarter starts with the Browns moving the ball. Deep in Oakland territory, Sio Moore saves the day as he makes Tate fumble. However, Oakland can do nothing with the ball and Cleveland starts with 2:14 left in the half and at their own 28.

After a horrendous half, McGloin hits Moore for a 60 yard TD and the Raiders cut into the lead, 14-7. However with 44 seconds left Manziel shred the Raiders D and Kai Forbath hits a 47 yard FG to put Cleveland up 17-7. The half ends with that score. Oakland has been awful this game. What an embarrassing effort thus far!

To start the half, MJD has a 71 yard run. McGloin follows it up with zero completions and Janikowski hits a 28 yard FG to make it 17-10. McGloin is now 5/19 for 90 yards. The coaching staff is close to putting in Carr.

Cleveland's next possession... same story as they move the ball with ease. Their receivers are so damn fast that the Raider DB's just cannot keep up. Plus Manziel has a rocket release. You just cannot get to him. The drive ends with a punt as Gordon drops an easy pass.

Oakland cannot respond as McGloin falls to 8/21 for 103 yards. The coaches have seen enough. Carr is coming in. On his first possession he lived up to his family name going 1/4 for 11 yards.

With Cleveland losing both Greene and Tate, their O has died in the 2nd half. Finally the Raiders take advantage as Carr and MJD move the team down the field and from the 1, Reece punches it in to tie the game 17-17. The Browns take over at their own 21 with 2:16 remaining.

Holy cow! This must be a video game... Manziel did things I have never seen before and 23 seconds later it's 24-17 Browns. WTH???

Carr gets the Raiders to the Cleveland 38 but no more. What a shock as an AWFUL Cleveland Browns team stunned a very good Raiders team. The final score, 24-17 Browns.

McGloin 8/21 103 yards 1 TD 1 int.
Carr 8/17 96 yards
Manziel 21/25 228 yards 1 TD (3 carries for 35 yards)

No doubt about it, this was an embarrassing loss and it may be the last nail in ensuring the Broncos take the division???

[Rudy]

Johnny Football!

[jaymo76]

Week 15: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Detroit_Lions:

The 9-4 Raiders travel to Detroit to take on the 6-7 Lions. This is a good yet under-performing Detroit team. Finding a win in the Motor City may be a difficult task today. The only major advantage for Oakland is that Stafford is out with a torn hamstring so Brian Hoyer is the starter.

The Raiders start with the ball and on the 3rd play MJD bruises his sternum and is gone for the game. That changes the gameplan as Murray moves to starting RB. However, a pass heavy drive ends with McGloin hitting Chaney from the 13 yard line for the TD and that makes it 7-0 Oakland.

After holding Detroit to a 3 and out, Oakland gets the ball back and... disaster McGloin gets crushed on an option keeper and suffers broken ribs. This is Carr's team for the rest of the regular season. The Raiders don't miss a beat as early in the 2nd, Murray punches it in from the 4 and that makes it 14-0 Oakland.

Later in the 2nd, Carr goes long and as is common with madden, regardless of arm strength, the ball is under thrown resulting in an interception by Houston. Detroit starts in Raider territory. However, a key Woodley sack puts Detroit out of FG range and Oakland dodges a bullet.

With under two minutes in the 2nd, Detroit is driving. However, Tyvon Branch comes up with a huge interception. The Raiders O has died since the first Q and Detroit gets the ball back after a 3 and out. Again, no damage done and the half ends.

Without McGloin the offense has sputtered. Will 14 points be enough? Maybe as Hoyer and the Lion O has done nothing. Carr is 2/6 for 35 yards and 1 INT while Hoyer is 2/8 for 22 yards and 1 INT. This game is a dog!!!

Midway through the 3rd, DT Troup strips the ball from Hoyer and Burnett recovers. That play is huge as it wins back field position. Again Carr does nothing and the Raider D is called upon. And the request is answered as Aldon Smith strips the ball from Hoyer and takes it in for a TD. That makes it 21-0 Oakland with 3:13 left in the 3rd.

Detroit starts the 4th with a nice drive but they go for it on fourth down and Woodley gets the sack. With 4:39 remaining, Janikowski hits a 39 yard FG to put the Raiders up 24-0.

The game ends with the final Oakland 24 Detroit 0.

This game was a win but a loss as seeing McGloin go down is devastating. Carr was 5/10 for 64 yards and 1 INT. He was also sacked 4 times. The only highlight on offense was Latavius Murray who had 26 carries for 113 yards and 1 ITD. The game ball goes to the raider D... they were amazing!!!

[jaymo76]

Breaking news: The Raiders have announced the signing of Lamarr Woodley to a 4 year 26.8 million dollar extension. Woodley has been phenomenal this year and last. However, right now he is on fire with 22 sacks so far this season.

[jaymo76]

Update: the injury to McGloin is not as severe as first reported. McGloin will only miss the last two regular season games. However, he should be ready for the playoffs.

[jaymo76]

Week 15: update

:Cleveland_Browns: lost to :Denver_Broncos: by a score of 27-20. That ensures that Denver has a playoff spot. The AFC West is still in play for Oakland. The Detroit wins also guarantees Oakland a playoff spot.

[jaymo76]

Week 16: :Green_Bay_Packers: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

GB currently sits at 9-5. They have already claimed the :NFC: NORTH. Will they be hungry for a win today? Maybe... Sunday night football live from Oakland. What will David Carr have to offer? How will Rodgers play in the game of the week?

GB looks good to start the game as Rogers throws for 78 yards and hits Lacy in the endzone for the TD. Wow! Just like that it is 7-0 Packers. Carr's first possession is dreadful as he throws two incompletions, takes a delay of game and goes three and out.

On GB's next drive, Lamarr Woodley's amazing season continues as he scoops up a Rogers fumble. However, Carr could not hit the backside of a barn from five feet away and again Oakland goes 3 and out.

The 1st quarter ends 7-0 GB. Carr was 2/7 for -1 yard. To start the 2nd, Janikowski misses a 53 yard FG (crazy wind today...). Then there is a whole lot of nothing until Carr hits MJD for a TD. That makes it 7-7 with 1:56 left in the half. Woodley crushed Rodgers earlier in the game and the backup Boswell is still in. Without Rodgers, GB cannot move the ball.

So the half ends 7-7. Carr went 5/15 for 31 yards and 1 TD. If Rogers weren't injured, this game would be over. MJD is running hard but the D is focused on the run since the pass game is dead.

Midway through the 3rd, Crosby misses from 57 yards and the score remains 7-7. However, the 3rd ends with Oakland driving. On the first play of the 4th, Carr hits Chaney for the TD and Oakland takes the lead 14-7. On that drive Carr fnally opened it up and hits some targets.

That TD was the magic medicine as the Raider D steps up and forces a 3 and out. Then it's the ground and pound MJD show that takes the spotlight. The drive ends with a 44 yard Janikowski FG and the Raiders increase their lead to 17-7.

Rodgers is back in the game with 5:46 remaining. He carves up the D but gets rocked by Tuck and gets injured again. That ends any hope for the Pack. The clock runs out and Oakland wins it 17-7.

Oakland moves to 11-4 and guarantees a minimum of the #1 wilcard seed in the :AFC:

Carr 15/28 111 yards 2 Td's
Rodgers 11/13 139 yards

MJD was a huge factor in this game as he had 25 carries for 104 yards (4.1 ypc) and 3 rec for 32 yards and 1 TD. Oakland did not deserve a win today but the Rodgers injuries were the game changers.

[jaymo76]

Update: with one week left, the playoff picture is pretty clear. :Oakland_Raiders: will take the first Wildcard spot as Denver won this week and wrapped up the AFC WEST. This week's matchup versus Baltimore could be a preview of the first round of the :AFC: playoffs.

[steelerfan]

F you, Baltimore! :)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A

[jaymo76]

Going into the last week :Oakland_Raiders: still has a number of injuries.

QB McGloin... one more week
* should be able to play in the first round of the playoffs...???... hopefully

MLB Roach... three more weeks
CB McGill.... four more weeks /IR
CB Carrie... IR
WR Lattimore.... twelve more weeks /IR
WR Beasley... one more week /IR

Oakland can still use one IR but at this time there is no pressing need.

[jaymo76]

At this hour, negotiations are still under way with

FS Young
RE Tuck
ROLB Burris
MLB Maiava

No decision has been made on the status of DT Antonio Smith. The draft is very thin on D this year. That may be a big factor moving forward.

[jaymo76]

Week 17: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Baltimore_Ravens:

In what may be a first round matchup, the 11-4 Raiders travel to Baltimore to take on the 10-5 Ravens. The Raiders are rocking the AFL all white look today. Will it spur on victory? Only one way to find out...

Raiders start with the ball and the first drive results in points as Janikowski pounds one from 53 yards out.... 3-0 Oakland. On the Ravens first play from scrimmage Flacco is picked off by CB Hayden and Oakland goes again from the 50. Does history repeat? Yes! Janikowski hits a FG from 53 yards out and the Raiders go up 6-0.

The 1st quarter ends with the score holding 6-0 Oakland. Early in the 2nd, Antonio Smith recovers a fumble on Jacquiz Rodgers and the Raiders start near midfield. The drive ends with a 2 yard plunge by MJD and the Raiders go up 13-0 with 4:50 left in the half.

The half ends with the score 13-0 Oakland. Baltimore's offense has looked terrible and the turnovers have killed them. Carr has been decent going 11/17 for 96 yards.

The 3rd quarter is a blur as both offenses became anorexic. The D on both sides has been spectacular. As the 3rd quarter comes to an end, all of the raider starters have been pulled and the backups will finish things off. The key now is to keep the players healthy.

No events until 2:52 left in the 4th when Janikowski hits a 38 yard FG to increase the raider lead to 16-0. One thing to be said though, Locker looks good at QB!!!

With 06 left, Baltimore cannot convert on 4th and that's the game. Locker takes a knee at the Oakland 38 and the Raiders get the win and the shutout. It wasn't a pretty game but it's another win on the season.

The final, Oakland 16 Baltimore 0

Carr 14/23 115 yards
MJD 14 carries 54 yards 1 TD
Jones 5 rec. 37 yards

[jaymo76]

The worst ket secret in the thread... :Oakland_Raiders: clinch the 1st :AFC: Wildcard seed.

...

and the matchup... :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Baltimore_Ravens:

[jaymo76]

:AFC::NFL_Playoffs:

:NE_Patriots: 14-2

:Denver_Broncos: 13-2-1


:Tennessee_Titans: 11-5

:Baltimore_Ravens: 10-6


:Oakland_Raiders: 12-4

:Buffalo_Bills: 10-5-1

[jaymo76]

:NFC::NFL_Playoffs:


:Philly_Eagles: 14-1-1
:Seattle_Seahawks: 14-2
:Carolina_Panthers: 12-4
:Green_Bay_Packers: 9-6-1
:San_Fran_49ers: 12-4
:New_Orleans_Saints: 11-5

[jaymo76]

Update: McGloin will start for the raiders n this weekend's playoff action.

[jaymo76]

WILDCARD WEEKEND:

SATURDAY

:Oakland_Raiders: @ :Baltimore_Ravens:

:San_Fran_49ers: @ :Green_Bay_Packers:


SUNDAY


:Buffalo_Bills: @ :Tennessee_Titans:

:New_Orleans_Saints: @ :Carolina_Panthers:

[jaymo76]

Big news around the :NFL:

:Cincinnati_Bengals: fire Marvin Lewis

:Miami_Dolphins: fire Joe Philbin

:New_York_Giants: fire Ryan Mack

:New_York_Jets: fire Rex Ryan

[jaymo76]

Peyton Manning has been named the :NFL: MVP and patriots coach Chad Masters won coach of the year. Dennis Allen was 4th in voting.


As for :Oakland_Raiders:

MJD won the running back of the year in the AFC

Randy Chaney won the best WR in the AFC

LaMarr Woodley won the best DL in the AFC

Sebastien Janikowski won the best kicker in the AFC

Chaney was also runner up for the OROY. McGloin took 5th for best QB. He was a top 3 for sure if not for the injury.

[jaymo76]

Oops forgot to mention that LaMarr Woodley has now won back-to-back sack titles as he has 24 sacks this season. He has definitely earned his contract extension!!!

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: WILDCARD WEEKEND :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Baltimore_Ravens:

For the 2nd time in as many weeks, the Raiders battle the Ravens. Matt McGloin is back. Now, which Ravens team will show up?

Oakland starts with the ball and McGloin works the short passes well but an untimely sack on 3rd down and the drive and Oakland is forced to punt. The Ravens first drive also goes nowhere and the Raiders get the ball back. The Raiders respond with a three and out and the dance continues. Offense is hard to come by today.

Just as I write those words, Baltimore explodes with a beautiful drive. The 1st ends with the Ravens on the Raider 22. All of the plays that did not work last week are working perfectly today as Flacco is now 8/8. However, the magic runs out and the Ravens have to kick the FG from the Oakland 7. That makes the score 3-0 Baltimore.

Son of a !!!!! Since Madden doesn't beleive in pass interference, Moore is knocked over and Suggs intercepts McGloin and takes it to the house for a pic six. That makes it 10-0. Moore was taken out on the play and no call was made. Unbelievable!

The Raiders storm down the field but on 2nd and 3 the ravens read the play action and 4 players gang tackle McGloin for a 9 yard loss. Oakland is forced to go for a 29 yard FG to make the score 10-3 Baltimore with 2:53 remaining in the half.

Flacoo makes an amzing play just before the 2 minute warning as he throws off THREE Raider D (Smith, Tuck, and Woodley) to throw a 31 yard strike and keep the drive moving. The Ravens then go for it on 4th and one at their own 49 and complete the conversion. Wow! This is crazy...

Thank goodness for DJ Hayden as he comes up with a huge interception at the Oakland 11. The Raiders can do nothing as McGloin is getting hit on almost every play. The Oline cannot hold a block today!!!The half ends wth the score 10-3 Baltimore. Noting about this game feels good or right. Oakland has been outplayed badly and the offensive line is pretty much useless today. McGloin has no time to throw. On the other side, Flacco can do his taxes and order lunch and not worry about being rushed to pass the ball. It's a complete opposite from last week.

Baltimore starts the 3rd with the ball. On third down, Flacco has 13 seconds to throw the ball. It appears that LaMarr Woodley and his 24 sacks are no match for the Ravens playoff squad. Flacco then hits Johnson for a 49 yard TD strike and just like that it's 17-3. This game is slipping away. All the hard work this season and to go down like this just isn't right.

On the next play, MJD (who has fumbled the ball 2 times in 2 years) fumbles the ball at the Oakland 13 yard line. This is just unbelievable. The only saving grace is that the Ravens are held to a 20 yard FG. With that the score is now 20-3 Ravens.

On the Raiders next drive, MJD gets injured and the agony of this game continues. Janikowski ends the drive with a 51 yard boot and that makes it 20-6 Ravens.

On yet another 3rd down, Flacco threw off three DL's for another long strike. This is freaking ridiculous! Four plays later, finally Woodley gets a sack. Then the Raider D steps up and Brown intercepts Flacco two plays later. But alas on the next play Superman er I mean Elam intercepts McGloin

To start the 4th, the Ravens hit a 29 yard FG and increase the lead to 23-6. The Raiders cannot break through the Raven D and continue to give the ball back. With 2:36 left the Raiders cannot convert on 4th and 7 and that's the game.

In garbage time, McGloin hits Bailey for a 47 yard TD and that makes it 23-13. Just for fun the Raiders get the onside kick but not enough time remains to do anything. What a joke this game was. Unbelievable!!!

Baltimore 23 Oakland 13

McGloin 30/48 299 yards 1 TD 2 int.
Flacco 24/35 270 1 TD 2 int.

MJD 10 rushes 41 yards
Rodgers 16 rushes 53 yards

Bailey 5 rec 74 yards 1 TD
Smith 8 rec 96 yards

Sacks: Oakland 1 Baltimore 7

Note to self- despise Baltimore from now on! :bang:

[jaymo76]

After another poor playoff performance the Raiders will need to decide on the fate of Dennis Allen. The team is also in need of a team trainer. These decisions will be made quickly.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland:

The Raiders have decided NOT to renew the contract of Head Coach Dennis Allen. Allen lead the Raiders to two straight playoff births but for whatever reason the team did NOT respond to him in the post season. Allen had some regression issues and was looking for a big, big raise. The Raiders decided the price was not worth it at this time.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of San Francisco:

The 49ers have announced that head coach Jim Harbaugh has been fired. Harbaugh coached the Niners to a 12-4 record which was good enough for a wildcard birth in the NFC. However, lack of playoff success cost him his job.

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: WILDCARD WEEKEND RESULTS

:Buffalo_Bills: 31 :Tennessee_Titans: 17

:New_Orleans_Saints: 48 :Carolina_Panthers: 14

:Oakland_Raiders: 13 :Baltimore_Ravens: 23

:San_Fran_49ers: 27 :Green_Bay_Packers: 41

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: DIVISIONAL ROUND

Saturday:
:Buffalo_Bills: @ :NE_Patriots:

:New_Orleans_Saints: @ :Philly_Eagles:

Sunday:
:Baltimore_Ravens: @ :Denver_Broncos:

:Green_Bay_Packers: @ :Seattle_Seahawks:

[jaymo76]

News reports are coming in this hour that :Oakland_Raiders: are very interested in the coaching services of Marvin Lewis. Though nothing has been formerly announced this story seems to have some traction.

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: DIVISIONAL ROUND RESULTS:

:Buffalo_Bills: 17 :NE_Patriots: 23

:New_Orleans_Saints: 16 :Philly_Eagles: 27

:Baltimore_Ravens: 24 :Denver_Broncos: 26

:Green_Bay_Packers: 24 :Seattle_Seahawks: 27

[jaymo76]

Breaking news: the Raiders have announced the signing of a new head trainer. Daniel Morgan has signed a three year deal which will see him paid $90,000. He is under contract through 2018.

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND:

:Denver_Broncos: @ :NE_Patriots:


:Seattle_Seahawks: @ :Philly_Eagles:

[jaymo76]

Breaking news:

:New_York_Giants: have announced the signing of Jim Harbaugh as their new Head Coach.

:San_Fran_49ers: have announced the signing of Marvin Lewis as their new Head Coach


The Raiders have held a press conference stating they are in shock as they had every indication Lewis would sign with them. The Raiders offered more money and more term yet Lewis turned them down without so much as a warning. The search for a new coach will continue for Oakland. No front running candidates have been announced at this time.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news:

:New_York_Jets: sign rookie Head Coach Michael Lattimer to a 3 year contract.

[jaymo76]

The Pro Bowl this year is Ronnie Lott versus Lawrence Taylor (???)

:Oakland_Raiders: picks

Ronnie's team

HB1 MJD
C1 Stephen Wisniewski
RT1 Austin Howard
DT3 Tarrell Troup


Lawrence's team:

FB1 Marcel Reece
WR1 Randy Chaney (rookie)
LT1 Donald Penn
LG2 Chris Patterson (rookie)
RG2 Gabe Jackson
LE1 LaMarr Woodley
RE1 Justin Tuck
DT2 Antoin Smith

[jaymo76]

:NFL_Playoffs:

:Denver_Broncos: 21 :NE_Patriots: 28

:Seattle_Seahawks: 31 :Philly_Eagles: 34

[jaymo76]

So the Super Bowl matchup this year is...

:NE_Patriots: @ :Philly_Eagles:

[jaymo76]

Breaking News:

The :Oakland_Raiders: have announced the hiring of their next Head Coach. The Raiders have introduced Mike Smith as the new Head Coach of the Oakland Raiders. Smith was released from Atlanta last off season. The deal will be for 3 years and pay Smith 4.33 million dollars.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news:

:Miami_Dolphins: sign rookie Head Coach Daniel Singer to a three year deal. Terms of the deal have not been released.

[jaymo76]

Fan reaction to the signing of Smith has not been overwhelmingly positive. Many believe dropping Allen in favour of Smith is a lateral move at best. Smith brings a Hybrid D philosophy and a Power run O philosophy. Some personnel changes may be in order???

[jaymo76]

:NFL::Lombardi_Trophy:


:NE_Patriots: 21 :Philly_Eagles: 24

Congratulations to the Eagles, your Super Bowl champions!!!

MVP Matt Barkley 24/32 278 yards 3 Td's 1 Int.

[jaymo76]

Notable retirements...

:Oakland_Raiders: Champ Bailey


LG R Incognito
K Jay Feely
FB Vonta Leach
HB Pierre Thomas
LE Rob Ninkovich
C Dominic Raiola
P Shane Lechler
FS Charles Woodson
RE Jason Babin
HB Willis McGahee
CB Ike Taylor
ROLB Osi Unenyiora
TE Antonio Gates
QB Carson Palmer

[jaymo76]

Notable player releases...

:Wash_Redskins: WR Desean Jackson
:Houston_Texans: HB Arian Foster
:Baltimore_Ravens: DT B.J. Raji
WR Jacoby Jones
:St_Louis_Rams: WR Tavon Austin
:NE_Patriots: DT Vince Wilfork
:Green_Bay_Packers: LOLB Julius Peppers
:Detroit_Lions: TE Brandon Pettigrew
:Jax_Jaguars: HB Toby Gerhart
RE Chris Clemons
:New_York_Giants: CB Javier Arenas
WR Victor Cruz
:Philly_Eagles: WR Roddy White
:Dallas_Cowboys: QB Tony Romo
RT Doug Free
:Indianapolis_Colts: MLB Demeco Ryans
WR Lance Moore
:San_Diego_Chargers: QB Phillip Rivers
:TB_Buccaneers: FS Dashon Goldson
:Chicago_Bears: RE Jared Allen
RG Kyle Long
QB Jay Cutler

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: Contract Status Update:

Re-signed players:

HB Lamar Miller (4 years 3M 600k bonus)
FS Usama Young (3 years 4.5M 960k bonus)
WR Cole Beasley (1 year 850k)
CB Tarell Brown (1 year 4.5M 1.5M bonus)


Players testing free agency:

WR Stedman Bailey
RE Justin Tuck
DT Antoin Smith
WR Jeremy Kerley
MLB Kaluka Maiava

[jaymo76]

Further update: talks have broken down with the following players.

SS L. Asante
ROLB M. Burris

The decision was also made to release the following players.

CB Carlos Rogers
TE Allen Reisner
LG Tony Bergstrom
CB Terry Porter
ROLB Jeremy Cole

[jaymo76]

Breaking news from Oakland!

Minutes before the FA period opened, the Raiders announced they have come to terms with DT Torell Troup. The deal is for 2 years and will pay Troup 1.6M with a 200k signing bonus.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland!

The :Oakland_Raiders: Nation is in shock tonight as out of the blue, long-time kicker Sebastien Janikowski has decided to retire. The team currently has no backup plan and will now be forced to dip into the free agent market to find a replacement. Janikowski ends his storied career with two best kicker awards to his name and a legacy score of 4,975.

The Raiders wish Janikowski all the best in his retirement.

[jaymo76]

Taking a quick look at the FA QB pool...

Andrew Luck
Phillip Rivers
Tony Romo
Jay Cutler
Sam Bradford
Ryan Tannehill
RGIII
Ben Roethlisberger
Bryan Hoyer
Mike Vick
Mark Sanchez
Kyle Orton
Eli Manning

[jaymo76]

Week one free agency:

Today the Raiders announced the signing of two players.

K Caleb Sturgis (4 years 2.56M 240k bonus)
CB Derek Cox (2 years 1.75M 140k bonus)

[jaymo76]

Week two of free agency:

The Raiders have signed a number of player this week.

RE Olivier Vernon (4 years, 7.4M 1.76M bonus)
RG Ryan Seymour (3 years 2.17M 150k bonus)
HB Charles Sims (1 year 590k)
MLB Jamar Chaney (3 years 2.25M 420k bonus)

[jaymo76]

Week three free agency recap:

The Raiders made a big splash at corner by signing CB Janoris Jenkins (5 years 22.5 million). The Raiders also announced that Stedman Bailey would be returning to the team with a 2 year 1.48 million dollar deal. There was zero FA interest for him.

Other depth positions were filled as well.

K Dustin Hopkins (3 years 1.92M)
C Brian Folkerts (2 years 1.5M)
RE Frank Moala (2 years 2.16M 100k bonus)
RT Derek Newton (3 years 2.19M)
DT Devon Still (4 years 4M)
LOLB Kaelin Burnett (3 years 2.49M)

[jaymo76]

Some big signings around the league....

:New_York_Jets: QB Andrew Luck

:Tennessee_Titans: Phillip Rivers

:Pitt_Steelers: Tony Romo

:Dallas_Cowboys: Chase Daniels

:St_Louis_Rams: Kirk Cousins

:San_Diego_Chargers: Jay Cutler

:New_York_Giants: Ryan Tannehill

:Wash_Redskins: RGIII... again...

:Indianapolis_Colts: Sam Bradford

:Carolina_Panthers: Ben Roethlisberger

:New_York_Jets: Mark Sanchez... again...


:NE_Patriots: HB Matt Forte

:New_York_Jets: Arian Foster

:San_Diego_Chargers: WR Julio Jones

:New_York_Jets: Pierre Garcon

:Cleveland_Browns: DeSean Jackson

:Tennessee_Titans: Victor Cruz

:New_Orleans_Saints: DT Antonio Smith

:Houston_Texans: Vince Wilfork

:Tennessee_Titans: RE Justin Tuck

:Green_Bay_Packers: CB Stephon Gilmore

:Arizona_Cardinals: Jimmy Smith

:New_York_Jets: FS Reggie Nelson

:Kansas_City_Chiefs: Deshon Goldson

:Chicago_Bears: SS Mark Barron


Overall, the Jets made the biggest gains through free agency. They will be a strong team this season. Tennessee also had some nice signings. The AFC made some big gains.

[Rudy]

Taking a quick look at the FA QB pool...

Andrew Luck
Phillip Rivers
Tony Romo
Jay Cutler
Sam Bradford
Ryan Tannehill
RGIII
Ben Roethlisberger
Bryan Hoyer
Mike Vick
Mark Sanchez
Kyle Orton
Eli Manning

That is crazy. In my second off season Julio Jones was a FA and went unsigned.

[Rudy]

I see quite a few former Dolphins on the Raiders.

[jaymo76]

That is crazy. In my second off season Julio Jones was a FA and went unsigned.

I have given up on any hope of free agency in Madden. The farther you go the more crazy it is. Plus it's so easy to sign players for cheap. Many players will not be offered contracts so all you have to do is short change them/ cut the bonus and offer in the last week of free agency and it's pretty much a guarantee they sign with you.

As for Julio Jones, that was the same with me. He went in as an FA and was not signed until pre-season. However, this off-season he was the #1 target teams went after and he got huge bucks.

My biggest concern moving forward is how borked the QB situation will be. Historically, PS3 Madden began to fall apart by season 3/4. That is where I currently sit right now.

[souljahbill]

Breaking news: the Raiders have announced the signing of a new head trainer. Daniel Morgan has signed a three year deal which will see him paid $90,000. He is under contract through 2018.

$90,000 per season or total?

[steelerfan]

$90,000 per season or total?
Neither one works. Must be a typo.

I #TrustTheScript

[jaymo76]

$90,000 per season or total?

Don't have the game on right now but I believe it was 90,000 per season for 3 seasons. The guy is a level 18 trainer and one of the highest priced in the pool. High rated trainers really help with limiting injuires in 15.

[SmoothPancakes]

$90,000 just doesn't even seem realistic or possible, especially for one of the highest priced trainers in the pool. $900,000 would make much more sense.

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk because I #TrustTheScript

[souljahbill]

Don't have the game on right now but I believe it was 90,000 per season for 3 seasons. The guy is a level 18 trainer and one of the highest priced in the pool. High rated trainers really help with limiting injuires in 15.

Phew! I hope it's per year because my salary at a high school would be MUCH higher that that guys if it's 90k over 3.

[jaymo76]

$90,000 just doesn't even seem realistic or possible, especially for one of the highest priced trainers in the pool. $900,000 would make much more sense.

Sent from my Droid Maxx using Tapatalk because I #TrustTheScript


Phew! I hope it's per year because my salary at a high school would be MUCH higher that that guys if it's 90k over 3.

I find that nothing in Madden NFL related to salary/expenses is realistic. I think they dumb down the finances in order to make it more accessible to the non-hardcore players.

[JeffHCross]

Which makes no sense to me. If someone (a producer, designer, whoever) is going to make an argument that the money stuff needs to be dumbed-down in order to be more accessible, making the numbers smaller (or more unrealistic) doesn't really make it more accessible. Unless it somehow makes the salary cap easier to navigate, which I doubt. Math is still math, whether the numbers are small or large. If they need dumbed-down, they need to be removed, not decreased.

[jaymo76]

The :NFL: Draft is upon us. Oakland has the 24th overall pick. Needs include MLB and FS. Will there be the possibility of trading up??? Only time wll tell.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news...

The Raiders are announcing a trade...

:Oakland_Raiders: have traded the 24th pick and WR James Jones to the :Cincinnati_Bengals: in exchange for the 6th overall pick.

Oakland management believes that Jones is in the twilight of his career and the up and coming recievers need time to develop.

[jaymo76]

With the #6 pick, :Oakland_Raiders: snag the #1 linebacker in the draft, MLB Lynden Johnson. May had Johnson as a possible #1 overall pick. He is a tackling machine! The only question is how he wll fit in a 4-3 D as he is coming from an attacking 3-4 scheme. The 22 year old will be competing for the starting job so we will get our answer soon enough.

[jaymo76]

Riaders tried to swing another trade with the Titans, 49ers, Panthers, Ravens, and Packers but every deal fell through. Finally the Packers selected TE Poppy Chaman. The Raiders just could not get the deal done. This kid will be something special.

[jaymo76]

Not a huge area of need for Oakland but with the 2nd round pick they selected the best player on the baord, CB Tyri Bernard from Boston College. Bernard is a speedster. He is a prototype DB who prefers a 4-3 D formation. The Raider DB depth is improving.

[jaymo76]

With the 3rd round pick, Oakland selects WR Christian Terry, a strong route running WR out of Wyoming.

[jaymo76]

With the 4th round pick, the Raider select RE Brendan Newman out of Clemson. Newman fits best in an attacking 4-3.

[jaymo76]

With the 5th round pick, the Raiders go a bit off the board and make a stretch for LE Rafael Coley. Coley fits best in a 4-3/Tampa 2 system. He comes from the University of Oregon.

[jaymo76]

With the 6th round pick, te Raiders draft, LOLB Bronson Kitchens. Kitchens, comes from Duke where he played in a Cover 2/Tampa 2 system.

[jaymo76]

With the Raiders last pick, they select WR Lincoln Godfrey, a speedster out of Kansas State. Some projected him for the 2nd round. It will be interesting to see what he can do.

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: Preseason schedule...

@ :Green_Bay_Packers:

@ :Pitt_Steelers:

vs. :Baltimore_Ravens:

vs. :New_York_Giants:

[jaymo76]

For the regular season, Oakland gets a number of prime-time games this season.

Week 1: vs. :Pitt_Steelers: MONDAY NIGHT

Week 4: @ :Denver_Broncos: SUNDAY NIGHT

Week 9: @ :Houston_Texans: THURSDAY NIGHT

Week 12: vs. :San_Diego_Chargers: THURSDAY NIGHT

Week 14: vs. :Indianapolis_Colts: MONDAY NIGHT

[Rudy]

What are the draft grades/overalls on your picks? Can't believe the CPU accepted that trade up in first round. They are usually stingy.

[jaymo76]

What are the draft grades/overalls on your picks? Can't believe the CPU accepted that trade up in first round. They are usually stingy.

No access right now but let's just say I will not be winning any awards this year. I am really disappointed in my #1 pick though. He is only a 73ovr yet his pre-draft ratings were phenomenal and twitter et. al. predicted he be would be the best defensive player in the draft. With those stats he sits 4th on the MLB depth chart. I'm not sure what to do with him at this point. Every other player is in the 60's. This is the worst draft year I have ever had in terms of ovr.

As for trades, I was surprised too as Jones is on his last legs. However, my first round pick projection was #6 so I thought I would try. Turns out I should have held onto the pick and taken best available at 24 as my pick could very well not make it on the field this year.

[jaymo76]

Pet peeve...if you change a player from CB to FS just to see how he is rated, when you turn him back to a CB he should not have a massive stat drop. That is absolutely crazy! My rooking CB went from a 65ovr to a 47 FS. I didn't like the rating so at the very same time I changed him back to a CB. He is now rated a 58ovr. A ratings drop of 7 points in under a minute! Unbelievable!!! Attention Madden developers... you don't forget to play a position in less than 60 seconds... :fp::down::fp:

[Rudy]

His awareness rating drops every time you switch positions.

What ratings did you scout the Mlb? There are 4 important ones with tackle #1.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1menBBGdQe_exKJf3kCbtK1eS5pf7IoAu3eW3Ai31X3A/edit#gid=1941225598

[jaymo76]

His awareness rating drops every time you switch positions.

What ratings did you scout the Mlb? There are 4 important ones with tackle #1.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1menBBGdQe_exKJf3kCbtK1eS5pf7IoAu3eW3Ai31X3A/edit#gid=1941225598

I usually scout tackle, awareness, man coverage and zone coverage (for LB's). I know that the scheme fit is an issue as he is a 3-4 backer but he is supposed to be elite (he even had commentary in the draft) so I expected much, much higher than a 73 ovr.

The plan as is will be to start Roach at MLB and most likely cut Burnett so that my rookie can get some reps. Next year Roach will either retire or be cut and then the rookie will get his shot.

[jaymo76]

Ratings for :Oakland_Raiders: draft picks

1. MLB Lynden Donaldson 73 ovr
2. CB Tyri Bernard 56 ovr
3. WR Christian Terry 64 ovr
4. RE Brendan Newman 68 ovr
5. LE Rafael Coley 62 ovr
6. LOLB Bronson Kitchens 58 ovr
7. WR Lincoln Godfrey 59 ovr.

This class will definitely not go down as elite. Hopefully though they will be servicable players.

[jaymo76]

Going into the season the Raiders beleive they have the talent and depth to be Superbowl bound. With new HC Mike Smith at the helm there will definitely be some growing pains.

Edit: even though it says Mike Smith runs a 4-3 he actually runs a 3-4. This will need to change as I don't do 3-4 D and this team has been built on a 4-3 philosophy.

[jaymo76]

Exhibition 1:

:Oakland_Raiders: @ :Green_Bay_Packers:

Mike Smith's tenure kicks off with a 43-37 win in an absolute monsson in Green Bay. The Packers, wearng their hideous retros held the lead for 3 quarters before the Raiders broke through and took the lead. However, with the game tied at 37, Locker hit Lattimore for a 63 yard TD and the Raiders held the lead for the last 52 seconds of the game.

Highlights:

Derek Carr 11/16 125 yards 1 TD
RB Charles Sims 10 carries 49 yards 1 TD
rookie WR Christian Terry 5 rec 145 yards 1 TD
WR Terik Lattimore 5 rec. 96 yards 1 TD
rookie MLB Lynden Donaldson 8 tackles 1 INT.

Lowlights:

Jake Locker 9/22 254 yards 1 TD 2 int.
RB Sherrod Stevenson 5 carries 13 yards 1 TD

And the bad news... starting CB DJ Hayden will be out for six weeks with a partial PCL tear.

[jaymo76]

Breaking news!!!

:Denver_Broncos: are reporting that Peyton Manning has retired. That leaves 3 year man Zac Dysert as the starting QB. He is backed up by rookie Dalton Parks.

[thatBuckeye]

Ratings for :Oakland_Raiders: draft picks

1. MLB Lynden Donaldson 73 ovr
2. CB Tyri Bernard 56 ovr
3. WR Christian Terry 64 ovr
4. RE Brendan Newman 68 ovr
5. LE Rafael Coley 62 ovr
6. LOLB Bronson Kitchens 58 ovr
7. WR Lincoln Godfrey 59 ovr.

This class will definitely not go down as elite. Hopefully though they will be servicable players.
That LB may be something special. Don't let ovr get you down. Check his development and attributes. He may be a stud that just needs coaching.

[jaymo76]

That LB may be something special. Don't let ovr get you down. Check his development and attributes. He may be a stud that just needs coaching.

Yeah I am hoping so. He had a strong game in his exhibition vs. GB. I need to dump a good chunk of development points into him though to get him up to NFL standards. By the way, thanks for checking out the thread!

[jaymo76]

Exhibition 2: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Pitt_Steelers:

Oakland does NOT play well in Steelerville and tonight was no exception. Oakland QB's threw a total of 4 ints. including a pic six and the Stellers won 38-17. Oakland was up 17-10 in the 3rd but they didn't deserve to be. Leveon Bell exploded for 107 rush yards and 2nd stringer Tony Romo gobbled up 194 passing yards. It was an ugly loss.

The Raiders now 1-1 in preseason have struggled to grasp Mike Smith's new game planning. The only real positives were the play of new addition CB Janoris Jenkins and rookie LOLB Bronson Kitchens as they both had 7 tackles.

[jaymo76]

Big signings around the league...

:St_Louis_Rams: WR Justin Blackmon

:Miami_Dolphins: WR Tavon Austin

:Buffalo_Bills: CB Alphonso Dennard

:Dallas_Cowboys: QB Matt Cassel

:St_Louis_Rams: TE Jacob Tamme

[JeffHCross]

n/m. Good updates, Jaymo! Good luck!

[jaymo76]

Exhibition 3: :Baltimore_Ravens: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The hated Ravens are in town but as it's an exhibition game, tempers are not strained today. That being said, the Raiders did NOT forget the playoff game last season and as such casme out and trounced the Ravens to a tune of 44-7. Yup, it felt good!


As for off the field, the first round of cuts include:

K Dustin Hopkins
* had a strong camp but cutting Sturgis was too much of a cap hit this season
WR Brice Butler
SS Jonathan Dowling
C Brian Folkerts

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland!

The Raiders are reporting a multi-player trade with the Bears.

Oakland gets:

4th round pick
5th round pick

Chicago gets:

MLB Kevin Burnett
WR Cole Beasley

The move makes a lot of sense as the raiders have too many bodies at MLB. Rookie MLB Donaldson continues to move up the depth chart. As for Beasley, he has struggled to fit onto the roster. Young gun Raider recievers made hime expendable.

[jaymo76]

Exhibition 4: :New_York_Giants: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The Raiders ended the exhibition schedule in class by destroying the Giants, 52-24. McGloin wnet 15/16 for 124 yards and 2td's. Now the tough decisions need to be made...

[jaymo76]

The last day of cuts...

RB Latavius Murray
** this was a tough one but he had been surpassed by Sims and Miller on the depth chart
LOLB Kaelin Burnett
** the play of rookie, Kitchens made him expendable
RT Derek Newton
WR Lincoln Godfrey
** I don't like to release rookies but he just didn't have the talent to make the team.

[jaymo76]

Due to strong play in the preseason, WR Stedman Bailey will start as #3 reciever, getting the spot ahead of Terrik Lattimore. Speed at the wideout position will be huge this season!

[jaymo76]

Week 1: :Pitt_Steelers: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The season kicks off with a primetime clash versus the Steel Curtain. This Steeler team is not as deep as in previous years but they are a formidable matchup nonetheless. No more Big Ben changes the dynamic of the Pittsburgh squad but the D is still the strong point of the team. An inury to Mike Pouncey may give the Oakland D a line advantage.

As for Oakland, this team is built for a SuperBowl run. The strenght of the dvision has shifted as the :AFC: WEST has a real lack of QB depth. This is the year to strike! Now the question... is the combo of McGloin & Carr up for it?

The Raiders start ith the ball and struggle out of the gate. The Pitt secondary is outstanding! McGloin went 1/4 for 24 yards. The drive went nowhere. Pittsburgh's rookie QB Jones also struggles on his first series.
On the Raiders 2nd drive, McGloin continues to struggle. The next Pittsburgh drive see's Jones show why he was a high draft pick. Jones carves up the Oakland D throwing for 74 yards. To end the first quarter, the Steelers are within striking distance.

The Raiders make a goal line stand and the Steelrs are forced into a 3 point attempt. That makes it 3-0 Steelers. Bad news, CB McGill is out with a fractured foot. It looks bad!!!

I don't know what is going on with McGloin... 4/12 for 31 yards. He missed three straight open recievers for a 3 and out. As compared to Jones who is over 100 yards on six completions out of 8 passes.

Just like that it's 10-0 Pittsburgh. What a joke! Jones hit the reciever out of bounds!!!! The call is challenged and it stands!!!! For the love of.... fix the challenge system in this game!!!!!

McGloin gets crushed in the backfield and he's out. Carr goes 3/4 for 72 yards and the drive ends with a 34 yard FG by Sturgis to make the score 10-3 Pitt. On PIttsburgh's next possession they go three and out. However, the Raiders cannot move the ball and the Steelers record their 5th sack of the half.

McGloin has a dislocated hip and is out for the rest of the game. It's Carr's show now.

With 1:13 left, Woodley comes up with a stripped ball at the Raider 37. That was huge as the Steelers were marchng. However a 3 and out by Oakland and Pittsburgh has the ball again. They move the ball with ease and end the half with another chip shot field goal. That makes it 13-3 Pittsburgh.

The first half is over and it was horrific for Oakland. The pass D has been embarrassing. Jones threw for 220 yards going 15/19. Pittsburgh controlled the clock for 14 mins and 22 seconds. Oakland has less than 100 total yards. What happened from preseason to this???

Pittsburgh starts with the ball but the drive ends with no points. On Oakland's firsty possession FINALLY Chaney has a reception!

On the next Pittsburgh possession, Raider DT Pat Sims gets a safety and that makes it 13-5. After a long beautiful drive, Sturgis misses a 40 yard FG. He actually missed by about 15 yards to the left... I didn't think that was possible... wow! The score remains 13-5.

The Steelers then go down the field and hit a 46 yard FG to make the score 16-5 with 9:46 left in the 4th. Horrendous!

After a great drive down the field the Raiders get to the 2 and four straight plays get stopped and turn the ball over on downs. The Raiders get the ball back and get to the 18 and then go 4 and out. ... again! Smith has no faith in Sturgis. However, Pittsburgh has stopped throwing the ball... why???? Jones cannot be stopped???? This makes no sense!

With 3:49 left Carr hits Chaney for a 9 yard TD and then hits Bailey for the 2 point conversion and that makes the score 16-13 Pittsburgh.

The Steelers then move the ball through the air as their rookie QB is amazing (even though he is 68 ovr...) and the Steelers hits a 40 yard FG to make the score 19-13 with 1:11 left. The Raiders are out of time outs. This game is probably over. Raiders played a weak game of football and don't deserve a win today... will they step up now???

On 4th and 9 Carr hits Lattimore for a 63 yard TD. OMG the Raiders take the lead 20-19 with 30 seconds left. This is crazy! Can they hold the lead???

Pittsburgh starts at ther own 24. The game comes down to a 4th and 16.... and DT Sims gets the sack. Three kneel downs and the game is over.

Raiders win! Raiders win! Wow!!! Oakland had no right to victory here. Pittsburgh dominated and Oakland got a lucky break with a major mismatch (MLB on a speedster wideout).

Carr 21/42 350 yards 2 TD
Jones 21/33 288 yards 1 TD
* only completed one pass in the 4th quarter after playing amazing for 3 quarters...

Vereen 20 carries 80 yards
MJD 15 carries 55 yards

Chaney 8 rec 137 yards 1 TD
Walker 5 rec 67 yards

Woodley 8 tackles 4 sacks
Abdul-Quddus 6 tackles

Sturgis 1/2 FG
Potter 4/4 FG


Agian this was a theft and a fluke win for Oakland. Pittsburgh was robbed. I think it is safe to say that the Raider faithful would like to NOT have to play the Steelers again this season...

[jaymo76]

Injury update:

QB Matt McGloin out six weeks
CB Keith McGill out six weeks

At this time neither play will be placed on IR.

[jaymo76]

Rumblings are aplenty in Raider Nation. Coming in at this hour are reports that :Oakland_Raiders: and O. CO Coliseum are prepared to go their separate ways. It is also being reported that Oakland is not able/willing to fund a new stadium at this time. Could a move be in the works? Is this the end of the line for the :NFL: in Oakland/Alameda???

Based on twitter commentary and NFL sources, THREE locations have been mentioned as possible destinations IF (and that's a BIG "IF"...) the Raiders are preparing to relocate. The locations mentioned in no particular order are:

1. Los Angeles, California
2. Portland, Oregon
3. San Antonio, Texas

Again, there is no guarantee a relocation is in the works but this story MAY have legs???

[jaymo76]

Week 2: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Carolina_Panthers:

The 1-0 Raiders expect a tough game in Carolina as the 0-1 Panthers have a lot of weapons. Most of the Carolina O is based around RB Ridley.

The Panthers start with the ball and Neeton goes 4/5 and get to the 2 but are forced to go for 3 points. Just like that it's 3-0 Carolina. Newton and Ridley are a powerful combo!

After a beautiful response drive Oakland goes deep into Carolina territory but on 3rd down Carr misses a wide open Chaney in the endzone. Sturgis hits a 21 yard FG and the game is tied at 3-3. That was a great chance that the raiders blew!

With the 2nd quarter underway, the Raiders get some bad news.... MJD is out for the game. Stevenson will get the rock now.

This game is a dog! The D is holding boths teams off the stats sheet. However, the bigger story is that Derek Carr is NOT a very accurate passer. Oakland could be up by two majors but he cannot hit an open reciever. Overthrows and underthrows have stalled two drives thus far. Points are being left on the field. Will that bite Oakland later??? Let's hope not.

The half ends 3-3. This Mike Smith offense has not impressed today. Derek Carr has made it that much worse. On the first drive of the 3rd he follows up his great first half with another wide open overthrow. It would have been a massive gain...

Wow! On 4th and 13, kicking from the back of the endzone, Carolina's punter rips a 73 yard punt (no bounce) with the entire Raider special teams rushing in... (ps. insert crappy madden gameplay comment here...:)

Finally the big one! With 1:32 left in the 3rd, Carr hits TE Rivera for a 19 yard TD strike and the Raiders take the lead 10-3. The Ridley led Panthers are threatening as the 4th starts. The Panthers attempt a 50 yard FG but they suffer a false start and the drive ends with a punt. The score remains 10-3 Oakland.

Damn you Luke Keuchly. The guy is a freak! He is in on every play... literally every freaking play!!!

The Raider O switches to a spread run style and it works. Raiders move the ball and chew the clock. The drive ends with a 1 yard TD rush by Stevenson. With 2:23 remaining that makes it 17-3 Oakland.

Carolina will NOT let this one go without a fight. With 1:35 left, Newton hits Benjamin for a 60 yard TD. The Panthers still have all three timeouts and decide to kickoff. 17-10... it's all on the shoulders of Stevenson... and the kid delivers with a big third down conversion. Carolina runs out of timeouts and time and the Raiders prevail, moving their record to 2-0.

Carr 14/24 184 yards 1 TD
Newton 10/14 149 yards 1 TD

Stevenson 20 carries 95 yards 1 TD
Ridley 14 carries 109 yards

Lattimore 5 rec 76 yards
Ridley 4 rec 34 yards

Moore 6 tackles 2 sacks
Keuchly 15 tackles

[jaymo76]

Breaking news... :Pitt_Steelers: have put Le'Veon Bell on the trade block. After a 41-10 loss and starting out 0-2 the Pittsburgh Steelers are in panic mode. Maybe they should not have let Big Ben go???

[jaymo76]

So wrong... Johnny Interception is the #1 ranked QB based on the stats...

Also, Zac Dysert of the :Denver_Broncos: has Denver sitting at 2-0. He was :AFC: Offensive player of the week. Wow!

[jaymo76]

Breaking News!!!

:Oakland_Raiders: management have announced a one year extension with their lease at O.co Coliseum. Next season will be the last season the Raiders play there. It is still unclear if a relocation is in the works or if Oakland has come up with the money for a new stadium. According to reports, the Raiders, the league's 9th richest team are demanding a top of the line deluxe stadium. Oakland/Alameda government officials have previously reported no money exists for such a proposal. Either a new stadium will be built in Oakland or the team will be moving.

Oakland's owner, Jaymo, being from the Pacific Northwest has talked openly about the feasibility of an :NFL: team operating out of Portland, Oregon. However, Los Angeles, California may be too tempting to pass up. Plus, there is a history in that area with the former LA Raiders. The dark horse in the race has to be San Antonio. The proposal is an interesting one but it involves playing in a dome. Will the Raider brass go for that???

[jaymo76]

Week 3: :New_Orleans_Saints: @ :Oakland_Raiders:

The 2-0 Raiders have another matchup versus the :NFC: South. The Saints and Drew Brees look to exploit a fragile Raiders secondary. However, the return of DJ Hayden from injury should help tighten up the Raider D. The 2-0 Saints are definitely the favourites in this game. Will coach Smith's gameplan be up to snuff???

The Raiders first drive ends with a 53 yard TD strike from Carr to Moore. Moore at WR has a great matchup dissadvantage in man D. This is something that will be exploited all day, if the Saints let it. 7-0 Oakland.

Brees to Colston is the theme of the Saints first drive. On 4th down the Saints go for it (due to a huge wind) and convert. However, 4 plays later the drive ends in a 36 yard FG... 7-3 Oakland.

Speaking of WR Moore... first play on the next drive and he gets rocked. A lower back strain and he is out for the game. No matter, as Lattimore takes over and scorches the DB for a long gain. MJD then punches it in from the 1 and at the start of the 2nd, it's 14-3 Oakland.

Midway through the 2nd, Carr hits TE Rivera from the 2 and that makes it 21-3 Oakland. Carr is on fire, going over the 200 yard passing mark.

With 29 seconds left in the half, NO hits a 33 yard FG and that makes it 21-6 Oakland. The half ends on that score. Carr went 9/10 for 211 yards and 2 TD's. Wow!!!

Early in the 3rd, Sturgis has one of the worst shanks in the history of the NFL. He misses from 54 but the ball went out of bounds at the 15! Ugly!!! The score remains 21-6. That's the chance Brees needs as he destoys the Oakland D and then ends the drive by hitting Graham for a 20 yard TD. That makes it 21-13.

At end the 3rd MJD takes it in from the 2 and the Raiders go up 28-13. Early in the 4th NO hits a 56 yard FG and that makes it 28-16. The Oakland O has gone silent and the NO D is bringing the house.

NO's hope begins to fade as Brees leaves the game with an injury. The Raiders continue to go three and out so the Saints are totally out of it...

Ouch! MLB Nick Roach suffered a collarbone injury and will be out awhile. That means the first round rookie will get his shot! Good luck Donaldson!

With 1:44 left the Saints hand the ball over at the Raider 22 as they cannot convert on 4th down. However, the Raider go three and out again and the Saints get another shot. Yet the fate is the same. With that the game ends 28-16 Oakland.

What a bizarre game. Oakland's offense was on fire in the first half yet went dead in the 2nd. Carr had 32 yards and 1 completion in the 2nd. MJD as dead in the water too.

Carr 14/20 243 yards 2TD
Brees 16/24 186 yards 1TD
Griffin 6/11 64 yards

MJD 28 carries 92 yards 2 TD
Demarco Murray 8 carries 24 yards

Lattimore 4 rec 137 yards
Colston 7 rec 73 yards

FS Young 8 tacklets
MLB Lofton 9 tackles

Game ball goes to DT Pat Sims as he had 4 tackles 3 tackles for a loss and 3 sacks.

With that the Saints drop to 2-1 and Oakland improves to 3-0.

[jaymo76]

Update: :Oakland_Raiders: MLB Nick Roach will be out for 8 weeks.

[jaymo76]

Week 4: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Denver_Broncos:

Welcome to Lile High and the game of the week. Sunday night football features a matchup of the 3-0 Raiders and Broncos, class of the :AFC: WEST.

Montee Ball is a beast on the ground while first year pivot Zac Dysert has thrown for 14 TD's on three games!!! Can the Raider D hold them in check???

The game starts with a Bronco three and out followed by a long Raider drive ending with a 34 yard Sturgis FG. That makes the score 3-0 Oakland.

On Denver's next drive, DJ Hayden makes his triumphant return to the starting lineup with an int at the Oakland 3. The Raiders got lucky there. The drive also saw the first sack for rookie MLB Donaldson.

The Raiders string together a beautiful drive... until Carr gets too cute and tries to thread the needle at the 2 of Denver, only to be interecepted by the alays unlikable AJ Hawk.

With 1:57 left in the 2nd quarter, Denver hits a 35 yard FG to tie up the game 3-3. The half ends by the same score. This is a tough defensive struggle. Rookie MLB Donaldson is having a monster game thus far with 2 sacks and 5 tackles in his first start.

The Broncos go for a 62 yard punt early in the 3rd but a false start ends those plans and the score remains 3-3.

On the Raiders next drive Carr throws a bad pass that gets picked off by Ward and Denver brings it to the Oakland 18. A few plays later Ball punches it in for the TD and it's 10-3 Denver. Oakland should be way out in front but... Carr has blown it big time.

On the next play, Carr trows another int andDenver starts at the Oakland 3. Carr is done for the day and Locker is warming up. Carr should have been traded when the raiders had the chance. The guy is a total liability!!!

Ball punches it in again and it's now 17-3 Denver. You suck Carr!!!

Locker's first drive is gold as he goes 6/9 and hits MJD in the endzone for a TD 17-10 Denver, early in the 4th. After a 3 and out by Denver, Oakland gets it back and with 6:08 left Reece punches it in on 4th and inches... 17-17 is the score. Wow!

Did anyone say cheap tent? That's what the Raiders D looked like on the next Denver drive. 4 minutes later and Denver runs it in for a TD. Unfreaking beleivable!!! 24-17 Denver.

On the next play Talib makes the best interception I have ever seen in a football game. Over the shoulder, up in the air, not looking at the ball. The Raider D holds but they are out of timeouts.

However, Jake Locker hits WR Moore in te endzone with 4 seconds left. 24-24 and it's time for OT baby!

The Broncos get the ball to start but fail to score. Oakland starts at their own 14. After 11 plays, Sturgis hits a 27 yard FG and the Raiders win in OT 27-24. What a game!

The player of the game hands down in Jake Locker. I sense a QB controversy on the horizon...

Locker 17/24 203 yards 2TD 1int
Carr14/26 151 yards 3int
Dysert 17/25 193 yards 1int

MJD 15 carries 75 yards
Ball 13 carries 52 yards

Chaney 10 rec 143 yards
Sanders 6 rec 63 yards

Mack 6 tackles
Trevathan 11 tackles

[jaymo76]

:AFC: WEST standings after week 4.

:Oakland_Raiders: 4-0
:Denver_Broncos: 3-1
:San_Diego_Chargers: 2-2
:Kansas_City_Chiefs: 2-2

[jaymo76]

Top of the table... 4-0 teams

:NE_Patriots::San_Fran_49ers::Detroit_Lions::Oakla nd_Raiders:


Down in the dumps after 4 weeks

:Atlanta_Falcons::St_Louis_Rams::Indianapolis_Colt s::Miami_Dolphins:

[jaymo76]

After four weeks of play the Raiders there is real concern with the Raider rush attack. MJD may have passed his expirey date??? The Raiders have only rushed for 421 yards this season. This puts the rushing attack at 15th overall. Passingwise the Raiders are 7th with 1097 yards.

[jaymo76]

Week 6: :Oakland_Raiders: @ :Buffalo_Bills:

The 4-0 Raiders travel to Orchard Park to take on the 3-2 Bills. The Bills Dline is decimated as both Mario and Kyle Williams are out with injuries. This may be a blessing for the Raiders and their laclustre rush game. MJD needs a breakout game. Will this be it?

Mike Smith's offensive scheme has really minimzed the impact of the TE and the RB. That needs to be addressed today.

The Raiders start with the ball and the drive is very run heavy. MJD had 11 rushes in the first drive alone. FB Marcel Reece brings the drive to an end with a TD rush from the 2. That makes it 7-0 Oakland on a very, very long drive.

No matter, five plays later it is 7-7 as Manuel hits Woods for the TD strike. What a horrendous defensive effort by Oakland!

Bad news, Star WR Randy Chaney was lit up on a crossing pattern. He has been diagnosed with a torn shoulder labrum and will be out for at least a few weeks.

Midway through the 2nd, the Raiders O strikes as Carr hits Lattimore for a 70 yard TD and just like that it's 14-7 Oakland. Buffalo responds yet again with an easy TD.

Near the end of the half, Sturgis misses a 51 yard FG (this guy sucks!) and the score remains 14-14. That score holds going into halftime.

What a weird half. The Raiders gave up 138 rush yards but completely shut down the pass game. Carr has thrown for over 140 yards but sinnce the first drive MJD has been held to under 10 yards. This game truly is up for grabs but the Raiders sure don't look like they want it. Let's hope for a better effort in the 2nd half.

Damn you Madden!!! fix your challenge system!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carr throws a screen and the pass is an incomplete forward pass but the Dline picks it up and Buffalo gets possesion at the Oakland six... Raiders cannot challenge and it's a TD on the next play. 21-14 Buffalo...

MJD is replaced as starter by Stevenson at the start of the 4th. The spark works and the Raiders move the ball well and the drive ends with Carr hitting Moore for a TD. That makes the score 21-21 with 7:56 remaining.

With 1:14 left Sturgis hits a 23 yard FG. It should have been a TD but Carr badly underthrew a wide open Bailey in the endzone. How did he blow that???

The Raider D needs to step up now... but they crap the bed and with 1 second left the Bills makes a 26 yard FG. Manuel shreds the Raiders secondary... horrendous D from Oakland and that means 24-24 and OT for the 2nd game in a row.

The Raiders win the toss and take the ball. Carr being Carr throws an int on the first drive of OT. A few plays later Manuel hits Watkins for a TD and the Bills win 30-24 in OT.

The Raiders fall to 4-1 and blow a victory. Management was quoted after the game as higly considering a QB switch for next game. For all the good Carr can do he is wildly inconsistent and amkes bad plays at the wrong time.

Carr 18/30 262 yards 2TD 1 int
Manuel 12/17 155 yards 2 TD

MJD 24 rushes 102 yards
Turbin 19 carries 127 yards 1 TD

Lattimore 4 rec 97 yards 1 TD
Woods 3 rec 24 yards

FS Young 8 tackles
MLB Reed 10 tackles 1 sack

[jaymo76]

Rumours are a flying at this hour that the Raiders are trying to swing a deal with Jacksonville to acquire the services of FS Will Hill.

There are also reports that the Raiders are entertaining offers about QB Carr.. ...

[jaymo76]

Breaking news out of Oakland tonight!!!

The Raiders have announced they have traded QB Derek Carr and a 7th round pick to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Detroit's first round pick this season and a fifth round pick next season.

[jaymo76]

:Oakland_Raiders: have announced the signing of FA QB Ricky Stanzi to a 1 year $730,000 contract. Stanzi willslot into 3rd on the depth chart.

[jaymo76]

Raiders have just announced they will hold a press conference tomorrow afternoon with regards to their road map for the future and the reasons behind trading Carr.

[jaymo76]

At the press conference today Oakland spoke of the direction of the team. It was decided by management that having to QB's wanting to be starter was a distraction. McGloin earned the right to be starter and is the more accurate of the two. With McGloin returning from injury this week it seemed like the right time to make the move. The Detroit move made perfect sense as the Raiders were looking for a mid to late round 1st round pick. The move will also greatly benefit Carr as he can tutor under an established QB.

The Raiders would like to thank Derek Carr for his three years of service and wish him well in his future QB endeavours.

[jaymo76]

Week 7: :Denver_Broncos: (4-1) @ :Oakland_Raiders: (4-1)

Didn't we just play this game? The Raiders and Broncos meet for the 2nd time this season. This is the first game with McGloin back in the helm and the first game since the Carr trade. A Raider win today would give Oaktown a bit of breathing space but a loss and the division lead will be gone.

The game starts with Oakland moving the ball well and ending the drive with a 39 yard FG to go up 3-0. The Broncos go three and out but on the next Raider drive McGloin is picked off (because this is madden, not real football... aka the corner covered 30 yards in under three seconds and crosse dthe entire field to make a pic... need I say more). The Broncos then score a TD (also as per usual). 7-3 Denver to end the1st.

Oakland responds with a 5 min drive ending in an 8 yard TD rush to make it 10-7 Oakland. Denver's low rated rookie Zac Dysert doubles as a Greek god... the guy is outstanding. He gets his team in scoring position (sort of) as Prater hits a 65 yard FG. That makes it 10-10. Did I mention the wind is crazy today???

F&^ck I hate Madden I really do! I run a screen pass the ball past the line of scrimmage and its called a fumble. Denver takes over at the Oakland 3 with 1:41 left in the half. Lucky for me my stud D holds them out and Denver is forced to go for a FG. That makes it 13-10 Denver to end the half (well technically Oakland 10, Denver 10 cpu 3).

On a hale merry, McGloin throws another pick... this one legit. The only real question at the half is whether or not the cpu has decided to win? Oh by the way, more reason to hate Madden... Denver goes for a 72 yard FG to end the half... wow!

Denver goes 3 and out to start the half. Not to worry thoughh as the cpu records another take away as MJD fumbles at the Oakland 12 and the result is a TD. 20-10. Oakland gets to the 2 on the next drive and then 4 straight plays stopped. Don't want to sound like I am crying but this is utter bull sh#t!!!

To end the 3rd, Oakland hits a 46 yard FG. It should have been a TD but Terry dropped a sure TD. Just for the record, Denver has 1 drop today while Oakland is now up to 9!!! 20-13 Denver.

Denver starts the half with a 57 yard rush from the I... the play end with another TD. 23-13 Denver. Regardless, Rader battle backand McGloin hits Bailey for a 41 yard TD to make it 23-20 Denver.

With 55 seconds left, Oakland hits a 31 yard FG and the game is tied 23-23.

F'n bullshit! Denver wins the game on a 65 yard FG. The Broncos win 26-23. What a joke! CPU decided to win plain and simple. Proof...

Zac Dysert 21-24 211 yards
Oakland Wr's 13 drops to Denver's one
Oakland 2 fumbles (and 2 ints... only one was legit)
Oakland 4 penalties and Denver 0
Denver 2 63+ yard Fg's
Denver 9 sacks to Oakland's 1

McGloin played so hard but the cpu would not give him his due... 26/44 274 yards and 1 TD with 2 int (1 legit). Keep in mind, 13 drops and 9 sacks an he still played amazing. PS most sacks were non blitz rerlated but rather defenders running by O linemen...

WR Bailey had a good day with 6 catches for over 100 yards and a TD. On the D side, rookie MLB Lynden Donaldson had 10 tackles and a strong outing.

Oakland was robbed. This should have been a win... no doubt in my mind. It's this type of stuff that makes me walk away from Madden for long stretches of time. The cpu should not pre-dtermine victory... even though the devs say it doesn't anyone who has played madden knows about this tye of stuff. So frustrating... anyays.... let it go... breathe....

[SmoothPancakes]

65 yard field goal? Goddamn...

#TheScriptIsDead

[jaymo76]

65 yard field goal? Goddamn...

#TheScriptIsDead


Two 65 yard Field Goals... both good. Plus a 72 yard attempt which was wide left and just barely short. Prater is good but not that good. The wind was strong but not that strong. To put it in perspective my kicker, Sturgis barely made a 46 yard FG. Man I was furious at the end of the game but after walking away, it's just a cpu game. That being said, I hate pre-determined victories and losses as it really ruins the experience!!!

[JeffHCross]

I have a harder time believing a decent performance by Zac Dysert than I do with the field goals :D

[jaymo76]

17/25 192 1 int.
21/24 211

Zac Dysert this season versus Oakland... 38/49 403 yards and 1 int.

The one stat about this kid this is not recorded are the sheer number of broken tackles. Multiple times I have had him sacked and he stiff arms/ducks/throws tacklers off and then makes a strike, usually for big yards. He also scrambles like very few others can and carves up my D for big yards. The real shocker though... Denver is much tougher with him that they were with Manning.

All-in-all, there has resumed a real hatred between :Denver_Broncos: and :Oakland_Raiders: These games are so intense and often go right down to the wire. Right now they are hands down my #1 rival.

[jaymo76]

Forgot to mention that with the injury to WR Randy Chaney the passing game has fallen off. Most disappointing this season though is how little the TE is taken advantage of in Mike Smith's offense. TE Rivera only has 13 catches this season (in 6 games). The Raider o is still trying to figure out this completely different playcall system.