California Sports Fan Blog

As the NFL season reaches it’s mid-point we can look at the teams from the great state of California and analyze what they’ve done so far and speculate how the rest of their seasons will shape up. Odds are that the the 49ers are going to be the team of California.

49ers
One of the most promising and favored teams to win it all, going by the NFL Spread, at the start of the 2012 season, the San Francisco 49ers have one best overall defensive units in the with a strong front composed of pro bowl defensive lineman and ageless wonder Justin Smith. Along with Smith two All-Pro middle linebackers in NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis. The offense is led by once thought to be bust quarter back Alex Smith now flourishing under the tutelage of head coach and ex NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh, and workhorse running back Frank Gore. The second half of the season looks to be favorable as the 49ers take on mostly NFC West rivals, en route to what will likely be a trip for the second year in a row to the playoffs.

Chargers
Moving over the to the AFC West the 4-4 San Diego Chargers have a shaky grasp on 2nd place. After a Monday night debacle which saw the Chargers blow a 24 point lead against division rival Denver I n which quarterback Phillip Rivers threw 5 interceptions, coupled with a lowly loss to the Browns 7-6 where they were unable to get into the end zone. These losses put head coach Norv Turner on the hot seat which was cooled for the time being as they whooped the Kansas City Chiefs 31-13. If Rivers can keep the turnovers to a minimum and the defense continues to play stout and force turnovers there is reason why the Chargers shouldn’t be able to challenge the favored Broncos to win the AFC West and make some noise in the playoffs.

Raiders
The Oakland Raiders also of the AFC West have been coming on strong as of late after getting off to a 1-3 start they have been able to win two of their last four losing to only the currently and only undefeated team, Atlanta Falcons by a field goal. If it were not an outstanding effort by Tampa Bay rookie sensation Doug Martin racking up 251 rushing yards in what turned out to be an offensive shootout the Raiders would be in great shape. Not be over looked is the play of quarterback Carson Palmer who has been able to find talented receivers Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey early and often to give the Raiders a feared passing attack which they will need in order to make up for the loss of their main rushing threat Darren McFadden. With favorable matchups in the second half of their season it is more than possible to see the Oakland Raiders clinch a Wild Card birth.

The Oakland Raiders released former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell on Thursday, ending a three-year tenure marked by his high salary and unproductive play on the field.

Senior executive John Herrera told The Associated Press about the move and said that “we wish him well.”

The decision came less than two weeks after Oakland acquired Jason Campbell from Washington to take over at quarterback and signifies that owner Al Davis finally lost patience with the immensely talented but unproductive player he drafted first overall in 2007 against the wishes of former coach Lane Kiffin.

Russell will now likely be considered one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, joining Ryan Leaf, Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith and others on that list. He will have been paid more than $39 million by the Raiders, while producing only seven wins as a starter.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable met with owner Al Davis on Thursday to discuss his status with the team.

Raiders senior executive John Herrera said the two men could meet again Friday, and a team official confirmed they would. Cable has been spending the 10 days since the season ended evaluating the team with his assistant coaches.


Cable’s status is in question after he went 5-11 in his first full season as coach and failed to develop JaMarcus Russell into a legitimate NFL quarterback. Cable is 9-19 since replacing Lane Kiffin early in the 2008 season, leading the Raiders to their NFL-worst seventh straight season with at least 11 losses.

Cable has pointed to the team’s improvement after Russell’s midseason benching as proof that he deserves another year to get the Raiders back to the playoffs.

Cable provided some positives this season by beating playoff teams in Cincinnati and Philadelphia and knocking off contenders Denver and Pittsburgh on the road in December.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

To a man, Raiders players and coaches say their inability to stop the run isn’t because of poor talent, coaching or a lack of effort. They blame it on execution.

Just keep your butt in that chair and everything will be fine,” said coach Tom Cable, referring to defenders not straying from the area for which they’re responsible. “It’s up to each man to do that, and we didn’t do a very good job of it.”

Cable was speaking mostly about the 316 yards rushing the New York Jets amassed on Sunday in a 38-0 shellacking of the Raiders at the Coliseum.

Cable could have been speaking about the first seven games in general.

The Raiders have allowed an average of 169.7 yards rushing and a league-high tying 11 rushing touchdowns. The franchise worst is 171.2 yards per game allowed in 1962. They are 30th against the run, one spot higher than they were each of the past two seasons.

“It is such a basic thing and, obviously, we need to do a better job in practice,” defensive lineman Richard Seymour said. “Maybe we make practice live (tackling).”

Cable said the disastrous results against the run come from players trying to do too much and abandoning their responsibilities too often.

By his count, the Raiders


Click here to read the full article – By Steve Corkran of Contracostatimes.com

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The Raiders have lost bigger than they did Sunday. Apologies if you’re still trying to forget that 51-3 AFC Championship game nightmare in Buffalo.

They’ve lost harder than they did to the New York Giants. Enough said about the Immaculate Reception.

They’ve had tougher moments than any they faced in a 44-7 unconditional surrender to the Giants at the Meadowlands. Watching the unsinkable Bo Jackson unable to walk off the field under his own power leaps to mind. Maybe you have your own personal favorite.

But what happened in the Raiders’ latest disaster was so dreadfully familiar, so dispiriting with a side of over-the-top, that it cries out for impassioned overstatement. So here you go:

This was the bleakest day in the history of the Raiders franchise.


Click here to read the full article – By Gary Peterson of OAKLAND TRIBUNE

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It was no surprise that Tommy Kelly’s best game in more than two years turned out to be little more than an afterthought.

Whatever positives the Oakland Raiders have managed to make this season tend to get obscured by the team’s 1-3 record.

So while Kelly was drawing praise from his teammates and coaches after making a career-high 13 tackles against Houston last Sunday, the 300-pound defensive lineman shrugged his shoulders.

“I think I probably played all right,” Kelly said. “You always have about three or four real, real good games, when you’re all the way on top of your game. Hopefully I can continue.”

The problem has been that neither Kelly nor the Raiders have been very consistent this year.

Prior to his big game against the Texans, Kelly had only seven tackles through Oakland’s first three games and just one quarterback hurry.

As a defense, the Raiders had been on a steady decline since a solid performance in a Week 1 loss to San Diego and fell into a big hole against the Texans before holding Houston to 47 yards of offense in the second half.

“It gets frustrating but at the same time, you just have to keep chipping away at it, try to get everybody to execute the way (defensive coordinator John Marshall) wants the defense to look,” Kelly said. “Just execute the defense. Whatever he calls, just execute.”


Click here to read the full article – By The Associated Press of Sacbee.com

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Through 21 games in the NFL, JaMarcus Russell has struggled.
In particular, the Oakland Raiders quarterback has had a rough start this season.

As the Denver Broncos prepare to face Russell and the Raiders on Sunday, however, they are preparing for him as a dangerous weapon.

“He’s a gifted quarterback,” Broncos linebacker Andra Davis said. “It’s no secret why he was the No. 1 pick in the draft (in 2007).”

To this point, Russell hasn’t lived up to his status as the No. 1 overall pick. The Raiders are 6-12 in his starts, and he’s got a mediocre 70.5 career passer rating.

This season, Russell has led the Raiders to a 1-1 record, but he’s completed just 35.2 percent of his passes (19-of-54) and has a dreadful 46.6 rating. He was 7-for-24 against Kansas City last Sunday.

Click here to read the full article – By Brian Howell of timescall.com

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He entered the interview room with a cross between a painful limp and a sashaying swagger. So it was only natural for a reporter to ask JaMarcus Russell if he was hurt.

“Oh, no,” the nattily attired Raiders quarterback said, a sly smile crossing his face. “I’m just cool like that.”

And there it was, in one disarmingly revealing moment – Russell’s greatest strength and his biggest weakness.

Yes, you want your field general to be unflappable in the face of an announced 69,169 screaming maniacs, most of whom are screaming for your scalp, as he was in leading the Raiders on a game-winning 69-yard drive. The march culminated with Darren McFadden going in from five yards out with 67 seconds to play.

Click here to read the full article – By Paul Gutierrez of The Sacremento Bee

Oakland Raiders Sports Memorabilia
and other Oakland Raiders Gifts and Collectibles
Below are links to memorabilia available for Jamarcus Russell.

Five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour did not report to the Oakland Raiders on Monday, a day after being acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots.

Raiders coach Tom Cable said after practice that Seymour had to resolve some things with the Patriots before the deal for a first-round pick in 2011 could be finalized.

“We have attempted to make a deal,” Cable said Monday. “There are some issues still between him and the Patriots that are being worked out. I’m hoping that that will get resolved as quickly as possible. We know that the player wants to be here, but we have really no control over those issues.”

Patriots spokesman Stacey James said he was unaware of any difficulties surrounding the trade, which was announced by New England on Sunday and confirmed by Cable.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Gangsta rap pioneer Ice Cube used to be a pretty intimidating guy, before he started making children’s movies about family vacations. But take heart, N.W.A. fans. It looks like Ice Cube is going to try to make better movies. In fact, he’s working on a documentary film about the Raiders.

Ice Cube even made an appearance at Raiders practice Tuesday in Alameda. The San Francisco Chronicle’s David White was the first to note Ice Cube’s unexpected appearance at Raider practice on his Twitter feed, and faithfully tweeted all of Cube’s comings and goings at Raiders HQ. “Ice Cube a superstar out here, even the country boys shaking his hand,” White posted to his Twitter page. “JaMarcus w/longest visit.”

JaMarcus Russell and Ice Cube had a long visit? I’m guessing that “low-calorie foods” did not come up as a topic in that conversation.

The Oakland Tribune’s Jerry McDonald asked around as to why Ice Cube was attending Oakland Raiders practice, and reports that “(Raiders) CEO Amy Trask said he is working on a few projects with the club.”

Click here to read the full article – By JOE KUKURA of nbcmiami.com

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