Ivan Fernandes passed away in Bronx NY earlier this week... our hearts are broken, we lost a great friend today, a wonderful person, a kind, gentle and compassionate man... I have no words, only tears... I will miss you BigIV... Every game I watch I will be thinking of you my friend... Rest In Peace Ivan...
Please remember Irma and family if your prayers...
"I'm Floatin'..."
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Happy Birthday Mr. Davis
80 years young! Thank you Mr. Davis for giving us the Raiders, for creating our Silver and Black World. Here is to many more years and many more wins!
Just Win Baby
Just Win Baby
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Cable Guy
Bring it on Tom!
Digital Cable
HDTV Cable
Hard Drive Cables
Cable On Demand
I am so glad the Soap Opera is over! Lets get some Pizza!!!
Too Little Too Late from Kiffin
Q: “How would you characterize your last conversation with Mr. Davis? Did he give you any indication of his feelings for the job you’ve been doing?”
Kiffin: “I’m going to kind of stop these questions here and go from here on out that conversations, or lack of conversations with Al, I’m going to keep between Al and I. I just feel we’re going to open up too many things, and those are conversations that I do or do not have with him that should stay between him and I. I apologize for that.”
Thats the answer Kiff should have given in January... maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if he would have learned this sooner...
BTW Lowell Cohen finally takes off his "Al Hater" glasses, at least for a moment... sure he still tries to get in a few "Al Zingers", but the basis of the article is not too far off - hard to believe...
Kiffin: “I’m going to kind of stop these questions here and go from here on out that conversations, or lack of conversations with Al, I’m going to keep between Al and I. I just feel we’re going to open up too many things, and those are conversations that I do or do not have with him that should stay between him and I. I apologize for that.”
Thats the answer Kiff should have given in January... maybe we wouldn't be where we are today if he would have learned this sooner...
BTW Lowell Cohen finally takes off his "Al Hater" glasses, at least for a moment... sure he still tries to get in a few "Al Zingers", but the basis of the article is not too far off - hard to believe...
Friday, September 19, 2008
Al Davis Forever – with Kiffin I hope!
I have hesitated to address this issue, but I just want to summarize my conversations with fellow fans over the last couple of weeks…
The media won't let this “Davis Fires Kiffin” thing go- no way, no how... the media is pissed that they have been wrong about this since January and that Kiffin is still here... they are embarrassed that he was not fired this week, because they all said that even if we won in KC (which they didn't think we would), Kiffin would be gone - and he is still here...
Now reporters are stationed at Raiders HQ, hiding in the f@cking bushes, basically ambushing and trapping Kiff coming back from his morning jog, trying to trick him in saying something else… where else have you seen such media fervour?
Now Kiff brought allot of this on himself, he has to learn to take it on the chin, to man-up and use “coach-speak”…. but don't you think the media is behaving very very weirdly? This goes beyond trying to take advantage of Kiff’s well documented honesty to break a story...that video of Kiff returning from his jog, isn't that, well kinda creepy? what the f@ck is the media doing?
I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago so I was listening to BSPN Late Night... ahole BSPN guy has Jason Jones from BallSacramento Bee and I was shocked that these two idiots couldn't even string proper thoughts or complete sentences together... Jones said he "heard one report, then there is another source, not sure if the sources are real, inside Raiders HQ, some people talk to Al, some don't, not sure what Al is thinking, some say he wanted to fire Kiff but when it got leaked he didn't - just to spite the media, yeah its strange, he was supposed to fire him and he didn't, maybe tomorrow, you never know cuz Al Davis is liable to do anything, what a soap opera blah,blah, blah"... they were just throwing out sh!t and admitting as much as not knowing if any of this is true but covering by saying "well its Raiderland, its Al Davis, its bizarre...what do you expect?" The BSPN scroll the other day said that “Kiffin to be fired Monday or by the end of season" ----WTF!?!!!?!
So, we see this reporter jump out of the bushes and ambush Kiff after his morning jog...and Al is acting strange? its this f@cking media frenzy that is strange... they are obsessed because time and again since January they have not gotten the story straight, they have these "scoops", manufactured or twisted, and they were sure they had it and they didn't... they look more and more foolish so they keep up the shark attack behaviour...
Look obviously something is up... how could there not be after 4-12 and getting spanked on opening night and Kiffin not keeping his issues in-house? something very likely may happen, and this media frenzy is not going away…
They want Kiff to be fired and it is backed by the on-going hatred towards the Raiders and specifically Al Davis... we ruled for a long time, and the NFL feared us... Al kicked sand in everyone faces for years… and Al, for good reason, cuts off the media like no other professional sports team does - and that infuriates them... they did not like it when Al hired Kiff... they wanted us to hire some no balls yes man because as they portray it no one else will work for Al... when Al found the next Shanahan/Gruden, they mocked him for it... and now that there is some smoke, they are doing everything they can to break it up....
Winning in the Buff won't change a thing... beating SD the week after won't change a thing... the media frenzy won't stop... and if we lose, all the better for them, because it might hasten Kiff getting fired... look they will not let it die... for all of you who say well winning will change it - no it won't... success will also intensify it, just like when we won backtobacktoback AFC Championships, when Gru was here the media wanted him gone, they would not let it go....
Kiff will stay as long as we win... which is really no different than any coach… but I hope he grows up abit…he’s not at USC anymore where he and Pete Carrol could do what they wanted, how they wanted, when they wanted... and besides, what exactly has he done to deserve to be GM?...
I ask that question because I was listening to Buff radio - when the Bills IRed their best LB Antonio Crowell a couple of weeks ago, Bills Head Coach Jauron didn't know about it till after, he admitted he heard about it when it was reported on the WGR... I was listening to the interview with the local radio guys when they asked him to explain why Crowell was IRed when it looked like he would only miss 4 weeks... Jauron said, "I can't answer that other than we needed the roster spot"... imagine if that story was in Oakland?
How bout them Cowboys? Head Coach Wade Phillips was brought in after Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett right? Wade was essentially told who his staff will be...Imagine what Kiffin would say to that? BTW, did I see Dave Campo on the sidelines on Monday Night?!?!!?! WTF?, he was fired as Head Coach but still is on the Cowboys sideline in caoching gear today, why? because Jerry Jones loves him… even Al didn’t do that with Art Shell… Does Dick Jauron run the Bills draft? are the free agents his doing? Jauron easily admits and accepts that he does not- its not his job… Does Wade call the shots during the draft? No way, sure he has some input but Jerry makes all the picks, and brings in all the free agents like PacMan and TO... how is that different than Al ---- other than Jerry welcomes the press with open arms while Al closes his door to the media and doesn’t tell them sh!t and that pisses them off… You might blame Al for that, but he has more than enough reasons, legal and otherwise to do as much...
In my opinion players play and coaches coach... Kiff just needs to shut up and coach, then like Gruden he will get more and more - when he earns it… Kiff has three rules for the team and I have them pinned to the top of the blog... one is "Always protect the team", another is "Don't Complain"... I wanna see Kiff live by his own rules, just coach dude - your an incredible coach, just coach - and we will be great...
Another important point… See, we Raider fans are far more active and passionate than any other team's fans... so when they write something "Kiffin Fired On Monday" they are guaranteed how many hits on their web-sites? - many THOUSANDS more than any other story.... its great for them... they are pissed with Al because he won't tell them sh!t, he is an easy target from the perspective that he does not respond to their lunacy (so they can say anything), and the more outrageous the stories are, the more clicks they get from Raider Nation... its a no-lose situation for them... they can and will continue this game regardless of whether there is success or futility on the field....
In the end, if some of you reading this blog can't see that these attacks are very personal on Al Davis, largely because he shuts out the media, well you are blind...
The media won't let this “Davis Fires Kiffin” thing go- no way, no how... the media is pissed that they have been wrong about this since January and that Kiffin is still here... they are embarrassed that he was not fired this week, because they all said that even if we won in KC (which they didn't think we would), Kiffin would be gone - and he is still here...
Now reporters are stationed at Raiders HQ, hiding in the f@cking bushes, basically ambushing and trapping Kiff coming back from his morning jog, trying to trick him in saying something else… where else have you seen such media fervour?
Now Kiff brought allot of this on himself, he has to learn to take it on the chin, to man-up and use “coach-speak”…. but don't you think the media is behaving very very weirdly? This goes beyond trying to take advantage of Kiff’s well documented honesty to break a story...that video of Kiff returning from his jog, isn't that, well kinda creepy? what the f@ck is the media doing?
I couldn't sleep a couple of nights ago so I was listening to BSPN Late Night... ahole BSPN guy has Jason Jones from BallSacramento Bee and I was shocked that these two idiots couldn't even string proper thoughts or complete sentences together... Jones said he "heard one report, then there is another source, not sure if the sources are real, inside Raiders HQ, some people talk to Al, some don't, not sure what Al is thinking, some say he wanted to fire Kiff but when it got leaked he didn't - just to spite the media, yeah its strange, he was supposed to fire him and he didn't, maybe tomorrow, you never know cuz Al Davis is liable to do anything, what a soap opera blah,blah, blah"... they were just throwing out sh!t and admitting as much as not knowing if any of this is true but covering by saying "well its Raiderland, its Al Davis, its bizarre...what do you expect?" The BSPN scroll the other day said that “Kiffin to be fired Monday or by the end of season" ----WTF!?!!!?!
So, we see this reporter jump out of the bushes and ambush Kiff after his morning jog...and Al is acting strange? its this f@cking media frenzy that is strange... they are obsessed because time and again since January they have not gotten the story straight, they have these "scoops", manufactured or twisted, and they were sure they had it and they didn't... they look more and more foolish so they keep up the shark attack behaviour...
Look obviously something is up... how could there not be after 4-12 and getting spanked on opening night and Kiffin not keeping his issues in-house? something very likely may happen, and this media frenzy is not going away…
They want Kiff to be fired and it is backed by the on-going hatred towards the Raiders and specifically Al Davis... we ruled for a long time, and the NFL feared us... Al kicked sand in everyone faces for years… and Al, for good reason, cuts off the media like no other professional sports team does - and that infuriates them... they did not like it when Al hired Kiff... they wanted us to hire some no balls yes man because as they portray it no one else will work for Al... when Al found the next Shanahan/Gruden, they mocked him for it... and now that there is some smoke, they are doing everything they can to break it up....
Winning in the Buff won't change a thing... beating SD the week after won't change a thing... the media frenzy won't stop... and if we lose, all the better for them, because it might hasten Kiff getting fired... look they will not let it die... for all of you who say well winning will change it - no it won't... success will also intensify it, just like when we won backtobacktoback AFC Championships, when Gru was here the media wanted him gone, they would not let it go....
Kiff will stay as long as we win... which is really no different than any coach… but I hope he grows up abit…he’s not at USC anymore where he and Pete Carrol could do what they wanted, how they wanted, when they wanted... and besides, what exactly has he done to deserve to be GM?...
I ask that question because I was listening to Buff radio - when the Bills IRed their best LB Antonio Crowell a couple of weeks ago, Bills Head Coach Jauron didn't know about it till after, he admitted he heard about it when it was reported on the WGR... I was listening to the interview with the local radio guys when they asked him to explain why Crowell was IRed when it looked like he would only miss 4 weeks... Jauron said, "I can't answer that other than we needed the roster spot"... imagine if that story was in Oakland?
How bout them Cowboys? Head Coach Wade Phillips was brought in after Offensive Coordinator Jason Garrett right? Wade was essentially told who his staff will be...Imagine what Kiffin would say to that? BTW, did I see Dave Campo on the sidelines on Monday Night?!?!!?! WTF?, he was fired as Head Coach but still is on the Cowboys sideline in caoching gear today, why? because Jerry Jones loves him… even Al didn’t do that with Art Shell… Does Dick Jauron run the Bills draft? are the free agents his doing? Jauron easily admits and accepts that he does not- its not his job… Does Wade call the shots during the draft? No way, sure he has some input but Jerry makes all the picks, and brings in all the free agents like PacMan and TO... how is that different than Al ---- other than Jerry welcomes the press with open arms while Al closes his door to the media and doesn’t tell them sh!t and that pisses them off… You might blame Al for that, but he has more than enough reasons, legal and otherwise to do as much...
In my opinion players play and coaches coach... Kiff just needs to shut up and coach, then like Gruden he will get more and more - when he earns it… Kiff has three rules for the team and I have them pinned to the top of the blog... one is "Always protect the team", another is "Don't Complain"... I wanna see Kiff live by his own rules, just coach dude - your an incredible coach, just coach - and we will be great...
Another important point… See, we Raider fans are far more active and passionate than any other team's fans... so when they write something "Kiffin Fired On Monday" they are guaranteed how many hits on their web-sites? - many THOUSANDS more than any other story.... its great for them... they are pissed with Al because he won't tell them sh!t, he is an easy target from the perspective that he does not respond to their lunacy (so they can say anything), and the more outrageous the stories are, the more clicks they get from Raider Nation... its a no-lose situation for them... they can and will continue this game regardless of whether there is success or futility on the field....
In the end, if some of you reading this blog can't see that these attacks are very personal on Al Davis, largely because he shuts out the media, well you are blind...
Monday, September 08, 2008
Lets get it on...
This blog has been very quiet over the off-season. Quiet because after 5 years of futility, I don’t have much to say. But here we are… kick-off only hours away, and Lane Kiffin is still the coach, and Jerry Porter was inactive for the Jags, - not the Raiders, as was reported this weekend…. Ok that’s the last of taking shots at the media…
We win tonight and we are alone on top of the AFC West – what a great start that would be! I didn’t realize until yesterday that if we win tonight, Lane Kiffin will have a 2-1 mark against the Broncos (and nearly 3-0 as we all know!)…
I’m not going to make big predictions for this year, I will be happy with 8-8 and chasing a play-off spot. Will it happen? If not for two issues, it would be an easy “yes”...
My first issue is the scarey lack of depth on our D-Line… DE looks good with Burgess, Richardson and Edwards as our primary players… Burgess we all know is a Probowler, Richardson in his second year is an emerging star and Edwards has filled in the Clemons pass rush role, and more…. however at DT we’ve got Kelly, Sands and Warren and that’s it. Now Kelly, he can be awesome, the upside is huge, but unproven… Sands has always been up and down, Warren shows brilliance at times, but is not consistent enough… These DTs all can be dominant, but can all be pushed around as well… that’s my fear…
Second Issue is our Offensive Tackles…. With Grove, Gallery and Carlisle in the middle, I’m not ecstatic, but not worried either - they should hold their own… However, can Kwame Harris and Cornell Green do the job at OT? … We must trust Coach Cable on this...If we run, run and the run again, it will only help our mediocre line look good… and by all accounts with McFadden, Fargas and Bush, that will be our key….
Speaking of the running game, although we have every reason to be very comfortable with our players, I worry that teams will put 8, even 9 in the box and dare us to beat them with some passing… So, in my mind, its up to Lane Kiffin and Greg Knapp and their ability to put assemble and call creative game plans to hide our weaknesses… This is where we all can get excited… McFadden out of the backfield, Bush out of the backfield, Miller finding holes in coverage…
Despite the poor showing by our receiving corps in the preseason and the loss of Carter to injury, I’m not worried about our WRs… As much as we may hate it, I believe Javon Walker truly is a “when the lights go on” player… he will perform… Javon is not a long term answer but for now, he brings big play ability. Aside from hoping that Ronald Curry gets over his case of the dropsies, with the new comers Watkins and Schillens and the addition of Ashley Lelie, we have enough talent at the wide-out position where one or two will emerge as viable 2-3 WR options…
One other comment of D: Gibril Wilson will have a huge impact on the D... he's a hitter, he brings it, he fills a huge void we have had since Rod Woodson retired, the need for dominant Safety... and watch Mike Huff turn into a playmaking all-pro...
So there it is, my expectations are a minimum 8-8 with a possible 10-6 with a definite run at a play-off spot. Tonight, a convincing 20-10 win over the over-rated Broncos.
PS. Bernard Pollard is now my favourite non-Raider player in the NFL!!!!
We win tonight and we are alone on top of the AFC West – what a great start that would be! I didn’t realize until yesterday that if we win tonight, Lane Kiffin will have a 2-1 mark against the Broncos (and nearly 3-0 as we all know!)…
I’m not going to make big predictions for this year, I will be happy with 8-8 and chasing a play-off spot. Will it happen? If not for two issues, it would be an easy “yes”...
My first issue is the scarey lack of depth on our D-Line… DE looks good with Burgess, Richardson and Edwards as our primary players… Burgess we all know is a Probowler, Richardson in his second year is an emerging star and Edwards has filled in the Clemons pass rush role, and more…. however at DT we’ve got Kelly, Sands and Warren and that’s it. Now Kelly, he can be awesome, the upside is huge, but unproven… Sands has always been up and down, Warren shows brilliance at times, but is not consistent enough… These DTs all can be dominant, but can all be pushed around as well… that’s my fear…
Second Issue is our Offensive Tackles…. With Grove, Gallery and Carlisle in the middle, I’m not ecstatic, but not worried either - they should hold their own… However, can Kwame Harris and Cornell Green do the job at OT? … We must trust Coach Cable on this...If we run, run and the run again, it will only help our mediocre line look good… and by all accounts with McFadden, Fargas and Bush, that will be our key….
Speaking of the running game, although we have every reason to be very comfortable with our players, I worry that teams will put 8, even 9 in the box and dare us to beat them with some passing… So, in my mind, its up to Lane Kiffin and Greg Knapp and their ability to put assemble and call creative game plans to hide our weaknesses… This is where we all can get excited… McFadden out of the backfield, Bush out of the backfield, Miller finding holes in coverage…
Despite the poor showing by our receiving corps in the preseason and the loss of Carter to injury, I’m not worried about our WRs… As much as we may hate it, I believe Javon Walker truly is a “when the lights go on” player… he will perform… Javon is not a long term answer but for now, he brings big play ability. Aside from hoping that Ronald Curry gets over his case of the dropsies, with the new comers Watkins and Schillens and the addition of Ashley Lelie, we have enough talent at the wide-out position where one or two will emerge as viable 2-3 WR options…
One other comment of D: Gibril Wilson will have a huge impact on the D... he's a hitter, he brings it, he fills a huge void we have had since Rod Woodson retired, the need for dominant Safety... and watch Mike Huff turn into a playmaking all-pro...
So there it is, my expectations are a minimum 8-8 with a possible 10-6 with a definite run at a play-off spot. Tonight, a convincing 20-10 win over the over-rated Broncos.
PS. Bernard Pollard is now my favourite non-Raider player in the NFL!!!!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Coach Kiffin on McFadden
Q: Was this just a matter of McFadden being too good to pass up?
Kiffin: That was definitely the case. I remember mentioning that running back wasn’t a need for us, and it wasn’t. We’re kind of piled there with a number of really good running backs and guys coming back, including Michael Bush, who we really don’t know enough about yet. It was not a need but it became a situation … speaking for myself, I knew months ago that this was the guy that we had to have and we had to figure out a way to get him. Hopefully, he was going to fall to us. We lost the coin toss and moved to four and that scared me a little bit there. Fortunately, he was still available and in the end we got everybody on the same page. We’re all really excited.
Ahhhh, how will the Haters spin this? Coach Kiffin get fired yet?
...F-ing Haters
Kiffin: That was definitely the case. I remember mentioning that running back wasn’t a need for us, and it wasn’t. We’re kind of piled there with a number of really good running backs and guys coming back, including Michael Bush, who we really don’t know enough about yet. It was not a need but it became a situation … speaking for myself, I knew months ago that this was the guy that we had to have and we had to figure out a way to get him. Hopefully, he was going to fall to us. We lost the coin toss and moved to four and that scared me a little bit there. Fortunately, he was still available and in the end we got everybody on the same page. We’re all really excited.
Ahhhh, how will the Haters spin this? Coach Kiffin get fired yet?
...F-ing Haters
Friday, April 25, 2008
What ever happens, Al will be meddling, Kiffin will be pissed...
So here we are... Kiffin's still coach, Raiders have made major moves this off-season through free agency (keeping their own and bringing others), through trade and even an upgrade to the coaching staff... lots of money, players are excited... and the media HATES it... the only thing I will say on this - the team finished 4-12, no kidding their was lots of stuff happening behind closed doors... no one was happy, battles took place... why is that such a surprise? why was this such a big deal? It would have worried me if Al Davis and Lane Kiffin and Rob Ryan got together and sang "kum-buy-yah", THATs what would have been disfunctional... that no one was happy, that lots of doors slammed, lots of arguing... THATs normal, THATs fully functional as opposed to disfunctional... that said, lets get ready for the media BS Anti-Raider spin... if its McFadden, Al is meddling, if its Christopher, Al is a dictator... if its Gholsten, Al is meddling, blah, blah, blah...
My thoughts on tomorrow - wow, who ever it is at 4 - Dorsey, Christopher, McFadden - my gosh we are getting a great player, who will help right away... Personally I have been mentally masturbating about Christopher since October - its just too good to be true, the pedigree, the motor, the production, the Raider family, filling a need... I really think that as much as the run D has stunk, it all starts on D with shut-down corners and a great pass rush... now with D Hall we have the corner tandem we need... now we need to scare QBs... Christopher is the player that will help the most, throw him down with Burgess - yes, thats what I want more than anything...
However, I just can't see Christopher falling to 4, it could happen but I don't think it will - maybe I'm doing reverse psych on myself, but I don't see the Rams not going with Christopher...
Dorsey would be a wonderful fit - a need, a great and dominating player, and in my mind most importantly, a Leader, I would be thrilled with Dorsey as well... but I think we would pass the LSU phenom up for McFadden... and without Christopher give me McFadden... sure we've got numbers at RB, but we don't have that player that really scares the D... JaMarcus needs a weapon like this to make him better... McFadden gives us another dimension... watching his clips, he is Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson... If Bush is anywhere were he was,with Justin, wow what a backfield... if its McFadden I won't mourn over Christopher for Long... unless, God forbid Christopher becomes a Chief
To all my Greek Orthodox friends, Kristos Anestis, we will have the lamb on the spit on Sunday!!!!!!
My thoughts on tomorrow - wow, who ever it is at 4 - Dorsey, Christopher, McFadden - my gosh we are getting a great player, who will help right away... Personally I have been mentally masturbating about Christopher since October - its just too good to be true, the pedigree, the motor, the production, the Raider family, filling a need... I really think that as much as the run D has stunk, it all starts on D with shut-down corners and a great pass rush... now with D Hall we have the corner tandem we need... now we need to scare QBs... Christopher is the player that will help the most, throw him down with Burgess - yes, thats what I want more than anything...
However, I just can't see Christopher falling to 4, it could happen but I don't think it will - maybe I'm doing reverse psych on myself, but I don't see the Rams not going with Christopher...
Dorsey would be a wonderful fit - a need, a great and dominating player, and in my mind most importantly, a Leader, I would be thrilled with Dorsey as well... but I think we would pass the LSU phenom up for McFadden... and without Christopher give me McFadden... sure we've got numbers at RB, but we don't have that player that really scares the D... JaMarcus needs a weapon like this to make him better... McFadden gives us another dimension... watching his clips, he is Marcus Allen and Eric Dickerson... If Bush is anywhere were he was,with Justin, wow what a backfield... if its McFadden I won't mourn over Christopher for Long... unless, God forbid Christopher becomes a Chief
To all my Greek Orthodox friends, Kristos Anestis, we will have the lamb on the spit on Sunday!!!!!!
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