Stone Cold NFL Locks Week 5

Rest In Peace Al - 7/4/29 - 10-8-11

   
Last week much more like what a "LOCK" pick should
be, and a 3-0 weekend was a nice band aid to what has
ailed me so far.  My mark is still only 8-4 and I really
need to build on it to ensure that I don't go over my loss
total from last year of nine.  This week I will try and copy
last week with another perfect slate, here goes: 

1. Giants - It's Cleveland, what more do I need to say?

2. Houston - Against the Jets it should be like taking candy
from an infant.

3. Green Bay - The only "shaky" pick here, but I can't see
Rodgers getting outplayed by Luck.  Just don't see it.  
   
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Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Disco Stars Dying, and So Are T.O.'s Chances

Courtesy SF Gate: (L to R) receiver Eddie McGee,
T.O., Raiders Darrius Heyward-Bey, QB Carson Palmer
working out in L.A.

In just the last ten days, those of us old enough to
remember them, lost Robin Gibb of the Bee Gee's and
the Queen of Disco Donna Summer, and in a bit of
related news Terrel Owens fired his agent, Drew
Rosenhaus. Why is there is any relation can either
be an easy guess or a stretch, that depends on your
mindset. For me the deaths of Gibb, and Summer are
in a way indicative of the true death of Disco, not
the imaginary one that rock fans had hoped for way
back when. Terrell Owens making news, any kind of
news this late in his "career", to me is indicative
of the death of his "NFL career".

First he made the mistake of firing Drew Rosenhaus,
and now he says he wants to play for the Raiders.
Can you say crash and burn? If this was 1979, maybe,
but even Al Davis in his later years admitted that
taking chances on troubled players was no longer
something he had interest in. The new regime lead
by GM Reggie McKenzie is definitely not interested,
even though he did work out with Carson Palmer this
off season, and the Raiders wide receivers.

T.O. is really not faring well in his dying (career)
days, so while he's at it he should consider staying
away from the daytime talk show circuit, unless they
are paying him, or it's part of some teams mandatory
obligation.

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Raiders And New GM McKenzie Pick Where They're Supposed To

Photo Lee Kirby / US Presswire

I know that Raider fans wants to make a tremendous
amount of Reggie McKenzie's eye for talent and how
upset they were that they didn't have a 1st or 2nd
round pick in this years draft, but I contend that
drafting their first pick in the 3rd round is right
where they and their new GM belong.

For starters, their 1st round pick is Carson Palmer,
and love him or hate him, I'll take an established
player over a potential one in the draft any day of
the week. With Palmer. good, bad, or otherwise you
know what you have, and since he's your starting QB,
that's has to be pretty good. I won't list the
number of picks that have gone in the top 10 of past
drafts that have failed to produce anything, but if
I did, you could fill a nobody's nobody list of no-
stars that would require much more writing than you
may be willing to read or even recognize.

Secondly, as a life long Raider fan, and even more
so, a life long Al Davis fan I feel comfortable in
saying that his shoes will not only be hard to fill,
but even harder to try on. Davis won FOUR titles in
fifty years (1 AFL Championship, and 3 Super Bowls),
though it wouldn't be fair to McKenzie to hold him
up to those standards, he has won nothing as a head
man. You wanna make the case that he has TWO rings
as a member of the Packers front office, great.
He wasn't the GM for the first(Ron Wolfe), and was
not for the second(Ted Thompson) either. Yes it's
a team, but it's like giving Dan Pastorini credit
for the Super XV title, a bit of an exaggeration, I
know, but you get the idea.

Reggie McKenzie should make a fine GM, but he has
never truly been one before, so it remains to be
seen. Any Raider fan reading this article knows
that winning in the NFL isn't easy, that's why the
Raiders haven't done it for a while. More teams,
more competition, more cheating (See the Saints &
Patriots), and a constantly changing landscape to
any system you think figured it out for you.
The case was always made that Al meddled too much,
well if he had the last time they went to the Super
Bowl, they might have won, but Bill Callahan didn't
have the luxury of Al's meddling or he would have
realized that the former head coach was on the other
sideline with the opponent for that title game.

There are very, very few that can stand shoulder to
shoulder with AL Davis career wise, and Reggie will
be hard pressed to do that. Starting his draft off
in the 3rd round this year, and the 2nd next year,
is probably the best way to gently walk in the shoes
of a man who not only wore them, but designed, and
made them. If Reggie McKenzie truly has an eye for
talent, then he can find it anywhere, NFL history is
littered with late round draft choices from rounds
that don't even exist anymore. So why should today
be any different? Any Raider fan who has a long
history with Al Davis will want to see him earn his
stripes, I do.

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NFL Network Reporter Caught Napping On GM He's Covering

This video certainly isn't meant to embarrass anyone,
but you would think that if you're at a teams draft
headquarters during the draft you could get the name
of the GM correct. Watch Ari Wolfe of the NFL Network
botch it up more than once on LIVE TV. Check out the
sweet VIDEO goodness here.


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Pro Bowl Weekend & NFL's Rooney Rule Takes A Hit

George Rose/Getty Images

With probably less that 10% of all real NFL fans
watching the Pro Bowl this weekend, the league
and it's players get a chance to enjoy themselves,
and not worry about about impressing anyone with
an event that means little to nothing the week
before an event that means everything to many.
Though I am not going to give you any sort of
plan to make the Pro Bowl a better than it is,
it's something that is certainly worth looking
in to.

What is flying under the radar even more than how
boring and uninteresting the Pro Bowl is, is the
fact that the "Rooney Rule" took a little bit of
a hit this past off season. Though I don't think
that it's in any jeopardy of being ignored or
pushed aside in the future, the numbers now that
all the coaches to replace fired coaches have been
hired, have produced a negative step back as opposed
to a status quo or minimal gain. Going into to
the 2011 season there were 8 minority head coaches
in the NFL, seven African American, and one Latino
American(Ron Rivera). Once the season ended, of
the seven coaches relieved of the duties, 3 were
minorities, all African American, and all seven
were replaced by non minority coaches. So where
there was once a 25% presence of minority head
coaches in the league that number is now just a
shade over 15%. The drop of 10% may not seem like
much, but it can't be ignored either, just think
how great a 10% pay raise for you would be, or how
much it would suck if your rent went from $1500 a
month to $1650 a month in just a couple of weeks.

I have never been a fan of the "Rooney Rule" and
neither have some minority groups. You shouldn't
need to force someone to do the right thing, and
by right thing I don't mean force someone to hire
a minority, but rather look at all the candidates
as equally as possible. The Oakland/LA Raiders
hired a Latino American Head Coach long before
this rule, Tom Flores, and he won 2 Super Bowls
for them. They Hired an African American Head
Coach before the rule too, Art Shell, and he had
a winning record throughout in his first stint as
Head Coach. And though the "Rooney Rule" covers
minorities, and not women the Raiders also hired
a female Executive VP who is still on the job today
before this rule was adopted, Amy Trask. A perfect
example of how all you need to do is just hire the
right people, rule or not. We are divided in way
too many ways, so maybe this is a good place to
start ignoring the divisions, and embrace the one
thing that brought us here, Football.

It is also worth noting that this year the Raiders
were one of the three teams that fired their African
American Head Coach, Hue Jackson, but it was done by
their newly hired African American GM Reggie Mckenzie
and that is one place where minorities did make a
gain the the NFL this year, the front office.

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

Post Al Davis Era, Raiders Get It Right

AP File

Today was a tremendous day in Raider history, certainly
not bigger than the day Al Davis took over the Raider
franchise, but BIG. It makes the acquisition of Carson
Palmer earlier this season look like a 55th round pick
in the NFL draft, and yet much much smaller than Oct 8th
2011, when all that was Raider Nation changed for ever.

If you are reading this far down, there is a decent chance
you are a Raiders fan, and if you've been a Raiders fan
for more than 20 years then you understand that you cannot
be a Raider fan without being an Al Davis fan. It's like
being a Christian and not liking Christ, or claiming to be
a Scientologist and not believing in L. Ron Hubbard, it's
just not possible. These examples are extreme I know, but
they are as close to the truth as you can get. That being
said, if you hate the Raiders then you hate Al Davis, he is
the total embodiment of what they have become, make no
mistake about it.

Today his name was honored, today Reggie McKenzie was named
the first GM of the Raiders since Al Davis was GM of the
Raiders, but that's not the story, at least not in my eyes.
I have bled Silver and Black longer than most folks I know
have been football fans. You often hear terms like:
"The Cowboy way" or is has to be done "the Patriot way",
well this was done "THE RAIDER WAY", and I couldn't be more
happier with the process than if Al Davis himself came back
to life and approved it. That would be kinda scary though.

So many things happened that made this right. Ron Wolfe, a
long time Raider executive, and friend recommended McKenzie.
Ken Herrock, a former Raider player, and executive also went
on to recommended McKenzie. Mark Davis, Al's son was also
part of the interview process, and yet for me two big factors
were that McKenzie was a Raider, and John Madden assisted in
the interview. For me this was huge. Al Davis inducted John
Madden into the Hall of Fame, and John Madden inducted Davis
into the Hall of Fame, there is and was no one aside than
maybe Ron Wolfe that knew Al, and what he would have wanted
or that would have made me and scores of Raider fans happier
going forward.

McKenzie is a Raider, he has an impeccable reputation in the
league, and I trust that he knows exactly what the RAIDER
way is. When Davis passed I feared that my fandom would fade,
it has, but not enough to not care. I needed to see where the
family went with this, and thus far good steps have been taken.
It will NEVER be the same, change is inevitable, death is part
of life, and football is just a game, and yet we care.

The move today was good. The Raiders still have a chance, not
to be good, but to be "The Raiders", and that's a good thing,
and yet I can't help but think: THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME

NBRHD

Tweet Don't Believe In Plays, Believe In Players - Al Davis

NFL Week 11: Interesting Nuggets To This Point

Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN

Still think the 3-7 Dolphins aren't that good?
Even though they have only scored a total
of 19.3 points per game they have still
managed to outscor their opponents by a
total of SEVEN points.

Just Win! The Raiders lead the AFC West
with a 6-4 record and yet have been outscored
by their opponents by at total of 19 points.

Defense wins Championships?
That theory will definitely be put to the test
once again. The Green Bay Packers score an
average of over 35 points per game.

Can you find the expert who said this?
The San Francisco 49er's will be 9-1 after ten
games under first year head coach Jim Harbaugh?

Can you find the expert who said this? Part Deux
Jim Harbaugh's team will have a better record
than his brother John's Baltimore Ravens team
when they meet on Thanksgiving night

Hard LUCK, Bad LUCK, or Good LUCK?
Do you realize that because of the new rookie cap
friendly CBA agreed to this past summer the Colts
could have both Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck,
or even Matt Barkley on their roster next season?

Say it ain't so! How many fans would have believed
that the Chicago Bears losing Jay Cutler would be
a bad thing?

Even after TEN games: The 49ers have as many wins
as the remaining three teams in their division(9)

Wild Weird West: No one in the AFC West has scored
more points than their opponents.

Did I miss anything? Let me know.

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Did The Raiders Win By Losing?

Courtesy: P A Patterson

Just a thought: The Oakland Raiders lost three
players this off season to free agancy who were
arguably three of their best at their respective
positions. Nnamdi Asomougha (Eagles), Robert
Gallery (Seahawks), and Zach Miller (Seahawks).
The Raiders going into their bye week are 4-3,
the teams these three went to are 4-8 combined,
each are 2-4, and though Eagles were supposed to
be the next great team, I knew the Seahags were
going nowhere. I don't blame Asomougha for their
lack of success, though Eagles fans would blame
Mary Poppins if they could, but did the Raiders
get better by losing out on some of their better
playes? Sometimes you gotta wonder.



Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Did JaMarcus Russell At One Time Occupy Oakland?

Yes, at one time Jamarcus Russell did occupy Oakland,
and his only cause was his own pocket. He has very
little to do with the occupy Oakland folks that are
out there right now. He would like you to believe
that in Oakland he was a victim, not of the Raiders
organization, but of sleep apnea. I am as much a
bleeding heart as the next guy, but I'm having a
hard time buying this. If Jamarcus was in any way
medically at a disadvantage, his time there would
have been much more understood, and likely treated,
but this is the guy who got busted with the "Purple
Drank" (cough syrup with Codeine), a little bit of
something college kids tend to use at times to get a
buzz on. This to me does not sound like someone who
has a medical problem, but more like an addiction
problem. Now JaMarcus wants back into the NFL and
we hear about this apnea he had, perhaps a good
fallback of an excuse to justify his miserable
performance as the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
I for one am not buying, some may, but it will take
a little more than an SI article, and sob story to
convince me that this was in any way the case for
his disastrous time in Oakland. I wish him luck,
but am certain that he will never be a successful
QB in the NFL ever again, not with his work ethic.

Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

No McFadden & A Rusty Palmer Make For Disaster

Robert Beck/SI

The Raiders lost this game to the Chiefs way before
they realized it. Darren McFadden played just one
series before he sat out the rest of the game with
a sprained foot, and though many Raider fans could
and will blame Kyle Boller for this disastrous
result Sunday, the truth is, Hugh Jackson is right,
Jackson lost this game. Too much trickery, not
enough defense, and too much Kyle Boller. Boller's
only job Sunday once Jackson realized that Carson
Palmer just wasn't going to have enough time to be
ready for live action against a real NFL, should
have been to simply manage this game to a victory.
Boller and Palmer combined for 6 picks, 3 a piece,
but at least Palmer had an excuse. Down 14-0 the
Raiders showed how much Jackson was pressing by going
for it on 4th and goal on the one inch line, without
a QB on the field and failing to make it from that
same spot on 3rd down. I think that play is going
to do for Jackson the same thing going for it on 4th
down at the end of last weeks game did for him last
week, keep him up all night, and it should, but as
long as he learns fro it, the Raiders will be fine,
because Jackson is the right guy for this job, and
KC can expect a little payback if the chilly handshake
between Hugh Jackson and Todd Haley is any indication.
Last weeks end of game hand shake between Jim Harbaugh
and Jim Schwartz made plenty of headlines over how
over the top and loud it was, but this one was eerily
quiet and frigid, it spoke volumes. The Raiders
meet the Chiefs again on Christmas eve, and I cab
guarantee that the holiday spirit will definitely not
be in the air.

Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-19-11

Last weeks show is up and ready for your listening
pleasure, make sure to write in and voice your
opinions at rizzo@wdisam.com Thanks!




Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Carson Palmer & The Raiders Stir It Up

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

I wrote a piece a few months back stating how I felt
that Carson Palmer should not be rewarded for his
stance on demanding a trade, and that when a player
like Palmer signs a contract he should realize just
what that signature really means. I still feel that
way, probably always will. Unfortunately today his
demands were met, sort of. Yes he was traded, and
yes that's what he wanted, but perhaps since he
wasn't the only one rewarded, it doesn't seem like
giving in. You see, in this case Mike Brown, owner
of the Bengals, the man who didn't want to give in
to Palmer was also rewarded, and even though it's not
what he may have been angling for, at least he got
something for his aggravation, a 1st round pick in
the 2012 NFL draft, and at least a 2nd round pick
in the 2013 draft (It becomes a 1st rounder as well
if the Raiders win one playoff game). This is a
bonanza of a reward, especially since 1st round
draft picks going forward will be more affordable
according to the new CBA, and Brown is one frugal
SOB. The Bengals are 4-2, so they are no worse
off without Palmer, and he's now the Raiders to
deal with.

The Raiders get rewarded as well. Their QB just
got knocked out for a minimum of 6 weeks, and at
4-2 they don't want to waste any chance they might
have of going to the playoffs for the first time in
8 years. They did nothing wrong here, so no reason
they can't be rewarded, especially if they are
paying such a high price to get him. The Raiders
also did former boss AL Davis proud by pulling off
a deal that has "Just Win" written all over it,
and why not, isn't that the name of the game?

Getting back to Carson though, it's a shame that
he gains anything here. Players should not be
in any way rewarded for this type of behavior.
Lead by example, be a man of your word, you sign
a contract, honor it. Teach our youth a little
something, your word is everything in life,
with out it you have nothing. Don't get me wrong
as a lifelong Raiders fan, this is a good day for
me, I just don't think it's a good day morally
speaking, and that should mean something too.



Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Raider Nation: Congratulations Mike Shananhan...

A story out today by many outlets tells of former
NFL QB Elvis Grbac being ordered by then offensive
coordinator of the 49er's Mike Shanahan to throw a
ball right at Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
This story though new to me, doesn't surprise me
much. Though it's true that the term "Douche Bag"
is getting a little over used in society these days,
there are quite a few occasions where it applies,
and this is one of them. Congratulations Mike
Shanahan, you sir are a DOUCHE BAG. It is, unlike
so many other honors you've received very well
deserved. Wear it proud, wear it loud, the ultimate
confirmation of your worthiness is now out there
for all the world to see. May you and Lady Al
Michaels live miserable lives together for eternity.



Thank You Al Davis ! Tweet

Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-12-11

This week on Ranting with Rizzo the focus was
on the Red Sox, Yankees, Raiders, and Patriots,
and as per usual it was fun, so tune in and send
your thoughts to Rizzo@WDISAM.com





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Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo Replay

A taste of what you might get if you tune in
on Wednesday nights to listen to the show on
ScatterRadio is here for your listening pleasure.
I hope you like it, and tune in this week at 6PM.
Thanks !



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Stone Cold Locks Week 5

Last week I was 2-1 and I'm 10-2 on the season,
certainly not a showing a "Commitment to Excellence"
so far, so this week I will give honor to a man who
did nothing but dedicate himself to EXCELLENCE.

1. Oakland (Just Win)
2. Raiders (Pride & Poise)
3. Oakland Raiders (Commitment to Excellence)

Thank You Al Davis !

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Al Davis Is Dead, Long Live Al Davis!

I am truly and genuinely at a loss for words.
THANK YOU AL DAVIS, R.I.P.

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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-5-11

Tons of talk on the Pats and Raiders,
Terry Francona and what it could mean
in the larger picture. Tune In !



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Cowboys Ball DeAngelo Hall

After seeing DeAngelo Hall allow his man to
get open with the Cowboys facing a 3rd and
21, two things are worth mentioning, and the
first one is forget the rest of his play in
this game, even though it wasn't any good,
and secondly, that it is quite apparent why
the Falcons didn't fight very hard to keep
him and the Raiders were glad to bite the
bullet on the $8 million they had already
paid him after just eight games, not to
mention the draft choices they gave up to
get him, so long as he got the heck out of
Oakland. I'm sure Rob Ryan, his defensive
coordinator with the Raiders whispered in
Tony Romo's ear, as if he needed to, and let
Romo know how easy it was to expose the
second rate first stringer. Hall's departure
from Oakland was highlighted by the fact that
when opposite Nnamdi Asomougha, teams through
in his direction, and his direction only,
quickly stealing the nick name of former
Giant cornerback Elvis Patterson of "Toast"
he was burned for huge games so often.
DeAngelo single handedly made a star out of
Broncos rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal when
he allowed Royal to run amock at receiver in
his NFL debut. And oh yeah, by the way, when
got replaced by Chris Johnson a relative
nobody in football circles, the defensive
secondary immediately improved. Leave it to
Dan Snyder to pick that junk up from the trash.
Good thing he got the chance to defend his honor
by later ripping the coaches and the referees
after the Redskins fell to the Cowboys.


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Pryor Suspension Should Stick

Whether you're a Raiders fan or not, the decision
as to whether Terrelle Pryor's 5 game ban to start
his NFL career should stick or be lifted, should
not affect your judgement. As a Raiders fan myself
it would be easy for me to say that I want him to
win his appeal, but I don't. Pryor agreed to
the ban as part of the condition for him to be
allowed to enter the NFL's supplemental draft last
month, and that alone should be enough.
For starters, learn to keep your word, but that
sounds like a lot for someone who's reason to be
in the NFL early is to get away from the very same
5 game ban, and though I understand the argument
that neither the NFL nor Roger Goodell should police
transgressions committed with his college football
team, the NFL should not serve as a safe haven for
players trying to flee punishment from crimes
committed while at school either. Terrelle Pryor
is under contract with the Raiders for the next
four years, and since he shows no signs of being as
big a flop as Jamarcus Russell these five games will
do well in helping him build some character, so his
advisers might have been better served in getting
his career off on the right path and letting this
go. Mr Goodell, help this young man by showing
him what good character is, he didn't pay too close
attention in college.


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