“Shocking Trade: Beloved Raiders Legend Sent to Rival Team!”….
would be an upgrade over Bennett or Facyson to help round out the defense.
To be honest, I don’t think a team can really have too much depth at this stage in the game with a 90-man roster. If I had to pick one though, I’d probably say wide receiver since the Raiders currently have 12, and only five or six will be on the 53-man. Plus, if they use as many two-tight end sets as everyone is expecting them to, the offense won’t need as many wideouts.
Q: Love your insights! As I rewatch some of last year’s games, it seems to me AOC is just a fraction too slow on some of his throws. Not all the time, but a lot. Can that be coached? Is it a matter of having the game slow down for him? If he can fire just half a second sooner, I think he can be very, very good. I suspect he is nailing the timing in practice and that is why AP is so high on him. Would love your thoughts.
A long release is pretty typical for young quarterbacks because often they grew up playing baseball with a longer wind-up to throw and had the arm strength to overcome that in college. So, it’s just a matter of adjusting mechanics to a shorter/tighter wind-up to get the ball out of the hand faster.
The decision-making aspect can certainly come with time and more experience in the NFL. That’s where the “game slowing down” plays a factor as a quarterback gets more experience and starts becoming more decisive as he recognizes coverages faster after seeing what defenses throw at him more often. That’s harder to “coach” because it’s all mental and not mechanical as some guys will just never be able to process information quickly enough.
But coaches can help by giving young quarterbacks guidance on what indicators to look for to help determine what the coverage is. For example, watching a safety and seeing if he opens his hips toward the sideline to play Cover 2 or drops deep in Cover 3.
Q: What do you think about our third-string QB? To me, he is a game-changer. Strong, accurate passer, smart, and knows how to extend plays. A very similar player to a player he was backing up in Baltimore.
A: As an Oregon fan who watched a lot of Anthony Brown during his last year in college, I like Carter Bradley to win that job…
Q: With the recent passing of Jim Otto, who is the best center in Raiders history who is still alive?
A: First, I’d like to send my condolences to the Otto family for their loss. While I never met him, everything I heard about Jim makes it seem like he perfectly embodied what it means to be a Raider. Physical and mean on the field but kind and personable off of it.
Now that Otto has passed, I’ll go with Don Mosebar as the best living center in the Raiders’ history. Mosebar played 13 seasons for the club, won a Super Bowl pool, was an All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler. Rodney Hudson was the other guy I considered, but Mosebar’s accolades, longevity and ring give him the nod.
Q: Would you ever support any changes to the uniform? I wouldn’t do large changes but a return to the old AFL logo/silver numbers on the away kit would be dope. And to be honest, I’ve always like the idea of black face masks for us.
