The Official 2013 Oakland Raiders Season Thread

ryderldb

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veldheer_is_yoked.0_standard_730.0.jpg


:wow: That boy Veldheer putting in work this off season.

:merchant: Dude looks like fukking hulk.
 

Skooby

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Oakland Raiders tackle Jared Veldheer has muscles on top of his muscles

Oakland Raiders offensive tackle Jared Veldheer has been lifting weights this offseason.

And apparently doing nothing else.

No time for sleep, reading a book or watching the NCAA tournament when you're trying to get pumped up like Veldheer. Not now chief, I'm in the zone!

Veldheer went from looking fairly normal, or at least as normal as a 300-pound man can look, to what you see in the above picture, which was posted by strength coach Mark Ehnis (@ThePowerMark on Twitter). Veldheer is the guy in the blue shirt, if you couldn't guess.

Now you glance at his picture a dozen times to confirm to yourself it's real.

Here's Veldheer's background photo on his Twitter page, obviously taken before this offseason:

So, yeah. There's something different about you, Jared ... have you shaved off a mustache? Can't quite put our finger on it.

Oh, apparently Veldheer has taken some time from his dead lifts and power cleans to take some vitamins as well:

So there you go. Take your vitamins, say your prayers, bench press about a billion pounds and you too can look like Veldheer in that picture on top of this post.

As CBS' Eye on Football pointed out, Veldheer weighed 312 when he came into the NFL, 321 last season and Ehnis tweeted that he's up to 325. That seems more like 40 pounds of muscle than four.
 

Skooby

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Good pickup for them.
----------------

Ravens to add Michael Huff

The Baltimore Ravens have reached an agreement in principle with former Oakland Raiders free-agent safety Michael Huff on a three-year deal, the team announced Wednesday.

The contract is worth $6 million, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Baltimore needed to address the safety position after the team parted ways with both starters in the Super Bowl, Ed Reed (signed with the Houston Texans) and Bernard Pollard (released, then signed with Tennessee Titans). Huff, 29, has spent his entire career with the Raiders after being selected in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2006 NFL draft.

In eight seasons, Huff has 11 interceptions and 57 passes defensed. He also has recorded 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Huff was released by the Raiders on March 12 before he was to receive a $4 million roster bonus. He had visited the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the week before reaching a deal with the Ravens.

This is the Ravens' second addition to the defense this week. Baltimore officially signed Pro Bowl linebacker Elvis Dumervil on Tuesday.

The base value of Dumervil's deal is $26 million, including a $7.5 signing bonus for 2013. The contract could be worth as much as $35 million if incentives are reached, according to sources.

The contract has a $3.5 million option bonus in 2014.

Over the first three years of the contract, Dumervil will receive $17 million from Baltimore. The team has him for cap numbers of $2.5 million and $3.375 million in the first two years of the deal.
 

PTBG

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Kelly got released

:blessed::blessed::blessed:

:dj2: :blessed: :pacspit: I always hated this dude, like always. Him and Seymour were practically the reason why we always were like the most penalized team. We would be down by like 20+ points heading into halftime, and he would be chilling like its all cool with the opposing team. I have no clue how many roughing the passer calls he got, just so he could act hard. :whew: McKenize getting rid of the fat, literally. :smugbiden:
 

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:dj2: :blessed: :pacspit: I always hated this dude, like always. Him and Seymour were practically the reason why we always were like the most penalized team. We would be down by like 20+ points heading into halftime, and he would be chilling like its all cool with the opposing team. I have no clue how many roughing the passer calls he got, just so he could act hard. :whew: McKenize getting rid of the fat, literally. :smugbiden:

Loving it! Get rid of all these bum ass dudes with those silly contracts.
 

ryderldb

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Two years ago, the Hue Jackson year, I thought Kelly was pretty damn good, but he regressed dramatically last year. Dude was always jumping off sides and shyt.
 

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Sources: Carson Palmer may prefer backup role on winning team over taking pay cut with Raiders

When the Oakland Raiders asked Carson Palmer to take a $3 million pay cut earlier this month, his decision seemed like a no-brainer.

By proposing that the 33-year-old quarterback take a relatively modest reduction from his $13 million base salary, rather than a drastic cut, the Raiders were essentially affirming their faith in Palmer's abilities. And given that it's highly unlikely Palmer could command anywhere close to $10 million annually on the open market, staying seemed like the obvious play.

Yet Palmer, Y! Sports has learned and other media outlets have reported, balked at the Raiders' request, a move that could lead to his outright release. The quarterback's decision, according to three sources familiar with Palmer's mindset, is based on a sense that Oakland's prospects for success in 2013 are so bleak that money is no longer the predominant factor in his thought process.

Palmer's rejection of the Raiders' proposal could lead him to the Arizona Cardinals, who are in the market for a starting quarterback, or possibly put him on the path to becoming a backup for a contending team. Oakland, meanwhile, may respond to the player's hardened stance by trading for Seattle Seahawks backup Matt Flynn or selecting West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith with the third overall pick in the draft.

Whereas Palmer's return to the Raiders seemed like a given just a few weeks ago, there's an increasing sense both inside the organization and in Palmer's camp that a divorce is imminent.

"Carson isn't 28, and he doesn't know how much time he has left," one source close to Palmer said Wednesday. "Does he want to be with a team that is clearly rebuilding and looks like it's a long way away from contending, where he doesn't have a whole lot around him?

"He's gotten to play a lot in his career, but he hasn't gotten to experience a lot of winning. At this point, I think being somewhere where they have a chance to win is the most important thing."

Whether Palmer, who did not return messages seeking comment, has a chance to do that in a starting capacity remains to be seen.

If the Raiders, who have yet to issue Palmer an ultimatum, decide to cut him rather than retain him at his current pay grade, the Cardinals are his most logical suitor. New Arizona coach Bruce Arians has long favored sturdy, strong-armed pocket passers, and Palmer absolutely fits the profile.

That said, the Cardinals are exploring numerous options at the position. Earlier this month Arizona signed free agent Drew Stanton, a backup last season for the Indianapolis Colts, where Arians was the offensive coordinator and interim head coach. Arians has since stated publicly that he is comfortable going into the season with Stanton as his presumptive starter.

The Cardinals are also likely to draft a quarterback in the first or second rounds. General manager Steve Keim attended North Carolina State's pro day Tuesday and was impressed by the performance of former Wolfpack passer Mike Glennon. The team also had a presence at USC's pro day Wednesday, where ex-Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley put his skills on display.

A team source said Arizona has yet to do a thorough evaluation on Palmer, who threw for 4,018 yards in 15 games last season. If the Cardinals do pursue him, they would almost certainly offer him far less than $10 million a season.
It's also unclear how motivated Palmer would be by the prospect of playing for NFC West cellar dweller Arizona, which is staring up at the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in what is arguably football's toughest division. In fact, joining a team like the 49ers or Seahawks might make sense if Palmer were to be content with a backup role. Should Palmer, a Southern California native, be amenable to leaving the West Coast, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be another viable option to pursue as a second-stringer.

One thing is obvious: Palmer is less than enthused with the idea of returning to Oakland, where salary-cap issues, a dearth of draft choices (a problem exacerbated, in fairness, by the 2011 trade that brought Palmer to the Raiders) and a recent rash of cuts and free-agent defections have created a sense of pessimism about the team's 2013 prospects.

The Raiders, who went 4-12 last season, have said goodbye to productive players such as linebacker Philip Wheeler (who signed with the Miami Dolphins at the start of free agency), safety Michael Huff (who signed with the Baltimore Ravens Wednesday) and defensive tackle Tommy Kelly (released Wednesday). Meanwhile, wideout Darrius Heyward-Bey and defensive lineman Richard Seymour are among those likely to sign elsewhere in the coming weeks.

"At this point," said one of the sources familiar with Palmer's thinking, "he's got to be wondering, 'What have I signed up for?' And, 'Do I have a fighting chance?' "

General manager Reggie McKenzie – hired by owner Mark Davis to reshape the franchise three months after the 2011 death of his legendary father, Al – has done little to convince Palmer that immediate improvement is on the horizon. Though Palmer is pleased with the presence of new offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who he helped recruit following the firing of predecessor Greg Knapp, the quarterback suspects he is set up for failure.

"The fans hate the trade and take it out on him," said one of the sources. "He's probably thinking that he'll get his ass kicked, physically and mentally."
As Oakland heads into coach Dennis Allen's second season, Palmer isn't the only one unimpressed by the team's direction. A document comparing the Raiders' rebuilding efforts to those of the Indianapolis Colts — one originating from a frustrated employee inside the team's Alameda training facility, and obtained by Y! Sports — did not reflect favorably upon McKenzie and Allen.
Among the cited similarities between the two organizations heading into the 2012 season: Each team hired a first-time general manager and a first-time head coach who had previously been a defensive coordinator. Each had to contend with severe salary-cap issues and more "dead money" than any of their other NFL counterparts. Both started quarterbacks picked first overall (Oakland's Palmer in 2003, Indy's Andrew Luck in 2012) who were learning a new offensive system. And both replaced their starting cornerbacks and center from the previous season, lacked a 1,000-yard rusher in 2012 and featured rosters devoid of any of their first-round selections from the 2004-08 drafts.

Whereas the Colts, with Arians filling in for the ailing Chuck Pagano for much of the season, rebounded from a 2-14 campaign in 2011 to finish 11-5 and make the playoffs, Oakland lost 12 games after having gone 8-8 the previous year.

McKenzie's dubious moves in 2012 included signing guard Mike Briesel to a five-year, $25-million contract in free agency (he has since accepted a pay cut following a disappointing season), acquiring a quartet of since-released vested veterans (Dave Tollefson, Owen Schmitt, Ron Bartell and Pat Lee) and restructuring Seymour's deal in a manner that will cause the team to take a $14 million cap hit in 2013.

After trading for Palmer, who stepped away from the game following the 2010 season because he no longer wanted to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, the Raiders asked him to restructure his existing contract, and he complied. McKenzie initiated another restructuring following the 2011 season, and again the quarterback was receptive.

This time, however, Palmer resisted the team's pitch for cap relief. The fact that McKenzie told Sirius/XM NFL radio in January that third-year backup Terrelle Pryor would have a chance to compete for the starting job in 2013 likely didn't increase Palmer's enthusiasm for accepting a pay cut.

One of the sources close to Palmer said the quarterback's refusal to accept the $10 million salary is not a leverage play. "It's not like he's trying to get another few hundred thousand [dollars] out of the Raiders," the source said. "That's not what this is about."

Unless Palmer has a change of heart, the Raiders will have to decide whether to pay him the $13 million or move on without him. For now, the staredown continues, with no resolution in sight. There are no roster bonuses or other pending payments due to Palmer that would trigger any sort of deadline, and the team has not yet threatened to release him should he decline to accept the pay cut.

On Wednesday, the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders were "willing" to retain Palmer for his full salary in 2013 "right now" — though the situation is obviously fluid.

Despite McKenzie's public support for Pryor, who started Oakland's final game of 2012 (completing 13 of 28 passes for 150 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception, and running nine times for 49 yards and a TD), there is much organizational skepticism about the former Ohio State standout.

That said, Pryor's mobility presents the Raiders with an intriguing scenario should Palmer be released: The team could draft Smith and sign a third quarterback with running skills (possibly ex-Tennessee Titans starter Vince Young) to create an entire depth chart of players suited to running a read-option attack.

Another possibility would be trading for Flynn, an expensive free-agent signee for the Seahawks in 2012 who was beaten out by rookie Russell Wilson in training camp. McKenzie previously worked as a personnel executive for the Green Bay Packers, where Flynn spent the first four years of his career as Aaron Rodgers' backup.

A league source said the Raiders have legitimate interest in acquiring Flynn, who could likely be pried from Seattle for as little as a fourth-round pick. (Another source said the Jacksonville Jaguars, who according to a CBSSports.com report are also interested in Flynn, have little inclination to try to swing a trade.)

However, with Flynn carrying a cap number of $7.25 million for 2013, acquiring him would still pose financial problems for the Raiders, as Palmer would count another $9.34 million against this year's cap were he to be released.

Convincing the incumbent starter to return for $10 million would seem to be a far less messy option for McKenzie. At this point, however, Palmer appears to want to make a clean break from the Raiders, even if doing so is not in his best financial interests.
 

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When owners and teams treat football like a business, media and fans shrug. When players do, it’s regarded as an affront to the integrity of the game.

It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is. And Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer needs to brace himself for that reaction as he tries to force his way out of Oakland.

It’s obvious Palmer wants out. Two years ago, he finagled his exit from Cincinnati by feigning retirement. The strategy looked to be a failure until Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell broke his collarbone and former Raiders coach Hue Jackson lost his damn mind, giving up a first-round pick and a second-round pick for a quarterback who isn’t the guy he used to be.

Now, Palmer is turning up his nose at $10 million from the Raiders, which sets the stage for the Raiders eventually to cut him — and for Palmer to play for someone else.

As Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports explains it, Palmer wants to play for a contender, even if it means being a backup. (Cough . . . Seahawks and Pete Carroll . . . cough.) Of course, Palmer won’t get $10 million to be a backup, but his willingness to walk away from football in order to get out of Cincinnati proves that he’d be willing to walk away from $10 million in order to get a shot at winning.

Palmer’s posture also reflects a belief that, despite the hiring of G.M. Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen, Palmer doesn’t see the silver-and-black bus getting turned around in the immediate future. Otherwise, he’d gladly take $10 million to stay put.

The problem is that the Raiders currently hold all the cards. With no seven-figure trigger in Palmer’s deal, the $13 million doesn’t become fully guaranteed until Week One, which means the Raiders can cut him much later in the offseason, if they draft a quarterback early — or if they eventually decide Terrelle Pryor can get the job done. The only risk the Raiders are taking is that, if Palmer drops a dumbbell on his foot or pops an Achilles tendon in offseason conditioning drills or otherwise suffers a season-ending injury while on the clock, the Raiders will owe Palmer his full salary.

That could set the stage for a Steve McNair-style lockout. Even without Palmer being barred from the building (which would violate the CBA), Palmer is making his second power play in two years.

When a team does it, we applaud. Fair or not, Palmer should prepare for the jeers and the boos and the accusations of being a chronic quitter.
:laff: at Carson fukking Palmer thinking he is worth 10+ mill. Motherfukker talking about going to a winning team, but this is the same dude that left a losing Bengals squad and the year after they go to the playoffs for dumping Palmer. He should be fukking lucky he is still playing. :pacspit: I have never fukked with Palmer. But, :ahh: that means its getting close to that T-Pry time though. :obama:
 

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Oakland Raiders reportedly interested in Matt Flynn


With Carson Palmer's divorce from the Raiders looking more probable by the day, Oakland is zeroing in on another West Coast quarterback.

Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday that the Raiders have "legitimate interest" in acquiring Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie worked for years in Green Bay, where Flynn toiled for the Packers behind starter Aaron Rodgers, so the 27-year-old passer is something of a known quantity in Oakland's front office.

Flynn also has been linked to Jacksonville, but a source told Silver that the Jaguars have "little inclination" to pursue him.

That leaves the Raiders in play to conceivably obtain Flynn for a mid-round draft pick, but the sticking point for Oakland is Flynn's heady $5.25 million base salary for 2013. Even if the Raiders wind up releasing Palmer, $9.34 million of his outrageous $13 million salary would count against the cap this year.

All this for Flynn, who landed in Seattle last offseason with two NFL starts under his belt, only to lose his presumed starting role to Russell Wilson. With the Raiders primed to draft a passer and give Terrelle Pryor a chance to compete, Oakland risks making an even greater -- and more expensive -- mess of their quarterback room.


dec8a4843a4ede0af169e9e1c84ce94b.jpg
 

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Oakland Raiders reportedly interested in Matt Flynn


With Carson Palmer's divorce from the Raiders looking more probable by the day, Oakland is zeroing in on another West Coast quarterback.

Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports reported Thursday that the Raiders have "legitimate interest" in acquiring Matt Flynn from the Seattle Seahawks. Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie worked for years in Green Bay, where Flynn toiled for the Packers behind starter Aaron Rodgers, so the 27-year-old passer is something of a known quantity in Oakland's front office.

Flynn also has been linked to Jacksonville, but a source told Silver that the Jaguars have "little inclination" to pursue him.

That leaves the Raiders in play to conceivably obtain Flynn for a mid-round draft pick, but the sticking point for Oakland is Flynn's heady $5.25 million base salary for 2013. Even if the Raiders wind up releasing Palmer, $9.34 million of his outrageous $13 million salary would count against the cap this year.

All this for Flynn, who landed in Seattle last offseason with two NFL starts under his belt, only to lose his presumed starting role to Russell Wilson. With the Raiders primed to draft a passer and give Terrelle Pryor a chance to compete, Oakland risks making an even greater -- and more expensive -- mess of their quarterback room.


dec8a4843a4ede0af169e9e1c84ce94b.jpg

Don't want to give up no draft pick on this nikka :childplease: Why not just let Pryor play?! :what:
 
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