Linebacker Williams Signs One-Year Deal to Remain a Raider
Contra Costa Times
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Article Launched: 01/30/2008 03:07:37 AM PST
The Raiders re-signed Sam Williams to a one-year contract Tuesday — a move that prevents the veteran outside linebacker from hitting the free-agent market next month.
Williams, 27, was a third-round draft pick of the Raiders in 2003. He began last season as a starter but lost his job to Robert Thomas after a shoulder injury.
Question of Loyalty – Kiffin May Have Broken Cardinal Rule of Raider Nation
Bucky Brooks SI.com
Posted: Monday January 28, 2008 4:40PM
Last week, news broke of the Oakland Raiders possibly dismissing Lane Kiffin. The media reaction ranged from shock to humor. But such a move would hardly be surprising to those who have experienced life as a Raider. We understand that loyalty is not only expected, but also demanded from owner Al Davis.
As a former player for the Raiders, I have seen how that loyalty is rewarded. Willie Brown, Jim Otto and George Atkinson are a few of the former Raider greats who continue to have ties with the organization. Moreover, there are countless others who have spent decades working for the organization without the benefit of a written contract.
Lane Kiffin may have underestimated the significance of loyalty when he (or an associate close to him) reportedly inquired about the Arkansas and UCLA jobs near the end of the season. His alleged pursuit of those jobs would be seen as the ultimate act of disloyalty by Davis.
In naming Kiffin the head coach just a year ago, Davis took a chance on an “up-and-coming” college assistant who had limited experience as a coordinator and was not considered a prime candidate for a head coaching job on any level. But Davis has always been a risk taker when it comes to running his football team.
He hired John Madden at the age of 32. Tom Flores became the first minority to win a Super Bowl, also under Davis’s guidance, and the Raiders have the highest-ranking woman in league circles, chief operating officer Amy Trask. Davis clearly has a long history of granting unconventional candidates opportunities to lead, but he expects to be rewarded for his acts with loyalty and respect.
Kiffin’s alleged pursuits of the aforementioned jobs violated this order, and his rumored attempt to dismiss several staff members without Davis’ consent would be another sign of disrespect.
Despite those acts, the decision to jettison Kiffin after one season would be difficult. Kiffin, who led the Raiders to a 4-12 record, appeared to have the team headed in the right direction. His squad was competitive (seven losses by seven points or fewer), organized and played with an energy that hadn’t been seen in Oakland in the past two seasons.
Offensively, Kiffin fixed the leaky O-line and orchestrated an attack that ranked sixth in the league in rushing offense. With JaMarcus Russell slated to start in 2008, the Raiders could be a prolific unit. Oakland also has the personnel in place to field a top ten defense for years to come. Thus, the dismissal of Kiffin would squash a lot of the positive buzz that is building around the franchise.
Regardless of how this saga eventually unfolds, Davis’ demand for loyalty will not change and those who represent the Raiders must realize that.
Raiders Coach Refuses to Heed Davis’ Call to Resign
Chris Mortenson of ESPN Reports
Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis has been pushing for coach Lane Kiffin to resign and is considering Dennis Green as a potential replacement, sources close to Kiffin and the team said.
Davis has gone so far as to draft a letter of resignation for Kiffin to sign, a source said. Kiffin has refused to do so but has dared Davis to fire him instead. The letter, the source said, was sent to Kiffin two weeks ago.
Position Analysis: Offensive line
By Jerry McDonald – NFL Writer
Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 2:17 pm in Oakland Raiders
2007: LT Barry Sims, LG Robert Gallery, C Jeremy Newberry, RG Cooper Carlisle; RT Paul McQuistan, T Mario Henderson, G-C Chris Morris, T Seth Wand, C Jake Grove, T Cornell Green.
Summary: Perhaps the most improved unit in the NFL, the Raiders went from pathetic to slightly above average under the direction of line coach Tom Cable.
The Raiders went from 29th in then NFL in rushing (94.9 yards per game) to sixth (130.4). They went from 32nd in time of possession (28:13) to fifth (31:27). After giving up 72 sacks, the most in the league in 2006, the Raiders gave up 41 _ still an unacceptable total but one that was exceeded by 10 teams.
It was a good start, but there is much work to do.
When the season began, the Raiders had new players starting at three of five positions, while the other two _ Barry Sims and Robert Gallery traded spots.
Guard Cooper Carlisle, signed as a free agent, was an important addition in that he had experience in the zone blocking scheme. He went three-quarters of the season before being called for a penalty and finished with just two.
Center Jeremy Newberry was not the player he was as a Pro Bowler in San Francisco, but held up remarkably well after missing nearly two years with severe knee problems. He is a free agent and wants to return.
Cornell Green, a reserve for eight seasons, emerged as the starting right tackle and started 10 games before being lost for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Paul McQuistan, who had starts at both right and left guard in 2006, had some shaky moments during times when Green temporarily left with injuries, but played surprisingly well once Green went out for the season and will compete for a starting position.
Cable watched Gallery closely during minicamps, playing at both left guard and right and left tackle. When training camp arrived, Gallery was moved inside to left guard.
Once viewed as a prototype left tackle, compared with the likes of Tony Boselli and Orlando Pace, Cable looked at Gallery and felt putting him at tackle was like “putting a square peg in a round hole.”
As a guard, Gallery committed too many penalties and had some difficult moments _ most notably against Tennessee defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. (Haynesworth, it should be noted, did that to a lot of left guards in his salary drive free agent year).
But he also proved to be an adept cut blocker. The mean streak which was talked about when he was drafted manifested itself in a skill perfected by Steve Wisniewski _ nailing a defensive player with an unexpected block a fraction before the whistle blew.
Gallery still has his detractors. Jacksonville end Paul Spicer trashed him during a segment on HBO’s Inside the NFL, and many arm-chair line coaches regard him as a wasted draft pick.
Lane Kiffin is not among them, agreeing with Cable’s assessment that Gallery was miscast as a tackle.
“I do think think definitely (guard) is the best position for him,” Kiffin said at his season-ending press conference. “With Rob, what we’ve got to continue to work on is his decision-making. He has (too many) poor penalties and we’ve got to get that fixed.”
Gallery had listened to the various theories of Aaron Kromer, Jim Colletto, Irv Eatman, Jackie Slater and Art Shell before Cable and Kiffin arrived. Kiffin heard stories that the experience had soured Gallery, but found out differently.
“This guy loves playing football and he’s tough as can be,” Kiffin said. “So anybody that ever thought (he didn’t) was wrong, and I’m glad to have him. And I know the players around him really respect him and what he brings every single day. I’ve never heard the guy in 11 months complain about one single thing.”
If Gallery is entrenched, Sims is less so.
It is nothing new. The Raiders drafted Mo Collins, Matt Stinchcomb and Gallery in the first round all with the intention of moving Sims from left tackle. Shell moved Sims inside last season, with Cable moving him back to left tackle this season.
How much longer can Sims hold on? Expect the Raiders to find a competitor at left tackle this season, someone to protect the blind side of JaMarcus Russell.
It may not even be a big name. One characteristic of a zone blocking and cut blocking schemes is that the skills needed for proper execution _ quickness, agility, beating an opponent to the punch _ means road graders need not apply.
Considering the Raiders’ were having problems at tackle, the fact that Henderson didn’t perform enough to merit playing time was a disappointment.
One of three third-round picks, Henderson was a late bloomer at Florida State _ he didn’t start until his senior year _ and never made a move with the Raiders. In fact, when asked three-quarters of the way through the season about being inactive each week, he said he wasn’t ready.
In training camp, Cable said of Henderson, “He’s a guy who’s never pushed himself and has never really been pushed. He has to learn to do that. You might call it maturity, but he has to learn how to really be a grown-up, and how to grind and fight and scrap every day fro what he wants. He doesn’t really understand that yet.”
If Henderson doesn’t ascend to at least backup status as the Raiders enter training camp, start worrying.
Morris, who backed up Gallery at left guard and can also play center, was a surprise choice over Kevin Boothe to make the 2007 roster. It was strictly a system call _ with Boothe considered a man-to-man drive blocker while Morris, less imposing physically, had a better knack for what Cable is teaching.
Grove, a smallish center who looked to have some of the requisties to succeed in the scheme, couldn’t beat Newberry out in training camp and had his season essentially washed out by a knee injury.
Wand made 16 of his 18 starts for Houston in 2004, but hasn’t started since. The Raiders signed him Nov. 21 but he did not appear in any games.
Jesse Boone, signed after a tryout session on the eve of training camp with the headlights of several staffers’ cars providing illumination in the darkness, spent the entire season on the practice squad. He showed enough to be signed to the roster following the season so he will get an additional look the offseason session.
Potential draftees: C Steven Justice, Wake Forest; C Mike Pollack, Arizona State, C John Sullivan, Notre Dame; C Cody Wallace, Texas A&M; G Brenden Albert, Virginia; G Roy Schuening, Oregon State; G Andrew Radofich, USC, G Robert Felton, Arkansas, G Eric Young, Tennessee; T Jake Long, Michigan; T Ryan Clady, Boise State, T Samuel Baker, USC; T Jeffrey Otah, Pittsburgh; T Christopher Williams, Vanderbilt.
Potential unrestricted free agents: C Seth McKinney, Cleveland; C John Wade, Tampa Bay; C Casey Wiegmann, Kansas City; C Jeff Faine, New Orleans, C Eugene Amano, Tennessee, C Alex Stepanovich, Cincinnati; G Alan Faneca, Pittsburgh, G Pork Chop Womack, Seattle; T Flozell Adams, Dallas; T George Foster, Detroit; T Jordan Gross, Carolina; T Max Starks, Pittsburgh; T Maurice Williams, Jacksonville.
Josh McCown / LaMont Jordan
QB | Josh McCown | Free Agent Players | Free Agency News
Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders QB Josh McCown, who will be an unrestricted free-agent during the offseason, said he would like to return to the team.
Raiders | Jordan unlikely to stay with team
Jerry McDonald, of ANG Newspapers, reports Oakland Raiders RB LaMont Jordan is unlikely to return to the team next season.
