After this weekend, I'm all smiles now. Everything is falling into place so far, from the firing of Calahan, the hiring of Turner and Ryan, free agency, and the Draft. This team is going back to smash-mouth football and will likely compete for a playoff spot. "He threw two to three balls that traveled over 50 yards in the air and were right on the money,'' Turner said. ``He looked very good to me. He felt semi-rusty or wasn't as pleased with it as I was. That's a positive to me. You guys know better than I do he is a little bit of a perfectionist and has high expectations for himself.'' With Gannon and backup Marques Tuiasosopo (torn knee ligament) on track in their returns, the Raiders probably will not pursue Kurt Warner should the St. Louis Rams release him after June 1.
What great acquisitions by the Raiders. Grove & Gallery IMO personify the Raider attitude most of us have to come to know and tolerate unless you are a Broncos fan. Glad to hear Gannon is doing well. Will Fargas & Wheatley will do a RB by Committee thing? The WR Oakland got from Syracuse will be a good addition. He will complement Porter well if Oakland decides to eliminate Brown Rice as a staple of their diet
Glad to hear Gannon is doing well too... don't want any excuses opening day.... I think they did a great job on draft day. But I think they need better run support than Wheatley & Fargas. Any free agents out there?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (blackadder)</div><div class='quotemain'> Glad to hear Gannon is doing well. Will Fargas & Wheatley will do a RB by Committee thing? </div> As everyone else is, the Raiders are watching the wire closely. I want the Raiders to take any opportunity to upgrade their backfield. However, Wheatly and Fargas can do a RB committee just fine. Wheatly technically only had 5 starts last season, but he has a bruising, between the tackles, smash-mouth style that gave him 4.3 yards per carry. Fargas is the off-speed pitch (in this case, the fastball) that will run sweeps for 20 yards a gain. Neither may be an every down back, but we may be able to squeeze 16 games by committee. It reminds me of Pittsburgh a couple years ago when they were using Zeroue and the Bus with some success.
I say Wheatly will do fine for the power running. And Fargas and Amos can use their amazing speed to gain the big yards..Agreed?
Echo that. Yes. I believe that Wheatley can be an every down back. Zeroue and Fargas would fit in nicely as the #2 and #3 respectively. Don't forget about Zack Crockett as the Raiders short-yardage specialist. Hambrick can take a hike as far as I'm concerned. In my world, Wheatley would get the bulk of the carries and the other folks would be in during an occasional 3rd or 4th down situation.
Agreed. Hambrick seems like a semi-safety blanket just in case Wheatly gets hurt. Even still, Hambrick isnt all that
Did you all see where Turner is putting in some shotgun formations? Gannon likes it, and so do I. Sounds like a fresh and in focus Gannon for the year. http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/monterey...rts/9344842.htm Gannon likes the shotgun By DENNIS GEORGATOS San Jose Mercury News NAPA -- Coach Norv Turner's offensive scheme includes occasional use of the shotgun formation, and Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon has taken a liking to the alignment he last used 12 years ago with the Minnesota Vikings. ''It will allow me, when things break down, to move around a little bit more and see some lanes,'' Gannon said Friday at training camp. ''I'm not saying I'll become like a Michael Vick, but I feel like I have the athleticism and the ability to make plays on the move. It will allow me to do that a little bit more.'' Gannon has played in a West Coast scheme for much of his 17-year career, including the past five seasons with the Raiders under Jon Gruden and Bill Callahan. There were times when the shotgun was discussed as a possible change-up, but Gannon said it never went beyond that. Gannon said the depth at which he receives the snap from center in the shotgun is appealing. ''I think it will also allow me to see through the pass rush a little bit better'' and get the pass away, he said. Whether taking the snap from under center or a few yards deep in the backfield, Gannon has thrown free and easy at camp -- a further sign that he has recovered from shoulder surgery last November. Gannon credited a heightened off-season passing regimen that arose out of his rehabilitation work. ''My arm feels great, and a lot of it has to do with the fact that in the past I might have thrown only two or three days a week leading up to the training camp,'' he said. ''This year, I threw every day really from March on. That's really made a difference. My arm feels fresher, and I feel like I'm getting stronger as it progresses rather than my arm getting more and more tired.''
