Heading into the 2010 season, Tom Cable is through with the committee running back scheme - he wants a starter. Cable is looking for a back who can carry the ball on every down.

Here's what he had to say at the NFL owners meeting this past week.

"We'll move forward with those two guys," Cable said. "I think it will help both of them that they will get more work. The question with (Darren) is, now that he's healthy, can he be an everydown back? And I think he can be."

- Raiders Head Coach Tom Cable

Source: SFGate

With the Raiders' release of Justin Fargas, expect competition for the starting job at the running back position to be pretty stiff this off-season.

Regardless of who emerges as the No. 1, the RB position looks to be in good shape this year, especially if Oakland addresses their needs on the O-Line.

I imagine this note went out to quite a few fan sites today, but I'm going to post it here just in case.

This is definitely some conspiracy theory propaganda, but I do see some possible underlying truths in it. There's no doubt that Al is the black sheep owner of the NFL, and that ESPN and the rest of the NFL enjoy nothing more than to see his Raiders fail.

Give it a read...

Dear Raider Nation,

The Raiders are one of the best franchises in pro-sports; not talking about in the past or morally I mean they are literally as good as New England or Baltimore. Al Davis is being forced out and is involved in a battle with minority owners who side with the NFL is getting out the league. A mutiny of minority owners backed by the league and their corporate partners to take over the Raiders so they can relocate and join most other teams in brown nosing the league office.

Its' hard to accept that Al isn't to blame for the slump but its true and the losing is on purpose. To discourage fans from attending games. The NFL hopes Al will go into debt and have to sale more shares and the whole team by 2011; with lowered attendance the new ownership would have excuse to relocate the team. Its' not about only revenge against Al but cold business. The NFL doesn't want any family owned clubs unless the family are billionaires who can finance their own stadiums. So, the Raiders are in a bad place and have no support from the media or law enforcement (Feds).

It looks like they may lose hugely and embarrassingly against the Chargers - something the NFL really wants to happen and because of the people the league has inside the Raiders to cause it to happen. But what we can do is intercept them and show our support for Mr Davis and his/ our Raiders. If you know anyone attending the game tonight tell them to e-mail others and:

1. Make signs supporting Raiders regardless of losses.
2. Booing ESPN and NFL Network
3. Letting the NFL know the fans support the Raiders.

This won't stop any fixed games but it may stop them from doing it in the future by exposing their corruption. Let high morale dominate our emotions instead of anger at Al and the Raiders when they lose this season; understand the NFL is behind most of their problems.

Beginning with Monday's home opener vs San Diego, the Oakland Raiders will be hosting a new pre-game entertainment event for the Raider Nation. Raiderville will be located on the South side of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Parking Lot G.

Monday's event will be hosted from 2:00pm - 6:30pm

Highlights of Raiderville will include:

• Half Pipe snow mountain sponsored by Coors Light, complete with a snowboard stunt demonstration.
• Raider Legends and Raiderettes will be on hand to sign autographs for fans.
• Football's Fabulous Females will be performing live, as will the new Raiders drum line.
• A 9 foot LED television screen will be available so fans can catch other NFL action.
• Food and beverages will be available for purchase.

This Monday's schedule:

• The Coors Light snowboard half pipe show will happen at 2:00pm and again at 4:30pm.
• Raider Legends Jim Otto and Daryle Lamonica will be on hand to sign autographs from 4:00pm to 5:00pm.
• The Raiders new drumline will perform at 5:15pm.
• The Raiderettes will be available for autographs at 5:15pm and will close out the event with their performance at 6:00pm.

Source: Raiders.com

The SFGate reports that the Oakland Raiders are in danger of possibly having their nationally televised home opener blacked out due to soft ticket sales.

The Bay Area's unemployment rate has reached nearly 10 percent, leaving the Raiders' fan base in terrible shape economically. With fewer than 33,000 fans in attendance for the final pre-season home game vs New Orleans, it's doubtful that the Raiders will sell many tickets this season.

Unless a last minute price reduction goes into effect, ticket sales are expected to be possibly the lowest in the NFL. If six straight losing seasons, including the worst record in the NFL over the past six seasons weren't enough to dissuade fans from buying tickets, the 45-7 debacle vs the Saints may have been the deciding factor.

Unless the Raiders deliver on Monday Night Football, which is somewhat doubtful considering their recent record vs San Diego, they're in for some rough seas as far as home game ticket sales are concerned.

The San Diego Chargers are 9 1/2 point favorites over the hosting Oakland Raiders.

There's been talk that the Oakland Raiders and their former first round draft pick Michael Huff may part ways. Huff, who was selected 7th overall by the Raiders in the 2006 NFL Draft, has had a very underachieving career since coming to Oakland.

Huff had a a very impressive resume going into the draft and many felt he was going to be the next Ed Reed. Coming out of the University of Texas he was a first-team All-America safety and a winner of the Jim Thorpe Award for being the best defensive back in the nation. He recorded over 300 tackles with the Longhorns, set a school record with four career interception returns for touchdowns and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds at the NFL combine.

The Raiders were hoping for this type of performance from Huff when they signed him to a 6 year, 43 million dollar contract. However, Huff hasn't made the impact that they hoped he would since coming to Oakland three years ago. He's played 2 seasons at strong safety, and then one at free safety with the Raiders. The change in positions had little, if any affect on his performance. This past year he lost his starting job to undrafted free agent Hiram Eugene, and spent more time riding the pine during the second half of the season than he did on the field.

On the other hand, Huff has a couple of things going for him that could keep him in Silver and Black next year. For one, he's only due $945,000 in 2009 which is a very modest salary for a first round pick at his position. Secondly, the Raiders will have a new defensive play caller next season in Jim Marshall. Lastly, by no means does Eugene have a lock on the position and the only other option is former 4th round pick Tyvon Branch, who is not quite ready for prime time.

His 2009 bargain salary could enable the Raiders to wait and see how he performs under Marshall's gameplan. It's possible that Huff may be a better fit in this new defense, plus he's still a young player at only 25 years old. The Raiders may take the cheap gamble on Huff before they send him looking for work elsewhere. It may pan out to be a smart move.

Two of the Raiders' top players, and arguably the best in the NFL at their respective positions, are up for free agency in 2009. The Raiders' All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, and All-Pro punter Shane Lechler are not likely to both be starting the 2009 season with the Oakland Raiders. One of them will almost inevitabley move on.

Asomugha has reportedly stated that he's interested in seeing what's out there, and it's been hinted that Lechler may want to explore greener pastures as well. However, it's certain that Al Davis is going to slap the franchise tag on one of these players. The obvious choice would most likely be Asomugha, given that he's not only the Raiders' top player in the defensive secondary, but perhaps the best corner in the NFL. While having a shut-down corner like Asomugha on the roster is a definite need for the Raiders, so is a punter of Lechler's caliber.

When it's all said and done, Lechler will probably end his career being recognized as the greatest punter in NFL history, and may possibly become the first punter in the Hall of Fame. Since entering the league in 2000, Lechler has already set five Raiders' regular season records, and holds the all-time record in the NFL for highest career average per punt (46.5 yds).

So how do the Raiders cope with this off-season dilemma of trying to retain one, or both of these players? Slapping the exlusive rights tag on Asomugha is most likely what will happen. Davis will either arrange a long-term deal or trade him to another team for some hefty draft picks. It'd be sad to see Nnamdi leave the Raiders, but it's unclear whether or not the organization will be able to afford the salary it would require to keep him in Oakland for years to come.

Lechler on the other hand, would be easy to afford. Both players would attract much attention from other teams, but even as good as Lechler is, he still wouldn't be as desirable as Asomugha. Unfortunately, Lechler is probably more than interested in leaving Raider land. If being the best player in the NFL at your position, while being stuck on a losing and dysfunctional franchise for the past five years wasn't enough, how about a nice sock to the face from teammate Terdell Sands? Sands, who's 6'7" and weighing in at 335 lbs., decked Lechler on the team flight home from Denver on Novemeber 23rd.

In an ideal world, the Raiders and Asomugha could agree to a long-term contract that would keep him in the Silver and Black for eight more years perhaps. Then, they could take Lechler out, get him drunk and throw enough money at him to keep him happy. However, the truth of the matter is, neither one of these guys is excited about staying with the Raiders. I guess it'll depend upon who wants out more.

If Asomugha is bent on going to another team, Davis could put the non-exclusive tag on him and let Nnamdi shop himself around. The Raiders could seek a valuable trade for him or receive a couple first round picks, which they could certainly use for their rebuilding process. This would probably allow the Raiders to throw a boat-load of cash at Lechler and make him the highest paid punter in league history.

My early prediction is that Asomugha will probably be in another uniform next season. With all of the bad personnel decisions that have been made - throwing outrageous contracts at has-beens and never-will-be's, I don't see how they could pay Asomugha enough money to keep him happy in the land of silver and black. Personally, I'd like to see Lechler retire a Raider, so that wouldn't bum me out too much. I'd just be concerned that the Raiders didn't squander their compensation for Asomugha on more bad players.

This should be an interesting off-season for Oakland. Raider Nation... hold on tight... we could be in for a very bumpy ride.

Raiders' legend and seven time Pro Bowler, Ray Guy, was once again left off of the ballot for induction into Canton this year. Guy, who spent fourteen seasons with the Raiders and played in all three of their Super Bowl victories, was once again eligible for induction but did not make the 25 man semi-finalist cut. Guy has made it as a finalist seven times since his eligibility for the Hall in 1992.

Of all the starting positions in football, punter is the only one that is not represented in the HoF. All 23 other positions are recognized in Canton, as well as coaches, administrators and owners. The only punters that have made it in were players that were recognized for their production at other positions, as in the case with former Redskins' quarterback Sammy Baugh.

Guy still holds the title of being the first and only punter ever drafted in the first round. He led the league in gross average three times during the span of his fourteen year career and finished with an impressive 42.4 yard lifetime average.

Guy was a master at being able to pin the opposing team way back due to the ridiculous "hang time" on his kicks. Guy's punts bought the Raiders' special teams more than enough time to rush down field and cover the return. Unfortunately, the NFL didn't start gathering more complete statistics on punters until 1976, which was Guy's 4th season in the league. In his first three seasons, which were also his best, the NFL didn't keep track of touchbacks or punt return yards gained against a punter. If they had, Guy would have been dominant over the rest of the league. While his career average was impressive, it was his lofty kicks that made him a standout, and arguably the best to ever play the position.

So why isn't Guy in the Hall of Fame yet? Many argue it's because a punter is purely a situational player and doesn't score any points. Others say it's because his stats alone aren't worthy of giving him the edge over other more deserving players. The primary statistic used to determine a punter's success is net average. This goes against Guy, since he never achieved higher than second place in this category throughout his entire career.

If you ask any Raiders fan, we'll tell you it's huge injustice. There is absolutely no reason for the punter position to be continually ignored by the voters, and who could possibly be more deserving of such an honor than Ray Guy.

Here's what Hall of Fame cornerback and Raiders legend Willie Brown had to say regarding Guy's absence in the Hall of Fame and Kansas City's former place kicker Jan Stenerud's induction. Stenerud remains the only kicker in Canton.

“We knew no matter what happened in a game, Guy would be able to pin the other team back. He had more of an impact on our team than Stenerud had on Kansas City."

For more information on Guy and his perennial exclusion from Canton, check out this article by KC Joyner of the NY Times.
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Probably not, but one can dream. With the recent firing of Jon Gruden by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it does add an interesting possibility to the Raiders' search for someone to fill their vacant head coaching slot. After all, Al Davis is well aware that the most success he's had in the past two decades was when he was working with Gruden. Al has even expressed regret for letting Jon go.

The bridge isn't necessarily burned either. Gruden was fairly diplomatic when dealing with his departure from the Raiders. He wanted a change and was very forthwith about his desire to be close to his family in Florida. Gruden never publicly criticized or insulted Davis like Kiffen had done.

Although it's a long shot, one never knows. If Al Davis is anything, it's unpredictable.

Amongst the debacle that was the Raiders' 2008 season, there were a few bright spots. One of them being wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins. Although he didn't throw up impressive stats as a receiver (only 366 yards), it was his return game that was electric.

Last year he was a fumble-happy rookie who only caught two more passes then he gave away (6 catches vs. 4 fumbles). This past season he led the receiving corps with 22 catches, 366 receiving yards, and was the team leader in receiving touchdowns with 4. While those numbers aren't dazzling, keep in mind that Oakland's receivers weren't doing squat until Higgins started getting the ball.

Higgins only started 3 games and didn't even see substantial play time until the final 4 weeks of the season, yet he outperformed every other receiver on the team. In the last 4 weeks of the season he had 14 catches for 196 yards and scored 3 touchdown. Wide receiver Ronald Curry, who had 10 starts this past season, caught only 5 more balls for the entire year than Higgins did in the final 4 weeks. Higgins even had more receiving yards (bested Curry by 15) and one more touchdown during that time than Curry had all season.

However, his return game was really where it was at. Higgins led the entire NFL in the 2008 regular season with 576 punt return yards. He also led the league with most returns over 20 and 40 yards. To top it all off, he had the longest punt return of the 2008 NFL season with his 93 yarder vs the Dolphins.

And let's not forget... he only had one fumble all year (week vs Carolina). Higgins has had a miraculous turnaround that could lead him to the Pro Bowl if he keeps it up.

Get ready for more mediocrity in the coming season on defense. After former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan left to take a job with the Cleveland Browns, the Raiders have been eyeing his assistant for the defensive coordinator position.

Don Martindale, the team's linebacker's coach, joined the raiders in 2004. This was the same year in which Ryan was named defensive coordinator. He's been around long enough to know two things: Ryan's defense and who his daddy is. Daddy being none other than Mr. Davis.

Davis doesn't like being challenged by his coaches, which is why Ryan was such a good fit for the defensive coordinator position. Ryan was Davis' boy because he knew Al was the shot caller.  Martindale looks to be the same way. If he's promoted, then we're sure to see another abysmal defense in 2009.

When's Al going to realize it's the 21st century and that straight man-to-man and fourth quarter prevent aren't gonna get it done..?