The anticipation builds

[apollo11]

I'll be a nice guy today fader fans. The first fader fan to admit that SAN DIEGO RULES FOREVER over the oakland faders will get a magic mirror from me to help with the women in your lives. Oh yeah, if mikey had a woman(or liked them), he would get one for free.

[Sonic Raider]

Originally Posted by apollo11

I'll be a nice guy today fader fans. The first fader fan to admit that SAN DIEGO RULES FOREVER over the oakland faders will get a magic mirror from me to help with the women in your lives. Oh yeah, if mikey had a woman(or liked them), he would get one for free.

[apollo11]

Hey everyone, just trying to help. Don't think oakland will bring much satisfaction this year. Next year? Good chance of a yes, but another year is a long time to wait. Remember, the magic mirror on the wall could be there in a week or so. Apollo 11 is now offline.

[SlowLane]

Shows what you knwo dude - I'll take the chick in front of the mirror!
Give that mirror to snotehmyher - what's he married to, a walrus?

[Access Denied]

Originally Posted by Imasmashu

Mike,

I've read a couple of your posts ...

I feel sorry for you. Precious moments of your life you can never get back.

[Mike-49er]

Originally Posted by Access Denied

I feel sorry for you. Precious moments of your life you can never get back.

You ever wonder why your sorryass comments get no replies, or just get the inevitable F**K You idiot"?

No, it's not that your a sorryass bolt fan following the joke of the AFC West (ok, I admit, that's a big part of it..after all, every division needs the perennial "division bitch" and obviously your team insists on it being them) it's you feeling the need to just post inane drivel..saying nothing.

Again..You're a Bolt fan. You are, if nothing else, nothing.

[Mike-49er]

Originally Posted by RealTime

I will never understand how anyone 1. puts so damn much in one post or 2. expects anyone to read all of that.
I guess I have ADD worse than I thought ...

Some people read the newspaper, front to back.
Others read more than one newspaper.
Some read the comic page.
And then there's some that just look at the pictures on the comic page, and feel they've met their quota.

The above is shorter than most articles in the newspaper.

If you find the above daunting, you obviously need to read more, lol

(BTW..here's a "speed reading" tip...clean your monitor.
That way when you slide your finger back and forth over your screen, as you read, it will slide easier.


Just kidding.


Slides the same, regardless

[Mike-49er]

[quote=madstork]

Originally Posted by Mike-49er

Not going to nitpick but they both took over mutinous squads who openly rebelled against the last coach. Doing it in midseason without the benefit of minicamps and training camp made Shell's job a little tougher IMO.



No, you're not right. I hope you padded your SAT scores on the math side because your reading comprehension is lacking. Did you even bother to read what Golic said? Instead of offering my opinion, or your opinion, or the opinion of a sportswriter, I gave you the opinion of a guy who was there and played for him. Not good enough? The man said Shell could put the whole team on edge with a look. Doesn't sound meek to me.



Again, he never has been meek, so I don't buy your premise. He'll command respect by setting guidelines and making players accountable, which is something that reportedly has already happened. Sporting News:

"Raiders coach Art Shell is cognizant of the disrespect some players showed his predecessors, Norv Turner and Bill Callahan. Shell has made it clear such behavior won't be tolerated on his watch. To prove it, he called out a few players and told them they won't be around if they undermine his authority or threaten team unity. . . . "

Do you think he's dumb enough to tell guys they won't be around if he has NO ability to make it happen? Neil Hayes of the Contra Costa Times reported that Shell has a 4 year deal that is in actuality a lifetime deal because Davis wants him here in the front office after he's gone. He sure as hell didn't have that in his back pocket last time around; no Raider coach ever has. He got burned by the Marcus Allen thing last time, it appears to me that he learned from it. Although it must be pointed out that the Raiders went 19-13 after Allen left, so even that didn't make players lose respect for him in the manner you seem to think they did. I know what it looks like when the players don't respect the coach. It looks like the Raiders of the last three years.



Fact is, neither of us really know how it went down this year. I do know it's been reported that Davis and Shell started talking the week before the Super Bowl, in other words a week before the sit down with Wiz. And Willis the Raider on this very site (I'm sure you know who he is) called Shell a front runner the day after Turner was fired. Willis seems to know what's going on over there, so maybe we shouldn't believe everything we read in the papers about the most secretive organization in sports.




No kidding, of course Ben doesn't design the offense, but let me put it this way. If Montana can't understand the playbook, read the defense, and execute properly in game situations, it didn't matter what (Bill) Walsh called. I'm saying the Steelers' offense is one of the simplest in the league BECAUSE the coordinator has to account for Ben's stupidity and lack of experience at this point. Come on now, when the Steelers win all these games with Ben attempting 14 passes, do you marvel at the complexity of that offense?



I can just feel the respect!



Even the penalty argument is a little silly (just a little). Coaches whose teams were among the top 10 most penalized squads last year include Reid, Saban, Coughlin, Gruden, and Green, all successful coaches. The Raiders will always get a couple of extra flags because they're the Raiders. I'm more concerned with discipline in the form of accountability.

QUOTE]

For the record, I'm not expecting a 12-4 miracle turnaround, but I don't think 8-8 is out of the question. With all this talk about Tom Walsh, I think the defense is something we haven't talked about. The offense will need help from the D to make the "pound it between the tackles and play action" approach successful.

I'm getting edgy. Let's reconvene on August 21 after Andrew Walter shreds the Niners second stringers for a glorious preseason victory in the next installment of the Battle of the Bay.

Here's to the next two weeks to pass quickly.

DAMN...two weeks?

Sweet.

I think the Niners camp opens two weeks from tomorrow. When does the Raider camp open?

[Imasmashu]

Originally Posted by Mike-49er

Several calls? Sure..Saunders came out and interviewed. Afterwards he stated "Not interested" and went back and signed a lucrative contract to stay where he was. Martz came out and interviewed. Left and stated "not interested in the job" indicating to me that he, too, left not comfortable with his discussion with Al. Anyone the Raiders talked to, including Wiz, stated "Uh, no thanks. Not interested..don't bother making an offer" Am I right? Speeches are neat, aren't they? I like them too. Ever hear a politician's speech? boy, you just feel great don't ya? Only problem is..it's just words. Now, I'm curious, why don't you cut and paste that speech as I would love to see what you're referring to as his feelings on "subjective" issues regarding his coach. Subjective terms such as..oh..say "Who's in charge"? lol Uh..I'm sorry..but didn't Al do the exact same thing with Turner? Callahan? Gruden? "The FUTURE OF THE RAIDERS..and gave them the floor? Shell WAS his last resort. If he WASN"T, please, tell me who his other options were? Wasn't the Raiders waiting for Wiz?? Yes..they were. All during SB week the talk was tossed up about "Raiders are going to hire Wiz"..right after SB..Wiz..IN FOR AN INTERVIEW. There was not ONE WORD MENTIONED ABOUT ART SHELL IN THAT WHOLE TIME..was there? IF he was NOT a last resort, wouldn't he at least have been tossed out in the "it's between Shell and Wiz'?? On every Raider board, all you read was WE'RE GOING TO GET WIZ..I heard a lot of smack, directed at moi" ( know, go figure ) that "NOW WE HAVE WIZ..WE'RE GOING TO KICK ASS".no onw..as in NO ONE mentioned "But hey, I hope we get SHELL". Why is that? Seriously,..my point is no Raider fan was all giddy that Shell "might" be back, most of them never gave it a second thought. When Wiz stated to his agent to pass on to the Raiders that he wasn't interested, then you were down to "Who's left"" Who, besides Shell, was left? Shell didn't get rid of them, Al did. Mike Martz was also gestapo..backfired on him, big time. besides, where did you read that's in effect "zero tolerance'? I'm sorry, but honestly that's ignorant. There is a reason you DON't have full contact, and it's because of injury possibility. Speaking of Mental Midget Martz..that dummy, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON, decided "we're going to have full contact Wednesdays to cut down on mistakes"..it didn't..what it did was have players all banged up for Sunday. That too backfired on him {quote]hire a mobile qb with good armstrength, veteran leadership and star potential;

Brooks was NEVER viewed as a leader..far from it. As a matter of fact, it's on record that he pissed off lots of players AND fans because he would be on the sidelines, laughing and h'yuking it up right after he made a bad play, or the team would be struggling. Sorry, he's far from a leader and has never been viewed as one. Star potential?? geez..guy got benched by the lowly Saints for getting progressively worse over a two year period, and Art believes he has "star potential'? Hell, by that standards, so do I (no, really..I do..ask Kit )

respond to depth issues with offseason aqcuisitions and good quality draft picks; [/qoote] these are all nifty words, but I'm sorry, they're hallow. First off Shell did NONE of these things, not his job..but..that said..you passed up a key marquee MAYBE star qb of your future for yet another DBack..Raiders had one of THE SLOWEST offseasons of any team..easily in the bottom 5. Even fans were complaining about "why aren't we SIGNING ANYONE?" again, I'm sorry, but you just said things that wll help no one. All the players know Al decides. All the players know if they have starter money, THEY'RE A STARTER. Of course other positions are up for "he who plays best"..every team does that. It's not like it's a new revelation, right? As far as KC?? Uh...his time with KC..OVER A DECADE AGO?? Trust me..if any player on the Raiders needs to be told how important rival games are, being told a KC story isn't going to help, lol.
I'm sure the players already know you got swept by the division, and how important division games are to a teams probablity of playoff possibilities. That goes without saying, I believe. They're doing what they need to do? Uh..what, exactly would that be? What is Shell doing that any/every other coach is doing? Do you really believe a coach who was a player has more knowledge on a position because he played? He doesn't..at all. It's coaches that taught HIM. These guys all know all of the techniques. They have classes, day after day after day to discuss techniques. Yes, Shell was one of those that did his job very well, but stating he has any knowledge that any other non playing coach has is silly. If that were the case, then every single retired player would be desired as a coach. They're not, because all they have that's different is the ability to do it better. 8-8 might be possible..problem I see is you play in a pretty solid division right now.

Niners are pretty much in the same boat.

Your Denver is our Seattle
Your KC is our Rams. Both of us need at least a split.
Your SD is our Cards. Both of us need at least a split.

Good post. BTW.

Damn, Mike...this is too much work:

1. My point was that interviews constitute interest from both sides. When you go look for a job, is it the company that wants you, or you that wants the company? Usually, the one looking for a job is the one with the most interest.

2. Seriously, take a listen to Al Davis' portion of this press conference. You will hear what I mean in regards to Head Coaches in this league and how difficult and subjective it is to gauge how well a head coach will do. Davis backs up his opinion with facts; he may **** up someone's name, but you'll get the point. Let the link load up, the quote is from 17:45-22:.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x7vuB929kg

3. Raider FANS seemed to want Wisenhunt, but not all of us. Many of us just wanted a positive change. Many of us thought of Shell for years. For a link, go look at the Rumor Mill about Head Coach candidate threads dated before February 2006. I just verified it.

4. Its your "opinion" that Shell had no input on the player changes in Oakland this offseason. I think Al trusts him, and consulted him for advice on how to proceed. But, Shell admitted that Davis made the "final decision" on the draft picks.

5. There were several posts on the rumor mill of our site that a couple of players like Jerry Porter were causing trouble when Shell first arrived. There was speculation reporting that some players didn't like how he threatened the team with his authority. Believe it, or don't. There's a link with an a news article: http://www.raiderfans.net/forum/oakland-raiders-rumor-mill/74908-porter-talks-smack-again-merged.html

6. We need contact training camp so that the team can gel together and to heighten competition and lessen mistakes. The "burnout" you mentioned wouldnt apply to us since the season hasn't started yet. I think contact is a great idea, even with the injury risk. I believe that given the amount of injuries, Shell has invested extra thought into strength conditioning/training. I hope it pays off. I don't like entertaining the idea of any NFL player getting injured, even a 49er.
Brooks IS a veteran. Whether he'll be a leader has yet to be seen. Walter is obviously our future QB and good players have recognized the potential Al Davis saw in the guy; Randy Moss recently had great comments about his mini camp performance. Not to mention, Walters had excellent college stats...look him up.

7. There was more meaning behind Art Shell's mention of Kansas City than you eluded. He specifically said that the coaches would warm up saying they HATED the Raiders. Hate is a strong word and I don't think its healthy, or common. That is the siginificance of the division rivalry issue.

8. Shell was an 8 time pro bowler when he played in the league. When he coached, he was named Coach of the Year after his 1st season. If you don't think that 8 time All Pro Offensive Tackle translates to positive Offensive line production, then you're silly.

Good points, but your pessimism is overboard sometimes. You have to just admit that others make a good point at least sometimes Mike. With that being said, I think many other Raider fans on this board think I'm an idiot for this long ass post, but I'm not arguing. I'm just presenting my point of view.

[buckwild187]

Originally Posted by RaiderFreak00

Oh no, you're sorry alright. Like your QB.. and your team.

What about that sorry-ass offensive co-ordinator they just hired?

[madstork]

[quote=Mike-49er]

Originally Posted by madstork

Here's to the next two weeks to pass quickly.

DAMN...two weeks?

Sweet.

I think the Niners camp opens two weeks from tomorrow. When does the Raider camp open?

July 24th, not soon enough...