Adam Butler – Syndication Server

Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 11 loss to Dolphins

Singling out the individual performances for the Raiders week 11 vs the Dolphins.

Despite the lopsided score, things weren’t all bad on Sunday for the Raiders. And when you’re in the midst of a six-game losing streak, it’s important to try and find the little positives to suggest things won’t always be this way.

So, as always, let’s start there.

Ballers

TE Brock Bowers

Bowers set single game records for catches by a rookie tight end (13) in a game while going over 100 yards (126) for the first time in his young career. He just seems to get better and better all the time. Which is saying a lot considering he was already on pace for some record numbers on the season.

His first catch of this game went for 14 yards to put the Raiders in first and goal at the ten and they added a field goal on their opening drive. The second scoring drive, he had three catches for 38 yards, including an 11-yard catch on third and ten to the 18 and they added another field goal to make it a 10-6 game at the half.

In the third quarter, with the Raiders in third and nine from the Miami 23, he went in motion, Gardner Minshew saw single coverage, threw it to him in the flat, and Bowers did the rest. He shot out of a cannon for the end zone, breaking a tackle and scoring to make it a five-point game at 17-12.

After falling behind 24-12 in the fourth quarter, Bowers went to work again, making three first down catches, including a third down conversion, fourth down conversion and the final catch that put them in first and goal at the ten. Three plays later, they were in the end zone to bring it back to a one score game at 24-19. Things got out of hand after that.

LT Kolton Miller

His primary job is protecting Gardner Minshew’s blindside and he did that flawlessly in this game. No pressures or penalties on his part and I saw no instances where his man made a run stop either. Just a nice clean game for Miller which he needed in a rough season.

DT Adam Butler, DT John Jenkins

Jenkins had two run stuffs on the Dolphins’ first drive; one for a loss and the other on first and goal from the five, forcing them to have to end up going for it on fourth and goal to get the touchdown.

The first actual stop by the Raiders defense was made by Butler. The Dolphins drove to first and goal. On the Dolphins’ second drive, they were once again in first and goal. Butler got containment and Jenkins made the stop for one yard. Two plays later, Butler made the sack on third down to force the Dolphins to settle for a field goal.

The next full drive, the Dolphins were in first and goal yet again and Jenkins beat his man at the line to draw a holding penalty.

Butler would add two more tackles for loss in the game in the fourth quarter. He finished with five combined tackles, two for a loss, a sack, and a QB hit. Jenkins had four combined tackles, two for a loss.

DE Charles Snowden

Snowden got into the backfield to make a tackle for loss on the second play of the game. It was a preview of the kind of day he was going to have.

The next full drive came in the third quarter, and he forced an incompletion in coverage and on another play got pressure that led to a tackle for loss. He added a pass breakup later.

Honorable Mention

LB Robert Spillane — Led the team with 11 tackles, four of which were on runs of three yards or less.

WR Jakobi Meyers — Had key third down plays on each of the Raiders first two scoring drives. His 20 yards on one run led the Raiders in rushing.

Continue to the Busters…

NFL analyst wants to see Vikings trade for Raiders defensive tackle

Despite a two-game skid, the Vikings are still NFC contenders. One NFL analyst believes they should make a move to improve their defense.

Despite the recent two-game skid and some pessimism on the team that has crept in during the past two weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are still very much in the thick of the NFC playoff picture. Despite slipping to third in their own division, Minnesota is still one of the top teams in the conference by record and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.

That makes them very much a contender, despite what their recent play might suggest. One of the biggest issues with the Vikings recently has been, surprisingly, the play of their defense. The defensive line and linebackers have not been able to create pressure like they were at the beginning of the season, and it’s putting strain on an already haphazard defensive backs unit.

One NFL analyst, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan, believes the solution to the Vikings’ recent woes may come at the trade deadline. The Vikings have already been active on the trade market, trading for familiar running back Cam Akers and then filling the hole left by an injured Christian Darrisaw with former Jaguars left tackle Cam Robinson, but they may not be done.

Sullivan suggests the Vikings contact the Las Vegas Raiders about defensive tackle Adam Butler. Butler is familiar with defensive coordinator Brian Flores and the defense he likes to run from his time with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

Despite not getting to the quarterback yet this season, Butler has one of the overall best seasons of his career in 2024 with the Raiders. Bringing Butler into the fold for the Vikings could give the team a great rotation of defensive tackles, keeping everyone fresher for longer and hopefully increasing their production.

Butler is currently on a one-year deal with the Raiders for only $1.8 million and would likely not command a high price. The price may be a bit higher than what the Vikings gave up for Robinson, but they should still be able to make a deal without touching their limited 2025 NFL Draft capital.

Ballers for Raiders Week 7 loss to Rams

Picking out the individual performances in the Raiders Week 7 loss to the Rams.

At some point we should just call all these Raiders loss to Raiders. Because it doesn’t seem to matter the team in the other jersey, the Raiders real opponent each week is themselves.

That being said, there are a few players who stepped up and did their part to try and pull out the win. Even if their efforts fell short. As per usual, we will start with them before we feature the failures.

Ballers

S Tre’von Moehrig

Moehrig was sent on the blitz several times in this game. To great results. He was sent on third down on the Rams first drive and nailed Matt Stafford to force an incomplete pass. He would then assist on a run stuff for a three-and-out in the second quarter.

He got in the backfield again for a tackle for loss to end a drive early in the third quarter. Then on the Rams’ final two drives, he had a pressure on an incompletion and a run stuff, finishing second on the team with six combined tackles, one for a loss, a QB hit and a pass breakup.

RB Alexander Mattison

Consecutive runs of 13 and 12 yards led out the Raiders’ first scoring drive. He would add a five-yard run later in that drive to help the Raiders jump to a 3-0 lead to begin the second quarter.

After falling down 14-3 late in the second quarter, the Raiders needed to go on a drive. And they did that courtesy of Mattison, who had two runs for a first down and a 17-yard screen that put them in field goal range.

Four runs for 21 yards set the Raiders up for their third score of the game in the third quarter. Mattison had 92 yards on the ground and 123 yards from scrimmage on 26 touches.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jakorian Bennett

Tight coverage by Bennett set up a third and long that would lead to a punt on the Rams’ second drive. After the Raiders took a 3-0 lead early in the second, Hobbs’ run stuff on 4th and one gave the Raiders the ball back with a turnover on downs.

Bennett ended the Rams first possession of the third quarter with a three-and-out by breaking up the pass on third down.

With the fourth quarter looming, the Raiders needed a score to give them a chance. They got that score when Robert Spillane got a hand on a pass and Hobbs picked it off and returned it 35 yards to the LA 14-yard-line. That made it a one-score game at 20-12.

The following drive ended with Bennett in tight coverage in the end zone for an incompletion and the field goal missed off the upright. And the final Rams possession ended with Hobbs making the tackle short of the sticks on third down.

TE Brock Bowers

The first time the Raiders got in scoring position in the game was off of his 25-yard catch and run. Most of that was YAC; something he has become known for.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Bowers already had six catches for 64 yards and the Raiders were one score away. They looked to Bowers early and often on their drive to try and tie it up. He had three first down catches on the first five plays. Two plays later, he was the lead blocked on a first down run on fourth down.

He would finish the game with ten catches for 93 yards which was one catch shy of the entire total for the rest of the team (11).

DT Adam Butler

His first tackle was a run stuff at the line that ended the Rams’ second drive. He ended another Rams’ possession in the second quarter with another run stuff. He added another run stop in the fourth quarter to finished tied for second on the team in tackles (6).

K Daniel Carlson

Though it’s never a good thing when your kicker scores all your points, at least he was steady. Carlson made all five of his field goals in the game with the longest coming from 47 yards.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders vs Rams injury report: Dylan Parham OUT, Adam Butler Questionable Week 7

All the latest updates and news on Raiders injury report ahead of a Week 7 game vs. the Rams.

For the second time this season, the Raiders head to Los Angeles to play a game. This time it’s against the Rams. And this time, the Raiders will be without several of the players they had on the field when they visited the Chargers in the season opener.

Several starters are either on injured reserve or simply not on the team anymore. For instance, DT Christian Wilkins and S Marcus Epps are on IR. And Davante Adams was traded to the Jets this week.

Several other starters are on the injury report and their status is in doubt.

One player whose status is not in doubt is Dylan Parham. The starting guard is OUT for the game with a foot injury He will be replaced in the lineup by Jordan Meredith.

The most concerning potential loss is that of Jakobi Meyers who missed all week of practices and is officially Doubtful for the. The Raiders were without him last week and tried replacing him by committee while Tre Tucker started on the other side.

Joining the injury report on Friday was Adam Butler. He missed practice with a knee injury and illness and is officially Questionable for the game.

Other Raiders players who are OUT include linebackers Kana’i Mauga (knee) and Tommy Eichenberg (quad).

Who steps up for Raiders with Christian Wilkins on injured reserve

The Raiders have a tough task trying to replace Christian Wilkins Sunday against the Steelers and for the next four weeks at least.

Some players are fairly irreplaceable. At least in terms of expecting the next guy on the roster to be able to offer anything comparable in terms of talent and production. Christian Wilkins is one such player. But the Raiders have no choice but to play who they’ve got and hope for the best.

The start DT was placed on injured reserve this week, which means he will be out at least four weeks srarting with Sunday’s game against the Steelers.

Four of the team’s five games this season it’s been Adam Butler who has aptly started alongside Wilkins and that will continue. The two were linemates in Miami in 2021. Filling in for Wilkins will take a village.

It means it will be a rotation which would be led out by John Jenkins, but include second year DT Nesta Jade Silvera, rookie Jonah Laulu and third year former fifth round pick Matthew Butler who was signed to the active roster off the practice squad this week.

“You can’t replace Christian Wilkins,” said Antonio Pierce. “But you can do yourself and be the best version of yourself and that’s what we’re going to ask them to do. Just do your job. When I asked them this week, just do right. Just do right. Don’t go outside the box, don’t be somebody else, don’t try to make that game-winning play or that game-winning tackle, just keep them linemen off our linebackers, get some knockback, and use your hands.”

Last week Laulu got 19 snaps, which was his most of the season. It was also the next most snaps after Adam Butler, Jenkins, and Wilkins. He figures to be the next man up this week as well. While Matthew Butler and Jade Silvera will rotate in as well.

“Matthew Butler has done an outstanding job,” Antonio Pierce said on Friday. He’s been on the practice squad, he’s been active throughout his career here and this is a great opportunity for him going forward to step up.

Ballers for Raiders Week 4 win over Browns

Sifting out the notable performances for the Raiders in their win over the Browns.

For the third week in a row, the Raiders went against the grain and shocked the world. Week two it was an improbably win in Baltimore. Week three they were trounced by the winless Panthers. And this week, despite a slew of injuries including to their two best players, they beat the Browns.

They did so by spreading out the Browns’ defense while the Raiders defense completely shut down the Browns offense after the first quarter.

We start with those who were most responsible for that big win.

Ballers

DE Charles Snowden

A month ago, Snowden was cut. Now he’s playing hero for a Raiders team desperate to replace both of the guys they were going to count on to be their starting pass rushers. His biggest play was the last one when he chased down Deshaun Watson on fourth and three to sack him and end the game.

How he even got there is the most impressive part. Snowden came around the right side on a stunt and Watson rolled left, running all the way to the left sideline and Snowden still caught him.

That wasn’t his only big play tho. Two plays before that, he got pressure and batted down a Watson pass. In total, he tied for the team lead with three QB hits and a tackle for loss.

S Isaiah Pola-Mao

That game-ending sack never would have happened if not for Pola-Mao. He made the tackle on the previous play, stopping it short of the sticks to force fourth down. Pola-Mao also made the big play on the Browns’ previous drive, flying over from center field to knock the ball out of the hands of Jerry Jeudy on what was actually a long catch for an instant. He also made the drive stalling tackle on the Browns’ second drive to hold them to a field goal.

WR Tre Tucker

Tucker had a hand in both of the Raiders touchdowns in this game. The first touchdown drive, he made a 14-yard catch on third and seven to keep the drive alive. Then finished it off with an end around from three yards out for the touchdown.

The second touchdown, he laid the final block near the goal line, driving his man out of bounds to ensure DJ Turner could get the final few yards to get in the end zone.

DT Adam Butler

With the leadership void due to the absence of Maxx Crosby, Butler stepped up. He gave a speech to the team inspired by his military upbringing. Then brought that passion to the field. The first third down of the game, he came flying into the backfield on a pass to absolutely bury Deshaun Watson. He was flagged for a horrible roughing the passer penalty, but so what. It wasn’t roughing and the message needed sent.

The next drive ended with a field goal in part because Butler got into the backfield again to make a run stuff for a loss and they couldn’t pick it back up.

The final play of the third quarter for the Raiders’ defense was a sack. Christian Wilkins and Janarius Robinson split credit for it, but Butler was in on it as well, coming right up the gut to ensure the sack sandwich from each side.

The final two Browns’ possessions at the end of the game, Butler had three tackles and a QB hit in which he had Watson wrapped up and off the ground right as the ball was released. The next play, the game was over.

Butler finished tied for second on the team in tackles (six) along with a QB hit (two really) and a tackle for loss.

RB Alexander Mattison

The running game came to life in this game. In part because of the use of jet sweeps and reverses to spread out the defense. But the only back on this team who was consistently making good use of it was Mattison.

He had three huge runs in this game on just five carries. All three of those runs was longer than any run the Raiders had had in the three game to start this season.

The first big run went for 24 yards — double the previous longest run coming in — and it set up the Raiders game-tying field goal before the half. His second big run went for 16 yards to the 19 and the Raiders scored the touchdown around the outside on the next play. His final big run went for 18 yards late in the fourth quarter to help take time off the clock and win the field position battle.

Mattison finished with 60 yards on five carries (12 yards per carry) and Antonio Pierce has said since then that he has earned more carries as a result.

LB Robert Spillane

Once again, Spillane led the team in tackles, putting up double digits for the fourth straight game this season. The first three of those tackles came on the Browns’ opening drive and all for three yards or less.

He made two stops on each of the Browns possessions in the second quarter, including a tackle for loss and a three-and-out.

S Tre’von Moehrig

He had the Raiders only takeaway, hauling in an interception off of Amari Cooper’s chest. It set up the Raiders final touchdown drive. Also on the final Browns drive, Jerome Ford burst for a 35-yard run that might have been a touchdown if not to Moehrig making the tackle at the 16-yard-line.

DT Christian Wilkins

Wilkins tied for the team lead with three QB hits. He also shared a sack and forced a holding penalty that called back a long touchdown that would have put the Browns ahead in the fourth quarter.

Honorable Mention

WR Jakobi Meyers — led the team with 49 yards on five catches and forced a pass interference.

WR DJ Turner — scored a touchdown on a reverse from 19 yards out and would have had a long catch as well, but the pass was overthrown.

TE Brock Bowers — Had a 12-yard run and made a huge block on two defenders that sprung Turner for his 19-yard touchdown.

TE Harrison Bryant — Had several nice blocks including on the 12-yard Bowers run and a 10-yard run that put the Raiders in first and goal on their first TD drive.

P AJ Cole — Two huge punts in the fourth quarter helped to keep the Browns from scoring and hold the Raiders’ 20-16 lead.

Continue to the Busters…

Raiders defense took Maxx Crosby absence as personal challenge in win over Browns

Proving you can perform without your best player is easier said than done. But the Raiders defense did just that without Maxx Crosby Sunday.

For the first time in five years, the Raiders defense took the field to start a game without Maxx Crosby. The last time that happened was October of 2019, which means there isn’t a player on this defense who has experienced it in a Raiders uniform. So, it was definitely an unfamiliar experience.

There was no choice in the matter. The Raiders had to figure it out. That goes for everything Crosby represents with this defense. Their emotional leader and keep the Browns from doing to them what the Panthers did last week.

Early on it, this one had a ‘her we go again’ feel to it. The Browns scored a touchdown on the opening drive and were up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. But you could tell on that second drive, the defense was figuring things out. They gave up just one first down on the second drive and stalled the drive after that.

Then they went the rest of the game without giving up a point and went on to beat the Browns 20-16. The six points were scored off a fumble return for a touchdown.

The defensive line led the way in this effort. Including Christian Wilkins who had a sack and three QB hits.

Wilkins’ knew that stepping up to this challenge would start even before that first step onto the field. It began in the locker room. And with Crosby out, it was Wilkins’s duty to be the emotional leader.

He didn’t have to do it alone, though. Adam Butler took it upon himself to speak to the team and offer some words of inspiration as well.

Butler was raised in a military family, so he had a simple question for his teammates.

“As the bullets are flying, what are you willing to put on the line?” Butler asked. “I just put that question up in the air and I made a deal with them, I said I won’t let you down if you don’t let me down. I’m going to fly to the ball and you fly to the ball. And we’ll come out victorious and that’s what we did.”

Butler held up his end. He made several key stops, finishing the game second in tackles (6) along with a tackle for loss and a QB hit.

In the end, it was one of those edge rushers tasked with filling in for Crosby who slammed the door on the Browns.

In fourth and three, with the game in the balance, Deshaun Watson escaped out left, looking for a receiver or to take off and run for the first down. But Charles Snowden made sure neither could happen. He chased Watson down and sacked him to end the game.

Snowden said he and his fellow edge rushers took it as a personal challenge to step up in Crosby’s absence.

“We knew that not one of us was going to become Maxx Crosby overnight,” said Snowden. “We knew that would take the collective with his playmaking and his energy and just his presence. Maxx is always getting guys going with his energy out there so we knew we had to just collectively had to really do that.”

Snowden finished tied for the team lead with three QB hits to go along with his sack, a tackle for loss, and a batted pass. Janarius Robinson shared a sack, Tyree Wilson had two QB hits, and practice squad call up K’Lavon Chaisson added four tackles.

Deshaun Watson was held to 176 yards on the day with one TD and one interception. It looked for a moment like he might have a long TD to Amari Cooper, but a holding on Wilkins is what allowed him just enough time to get the pass off and thus wiped it away.

And the collective effort of those stepping up to fill the void left by Crosby’s absence is what eventually preserved the win.

Raiders Week 1 snap counts vs Chargers: Who stepped up at defensive end?

Who stepped up at defensive end to replace Malcolm Koonce?

With a new coaching staff comes questions about who will see the most playing time at each position. And, of course, it’s also opponent dependent as well.

There are a few interesting observations with regard to how many snaps each player had in the team’s season opener against the Chargers.

First up is how the receiving corps shook out. And that includes the tight ends.

Despite the prevailing thinking being the Brock Bowers would be basically the team’s third receiver, it was Tre Tucker who had more snaps behind Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers.

Zamir White started at running back, but it was Alexander Mattison who had more snaps as he was more effective.

On defense, Adam Butler had more snaps than John Jenkins. Both got the start as the Raiders often lined up with five defensive linemen.

Malcolm Koonce went down with a knee injury this week and was placed on IR. Leaving the Raiders to find a replacement. Tyree Wilson was lost after just six snaps. And it was practice squad call up Charles Snowden who got the start and led the way, even ahead of Janarius Robinson.

Offense				Spec Tms
Player	Pos	Num	Pct	Num	Pct
Cody Whitehair	G	60	100%	3	11%
Dylan Parham	G	60	100%	3	11%
Thayer Munford	T	60	100%	3	11%
Kolton Miller	T	60	100%	3	11%
Gardner Minshew II	QB	60	100%	0	0%
Andre James	C	60	100%	0	0%
Davante Adams	WR	58	97%	0	0%
Jakobi Meyers	WR	52	87%	0	0%
Tre Tucker	WR	47	78%	7	25%
Brock Bowers	TE	41	68%	0	0%
Alexander Mattison	RB	36	60%	0	0%
Michael Mayer	TE	34	57%	0	0%
Zamir White	RB	23	38%	0	0%
DJ Turner	WR	5	8%	23	82%
Harrison Bryant	TE	4	7%	11	39%
Defense				Spec Tms
Player	Pos	Num	Pct	Num	Pct
Maxx Crosby	DE	57	100%	4	14%
Marcus Epps	SS	57	100%	0	0%
Tre’von Moehrig	FS	57	100%	0	0%
Nate Hobbs	CB	57	100%	0	0%
Robert Spillane	LB	57	100%	0	0%
Christian Wilkins	DT	54	95%	7	25%
Adam Butler	DT	53	93%	0	0%
Jack Jones	CB	53	93%	0	0%
Divine Deablo	LB	42	74%	0	0%
John Jenkins	DT	34	60%	6	21%
Charles Snowden	DE	30	53%	21	75%
Jakorian Bennett	CB	30	53%	0	0%
Janarius Robinson	DE	24	42%	4	14%
Nesta Jade Silvera	DT	10	18%	6	21%
Tyree Wilson	DE	6	11%	2	7%
Luke Masterson	LB	4	7%	25	89%
Isaiah Pola-Mao	FS	2	4%	23	82%
Special Teams				Spec Tms
Player	Pos	Num	Pct	Num	Pct
Kana’i Mauga	LB	0	0%	25	89%
Christopher Smith	SS	0	0%	23	82%
Amari Burney	LB	0	0%	21	75%
Amari Gainer	LB	0	0%	19	68%
Ameer Abdullah	RB	0	0%	14	50%
Tyreik McAllister	WR	0	0%	8	29%
Jacob Bobenmoyer	LS	0	0%	8	29%
AJ Cole III	P	0	0%	8	29%
Sam Webb	CB	0	0%	8	29%
Darnay Holmes	CB	0	0%	7	25%
Daniel Carlson	K	0	0%	6	21%
Andrus Peat	G	0	0%	3	11%
Jordan Meredith	G	0	0%	3	11%
Delmar Glaze	T	0	0%	3	11%
Jonah Laulu	DT	0	0%	1	4%

5 Raiders defensive position battles to watch in preseason opener in Minnesota

Defense will be the strength of this Raiders team and there’s a lot of returning starters. But the preseason isn’t really about entrenched starters. It’s about hopefuls and those looking to be the guy who, if called upon, would keep the group from …

With that in mind, here are the top five positions battles to watch when the Raiders take on the Vikings on Saturday.

Raiders DT Adam Butler is done flying under radar, out to let people know ‘I’m here’

Raiders DT Adam Butler is sick of flying under radar, out to let people know ‘I’m here’

Day one in pads was much anticipated by many players on the Raiders roster. But not everyone who was looking forward to the ‘bang, bang’ of padded practices that Antonio Pierce touted were able to make their presence felt.

One player who did show up was Adam Butler.

We know he showed up because he made sure he let everyone know. On more than one instance, when the defense made a stop, Butler hopped up and strutted well into the offensive backfield to flex and jaw at the offensive players.

Butler wasn’t the only one doing it. Others like Christian Wilkins, Maxx Crosby, and Jack Jones were making sure everyone knew when they made the play. The thing about those players is they have been recognized for their work. With regard to Wilkins and Crosby, their recognition came in the form of lucrative long term deals

A lucrative contract is something that has evaded Butler entering his seventh NFL season. He thought the season he put together last year for the Raiders might change that, but ultimately, after testing the market, he found that his best bet was to accept the deal the Raiders offered him and return to give it another shot.

“I don’t want to talk about contracts and all that, but my goal is to get a better one,” said Butler candidly. “Let’s leave it at that. My goal is to get a better one. I had six sacks last year and that’s good for me. I was hoping for a better one, but my goal is to get a better one. That’s it.”

Coming into the offseason, I had Butler among the most valuable players for the Raiders to bring back. And when he was not re-signed prior to free agency, it seemed like a risky move that could lead to another team swooping in and getting him. But that didn’t happen.

For Butler, it’s just a reminder that his performance on the field is not getting recognized. Mostly he is seen as a one-dimensional player.

“Most of my career I’ve been mostly pass downs, mostly third downs,” said Butler. “And that’s good. I think my stats could be better, but I really want to be more of an early down player as well. And just change the narrative about myself around the league and show that I can play the run and I can rush the passer at the same time.”

There’s no question Butler offers a lot in terms of interior pass rush. And that’s a valuable thing. Though apparently not even to earn him a job as a full time starter and thus why he is now on his third straight one-year deal after spending his rookie contract in New England.

So, Butler is no longer going to keep his head down and let his play speak for itself. When he makes a stop – especially against the run – as he did a couple times on the first day in pads, he is making sure everybody knows it.

“I have a new attitude. I really do. I want to be seen,” Butler said of his celebrations. “I want to show up because I still feel like in this league I have something to prove. And I want to prove it to my teammates, I want to prove it to my coaches, and I want to let everyone know I’m here. I’m not going back to just being third down. I’m here, I’m here for the early downs, the whole thing.”

Being a member of a Raiders team with a coach like Antonio Pierce serves to encourage Butler’s new attitude. Just as several other Raiders players, Butler feels the freedom to come out of his shell. Which is probably why five of the six times he took down the quarterback last season came over the final nine games since Pierce took over head coaching duties.

The one potential obstacle to Butler being seen as an every down player with the Raiders is he’s behind Christian Wilkins on the depth chart. Sure, they can take the field together, but since they are both interior pass rushers, typically it would be Wilkins and a nose tackle on the field for early downs. As of now that nose tackle is veteran John Jenkins who was re-signed the same day as Butler last March.

What Butler can do is prove to his coaches that there is no risk to having him in the game should the opposing team decide to run and therefore that would at least make Butler a regular part of the rotation and the next man up in case of an injury.

No question the Raiders are happy to have gotten him back into the fold this season. Just as any player would, Butler would like to see his value receive more recognition. He is still playing at a high level when given the opportunity. Perhaps his new attitude will help shine a brighter light on that and we’ll revisit this next offseason.