Tag: Oakland Raiders

How 12 football head coaches fared as the replacements for legends like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban

Who replaced Bear Bryant, Don Shula and John Madden and how did they do?

During one of the craziest weeks of football in recent memory, we saw the end of an era for legends like Bill Belichick and Nick Saban.

Belichick, 71, and Saban, 72, are easily two of the greatest coaches that the sport has ever seen. Next season, college football will look very different without Saban coaching Alabama. Meanwhile, the NFL will also look very different without Belichick coaching the Patriots.

Both teams will have huge decisions about how to fill these massive shoes. While there are some interesting candidates for the gig in New England and the job in Tuscaloosa, can either live up to the reputation that Belichick and Saban built?

We looked back at some of the most legendary coaches in football history, both in the NFL and in college football, to learn how these replacements have typically fared.

The results are a fairly mixed bag but if there is one thing we learned, it is that it is not easy to replace someone as accomplished as either of these two Hall of Fame-caliber coaches.

Davante Adams: support at Allegiant Stadium starting to feel like Raiders’ home field advantage in Oakland

Davante Adams: Raiders’ home field advantage at Allegiant improving

To make an understatement, Oakland and Las Vegas are a lot different. So it’s no surprise that Allegiant Stadium has had a different vibe than the Raiders’ previous home, the venerable Oakland Coliseum.

Fans in Oakland were well known for being boisterous, rowdy, and intimidating. That’s despite relatively low attendance, judging by the infamous tarps ownership placed over seats in the upper deck to reduce capacity.

Ticket sales in Las Vegas, on the other hand, aren’t an issue at all, as Allegiant has been sold out from the start. But given the high resale value of tickets and the Raiders’ spotty win-loss record, some games have had an unsightly influx of visiting fans.

Since interim coach Antonio Pierce took over it’s been mostly silver and black in the stands, and Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams has taken notice. On Tuesday, he told reporters he felt some Oakland vibes during the team’s last two home games, both wins.

“I came here with the intention of making it tough on teams coming here in this building and not making it a friendly place to play. In Oakland, that’s how it’s been historically,” Adams said. “Everybody coming there, they already knew they were going to have to deal with the fans, and we’re starting to feel that from our fans now.

“So we just got to continue to do our part, team-wise, to make sure we’re applying that pressure and making it not a fun place to come here and play.”

It’s a great sign that Raiders fans have packed Allegiant over the last two home games, but as Adams says, the Raiders must keep giving them a reason to show up. After Pierce took over for ex-coach Josh McDaniels, the fans certainly had a reason to attend and they were rewarded with two home victories.

For now, it appears that attendance at Allegiant will vary depending on the team’s performance. The Raiders are in Las Vegas, after all. There’s a lot to do in the Entertainment Capital of the World. Visiting fans, on the other hand, can’t wait to visit America’s adult playground no matter the price, giving Raiders fans an opportunity to recoup part of what they spent on season tickets.

If the Raiders build a winner, all indications point to a boisterous home crowd at Allegiant that rivals the legendary crowd in Oakland. Having one of the best players in the NFL in Adams will certainly help the cause.

Former Ohio State football star signs with XFL

A former Ohio State star gets an opportunity in the #XFL. #GoBucks

The XFL 3.0 just ended its first season and it was an extreme success. It saw two former Ohio State football players really shine when given an opportunity in the upstart league with Rod Smith starting for the Vegas Vipers and Antwuan Jackson for the Seattle Sea Dragons.

Jackson shined so bright he was actually able to parlay that opportunity into an NFL shot with the Carolina Panthers, which is ultimately the goal for most of these players. The XFL, which is owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has announced that there will be a season in 2024. The league is already beginning the process of adding free agents.

One of the largest free agents of note for the D.C. Defenders is former Ohio State cornerback, Gareon Conley. The former All-Big Ten defensive back has not had the smoothest NFL career. After being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, Conley was not horrible, but not at the quality of a first-round selection. As a result, they elected to trade him to the Houston Texans in 2019.

Conley was again OK in Houston — he continued to deal with some injuries and his final season in the NFL was in 2020. He is still only 28 years old and has some juice left in the football tank, so getting another shot in the XFL appears to be an ideal situation. But he did not seem sold on the situation according to his X account, formerly known as Twitter.

I’m unsure why Conley has labeled the situation as “complex,” but we wish him good luck.

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ChatGPT ranks top 10 quarterbacks in Notre Dame history

Do you agree with these rankings?

No position in sports is more important than the quarterback. Notre Dame is lucky that it will have a good one this season in [autotag]Sam Hartman[/autotag]. Though his services only will be for one year, the potential for him to have a history-making season is high. With that will come high expectations.

But how will Hartman measure up to the great Notre Dame quarterbacks of the past? For that, let’s turn to AI writing tool ChatGPT and see what it believes is a fair list for the top 10 men under center to play for the Irish.

Keep in mind that ChatGPT has this disclaimer:

“Ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in Notre Dame history is subjective and open to interpretation, as different eras and playing styles contribute to individual greatness. However, based on their impact on the program, statistical achievements, and team success, the following list represents 10 notable quarterbacks in Notre Dame’s storied history.”

And this one:

“Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and there are many other talented quarterbacks who have contributed to the Notre Dame football legacy. The rankings can vary depending on personal opinions and criteria used to evaluate their performances.”

On that, here is the list with some entries edited for clarity and accuracy:

Saints bring in Jon Gruden to help mold offense around Derek Carr

The Saints brought in Jon Gruden to help mold their offense around Derek Carr, via @southexclusives:

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New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen was a big reason people linked quarterback Derek Carr to the Saints after his release from the Las Vegas Raiders. Allen drafted Carr in 2014 during his first head coaching stint. One of the reasons the Saints might have been the best location for Carr is his familiarity with the offensive system. This system is most similar to the one Carr ran between 2018 and the beginning of the 2021 season with Jon Gruden.

Gruden’s tenure with the team was abruptly cut short after emails of his were leaked to the public. Those email contained anti-gay and racist remarks. That was week 5 of the 2021 season and the last time the football world had heard of Gruden, until now. The Saints made the questionable decision to invite Gruden to the facility to help mold the offense around Carr. Is this a baby step for Gruden easing back into the NFL? Only time will tell. 

Gruden was brought in because Carr has previously stated he feels his best work came when paired with Gruden. It’s easy to see why he would feel that way. Between 2018 to 2020, Carr’s passing yards and touchdowns increased each season. His completion percentage and passer rating in those years were also some of the best in his career.

Carr’s past experience makes switching teams “not as big of a curve as it could be in a different system or a different offense.” The majority of learning for Carr will be understanding the slight differences between the systems and getting adjusted to new teammates. Though the system he’ll be in may feel familiar, it isn’t a carbon copy. There will still be some concepts that are new to him and slight terminology differences he will need to adjust to. He’s also been studying and working with his teammates to better understand how they can maximize their connection.

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Giants acquire TE Darren Waller: 5 things to know

Here are five key things to know about the New York Giants’ newly acquired tight end Darren Waller

The New York Giants acquired Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday afternoon in exchange for a third-round selection in the upcoming draft.

Here are five things to know about the Giants’ newest tight end:

6 actors (Jesse Plemons!) who should play John Madden in Tom Brady’s limited series

A limited series about legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden is in the works.

The life and times of late NFL legend John Madden are heading to a television near you in the future.

A limited series about the accomplished coach and broadcaster is on the way from filmmaker Gavin O’Connor and executive producer/newly retired NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

While you can guess what Brady brings to the table, O’Connor has plenty of experience telling sports-based stories, having directed the Disney hockey drama Miracle, the MMA drama Warrior and the Ben Affleck-led basketball drama The Way Back.

While a broadcasting home and casting have yet to be finalized, Brady spoke to why he’s so engaged with working on the project (via Deadline).

“I grew up admiring John Madden, first as a coach, then as a commentator. I loved John’s passion for the game, especially his insatiable appetite for educating audiences about football. He welcomed fans with that warm smile, infectious laugh, and exceptional knowledge of the game, making everyone feel as if John were watching the broadcast right next to them on their living room sofa.”

The major question now is who will play Madden in the project?

Whether it’s Oakland Raiders-era Madden or Monday Night Football-era Madden, we’ve got some ideas for who might lead the project.

Ohio State football class of 2023 scouting report: Noah Rogers

Ohio State football class of 2023 scouting report: Noah Rogers #GoBucks

The Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 is complete and despite some murmurs of negativity in the crowd, this class is fantastic from top to bottom. One of the gems of the class is a four-star wide receiver from the state of North Carolina in Noah Rogers.

Rogers is widely viewed as a top 40 recruit in the class and a top ten receiver overall, but as we previously discussed with Brandon Inniss, it is going to be extremely tough for a wide receiver to crack the lineup in this deep two-deep early in their career, but Rogers has enough talent to be a meaningful contributor early.

Name: Noah Rogers

High School: Rolesville (Rolesville, NC)

Height: 6 feet, 2 inches

Weight: 195 pounds

4-Star Wide Receiver