NFL Week 11: Interesting Nuggets To This Point

Courtesy: Sports Illustrated/CNN

Still think the 3-7 Dolphins aren't that good?
Even though they have only scored a total
of 19.3 points per game they have still
managed to outscor their opponents by a
total of SEVEN points.

Just Win! The Raiders lead the AFC West
with a 6-4 record and yet have been outscored
by their opponents by at total of 19 points.

Defense wins Championships?
That theory will definitely be put to the test
once again. The Green Bay Packers score an
average of over 35 points per game.

Can you find the expert who said this?
The San Francisco 49er's will be 9-1 after ten
games under first year head coach Jim Harbaugh?

Can you find the expert who said this? Part Deux
Jim Harbaugh's team will have a better record
than his brother John's Baltimore Ravens team
when they meet on Thanksgiving night

Hard LUCK, Bad LUCK, or Good LUCK?
Do you realize that because of the new rookie cap
friendly CBA agreed to this past summer the Colts
could have both Peyton Manning, and Andrew Luck,
or even Matt Barkley on their roster next season?

Say it ain't so! How many fans would have believed
that the Chicago Bears losing Jay Cutler would be
a bad thing?

Even after TEN games: The 49ers have as many wins
as the remaining three teams in their division(9)

Wild Weird West: No one in the AFC West has scored
more points than their opponents.

Did I miss anything? Let me know.

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Did The Raiders Win By Losing?

Courtesy: P A Patterson

Just a thought: The Oakland Raiders lost three
players this off season to free agancy who were
arguably three of their best at their respective
positions. Nnamdi Asomougha (Eagles), Robert
Gallery (Seahawks), and Zach Miller (Seahawks).
The Raiders going into their bye week are 4-3,
the teams these three went to are 4-8 combined,
each are 2-4, and though Eagles were supposed to
be the next great team, I knew the Seahags were
going nowhere. I don't blame Asomougha for their
lack of success, though Eagles fans would blame
Mary Poppins if they could, but did the Raiders
get better by losing out on some of their better
playes? Sometimes you gotta wonder.



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Did JaMarcus Russell At One Time Occupy Oakland?

Yes, at one time Jamarcus Russell did occupy Oakland,
and his only cause was his own pocket. He has very
little to do with the occupy Oakland folks that are
out there right now. He would like you to believe
that in Oakland he was a victim, not of the Raiders
organization, but of sleep apnea. I am as much a
bleeding heart as the next guy, but I'm having a
hard time buying this. If Jamarcus was in any way
medically at a disadvantage, his time there would
have been much more understood, and likely treated,
but this is the guy who got busted with the "Purple
Drank" (cough syrup with Codeine), a little bit of
something college kids tend to use at times to get a
buzz on. This to me does not sound like someone who
has a medical problem, but more like an addiction
problem. Now JaMarcus wants back into the NFL and
we hear about this apnea he had, perhaps a good
fallback of an excuse to justify his miserable
performance as the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft.
I for one am not buying, some may, but it will take
a little more than an SI article, and sob story to
convince me that this was in any way the case for
his disastrous time in Oakland. I wish him luck,
but am certain that he will never be a successful
QB in the NFL ever again, not with his work ethic.

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No McFadden & A Rusty Palmer Make For Disaster

Robert Beck/SI

The Raiders lost this game to the Chiefs way before
they realized it. Darren McFadden played just one
series before he sat out the rest of the game with
a sprained foot, and though many Raider fans could
and will blame Kyle Boller for this disastrous
result Sunday, the truth is, Hugh Jackson is right,
Jackson lost this game. Too much trickery, not
enough defense, and too much Kyle Boller. Boller's
only job Sunday once Jackson realized that Carson
Palmer just wasn't going to have enough time to be
ready for live action against a real NFL, should
have been to simply manage this game to a victory.
Boller and Palmer combined for 6 picks, 3 a piece,
but at least Palmer had an excuse. Down 14-0 the
Raiders showed how much Jackson was pressing by going
for it on 4th and goal on the one inch line, without
a QB on the field and failing to make it from that
same spot on 3rd down. I think that play is going
to do for Jackson the same thing going for it on 4th
down at the end of last weeks game did for him last
week, keep him up all night, and it should, but as
long as he learns fro it, the Raiders will be fine,
because Jackson is the right guy for this job, and
KC can expect a little payback if the chilly handshake
between Hugh Jackson and Todd Haley is any indication.
Last weeks end of game hand shake between Jim Harbaugh
and Jim Schwartz made plenty of headlines over how
over the top and loud it was, but this one was eerily
quiet and frigid, it spoke volumes. The Raiders
meet the Chiefs again on Christmas eve, and I cab
guarantee that the holiday spirit will definitely not
be in the air.

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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-19-11

Last weeks show is up and ready for your listening
pleasure, make sure to write in and voice your
opinions at rizzo@wdisam.com Thanks!




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Carson Palmer & The Raiders Stir It Up

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

I wrote a piece a few months back stating how I felt
that Carson Palmer should not be rewarded for his
stance on demanding a trade, and that when a player
like Palmer signs a contract he should realize just
what that signature really means. I still feel that
way, probably always will. Unfortunately today his
demands were met, sort of. Yes he was traded, and
yes that's what he wanted, but perhaps since he
wasn't the only one rewarded, it doesn't seem like
giving in. You see, in this case Mike Brown, owner
of the Bengals, the man who didn't want to give in
to Palmer was also rewarded, and even though it's not
what he may have been angling for, at least he got
something for his aggravation, a 1st round pick in
the 2012 NFL draft, and at least a 2nd round pick
in the 2013 draft (It becomes a 1st rounder as well
if the Raiders win one playoff game). This is a
bonanza of a reward, especially since 1st round
draft picks going forward will be more affordable
according to the new CBA, and Brown is one frugal
SOB. The Bengals are 4-2, so they are no worse
off without Palmer, and he's now the Raiders to
deal with.

The Raiders get rewarded as well. Their QB just
got knocked out for a minimum of 6 weeks, and at
4-2 they don't want to waste any chance they might
have of going to the playoffs for the first time in
8 years. They did nothing wrong here, so no reason
they can't be rewarded, especially if they are
paying such a high price to get him. The Raiders
also did former boss AL Davis proud by pulling off
a deal that has "Just Win" written all over it,
and why not, isn't that the name of the game?

Getting back to Carson though, it's a shame that
he gains anything here. Players should not be
in any way rewarded for this type of behavior.
Lead by example, be a man of your word, you sign
a contract, honor it. Teach our youth a little
something, your word is everything in life,
with out it you have nothing. Don't get me wrong
as a lifelong Raiders fan, this is a good day for
me, I just don't think it's a good day morally
speaking, and that should mean something too.



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Raider Nation: Congratulations Mike Shananhan...

A story out today by many outlets tells of former
NFL QB Elvis Grbac being ordered by then offensive
coordinator of the 49er's Mike Shanahan to throw a
ball right at Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
This story though new to me, doesn't surprise me
much. Though it's true that the term "Douche Bag"
is getting a little over used in society these days,
there are quite a few occasions where it applies,
and this is one of them. Congratulations Mike
Shanahan, you sir are a DOUCHE BAG. It is, unlike
so many other honors you've received very well
deserved. Wear it proud, wear it loud, the ultimate
confirmation of your worthiness is now out there
for all the world to see. May you and Lady Al
Michaels live miserable lives together for eternity.



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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-12-11

This week on Ranting with Rizzo the focus was
on the Red Sox, Yankees, Raiders, and Patriots,
and as per usual it was fun, so tune in and send
your thoughts to Rizzo@WDISAM.com





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Mad Stork Sports with Nick Rizzo Replay

A taste of what you might get if you tune in
on Wednesday nights to listen to the show on
ScatterRadio is here for your listening pleasure.
I hope you like it, and tune in this week at 6PM.
Thanks !



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Stone Cold Locks Week 5

Last week I was 2-1 and I'm 10-2 on the season,
certainly not a showing a "Commitment to Excellence"
so far, so this week I will give honor to a man who
did nothing but dedicate himself to EXCELLENCE.

1. Oakland (Just Win)
2. Raiders (Pride & Poise)
3. Oakland Raiders (Commitment to Excellence)

Thank You Al Davis !

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Al Davis Is Dead, Long Live Al Davis!

I am truly and genuinely at a loss for words.
THANK YOU AL DAVIS, R.I.P.

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Ranting With Rizzo Replay 10-5-11

Tons of talk on the Pats and Raiders,
Terry Francona and what it could mean
in the larger picture. Tune In !



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Cowboys Ball DeAngelo Hall

After seeing DeAngelo Hall allow his man to
get open with the Cowboys facing a 3rd and
21, two things are worth mentioning, and the
first one is forget the rest of his play in
this game, even though it wasn't any good,
and secondly, that it is quite apparent why
the Falcons didn't fight very hard to keep
him and the Raiders were glad to bite the
bullet on the $8 million they had already
paid him after just eight games, not to
mention the draft choices they gave up to
get him, so long as he got the heck out of
Oakland. I'm sure Rob Ryan, his defensive
coordinator with the Raiders whispered in
Tony Romo's ear, as if he needed to, and let
Romo know how easy it was to expose the
second rate first stringer. Hall's departure
from Oakland was highlighted by the fact that
when opposite Nnamdi Asomougha, teams through
in his direction, and his direction only,
quickly stealing the nick name of former
Giant cornerback Elvis Patterson of "Toast"
he was burned for huge games so often.
DeAngelo single handedly made a star out of
Broncos rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal when
he allowed Royal to run amock at receiver in
his NFL debut. And oh yeah, by the way, when
got replaced by Chris Johnson a relative
nobody in football circles, the defensive
secondary immediately improved. Leave it to
Dan Snyder to pick that junk up from the trash.
Good thing he got the chance to defend his honor
by later ripping the coaches and the referees
after the Redskins fell to the Cowboys.


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Pryor Suspension Should Stick

Whether you're a Raiders fan or not, the decision
as to whether Terrelle Pryor's 5 game ban to start
his NFL career should stick or be lifted, should
not affect your judgement. As a Raiders fan myself
it would be easy for me to say that I want him to
win his appeal, but I don't. Pryor agreed to
the ban as part of the condition for him to be
allowed to enter the NFL's supplemental draft last
month, and that alone should be enough.
For starters, learn to keep your word, but that
sounds like a lot for someone who's reason to be
in the NFL early is to get away from the very same
5 game ban, and though I understand the argument
that neither the NFL nor Roger Goodell should police
transgressions committed with his college football
team, the NFL should not serve as a safe haven for
players trying to flee punishment from crimes
committed while at school either. Terrelle Pryor
is under contract with the Raiders for the next
four years, and since he shows no signs of being as
big a flop as Jamarcus Russell these five games will
do well in helping him build some character, so his
advisers might have been better served in getting
his career off on the right path and letting this
go. Mr Goodell, help this young man by showing
him what good character is, he didn't pay too close
attention in college.


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AFC West: A Return To Glory Days Football?

Courtesy: Pigskin Doctors

I saved the one closest to my heart for last, but
only because I couldn't decide. The questions
here are going to be: Can the Chargers survive
another bad start or more bad special teams
play, and how much will they miss Darren Sproles?
Better yet, how much will the loss of Nnamdi
Asomougha affect the Raider D? Are the Chiefs
for real? How long before John Fox puts his
stamp on the Broncos? Here's how I see it:

1. San Diego Chargers (Rivers, Gates, Jackson)
2. Oakland Raiders (But only because Nnamdi's gone)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (Still lots to prove)
4. Denver Broncos (What do they have?)

This week, my playoff seeds will be posted as
well, so stay tuned.

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The Other Chris Johnson Has A Better Chance

Not many people realize this, but there
is more than one Chris Johnson in the NFL
and even though the lesser know CJ is a CB
and not a RB, it seems that after today the
lesser known one has a better chance of
rushing for the 2,500 yards that CJ2K
predicted he would get last year, this year.
As of today the Titans placed their Johnson
on the reserve did not report list and there
is no doubt in my mind that this is going to
get ugly, NONE!

They Missed Another One

Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger
NY Giants fans were more than a little annoyed
after the Giants seemingly dropped the ball
so to speak on resigning Steve Smith not more
than mere days after letting Kevin Boss slip
out of there grasp as well, and it seems like
they might be more than a little ticked off
if Derek Hagan turns into something after
knowing that they had him in their possession
at one point as well. The Oakland Raiders
didn't look great against the Saints on Sunday
night football this week, but there were quite
a few bright spots, and for a guy who is trying
to make the team, that means a lot. Hagan was
one of those few bright spots, Derek Hagan led
the Raiders with six receptions for 121 yards
and a touchdown against the Saints and his
performance as well as an impressive training
camp this pre-season is likely to earn Hagan
a roster spot on a team that may actually have
too many decent receivers this year. If there
is such a thing as too many decent receivers,
that is.

Hall of Fame or Shame Full Group ?

Listed below are the writers, journalists, arrogant
shmucks that vote on who gets into the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio. Of course it goes
without saying that the above description does not
apply to all these folks, but there are certainly
enough in that bunch that the description needed
to be included, at least in my eyes. These folks
have not always been responsible for HOF voting,
yet they are right now, and the most glaring
omission every year seems to be that on a football
field their are usually 33 positions filled, and
even more blame to pass around when things go bad,
but not one single Punter in those hallowed halls
in Canton. Hard to believe, don't you think?
That in approximately 100 years of football, the
HOF voters have not deemed ONE Punter worthy of
this distinction. Keep in mind that this is not
the NFL hall of fame, but it is rather the PRO
FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, and though we know that
it is clearly dominated by players that made
their name in the NFL, it is not the NFL HOF.

Going into the HOF is not just something that is
an honor for many players, it is also a way to
continue making a living once it's clear that
they have no other way to do so in the game.
Not everyone becomes a coach, exec, or agent,
and like everything else in real life, not all
of us are good at managing our money. Once a
player is elected he also can right some
financial wrongs. Autographs become a commodity.
You can go from signing your autograph for $5 a
pop to signing them for $25. This is just an
example, but a decent one at that.

And, oh yeah, even though it's not pro football,
college football gives out the Ray Guy award every
year the the country's best punter.

Ray Guy, a three time Superbowl champion, 7 time
Pro Bowler, 3 Time First team All Pro, and the
first Punter to EVER be drafted in the 1st round,
as well as being elected the Punter for the NFL's
75th anniversary team is NOT, NOT in the Hall of
Fame. This fact alone is frustrating enough, but
what probably takes the cake on this is that when
asked most of the writers/voters will tell you,
"oh, he'll get in". To put it mildly WTF??????
What makes someone a HOF'er in ten years, or worse
yet, when he's dead, that doesn't make him one
today? Why must these idiots given this huge
responsibility behave like such children?

Ray Guy in some ways can be seen as a shmuck as
well if you like, but just maybe. You see, Guy
had to file for bankruptcy, and though it's
quite possible that this is very much his own
fault, it is also possible that just like the
rest of us, times are bad, money's tight, and
the economy stinks. Because of this bankruptcy,
he has been ordered by a judge to sell his
Superbowl rings to help raise money to pay off
his debts, and though I agree that this may be
the right thing to do, he may not have to if
there was another way to raise these funds.
Unlike many other ex pro athletes, Guy has not
been accused of Check Fraud, Ponzi Schemes,
Fraud, etc., etc. Ray Guy has put himself in
a bad situation, one he created. Why must
the voters take away something he earned in his
living years only to award it to him when it's
too late for him to enjoy it? Is he deserving
of the same fate as Pete Rose?

It's clear here, and I say/write it often, I am
not the most eloquent writer. Most of my best
work is done verbally in front of a microphone,
but I hope this doesn't get in the way of the
point I have tried to make here. You may not
be a Ray Guy fan, or a Raider fan, or even care
about the HOF, but if you are sports fan enough
to read this far into this piece, then you should
consider email one of these writers, especially
the ones in your city, or all of them if you have
it in you and let them know that this silly
waiting game serves no purpose. It does not
reward these players for the accolades they have
earned. It merely displays a power trip that is
not worthy of true journalistic integrity.
Ray Guy is NOT the only player affected here, but
he merits being mentioned when you consider that
you cannot play football on Sunday without a
punter with the current rules, but these voters
want you to think that they have been all along.


Ari Kent Somers, Arizona Republic
Atl Len Pasquarelli, The Sports Xchange
Bal Scott Garceau, WMAR-TV
Buf Mark Gaughan, Buffalo News
Car Darin Gantt, Rock Hill Herald
Chi Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune
Cin Joe Reedy, Cincinnati Enquirer
Cle Tony Grossi, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Dal Rick Gosselin, Dallas Morning News
Den Jeff Legwold, Denver Post
Det Tom Kowalski, Booth Newspapers (Deceased 8/29/11)
GB Cliff Christl, Green Bay Press-Gazette
Hou John McClain, Houston Chronicle
Ind Mike Chappell, Indianapolis Star
Jac Sam Kouvaris, WJXT-TV
KC Bob Gretz, KCFootballReport.com
Mia Edwin Pope, Miami Herald
Min Sid Hartman, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune
NE Ron Borges, Boston Herald
NO Pete Finney, Times-Picayune
NYG Bob Glauber, Newsday
NYJ Gary Myers, New York Daily News
Oak Frank Cooney, The Sports Xchange
Phi Paul Domowitch, Philadelphia Daily News
Pit Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
StL Bernie Miklasz, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
SD Nick Canepa, San Diego Union Tribune
SF Nancy Gay, FoxSports.com
Sea Mike Sando, ESPN.com
Tam Ira Kaufman, Tampa Tribune
Ten David Climer, The Tennessean
Was David Elfin, AOL Fanhouse
Darryl Ledbetter Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At Large Howard Balzer, The Sports Xchange
At Large Jarrett Bell, USA Today
At Large John Clayton, ESPN/ESPN Magazine
At Large John Czarnecki, FOXSports.com
At Large Dave Goldberg, AOL Sports/Fanhouse
At Large Peter King, Sports Illustrated
At Large Ira Miller, The Sports Xchange
At Large Len Shapiro, Miami Herald
At Large Vito Stellino, Florida Times Union
At Large Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated
At Large Charean Williams, Ft. Worth Star Telegram

No NFL, Like Watching Paint Dry

Things are getting so bad over at ESPN, that
with of the lack of mini camp, training camp,
and free agency news, they have resorted to
having their writers do Power Rankings of
the Top 10 helmets in the NFL. Really???,
is this what it's come to? OK I give up,
above is my vote. What's yours?

Covering The Game Of Life Instead

Just because your a blogger, writer or even
have your own talk show doesn't mean that you
don't follow other writers, or hosts.
Truth be told, you probably follow them more.
I started following David White when he covered
the Raiders, and would always check out his
stories on various Bay Area sports news, even
when it turned out he was covering the hated
49er's and he was quite the informative guy.

Yesterday David announced that he was giving
this up, that as he puts it, "It's his turn".
David will no longer be writing for The Chronicle,
instead he will be a full time pastor at the
Porterville Church of God ministry. I'll miss
David, but understand that life is always more
important than sports, and I'm glad that one
more of us realized that. It's always been
that way, but sometimes, myself included, we
get a little too consumed by how much our
world will end if our team loses, and to this
day it still hasn't. It will be interesting
to see how he covers God's latest "sporting"
event due to take place on the 21st of May,
2011, actually I wonder if he'll cover it
at all. Thanks, and Good Luck David !