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The Raiders have released veteran receiver Doug Gabriel because they like other players better than him. Mike Williams has been impressive in the pre-season for the Raiders with 5 catches for 53 yards (10.6 avg) with a TD grab. Travis Taylor (3 rec, 35 yards) and rookie Johnnie Lee Higgins (2 rec, 59 yards) also passed Gabriel up on the depth chart. Look for Gabriel to get another chance with someone soon as he does have some talent.
The Oakland Raiders played very well on Friday Night in their victory over the Rams. Daunte Culpepper looked pretty solid again for the Raiders as he completed 4 of 8 passes for 47 yards with 1 TD pass and he also carried the football 3 times for 17 yards (5.7 ypc). Josh McCown was also solid again as he completed 6 of 9 passes for 138 yards. Andrew Walter didn’t look too sharp on Friday as he completed 3 of 6 passes for 26 yards. LaMont Jordan did a lot of the heavy lifting for the Raiders running game as he carried the football 18 times for 41 yards (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 1 pass for 49 yards. Adimchinobe Echemandu also was very busy with 14 carries for 60 yards (4.3 ypc). Justin Fargas also got his work in with 7 carries for 32 yards (4.6 ypc). Ronald Curry led the way for the receivers with 3 grabs for 27 yards and a TD. The Raiders carried the football 46 times for 172 yards (3.7 ypc) and they completed 13 of 23 passes for 187 yards.
The Raiders defense was bending but it didn’t break on Friday Night. The Rams rushed for 96 yards on 17 carries (5.6 ypc) and they completed 21 of 44 passes for 236 yards.
The Raiders have traded an undisclosed draft pick to the hated Denver Broncos for DT Gerard Warren. Warren had a bad season last year but he is an imposing figure at 6’4″, 325 pounds so the Raiders felt they would roll the dice on the former first round pick of the Cleveland Browns. Warren played in 15 games last season with the Broncos and he made 23 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and defensed a pass. Over his six year career, Warren has played in 91 games and he has made 159 tackles, has 22 sacks and he has defended 10 passes. This was a nice low risk/high reward pickup for the Raiders.
The Raiders looked much better on offense in their second game of the pre-season. Daunte Culpepper looked sharp completing 6 of 8 passes for 75 yards with 2 TDs and he also carried the football 3 times for 13 yards (4.3 ypc). Andrew Walter followed and he completed 9 of 16 passes for 78 yards with an interception. Josh McCown finished up the game completing 8 of 17 passes for 97 yards. LaMont Jordan looked like a legit #1 running back Saturday Night as he carried the ball 8 times for 67 yards (8.4 ypc) with a TD run. Justin Fargas got some work in for the Raiders with 9 carries for 30 yards (3.3 ypc). Adimchinobe Echemandu had another solid effort with 4 carries for 18 yards (4.5 ypc). TE John Madsen was the leading receiver for the Raiders with 3 grabs for 55 yards (18.3 avg) with a TD grab. The Raiders offense was in high gear as they carried the football 31 times for 133 yards (4.3 ypc) and they completed 23 of 41 passes for 248 yards.
The Raiders defense had some issues with stopping the run. The Niners carried the football 26 times for 125 yards (4.8 ypc) and they completed 17 of 29 passes for 187 yards. The Raiders have a couple of weeks to straighten the defense back out but they should be fine.
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Tight end is one position that the Raiders didn’t like so they are starting over. With no clear cut #1 WR the Raiders might attempt to use their TEs more in the passing game. 2nd round pick Zach Miller will give the Raiders a weapon to attack the middle of the field and he could lead the Raiders in receptions as a rookie.
2nd year TE John Madsen looked o.k. as a rookie and the Raiders will probably get him the football a little more than last season.  He played in 15 games (1 start) last year and he caught 11 passes for 146 yards (13.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.
The Raiders have brought in Tony Stewart as a free agent from the Bengals. Stewart played in 16 games (3 starts) last season with the Bengals and he caught 14 passes for 120 yards (8.6 avg) with 1 TD grab. Stewart has now played in 68 games (23 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 55 passes for 464 yards (8.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs.
The Raiders have a lot of WRs but they don’t have anyone that has ever been a real #1 guy and they need someone to step up and be that guy.  Ronald Curry had a breakout season last year which is kind of amazing due to the QB play of last season. He played in 16 games (4 starts) and he caught 62 passes for 727 yards (11.7 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also carried the football 1 time for 4 yards. Curry is starting to look really good at WR after converting from QB in college. He has now played in 47 games (9 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 119 passes for 1,449 yards (12.2 avg) with 7 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 3 times for 1 yard (0.3 ypc).
Joey Porter was in Art Shell’s dog house all season long but new coach Lane Kiffin if giving him a fresh start. Porter played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last season and he caught only 1 pass for 19 yards. Porter has the skills to be a very solid #2 WR and the Raiders hope he will be focused this season. He has now played in 89 games (46 starts) and he has caught 240 passes for 3,234 yards (13.5 avg) with 24 TD grabs and he also has carried the football 9 times for 17 yards (1.9 ypc).
The Raiders signed veteran Travis Taylor with the idea of him being their #3 WR. He has never lived up to his potential. He played in 16 games (all starts) last season for the Vikings and he caught 57 passes for 651 yards (11.4 avg) with 3 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards. Don’t expect miracles out of Taylor but he will help out the Raiders offense this season. He has now played in 100 games (90 starts) and he has caught 311 passes for 4,013 yards (12.9 avg) with 22 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 32 times for 232 yards (7.3 ypc).
The Raiders drafted Johnnie Lee Higgins in the third round of the NFL Draft and he’s Al Davis’ kind of receiver as he has speed to burn. He will likely make the Raiders roster as a #4 or #5 WR and he will likely help out on special teams as a rookie.
Mike Williams, Alvis Whitted and Doug Gabriel will be battling for a couple of openings on the Raiders. Williams has been a bust in the NFL so far but Lane Kiffin was one of his coaches at USC and he thinks he can unlock his talent.  Williams is not especially fast but he’s a big target with good hands. He played in 8 games (2 starts) last season with the Lions and he caught 8 passes for 99 yards (12.4 avg) with 1 TD grab. He has now played in 22 games (6 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 37 passes for 449 yards (12.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.
Alvis Whitted is an old wily veteran who played some of his best football last season. He played in 14 games (13 starts) last season for the Raiders and he caught 27 passes for 299 yards (11.1 avg) and he also carried the ball 1 time for 4 yards. Whitted has now played in 123 games (24 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 74 passes for 1,030 yards (13.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 14 times for 118 yards (8.4 ypc).
Doug Gabriel never has lived up to his potential in Oakland as he often just teases the coaching staff and front office. He played in 15 games (5 starts) last season and he caught 30 passes for 428 yards (14.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs. He will have a fight on his hands to make the final roster but don’t expect him to be anything more than a solid #4 WR if he makes it. He has now played in 57 games (12 starts) and he has caught 101 passes for 1,550 yards (15.3 avg) with 8 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 3 times for 12 yards (4.0 ypc). Gabriel can return kicks so that adds value to him if he makes the team. He has returned 86 kickoffs in his career for 1,850 yards (21.5 avg) with 1 TD return.
The Oakland Raiders looked like a decent football team last night. Daunte Culpepper looked rusty last night but that should have been expected. He completed 5 of 12 passes for 78 yards. Josh McCown looked o.k. completing 5 of 9 passes for 42 yards. Andrew Walter looked good for once last night as he completed 8 of 11 passes for 50 yards with a TD strike to WR Mike Williams. RB Adimchinobe Echemandu was the workhorse in the running game for the Raiders as he carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards (4.4 ypc). Justin Fargas (8 car, 24 yards) and Dominic Rhodes (8 car, 21 yards, TD) both got their work in but neither was especially impressive. Rookie WR Johnnie Lee Higgins looked good as he caught 2 passes for 59 yards and Mike Williams made a good impression with 2 grabs for 17 yards and a TD. The Raiders wound up carrying the football 35 times for 120 yards (3.4 ypc) and they completed 18 of 32 passes for 155 yards. The offense has a long way to go but last night they looked a lot better than they did in 2006.
The defense had some trouble stopping the run as the Cardinals ran the ball 24 times for 103 yards (4.3 ypc). But the defense was outstanding against the pass holding the Cardinals to 163 yards passing on 14 completions in 32 pass attempts.
Justin Griffith was signed as a free agent to take over as the starting fullback for the Raiders. He is a skilled runner and receiver who could also handle playing tailback if the Raiders had a need there. Griffith played in 16 games (11 starts) last season for the Falcons and he carried the ball 19 times for 106 yards (5.6 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also has caught 23 passes for 168 yards (7.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs. Griffith has now played in 60 games (48 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 81 times for 378 yards (4.7 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also has caught 87 passes for 621 yards (7.1 avg) with 9 TD grabs. He also has returned 9 kickoffs for 180 yards (20.0 avg). Zack Crockett will back up Griffith at fullback for the Raiders this season. Crockett played in all 16 games (9 starts) last season for the Raiders and he carried the ball 39 times for 163 yards (4.2 ypc) and he also caught 10 passes for 53 yards (5.3 avg). Crockett has now played in 174 career games (58 starts) and he has carried the ball 509 times for 1,701 yards (3.3 ypc) with 36 TD runs and he has caught 96 passes for 680 yards (7.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs. Rookie Oren O’Neal will likely be the #3 fullback as a rookie but he has upside.
The Raiders have placed TE Fred Wakefield on the Injured Reserve list with a knee problem. He played in all 16 games last season (9 starts) last season for the Arizona Cardinals and he caught 2 passes for 24 yards. Wakefield was converted last season from DT to TE to be a blocker in the running game. The Raiders won’t likely miss Wakefield this season.
The Raiders have placed linebacker Isaiah Kacyvenski on the Injured Reserve with a knee injury thus ending his season. He played in 13 games last season in the NFL and he made 9 tackles. This will be no loss for the Raiders as he was just around for depth and special teams.