The Man Behind The Curtain

It's been a long time since The Raider Nation has been able to celebrate anything. 2002 was 8 years ago, and has seemed even longer. The 2010 NFL draft has finally injected a little bit of life back into Raiders fans, as they saw sensible picks made, and filled positional needs. With the 8th pick in the first round the Raiders took R. McClain, LB from Alabama. Although the pick surprised the "experts" I thought it was a great choice unlike some of the recent early draft picks. The Raiders have a solid MLB who can stop the run, and be a leader on the Defensive side of the field. This is no knock on Kirk Morrison who was traded to the Jags for an extra draft pick. Kirk has done a great job over the last few seasons, but Raiders just felt they needed a change and to revamp the Run D. Sad to see Kirk go, and wish him the best. With the new scheduling of the NFL Draft, the fans had to wait a full day before seeing there teams pick again. With the 2nd and 3rd round picks the Raiders took DT L. Houston, and OT J. Veldheer. Houston will be used to stuff the run as a DE, and Veldheer will obviously try to help sure up the right side of the O-line. In the 4th Round Raiders took B. Campbell who is the most athletic OL I've ever seen probably. He is a bit raw, but as a 4th rounder is a steal in my opinion and also fills the need of O-lineman. Head Coach Tom Cable was an O-line coach so it shouldn't be to hard to develop his raw talent possibly at RG. The Raiders took WR, Ford (Davis speed guy), CB W. McFadden, LB T. Goethel, CB J Ware, and CB D. Brown in the following rounds.

They filled all there need positions via the draft, except one (QB). Raiders fans know that J. Russel isn't the answer at the QB position. As the rounds passed with the big QB names falling off the board, fans were wondering if we'd take a QB and who would it be. Then the news broke that the Raiders had sent the 4th round 2012 draft pick to the Redskins for QB Jason Campbell. The Raiders got their QB, and an experienced one for that. Campbell to many isn't a franchise QB, but is a much needed upgrade and the hard worker we've been waiting for. He leaves one messy organization for a (and this hurts to say) less messy one. Campbell has improved in each of his last 3 seasons, and will hope to continue that trend with the Oakland Raiders.

Each year I get excited about my team, and am left with nothing but disappointment. This is the first time in many years though, that I felt we actually made a lot of the right moves. They seem to be heading in the right direction overall as an organization. I hope it's not a repeat the last several years, but a repeat of the Raiders former glory the Raiders were known for.

Break out player predictions:

Bush/McFadden - I expect that with a QB that can make some throws teams won't be stacking the box as much. With that I feel Mcfadden and Bush will put together a nice season together, bringing back the solid run game of the Raiders.
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McFadden - 975 Rush Yards 450 Rec Yards 7 Total TD's
Bush - 875 Rush Yards 170 Rec Yards 8 Total TD's

Chaz Schillens - He was hampered by injury last season early on, but when healthy he has shown to be a solid WR with big play capability. If all goes well with staying healthy I expect some solid numbers from Chaz this season.

Schillens - 55 Recs 900 Rec Yards 5 TD's

Just Win Baby!

::Plot::

Phil and Claire Foster are a couple who have been married for several years. They seem to get into a routine in which they have a "Date Night" at the same restaurant. They come to find out there friends are getting a divorce because of a similar situation. There is no longer any flash left in their friends marriage. So Claire (Tina Fey) dresses up the next day for the date night. This is when Phil (Steve Carell) wants to bring her into NYC and the latest place The Claw, for a great seafood dinner. At this point they take someones reservation (Triplehorns) at the busy NYC restaurant and the story unfolds.

::Review::

Although Carell has become type cast, he made for a good match with Fey. They are a great combo, in a wacky, yet action filled comedy. The movie really doesn't slow done from start to finish outside maybe one or two little "serious" romantic scenes. Mark Whalbergs role is subtle yet effective one. It was one of the better comedy's I've seen in a bit. People laughed throughout out and at some parts, hysterically. This was a worth while watch in theaters, as everyone else's laughter helps yours carry on longer.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10

After much delay due to a eye injury while playing some basketball, I bring you NYC Auto show pictures. Sorry for the blog layoff, but all is well again. I took many pictures from 2011 models, to super cars. I hope you all enjoy some of the shots I took.

I left the car show feeling very good about the new Kia Optima 2011, Lexus 250, Buick Regal, and the 2011 Ford Focus. The WRX STI sedan and has a very muscular exterior which I liked a lot. Then once I sat inside it, I felt suddenly let down. The interior of the STI needs an overhaul for a car of its price range.

If you have any questions please feel free to shoot me a message, or comment here. I'll get back to you ASAP.

The first stop on the trip couldn't be more appropriate. I will be attenting the NYC Auto Show tomorrow, and will be taken tons of photos. I will be trying to capture a lot of debut cars as well as some requested images from various people. I will try to get any additional information on cars that I can, and I will update this posting by Monday with all the pictures and reviews of each car I post.

Look forward to seeing some of the newer models that are getting rolled out as well as some reaction from the readers.

Hang on to your hat..