Raider fan bemoans the Brace that got away

[Box_O_Rocks]

B.J. Raji and Ron Brace: The two that got away | Just Blog Baby | An Oakland Raiders Blog

B.J. Raji and Ron Brace: The two that got away
Posted by: Chris Shellcroft
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Where the Raider Haters worldwide missed the boat on draft day were the two opportunities the Silver and Black had to attempt to fix the true Achilles’ heel of the past six years; the run defense.
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By the start of the second round, yet another chance to get a solid defensive tackle presented itself. Raji’s Boston College teammate Ron Brace was on the board. This time, the Raiders deferred instead opting to trade with the New England Patriots. (Note to Al Davis, stop trading with the Pats! Ok, so the Doug Gabriel deal was a wash, but the Randy Moss move nearly gifted the Hoodie a big piece of history were it not for the stickum on David Tyree’s helmet)

The Raiders, seeking to add draft picks, swapped second round picks with the Pats and gained an addition pick in the 6th round. Of course, New England moved up to take Ron Brace while the Raiders slid back to grab the surprise of the draft, safety Michael Mitchell.

That pick in the 6th round from New England was used to select Missouri defensive end Stryker Sulak. The now infamously waived prior to training camp Stryker Sulak.

What's even more hilarious is the news Oakland tried to convert Sulak to a 4-3 OLB, too funny!

 

[nashvillepatsfan]

Why doesnt the NFL step in, and have Al Davis committed? Does the NFL really wanted to see a historic franchise like the Raiders, continue its flush down the football toilet???? Its pathetic really. Im just glad our franchise has never been.....oh wait, nevermind

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Why doesnt the NFL step in, and have Al Davis committed? Does the NFL really wanted to see a historic franchise like the Raiders, continue its flush down the football toilet????

I'm quite content to let Al reap the karma of Ben Dreith for as long as the NFL exists. :snob:

 

[Pats Fanatic]

I'm quite content to let Al reap the karma of Ben Dreith for as long as the NFL exists. :snob:

I agree with Jack Tatum and that fan based cry babies they can rot in hell.

 

[Urgent]

Interesting that Stryker Sulak was released before training camp. The player, of course, denies that he did anything wrong or stupid.

At 6-5 250, Sulak has the prototypical DE-> OLB frame the Patriots look for -- 'he's got length.' Sulak was apparently waived after Greg Ellis was signed. Later in camp he might be a consideration if the Patriots don't like what they see from TBC or Redd, or a guy they might consider for PS to see if he could pick up the Pats' OLB system over time.

I don't think it's shocking that the Raiders would attempt to convert this DE to OLB, whether 3-4 or 4-3. His scouting reports through the draft indicated he was an OLB candidate. I wouldn't guess that, as a college DE, he would look great in no-pads minicamps trailing receivers, but that might come.

From the Raider's point of view however, there is very little benefit to releasing a draft pick before training camp. There is no financial benefit. There is little roster crunch - there are always undrafted spots that could be used before a drafted spot. It sends a unique message to agents of drafted players for Day Two picks about how the Raiders work, and that's not a good message.

 

[DefenseRules]

That fan base must REALLY hate us...LOL. Who doesn't?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

From the Raider's point of view however, there is very little benefit to releasing a draft pick before training camp. There is no financial benefit.

On a minor note, there is one reason to release a draft pick before TC—if you're going to trade for someone else's, you almost certainly will have to cut one of your own. [It also applies if you try to sign a rookie someone else drafted but then waived; this is why almost no one can sign Sulak until right before the season begins.]

 

[jmt57]

I would think a team that did not have many draft picks (e.g., the Jets) or a team in rebuilding mode (e.g., the Rams, Lions, Chiefs, Bucs) would want to take a look at Sulak and sign him before training camp starts. Regardless of whether or not he makes the team there's a good chance he would be an upgrade over an undrafted rookie free agent.

 

[patchick]

That fan base must REALLY hate us...LOL. Who doesn't?

After they released Sulak (can you ever remember any draft pick being cut loose before camp without an off-field scandal?) I browsed a Raiders board to see if they knew what was going on. After the predictable confusion and complaints, the thread devolved into comparisons with the Patriots. There are a LOT of fan bases out there stewing about how much they wish their team was like ours. A moment of gratitude, everybody.

On the Sulak move in particular -- it doesn't appear there was any mis-step on the player's part, the team just changed its mind. But hey, no biggie. No worthwhile player ever gets drafted at #199 overall, right?

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I would think a team that did not have many draft picks (e.g., the Jets) or a team in rebuilding mode (e.g., the Rams, Lions, Chiefs, Bucs) would want to take a look at Sulak and sign him before training camp starts.

That's the point I was trying to make, though.

Remember that there's a rookie salary cap. That money is all the money you get to sign drafted rookies—your own or someone else's.—and that cap is based on the picks you use in the draft.

In other words, any team that wants to sign Sulak at this point needs to have $310,000 left in their rookie cap.

 

[patchick]

Remember that there's a rookie salary cap. That money is all the money you get to sign drafted rookies—your own or someone else's.—and that cap is based on the picks you use in the draft.

In other words, any team that wants to sign Sulak at this point needs to have $310,000 left in their rookie cap.

I'm not sure it works that way if it's not your drafted rookie. E.g., UDFA rookies only count against the rookie cap to the extent that their contract exceeds league minimum.

 

[Synovia]

true Achilles’ heel of the past six years; the run defense

This man clearly does not understand football. The raiders give up so many rushing yards because they are always behind in games, not because of any deficiency in their run defense.

Teams run to end games. They run when theyre ALREADY WINNING.


The achilles heal of the Raiders is that theres absolutely no talent anywhere on the roster, except for LCB.