Heading into Week 6, now is a good time to take a look at the bottom of the NFL power rankings. These teams have virtually no chance of making the playoffs. In fact, they may as well look toward next year because their 2009 NFL season is basically over.
1. St. Louis Rams
The Rams are just horrible. Their defense showed some signs of improvement early on but they’ve regressed in recent weeks. Their offense? It’s offensive.
2. Oakland Raiders
The Raiders don’t have a horrible defense but their offense is so bad that they earn this spot in the NFL power rankings. JaMarcus …read more

Darren McFadden hasn’t been very good this season. But things have gone from bad to worse for McFadden. The fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Draft needs knee surgery to fix torn knee cartilage. McFadden will be out at least the next two weeks.
On the season, McFadden has 145 rushing yards, 53 receiving yards and one touchdown. His yards per carry of 3.1 yards is a very underwhelming number for the Raiders.
Offensively, the Raiders have simply been horrible. JaMarcus Russell has a quarterback rating of 42.4. He’s completing 39.8% of his passes and has one touchdown to go with …read more

LaDainian Tomlinson, the future Hall of Fame running back for the San Diego Chargers, sprained his ankle during the team’s Week 1 contest against the Oakland Raiders. On Wednesday, Tomlinson was sporting a protective boot.
While a protective boot usually signals a serious injury, Tomlinson doesn’t sound too concerned.
“I’ve had it before,” explained Tomlinson. “It’s very common.”
Last season, Tomlinson rushed for 1,110 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. He also had 52 receptions for 426 yards and a touchdown.
In Week 1 against the Raiders, the 30-year-old running back rushed 13 times for 55 yards and a touchdown. At the end of the …read more

Ever since Richard Seymour was traded from the New England Patriots to the Oakland Raiders, there has been a lot of drama. Seymour didn’t report right away and there were rumors that Seymour would hold out until he was given a new contract. However, all the drama will reportedly soon come to an end.
ESPN is reporting that Seymour is going to show up in Oakland on Saturday. He won’t receive a new contract and will instead play out the final year of his contract, which is worth about $3.7 million. Even though he’ll be joining the team for the first …read more

Big trades in the NFL are relatively rare. But on Sunday, the New England Patriots and the Oakland Raiders completed a major swap when the Patriots sent Seymour to the Raiders for an unprotected 2011 first round pick.
For the Raiders, this trade will help right away. Seymour has been one of the best defensive lineman in the game of football since being drafted in 2001. The 29-year-old will solidify Oakland’s defense — especially against the run.
The Patriots, on the other hand, continue their youth movement on the defensive end. While losing Seymour will hurt in the short term, most every …read more

With the NFL season about to kick off in a few weeks, it’s time to take a look at which teams are destined to be bad in the 2009 NFL season. Here are the worst teams in the NFL as of this moment.
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With a rookie coach and no quarterback standing out so far, the Bucs appear to be headed to a poor season in their 2009 campaign.
4. Oakland Raiders
For the Raiders to be decent, they need JaMarcus Russell to play better than expected. Don’t count on it.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
It’s difficult to find any bright spot on …read more

Chaz Schilens, a wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders, suffered a broken foot during practice on Tuesday. His left foot broke while in the middle of running a route.
While Schilens isn’t a well-known player, he was actually playing very well for the Raiders during training camp. In fact, he appeared to be in a position where he could have been a starting wide receiver in Week 1.
The 6-foot-4 out of San Diego State had 15 catches last season for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Picked in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Schilens has proven to be …read more

Michael Vick is now free to sign with any team in the NFL after getting partially reinstated by commissioner Roger Goodell. Where might Michael Vick end up? Let’s take a look at some situations that make sense.
New England Patriots
Bill Belichick is one coach who doesn’t have to worry about his job. Also consider that Belichick likes players who can play multiple positions. Could Vick have Randy Moss type success with the Patriots?
San Francisco 49ers
The Niners are arguably the most desperate team in the league when it comes to the quarterback position. If Vick is serious about playing — and playing …read more

Earlier in the NFL offseason, Greg Ellis was released by the Dallas Cowboys. After first trying to trade him, the Cowboys decided to release him to save money and open up an opportunity for young players. On Monday, Ellis found a new home — with the Oakland Raiders.
Ellis lands with the Raiders less than two weeks after being released. The Raiders likely targeted Ellis due to his ability to rush the quarterback and his versatility. He has experience both on the defensive line and at linebacker.
After being a first round pick in the 1998 NFL Draft (ahead of Randy Moss, …read more

A few weeks ago, it appeared that JaMarcus Russell had the starting quarterback job for the Oakland Raiders locked up. However, after recent comments by Jeff Garcia, that doesn’t sound as certain.
On a radio show, Garcia said that Russell should be the starting quarterback in Oakland — but only if Russell legitimately wins the gig. Otherwise, if Garcia wins the job, the 39-year-old QB isn’t ready to simply accept a backup job.
Despite Garcia’s comments, it seems all but certain the coaching staff in Oakland will pick Russell as their starting quarterback. And if you believe certain rumors, the coaches might …read more