Archives for December 18, 2014

‘”We know what kind of O-line we are,” left guard Kraig Urbik said. “We’ve felt we’ve been playing well for the most part all year. But, as in anything, crap rolls downhill. If the offense doesn’t do well, then the O-line gets all the blame. If the offense does well, then the playmakers get all the credit. We understand what it is, we let it brush off our shoulders, and every week we just try to get better.”‘

‘”There’s a lot of guys in this room that people gave up on or didn’t even look at,” Dareus said. “The Bills gave them a second chance, a place where they can hone their skills and become somebody in the league and not just give up on them. It really means a lot.”‘

‘”He looked good,” coach Doug Marrone said. “But he’s still working his way back into the football part of it.”‘

‘”This is the most I’ve ever missed,” he said. “I don’t have any benchmarks, but nobody is going to put higher expectations on myself than me. Conditioning will be different because I haven’t played in two months so I won’t be in top-notch football shape, but I think if I’m able to go, I can perform at a high level.”‘

‘”I feel like a lot of (outside) people are looking passed Oakland like they’re an easy team. This is the NFL. You see it happen when they played Kansas City (in Week 12). I think Kansas City was a large favorite in that game and it’s just who comes to show up that day. For us, our biggest goal this week is how focused can we be? Knowing that we had two good games, how can we keep continuing having these great games for our secondary?’

‘The biggest factors working against the Bills are the fact that they don’t hold the tiebreaker over any of the other teams fighting for the wild card spot and that they have to play on the road against the New England Patriots in Week 17.’

‘”I’m not going to sit up here and say he didn’t look good,” Marrone said. “He looked good but he’s still working his way back into the football part of it.”‘

‘At the time, Watkins said he wasn’t sure where he was going. The Raiders were even a possibility, he said. “I thought it was possible, but you never know going through that whole process,” Watkins said. “I never really had an interview. I didn’t go out there and meet, so I really didn’t have a clue.”‘

‘”That’s the stigma with Buffalo,” Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins said in a conference call with Bay Area media Wednesday. “That’s all you hear. They never talk about the four Super Bowls that they went to. All you hear about is the 14 years that they didn’t go to the playoffs. It’s bad and we know that as a team and an organization. We’re going to fix it.”‘

O.co Coliseum is home, sweet home, for quarterback Derek Carr (Oakland Tribune)

Raiders’ Carr nurses injury, gives support to Sparano (Contra Costa Times)

Bills will try to keep playoff hopes alive vs. Raiders (Contra Costa Times)

Raiders’ Khalil Mack almost was a Buffalo Bill (Contra Costa Times)

Minor injuries not expected to sideline Raiders QB Carr (San Francisco Chronicle)

Carr faces another tough test in rookie season (AP)

Raiders’ Carr goes to bat for retaining Sparano (The Sports Xchange)

With Sio Moore out, Armstrong ready for increased role (CSN Bay Area)

Carr limited with thumb issue (CSN Bay Area)

Could This Sunday Be The Raiders’ Last Game In Oakland? (KPIX-TV)

Tale Of The Tape: Buffalo Bills At Oakland Raiders (KPIX-TV)

Practice Recap – December 17 (Raiders.com)

Coach Sparano: “It was high energy, we practiced fast” (Raiders.com)

Carr Dinged Up, Says He’s Okay (Raiders.com)

Armstrong: “You Want to Win” (Raiders.com)

Bills WR Sammy Watkins Discusses Match-Up (Raiders.com)

Getting to Know TJ Carrie (Raiders.com)

Raiders vs Bills Notable Connections (Raiders.com)

‘”It’s meaningful, but it’s not surprising,” center Eric Wood said, referring to Buffalo being in contention. “I felt like this was the position we’d be in. I probably wish we’d be in a more controlling position, but being in the hunt, I’m not surprised.”‘

‘Buffalo’s offense has been the problem, as it failed to get into the end zone against the Packers. The Bills, who scored on a safety, four Dan Carpenter field goals and Marcus Thigpen’s 75-yard punt return, rank second to last in the league with 20 touchdowns in 49 red-zone possessions (40.8 percent).’

‘”We’ve got a lot of improvement to do,” said Marrone, speaking specifically about his moribund offense. “I think that records really don’t mean a lot when you watch the film. Obviously, the Raiders are playing much better than they had been playing. They’re very physical. They’re a team that’s getting better each week. It’ll be a great challenge for us.”‘

‘”Once you get that first lick in you’re ready to play ball, and I don’t think it’ll be any different,” he said. “I’m pretty sure if I’m able to go they’re going to take a shot at it and we’ll see how I do. Conditioning will be different because I haven’t played in two months so I won’t be in top-notch football shape, but I think if I’m able to go, I can perform at a high level. I don’t want to get into percentages, but if I’m able to go then I’ll go. We’ll see how these next couple days go and see how I respond every day after practice and then make a decision.’

‘Even without Chandler, the tight end group didn’t slip below three players on the field at one time due to the return of one of their own. Second-year player Chris Gragg returned to the practice field for the first time since he suffered a knee injury.’