On twitter - @AsherMathews - I have been struggling with both my love of the NFL and football in general and my disgust with the mental and physical long term injuries that are becoming more and more prevalent, it seems.

The questions that I posed were:

If, indeed, FB causes long term mental & physical issues, can we, in good conscience, support it? Is it fair to the plyrs?

If we do continue to support it, are we any better than, say, Romans who gloried over gladiators killing each other?

What would cause you to stop supporting FB as the rules are now? That is, if not changed, you would no longer be a fan.

If concussions do indeed cause long term Mental issues, is it fair to allow young men to risk their life simply for entertainment?


There were many good responses but it is difficult to discuss these issues and fully articulate thoughts in 140 characters.

So, please use this post as a forum to express your views in the comments:

TFDS has already posted a breakdown of what I saw of Greg Knapp's offense and playing calling.  Knapp has served the last two years as the QB coach of the Houston but before that served as the offensive coordinator in Seattle, his last year with that title.

You can read that breakdown here.

TFDS will be getting into some details on some of the plays that the Raiders may have in their playbook in subsequent posts.

Today we'll look at a play that Seattle ran against the Rams, week 1 of 2009.  It was run on Seattle's first possession.

AJ DeMello stops by to give TFDS some reports and real-ish insights into the kinds of players the Raiders got in the 2012 draft.

Tony Bergstrom, Utah  Round 3

 Strengths:
-Has experience in ZBS, can line up at tackle but will move inside
-He's an exceptional hand user, which helps feed his pancake addiction
-Will kick your butt in a staring contest
-Makes defensive tackles talk to the hand
-Very good footwork (used to shine shoes)
-Has an exceptional motor, can push people forward
-Allowed no sacking of the quarterback in 2010, so he can be a boss (making someone his b****)

Weaknesses
-Has short arms, but eats his vegetables
-Isn't spectacular in one particular area, (but) his name is Tony
-Sometimes struggles with speed, needs to overcome the habit
-A little tall for a guard, but people like the way he hooks
 
Bergstrom told the media, "If you come to my house, I'm usually sitting on a foam roller or something."
Obviously, this guy is crazy inside. He'll be an asset for Palmer up front.

In an effort to understand what the Raiders are likely to do on offense this year I took a look at Seattle Seahawks games from 2009.  Seattle in 2009 was the last year that Raiders new OC Greg Knapp was an offensive coordinator.  He served as QB coach in Houston in both 2010 and 2011 before returning to Oakland for this next season.

Knapp was previously designated offensive coordinator for the Raiders under Lane Kiffin but it was Kiffin's offense and Kiffin also called the plays, so that may not be representative of Knapp's style.

I looked at two games from 2009 - week 1 Seahawks vs Rams and week 4 Seahawks vs Colts.

There were a number of things that jumped out at me.  First, Raiders fans who are big fans of Hue Jackson's dynamic offense may be dissapointed.  Knapp clearly runs his offense different.  Depending on the quarterback, he seemed to run things slightly different but he was substantially more conservative in his play calling.

New Raiders undrafted free agent wide receiver Brandon Carswell was kind enough to take a few minutes and answer some questions to introduce himself to Raider Nation.  Carswell is listed at 6'1" 195 lbs.  He was a 5th year Senior at USC.  His career statistics include 40 receptions for 386 yards and 2 TD receptions.

You can follow him on Twitter @TheDidster

Hometown: Milpitas, California

Q: Who did you root for growing up?

Carswell: I am a local guy,but growing up I rooted for the Dallas Cowboys because my dad is a huge Cowboys fan.

Q: Who was your idol growing up?

Carswell: My idols growing up were Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders because until high school I was playing both runningback and cornerback.

According to Steve Corkran of the Contra Costa Times, the Raiders have signed the following Undrafted Free Agents:

Note that this list will be updated as more info comes in

Black, Conroy - CB - Utah - scouting report

Burnett, Kaelin - DE/LB - Nevada

Carrier, Derek - WR/TE - Beloit - scouting report

Carswell, Brandon - WR - USC

Dominique Hamilton - DT - Missouri - scouting report 1, scouting report 2

Henry, Aaron - S - Wisconsin - scouting report

King, Marquette - P - Fort Valley State

Nix, Lucas - OG/OT - Pittsburgh - scouting report 1, scouting report 2

Mayo, Thomas - WR - California (PA) - scouting report (midway down the page)

Powell, Chaz - CB - Penn State - scouting report

I have more information via Twitter throughout the day.  Follow me at @AsherMathews

This article is the work of Tyler Dickson who both is an avid college football and Raiders fan. You can follow him on Twitter @RaiderDraftnik.