A few of the photos that exist of the plane have been cobbled together for this story. Patrick was the first to break the story on Examiner.com after the tail of the plane had been caught by the pop culture website jaunted.com.

He goes out on a limb in his opinion on Morrison and his thoughts on the overall opinion held by the Raider Nation. Carefully laying out the reasons why he thinks the Raiders middle line backer needs his play to catch up with his talk.

And he thinks you should take the same critical eye when analyzing Morrison's production and leadership.

For those of you who are familiar with my Ballers and Busters series, you know how this works. I put out the list of those players who were part of the solution and those who were part of the problem. Not everyone gets a mention because these two lists are reserved for those who really stood out, either to get credit for their accomplishments or blame for their shortcomings.

In this case, though, instead of breaking down the game of the week (since there isn't one), we turn back the clock to 1977 and the Raiders' first Superbowl win.

It is Bush who is the next player that is being spotlighted in the "Under the Raider" series. Outside of the Raider Nation, Bush is mostly a forgotten man, but inside the Raider Nation he is well known.

While researching an article for Examiner.com, I came across an interesting quote from a player thought to be a favorite in the coming season's Heisman voting. It's no secret that Al Davis loves three things in a football player: speed, Heisman trophies, and Super Bowl MVP winners. It's an added bonus if the player is a legacy, (a son of a great NFL player), or he's a Raiders fan as a kid.

If Jahvid Best wins the Heisman this season, he will have three of the five qualities that attracts Davis to a player. Best, who won the California track and field championships as a high school senior with a 10.31s 100-meter dash, is plenty fast. He's also on track to unseat Tim Tebow as the Heisman winner this season. Now, he's revealed that he has always been a fan of the Raiders.

Today, DeMello looks at the a few of the additions to the Oakland Raiders coaching staff and explains his thoughts on the enormous effect it should have on the offense.

Last year, the RNC came in the midst of rumors of a rift between Lane Kiffin and Al Davis, putting a little bit of a damper on the day's events. We all now know that there was some truth to those rumors.

With the chronic soreness in the hamstring of Raiders receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, he was nearly non-existent at mini camp and OTA's.

When he was drafted, he was seen as an extremely durable player who never misses games but that is about to change.

Hamstring problems can be nasty and lingering. They can keep a player out an entire season and often end a player's career. Heyward-Bey is just that kind of player. Without his speed, he is an average receiver. Perhaps even pedestrian. Even if he was slowed by his hamstring, it would mean big trouble.

Despite those acheivements and accolades, message boards and comment threads all over the Internet are littered with Raider fans who want to see Fargas traded. Since the Raiders drafted Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, Fargas has become expendable in the eyes of much of the Raider Nation.

Henderson started the final three games of 2008 and did so without letting up a sack - something that the Raiders have been looking for since they were punched in the gut at Super Bowl 37. Even so, the Raiders didn't hesitate to bring in a veteran who would also like to start at left tackle - Khalif Barnes.

Jon Alston is a classic under the radar type player, as he joined the Raiders following one year with the St Louis Rams. With the Raiders, he spent part of 2007 in the practice squad before he was promoted to the active roster. His primary role in 2007 and the beginning of 2008 was as a special teams player. When Ricky Brown went down to injury, he stepped into the starting strongside linebacker position.

Someone else that might want to consider getting back is Nnamdi Asomugha. Last week, Patrick and I attended the final OTA session open to the media, before training camp starts at the end of July. The surprise of the day was the absence of the Raiders highest paid player - more an oddity because his attendance has always been perfect in the past.

Every season since Derrick Burgess was signed by the Raiders, the question has come up about his contract. And every year, the Raiders and Al Davis have brushed it aside with little regard.

The Raiders acquired Burgess from the Eagles prior to the 05 season and signed him to a thrifty five year deal. His first season in Oakland he burst on to the scene with 16 sacks and made the pro bowl. He immediately asked for more money to closer match the kind of production he had on the field.

The Raiders, of course, balked at the idea. The thought was that they wanted to see him duplicate that kind of performance before they threw more money at him. Afterall, Burgess was seen as injury prone during his days in Philadelphia which is why the Eagles let him go in first place.

Chaz Schilens is an obvious choice to start this series, since he has been getting strong press from many outlets. I can't disagree with any of the good press that he has been getting. As I am watching the practices I just jot down the numbers in my notebook, (way too early to memorize them all) and the number 81 appeared very frequently as someone making great plays.

Having been on the inside gives me the perspective to get a new respect for the work these guys have to go through in the offseason. However, watching the practices also means that I see things that raise questions as to the progress of the team.