Simms, although he is a font of football knowledge and a lively personality, has never coached a football team in his life.

Yet, Davis approached him and interviewed him “for hours” over the phone about coaching the Silver and Black

Simms, who did not reveal the timing of the courtship, wisely passed on the offer and has since built and maintained his status as the NFL’s premier TV analyst.

As per Nate Davis of USA Today:

“He did offer me to become a Raiders coach, and to be their head coach,” Simms revealed Wednesday night on Showtime’s Inside the NFL.

“And I got interviewed over the phone for many, many hours. I don’t know if it’s a compliment, maybe it says something about him that’s not good,” he added kiddingly, though he didn’t specify the time frame of the discussions.

“Of course I turned it down — I’m glad I did — because I would truly … how bitter would I be if I’d been hired and got fired a few times?” Simms laughed.

Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, the AFL pioneer who revolutionized professional football with his colorful and controversial style, has died according to the team. He was 82.

Davis was a huge proponent of the vertical passing game and was the author of two of the league’s most famous axioms: “Commitment to Excellence” and “Just win, baby.”

from the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Davis, elected in 1992 to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, also was a trailblazer. He hired the first black head coach of the modern era — Art Shell in 1988. He hired the first Latino coach, Tom Flores; and the first woman CEO, Amy Trask. And he was infallibly loyal to his players and officials: to be a Raider was to be a Raider for life.

Davis was one of the most important figures in NFL history. That was most evident during the 1980s when he fought in court — and won — for the right to move his team from Oakland to Los Angeles. Even after he moved them back to the Bay Area in 1995, he went to court, suing for $1.2 billion to establish that he still owned the rights to the L.A. market.

Until the decline of the Raiders into a perennial loser in the first decade of the 21st century he was a winner, the man who as a coach, then owner-general manager-de facto coach, established what he called “the team of the decades” based on another slogan: “commitment to excellence.” And the Raiders were excellent, winning three Super Bowls during the 1970s and 1980s and contending almost every other season — an organization filled with castoffs and troublemakers who turned into trouble for opponents.”

ESPN analyst Jon Gruden, a former Raider coach who constantly butted heads with iconic owner Al Davis told Pryor:

“Don’t tell Mr. Davis you talked to me..”

Good stuff…

As per Yahoo Sports:

CSN Bay Area reports that Boss, who had 531 receiving yards and five touchdowns last year for the New York Giants, sprained his knee and is “week to week.”

ESPN points out that because Raiders coach Hue Jackson’s “timetable was vague, it is impossible to gauge whether or not Boss will be ready for the regular season.” The Raiders open the season against the Denver Broncos on Sept. 12.

The New York Giants lost a good football player yesterday. Kevin Boss signed a four-year, $16 million deal with the Oakland Raiders to replace Zach Miller who bolted Oakland for Seattle.

I was reminded by many sources in this industry to “relax” and not to get crazy about the lack of movement from the Giants in free agency.

In the back of my disgruntled mind, I was holding onto the thought that Jerry Reese would get it done.

The mission: sign all of the important pieces that make the Giants a playoff team.

Jerry Reese came up short again.

This recent development puts the Giants offensive in a very bad spot. Kevin Boss was a tough, sure-handed receiver who Eli Manning depended on week in and week out.

Boss was a good blocker and one of the toughest tight ends in the league. How many huge shots did he take grabbing a high throw over the middle from Eli Manning?

To replace the dependable tight end on the roster are Travis Beckum, Ben Patrick and Bear Pascoe.

Beckum is a hybrid Tight End in the mold of Clark and Cooley but with much less talent, while Ben Patrick the seventh-round pick in 2007 from the University of Delaware is more classic in style.

Beckum, Patrick and Pascoe have a combined 692 yards for six TDs.
Kevin Boss in his short tenure pulled down 119 catches for 1,600 yards and 18 TDs. He averaged over 13 yards a catch, and his production will be missed.

And may I remind you how little the NY Giants and Gilbride use the tight end. Think what kind of numbers Kevin Boss could have produced if they actually tried to use him more.

Kevin Boss is not Dallas Clark, Chris Cooley, Jason Witten or Antonio Gates. However, he fit the Giants system and was a key contributor to the 2007 Super Bowl run.

The big question is how do the New York Giants have the money for Michael Clayton, Rocky Bernard, Ben Patrick, Stacy Andrews, Andre Brown, Christian Hopkins, David Carr and Chris White, all unproven players.

But no money for a proven contributor in Kevin Boss.

photo courtesy of Raiders.com

The Oakland Raiders have signed their top draft choice, LB Rolando McClain of Alabama MORE

Raiders’ QB JaMarcus Russell speaks out about allegations made by Boomer Esaison regarding his behavior……READ

The Raiders have loads of young, raw talent on their roster.  One of the most prominent is rookie WR Louis Murphy.  Here is an interview with the budding star, conducted by Kim Coyle of KPIX San Francisco.

Overview

The Raiders have lost 11 or more games each of the past six seasons – an NFL record.  This year they could be on their way to a seventh.  After they leave New Jersey,  their schedule is a daunting one that includes: the rest of the NFC East, the Jets, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Denver and Baltimore.  In their current state, the Raiders would be lucky to win two of those games. They are ranked 32nd – last – in the NFL in total offense.

The Giants (4-0) are 26-10 in the regular season since 2007 (11-6 at home, 15-4 on the road).  Their defense is ranked first overall in the league and they are #1 against the pass.  WR Steve Smith is statistically the NFL’s top receiver. RBs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw rank third and sixth respectively in rushing in the NFC.

When the Giants have the ball………

The big question is whether or not QB Eli Manning (heel) will play.  If he can’t, it will be the first game he has not started since mid-2004, a mere 82 games ago. David Carr, an 8-year veteran with 79 NFL starts on his pelt, will get the start if Eli sits.  If Eli can play, he will mostly hand off and throw only out of necessity.

The Giants have had some difficulty establishing the run, and Oakland has a respectable defensive line rotation, so this may get interesting.  Last week against Houston, the defensive line had a great game statistically , led by DT Tommy Kelly with 13 tackles.  Don’t forget, the Raiders have former New England Pro-Bowler Richard Seymour now, and former Cowboy DE Greg Ellis, who has four sacks.

That aside, Giants’ talented and cohesive offensive line should be able to offset the Raiders in the trenches. The Raiders are 26th against the run and 11th against the pass, so the Giants will look to run first in this game.  If by chance they cannot get anything going on the ground, they will need their receivers to outhustle the Raiders’ secondary, which is not an easy task.

All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha is an imposing figure with great instincts and cover skills. His counterpart, Chris Johnson (pictured), is also a an excellent cover corner.  The Giants’ young receivers may find themselves battling to get open.  If David Carr is the QB instead of Eli, this also could get interesting.

Those CBs’ ability to cover the Giants receivers one-on-one will allow Oakland to stack the box and gang up up Jacobs.  The Giants will have to counter with quick passes and screens to try to loosen them up and lure them out of position.

In the red zone, the Giants must begin to execute better, or they will be in a dogfight until the final gun.  The possibility of using Bradshaw instead of Jacobs in short yardage situations is becoming more real by the week.

Plus, K Lawrence Tynes can’t miss any more easy field goals.

When Oakland has the ball…………

This is where the game gets tilted.  Raider QB JaMarcus Russell was a project when he was drafted and to this day, he remains one.  He has problems throwing outside the hashmarks, which means he keeps his passes in the middle of the field.  Teams know this and the results have been ugly. Giants’ safeties Michael Johnson and C.C. Brown may be in for a big day.

He is big (6’6″, 260) and not very mobile.  He has very little touch on his passes and usually aims them too high, leading to incompletions and interceptions.  Russell is last among starters in the NFL in completion percentage (39.8), completions (43) and TD passes (1).  This week, he’ll be rushed even more and won’t have the time to improve on those numbers.

Oakland’s top rusher, Darren McFadden, will miss the game with a knee injury.  His carries will be split by Michael Bush and Justin Fargas.  Bush is actually a better scrimmage runner than McFadden, so there’s really no drop off.

The starting wideouts are both rookies.  Darrius Heyward-Bey, the team’s top selection in this year’s draft, has only two receptions thus far.  Louis Murphy, the other rookie WR, has 11 for 172 yards.  He is tied for the team lead with TE Zach Miller.

Miller suffered an concussion last week against Houston. The Raiders are bringing him 3000 miles to NJ in hope that he can play.  They should ask the Mets and Ryan Church how that worked out for them….

Yesterday, we outlined the jostling of the Oakland offensive line.  There are three players playing out of position. That’s not good if you plan on blocking the the Giants’ DL.

The oddmakers have made the 15.5 point favorites in this game.  The reason?  The Giants will convert turnovers into points and win the field position game. They also don’t think Oakland will score more than 10 points.

Neither do I.

Giants, 23, Raiders 3

Their offensive line is in disarray due to injury.  Head coach Tom Cable told reporters of the changes yesterday.

Eric Pears will start at right tackle for the injured Cornell Green;  Chris Morris moves from center to left guard to sure up the line.  The usual starter is former first-round selection Robert Gallery, who broke his leg two weeks ago vs the Chiefs and will miss this week’s game.  Samson Satale will start at center.

Russell, who we will talk more of in tomorrow’s game preview, will be without RB Darren McFadden, who will be out a month while he recovers from knee surgery.  TE Zach Miller, who sustained a concussion last week vs Houston, has not practiced and most likely will not fly cross-country with the team.