Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From The Preseason
By Kevin Saito
Sep 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio stands on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders closed out their exhibition season with a 31-21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Fortunately for the Raiders, the game was even more meaningless than the rest of the meaningless games that make up the exhibition slate given the fact that most of the starters didn’t see a single snap on the night.
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It did give the coaches plenty of time to evaluate the young talent on the roster with the deadline to make the cuts necessary to get the roster down to the 53 man limit looming. It’s going to be a gut wrenching process for Jack Del Rio and his staff as some players have really stood out this preseason.
The process of whittling down the roster though, started with the obviously easy cuts of Trent Richardson and Kenbrell Thompkins – cuts made so early, it’s obvious that Del Rio and his staff didn’t have to think too hard about them.
But it only gets tougher from here.
There are likely going to be a few surprises and shocks for Raiders fans as the deadline approaches and those cuts are made. Raiders fans already got the first nasty shock of the offseason when Del Rio and the Raiders dealt promising young linebacker Sio Moore – a player known for his passion and for being an emotional leader on the defense – to the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth round pick. It seemed a very sad end to Moore‘s time with the Raiders as his inspired and passionate play earned him the love and loyalty of the Raider Nation. Ultimately, it was injuries and his inability to get on the field that did him in.
So as the names of Oakland’s dearly departed start to trickle in and the team gets ready for its opening week showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, let’s look at some notes and observations from the recently completed preseason.
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