Pre-OTA Oakland Raiders news and notes

May 18, 9:40 PMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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With the Oakland Raiders opening their next session of organized team activities tomorrow there is not much new to report on the team itself, however there have been several small stories dusting up around the Raiders. Here is a round up of the tidbits of news.

• A picture has turned up on the Internet of a Airbus A340 airplane that has an Oakland Raiders livery. It is a plane operated by AirAsia X and has the call name: Autumn Wind 1. It is believed that this signals that AirAsia X is intending to start service to Oakland International Airport, and this is to generate pubicity for their new service route.
• Former Oakland Raiders head coach John Madden seems to be ready to transition into just being a Raider fan. For so many years he was the crazy uncle (The good kind) who came into our homes for a few hours every weekend to talk football. Now, he will be in a luxury box at the Coliseum every Sunday watching the Raiders.
• In a recent interview, 2008 trade mistake DeAngelo Hall said, "I’m not knocking it but it wasn’t what I was accustomed to, what I was used to, and I just started just not caring like a bunch of other guys, you know. It kind of rubs off on you. They say you go to Oakland as a player to die..You can definitely go there and have fun towards the end of your career, but to go there during the prime of your career, that’s just not a place you want to be. I felt the same when I was out of there - just a sigh of relief to get out of there.” The ridiculous part of this is that he takes absolutely no accountability for his own part in the Raider struggles. He was eaten alive in the season opener and never recovered.
  
• The Raider Nation sends its thoughts and prayers to Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator who had to take an extended leave to battle with cancer. Johnson is a great coach and a class act.
• Former Raider head coach Jon Gruden will be replacing Tony Kornheiser on ESPN's Monday Night Football team. Its a move whose time has come. Kornheiser was nearly as bad as Dennis Miller. Gruden has done well in his NFL Network gig, so it seems like a great fit.
• There have been rumblings about Jeff Garcia wanting to start, but unless JaMarcus Russell is injured or makes Todd Marinovich look like a Hall of Famer, Garcia will be holding a clipboard come September 15 and the San Diego Chargers.
• If you don't get the NFL Network (like most of America) you can see Total Access's profile of Tom Cable here. Respectfully done, but nothing groundbreaking. He is continuing his motto of 1-0 that he started last season. This means that the key will be to focus on each game individually.
• A.J. of YayAreaRaider blog believes that the Raiders will be successful with the deep ball in 2009. The Raiders have the horses at wide receiver to stretch the field, but that will only work if it is set up by the run.

Autumn Wind 1: