NFL Hall Of Fame Game (Video): Raiders 16 - Eagles 10 - NFL.com

The one glaring problem was my Mountain Mike's Pizza friend Robert Gallery getting beat on the Raiders' second series for a sack. Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh can help him by installing three-step drop passes. But if the Raiders insist on force-feeding the deeper drops, it's going to be a long season for Gallery and The Oakland Raiders.

Game video:



NFL.com wire reports

CANTON, Ohio (Aug. 6, 2006) -- All Art Shell asked to see in his first game back as coach of the Oakland Raiders was some progress.

He got that, and strong placekicking by Sebastian Janikowski in a 16-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles as the NFL preseason began with the Hall of Fame Game.

Oakland forced five turnovers and Janikowski made field goals of 50, 51 and 24 yards.

"Coming up with turnovers was huge tonight," Shell said. "They are reacting to the ball."

Shell was rehired a dozen years after being fired as Oakland's coach. His mission: bringing back the glory of the franchise for which he was a Hall of Fame tackle.

In front of former Raiders coach John Madden, who was enshrined Aug. 5, Shell got off to a winning start.

"It feels really good to be back," Shell said. "And getting a win is huge, because no matter if it is preseason, everybody wants to win. Playing in this game, with Coach Madden inducted, it was very much a good thing."

Philadelphia's David Akers set a game record with a 55-yarder in the second quarter. And the Eagles' first-stringers were solid on both sides of the ball.

"It was good that the offense got a chance to get out there and get things rolling," Donovan McNabb said. "I felt healthy, so it's an exciting time right now."

Eagles RB Bruce Perry was carried off on a stretcher with 1:14 remaining, his head immobilized. He was tackled by rookie Timi Wusu on a running play. Players from both sides stood silently or kneeled in prayer before Perry was removed. Perry gave a thumbs-up as he was wheeled to an ambulance and taken to a hospital.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said Perry had a concussion and a team spokesman added X-rays of Perry's neck were negative. A CT scan also was normal and the team expected Perry to accompany it back to Pennsylvania.

"He had some loss of feeling in his arms and legs initially and the feeling started to come back," Reid said. "I don't know how far along he is now."


Brian Westbrook carried the Eagles into the end zone early, but the Raiders laughed last.
In his one-series series, Donovan McNabb hit all three passes for 29 yards on a 61-yard drive that ended with Brian Westbrook's 1-yard touchdown run. McNabb is returning from sports hernia surgery that cut short his 2005 season, a major reason the Eagles finished 6-10.

"We came with a different attitude," McNabb said. "This is something that's serious for us. We were prepared to come out and have a good showing."

Westbrook, coming back from a foot sprain that cost him the final four games of 2005, had 32 yards rushing and a 14-yard reception in his short night.

"I think as an offensive unit, we're out there trying to prove we can run the ball," Westbrook said. "We've certainly committed a lot of time to the running game and we did it out there in the first preseason game."

The Eagles made Oakland's starting defense look leaky in taking the 7-0 edge, and the Raiders did little on offense with their first-stringers until getting a break.

Three plays after Aaron Brooks ' wobbly pass was picked off by Roderick Hood, Jeff Garcia returned the favor. The veteran QB, brought in as McNabb's backup this year, made a poor pass toward another Philly addition, Jabar Gaffney. Fabian Washington intercepted and sped 40 yards down the left sideline to the Philadelphia 23.

"I was excited at the time," Washington said. "But then I realized I can't take this into the regular season."

LaMont Jordan gained 14 yards on the final play of the opening period, then Brooks hit Courtney Anderson in the front of the end zone to tie it.

"I actually thought I wouldn't get it, but you never know unless you try," Anderson said. "I threw my hands up there and caught it."

Akers untied it with his record kick.

Oakland's defense provided another superb chance in the third quarter when Grant Irons sacked Koy Detmer, who fumbled at his 13. The Raiders got nothing out of it when holder Shane Lechler bobbled the snap on an attempted field goal and Janikowski never got off a kick.

He did get off the 51-yarder in the third quarter to tie it, though. His 50-yarder early in the fourth period made it 13-10, and his 24-yarder finished the scoring.

Al Davis - Al Davis On NFL Network After His Speech

NFL Network's Adam Schefter talks with Oakland Raiders Owner Al Davis and is visited by Dallas Cowboys' Owner Jerry Jones. Davis reminds Schefter that he no longer works for The Denver Broncos.

John Madden's Speech To The NFL Hall Of Fame

This is John Madden's speech after being introduced by Al Davis at the NFL Hall Of Fame

Here's video part one:



..and video part two:

Al Davis - Al Davis Presents John Madden At The NFL Hall Of Fame

This is a series of videos where Al Davis presents John Madden into the NFL Hall Of Fame. If transcripts of these great speeches become available, we'll post them for you. Visit NFL.com for more information.

Here's the first part of the video:



Here's the second part of the video:

NFL Hall Of Fame - John Madden Intro At Friday Night Party

This video -- without sound -- shows Oakland Raiders Former Head Coach and now NFL Hall Of Famer John Madden being introduced at the Friday night party before the Saturday induction ceremonies.

Here's John Madden

2006 NFL Schedule From The NFL

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE CALENDAR

2006

Late July -- Training camps open.

July 24 -- Signing period ends at 4:00 PM ET for unrestricted free agents who received June 1 tender.
August 6 -- Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, Canton, Ohio -- Oakland Raiders vs. Philadelphia Eagles
(NBC).

August 10-14 -- First full preseason weekend.

August 29 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players.

September 2 -- Roster cutdown to maximum of 53 players.

September 3 -- Clubs may establish practice squad of eight players.

September 7-11 -- Kickoff 2006.

October 17 -- Trading deadline.

October 23-25 -- NFL Fall Meeting (New Orleans, Louisiana).

December 30-31 -- Regular season ends.

2007

January 6-7 -- Wild Card Playoffs.

January 13-14 -- Divisional Playoffs.

January 21 -- Conference Championships.

February 4 -- Super Bowl XLI, South Florida (CBS).

February 10 -- AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, Honolulu, Hawaii (CBS).

February 21-27 -- NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Indiana.

March 25-28 -- NFL Annual Meeting, Phoenix, Arizona.

April 28-29 -- NFL Draft, New York City.

Late May -- NFL Spring Meeting (Site TBD).

Technorati - Does It's Tagging System Allow Bloggers To Shut Out Voices?

Masood Mortazavi says this:

...Apparently, Jon had the good fortune of attending Peter Hirshberg's birthday party during which Peter showed off some of the new cool things about Technorati, but what grabbed my attention was Peter's discussion of the way Technorati is constraining its tag system.

For some reason, I never read about these constraints anywhere else when I first started using the tags. Here's a quote from Jon's article:

Lest omnivorous bloggers try to game the system and claim they cover subjects they rarely write about, they can declare expertise in only 20 subjects, and a feedback mechanism lets users suggest that blogs be removed from certain categories. Because Technorati scans 16.4 million blogs, all it takes is those bloggers spending a few minutes with the database "for the entire system [to] get smart and correct itself very quickly," says Hirshberg.


What this means is that if there are enough users organized to remove someone from a particular topic, they'll be able to do it. This is rule of the masses, not the rule of the free expression of ideas, and while I don't have anything against the masses, I have always found suppression of ideas quite reprehensible. What is even worse in my case is my prolific use of the tags, which have taken me to several dozen different topics. I find it ridiculous that the writer is limited to the use of only 20 tags. That might work for an advertising agency working for a corporation but it doesn't quite work for the free-wheeling blogger. As a lite-relativist, I've always had trouble with expertise being defined in such narrow ways. I spent my graduate years trying to escape it and now here we have a system that can do quite a bit of good in bringing you to greater number of readers but that puts restraints on how you stream your thoughts and what you write about. So, I'm out.

At least for right now, I have to say: Goodbye To Technoratic Tags!!!

No longer, will I bother and waste time with them. They may be good for category writers but not for me unless policies such as those above change.

Jon Fine's column is available online for free. By the way, in it, Fine mentions some Technorati competitors.

This is very disturbing news given Technorati's size. Dave Sifry should alter this ASAP!

Alien Behind Post Grabs Boy - Fake Video Looks Real

I read this video was made in Mexico and the producers admitted it was fake. Either that or the producers are lying and they are aliens. You never know.

But check this out:

Wall Street Journal Names Moguls Of New Media, Gets It Wrong

The Wall Street Jounal, looking to get a lot of links, asked John Jurgensen to pen an article pointing to the "Moguls of New Media."

Give me a break.

Hey, I'm glad they gave Amanda Congdon some more exposure-- too much is not enough in this case -- but John forgets her ex-partner Andrew Baron. Big mistake.

But it underscores what a joke of an article this is. The definitions of Mogul are:

-a bump on a ski slope
-a member of the Muslim dynasty that ruled India until 1857
-baron: a very wealthy or powerful businessman; "an oil baron"

None of which is listed in the Wall Street Journal's "mogul" list. But considering the WSJ and its author think New Media's just a terms for kids on MySpace -- which is featured in his article and prominently -- it's no wonder this pap was released. It does no one any good at all.

This video asking real New Media players -- people a bit more on the Mogul level -- what New Media is, has the definition in it and does a better job than the WSJ.

...But hey, it's expressed in a new media way, so what should I expect!

Marlin Jackson - Colts Corner May Get Starting Job

This shows that the Colts' 2005 draft effort's paying off. Jackson's the first round pick; the Michigan DB was selected to challenge his secondary mates and improve the defense.

Rather than move to safety, Colts' top 2005 draft pick might supplant David

By Mike Chappell
mike.chappell@indystar.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Marlin Jackson appears to be on the move, but not from cornerback to safety. Instead, his next stop could be in the starting lineup, at right corner.

Rather than switching positions, as was contemplated earlier this year, the Indianapolis Colts' 2005 first-round draft pick is working his way up the depth chart during training camp at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

A nickel back throughout his rookie season, starting just one game, Jackson has been getting more work as the right cornerback with the No. 1 unit.

He and incumbent Jason David have been splitting repetitions. Jackson was the starter during 11-on-11 work at the end of Friday morning's practice; in the afternoon they were back to alternating.

Jackson declined to predict he'll supplant David for the Sept. 10 regular-season opener. But it's clear that's his goal.
"In my mind, yeah, it can happen," Jackson said.

"I'll just say I want to be on the field. I'm champing at the bit to be on the field so much more."

Jackson appeared in 15 regular-season games as a rookie, with 52 tackles and one interception. David, a fourth-round draft pick in 2004, has started the past two seasons. He drew criticism for giving up some long receptions as a rookie but was solid last year with 41 tackles and two interceptions.

Coach Tony Dungy downplayed Jackson's increased work with the No. 1 unit.

"Marlin's doing fine," he said. "He obviously knows a lot more about our defense this year. That's going to help him.

Shaun King - QB Throws TD In Colts Blue / White Game

Saturday, August 5
BIG FINISH

By John Oehser - Colts.com

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - It was one pass at the end of one altered game at the end of a very hot week in August.
But the pass mattered very much to Shaun King and Brian Hare.

And the play put a memorable finish on the first week of 2006 Colts Training Camp, with King, a reserve quarterback, throwing a 14-yard touchdown to Hare – a reserve wide receiver – with no time remaining to give the offense a 16-15 victory in a Blue-and-White game with a modified format and an interest-capturing ending.

“Every rep I get is golden,” King said Saturday, shortly after the controlled scrimmage in front of about 3,000 fans at Cook Stadium at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

“I'm just trying to make the best of them.”

Jon Kitna's Positive Attitude Lands Start For Detroit Lions

Aug. 2, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions are halfway through practice when quarterback Jon Kitna takes a snap, retreats several steps, then uncorks a pass to his right -- a perfectly wound spiral that travels 30 yards before hitting Mike Furrey just before he steps out of bounds.

Journeyman Jon Kitna gets another shot as a starting quarterback. (Getty Images)
There is nothing extraordinary about the completion ... until what happens afterward.

Kitna turns to pat his center on the back. He shakes hands with his tight end. And he rushes to Furrey to congratulate him, with Kitna grinning as he pulls off his helmet.

So what? So it is everything you didn't see from the Lions a year ago, and I'm not talking about execution. I'm talking about harmony, with the quarterback and his teammates acting as if they actually belong together -- or, as they did not in 2005.

Of course, those were the days of Joey Harrington, and I don't know why he didn't fit in with the Lions or why coaches disliked the guy. All I know is that he's gone, and the Lions ... and Harrington ... are better for it.

Now they're in the hands of Kitna, who served the last two years as Carson Palmer's caddy in Cincinnati, and having him here is a good thing. In fact, it could be a very good thing.

Forget that he has the trust of a coaching staff. What's critical is that he's liked and admired by teammates who tired of Harrington. The difference is that they see Kitna as one of them -- someone who is tough, resilient, competitive and determined to do the right thing.

"What I like about him, more than the fact that he's bright, is that he's confident," said new head coach Rod Marinelli. "He knows how to lead, and the No. 1 thing this team needs is directional leadership."

That is what makes Kitna the right man at the right moment for Detroit. The Lions were short in the leadership department until Marinelli stepped into the picture, hired two top-notch coordinators -- Mike Martz and Donnie Henderson -- and put the club on alert that he would tolerate no nonsense.

Now look at them.

Detroit Lions
Out of Nowhere Man
DE Kalimba Edwards

OK, so he's not exactly an unknown, but look for Edwards to make an impact as a pass rusher. OK, so he led the team with seven sacks last year. Big deal. The Lions think he can do more, a lot more, which is why they re-signed him when Cleveland started courting him in the offseason. Now, Detroit has him paired with defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson, and that's a good thing. Henderson coached John Abraham in New York, and Edwards -- who played behind Abraham at the University of South Carolina -- is determined to outplay his former teammate. Well, here's your chance, Kalimba.
Five things you should know
"Coach Marinelli doesn't let any little thing go," said Kitna. "There is nothing that will handle itself; he handles it right up front."

He proved it by hiring Kitna and firing Harrington, and what a difference. The black cloud that hung over this franchise much of last season has lifted -- and maybe it's only because it's training camp -- but players, coaches and front-office staff seem more comfortable with the new order.

Maybe Marinelli's style flies. Maybe it doesn't. But it's worth a try, especially if it has players rallying around the quarterback.

"I'm glad we have a veteran guy here," cornerback Dre' Bly said of Kitna. "He's more of a leader. Guys seem to respond well to him, and that's what has to happen for you to be a winning team or a playoff team."

Wait a minute, did he say playoff team? The last time the Lions won anything was 2000 when they were 9-7. The last time they were in the playoffs was 1999. But if the Detroit Tigers can jump to the top of the major league standings, I guess anything's possible.

"Can we reach the playoffs?" said Bly. "Damn right, because we have the talent. The same thing happened to us in St. Louis when I got drafted (1999). The year before we were 4-12, and we were able to turn it around just like that because we believed and we were prepared. This is the same situation. We have the playmakers."

But it's not a shortage of playmakers that handicapped the Lions. As Kitna pointed out, "It's not about talent; it's about attitude and having 53 guys pulling together."

That's where the Lions belly-flopped a year ago, with the coaching staff and front office in a tug-of-war over Harrington.

The results were predictable. The club swooned, players griped and coaches were fired. Now there's peace and stability, with Marinelli announcing at the beginning of camp that he was committed to one quarterback ... and it was Kitna.

"From day one, he told us how it was going to be," said Bly. "Either we were going to abide by his rules or we weren't going to be here. We're not going to slow up and wait for guys; we're going to keep moving -- and that's a difference from the past.


How will the Lions fare in the NFC North?
Third place
Second place
In the cellar
Division champs


"'Mooch' (Marinelli's predecessor, coach Steve Mariucci) won in San Francisco, but I guess that system wasn't meant for the guys we have. I love 'Mooch.' But I'm a veteran guy, and the older you get the more you understand what you need to do to prepare. With Coach Marinelli he doesn't sugarcoat anything. It's his way or the highway, and that's what we need."

They could also use a quarterback who makes plays, something that hasn't happened in years. Look at the history of the position here. Any idea how many times the Lions produced a Pro Bowl quarterback since Bobby Layne in the 1950s? Try once. Greg Landry in 1972.

Kitna doesn't have to be a Pro Bowler. All he must do is act as a compass for others to follow. I don't know if he does, but I know he can. He helped resurrect the hapless Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, with the club producing a non-losing season for the first time in seven years.

Coaches there were sad to see him leave this year, and Detroit's Martz is so happy with his play he can't quit rhapsodizing about him.

"This is his moment," Martz said. "He's everything I want in a quarterback. I'd ride him into the sunset."

He'd rather ride him to the playoffs. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think there's a chance -- and not just because of Jon Kitna. But because of what Marinelli has accomplished already in a few months, exorcising a sad-sack mentality and replacing it with accountability, precision and --- dare we say it? -- teamwork.

Imagine. Hey, if it can work for Jim Leyland, why not Rod Marinelli? "There's pressure on my shoulders," said Kitna, "but not because of the history or legacy of this team. It's because you're the starting quarterback, and whatever you do everyone is living with you.

"You can say whatever you want, whatever you do you're taking everyone with you -- and I love that. If you don't want that you shouldn't play quarterback. I know there are some guys like that, but that's not me.

"My faith means a lot to me, and I really believe God used my first 10 years in the league to prepare me for this situation. Two years ago I wouldn't have been ready for this situation and what they're asking me to do; not to abuse the freedom they give me and to be the leader they ask me to be. Now I can't wait to go out there and play and finish the process that was started."