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It’s finally here!
It’s my birthday week. My Mom asked if I’d like to come over for lunch on Sunday. I asked her if we could do Saturday instead. I’ll be busy on Sunday.
@smith I’ll be headed back from a music weekend in NYC. Thinking of stopping somewhere at a sports bar for the game.
Hope you have a VERY Happy Birthday!!!
Someone had asked (apparently in another thread) about a Slater injury update? Nothing listed here. I believe the final injury report comes out today but I’ve seen nothing about him being unavailable for the game.
https://www.si.com/nfl/raiders/news/breaking-raiders-chargers-first-week-1-injury-report-revealed
Big test right outta the gate for the rookie.
@buck-melanoma I read that Samuel has been very effective when covering Adams. Will be interesting to see how this defense plays against what should be a very average Raider offense.
I’m also interested to see how Alt does with Crosby. I think he’s going to be good, but I hope he has help on any slow-developing play. I also hope the run right at Crosby.
@kevdiego With Koonce out, it should be easier to get Alt the help he’ll need. He’s probably breathing a small sigh of relief.
@nickcoulter Agree.
I took a quick look at Silver and Black Pride. They seem pretty optimistic:
https://www.silverandblackpride.com/2024/9/7/24232238/raiders-chargers-predictions-week-1-nfl-2024
@bolt_dk Ha – Fucking Raider fans. I was interested to see what Chark brought to the table, but he’s JAG. While there’s no MWill or Keenan in this room, there’s also no Michael Bandy. The room is deep with NFL-level talent.
I don’t care what the motivation is….dare I say it??
Just win, baby!!!!
Too bad that Chark is going to the IR. I had great hopes for him when we signed him. Hopefully he can return.
@buck-melanoma That would be amazing. There have been flashes. QJ is kind of an X factor. I really don’t know what to expect from him – I’m telling myself not to expect much, so I won’t be disappointed. It would be amazing if he could evolve into a competent receiver.
@kevdiego yeah, I’m in the same mindset with QJ. I’m definitely pulling for him but realize the challenges.
With Chark out maybe DD stretches the field a bit? That speed needs to be utilized.
@buck-melanoma I think this early season might be make or break for QJ’s career. A couple of specatcular catches, grabbing the ball from the defender or stretching for a marginal ball, could be pivotal for him. A couple more drops of perfectly-thrown balls in critical situations could do him in for good.
But if there’s anyone who can rescue the guy from his pass-dropping yips, it would be Harbaugh & Co. We’ll see, and here’s hoping. i’d love to see QJ do something great today.
@nickcoulter Totally agree Nick. If they can simplify QJ’s role, and play to his strengths, it could totally turn around the guy’s trajectory.
Similar to Easton Stick though, if he struggles to show he belongs in the NFL with this staff, I’d really question him sticking around next season, even though we like giving rookies a full three years of evaluation. Just show me something that we can build off of!
@kylededi I’m not surprised that a lot of fans have so little patience but a bit surprised to see this from you, Kyle.
Johnston’s contract is fully guaranteed. If he plays in 2025, his cap hit is ~$3.9M. If he is cut or traded, it is ~$8.4M. Unless he becomes a cancer in the locker room, I don’t see the team moving on from him before next season.
I’m not at all suggesting I want him gone, and I actually think the small sample size he showed Sunday is exactly what I was alluding to. Just show something that inspires some hope to the coaches that they can fit you into their scheme. He definitely did that, and I hope Roman can continue using him to his best abilities to help him build confidence and eventually realize and reach his ceiling.
One thing I think we can all agree on is it’s a breath of fresh air that these coaches aren’t keeping players around based on their draft pedigree, and have been very willing to consistently churn for positional upgrades. So while it wouldn’t be what I would suggest or recommend, especially after his Week 1 performance, if he continued 2023’s trend of dropping key, big moment passes, and not flashing some upside, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hortiz/Harbaugh go another direction.
Also – his cap hit would only be 8.4M in dead cap if he were cut. He would only be $3.659M in dead cap (accelerated into 2025) if the were able to find a trade partner, which they should be able to do considering the new team would only be on the hook for $1.56M in 2025 and $2.685M in 2026.
@kylededi hopefully Roman knows how to use QJ. The last guys did him no favors.
@buck-melanoma Sunday was a good start! I hated seeing QJ get another high-point ball thrown his way, and then the crossers and buttons came out. Let’s use those to build and then see f QJ can maybe grow into some of those other tricks 
@kylededi I’m not 100% certain about this, but I’m pretty sure that was the first time in a professional game that QJ made a catch in traffic and used his little spin move to gain some YAC. That was one of his signature moves in college. Little things like that can definitely build some confidence, but I’m still not holding my breath
@blue-beers Dude how many times did we see that in his college highlight tape?! It was everywhere!
The only target off a button hook I can remember was the one where Gilmore jumped the route beautifully and got a pick. But they really should have worked that into the gameplan- maybe with a little better play design – way for often for QJ
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