How can a guy like the Pro Bowl wide receiver, who works so hard on his craft — more committed and diligent and driven than anyone, says head coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr — also be so contentious about something like which helmet he wears?
It was a tepid beginning overall to the HBO series this season, not compelling by most any standard, with some punchy one-liners and the much publicized hot air balloon ride.
Banks died in his sleep early Sunday morning at the age of 57, alone in a hotel room in Canton, Ohio, having attended the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies and earlier filing his first story for the Review-Journal.
With several new faces around him on offense, odds favor Carr still running things when the Las Vegas Era kicks off in 2020.
A Super Bowl champion with the Patriots last season and then made the highest paid offensive lineman in NFL history by the Raiders, Brown at right tackle will be among those protecting quarterback Derek Carr.
The four-time Pro Bowl guard, who has battled mental health and locker room issues, spoke publicly for the first time Saturday since signing with the team in May.
Jon Gruden wants the Raiders to be tough and smart and versatile, able to adapt to any situation, prideful in the details of work. But this is a team coming off a 4-12 season.
The man in charge of building the new NFL stadium in Las Vegas doesn’t know much about football, but his history with the Raiders has earned him an invaluable level of trust.
The running back’s voyage to a first-round pick has been well chronicled, his own words describing a youth of poverty, homeless for a time and living out of a car.
The Raiders easily could challenge to be included among the most memorable clips of the HBO show “Hard Knocks” with a roster that includes Antonio Brown, Richie Incognito and Vontaze Burfict.
