Raiders Get No. 4 Pick
The Raiders will have the fourth overall choice in the 2015 draft, the NFL announced Dec. 28.
Oakland finished the 2014 regular season with a 3-13 record, the same record as the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville reportedly secured the third overall choice because of the strenght of scheule tiebreaker (the Jaguars at .514 and Raiders at .570).
Tampa Bay has the No. 1 pick followed by Tennessee with the second choice. Both teams finished at 2-14 but the Bucs earned the top pick based on strength of schedule) Bucs at .496 and the Titants at .506).
2015 Opponents Announced
According to the NFL, the Raiders will play the following opponents during the 2015 regular season:
HOME — Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings.
AWAY — Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions.
Dates and kickoff times will be announced by the NFL typically in April.
Reece Chosen For Pro Bowl
Raiders fullback Marcel Reece was named to his third straight Pro Bowl, the NFL announced Dec. 23. Safety Charles Woodson and linebacker Kahlil Mack of the Raiders were named alternates.
The 2015 Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 25 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
For the second consecutive season, players will be selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin will serve as alumni team captains for their Pro Bowl teams.
The Pro Bowl will be held prior to the Super Bowl for the sixth consecutive year.
For the 2015 Pro Bowl roster, please click Pro Bowl selections
Woodson Milestones
With an interception against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 21, the Raiders' Charles Woodson became the 11th player in league history with 60 career interceptions.
With an interception against the 49ers on Dec. 7, Woodson moved into 11th place in NFL career interceptions. At the time, the former Michigan star had 59 career interceptions, one more than Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas.
Opening Game Blahs
After losing to the host New York Jets 19-14 on Sept. 7, the Raiders are 1-11 in their past 12 season openers. Their only win during this dismal stretch was a 23-20 victory over host Denver on Sept. 12, 2011.
AFL Lives On
The Raiders are among eight NFL franchises that began play in 1960 as original members of the American Football League.
Along with the Raiders, the other seven AFL originals are:
Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Boston Patriots (now New England Patriots), Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans), Dallas Texans (now Kansas City Chiefs) Chiefs, New York Titans (now New York Jets) and Los Angeles Chargers (now San Diego Chargers).
To read about the history of the AFL, please click here
Canton Hopefuls
Check out Crazy Canton Cuts, a blog promoting former AFL and NFL players who have merits to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
