Oakland Raiders

When Charles Woodson arrived at Raiders HQ on Tuesday to make his visit, he was greeted by hundreds of fans. Many of them were wearing Woodson's #24 jersey from his first stint as a Raider. When Woodson greeted fans he held up a kid-size replica #24. It's obvious that both Woodson and the fan base have an emotional attachment to that number. The only question is, will Woodson wear it again as a Raider? Currently that number is taken by another cornerback free agent acquistion -- Tracy Porter. During his conference call today with our fearless leader Levi Damien, Woodson had this to say about the idea of trying to talk Porter out of his former jersey number: "We'll definitely have to have that conversation," said Woodson. "We haven't had it yet. Raider Nation has me back but I don't know if they'll have me back without the 24 on my back." The number 24 is also very well known among Raiders fans as having been the number of Hall of Famer, Willie Brown who has been a defensive assistant with the Raiders for many years, including Woodson's first eight years on the team. "It had been a while since I had seen Willie Brown," Woodson continued. "He is one of my favorite people ever. It was great to see him and give him a big hug. We always joke about who the real 24 is. It was good to have that bark and forth with him. Getting the deal done and calling him and saying, 'Willie Brown, I'm coming back. The real 2-4 is coming back." It's pretty obvious that Woodson wants to be in the 24 jersey and is determined to get it. He knows it's inexorably entwined with his identity as a Raider at this point. The only thing standing in the way is Tracy Porter and whatever he demands in return for exchanging jersey numbers. Money? A gold Rolex? A lifetime supply of Nutter Butters? It remains to be seen. From the sounds of it, I will be able to dust off my own #24 Woodson jersey that resides in the darkest reaches of my closet. Get yours ready or if you've grown taller (or wider) since you last wore it, buy a new one! I'm sure the new Woodson Raiders jersey will be a very hot seller this season.

Reggie McKenzie has a plan and he is going off of it accordingly, step by step he is following right along. I have said in the past that he has put himself out there by showing such supreme confidence, but that same supreme confidence has him convincing players that the Raiders are an up and coming team. It is convincing me as well. The Raiders continue to fly behind the scenes with their steady improvements to their team. People on the outside are writing the Raiders off still and until they are proven wrong will continue to do so. However those lucky enough to have a sit down with Reggie McKenzie always seem to come out of it feeling pretty good about where the team is right now. This is something that is pretty impressive that deserves to be pointed out. Each one of the Raiders free agent signings have come out and said the same type of quotes. After coming in and seeing what was happening there was an undeniable upward trend to the organization. There was something being shown to them that made these players decide that Oakland was the right fit for them. Most of the players had other options to go to. Nick Roach could have been Brian Urlacher's replacement in Chicago, he could have followed their long line of great linebackers. Tracy Porter was being looked at by the Saints who he won a Super Bowl with and instead chose the Raiders. Now Charles Woodson could have been a Bronco, but decided that the Raiders had something he wanted to be a part of instead. He was upfront about Reggie McKenzie having to sell him on the team, because he needed to be certain that he was going to be able to accomplish something here. If it wasn't going to be a contender, it had to be a team he could help become a contender. "That definitely played a role because we're familiar with each other. But after talking to Reggie, I got a good feel about how he felt about the team and that just really gave me confidence that they're going in the right direction. Going into the facility yesterday, I felt good about where things stood, and if I signed I was going to be going to a team that has good players on the team. The game is about fundamentals and playing good football, and they have some good players, and if we can put it together then we'll win games." When one person says that this team is up and coming and that is why they signed here you can laugh it off. When another player says the same thing you can still shrug it off. When a future Hall of Famer then comes in and says the same thing it can no longer be cast aside. Nobody knows what is going to happen next season or for the seasons to come. We all hope for the best and expect the worst, its what we have been trained to think for many years now. When does it go from hoping for the best to expecting the best? When the whole team believes in each other and starts performing as a unit. These are the type of moments that create that belief amongst the team. Every team in the NFL is filled with extremely talented people. The thing that differentaites them is the will to succeed and the plan to do it. The Raiders just added a player with a will to succeed unmatched by many in Charles Woodson and they have a man with a plan in Reggie McKenzie. It will be tough to ignore the Raiders for much longer, they are going to be proving to the world that they should not be shrugged off. The Raiders are an up and coming team, now we just have to wait for them to hit the field to prove it. Reggie might be putting himself out there with his supreme confidence, but when it pays off he is going to have a pretty damn good view.

It wasn't hard to see the effect that the crowd had yesterday at the Raiders Headquarters. That was a welcoming of epic proportions for the Raider legend Charles Woodson and it did not go unnoticed by the man himself. He knew it was a possibility, but he didn't know how big it would end up being in reality. "Yeah, I had gotten word that they were going to do it. I didn't know if it was a fact that it was going to be done, but I got word it was going to happen." After witnessing the event that was taking place in his honor Woodson didn't even really know what to say about it. Charles is incrediby charimastic and always seems to know what to say but even he was overwhelmed by it all. "I'll tell you, man, it was overwhelming. I think that if at any time I'd ever forgotten what the love was like in Oakland, I was definitely reminded yesterday." This is an interesting quote to look at it because I think in a way he was saying that he did forget how much love there was in Oakland for him. I mean he knew and that is why he was interested about maybe coming back, but his mind wasn't able to really visualize the amount of emotion that he would feel. It is like seeing your loved one after they were gone for a few months; you remember there beauty but it still shocks you all over again to see it so much more vibrant in reality than your mind was able to recreate. Once he felt that old feeling of the fans in Oakland there was no denying that it was a force to be reconed with. It didn't hurt that the money and playing time were the best fit for him as well but the fans were a driving force in this decision. Even if only by fear! "Oh, I think it played a big part. I think I was actually scared of leaving the facility and not having a deal done. I don't know if I would have made it out of there. But that was a big deal, and receiving that kind of welcome, it definitely put me in a mindset that it would be a good decision to make it happen." He is obviously joking about fearing the fans outside if he were to pass on the offer to join, but there is still some truth to that kidding. That was a lot of fans that were up beat and happy, but if that scene had turned sour it could have been a large amount of nastiness. Luckily there was no need to fear, Charles Woodson had signed on to stay here.

Inadvertantly left off some questions from the Woodson conference call, including an illuminating answer about the difference in the building from the Al Davis days to the Reggie McKenzie regime: Q: Can you talk about the process with Denver, and what kind of role did they want you to fulfill? Woodson: Just typical free agent stuff. [...]

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DB Charles Woodson spoke with the media after rejoining the Silver and Black.

A transcript of Charles Woodson’s conference call with the Bay Area media Wednesday, a day after he signed with the Raiders: Q: As you were making the trip, had you gotten wind of the fan support you were going to receive? Woodson: Yeah, I had gotten word that they were going to do it. I didn’t know [...]

Charles Woodson is now and Oakland Raider. I had a chance to speak with him via conference call Wednesday. Here is what he had to say. Q: As you were making the trip, had you gotten wind of the fan support you were going to receive? Woodson: Yeah, I had gotten word that they were going to do it. I didn't know if it was a fact that it was going to be done, but I got word it was going to happen. Your impression of driving in and the whole experience? I'll tell you, man, it was overwhelming. I think that if at any time I'd ever forgotten what the love was like in Oakland, I was definitely reminded yesterday. What factor would you say the fan gathering played a part in signing back with the Raiders? Oh, I think it played a big part. I think I was actually scared of leaving the facility and not having a deal done. I don't know if I would have made it out of there. But that was a big deal, and receiving that kind of welcome, it definitely put me in a mindset that it would be a good decision to make it happen. You talked about playing for a contender, Raiders coming off four-win season, what attracted you to come to Oakland after talking to other teams, including Denver? Well, that was definitely my sentiment going into free agency that I wanted to go and finish up somewhere that was on the verge. Certainly, a couple of teams that brought me in, San Francisco and Denver, obviously two teams that have that chance. Those two places didn't work out. Just as the process kind of rolled on, I knew I wanted to play football, regardless of really where I played. At that point I had to figure out what I wanted to do, and playing football was what I wanted to do so it was going to be somewhere, if it was a team that wasn't quite there but still is a team that is looking on the up, then I was going to do it. And I feel that the Raiders are a team that are looking on the up. Did the Raiders have to sell you on the idea that they were up and coming, or since you had a background with Reggie McKenzie, what role did that play? That definitely played a role because we're familiar with each other. But after talking to Reggie, I got a good feel about how he felt about the team and that just really gave me confidence that they're going in the right direction. Going into the facility yesterday, I felt good about where things stood, and if I signed I was going to be going to a team that has good players on the team. The game is about fundamentals and playing good football, and they have some good players, and if we can put it together then we'll win games. Can you talk about the process with Denver, and what kind of role did they want you to fulfill? Just typical free agent stuff. You go in, you meet, you talk, and the meeting went really well with the coaches. I think we all pretty much hit it off. But there's always of course the business side of it that sometimes comes up short. So it didn't work out. This situation did. So here I am, an Oakland Raider again. You were only in the building for an afternoon, but could you already tell the difference in the vibe from the last time you were in in 2005 with Mr. Davis running the organization? I think having Reggie in there, and having somebody that's really in that decision-making role other than Mr. Al Davis is definitely a different vibe. It seems like there's more of a control factor as far as what they want to do and what they want to implement as far as their team is concerned. I think it's a good vibe in there. When you left here you were a Pro Bowl player four times, went to Green Bay, your career was good here, great in Green Bay. What were the causes for you taking your career to the next level? I think toward the end of Oakland, there was some injuries that kind of kept me off the field. Then I think that team-wise, we weren't a very good team. I think that people just look at you as an individual and say, `If the team's bad, you're bad.' I definite

Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson spoke to the media via conference call and discussed returning to the Silver and Black.

Undrafted free agent Kyle Padron announced via his Twitter page today that he will be waived by the Raiders. I was just informed that I will be put on waivers+released from the Raider Nation today. Grateful for the opportunity, excited for the next! — Kyle Padron (@KPadron2) May 22, 2013 While Padron was unable to attend Raiders OTA's due to his college classes not being complete yet, the Raiders added a fifth quarterback to the roster - Matt McGloin. Padron did attend Raiders three-day rookie minicamp where he failed to impress coaches and at times looked downright awful. Unlike Padron, who had been a priority free agent signing, Matt McGloin had been invited for tryouts with the Carolina Panthers and left without a contract. With Padron unable to attend OTA's, the Raiders needed to add a fourth quarterback so they signed McGloin and brought him in. The first OTA practices were a tryout of sorts for McGloin. The team was not going to hang onto five quarterbacks one Padron was eligible to return to the team. And McGloin walked in and simply took the job. The record-setting Nittany Lion came in a looked like he belonged in a camp QB rotation. Good enough, in fact, it makes one wonder how he went unsigned initially, let alone as a tryout player. This gives the Raiders four very nice options competing for the three season roster spots. Matt Flynn is pegged as the starter at current with holdover Terrelle Pryor, rookie round 4 pick Tyler Wilson, and McGloin competing to not be the odd man out come September. Follow @LeviDamien