The Oakland Raiders have always been made for primetime. This organization loved the spotlight under Al Davis, and now they will be the latest NFL franchise to be on television’s center stage when Hard Knocks debuts on HBO in August. It will be the 14th season of the beloved show, and the Raiders made the most sense with their sheer number of storylines. This is scheduled to be the last year the Raiders are in Oakland as they prepare to move to Las Vegas in 2020, and Jon Gruden makes this one of the more intriguing teams to follow.
"Everybody wants to be a Raider. Now they’ll find out what it takes to become one."
We'll see you in August: https://t.co/dZ1LvS7gRv #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/rTz6AnrCbl
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) June 11, 2019
A former Raider is in the news again for all the wrong reasons. Aldon Smith was the No. 7 pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, and he had a fantastic first two seasons in the NFL. Unfortunately, off-field problems derailed his professional career. He was reportedly arrested for driving under the influence three times in three years from 2013 to 2015, and he has not played a down since November 2015. News outlets are reporting that he was arrested again for DUI earlier this week, adding to his substantial list of legal issues.
Ex-NFL Star Aldon Smith Arrested For DUI, Again https://t.co/Jpbc3t4iXM
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 11, 2019
The Tennessee Titans have installed a sand pit at their practice facility this year. It was originally reported last week, but this little tidbit only started getting picked up by national sites in the last 24 hours as the Titans opened up minicamp. Mike Vrabel is hoping this will help players that are rehabbing from injuries return to the field quicker.
#Titans have added a sand pit this year, and @CoachVrabel50 says he used a sand pit as a player himself when approaching 30 and beyond to work on his own conditioning. Vrabel says #Titans using pit for players rehabbing from injuries and older players: pic.twitter.com/p0BuyIsLZ3
— Teresa Walker 👑 (@TeresaMWalker) June 4, 2019
Melvin Gordon III might be a holdout for at least a little while if he doesn’t get a new contract by the start of training camp. Gordon is entering the last year of his rookie contract with the Los Angeles Chargers and is looking to sign a long-term deal with guaranteed money. He has only played the full 16 games once in four years, so the Chargers are likely to be hesitant when it comes to re-signing Gordon.
Melvin Gordon is with the Chargers at minicamp. He might not be there at the start of training camp without a new contract.@joereedy https://t.co/jeWPGRCzfl
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) June 12, 2019