The Three Headed Beast

This November...death and destruction awaits every team that stands in the Raiders' way towards playoff glory.

Raiders Re-Sign Aldon Smith Despite Suspension

It didn't take that long for the Raiders to re-sign Aldon Smith. Today, the Raiders have inked Aldon Smith to a two-year deal with some incentives added into the mix. Even though Smith has been suspended for one calendar year and won't be available till late November, Reggie McKenzie assured that he is in the long-term plans for the Raiders.

Getting Aldon Smith now before some other team jumped in on the opportunity and signing him to a minimum of a two-year deal  are both wise moves by Reggie McKenzie. Obviously, he needs to serve his lengthy suspension and we can't see him in action until late November when teams are gunning for the playoffs. This could spell both good news and bad news. We don't know if Aldon Smith has a full grasp of the defensive playbook. He might since he played 10 games before his suspension and of course, we gotta look out for rusts since he's out of football for a year. The good news is he's going to be fresh and healthy when every other team's roster is spent and fighting some injuries. He'll provide much needed relief for Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin, and the rest of this Raiders defense. The Raider defense with Aldon Smith on the field is going to be a terrifying sight to see for opposing teams and their QB. Luckily for them, they have a 10 week head start before Del Rio and Norton, Jr. turns this three-headed monster of Mack, Irvin, and Smith loose to bring pain and destruction to offensive lines and quarterbacks.

Aldon Smith Suspended for One Year

Well, we knew this was going to happen eventually, just surprised it had to happen at this point of the season with the Raiders fighting for their playoff lives. Today, the NFL dropped the hammer on Aldon Smith after his recent charge of DUI and hit-and-run back in August. The details of his suspension is one calendar year. That means Smith's 2015 season with the Raiders is officially done and if the Raiders are to sign him to a long-term deal in the coming offseason, he can't report to the team until next November. However, according to the Pro Football Talk article that I linked under "one calendar year," he can apply for reinstatement 60 days before his one year suspension is up and he has to pass all alcohol/drug tests.

I can hear the Niner fans and the NFL fans who poke fun at the Raiders chirping away about how the Niners made a smart decision and how the Raiders made a really dumb decision in bringing him in and then the whole "typical Raiders, signing troubled criminals again." News flash: we knew. We knew that signing Aldon Smith was a risk-reward type acquisition. I'll link to the post I made in September when the Raiders first signed him. Let me ask you guys something: between the recent arrest in August to the suspension today, how much did Aldon Smith make headlines around the league during his time with the Raiders? Aside from the Santa Clara DA filing charges and his arraignment in last month in which he pleaded "not guilty," Zero! Nothing! True, it was all overshadowed by the Deflategate saga and the incumbent situation with Greg Hardy and his domestic violence troubles. But, for the most part, Aldon Smith has kept himself clean with the Raiders. No DUI troubles, no arrests, nothing since joining the Raiders. The Raider organization has done a masterful job putting in the necessary support system to help him succeed. You have a lot of players in that locker room who are all about the team and the community; high-character guys and an organization with a unified owner, GM, and head coach that helped Aldon stay clean, focus squarely on football, and give him the necessary help. Now, what if he was in a long-term deal, in a full season? We don't know, but facts are facts and Aldon Smith has kept himself out of trouble since joining the Raiders.

Now where do the Raiders go from here? The defense is already as terrible as it is with its secondary. With Aldon, I would say the defense was half-way decent since Khalil Mack doesn't have to be double teamed a lot from the opposing team's O-line. Without Aldon there, the defense is projected to be much worse as it is now at this point of the season. The linebacker position, with the exception Malcolm Smith, it's a "who's who" now. Curtis Lofton is struggling, Ray-Ray Armstrong is not to be trusted, Neiron Ball is hurt, Korey Toomer and Lorenzo Alexander are special teams players at best, Ben Heeney is still a work-in-progress. If Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton, Jr. are hearing this, now would be a great time to put Khalil Mack back at his normal OLB spot. Mario Edwards, Jr. is currently on a tear, filling in admirably for Justin Tuck and Denico Autry and Benson Mayowa are serviceable defensive ends that can play opposite of Edwards. Khalil Mack should be the jack-of-all trades. He is an integral chess piece that needs to be moved around to exploit mismatches. Just give him more opportunity to get sacks because if they just leave him there at DE with Aldon Smith gone, he'll be double teamed all day.

Other than that, it was fun while it lasted to see Aldon Smith and Khalil Mack play in the same line. I'm sure that gave a lot of offensive coordinators a heart attack just at that notion. It didn't work out as expected since Norton is a rookie Defensive Coordinator after all. Reggie McKenzie said in an interview that Aldon Smith is in the Raiders' long-term plans and I do hope they keep him long term. If they do keep him and sign him to a long-term deal, with an improved secondary next season (hopefully) and a switch to a 3-4 base defense (hopefully), we'd like to see Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith just completely terrorize the AFC West and the rest of the NFL for years to come.

Raiders Sign Aldon Smith

So as I was getting up from bed and about to do my morning routine before finishing up and posting my regular season preview for the 2015 Raiders, I checked on my phone and my notifications blew up with the news that the Raiders have signed Aldon Smith to a one year deal. Bleacher Report confirmed it, Yahoo! Sports confirmed it, then NFL.com and ESPN broke the story and my first impression was "wow, holy *expletive!*" Even though it was this late in the free agency/waiver period, I never thought that Reggie McKenzie would take a chance at a guy with multiple red flags. This is a type of move I never saw coming and it felt like Al Davis' ghost possessed Reggie McKenzie for a day and triggered this move.

On official word, the Raiders have signed have signed Aldon Smith to a one year contract worth $8 million according to Levi Damien of Silver and Black Pride. He reportedly received offers for more money, but he turned them down and wanted to stay in the Bay Area. And how amusing that a few minutes after Aldon Smith signed with the Raiders, the Santa Clara DA charged him with three misdemeanors on hit-and-run, DUI, and vandalism he committed back in August. Will the NFL suspend him immediately? I don't know, but I've heard that it'll take a year for the court to sort this out and he could face suspension next season rather than now.

This is a big if. If Jack Del Rio and Ken Norton, Jr. can get Aldon Smith to overcome his off-field troubles and focus on football, this signing changes the dimension of how this defense is portrayed. Because teams are going to have big trouble to try and contain Khalil Mack. If opposing offenses dare to double or triple team Mack, it leaves Aldon Smith open for opportunities to sack the quarterback. So, basically this signing means the Raiders got help for Khalil Mack for cheap! Again however, the key here is that Aldon Smith needs to stay out of trouble and if he can keep himself clean, somebody arrest Reggie McKenzie because he just committed a highway robbery with this signing. Even though it's a one year deal and considering there will be distracting headlines from the media in regards to the off-field troubles and the charges pending in court, the idea of having Mack, Tuck, Edwards, Jr., Dan Williams, Justin "Jelly" Ellis, and now Aldon Smith on that front seven, this Raiders defense is going to cause a lot of havoc to every offensive line that stands in their way.