Well, something is better than a nothing. After further delays and some last minute changes, here's is TrueRaiderLaker Productions #13: "IV."
No special titles here on this one. The "IV" obviously represents my fourth Raiders hype video since I first uploaded my first one in 2015 titled "New Generation." Last year's hype video brought a lot of inspiration to make yet another one. While the last year was full of hope, this one is a video with a whole lot of attitude like the Raiders are just ready to kick everyone's *expletive,* especially with the return of Jon Gruden.
The hype video hit a snag in the last couple of days when it was in the process of completion. The obvious one was the Khalil Mack trade. I had to put this aside to make the Khalil Mack tribute out of respect since he's the only the good 1st round pick the Raiders made in recent years. Also, I had a lot of sequences for Mack in this hype video prior to the trade. Of course, I had to ask "how will I replace Mack's parts that were awesome here?" So, I had accumulate some more material and it's a good thing P.J. Hall, Maurice Hurst, and Arden Key each recorded sacks in the preaseason, so I replaced them for Mack's parts. To be completely honest, the buzz of this hype video died when the trade happened. And all I can do was quick fixes. I didn't have a lot of time to think since the season opener was fast approaching. I wanted to accumulate more sound bites (I didn't use a lot here because those ideas were at the last moment), but I had a tight window ahead and this is all I got.
Since I did the regular season preview post before the hype video, despite this, yes I'm still not sold on the outlook of the roster since the Mack trade. I still stand by that. But, this video does give me some optimism that the Raiders can return to form.
In 2015, I made my first hype video titled "New Generation". Last year, I made another one titled "Welcome to the Show". This year, I live up to my own personal promise to complete my Raiders hype video trilogy..."by any means!" And with TrueRaiderLaker Productions installment #10, I give you my latest hype video "From the Ashes"!
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When I developed early concepts about my third hype video, I immediately thought back into the last few weeks of the regular season. And they were an emotional roller coaster. On Week 15, against the Chargers, the Raiders clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2002. We were all happy. Then Week 16, Derek Carr gets hurt. Week 17, the Raiders fumble away the AFC West crown to the Kansas City Chiefs. And finally on Wild Card weekend, the Texans put the final nail in the coffin to the Raiders' dream season of 2016. I thought to myself, I couldn't make a "hype hype" video with the way last season ended. If I'm making a third video, based on how the season ended, this hype video needed to be darker and more serious compared to my last two videos, but at the same time, it needed to be uplifting. Derek Carr is back. The Raiders made some serious upgrades, especially on offense. They're primed to get back up and go after that elusive 4th Super Bowl title. I think this video also highlights the maturation process of my editing since I made the "New Generation" hype video two years ago and the "Welcome to the Show" video last year. There already was a precedent set for me to make a theatrical-style video. That would be my Khalil Mack "Untamable Beast" highlight video. Unfortunately, my theatrical-style videos are at the wrong side of history as they get less views compared to my other work. I'm willing to go all-in that this hype video will get me over that hump.
Another thing I want to address is the question I'm sure everybody's asking me "Why the delay?" Yes, I'd usually release Raiders hype videos just before the first game of the preseason. This video in particular is released a few days before the start of Week 1 and a few hours before the Chiefs and Patriots kickoff opening night! I'm going to be completely honest, if you're an ambitious video editor like I am, you'd try new video editing techniques or start an entirely different series of videos. Basically, shaking up the creative direction a bit. That's what I've been doing the last few weeks/months. I worked on a couple of videos that are completely not associated with TrueRaiderLaker Productions. I sent those videos into music video competitions at a couple of pop culture conventions hosted here in Cali. Just recently, I found out that one of those videos finished 2nd place and I felt ecstatic about that. So, just to let everyone know, I'm calling the shots on a entirely different series of video projects. But, as I mentioned when I managed to squeeze a Lonzo Ball hype video in between, TrueRaiderLaker Productions is here to stay. Don't be alarmed. I'm adding new weapons to the "MechG2994 arsenal" in terms of video projects.
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This is the official thumbnail of the hype video featuring: Marshawn Lynch, Head Coach Jack Del Rio, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Bruce Irvin, Khalil Mack, and Derek Carr.
*2017 Regular Season Preview Post to follow! Stay tuned!*
Last year, my "New Generation" hype video was a smash hit. It got across a lot of Raider Nation forums, shared on chatsports, and even shared by some of you may know him outside the Raider Nation for his role as Donkeylips, Mikey Rayder on raidercentral, a YouTube channel that provides a lot of Raider content and a lot of Raider talk 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. After that video, I followed up with a pair of highlights of the electric AC/DC tandem of Amari Cooper and Derek Carr and the "Untamable Beast," Khalil Mack. So, football season is around the corner and everyone might be wondering "am I going to make another Raiders hype video?" Here's your answer. I give you the true follow up of my "New Generation" hype video and entry #8 of the TrueRaiderLaker Productions: "Welcome to the Show!"
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To be honest about the process that went into editing this video, there was a lot of changes on my part to get the production of this video going. One thing to know about me is that I promote competition in the song choices of my videos. It was a three way battle between three songs: "Go Harder" by Future, "My Town" by Hollywood Undead, and "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva. I originally started work with Future's song, but since I already used Rap in a previous highlight video, I wanted to go in a different direction and I was unhappy with the flow of the video in its development stage, so I scrapped the idea with Future's song. I wanted the hype video to go harder (no pun intended) with a much harder track, a track that "packs a punch." I channeled in my video game and WWE savviness and picked out two songs that I knew from the past:"My Town" by Hollywood Undead, used in the dream crossover fighting game, Street Fighter X Tekken and "Ladies and Gentlemen" by Saliva, used as the theme song for WrestleMania 23. After experimenting with the two songs, I was happy in how the hype video worked well with Saliva's "Ladies and Gentlemen" as it clicked better with the Raider clips I used in the production. Albeit, "Ladies and Gentlemen" is a decade old song and we live in an age where nobody listens to 2000's hard rock anymore, it's an underrated gem of the past and a song to get hyped up to.
There's plenty of optimism with the Raiders this upcoming season, even though we're pretty much accustomed to be cautiously optimistic because we've had out optimism die down for 13 years now. But, this is a young, talented team that Reggie McKenzie has assembled for the past 3 years, adding young cornerstones like Khalil Mack, Derek Carr, and Amari Cooper who've all made major strides last season. Under the watchful eye of Jack Del Rio, the Raiders made major, albeit unsatisfactory improvement going from 3-13 to 7-9. However, this offseason proved to be a turning point as Oakland transformed from being the least preferred destination to being an attraction for top-tier free agents as they added 4 top free agents on the market in Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, Sean Smith, and Reggie Nelson. In the draft, the Raiders emphasized on bolstering the defense, adding a hard hitting safety in Karl Joseph and versatile D-linemen, Jihad Ward and Shilique Calhoun. With these upgrades, it's amazing to see the transformation of this team from Reggie's first year to this year. We've had a lot of roster holes to begin with, limited draft picks, salary cap problems. Now, we have an established core and players that provide more talent and depth on both sides of the field. All of a sudden, the Raiders are the talk of the town. The media who once berated this team for their past dysfunctions are now kissing up and picking them to make the playoffs. The time for talk is over, it's time to hit the field and put in the work. Give us what we want. We want to see Raiders football in January! "Welcome to the show, please come inside ladies and gentlemen!" Enjoy the video.
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The official thumbnail of the video. Featuring: Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, Derek Carr, Latavius Murray, Rodney Hudson, Mario Edwards, Jr., Khalil Mack, Sean Smith (original jersey edit by @onlyonenation), Karl Joseph (original jersey edit by @onlyjerseyswaps), and Bruce Irvin. Thumbnail size is 1366 x 768.
Your patience is rewarded Raider Nation. The long-awaited follow up to my "New Generation" video is here. Last week, I teased this video on another post and the process that went with it and it was tough to choose which AC/DC song I want to use. Now, the full version of my Amari Cooper, Derek Carr (AC/DC) highlight video is here and I assure you, you will get hyped for this and this tandem is going to be deadly for many years to come.
In addition, looking into my analytics, over 500+ views and possibly downloads for my AC/DC Amari Cooper, Derek Carr Wallpaper Version 1.0! I know it's a viral hit since I posted that wallpaper up on this blog and on my Instagram account, but you guys are awesome making that wallpaper known and making my blog known. As a reward, I give you the new & improved AC/DC Amari Cooper, Derek Carr Wallpaper version 2.0 (of course, made by yours truly). I had a lot of fun making this wallpaper as well as learning new Photoshop techniques and plugins, namely the Topaz Labs plugin. Keep in mind, I used the effects from Topaz Labs to make my banners for Super Bowl 50 last month and I figured I want to try them out with my new-look AC/DC wallpaper and the results look way better. Enjoy the video, download the wallpaper.
I just confirmed the same video on my Instagram account. The long wait for new TrueRaiderLaker Productions content is over...well almost. This 16 second clip is a taste of things to come for my latest entry: Amari Cooper, Derek Carr, Carr to Cooper highlights with AC/DC playing in the background. In this process, there was serious competition between "Back in Black," "Thunderstruck," "TNT," and "Shoot to Thrill." Which AC/DC song I should use? Prior to this process, I wanted to put up a poll to ask you, the Raider Nation on which AC/DC song I should use for my upcoming Amari Cooper, Derek Carr highlight video, but that never happened, so I had to go with my gut feeling. "TNT" and "Shoot to Thrill" went down to the wire, but in the end, "Shoot to Thrill" came out on top. It made sense because after all, Iron Man is my unofficial mascot on my TrueRaiderLaker banner. The Carr-Cooper connection showed a lot of potential that it could be one of the best QB-WR tandems. They made strides, but Cooper's constant drops and Carr's play down the stretch of the season, they could've had more highlight plays if weren't for those factors. But Carr's 3rd year with the game already slowed down for him and Cooper's 2nd year with the game slowing down for him after his solid rookie season should provide more optimism that the best is yet to come for these two. Enjoy the vid.
Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders must win matchup vs. the Minnesota Vikings where the Vikings pulled away behind Adrian Peterson's 80 yard TD run and Cordarrelle Patterson's 93 yard TD return.
The reason why I pinpointed those particular Vikings plays on the headline, those were just backbreaking plays. The Raiders kept hanging in there for the most part of the game. Carr gets two drives to put the Raiders to a 13-14 lead and then, it's just gone. The Vikings controlled the majority of the game with the lead. There were just too many mistakes and too many penalties this game.
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Pass rush. I guess this could be the only positive I can pinpoint. Aldon Smith, Khalil Mack, and Mario Edwards, Jr. managed 1 sack each. It's not a promising stat line, but I thought they did a good job for the most part, disrupting Teddy Bridgewater and collapsing the Vikings' O-line. Nate Allen and T.J. Carrie's return definitely helped in that department to transform the secondary from "atrocious" to "OK." Other than that, not too much positives, but the Raiders managed to get to the quarterback. (-)
Special teams. I'm going to refer back to that Cordarrelle Patterson TD return. That play completely took momentum out of the way for the Raiders. I didn't understand what was Sebass thinking in not booting that ball at the back of the Vikings' own end zone. Those squib kicks just disrupt the flow of the special teams coverage and Patterson just went "bye-bye" to the Raiders' special teams coverage.
Other backbreaking plays. From Derek Carr's 2nd INT in the end zone to Adrian Peterson's 80 yard TD to seal the deal. Those are the kinds of plays that stall a comeback bid. Andre Holmes should've fought for that ball and bat it out of Newman's hands to allow the drive to live for another day. Adrian Peterson's 80 yard TD run, I would assume the Raiders' run defense just gave up on that play. Don't get me wrong, AP is a future legend, but that was the worst effort I've seen to tackle a 30 year old running back. Conclusion
The Bills took care of the Jets on Thursday night and the Raiders own the tiebreaker over them, the Chiefs are taking care of business against the Broncos. Peyton Manning, 34 passing yards, benched after breaking Brett Favre's record for most passing yards. These are scenarios that the Raiders need to learn how to take advantage of, while the Vikings took advantage of their opportunities since Green Bay lost three times and the Vikings have temporary control of the NFC North. This was a very disappointing game and the margin for error is starting to be slim to none if the Raiders want to make the wild card. The next series of games: Detroit, Tennessee, and Kansas City are pivotal and will tell whether or not the Raiders are playoff-ready because they are winnable. While at the same time, all three games have the makings of a "trap game" considering the Lions and the Chiefs took care of the Packers and Broncos both on the road and they'll be looking to ride that momentum. But, the focus now is Detroit and the Raiders have no room for error at this point of the season. I'll see you guys next week for the Lions game.
MIN 30 OAK 14
Fighting to get back into that playoff picture and they couldn't do it. To make matter worse after Terrance Newman's 2nd INT over Derek Carr, Adrian Peterson runs wild for the knockout blow for an 80 yard TD run. We'd figure that this would be an ugly game and the Vikings handed the Raiders a decisive loss for the 1st time since Week 1 against the Bengals. Stay tuned for the full recap.
Q3:
MIN 20 OAK 14
Not much action at all, but two stalled drives by the offense. The Raider defense is hanging around there, keeping Peterson and Bridgewater in check, but the Vikings hung in there with their stout defense, able to get to Carr. This 4th quarter is just critical right now to get a stop and give Carr and the O a chance to drive down field and gain the lead.
Q2:
MIN 20 OAK 14
Just when Carr willed the team back to take the lead, just a critical error on special teams to allow Cordarrelle Patterson for a kickoff return for a TD. That's on Sebass; he should've kicked it out of the end zone, despite the wind. Oh well, at least Blair Walsh missed the field goal at the end to give the Vikings more leverage. Onto the halftime report.
Q1:
MIN 10 OAK 0 It's a methodical domination by the Vikings controlling the time of possession. This is the problem with Rodney Hudson out. His absence leaves the Raiders' O-line and the offense as a whole in disarray. This offense are getting quick 3 and outs; they're not getting anything going. And the defense is leaving a lot Vikings tight ends wide open, bringing back problems that were noticeable in weeks 1-3 with the failure to cover tight ends. Just an awful, awful start right now.
MIN 20 OAK 14
Welcome in to the halftime post of the Derek Carr and the Raiders' matchup vs. Teddy Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings where the Vikings have 20-14 lead at the half.
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Clive Walford, 2 receptions, 18 yards, 1 TD. In three of the last four games, Clive Walford has caught a TD pass from Derek Carr. Walford, week by week, is showing that he's going to be Carr's security blanket as long as he gets more reps. He made a beautiful TD catch today, managing to keep his toes outside the chalk.
Andre Holmes, 1 reception, 34 yards, 1 TD. Man, this guy can't catch short passes, but he's able to catch long balls from Carr. Holmes frustrates us Raider fans, but man that was a nice route he ran to get himself wide open for a 34 yard TD. I think Holmes should just be there exclusively for deep balls given his height and jumping ability.
(-)
Penalties. The Raiders commit 8 penalties for 82 yards. There were a lot of questionable calls out there, but they have to clean those up and play a little smarter in the 2nd half.
Special teams. Busted coverage in that Cordarrelle Patterson TD. Like I said, that falls on Janikowski as he should've just booted it out of the end zone. Those kind of kicks where the returner has to stop and regather ball just throws off coverage and Patterson took full advantage of that and burned the special teams coverage of the Raiders. Bottom Line
Despite a slow start, the Raiders managed to climb back into this game. Carr, for the most part, is doing a fine job without starting center, Rodney Hudson. The defense is hanging around there against Peterson and Bridgewater. The Raiders get the ball to start, let's see what happens.
What up Raider Nation, MechG here again. Anyway, I'm sure we're still excited about the Raiders selecting Amari Cooper at #4 to help out Derek Carr and the offense. Here, I present to you a wallpaper (1st draft) made by yours truly. Be sure to right click and save if you want this wallpaper. AC/DC, it's gonna be a great WR-QB duo for years to come.
