We hit 56 in our Raiders countdown to kickoff. Who wore it best and who's wearing it now
No. 56
Who's wearing it now: LB Jailin Walker
Walker was signed this offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana.
Who wore it best: DE Derrick Burgess
Exactly 20 years ago Derrick Burgess set the Raiders single-season franchise sack record. He joined the team in 2005 after an injury plagued four years in Philadelphia. And in his first season in Oakland he streaked to a league-leading 16 sacks. Marking the only time since sacks were an official stat in 1982 that a Raiders player led the league.
Burgess spent four seasons with the Raiders with a total of 38.5 sacks in 56 games. He would make the Pro Bowl the first two of those seasons with 16 and 11 sacks respectively. The Raiders would trade Burgess to the Patriots in 2009, with him seeing just 17 more career games after that.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
28 minutes ago
- New York Times
Robert Spillane's unorthodox training regimen: Blindfolded hikes and falling into pools
FOXBORO, Mass. — This whole story was supposed to be a paragraph. Maybe two. Follow up on what seemed like a throwaway line from a press conference five months ago. Tack that onto the bottom of some training camp observations, and call it a day. Back in March, when Robert Spillane was one of four players introduced as part of the New England Patriots' free-agent spending spree, the linebacker mentioned that he does 'a lot of eyes-closed training.' But it's hard to ask follow-up questions in formal press conferences, so the tidbit went unpursued. So on the first day of training camp, it was time to finally get an explanation. Advertisement 'Oh, there are many layers to this program I've developed over the years,' Spillane said. Program? Layers? Self-developed? 'Yeah, that's one of the many unorthodox things that I do that has helped me get to where I'm at,' Spillane said. The first walk up a small mountain probably looked normal to passersby. Just a dude in his late 20s on a hike. But for Spillane, there was more to it than meets the eye. Notice where the rocks are, which way the ground tilts, which branches could leave a black eye. The next day, Spillane returned — this time, to do it with his eyes shut. After that, another trip — this time, backward and blindfolded. He'd done plenty of eyes-closed training in the past. He's a middle linebacker praised for always being in the right spot. For years, Spillane has believed his blind training was the reason for this. It started by simply walking forward with his eyes closed. Then backward. Then barefoot, forward and back again. Eventually, he took it to a football field. In a defensive playbook, he'd be told as the middle linebacker to drop to a certain landmark depending on the play. So he tried it with his eyes closed. Drop 4 yards in coverage, then 5 yards to the left. Do that successfully, then try jumping on one leg with his eyes closed. 'I didn't really learn it from anybody, so it's from the ground up, self-taught,' Spillane said. 'It's basically just a confidence drill. As a middle linebacker, you want to know where you are on the field at all times — within the positioning of the field, understanding the schematics, where the other players are around you. So you close your eyes and take away the most basic thing you use to understand that. You've really got to rely on your instincts and your trust.' That takes us back to the woods. All the on-field, eyes-closed training was complete. It was time to take it to the next level. So Spillane, fresh off the three-year, $33 million contract he signed with the Patriots that changed his life, stood at the trailhead, shut his eyes and started walking. Advertisement It's at this point in the interview that I had to pause. Is this real? You really shut your eyes and walk through the woods? You really developed this yourself and believe it makes you a better linebacker? Even his new teammates had a hard time believing they weren't being punked. 'When he told me that, I was like, 'This has to be a joke,'' fellow linebacker Christian Elliss said. 'There's no way you're walking backward up a mountain with a blindfold. But in his words, he was like, 'I trust my body enough, and I trust my memory enough that I'll make it up that mountain.' And he did it, so what am I supposed to say to that?' So, yeah, he insists it's all real. 'Look, there are a lot of ways to be a successful football player,' Spillane said, 'but I found trusting myself has been the best way to go forward.' So he made up more … ahem … drills to prep for football during the offseason. He stood at the edge of a pool and fell in awkwardly to prepare his body for the contact in tackling. Then he upped the ante. Fall into the pool at a weird angle, then re-adjust his body, fall into a single-leg squat at the bottom of the pool and try to jump off of that. (He said he's still searching for a pool in the area in which to conduct those drills.) 'Football is won with strong football positioning, and being able to get back to that when you're out of position is really helpful,' Spillane said. 'It's a super explosive training without having to worry about impacts.' Spillane is into Eastern medicinal practices. He has tried self-hypnosis. He meditates. Alternative medications. He leans on basketball for conditioning. He runs routes as if he were a wide receiver. ('If you can run the route, you can cover the route,' he said.) He joins wide receivers and cornerbacks for pass-catching drills. Robert Spillane using the Jugs machine… is Mike Vrabel trying to turn his new linebacker into the new Mike Vrabel in the red zone? — FitzyGFY 🍺 (brew checkmark) (@FitzyGFY) July 25, 2025 It's all part of a self-developed plan for the 29-year-old father of two daughters, who has forged an unlikely path to the NFL. After four years at Western Michigan, he tested poorly at his pro day, which tanked his draft stock. He went undrafted, as teams were convinced his lack of athleticism would keep him off an NFL roster. Advertisement But a tryout with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 impressed then-head coach Mike Vrabel and earned him a training camp invite. Then the practice squad. Then some NFL games. Two as a rookie, eight the year after, 12 after that. He's not the biggest, fastest or strongest. But coaches loved that he was always where he was supposed to be. Finally, his breakout came in the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He ranked 10th in the NFL in tackles in 2023 (148), then fourth last season (158). Pro Football Focus graded him as the eighth-best run defender among 189 linebackers. The big contract from the Patriots followed — a full-circle moment with the coach who first put him on a roster. He's still the guy who does everything asked of him and is always in the right spot. That's why Spillane was back at the base of that trail this offseason, ready to embark blindfolded. He succeeded, of course, journeying through the woods without seeing, left to use his other senses and his memory from the day before, even if the journey came with a stubbed toe or two. 'That is part of it, part of building those calluses — literally,' Spillane said. 'Playing through pain, learning how to practice through pain, that's all part of being a successful football player.' Sure, it's unorthodox. It draws confused looks and some snickers from teammates who hear about it. But maybe there's something to the blind training. Maybe it's what constantly puts him in the right spot on the football field. Or maybe it's just a confidence thing, a boost for a player who has been doubted so often throughout his career. Its efficacy might not be the point, though. What matters is that it helped an overlooked guy from a small college, long labeled unathletic, become one of the best tacklers in the NFL. (All photos: Eric Canha / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Eagles Super Bowl champion admits to some Tom Brady apprehension
Classic games often share similar ingredients. Huge stakes are helpful, but they aren't necessary. The bigger the stakes, the bigger the moment, though. The Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots once engaged in one of the best Super Bowls ever played. Ask Birds fans, and they may place it among their top two. It helps that the right team came out on top. An exciting and stressful affair offered a night we'll never forget. Super Bowl 52 certainly meets the criteria of a classic. Every masterpiece needs unforgettable scoring plays, a few twists, and great performances by its stars. On February 4, 2018, an underdog Eagles team hoped to topple perhaps the greatest quarterback, coach, and dynasty in NFL history. Chris Long makes his confession about his feelings on the Tom Brady mystique. One day, we'll all be old men and women. We'll tell the grandchildren about the 2017-18 Philadelphia Eagles. If you weren't paying attention then and think this current iteration is stacked with characters, you should do some research on that roster. Philadelphia, the NFC's top-seeded team during the postseason, was often treated as an underdog. They bought dog masks. Fans followed suit, and before you know it, the world's supply had evaporated. They had become impossible to find. One of the leaders of the charge was a former Patriot who had joined the Eagles. Long was recently a guest on the "Green Legion" Radio. Naturally, he was asked about winning a Super Bowl in Philadelphia and his affiliation with both organizations. As always, Long on the microphone provided magic. Before the Eagles took the field to play the Minnesota Vikings for the right to play in Super Bowl LII, he watched as much as he could of the New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars clash in the AFC Championship Game. Long admits pulling for the Jags on that Sunday afternoon. He had seen the brilliance of Tom Brady firsthand, and he wanted no part of it two weeks later. He believed facing Jacksonville would provide a smoother ride to the Eagles' first Lombardi Trophy. We all know how that turned out. Ultimately, Long didn't get his wish, but the Birds got the job done. Honestly, that makes for a better story. Had Philadelphia played the Jags and won on football's biggest stage, Birds fans would have appreciated the win, but beating Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the Patriots dynasty means a little more, right? Think about it. To win the franchise's first championship since the NFL/AFL merger, they conquered the QB and coach often viewed as the best pro football had ever seen. To many, their Patriots dynasty is without equal, but on one night in 2018, they met their match. No, scratch that. They found a superior opponent. Long, now with the Birds, would hoist another Lombardi Trophy as green, white, and silver confetti fell. Were those of us who were watching a little apprehensive and afraid? You're doggone right! That's Tom Brady, man! Have you seen all of those clutch moments and all of that elite play? But a classic unfolded, one marked by a heroic performance from Nick Foles. This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles Super Bowl hero confesses to Tom Brady intimidation
USA Today
7 hours ago
- USA Today
Shane Steichen provides injury update on Colts' LB Zaire Franklin
After Monday's practice, Shane Steichen provided an injury update on Colts' LB Zaire Franklin. After undergoing offseason ankle surgery, Indianapolis Colts' linebacker Zaire Franklin hasn't practiced during training camp yet. But Shane Steichen believes he is close to returning. "Really close," Steichen said of Franklin's return on Monday. "Hopefully we can get him at some point this week out there. That's the hope. But he's progressing well. Obviously, he's running and doing stuff. Hopefully, we get him back out there this week, is the hope." Along with missing the start of training camp, Franklin also missed OTA and minicamp practices due to the offseason surgery as well. With the Colts not placing Franklin on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the start of training camp, that was a sign that they didn't expect him to be out long. With Franklin sidelined, Cameron McGrone has been seeing his share of starting reps alongside of Jaylon Carlies. Franklin is coming off a career year, which included leading the NFL in tackles, along with setting career-highs in interceptions, sacks, and quarterback pressures. As a result, Franklin would make his first Pro Bowl and was named a second-team All-Pro. Playing next to Carlies, who brings a coverage presence to the position as a former college safety, along with operating within Lou Anarumo's defensive scheme, where there will be a greater reliance on defensive backs in coverage situations, Franklin could see more opportunities this season to play closer to the line of scrimmage, which is where he is at his best.
