Bring on Seattle

Sunday's win against the Denver Bronco's was the kind of game Tom Cable has talked about for just about as long as he's been with the Raiders - all three phases of the game played well. It's scary how good they were.

On offense, the run blocking was amazing. I've watched the game four times now (and loved every minute each time!), and slowed nearly every offensive play, and many of the defensive plays, and the run blocking was executed like it was drawn up on the board.

I loved the way the Raiders ran the ball (I bet you did too!). The total control on the ground made the air game better. Just having Darren McFadden's threat was enough to draw the attention of the Denver linebackers right away, as they moved up to the line, and never saw Miller slip behind them for a wide open reception and touchdown with just 4:16 off the clock in the game.

The good news with that play was that Campbell found him, and got the ball there, though the throw was not a particularly good throw.

With three receivers that had over 30 receptions, the Raiders defensive backs could have had a tough day. The best way to help the backs out is to make sure the quarterback doesn't have time, and the pressure from the Raiders defense was outstanding. With four sacks on the day, the Raiders often had Orton under pressure and hurrying his throws.

Chris Johnson and Stanford Routt both had the best days I've seen from them in a long time. I attribute that to the pressure on the quarterback. Without giving the quarterback all day, they both proved they can provide cover. Johnson's interception for the TD on the Bronco's first play was a beauty!

Tomorrow the Seattle Seahawks come to town. We beat them in the preseason, but that really meant nothing. Neither team had very many starters on the field that game, but it was Bruce Gradkowski who started that game, and put away the Seahawks early.

With a 4-2 record the Seahawks look, at face value, like they are doing pretty well. But their play seems to have been pretty inconsistent. The smoked the 49ers in week one 31-6, then GOT smoked 33-14 by the Broncos.

The next week they bounce back and take down the Chargers 27-20, winning the game on a kickoff return with just under seven minutes left in the game. That win was followed by a loss to the Rams - another thumping, 27-3.

A review of the team stats, and having seen parts of their games this season lead me to believe this is a game that the Raiders ought to win. They don't have the same ground threat as the Raiders, and Hasselbeck is not rated any better than Campbell, and their stats look about the same.

Their receivers have better stats than the Raiders, who still struggle to find them with any regularity. The Seahawks Mike Williams is their top receiver with 32 catches for 348 yards, but he is likely to be covered by Asomugha, and ought not to have a big game.

So, like last week, I believe this game will come down to putting pressure on the Quarterback so that Johnson and Routt don't have to cover too long, and the Raiders offensive line providing the protection on the passing game, and continuing to open lanes for the running game.

I really like the Raiders chances of winning this game at home, getting to .500 with a 4-4 record, and setting the tone for week 9, when the Kansas City Chiefs come to town.

All they need to do is to play solid football.

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Photo Credits - in order displayed:
All photographs from The Oakland Raiders website "2010 Week 7" photo collection
Photos by Tony Gonzales

1. Head Coach Tom Cable congratulates TE Zach Miller as he runs off the field. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
2. TE Zach Miller is wide open for the catch. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
3. DT Desmond Bryant lunges for Broncos QB Kyle Orton as he attempts a pass. Photo by Tony Gonzales.
4. RB Darren McFadden leaps through the chaos for a touchdown. Photo by Tony Gonzales.

Broken Record

I feel a bit like a broken record.  The key area's the Raiders need to improve on is pass defense, and pass protection.  I feel they have proven they can defend the run, but the defense has to be able to get off the field for a rest. 

The horrid string of 3 plays and out that the offense displayed last week against the 49ers is just inexcusable (5 in a row, and 7 out of 8 to finish the game).  Tom Cable said as much, and seemed to point the finger at Campbell.  "We left plays out there.  All we needed to do was to execute."

I agree with that assessment, but the offensive line MUST provide better protection - especially for Campbell it appears.

Chris Johnson, and Stanford Routt on defense - a constant weakness.  Combine that with Tyvon Branch occasional gaff's at safety, and you've got to worry about taking on a Bronco's team that have three receivers with over 30 catches each.

With the perfect opportunity, the Raiders couldn't get two wins in a row.  Can they put away Denver?  I think so.  A lot has to happen well for them. 

Maybe the Raiders can get two division wins in a row.  That would be a huge win. 

Go Raiders!

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Make it Two!

Last Sunday's game was a paradigm changer for the Raiders.  Instead of finding a way to loose the game as they had done the previous two weeks against the Texans and the Cardinals, the Raiders found a way to win it.

It was close.

Campbell had taken the offense down for the big 7, and the lead.  He did what he needed to do with the drive.  Starting at their own 27 yard line and with 12:00 minutes remaining on the clock, Campbell lead the team in a 14 play, 73 yard scoring drive that took 8:21 off the clock.

Still, there was 3:33 left in the game when the Chargers took their first play from the line of scrimmage. 

It had been an amazing game.  The Raiders had come off the bench in the first quarter and just smashed the Chargers, taking a 12 point lead on back-to-back blocked punts with BOTH blocks resulting in points - 9 in all - on a safety and a touchdown.  Janikowski added three points in between the Charger possessions.  And when the Chargers marched down the field on their next drive, it looked like they would punch it in from the one yard line . . . FUMBLE!  And the Raiders get the ball back with only 2:38 left in the first quarter.

Throughout the game the lead changed hands five times.  And then at the end of the game, that 3:33 seemed like an awful long time.  The Raiders had given up a lot of yards, and it was far from a sure thing.  I'll bet a lot of people in that stadium and at home listening or watching the game were thinking the same thing I was . . . find a way to stop them.  You've GOT to stop them. In the back of your mind . . . Ohhh noooo.

And then . . .  the Chargers took the kickoff from 4 yards deep in their end-zone to their 28 yard line.  Not good.  A 14 yard scramble.  A 13 yard pass.  A couple of stops, some short gains, and then . . . Oh man!  A pass interference call on Chris Johnson, and the Chargers are at the Raiders 23.  Looks like they have found a way to loose another game.  Can't stop them.

Suddenly in this game, the Raiders discover the blitz - the pass rush - and they put pressure on Rivers.  A holding call on San Diego.  More pressure and an incomplete pass.  Then the fumble, and return for a touchdown. 

STILL, the Chargers had the ball with 58 seconds on the clock.  It hadn't taken much longer than that for them to threaten on their last drive.  A two point conversion would still put the game into overtime, and an uncertain outcome.

But it didn't happen.  The Raiders had found a way to win, and on that very last drive they had held.

Two and Three. 

Now the challenge is to win two in a row.  The 49ers are not that different from the Raiders this year.  At 0-5, they were blown out twice, but were within one score to win in the other three.

Cable and Jackson both expect to see a lot of pressure come from an aggressive 49er defense.  That's what I would do.  The Raiders have struggled with their pass protection all season, and especially on the left side.  The coaches have not fixed that problem.

Alex Smith can complete passes.  He has passed for an average of 246 yards per game, with only one game under 200 yards (188 against Atlanta), and he has thrown 6 touchdowns this season.  Interceptions and fumbles have been his achilles heel. 

We know what the Raiders have to do.  Defense has to stop the run.  They are capable of doing that.  I am still mostly concerned about the pass defense.  I've said it before - I would go at Stanford Routt all day.  Chris Johnson is another worry, as he is having perhaps his worst season as a Raider.  Both players are often way off the receiver, or are one to two steps off.  They will make a few plays, but on the whole, I believe they are our greatest weakness. 

And without a pass rush and more blitzing, we just give the quarterback and receivers too much time to get open. 

Offensively, the Raiders number one job has to be pass protection.  They can help the line by running the ball, which has been pretty effective. 

But put all the stats aside.  Put all the talk about rivalry, and what part of the game you need to shut down.  Put aside the need to cut down on penalties.

The Raiders need a win. 

It's been since the 2002 season that the Raiders have put two regular season wins together.  So none of that other stuff really matters.

Just . . . make it two!

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Photo Credits in order of appearance:

1. Photo by Paul Sheirich. Scoreboard Final Score.
2. Photo from The Oakland Raiders website. Photo by Tony Gonzales.  S Hiram Eugene celebrates his touchdown off of a blocked punt by Brandon Myers
3. Photo by Paul Sheirich.  Fans celebrate extra point - Raiders lead 35-27
4. Photo from The Oakland Raiders website.  Photo by Tony Gonzales.  The team comes together before kickoff.

Just Win Baby . . .

At some point in the first quarter of last weeks Raiders match against the Texans I turned to the ticket holders sitting next to me and commented that I didn't think I had ever seen such a poorly attended home game.  I've attended most Raider games (in Oakland) since 1979.

In fact, I was right.  32,218 - the lowest non-strike home attendance since 1967.

I was really surprised.  After all, the Raiders have made definite strides to becoming a more competitive team.  I felt we had a really good chance to beat a very good Texan's team (see last week's blog), and be sitting at 2-2 going into today's game.  The Raiders did just about everything they needed to do - except win it at the end.

This week the Raiders have a slew of injuries that are likely to cause problems, besides having to deal with the way the Chargers are playing.  Darren McFadden (RB), Michael Bennett (RB), Robert Gallery (RB), Travis Goethel (LB), John Henderson (DT), Thomas Howard (LB), Chaz Shilens (WR). 

Some of these guys we've been playing without already, and have been competitive, and we ought not to miss them any more than we already have.  There are key players that have nagging injuries that have not ruled them out, such as Zach Miller (hip), Bruce Gradkowski (shoulder).

The real issue this week, I believe, is the injuries are starting to tap into the depth of talent on the team.  We are looking at Trevor Scott to play at linebacker, for example.  While he did alright during pre-season in that role, he did watch some big gainers by running backs go right through a gap he ought to have filled.  Most of the offensive line starters are fighting injury as well.

Perhaps I'm naive here, but I am going to the game feeling they can win this game.  My expectations are for an 8-8 season, so I am not too dismayed that they loose some.  So far, only one game was an outright loss - no chance - against the Titans. 

The Raiders have been in the drivers seat at the end of the game the last two weeks.

What concerns me is that the Raiders beat themselves both weeks.  It's what Marty Schottenheimer always said - "The Raiders will find a way to beat themselves."

I can't stand that guy.

Still, I love the way the Raiders have improved.  Today is a big match up with San Diego who stumbled early, but seem to be finding their stride. 

To have four losses this early in the season will be tough.  That 8-8 season?  My concern is that Schottenheimer may be right again.  As much as things change, they remain the same . . .

Just win baby.

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Raiders Good Enough?

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Correction: The following incorrectly reports that Darren McFadden instead of Walter McFadden would be out for the game.

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Tomorrow, Sunday October 3rd, the Oakland Raiders meet the Houston Texans for the 6th time since first playing against each other in 2004.

It hasn't been a very pleasant relationship for the Raiders. In fact, with only one win and four losses to the Texans, there is only one team with a better winning percentage against the Raiders (Baltimore Ravens). They certainly are not strangers to each other.

This will be the first game of the season that the Raiders have really faced a strong opponent. Ranked #4 in offense (total yards), the Texans will go up against the #2 defense (total yards) in the Raiders. But the numbers here are misleading. A good example of how statistics don't match results.

The defense is ranked 2nd based on yard allowed per game. Both pass and run defenses show up pretty good on the books. We've seen the Raiders do a pretty good job against some of the leagues top runners. Remember that against the Rams Johnson, over half of his total yards came on one play.

Nnamdi Asomugha shut down the Cardinals Fitzgerald to just one catch while against him. Unfortunately Fitzgerald's second catch was for a touchdown when the Raiders were in a zone coverage. Still, I like the Raiders approach this year of moving Nnamdi to cover the opponents best receiver regardless of where that receiver lines up.

Unfortunately, the points allowed put the defense at 24th in the league, while the Texans show up as 6th. The Raiders have been giving up 25.3 points per game average, and the Texans have been scoring 25.7.

But enough with the statistics. After just three weeks into the season, those are just indicators, and it is still too early to tell just how good teams are. Here is my gut check on the match tomorrow for the Raiders.

First of all, the Raiders must clean up special teams play tomorrow. No big run backs, and especially no scores. Janikowski needs to find his form. With 5 missed field goals so far this season, it's easy to say his form has gone missing. Granted he missed one at 58 yards, but I'm sure anyone who is following this season's football knows what happened last week at the end of the game. My confidence level here - LOW.

Defense needs to continue to play solid against the run. The line has done a pretty good job. In my opinion it is the linebackers that have missed closing the gaps that have allowed the big gainers. Richard Seymour is questionable with a hamstring injury, but the Raiders have still shown up well without him in the game. My confidence level here - GOOD

Defense against the pass must improve for this game. Andre Johnson is their top receiver, but he has only 255 yards out of 782 passing yards. Nnamdi won't be able to do it all himself. I worry particularly about Stanford Routt, Chris Johnson (who is listed as questionable for the game anyway), and safeties Tyvon Branch and Michael Huff. Both safeties have shown a tendency to get out of position, though Huff has looked pretty good for most of this season. If I were facing the Raiders, I would through nearly every pass against Routt. He makes some good plays, but not enough for my liking. Hopefully the Raiders can bring some pressure and disrupt the passing game, and our linebackers cover well. I think if we get beat, it will be in the air. It won't be against Nnamdi. My confidence level - OPTIMISTIC.

Offense will have a new look. Why? Because McFadden is out. Yep. His hamstring. He showed us his capability, but simply cannot get past the durability issue. We will see Michael Bush tomorrow, and I like what he can do. He just doesn't have the burst speed or the moves.  My confidence level - GOOD

Passing tomorrow is looking shaky as well. Both Murphy and Heyward-Bey have injuries (Murphy - collarbone, Heyward-Bey - groin). We will probably see more Higgins tomorrow. But I still like what we've been doing, I believe Gradkowski should be able to find receivers, so it will be up to the line to provide protection for the passing game, and to continue to open lanes for the run. My confidence level - HIGH

The bottom line? Eliminate mistakes, have a good game against the pass, and the Raiders ought to pull an upset, and be 2-2 on Monday.  My confidence level - GOOD

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Photo Credits:
All photographs from The Oakland Raiders website 
Nnamdi Asomugha photo from "2010 Week 3" photo collection