And Now for the Repeat!

THAT'S what I'm talking about!

The Raiders took it to San Diego with emphasis!  The pass rush sacked Rivers 4 times, and according to Tom Cable, they hit him another 16 times.

The pressure was awesome.

On offense the Raiders took to the ground.  Again.  Why Hugh Jackson, the Raiders offensive coordinator so totally gave up on that key part of their game, I guess we'll never know.  But it was back, and back with a vengeance.

The Raiders ran the ball down the Chargers throat.  Bush and McFadden ran the ball for a combined 42 attempts.

Now THAT's what I'm talking about.

Can the Raiders take the Jags?

Oh yea.  Just play your game baby!

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Not Looking Good for the Raiders Today

The Oakland Raiders take on the San Diego Chargers today in Qualcomm stadium. 

It's not been a very nice place for the Raiders to play since 2002, when they got smacked around in the Super Bowl by Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Bucs.

Unfortunately, I don't hold any conviction that things will be different today.  Of course, on any given day . . .

The past two weeks the Raiders have looked so much more like the team they've been for the past seven years, that it's painful. 

Where was the running game?  Gone.  Where was the play action quick pass?  Gone.  Where was the quick release to beat the rush?  Gone.  Where were the come back pass route?  Gone.  Where was the rush?  Gone.  Where was the creativity on offense?  Gone.

Yes, there were injuries on defense.  Nnamdi was not up to playing last week.  A bad ankle sprain can take months to fully heal, not just a few weeks.  Apparently his is that bad.  And everyone could see our weakness on pass defense when you don't get a rush on the opponent's quarterback.  We played well enough, possibly, to keep it close if the offense could have held on to the ball longer, and put some points on the board.

But that didn't happen.

The one aspect of the Raiders game the past couple of weeks that most disappointed me was the lack of the running game.  The press has rewarded the opponent defense with having stopped the running game, and the Raiders offensive line with being ineffective. 

I point to the offensive coordinator as the primary culprit.  In Pittsburgh the Raiders ran a total of 15 times, and McFadden was given the ball only 10.  Against the Dolphins the Raiders ran a total of 12 times!  That's right - against one of the leagues worst defenses, the Raiders ran only TWELVE times!!  McFadden got the ball on only eight running plays. 

Unbelievable.

With Campbell at the helm, expect an all-out-blitz-kind-of-day from the Chargers. 

It's NOT impossible that the Raiders win today.  But I hate to say it, but I'm afraid it could get really ugly . . .

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The goal is to reach 6-5

Miami comes to Oakland this Sunday. With both teams at 5-5, it appears they are evenly matched. With Quarterback injuries at Miami, the speculation was that we might face Tyler Thigpen, but the Dolphins list Chad Henne as starting on Sunday.

Henne's not killing the league, not by a long shot, but then, neither are the Raiders quarterbacks. the Dolphins are currently rated 16th overall in the passing game, while the Raiders rank 29th.

Pressure on Henne will continue to be the key in this game for the Raiders defense. Coming off a knee injury, he is likely to be a bit less mobile than he might be otherwise.

The Dolphins have only given up 19 total sacks this year though, and they've faced Tennessee, New England, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore, all of whom can bring a lot of defensive pressure. It's likely their offensive line will be highly protective of their quarterback, and that can be trouble for the Raiders who can cover well as long as the opponent quarterback doesn't have a lot of time to find their receivers.

Namdi Asomugha is expected to be back on the field, but I suspect his ankle will not be at 100%. The good news there is that Brandon Marshall (Dolphins leading receiver) is not flying to Oakland. He is out with a hamstring problem.

The Dolphins have been known the past couple of years, since head coach Tony Sparano arrived, for using the wildcat formation. This year however, it's been more of a passing attack. Sparano has noted that he went to the wildcat because his best players were Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, and the wildcat allowed them to get both players on the field and into the action. However, Sparano feels that Davone Bess and Brian Hartline have developed into solid receivers, and the trade for Brandon Marshall meant they could open up the passing game, and move away from the wildcat.

This year the Dolphins have passed 55% of the time, and completed about 63% of those.

I would not be surprised to see the Dolphins bring out the running game on Sunday, and for the wildcat to make a reappearance.  Teams continue to think they can run on the Raiders, and with the injury to Henne, they may want to take some heat off him.

Miami's running game is no-where near the Raiders, even with the poor showing against Pittsburgh last week. Both featured running backs for the Raiders have out gained their Dolphin counterparts, and considering the Dolphins defense is 20th against the run, and 4th against the pass, you should expect the ground game to be a top feature for the Raiders on Sunday. 

Darren McFadden has been amazing this season. Last week was not a reasonable measure. As Tom Cable said on Monday, McFadden's yardage stats were in large part due to the fact that he only carried the ball 10 times!

I thought the Raiders use of McFadden last week was one of the weaknesses in the game. The responsibility for that lies with Hue Jackson. He tried to run McFadden inside because the Steelers are so good defending the run outside. It was just sad to see the Raiders give away that part of the game so easily. I take that to mean Jackson couldn't figure out how to get it done with the players he had, so when it didn't work, he gave up.

Of course, once you get 21 points behind, it's kind of hard to tryout your running game, but against the Steelers, that didn't happen until the third quarter. Giving up on the running game for Oakland means you put the game result into the hands of the quarterback - in this case Jason Campbell. He confirmed my opinion of him Sunday, and that is his inability to handle line pressure.

Miami WILL blitz and pressure. They have 29 sacks this year - the Raiders have 29 as well.
So, the Raiders go into the game on Sunday with a quarterback controversy, like it or not. Most folks saw the same thing as I did when Gradkowski came in - quick decisions, snappy passes, dealt better with the pressure, moved the team. Unfortunately he made a horrible pass that killed his first drive inside the red zone as his pass got picked off.

Coach Cable came right out after the game on Sunday, and again on Monday to say Campbell is his starting quarterback . . . even going so far as to say that there was no difference when Gradkowski came in . . .

I don't agree, and am confounded by that statement.

Reports this week from "unnamed sources" said that Gradkowski took most of the snaps this week with the first team offense. That would indicated that he would be the starting quarterback.

Ah, the suspense!

Bottom line on Sunday?

I think it will likely be a tough game. Miami is a good team, having faced teams with 58 wins, to the Raiders who have faced teams with a collective 45 wins. Miami's 5-5 record comes against some very tough opponents.

Defensively, the Raiders will need to continue to pressure the quarterback, and reduce the time Henne has to find receivers and make good throws. I am confident the Raiders will defend the run successfully.

On offense, the running game will is the crucial key to winning the game. Run well, control the clock, and open the passing game. Football 101. McFadden looks to me like the second coming of Marcus Allen. If the Raiders give up on the run, or fail to block effectively, it will likely be a tough day for the offense to score with Jason Campbell carrying the responsibility to win the game.

Can the Raiders do it?

Absolutely.

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Photo Credits - in order displayed:
All photos from the Oakland Raiders website "2010 Week 11" photo collection
Photos by Tony Gonzales

1. DT John Henderson pressures the Steelers quarterback.
2. RB Michael Bush tries to make a move around the Steelers defense. 
4. K Sebastian Janikowski kicks a field goal out of the hold of P Shane Lechler.

Well Deserved Rest

Having a rest halfway through the season couldn’t come at a better time for the Raiders.  Their injuries to top players Zach Miller, Nnamdi Asomugha, Bruce Gradkowski, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, and Samson Satele have a chance to heal without having to hold them out of a game.

Reports indicate that Gradkowski  is really ready to play, though it sounds like Cable is having second thoughts about making a change with three straight wins under Campbell’s belt. 

Chaz Schilens took to the field earlier this week, and the press had a look at him doing what is necessary to show he’s ready to play.  It’s likely though, that he will get only limited play in Pittsburgh, if he gets any at all, since he has missed so much practice.  “I’m getting excited” coach Cable said this past Wednesday.  “Next week we have a chance to get him back in uniform and start to work . . . he gives us another playmaker.”

Zach Miller and Nnamdi Asomugha both stayed in the area to receive treatments, along with other players who received injuries last weekend.  The rest of the players were given time off to go “home” to visit friends and family.  Cable said both players were “improving” but would have to see how they look on Monday.  Having had two sons who played soccer, and one who struggled with ankle injury, I know that some ankle injuries can take a month or more before the pain and swelling goes away.  Hopefully neither of their injuries are bad enough to force extended absence from play.

Louis Murphy is expected to be ready to go against Pittsburgh.  He worked out with the team on Tuesday.  Tyvon Branch and Rolando McClain also worked out with the team.  All three are expected to be ready for the Steelers.

Great Showing Against KC

The Raiders put it out on the table for everyone to see - they are NOT the same old Raiders.  I said I thought they could stop the running game of the Chiefs, and prove they are solid against the run.  Anyone who watched that game ought to know it now as well.  Too many of the "expert" reporters just look at the overall stats without diving into the play-by-play figures which show that in nearly every game the Raiders game up ground yards, there were one or two big plays that accounted for most of those yards.  The Raiders Richard Seymour pointed that out in an interview this week, letting everyone know that the defensive line knows how good they are.

The Raiders played every second of every down.  They put terrific pressure on Matt Cassel, brining him down three times for sacks, and one interception. 

There were a lot of individual efforts that can be called out, but none more important that Jacoby Ford's play in the second half.  His touchdown run on the second half opening kickoff was masterful, working behind excellent blocking he read it perfectly, juked one  time and burst through the gap. 

Ford's catch with 11:28 left in the game that setup a field goal was critical in setting up the tie at the end of the game - without it, the Raiders need a touchdown at the end.  Then, with just :24 seconds left in the game, Ford snags the ball out of the hands of KC defender Brandon Flowers, and instead of a game ending interception, the Raiders get setup for the field goal to tie the game forcing overtime.

But Ford wasn't done.  On the Raiders first play of overtime, Campbell heaves the ball downfield, and Ford, with outstretched arms makes the catch with his hands and brings it into his body as he falls to the ground at the KC 15 yard line. 

What a play!

Janikowski got his chance to prove he is the go-to guy twice in this game with clutch kicks to tie it up, and win it.

Bad Showing

I have found myself saying it more than once - you can only play against one other team on the field.  There are three.  You simply cannot play against the officials.  Nothing you can do about it.  You get a flag to throw for play review, but as proven when the KC touchdown was awarded at the start of the second quarter, it helps, but it doesn't always help.  The view that showed Verran Tucker did not get his right foot down before his knee landing out-of-bounds was apparently not shown to referee Jeff Triplett when he reviewed the call!  What? 

The touchdown was setup in the first place by a horrible interference call against Chris Johnson, AND after having a subsequent touchdown called back after review just two plays before. 

The turnover to KC that setup their go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter was also questionable.  In the stadium, on the big screen, they showed a view that seemed pretty clear his knee hit before the ball started to slide out.  It was close for sure, but the call made it a game changer, and I question how the heck they made the call.  On tape of Cable talking to Triplett about the call, Cable asks how he could make that call when two officials had ruled him down already.  Triplett says he had to make the call based on what he was told . . .  In other words, he did not see it himself, and he made the choice to impact the outcome of the game.  Let's not forget that a Raider came out of the pile with the ball.

Why was Triplett even on the field in that game?  He could barely run!  He looked like an old man out there.  It was the most embarrassing display of officiating that I've seen in the NFL.  

There were other awful calls in that game, but I thought Tom Cable summed it up best:  "Really an ugly game in a lot of ways.  I thought, uh - 27 penalties called on two teams, in this league, in a game this big, is, is, unbelievable. "

Shed the Old Ways

But the Raiders shed their old ways that day - perhaps once-and-for-all.  Nothing got in their way of the goal . . . a win . . . a big win. Not the officials.  Not the weather.  Not themselves.  Not even Kansas City.

Watch out Pittsburgh.  

Video
For the win!

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Photo Credits - in order displayed:

1. Raiders sign at the Oakland Coliseum.  Photo by Lori Sheirich.
2. Scoreboard sign with final game score.  Photo by Lori Sheirich.
3. WR Jacoby Ford returns the kickoff for 94-yards and a touchdown to start the 2nd half. Photo by Tony Gonzales. 
4. Raiders setup winning field goal in overtime.  Photo by Lori Sheirich.
5. K Sebastian Janikowski speaks to the media after beating the Chiefs 23-20 with a field goal in overtime. Photo by Tony Gonzales.

Photos numbered 3 and 5 are from the Oakland Raiders website 2010 Week 9 Photo Collection.