SB Nation - Jeff Garcia

Jets Flight Connections 120709

dvdvil — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:01:33 -0000

Does the AFC East actually go through Miami? The Dolphins beat the Patriots yesterday. Here is the recap and the play-by-play.

There were plenty of people who thought Miami would win that game.

Did Mark Sanchez make the Patriots secondary overconfident?

Maybe New England is just not as good as they used to be, or maybe Chad Henne is just getting better and growing as a QB.

This game and a few others helped the Jets' playoff push.

This article looks at the other teams vying for a post-season spot.

Some more connections after the jump.

Is the media too harsh on Mark Sanchez? Backup QB Kellen Clemens thinks it's good for the rookie to be playing.

The Jets' starting quarterback is a competitor, but this article shows why the Sanchize needs to protect himself.

Should we try to sign former Buccaneer QB Jeff Garcia?

Head Coach Rex Ryan is happy with the rushing offense, and Thomas Jones is quietly getting some media attention. He and Curtis Martin talk about each other in this article.

Strong men also cry.

JetsConfidential notes that Shaun Ellis is playing well lately, but Vernon Gholston, not so much.

The Vikings lost last night, but Jets players don't really care how well or how badly Brett Favre does in Minnesota. Steve Serby reminisces about him in this book, if you haven't read it yet.

The Ravens play tonight, and Batimore OC Cam Cameron says Ryan really had another reason for bringing in Joe Girardi.

It looks like Rex is a big fan of New York sports. This article briefly - very briefly - mentions that he is apparently also a New York Rangers fan.

If we plan to go after Charlie Weis next year, would he get along with former QB Mark Sanchez. He's certainly not a big fan of Pete Carroll, Mark's former coach at USC.

Ravens vs. Steelers: Prediction & Open Thread

Bruce Raffel — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:00:19 -0000

With Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger a no-go due to his recent concussion, the Baltimore Ravens should have an additional edge going into Sunday night's prime time AFC North matchup. The Steelers are already in the midst of a two game losing streak and another loss will put them in 3rd place in the division with the playoffs beginning to look dimmer and dimmer. The same goes for the Baltimore Ravens if they lose this game as well, as each team comes into the contest at a mediocre record, Pittsburgh at 6-4 and Baltimore at 5-5.

The Ravens may be in a more desperate mode of survival as another loss will surely eliminate any chances of a post season berth. The Steelers surely can't just give up this game and expect the season to be a success. Instead, they seem to have a lot of confidence in their third string QB, Dennis Dixon, such that they only signed Tyler Palko off their Practice Squad to back him up rather than bring a proven veteran, such as Jeff Garcia into the mix Roethlisberger will actually be considered the 3rd string QB for the game, and only in the event that both others are out of action could he see playing time.

This should absolutely play to the Ravens advantage Sunday night.

Dixon has taken most of the first team snaps and has been a part of the system for two years now so he should be familiar with the game plan and the opponent. However, seeing it from the sidelines with a clipboard in hand versus seeing the Ravens defense throwing all kinds of stunts and blitzes at him will be totally different. Expect the Ravens to throw the entire defensive playbook at Dixon, hoping he gets flustered and turns the ball over for the Ravens offense to have in good field position. This is almost a necessity for the team to put points up, especially in the first half.

The Steelers defense may be without the services of safety Troy Polamalu, but this is still basically the same Pittsburgh defense that shut down the Ravens offense three times last season and is currently still rated #1 overall in the NFL. The Ravens will have to get something going offensively if they want to win, regardless of who is the signal caller for Pittsburgh. Baltimore QB Joe Flacco had better improve his play in the Red Zone where he has thrown three interceptions that have either cost the team the game or certainly contributed to those losses.

The passing game needs to utilize more players like it did the first part of the season and those receivers need to get open in he middle of the field rather than just the sidelines. Flacco needs to not check down so fast to Ray Rice, although his game breaking abilities warrant a lot of touches. Red Zone opportunities need not to result in field goals but touchdowns instead in order to not keep Pittsburgh one big play from taking the lead or even, gasp, winning the game at the end.

Sixty minutes of football will be needed to prove to the national TV audience that the Baltimore Ravens are still a team to be feared and if they make the post season, one that other teams will not want to face, just like last year. A win and we're on our way to a streak that could carry the team late into January. A loss and our season ends after playing Oakland in the final regular season game. I'm betting on the former and even would have done so had Big Ben been a go for Sunday night. Now that he's out, I'm even more confident that the Ravens will turn around their season and break the Steelers hex that plagued us all last year.

Ravens: 24-10

(NOTE: Remember to keep it here all day long and throughout the game to post your comments in the 'Open Thread.' I will be at the game and put up a final story on the game later Sunday night.)

There's something about Nate Davis...

Fooch — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:15:22 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

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Ok maybe that's a cheesy headline, but it's actually kind of true. Whether you're for or against 49ers QB Nate Davis (as opposed to those of us in the middle), the young man has inspired an inordinate amount of debate. I suppose this isn't surprising given the struggles of 49ers quarterbacks since the departure of Jeff Garcia.

Whatever the situation, it's not surprising some folks have latched on to Nate Davis as the guy of the future. They might not be calling him the next Montana, but they want him out there ASAP. Other folks have made it clear they think Nate Davis is nothing, is not going to make an impact in the future, and has no place on the 49ers roster going forward. Both sides have been quite vocal in their support or lack of support for Davis.

I bring all this up because of my own position, and my curiosity about the extreme folks thoughts on certain issues. When it comes to Nate Davis I am definitely excited by his potential, but I'm also not ready to bet the farm that he's the long term answer. I think the potential exists for him to be a long term answer, but I don't think the team needs to put him out there at this point in time.

What I want to do with this post is offer the various counter-arguments I see to the two extreme positions. I believe that it's way too early to make any sort of hard judgments about Nate Davis one way or the other. I can say with virtual certainty that plenty of folks will disagree on both sides of the debate, so please feel free to fire away with your opinions. And given how some of these debates have developed in the past, let's try and keep things respectful.

After the jump, I consider the two sides of the coin. There's no poll because I don't see this as a black and white issue even with numerous poll options. So whether you agree or disagree, let us know your thoughts in the comments...

Argument 1: Nate Davis should be starting now
I'd first like to clarify this argument. There are certain folks who want to see Nate Davis out on the field later in the season after the team is completely out of playoff contention. I am not talking about this argument. I think a little mop-up time is certainly not completely unreasonable. The argument I take issue with is the argument for getting Davis out there starting now, or as soon as possible.

The easy counter that seems to come up frequently is to point to Alex Smith's rookie season in 2005. Smith was in over his head and was just annihilated out there. Why do that again with Nate Davis as a rookie? Well, this is not actually the argument I would make, at least in its entirety. The 2009 San Francisco 49ers are much different from the 2005 49ers. This team is struggling, but this team also has a lot more talent on it and clearly Nate Davis would be surrounded with an immensely improved group of skill players.

The one area one might compare would be the struggles of the offensive line. And that's where my point is in countering this argument. As much as people complain about Alex Smith and Jimmy Raye, this offensive line is rather abysmal. They'll make a nice play once in a while, but more often than not it seems like Alex Smith has to run for his life. Actually, it's not even running for his life, because many times he has no time to run. Nate Davis certainly has a cannon for an arm and can get the ball deep to Crabtree, Davis and Morgan. However, when a quarterback has 1 second before the pass rush is on him, how exactly are the wide receivers supposed to run their vertical routes? If somebody can answer me that question, maybe you should send the 49ers a postcard.

Argument 2: Nate Davis is useless and has no place in the long term plans of this team
This is more of a summary of that side of the debate, than anything word-for-word. So feel free to correct me if you think I'm misconstruing the argument(s). The way I read it, some folks contend Davis is never going to be a good quarterback and the team needs to consider alternative options.

My problem with this side of the debate is the fact that Nate Davis has been in the NFL for less than one season. I realize his only game action came in the preseason, which is one reason I'm not prepared to name him the savior. At the same time, I don't see why the anti-Davis crowd can't admit that he showed some talent in the preseason (even if it was against backups). It is only preseason, but showing some skills in preseason has to be better than performing poorly in the preseason, right? Or am I wrong on that? Please feel free to rebut this presumption.

I know some folks are concerned about the learning disability, but that's another thing that I think is being overblown. Nate Davis has dyslexia, which basically involves an individual's ability to read, write and spell. It interferes with an individual's "acquisition and processing of language." The team brought Davis in before the draft and had him work with QB coach Mike Johnson. Obviously learning the playbook might be an issue, but I'm guessing the coaches figured that was something that could be overcome. Seeing as he learned the Ball State playbook, I'll agree with them on that. As far as in-game action, the only issue I could see would be in the hurry-up offense when Davis might be reading the play-chart on his forearm. However, I'd like to think the team has figured out a way to overcome that. I could be wrong, but that seems like a fairly basic issue to resolve.

Handling Nate Davis
As I said at the top, I fall somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to Nate Davis. I definitely see some skills that could project into the quarterback of the future. However, I also realize 1) it's only based on preseason performance, and 2) putting him in right now behind such an abysmal offensive line is not the smart move. If the team is in fact going to push him as the #1 guy next year (I'm not expecting it initially), why not get a couple big hogs on the offensive line to keep him upright? Build up that offensive line and suddenly those weapons could be absolutely fierce. Davis and Crabtree have looked good this year. Imagine how they would look with more time to develop their routes?

So how would I handle Nate Davis, long term? I'd go with some variation on the Carson Palmer/Steve McNair philosophy. Palmer was drafted in 2003 and sat out the entire year behind Jon Kitna. He never touched the field in a regular season game and then was named the starter at the beginning of the 2004 season. Steve McNair was drafted in 1995. He saw action in 4 games, starting 2 his rookie season. His second year he appeared in 9 games, starting 4. Both seasons the #1 QB was Chris Chandler, who finally gave way to McNair completely in 1997.

So, I'd say if Davis is going to see any playing time, it should be late in the game against the likes of Detroit and St. Louis, if even then. It's a bit more difficult in this situation because you don't have the aging veterans that know they're being worked out the door. You have a young guy in Alex Smith, and a still relatively young guy in Shaun Hill, who won't be quite so accommodating (even if they act nice about it). Hill's only chance as a starter going forward is if the team cuts loose Smith and wants a bridge to the QB of the future, be it Nate Davis or anybody else. But clearly Hill's not a long term answer (or even really a short term one). But the general idea, whomever you're rolling out there, is that Nate Davis could conceivably become your starting QB either midway through 2010, or at the start of 2011. I know that's too long a wait for some folks, but I think if you build up your offensive line this year it's worth the wait.

One interesting little fact about McNair, the year before McNair was drafted, Jeff Fisher took over as head coach with six games left in the season, and had the interim tag removed for the next year. Last year Mike Singletary was interim head coach for 9 games, before having the tag removed. And he also has a rookie QB. It's a bit of a stretch, but it's fun to consider those random possibilities.

Of course, if the offensive line is really the problem, and it's enough to make Alex Smith a better QB next year, that throws a monkey wrench into the plans I suppose.

Is Colt McCoy Junior Jeff Garcia?

John Morgan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:51:28 -0000

More photos » by Matt Slocum - AP

Colt McCoy looks like junior Jeff Garcia but more talented. Garcia and Greg Knapp began their careers excelling together.

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Greg Knapp and Jeff Garcia rose to prominence together. The San Francisco 49ers signed Garcia from the Stampeders in 1998, Knapp's second season as quarterbacks coach. After Steve Young suffered a career ending traumatic brain injury*, Garcia won a battle of backups with Steve Stenstrom. The next season Garcia went to his first Pro Bowl. The next season Knapp became the team's offensive coordinator. Garcia would return to the Pro Bowl the next two seasons.

You can see how Garcia would click within Knapp's system. Knapp likes roll outs, he likes to move the pocket and his system benefits from a quarterback that can occasionally run. He incorporates short, middle and deep routes, leans heavily on play action and likes to run boots off play action. A Knapp quarterback must be able to throw on the run. The quarterback doesn't need a cannon but good deep accuracy and touch. Further, in this Tim Ruskell regime, any future Seahawks quarterback better have pocket presence. Garcia was able to move but keep his career sack percentage at 4.7%.

Colt McCoy's 5.2% might jump a little as a pro, but it's respectable. His completion percentage will come to Earth, too, but completion percentage is one of the more persistent skills of quarterbacking. Whatever his fate, McCoy will not have a bad completion percentage in the pros. He plays like a young, slightly taller Jeff Garcia and his potential is that of Garcia++.

Garcia++ is a pretty damn good foundation for the Greg Knapp Offense.

*Like "concussion" but honest.

Jeff Garcia talks about the Raiders

JasonB — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:56:35 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

4 months ago: Oakland Raiders quarterbacks Jeff Garcia, left, and JaMarcus Russell watch practice during NFL football training camp in Napa, Calif., Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

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Earlier this month, Jeff Garcia(who has played for both Oakland & Philly this year) shared his thoughts on the Raiders as a team and on their QB Jamarcus Russell.

His thoughts were not pretty. First on Russell.

"I just feel like it's an unfortunate situation when the entire work ethic and the entire goal of the team is really put upon one guy's shoulder who really isn't maybe ready for that situation or ready to take on that sort of responsibility," Garcia said. "And I'm not saying JaMarcus can never be that guy. It's just right now he's still young, he has a lot of growth that needs to take place within himself from a mental standpoint and a physical standpoint. Yeah, the guy's extremely talented. . . . When you put him on the field in a one-on-one workout session he'll make every throw for you, but when it comes down to making things happen in the heat of the battle and rallying the troops around you and making a case for the team, that's where maybe things aren't where they need to be.

When Garcia gave this interview, some may have written it off as the bitter rants of a guy that was passed over in favor of Russell for the starting job in Oakland... but since that time it's hard to argue with Garcia's assessment. He went on to talk about the Raiders as a team, saying things that sounded eerily familiar to what Brandon Jacobs said this week.

"It was to a point where I felt like guys who walked through those doors that just were there to collect a check and not really interested in putting everything that they had withing themselves on to the football field," Garcia said. "And that was the frustrating thing for me to see. There were a lot of good young guys in that locker room who really want to do whatever it takes to win, but unfortunately it's not everybody.

49ers Year-by-Year: 1999

howtheyscored — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:00:23 -0000

1999 wasn't the beginning of the end for the 49ers' storied dynasty. It was an affirmation of the end. With the loss of Steve Young and the continued absence of Garrison Hearst, the San Francisco 49ers discovered that their talent had diminished to the point where success was unsustainable. But as with all of these posts, the end result isn't as important as the journey. See how it all came to be right here:

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 12	@ Jacksonville Jaguars	L: 3-41	0-1	0-1
Sept. 19	New Orleans Saints	W: 21-28	1-1	1-1
Sept. 27	@ Arizona Cardinals	W: 24-10	2-1	1-2
Oct. 3	Tennessee Titans	W: 22-24	3-1	3-1
Oct. 10	@ St. Louis Rams	L: 20-42	3-2	4-0
Oct. 17	Carolina Panthers	L: 31-29	3-3	2-3
Oct. 24	@ Minnesota Vikings	L: 16-40	3-4	3-4
Nov. 7	Pittsburgh Steelers	L: 27-6	3-5	5-3
Nov. 14	@ New Orleans Saints	L: 6-24	3-6	2-7
Nov. 21	St. Louis Rams	L: 23-7	3-7	8-2
Nov. 29	Green Bay Packers	L: 20-3	3-8	6-5
Dec. 5	@ Cincinnati Bengals	L: 30-44	3-9	3-10
Dec. 12	Atlanta Falcons	W: 7-26	4-9	3-10
Dec. 18	@ Carolina Panthers	L: 24-41	4-10	7-7
Dec. 25	Washington Redskins	L: 26-20	4-11	9-6
Jan. 3	@ Atlanta Falcons	L: 29-34	4-12	5-11

Head Coach: Steve Mariucci

Key Losses: G Kevin Gogan, T Kirk Scrafford, DE Roy Barker, DE Chris Doleman, FS Merton Hanks, QB Jim Druckenmiller,

Key Additions: QB Jeff Garcia, RB Charlie Garner, FB Terry Jackson, DE Chike Okeafor, RB Lawrence Phillips

In 1999, the NFL welcomed the Cleveland Browns back into the league as an expansion team. The new Browns would essentially own the history of the "Browns" franchise, even though technically the original team had relocated to become the Ravens. This gave the league 31 teams, forcing the league to adopt a non-standard scheduling that called for at least one team bye in every week of the season.

Also in 1999, the Tennessee Oilers, formerly the Houston Oilers, officially changed their name to the Titans. With the name change came a new logo, uniforms, and official team colors. It also brought a first for the league, as the NFL actually retired a team name, putting the use of the name Oilers to rest for good.

With the year 2000 only a few months away, the NFL approached the new year with caution. The Y2K frenzy was in full swing by the start of the NFL season, and the league adjusted the schedule so that no teams would have to travel or play on January 1.

Finally, instant replay, a system that the NFL had adopted and abandoned in the past, was brought back with new technology and new rules in place. 1999 would be a trial run for the new system.

For the 49ers, a lot of questions were hanging in the air. The team wasn't getting any younger, or healthier. Plagued by concussions throughout his career and particularly in recent years, Steve Young's health became a question mark every time he took a sack. Jerry Rice was showing the early signs of decline as age took hold and the first major injury of his career continued to hang in the minds of fans even nearly two years after suffering it. With Terrell Owens developing into a fine young receiver, Rice's position on the team this year and in the future was beginning to become a question.

Worst of all, Garrison Hearst, who had been so good for the team in 1998, was lost to a grisly ankle injury suffered in a playoff loss to the Falcons the year before.

But while question marks littered the offense, the defense was as much of a concern. The 49ers lost Merton Hanks in the offseason, and were expecting to start players in the twilights of their careers at just about every position. From Tim McDonald to Ken Norton, Jr., to Charles Haley, the 49ers defense was loaded with talented players - only most of them had already seen their best days. Perhaps most pressing would be Bryant Young's recovery from a horrifying broken leg that he had suffered less than a year before.

To try to make up for their losses, the 49ers picked up small, shifty running back Charlie Garner and reclamation project Lawrence Phillips. Garner came out of Philadelphia, where he was never able to answer questions about his ability to be a featured back. Phillips came with a history as a clubhouse cancer and with an off-field record that included an assault charge to match. His troubles had driven him out of the NFL and into NFL Europe, but the 49ers were willing to give him a chance to solve their running back woes.

The 49ers attempted to address their aging defense in the draft, but failed to make any significant splashes that season. But perhaps most importantly, the 49ers built in a contingency plan for Steve Young. Giving up on former quarterback of the future Jim Druckenmiller, the 49ers followed the counsel of Bill Walsh in looking to the Canadian Football league and Jeff Garcia to fill their need for a competent backup.

In the preseason, many of the 49ers starters were held out of games in order to keep them healthy for the season. When the season started, the decision was apparent. In Jacksonville, the team was completely off balance and out of rhythm on both sides of the ball. The eventual 41-3 loss was the franchise's worst in nearly 13 years.

Things didn't look better a week later against a miserable Saints team, but San Francisco was able to pick up the pieces enough in the second half to salvage a win against their division rivals.

Things wouldn't get any easier. At first, it seemed like they would, as San Francisco jumped on Jake Plummer and the Cardinals for a 17-0 first-half lead. And then Steve Young found himself on his back with another concussion, his first since 1997, and would remain out of the game for the second half. Up 17 with less than two minutes to play in the half, Mariucci and the 49ers were trying to keep the throttle down and knock the Cardinals out. Instead, as Young dropped back to pass, Lawrence Phillips missed a key block on Aeneas Williams, who hammered Young to end the play. Though termed mild, the blow left Young unconscious for a short period and shook him up emotionally. Though worried, he did try to get back in the game, but the coaches wouldn't let him.

Mariucci's decision to play it "conservatively" in the second half by holding Young out was informed by his decision in 1997 to let Young return against the Buccaneers under somewhat similar circumstances. After Young suffered an injury in that game, Mariucci was not willing to continue to take chances with his quarterback. Similarly, the tragic loss of Young while attempting to play out an aggressive, attacking half may conceivably have affected Mariucci's style of gamecalling from that point forward, as conservative play would become his trademark among fans.

Young wouldn't play the following week, and would ultimately miss the rest of the season and have to retire in order to protect his health in the long term. Jeff Garcia stepped in against Tennessee and led the team ably, defeating the previously undefeated Titans and giving 49er fans a glimmer of hope that the season wasn't lost.

But from that point forward, the wheels came off. The 49ers were decimated by the high-octane Rams the next week, and lost again the week after that (to none other than former coach George Seifert and his Carolina Panthers) to drop to .500. Only two games removed from a victory over one of the league's top teams, it was unclear which version of these Steve Young-less 49ers was the real one. The real answer to that question was not one any fan of the team was ready to accept.

But the 49ers kept on losing. First Jeff George torched the defense for three touchdowns. Then, the Niner defense made Kordell Stewart look like a model of efficiency. Then, the one-win Saints doubled their total, while Billy Joe Tolliver accounted for three scores against a seemingly inept San Francisco defense in a 24-6 romp. Then the Packers. Then the Bengals. And then, with the Falcons coming to town, the 49ers were on the verge of their first 10 loss season since 1980.

On a day that saw Charlie Garner go over 1,000 rushing yards on the season and that was marked by some of the strongest play of the season from recovering defensive star Bryant Young, the 49ers knocked Chris Chandler and the struggling Falcons around pretty much all game. For one week, the 49ers looked like they once did. And for one week, they staved off that tenth loss.

It would only be one week, though, as George Seifert proved that his Panthers had the 49ers' number that year by beating them handily on December 18^th. The 49ers were in the midst of their worst season in almost two decades, and it wasn't getting any better. After losing to Washington in week 16, the 49ers season was finally allowed to end on January 3^rd as - falling behind 31-7 to the Falcons in Atlanta - even their best comeback attempt would come up short.

At long last, the 49ers dynasty had unraveled. With an aging and hurting team, could it possibly be reborn?

Primary References:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1999_games.htm
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/oct/18/sports/sp-23718
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/nov/15/sports/sp-33817
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/13/sports/sp-43575
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/dec/19/sports/sp-45612
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/13/sports/sp-9802
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/20/sports/sp-12335
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/28/sports/sp-15061
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/04/sports/nfl-week-4-titans-handed-first-loss.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_NFL_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Phillips

Philadelphia Eagles Opponents previews - Oakland Raiders

JasonB — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:05:37 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sakuma - AP

Tom Cable is the Raiders' head coach... if you've got a problem with that, he'll probably punch you in the face.

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This is the next part in our series of previews of the Eagles 2009 opponents. Joining us for this feature is Dave Schwab, who writes about the Eagles at his site Eagles Lincs.

This week the Eagles are going going back back to Cali Cali to meet the 1-4 Oakland Raiders. The men in black haven't given their fans in the infamous "Black Hole" much to cheer about these days. Members of the Giants even described playing the Raiders as being like a scrimmage or practice... Ouch.

Dave tells us more about the Raiders problems after the jump.

After three straight home games, the 3-1 Eagles make their first trip off the year to the West Coast to take on the 1-4 Oakland Raiders in a 4:05 P.M. (EST) start at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium. While Philly is coming off a relatively easy 33-14 easy win over Tampa Bay, the Raiders troubles this season continued as they were crushed by the N.Y. Giants in the Meadowlands 44-7. The Giants thoroughly beat them in all phases of the game holding their offense to a pitiful 124 yards in game where the Raiders had as many punts (7) as first downs. This was their third loss in a row after a 1-1 start. Their problems are across the board, but the biggest one could be possible assault charges being filed against head coach Tom Cable related to an earlier incident involving one of his assistants. The Napa County DA could make a decision to prosecute Cable as early as this week. All of this commotion should add up to another easy win for the Birds.

As a complete team, Oakland is one of the worse teams in the league, but when it comes to offense they may actually be the worst. In their last three games they have scored a total of 16 points with 1 TD. They are ranked at the bottom in yards per game averaging less than 200 yards of total offense. Their passing game is ranked 32^nd and their running game is ranked 28^th. QB JaMarcus Russell has a passer ranking of 47.1 and a 42% completion percentage. With stats like these, you have to wonder how much longer they can allow him to even play given the fact he has gotten progressively worse each week. Before the season they released veteran QB Jeff Garcia who was brought in as a backup, a decision they may now regret. As you look for some bright spots for the Raider’s offense there are really none to be found. As mentioned, their running game is equally as bad. In the first five games, RB’s Michael Bush and Darren McFadden have combined for 303 total yards on 49 carries.

Defensively, the Raiders currently rank 27^th in average points scored, allowing 26 per game and 31^st in total yards per game giving up an average of 382. The only bright spot might be their pass defense, as they are ranked 15^th giving up an average of 221 yards per game. This game could be a golden opportunity for the Eagles to try and establish their running game which was virtually non-existent in the win over Tampa, given the fact that the Raiders are ranked 31^st against the run. You cannot totally blame this defense for giving up so many points as numerous mistakes and turnovers by the offense and special teams have given their opponents incredible field position allowing them to rack up the points.

It is hard to believe how far this once proud organization has fallen over the past several seasons. They have not had a winning record since 2002 and have only won 11 games the past three seasons combined. The prospect for this year already looks bleak as they will struggle to even match their 5 win total from last year. For the Eagles, this should be a great chance to keep fine tuning an offense that is a bit out of balance, but extremely effective none the less. With Jeremy Maclin having a breakout game last week, it will be hard for the Raiders to cover both him and DeSean Jackson at the same time. TE Brent Celek continues to be a go-to- guy on key 3^rd and long plays and FB Leonard Weaver is starting to contribute on a regular basis. RB Brian Westbrook has yet to be a big part of this offense, but something tells me this could be the week that all changes.

Raheem Confident in Bucs; himself.

Niko Houllis — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:00:35 -0000

At 0-5, must of us would not want to trade places with him. Most Bucs fan do not even like him, much less want to tolerate him. When I listen to Raheem Morris, I hear all the right stuff. I dont mean Coach Speak, or cliche's either. I hear what he is saying, that the Bucs just need to get better. That they do.

Michael Clayton has needed to get better for sometime and he will probably not be trusted given the situation; But Morris has a way of making you feel like if there IS a coach that can turn this talent into good talent, it will be him.

(Continued)

Im a firm believer in we judge things based on success. A guy could know everything there is to know about nutrition. If he is 5'5" and 310#, no one is going to listen to him. Morris seems to fall into this catagory. Why else do we hear the things about Morris, but we dont hear them about other 0-5 coaches. Our expectations were as low as can be, but you dont hear Tennessee fans saying Jeff Fisher is in over his head.

I have my qualms with some of the decisions this year. The McCown/Leftwich fiasco is chief among them. What was the point of all of that? Then there is the matter of offensive and defensive coordinators. I'm not completely sold we gave the right one his walking papers. Yet the Denver Broncos are winning with Jim Bates' defensive linemen he drafted in 2007: Linemen he was pulled early from developing by a now ousted coaching staff. Seems like we want to do the same.

In the post game press conference, Morris states his coaching staff " ...got our faces ripped off, me included". Is accountability from above, or is he referring to the Eagles ripping the Bucs at seemingly every turn. Point is, Morris seems prepared to weather the storm. He remains positive in the face of 0-6, and you have to respect him as a man for that. Sounds like he will work with what he has until he replaces them. You heard it yourself in the video.

People were not sure what to expect when Tony Dungy came here. He got tough questions thrown his way early in '96 too. But that team had been retooling for a few years. We may have drafted two Hall of Famers in the same round in '95 with Sapp and Brooks; which is all well because we didnt get another player worth beans that year. Instead of retooling for years, Morris and Dominik finally had the courage to blow this Geritol Camp up and start it over with young talent, talent that yes must be evaluated. We probably don't have all the pieces on this team. We more than likely wont until at least next year when help arrives in the form of draft picks and free agents. If only Gruden and Allen had done this in 2006 when our need for a franchise QB became apparent, instead they found the Band-aid in the form of virtually retired Jeff Garcia. They had the recipe right for the offensive line though.

So here we are...this is it. The 2009 Buccaneers are presented before us, like it or not. The Talibs, Wilkersons, will be joined next year by fresh talent, and if our coordinators are still around hopefully then we will be able to see the end result of the hard work this season produces, and maybe even watch the Bucs compete in a positive manner like Coach Morris.

Look Inside the Minds of Eagles Fans!

Niko Houllis — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:24:09 -0000

This week we talk Bucs and Eagles football with Jason and Crew from Bleeding Green Nation; The SB Nation blog for the Philadelphia Eagles! Here is what they had to say, or think, about us...

Q.Every interview about Phily probably either begins or ends with Michael Vick. How did the average Philly fan take it when he was brought on and how has that changed since McNabb's injury if at all?

A. The average fan was pretty split to say the least. In the first few days the loudest people were obviously the negative ones, but it's calmed down quite a bit and I think generally most people are on board with the idea of Vick as an Eagle. Not everyone likes the guy, but we generally care most about the guys wearing the green jerseys making plays. If he does that here, fans will accept him. McNabb's injury hasn't really affected the view of Vick. He was never going to start in McNabb's place, in fact he wasn't even going to start in the backup's place. He's definitely not ready to start for any team just yet.

Q. Seems like Brian Westrbrook has been a key part of the Eagles franchise forever. What role does McCoy play in the Eagles future?

A. He's going to be worked into Westbrook's role in the coming year. Last week, when Westbrook sat out the Eagles didn't really change anything. McCoy certainly seems to have a lot of Westbrook in him... Brian's contract is up after next year and I'd imagine McCoy will take over as the top back at that point, if not earlier...

Q. Through an amazing coincidence of sports franchises, Tampa Bay fans have seen Philadelphia as a sort of rival, as our Lightning started out in the playoffs against your Flyers, Bucs vs Eagles games of 2000-2003 and then last year the D Rays face off against..who else, the Phillies! How do Philadelphia fans see Tampa Bay?

A. Yeah that is interesting. I don't think Philly fans have any particular dislike for Tampa. In fact, I'm sure if the Rays were playing anyone other than the Phillies most fans here probably would have been rooting for them. I'd certainly say that of all the Tampa teams, the Bucs are clearly the ones Philly fans feel the most "rivalry" with.

Q. Bucs fans got tired of Jon Gruden's whole persona even though he won a Superbowl. Tampa fans see Andy Reid as a fixture in Philadelphia, a great coach who when struck with criticism is done so by fans who are just too picky. For Eagles fans who don't like Reid, what is their beef against him?

A. Well there's a few things fans have always wanted Andy Reid to do differently. Certainly they always want to see the team run the ball more and they've always wanted Andy to go out and get a top WR... But in general the problem some fans have with Andy is the same they have with anyone in the Eagles organization, it's simple frustration. They want to see a title here. This team has been very good for nearly a decade. They've been in the playoffs almost every year, they've been to 5 NFC title games... They've done everything but win it all. In the end, that's all any fans here want. They want Andy and McNabb to finish what they've started.

Q.How was the releasing of Jeff Garcia at the end of 2006 looked at by Eagles fans? What about this last time?

A. Well he left in free agency that first time. I think most fans wanted him to stick around a backup, but we also acknowledged that he wanted a starting job and he wasn't going to get one here. He certainly won a lot of fans here with how well he played down the stretch that year and got the team in the playoffs.

This time around it was well known that he was only going to be here for couple weeks, so I don't think fans had any real reaction. McNabb is back this week, Kolb looked good in his starts, and then there's Vick... There's just no place for Garcia and I think everyone realizes that.

You can check out my Questions for them here, however I did find this joyous comment listed, that I figured just had to be reprinted on our site!! - some of the Philly colorful metaphors of course...

Response to one commenter who said they feel bad for Tampa....

Don’t feel bad for Tampa….EVER.

Maybe I can jog your memory of a-hem…

A 60+ miracle field goal last (time we played) by an ex giant kicker…

2 lucky ridiculous catches by another ex giant receiver to start the season on MNF…I hate you Joe Jurevicious.

And…of course..not to mention the superbowl that f(ing) scum twin d*%&bag Ronde Barber and co. stole from us in 2002 i believe. We wouldve demolished the Raiders just like the Bucs did that year…and YES..IM STILL BITTER…can ya tell lol

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

sireric — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:30:15 -0000

Buffalo Bills (1-3) vs Cleveland Browns (0-4)
Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 1:00 PM ET
Ralph Wilson Stadium - Orchard Park, NY

Random, unexpected pre-post note: Cleveland on Wednesday morning traded WR Braylon Edwards to the Jets in exchange for WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnick, and two undisclosed draft picks. Essentially, Buffalo will be playing against Edwards soon - it's just been delayed a week. Report comes via ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Well, it took last week's "game" to finally bring out the pessimist in me. This Buffalo Bills team is really killing my enthusiasm for football. But the cupcake Cleveland Browns are coming in this week, so they should be pushovers, right? I'm fairly certain that is the sentiment that most of us had the last two seasons when the Bills played the Browns, and look how that turned out. If you forget how that turned out just, skip the rest of my rambling and hit the jump.

The Browns and Bills have met fifteen times during their histories, despite being less then 190 miles from each other, that includes one playoff game. The Browns hold an all-time edge in the series 10-5, including wins in their last two meetings. Hit the jump for the last five meeting in greater detail.

Sunday, November 4, 1990: Bills 42, Browns 0
Ah, the good old days when the Bills could take a weaker team behind the wood shed and beat them senseless. The Bills ran for only 102 yards on the day, but four runs ended in touchdowns. Thurman Thomas had three touchdowns on the day (two rushing and one receiving), while Jamie Mueller and Kenneth Davis punched in the other two offensive scores. Darryl Talley picked off two Mike Pagel passes, taking one of them 60 yards to the house to cap the scoring for the Bills. The Browns had 43 rushing yards on the day and committed 13 penalties for 87 yards to aid the Bills. Marvcus Patton and Hal Garner recorded a half-sack each.

Monday, October 2, 1995: Bills 22, Browns 19
Steve Christie (three field goals) and Matt Stover (four) had very active days for their respective teams. The Bills got two Jim Kelly touchdown passes - one to Justin Armour and the other to Andre Reed - while the Browns got a 69-yard punt return for a score by Derrick Alexander to round out the scoring. Vinny Testaverde hit his favorite target, Andre Rison, to the tune of 6 catches for 126 yards, but it wasn't enough for the Browns. Phil Hansen (1.0), Bruce Smith (1.0), and Bryce Paup (1.0) all recorded sacks for the Bills.

Sunday, December 12, 2004: Bills 37, Browns 7
Ah, the good old days when the Bills could take a weaker team behind the wood shed and beat them senseless... again... but this time with defense. Luke McCown and the uber-popular Jeff Garcia combined to go 9 of 21 passing for 62 yards while getting sacked 8 times for a loss of 108 yards. Add to that the pitiful 29 yards rushing for the Browns, and Buffalo's defense held Cleveland to 17 total yards of offense on the day. Ouch. And you thought the Bills' offense was bad? Willis McGahee ran for 105 yards and two scores to pace the offense. Sam Adams (2.0), Chris Kelsay (1.0), Jeff Posey (1.0), Aaron Schobel (2.0), Lawyer Milloy (1.0), and Troy Vincent (1.0) all recorded sacks, and Vincent and Nate Clements added interceptions.

Sunday, December 16, 2007: Browns 8, Bills 0
This was the "Blizzard Game" from 2007. You remember - the one that started a three-game slide to end the season and eliminated the Bills from playoff contention. Jamal Lewis put the Browns on his back to the tune of 163 yards rushing. The Bills' offense, on the other hand, did almost nothing, with the exception of a single long run by Marshawn Lynch that didn't result in any points. And, of course, on the final play of the game, with the Bills attempting to tie it up... well, you know.

Monday, November 17, 2008: Browns 29, Bills 27
Trent Edwards came out of the gates firing in this one! Three interceptions to the Browns in the first quarter really set the tone for this game. Cleveland capitalized by going up 13-0 on two Phil Dawson field goals and a Josh Cribbs two-yard touchdown run. Two Rian Lindell field goals and a Marshawn Lynch 18-yard touchdown catch sandwiched another Dawson field goal to bring the Bills to within three points at 16-13. Jerome Harrison then broke Buffalo's back by rumbling 72 yards for a touchdown. Yes - that remains the lone career touchdown of his four-year career. Leodis McKelvin then resuscitated Bills fans by taking the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a score to stay three points down. After another Dawson field goal, Edwards plunged into the end zone to give the Bills a 27-26 lead. But that jerk Dawson hit his fifth field goal of the day - and then Lindell missed one wide right as time expired - to give the Browns victory.