SB Nation - Sebastian Janikowski

Oakland Raiders Postgame Recap: Redskins 34, Raiders 13

Rated-R Superstar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:32:23 -0000

Bruce Gradkowski tried to get his third win as a starter in the silver and black. [via cdn2.sbnation.com]

Fresh off of a win on the road as 15-point underdogs, the Oakland Raiders (4-8) took on the Washington Redskins (3-9) as underdogs once again. Trying to stay hot behind quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, the Raiders entered today's game 2-1 when he starts with wins over the Bengals and Steelers. Unfortunately, the game was blacked out locally. Banged up, Chris Cooley and Clinton Portis were among the many Redskins out for today's game. Dive in to see how the Raiders fared with the Redskins on a gloomy day at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. A bit of rain was in the air for this one.

Darren McFadden had a nice first quarter catching the ball. [via cdn1.sbnation.com]

First Quarter: A pathetic return by Gary Russell of 11 huge yards gave us the ball first. He did, however, make the only key play of the series before a sack by LaRon Landry forced the Raiders to punt the ball to the Redskins. Darren McFadden carried it twice on the opening series and basically went nowhere. Anyway, a 68-yard boot by Shane Lechler set up Washington at their own 20 for their opening drive. A five-yard run by Quinton Ganther was the only real positive play on the series. A sack by Trevor Scott, who has been on fire, and an incomplete pass by Jason Campbell forced a Hunter Smith punt. Johnnie Lee Higgins, who had some room on the return, managed to return it to his own 39 yard line. After Bruce Gradkowski hit Higgins for a nine-yard pass, Justin Fargas fumbled; however, Redskins cornerback Fred Smoot had one foot out of bounds on the recovery. It remained Oakland ball. Gradkowski then hit Zach Miller on a big play, but an offensive pass interference on Chaz Schilens brought it back almost to the original line of scrimmage of the drive. A timeout followed it up. The Raiders couldn't really amount anything after that. Another sack doomed a second consecutive drive and it was Lechler time again. A fair catch was called by Antwaan Randle El and the Redskins had it at their own 22. The defense made some nice plays, specifically Kirk Morrison and Chris Johnson, and a three-and-out forced the Redskins to punt. A big play opened up the next drive for the Raiders, as Gradkowski hit Darren McFadden on a slant for 43 huge yards. Unable to muster anything after that, a field goal by Sebastian Janikowski gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead with just over four minutes still to play in the opening quarter. Faced with a third down, Jason Campbell swung it out to Quinton Ganther on the left side. Busting through, Ganther picked up huge yardage to put Washington into not only Oakland territory, but also field goal range. Once again, the Redskins converted on third down. On the very next play, Fred Davis was hit for a touchdown. After whistled for a 15-yard penalty, the Redskins had to kick from their own 15. A 41-yard return by Gary Russell gave Oakland the ball at midfield. An acrobatic grab by McFadden at the 24 yard line capped a seemingly long first quarter.

Fred Davis found the end zone twice and celebrates with a teammate. [via cdn3.sbnation.com]

Second Quarter: Starting the second quarter, a stupid play call (a give to Gary Russell) cost the Raiders a yard. Zach Miller and Chaz Schilens each made grabs and the Raiders had a goal-to-go from the nine. After a miscue on the give to Justin Fargas, the Raiders hit Zach Miller on third down. He was short, however, but Tom Cable remained aggressive from last week. A fourth down carry and dive by Fargas gave the Raiders a touchdown as they had regained a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. The rain got progressively worse at this point in the game, as noted by commentator Dick Stockton. Fred Davis, open in the secondary, caught a pass and it was for a good gain into Oakland territory. Back-to-back plays by the Raider defense stuffed Quinton Ganther in the backfield. Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott stopped the run and Kirk Morrison and Tommy Kelly blew the next play up on a screen in the backfield. Needing 12 yards on third down, an offsides penalty by Greg Ellis gave the Redskins five free yards. So, another offsides penalty hurt; however, it didn't hurt as much. Hiram Eugene made a great tackle on Randle El and Washington had to settle for a field goal. Graham Gano, just signed out of the UFL, connected on a 46-yard field goal. We were tied, 10-10, in a pretty evenly matched game with 7:27 left to go in the first half. After a three-and-out, a great 58-yard punt from Lechler set the Redskins up at their own 21. The Redskins didn't get far at all, and some good pressure by defensive linemen Matt Shaughnessy and Gerard Warren forced a punt. Jason Campbell was shaken up after the hit. A couple of stupid calls -- runs up the middle by McFadden and Russell -- brought up a long third down. Nearly intercepted by Reed Doughty on a pass intended for Oakland's Zach Miller, Doughy was flagged for illegal contact. It give the Raiders an automatic first down. On the very next play, an open Miller flat out dropped the ball. It was a good pass by Gradkowski, too, but Miller just let it slip through his hands. Welcome to the show Louis Murphy, as he pulled the Raiders to within two yards of the first down marker at the two-minute warning; however, on the next play, a catch of his was correctly called back on the booth review. The Raiders were forced to punt from midfield. A stupid penalty on the punt called against Hiram Eugene -- not stupid on Eugene's part but rather the referee's -- as Eugene was called for interference when he didn't even interfere. The bench was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty and so the Redskins had it at their own 40. Santana Moss made a 14-yard catch and the Redskins were threatening before the half. Next, a big play to Devin Thomas had Washington really in business. Two plays later, Fred Davis scored his second touchdown of the game to give Washington a 17-10 lead. (Damn, he's on my bench in a fantasy football league.) A holding penalty on the kickoff return set the Raiders up in bad position, and there was just seconds to go before halftime. A couple of runs by Gradkowski picked up some yards, but Oakland needed more with just 16 seconds to go without any timeouts remaining. Almost getting sack, Gradkowski flipped it out to Fargas in the flat and he ran out of bounds with less than 10 seconds to go. An incomplete pass on the next play basically made it impossible for a field goal try; however, Tom Cable decided to go for a field goal without running another play. A 66-yard field goal fell short, and Redskins safety Reed Doughty grabbed it and took off from his own end zone. Mario Henderson grabbed him and slammed Doughty to the ground to end the half. The Redskins had a 17-10 lead. For those of you keeping track, a total of 16 penalty flags were thrown. Yes, this was an ugly game.

After filling in for Bruce Gradkowski, JaMarcus Russell spent a ton of time on the ground. [via cdn1.sbnation.com]

Third Quarter: The Redskins started out with the ball at their own 30, and more importantly the lead. A pass interference committed by Tyvon Branch gave the Redskins a fresh set of downs. Michael Huff, who suffered a stinger in the first half, is still out with that injury and being replaced by Hiram Eugene. A couple of incomplete passes had Washington in a third and long situation. A rare blitz by the defense had Campbell sacked back at his own 26 by rookie safety Mike Mitchell. A punt followed that big play. The return by Higgins set the Raiders up in good field position, at their own 44. After going down with a knee injury just before the first half concluded, Gradkowski was out and unable to return. Yes, that means JaMarcus Russell was in -- and playing quarterback, too. Raiders fans everywhere are holding their respective breaths. Needing three years on third down, Russell called a timeout as Oakland was nearing field goal range. Still, they needed a first down if they even wanted to think about a pretty good try being at Washington's 38. A big play conversion to Higgins was followed up by a 10-yard loss on the sack. Ugh, Russell didn't get rid of the ball. Rookie Brian Orakpo brought him down. More stupid play-calling from Tom Cable, the reverse went nowhere. You've already called that play once, Tom. You can't fool the defense like that. An incomplete pass to Darren McFadden set up a 53-yard field goal try for Janikowski. Missing earlier from 66 yards out, this one was much more manageable and Sebastian knocked it through for his second of the day. The Washington lead was trimmed to 17-13 with just under nine minutes to play in the third quarter. The Raiders brought the heat some more on Campbell on the Redskins' next drive, as Stanford Routt nearly got to Campbell. By the way, Routt replaced by the injured Nnamdi Asomugha. Then, on second down, Matt Shaughnessy brought down Campbell for Oakland's third sack of the game. With the third down play coming up short, a good return by Higgins set up Russell and company in good field position just shy of midfield. A second down play resulting in a first down to Zach Miller had the Raiders in Washington territory; however, on the next play, McFadden slips on a run. He still managed to pick up six yards. A pitch that went backwards forced the Raiders to make a play on third down in order to keep the drive alive. Russell found Murphy and the Raiders moved the chains. It's a step forward and then a step backwards for Russell, apparently, as Andre Carter brings him down for a loss. A false start, which didn't occur under Gradkowski, moved the Raiders back five more yards. Another penalty and then another sack totally demolished the drive for the Raiders, and it became third down with 35 yards to go. Is anyone ready for Charlie Frye yet? The punt by Lechler hopped into the end zone, and Washington began their drive at their own 20 with the third quarter almost over with. Almost off of the field, Rock Cartwright made a play on third down for the Redskins and Washington's drive continued. A couple of runs by Quinton Ganther ended the third quarter. The Redskins had a 17-13 lead over three quarters.

Santana Moss and the Redskins ran away in the fourth quarter. [via cdn0.sbnation.com]

Fourth Quarter: Kicking off the fourth quarter was Washington in Oakland territory looking to add onto their four-point lead. Not surprisingly, the quarter begins with two penalties on the Raiders. Routt was called for pass interference -- which was a bad call as Santana Moss had slipped -- and then Howard was flagged for holding. A couple of plays later, the Oakland defense tried to get off the field with Washington tryign to convert a third down needing three yards. Of course, the Redskins picked up the first down with ease on a pass from Campbell to Malcolm Kelly. A touchdown basically kills any chance the Raiders have of winning this game, especially with Gradkowski shelved. An effective screen to Moss set up a touchdown run by Ganther, a Richmond native scoring the first time in his career, and Washington had taken a 24-13 lead with over 11 minutes to play in regulation. It was clearly a great drive by the Redskins. Chewing six minutes up and going 80 yards on 13 plays, you couldn't have asked for more if you were Jim Zorn. The Raiders had the ball back needing two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. In a shocking turn of events, Russell threw a pass that was picked off by LaRon Landry. Why am I still watching the game at this point? I don't know. Campbell to Moss goes for 30 yards, and the Redskins are a touchdown away from blowout city. Some plays later, Ganther's second touchdown of the day put Washington ahead by 31-13 score. Oh, yes, it was all over by then. Russell marched back out there and was sacked. We were all so very surprised. Luckily for us, Carter totally missed the fumble and Henderson pounced on it to keep possession. Blah, blah, blah, the Raiders had to punt without a first down gained; however, Randle El screwed up the punt return and dropped it. Tony Stewart fell on it and Oakland had the ball at midfield. On the very next play, Russell was sacked yet again and this time it was Lorenzo Alexander. That was the seventh sack of the game with five of them coming against Russell compared to only two when Gradkowski was in the game. God, this game couldn't end any sooner. I'll save the dramatics: Russell was sacked on fourth down. Getting Marcus Mason involved some in the fourth quarter, Washington marched down and kicked a field goal to extend their lead to 34-13. Terribly bad went to even worse as Zach Miller went down with an injury. After another useless drive that went nowhere led by the great JaMarcus Russell, the Redskins got the ball back and ran out the clock. Improving to 4-9 are the Redskins and falling to that same record are the Raiders by a 34-13 score.

Little Billy has some explaining to do. [via cdn2.sbnation.com]

The Report Card: I'll give grades to the pass offense, rush offense, pass defense, rush defense and special teams. Of course, you're welcome to give your own grades in the comments.

Pass Offense: D -- Obviously, things were going a lot smoother with Bruce Gradkowski back there instead of the totally inept and awful JaMarcus Russell. Still, we have to grade them both. Gradkowski was a little below average and Russell was awful, so I tried to find the middle ground.
Rush Offense: F -- The rushing offense was absolutely dreadful. On 24 carries, a 2.7 average just isn't going to cut it. Justin Fargas led the way with 21 yards and a touchdown, but that stuff is something that should be achieved in just one quarter and not one whole game.
Pass Defense: D+ -- Jason Campbell had almost a field day going 16-for-28 with 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns. They brought some heat, so that was a good thing but just about the only good thing.
Rush Defense: C -- It was a very average performance by the rush defense with the Redskins averaging around four yards per carry with a couple of rushing touchdowns.
Special Teams: B- -- Janikowski's only miss came from 66 yards. Shane Lechler averaged almost 52 yards per punt. Johnnie Lee Higgins was okay returning punts while Gary Russell was nothing special returning kicks. Overall, it was pretty decent and I guess I couldn't complain about the way special teams played. The coverage wasn't all that bad itself.

My Thoughts and Tidbits: It's quite simple, really. Once JaMarcus Russell came in for the injured Bruce Gradkowski, it all went to hell. Trailing 17-10 at the half, this game was clearly within reach all the way. Charlie Frye should start next week should Gradkowski be unable to go. Next up, we have the Denver Broncos who are 8-5 and leading the Wild Card race in the AFC. This was really rough in the second half. Enjoy your Sunday evening, guys, and try to put this one behind us.

Poll

Weekly Recap Poll: Who was the Oakland Raiders player of the game?

If you're going to blame the coaches for loss to Oakland, then blame the players too.

Kirkendall — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:13:31 -0000

More photos » by David Kohl - AP

7 months ago: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis looks on during football minicamp at Paul Brown Stadium, Friday, May 1, 2009, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/David Kohl)

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This is how it works. When the Bengals win, everyone celebrates because everyone was a big part of that win. When the Bengals lose, giving up over 100 yards in the fourth quarter and 10 points in the final minute of the game, we blame Bengals offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski. That's just how it is. Morgan Trent was covering Louis Murphy, who scored the game-tying touchdown. We blame Bob. The Bengals defense put no pressure on the Raiders quarterback. Blame Bob. Carson Palmer fumbled twice. Andre Caldwell fumbled twice, Jeremi Johnson fumbled once, all combined for three lost fumbles. Blame Bob. The Bengals committed eight penalties -- including two false starts on Chad Ochocinco, a false start on Nate Livings, encroachment on Tank Johnson, neutral zone infraction on Jonathan Fanene. We blame Bob.

Sure. There are things you could scratch your head about with Bratkowski. You could point to a Brian Leonard sweep to the right with 43 seconds left in the first half which forced the Raiders to take their last timeout. They got the ball back with 26 seconds left, at their own 36-yard line. While blaming Bob, Gradkowski completes a 19-yard pass to Zach Miller, and a short six-yard pass to Darren McFadden. Luckily Sebastian Janikowski missed a 57-yard field goal attempt to close out the first half.

I'm not defending Bratkowski here. I've never done that. But I'm not excusing the fact that the Bengals players lacked execution. I'm not letting them off the hook. A botched center to quarterback exchange should be the most natural act in football. A wide receiver should never false start. And the Bengals should have protected the goalline with the entire secondary, not just Morgan Trent covering a taller receiver, that allowed the game-tying touchdown. Three sacks allowed on third down and three lost fumbles tend to help you lose games too!

Some will claim the imbalanced rushing to passing ratio. That might be a fair argument. But the Raiders came into Sunday's game sporting the league's 29th best rushing defense. The Raiders 14 allowed rushing touchdowns was tied for 31st. They were ranked 14th against the pass. It makes sense to attack the defense's weakness. Some also claim that the rushing offense wasn't working and that Bernard Scott's rushing numbers were no good because of a 61-yard rushing play inflated his numbers. Since we believe in fairness, let's should take away Laveranues Coles' 40-yard reception and Chad Ochocinco's 30-yard reception because they inflated Carson Palmer's numbers. Now, Palmer has 137 yards passing.

Last I checked, blaming Bratkowski for bad play from the offense, defense and special teams will only get you so far. At some point the players are the ones that execute. So instead of taking the easy way out, let's just acknowledge that players and coaches were to blame for Sunday's loss. This is a team. A collection of people with a bigger picture in mind. Or give the Raiders credit. They played their butts off and took it to us. Either way, a loss is a loss. The best part? Taking it out on Cleveland.

I know that my opinion will be in the minority on this one, so go to town.

It's alright to call the Bengals 20-17 loss to Oakland a Mulligan.

Kirkendall — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:40:57 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

25 days ago: Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andre Caldwell fumbles a kickoff late in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009. Caldwell's fumble was recovered by Oakland Raiders tight end Brandon Myers (83), at left, setting up the Raiders game-winning field goal. Oakland won 20-17. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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Sometimes it just doesn't work out. That's a lesson we've learned countless times watching football, baseball, or going through the difficult trials of balancing social dominance with academics in high school. Here's what didn't work out for Cincinnati. The Bengals lost in a game that they should have won. That didn't work out. The Bengals' Andre Caldwell received the kickoff after Oakland's game-tying touchdown with :33 seconds left in the game. While trying to get as many yards as he could, Caldwell has the ball stripped by Oakland's Brandon Myers. Caldwell learned a lesson.

"I think I should have gone down. I’ll learn from it now," said the stand-up Caldwell. "Trying to get some extra when there was nothing there. That’s part of being a young guy like me. You live and you learn. I’m going to capitalize the next time I get in that situation. That was a tough feeling. That’s the worst thing in the NFL. You win some, you lose some. The next time I come out I’m going to capitalize on the next play."

What he learned is that sometimes it just doesn't work out. All game, the Bengals worked to give Oakland every chance to stay in the game. But the story just isn't about Caldwell's fumble that sealed Cincinnati's loss. It was the defense allowing 109 yards of total offense to the Raiders in the fourth quarter, when Cincinnati's defense had only allowed 166 yards through the first three quarters. It was the defense allowing 10 points in the final 40 seconds of the game. It was being outscored 20-3 after Carson Palmer's second rushing touchdown. It was reaching the red zone five times, and scoring two touchdowns. A missed Shayne Graham field goal where the Bengals offense had decided to pass on third and goal at the one-yard line. Palmer was sacked.

There were positives. Bernard Scott rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries (a 5.7-yards-per-rush average). The Bengals as a unit, while playing with the lead, remained obsessive about the rushing offense, running the football 43 times. There will be question about the unbalanced offensive attack, but the formula was working even though the Bengals brought their worst-case scenario to Oakland. Still, they converted 46% of their third downs on offense, limiting Oakland to a 36% conversion.

This is how I'm thinking about this weekend. We'll call it a Mulligan weekend. Why? Everyone in the division lost, so this game doesn't hurt the Bengals at all. Sure, they could have increased their lead. But they didn't. Realistically, after the loss, there was no change in the division. And since common-opponent and conference tie-breakers will have no bearing on the division, provided the Bengals at least tie the Steelers and Ravens, then Cincinnati is still in the drivers seat.

Mulligan weekend, I like that. It works.

What happened to Chad Ochocinco? At one point, Chad Ochocinco was on pace for 220 yards receiving on 12 receptions. In the first quarter, Chad caught three passes for 55 yards receiving. Then he disappeared for two quarters. In fact, you have to go all the way until there's seven minutes left in the game the next time Chad was targeted as a receiver in an attempted pass. Roughly 42 minutes and 27 seconds had passed between receptions for Chad.

Rec.	Quarter	Time	Result
# 3	1	:33	15-yard reception.
# 4	4	4:17	12-yard reception

Asked after the game about facing one of the top cornerbacks in the game, Nnamdi Asomugha, Chad said:

Nnamdi is the best in the game hands down, period. He will always be, he will always be until someone goes at him on a consistent basis and it seems like no one tries to, not even us.

Chad is fine though. He's not worried about the season.

Asked if his team could rebound from one of the most devastating losses in his career as the most senior Bengal, wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said, "We’ll be fine."

Asked why, The Ocho leaned forward to point to a few lockers down at Palmer and said, "He’s pretty damn good."

The Red Zone is all about missed opportunities. Often times, it's where games are won and lost. The Bengals made five trips to the red zone. If they scored all touchdowns, Cincinnati amasses 35 points on offense. After Palmer's two rushing touchdowns, the Bengals would only go on to score three points in the red zone on their next three trips.

Quarter	Time	Result
1	7:59	TOUCHDOWN. Offense had a first-and-goal from the one-yard line. Palmer snuck in for the touchdown.
2	8:58	TOUCHDOWN. Bengals ran four straight times starting at Oakland's 20-yard line. Bernard Scott picked up nine yards, Brian Leonard picked up 10 yards and Carson Palmer ran it into the endzone.
3	9:04	Missed FG. Bengals reached Oakland's 19-yard line. They ran seven plays on offense in the red zone, picked up 18 yards. On third-and-goal at the one-yard line, Palmer was sacked, forcing a 37-yard field goal attempt, in which Shayne Graham missed.
3	4:42	Field Goal. Robert Geathers returned a fumble 38 yards to Oakland's 13-yard line. The Bengals ran three plays, gained six yards and converted on a 25-yard field goal.
4	11:37	Lost Fumble. Bengals only ran one play in the red zone on their fifth trip. Jeremi Johnson fumbled rushing up the middle and Oakland recovers.

Jeremi Johnson number called. Bengals turn it over? The Bengals decided to get cute, or tried to give Scott and Leonard a spell, by calling Jeremi Johnson on a rushing attempt with 11:37 left in the game with Cincinnati hanging onto a seven-point lead. Johnson fumbled it -- or maybe he never had control of it. This was Johnson's first rushing attempt since the Bengals 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on October 4. Why him, and not Larry Johnson, who has more carries in his last three games with Kansas City than Jeremi does his entire career?

Now, to be fair, this is Jeremi's first fumble since the 2005 season -- and as far as I can tell, his first lost fumble since 2004. It was a first-down from Oakland's 14-yard line and Jeremi is typically good for a few yards carrying the football. And in further fairness, the Bengals defense forced a punt and then an interception after Cincinnati's three-and-out. The idea isn't that the fumble led to points for Oakland. It's that the Bengals went from having at least a field goal to hanging back onto their seven-point lead they would eventually lose.

Notes:

Cincinnati's 13 points allowed against the Raiders is the most points allowed in the second half since allowing 14 points to the Houston Texans and 13 points to the Cleveland Browns. Trends.
Oakland rushed for 92 yards as a team. This is the sixth straight game the Bengals defense hadn't allowed a 100 yards to a team since allowing 146 yards rushing to Cleveland on October 4.
The Bengals rushed the football 43 times against Oakland, the second highest of the year (Chicago, 45 attempts).
Cincinnati had six different players rush the football.

Goat of the Game. Hate to give this to Andre Caldwell, especially when so many other factors led to the Bengals losing a game they should have won -- and actually having control at one point. But if you fumble on kickoff return during a tie ballgame with half a minute left in the game, setting up a 33-yard game-winning Sebastian Janikowski field goal, what other choice do we have?

Breakout Performance. Last week, Bernard Scott won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. This week, Scott became the team's feature back, rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries, averaging 5.7 yards-per-rush.

What the hell is going on trend of the game. Coming into Sunday's game, Palmer had recorded six touchdowns and no interceptions in the previous three games. However, after Sunday's game, Palmer has recorded only one touchdown since his five-touchdown performance against the Chicago Bears, and has remained touchdown-less in 11 straight quarters.

On third down, Palmer completed five of seven passes for 109 yards. So why did the Bengals lose the game, you ask, if our quarterback completed five of seven passes for first downs? Palmer was also sacked three times on third down and fumbled a snap.

Joe Reedy writes that nine carries resulted in negative yards and that after going seven of eight for 121 yards in the first quarter, "Palmer was 7 of 14 for 86 yards the rest of the way."

Peter King writes, "Disgraceful loss, but Bengals shouldn't have left it so much to chance at the end in Oakland."

A Larry Johnson thing?

• It's probably just a coincidence, but the Chiefs are 2-0 since jettisoning the high-profile headache named Larry Johnson. Kansas City just won consecutive games for the first time since September 2007, and if the Scott Pioli-Todd Haley regime rebuilds the Chiefs into winners, the overtime upset of Pittsburgh might some day be looked at as the game that began the turnaround.

Bengals are 0-1 with Johnson.

Clark Judge writes, "Maybe the AFC North isn't the strongest division after all. For those keeping score at home, the division was 0-4, with the worst saved for last -- and, yes, I'm talking about the Bengals' loss to Oakland. Now you know why no one trusts Cincinnati."

Bernard Scott was suffering leg cramps, so the Bengals sent in Caldwell to return the kickoff he would eventually fumble.

Chalk Talk -- 2009 Game 3; Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Steve Nichols — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:30:15 -0000

Well, here it is. The classic clash of good versus evil, and one of the best rivalries in football. Join MHR's Chalk Talk for the pregame breakdown as we look at both teams' systems and players to determine the match-up issues and strategies that each team may look to.

First, these are two teams that should know each other well, given the division rivalry. Nevertheless, both teams have undergone some serious change in the offseason, so the preparation may not be a smooth as in the past.

Second, both teams are trying to answer major questions from the masses. Is Kyle Orton too careful for Denver fans (no glitz, but no INTs)? Has the Denver pass protection on the OL lost some luster? Is the new-look defense really that good? For the Raiders, will the QB ever click? Did the team deserve to beat KC, or to lose to SD? Which Oakland team will show up for the Denver game?

(All player photos courtesy of the National Football League)

Denver's Defense vs. Oakland's Offense

Elvis Dumervil (Codename DOOM) - Sackmaster

Right now, Denver's strength is the defense. Denver has a terrific pass rush (featuring DE/OLB Elvis Dumervil), and an elite secondary (featuring future HOFers CB Champ Bailey and FS Brian Dawkins). Denver's 5-2 look is plugging gaps against the run and protecting the LBs, allowing Andra Davis and D.J. Williams to look great at LB.

On the other side of the ball, Oakland's offensive line has injury concerns and looks suspect. QB JaMarcus Russell hasn't looked good (with the exception of a terrific game-saving drive at the end of Week 2's game). The strength of the Raiders' offense seems to be more geared towards the run, but Oakland hasn't been consistent in this role. They gained 366 yards against the Chargers in Week 1, but couldn't put together much of an effort against KC. Despite depth at RB, Oakland has stuck to inside runs, when perhaps they could vary their running plays more. Are they lying in wait for Denver?

Oakland is a vertical passing team, relying on speed to get the receivers down the field. Because of questionable play on the OL, Oakland is keeping the TEs and RBs in to protect the QB. This limits options for the QB, and in the case of playing against Denver, allows the elite Denver secondary to be the prime match-up on Oakland's offensive plays. Russell would probaly perform better throwing quick screens and short hooks (I wouldn't go for quick outs against Denver's ball hawks), but so far the playcalling hasn't shown this approach.

For their part, Denver can rely on the 5-man rush from their 5-2 look, and hold back the LBs to zone. The gap plugging should allow the LBs to stay unmolested, giving them opportunities for tackles in the middle, or to get to the edges in the event of runs there. Denver features 3 solid CBs (legendary Champ Bailey, solid Andre' Goodman, and rookie sensation Alphonso Smith), so Denver can afford to play man to man, while holding their SAFs back for deep coverage over the top.

Denver doesn't need to make many adjustments for this game. They can play their own style, and do well.

Oakland needs to spread the field, both in terms of runs and passes. If the 5-2 has a weakness against the run, it should be the edges. Oakland has good RBs, and should vary their runs to keep Denver guessing. A continuous assault up the middle isn't likely to faze a defense built to stuff the middle run (nor to faze a defense that hasn't gotten tired in the first two games), but misdirection and sweeps could force the Broncos to make adjustments. Not only that, but concern in the ground game would make Russell's job easier.

(Denver's elite secondary awaits a pass)

For Russell's part, he would do much better with shorter, higher-percentage passes. Denver has interception threats all over the field and is built to create turnovers. Going deep (the typical Oakland practice) shouldn't work here. Screens can take advantage of the two (somewhat) centralized Denver LBs. Instead of protecting the QB (allowing Denver to focus on ball targets), Oakland should probably try to get their TEs involved. A TE that breaks out to the seam is a bigger threat against Denver than any pass to a WR elsewhere.

Denver's Offense versus Oakland's Defense

Denver's offense has a lot of the same personnel as last year, but plays a completely different kind of football. Gone is Jay Cutler and the laser throws downfield, but also gone is the high-risk passing that led to many heartbreaking INTs. Instead, Kyle Orton plays a very careful, boring style of football that doesn't "entertain", but does keep Denver in games.

( "The Spleen" from the movie "Mystery Men" may have more in common with Chris Simms and his old injury, but looks more like Orton)

Kyle throws the ball away here and there, leading many booing fans to think his passes are off. But Orton picks his targets, and despite what the media will tell you, has shown that he can make the deep pass along with the dinks and dumps. With Brandon Marshall catching up on the playbook on the sidelines for much of the game, other receivers have stepped up and looked good. In fact, receiving star Eddie Royal hasn't gotten as much attention as in the past because the glory has been spread amongst fan favorite Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney, and Brandon Lloyd.

Denver also has receiving options from a trio of TE threats, but Denver has no problem showing off the TEs in the dangerous 3-TE set, featuring Daniel Graham (an amazing blocker with good hands), Tony Scheffler (a great mismatch against most defenses in the air) and rookie star Richard Quinn (who has silenced critics).

Correll Buckhalter has demonstrated an ability to run and catch indifferently, and rookie Knowshon Moreno is showing improvement whenever he touches the ball. Peyton Hillis remains a threat up the middle.

But despite the abilities of these individuals, the overall offense hasn't seemed to click yet. Orton gets some pressure from opposing rushers, and Denver seems to rely on big plays on 3rd down to make up for inconsistencies. The offense is not "high powered" this year, and so far seems oriented towards intricate screens and yards after the catch (YAC).

Oakland's 4-3 defense has a lot of potential. On the line, the DTs are solid (featuring newcomer Richard Seymour). The LBs are fast, and the starting CBs are very good (Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the best in the game), and the safeties are legitimate threats (see Michael Huff's two INTs last week, to go with the one he had in the first week).

Denver should make some adjustments for this game. First, the weakness for Oakland may be lack of depth at CB. If Denver continues to use screens, they are using receivers as blockers instead of as potential mismatches against the Oakland CBs at nickel and beyond. On the other hand, Denver minimizes CB abilities with screens by using run blockers to clear them instead of challenging them in the air with the ball. It is a tough choice. I don't expect Denver to drop the screens, but I think this is one game where classic passing would hurt the opponent by targeting the nickelback. Denver can do this with the many 3-receiver sets they show opponents. Given the strength of Oakland's secondary, I wouldn't challenge them deep.

Andra Davis may hold the key to beating the Raiders

Denver also needs to decide how to attack the Oakland run defense. Oakland has a stout DL to protect the middle, and is experienced against the zone-block scheme. Oakland's DL also effectively protects their LBs, and those protected LBs have the speed to get to the edge of the field. So Denver will likely take one of two approaches here. One, they run at Oakland and try to wear them down. The other option (and the one they likely pursue) is to set up misdirection and disguises. Denver will show run, then send the RB into the slot to receive (or to block on a screen). Denver will use multiple-TE sets (both 2- and 3-) to further confuse the defense. Denver's TEs can run block, and they can jump out into routes, and this alone is enough to cause problems for most teams. (Note - Oakland prefers to use safety coverage on TEs, despite the speed they possess at OLB).

Special Teams

Sebastian Janikowski is a solid kicker, and the Oakland coverage units look reasonably good. Denver has had solid efforts from both the kicking and punting units, and coverage is much improved over previous years. Neither team fields breakaway return talent, though Denver has looked close on a few occassions.

Notes

The game is blacked out in Oakland, as the Raider Nation has failed to sell out their home game. Regardless, expect the passionate fan base to be involved unless Denver gets out to a domineering start.

Keys to the Game

Denver -

Stop the run. Oakland will not win this game with a one-dimensional offense, and their running game is their potential strength. Russell needs the running game to help his passing efforts.
Continue to be conservative in the passing game. Both teams feature ball hawks, and a key INT would be a game changer.
Leave the blitzes at home. Denver's pass rush doesn't need any help. The CB/WR match-ups favor Denver, and any players held back to protect the QB limits Russell's pass-receiving options. Instead, hold back the LBs for the expected runs, and to zone the field.

Oakland -

Don't commit penalties. The bad boys of football will need to find a role model other than their head coach, who seems to enjoy assaulting his staff. Oakland is known for penalties, but they ought to play a penalty-free game if they want to get a win in Week Three.
Mix up the runs (more runs to the edges). Oakland will need the run game to win this game. Denver has a lot of options with a 5-2 look to stop the interior runs, but the outside sweeps are tougher to deal with. Oakland didn't do well with the run against KC, and Denver's stout protection in the middle should be hard to crack.
Get the TEs involved in the passing game. Denver's CBs should have a field day with the Oakland WRs, but Denver wants their LBs focused on the run and their SAFs stopping deep passes. If Denver is forced to decide between covering the run or covering TEs out in the seams, Oakland can exploit either the run, the passes to the TEs, or both.

I expect a conservative game plan from both teams. I also expect a close game. Denver is built to create turnovers, and if Oakland wins big I expect it will be because they net more turnovers or the Denver defense collapses against the run. If Denver wins big, I think it will be because Oakland's offense is shut down more than because Denver lights up the scoreboard. I think the key match-up to watch is Oakland's run against the Denver Defense, but I expect Denver to win that match-up.

I'll take Denver in a close game. The game is key for Denver, since the schedule ramps up over the next few weeks. Denver needs the early momentum to stay alone atop the AFC West. A loss for Oakland gives them a losing record, and would be a blow to morale. A win gives them a respectable 2-1 record, and a tie-break with what would then beat a 2-1 Denver team. Oakland really needs the game more than Denver, and will need to play like it.

Poll

Denver...

Wins big

287 votes

Wins moderate

568 votes

Wins close

310 votes

Loses close

92 votes

Loses moderate

38 votes

Loses big

45 votes

I'm a raiders fan, and just came over to screw up your poll.

81 votes

1421 votes | Poll has closed

Working Toward the 53-Man Roster: QB/Special Teams

KA1Z3R — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:03:50 -0000

Today on, "Working Toward the 53-Man Roster" I give the Raiders quarterbacks and special teams. With the 31st. pass offense last year, Oakland will be looking for Russell to step up his game this year. Lechler will be looking for yet another Pro Bowl year at punter and Jano is going to be itching to boom a 53-yarder. But who will be the Raiders backup QB's? Can Nick Miller unseat Justin Miller at kick returner? My thoughts on these and more, after the jump

Quarterbacks:

As previously stated, the Raiders were a terrible 31st. ranked pass offense. In the previous post I covered the new receiving options, but now we'll take a look at who will be throwing to those receivers. Andrew Walter and Tuiasosopo were cut, and Jeff Garcia, Bruce Gradkowski, and Charlie Frye were added to the mix. The Raiders are only expected to keep 3 quarterbacks (after all we're not Tampa Bay), and with Russell's job secure, who of these three quarterbacks will take the other two spots?

JaMarcus Russell

via thecampusthrone.com

Russell's first full season was anything but great. Russell struggled a lot with his accuracy and mobility in the pocket which lead to a lot of three-and-out's. Though many argue he had a bad receiving corps and bad O-Line. While I agree with those people, Russell does have a lot of work to getting more consistent with his accuracy.

Just when it seemed Russell had a true #1 receiver to work with, Schilens broke a bone in his foot and will most likely be out for a couple games this year. However, Russell still has a lot of targets to work with. But the big thing is that he'll have what appears to be a good O-Line this year. Henderson's building off a stellar showing last year and Satele brings a more athletic option at center than Grove. Though the line still needs to work on its penalty problems.

In camp so far, Russell is still pretty inconsistent, but has been making a lot of good plays. Weaving passes between defenders and lobbing perfect rainbow arc passes. But it seems we can still expect a lot of dumping off to players underneath as Russell continues to struggle with the accuracy of his deep throws. You can expect Cable to keep calling deep pass plays for Russell in preseason to work on his timing on said throws.

I know it was only on one play, but Russell is actually pretty nimble and a quick-decision maker. With everyone covered and McFadden walling off a pass rusher, Russell took off and showed some speed running for 18 yards, avoiding Dallas defenders along the way. If he can make those kinds of good decisions all year long, I'd be very satisfied with JaMarcus this year.

While many have called for Garcia to start, I very highly doubt it'll happen. Cable's already stated that it's Russell's job. Barring injury, I don't see garcia starting a game this year.

Jeff Garcia

via imgs.sfgate.com

I've been scratching my head on the Jeff Garcia deal since he was signed and I still can't find a way that this a good move. For one, the Raiders are going to be much more of a downfield passing team this year with DHB, Higgins, Murphy, etc. Garcia struggles making those deep throws and is much more of a west coast offense QB. Kinda bad to have your backup not fit your scheme.

Secondly, Garcia was brought in to mentor Russell. Instead, all we've seen is Garcia trying to dethrone Russell as the starting QB. Actually, this was his primary reason for being here.

Thirdly, Garcia makes a lot of questionable decisions. Mainly, he never stays in the pocket. As soon as he gets the ball in his hands, he almost always rolls out of the pocket. The Raiders O-Line looks to actually be able to maintain a pocket this year, but you can probably still expect Garcia to roll out causing more harm than good.

The one good thing I can take from this move, the Raiders will still be doing dumpoffs a lot this year. With Garcia's short and medium range accuracy, it makes him a viable backup in those situations. But Garcia can't just dink-and-dunk with all these deep threats available. Hence why I disagree with a lot of people who believe him to be the one who should be starting for Oakland.

Garcia will most likely be the primary backup because of his great accuracy on short throws and his ability to win games.

Bruce Gradkowski

via www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

I honestly couldn't tell you much about Gradkowski, but I can tell you he's been making some really good plays in camp. He's also got a better deep ball than Garcia, Gradkowski struggles with his medium range passes.

Gradkowski hasn't exactly had a great career, though when he's had to be a starter for an extended period of time, he hasn't been too shabby. In his rookie 06 year, he completed 177 of his 328 throws for 1661 yards wth 9 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 13 games. Not exactly great, but not bad for what should be our third-string QB, if not second string.

If Gradkowski has good showings throughout the rest of camp, i have no doubt in my mind that Bruce can take over the backup spot behind Russell.

Charlie Frye

via www.raiders.com

Frye to me is going to be the odd-man out. While he's fairly strong armed, he makes a lot of bad decisions. 25 interceptions in 23 games, several of which he only saw limited time in. He hasn't been very good in camp and is pretty far behind Gradkowski and Garcia. I like Frye, but I doubt he makes the roster.

Projected QB depth chart:

Starter: JaMarcus Russell

Backup: Bruce Gradkowski (yes I think he'll manage to pass Garcia on the depth chart)

Third String: Jeff Garcia

Special Teams:

A bright spot for Oakland last year was it's special teams unit which saw new life after many below average years. The return game was incredible, Lechler was amazing as always, Jano can still kick field goals from 55+ yards out, and special teams ace Ekejiuba was a Pro Bowl alternate.

Kicker

Sebastian Janikowski

via assets.nydailynews.com

Oakland's record-breaking kicker, Janikowski has the strongest leg in all of football. Easily pounding kicks 55+ yards with ease and booming kickoffs for touchbacks, his only flaw his accuracy. Jano's not horrible, but his kicks often slice too far left or right quite a bit of the time. It's a problem that's not gone away over the years, but he's definitely working on it. If Seabass can refine his accuracy a little bit more, he could be a Pro Bowl kicker.

Punter

Shane Lechler

via www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com

What can be said about Lechler that hasn't already been said? He's basically the greatest punter in raiders history, if not NFL history. He holds the NFL record for best average yards per punt with 46.8 yards per punt. You can expect Lechler to continue going out every Sunday and blasting punts inside the opposing team's 20's like he has year in and year out.

Punt Returner

Johnnie Lee Higgins

via imgs.sfgate.com

A speedy receiver, a fantastic dancer, and one of the best return threats in the NFL, Johnnie Lee "Blue-Suede Shoes" Higgins does it all. Higgins turned 44 punt returns into 570 yards and an amazing 3 touchdowns. His touchdown returns were a big reason for wins against Denver and Houston last year. I expect Higgins to continue being a game-changing return threat this year as we should see similar numbers from him if he stays healthy.

Kick Returner

Justin Miller

via cache.daylife.com

While Justin isn't a great corner, he is a great kick returner that brought new life to Oakland's special teams. Oakland hadn't returned a kickoff for a touchdown in years, Justin Miller did it twice last year. Returning 32 kickoffs for 794 yards and the aforementioned 2 touchdowns, Miller might be being challenged by another Miller. Nick Miller that is. Justin's going to have to prove he's still the top kick return man in Oakland, or face losing his starting spot. Definitely something to keep track of until the regular season starts. But I expect Justin to keep his starting role.

Nick Miller

via www.raiders.com

There's some genuine competition here for the job of kick returner. Nick has been getting chances throughout camp and early on in preseason. Nick is definitely as fast as Justin, but does he have the moves that Justin has to create some big plays on kickoffs? If he does, we could see a different Miller returning kicks on Monday Night.

Projected Special Teams:

K- Seabass

P- Lechler

PR- Higgins

KR- Justin Miller

Backup KR- Nick Miller

Poll

who should Oakland's backup QB be?

JaMarcus Russell

153 votes

Jeff Garcia

480 votes

Bruce Gradkowski

360 votes

Charlie Frye

50 votes

1043 votes | Poll has closed

Previewing the Kansas City Chiefs 2009 Schedule: Week 2

Chris Thorman — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:49:32 -0000

OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 30: Larry Johnson #27 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second half against the Oakland Raiders during an NFL game on November 30, 2008 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

View full size photo »

On September 20th, the Oakland Raiders (5-11) will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs (2-14). This will be the Chiefs first AFC West opponent of the year, while Oakland will be in the middle of three straight divisional games to start off the season. They play San Diego in Week 1 and Denver in Week 3.

Last season, when the Kansas City Chiefs played the Oakland Raiders in Week 2, the fans got their first indication that something was seriously wrong with our football team. On 47 rushing attempts that day, the Raiders ran for 300 yards and 14 first downs. QB Jamarcus Russell only completed six passes on seventeen attempts. The Chiefs didn't even score until there was four minutes left in the game. And we gave up a Raider touchdown after that, making the final score 23 to 8.

Needless to say, it was a rough day to be a Chiefs fan.

But as a consolation, the Oakland Raiders 2009 off season has made it tough to be an Oakland Raider fan. It hasn't been the comedy of errors that we've seen play on in Denver but we're talking about Al Davis here. We're talking about the league's second worst run defense and an owner who has done virtually nothing to address the problem.

After the jump, we take a look at what the Raiders have done this off season to improve their team and then we'll examine how this Week 2 match up in Kansas City may go down.

2008 Season Snapshot

The 2008 Oakland Raiders finished the season ranked 29th in both points and yards gained per game, 32nd in passing yards and 10th in rushing yards per game. Their defense didn't fare much better over the long haul. Oakland finished 2008 24th in points allowed; 27th in yards allowed; 10th in passing yards allowed; and finally 31st in rushing yards allowed.

Where the Raiders excelled was rushing the football. They rushed for more than 150 yards in five contests and went over 100 yards rushing in nine games total last year. The rushing combo of Michael Bush, Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas was a potent one, as the team split carries mainly between those three players and amassed nearly 2,000 yards rushing for the season.

With Jamarcus Russell throwing the football last year, the Raiders were absolutely terrible in the passing game. Russell passed for over 200 yards only three times and passed under 150 yards a game nine times.

Much like the Chiefs did, the Raiders got killed in the running game last year on defense. The Raiders gave up over 2,500 yards rushing on the ground and had a middle of the season stretch where nearly every team destroyed Oakland on the ground.

2009 Off Season Roster Moves

Veteran Signings: QB Jeff Garcia, RB Gary Russell, FB Lorenzo Neal, OT Khalif Barnes, OT Erik Pears, G Marcus Johnson, C Samson Satele, DE Greg Ellis, DT Ryan Boschetti, S Keith Davis.

Draft Picks: WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, SS Michael Mitchell, DE Matt Shaughnessy, WR Louis Murphy, OLB Slade Norris, DE Stryker Sulak, TE Brandon Myers.

Offseason Losses: FB Justin Griffith, WR Ronald Curry, WR Drew Carter, WR Ashley Lelie, OT Kwame Harris, C Jake Grove, DE Kalimba Edwards, OLB Robert Thomas, SS Gibril Wilson, S Rashad Baker.

While Al Davis continues this off season to sign guys with serious knee problems, let's go straight to the source of Raiders fandom over at Silver and Black Pride to get their thoughts on the team's first round pick, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey:

40 YARD DASH TIMES ARE NOT EVERYTHING

This is why we will never win until al davis goes away. if you want fast guys there’s plenty of skiny sprinters in the olympics. WE ARE THE WORST RUN ORG IN THE NFL.

Even if he turns out to be descent picking him at 7 is terrible imo. We could have grabbed a 4th rounder and traded down a dozen spots to snag him. Bah being a Raiders fan on draft day is rough.

So, without going into too much more detail, Raiders fans are quite upset with Al Davis not properly addressing the team's needs through the draft. Through the draft, Oakland did bolster what is quickly becoming one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Despite being a reach, second round pick S Michael Mitchell is highly talented. Top corner Nnamdi Asomugha makes #2 CB Chris Johnson's job that much easier as well.

The team did address part of their offensive line needs through free agency by adding OT Khalif Barnes. As you can see though, the Raiders did pretty much nothing to address that terrible defensive line. Al Davis, at it again.

Darren McFadden #20 of the Oakland Raiders carries the ball as Derrick Johnson #56 of the Kansas City Chiefs defends during the first half of the game on September 14, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Why the Chiefs Will Win

It was clear last season that teams knew what to do against the Raiders - run the football. And with Al Davis doing virtually nothing to fix that problem this off season, the Chiefs' best chance to beat the Raiders in Week 2 is to pound, pound the football. Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles are going to have to combine for at least thirty rushing attempts this game to ensure a Chiefs win. It would make no sense not to attack the Raiders biggest weak point.

Couple that terrible run defense with what will hopefully be an improved and more efficient passing game with Matt Cassel leading the way and the Chiefs should definitley have the Raiders' number on defense. If the team can't produce yards and points against this Raider defense in Week 2, it's going to feel a lot like last season's Week 2 loss in Oakland - demoralizing, depressing and a sad indication of things to come in KC.

The lack of a decent Oakland passing attack will also help the Chiefs win this game. Jamarcus Russell still hasn't impressed really anyone and the addition of WR Darrius Heyward-Bey hasn't exactly put the Raiders over the top in the receiving talent category. If you take a look at the Raiders roster, tell me who exactly besides Heyward-Bey is Russell going to throw to? Javon Walker? TE Zach Miller should see an increase in his production this year. He may end up being Oakland's most reliable target.

Why the Raiders Will Win

By far the biggest reason the Oakland Raiders were able to win one of their two games against the Chiefs last year was their ability to run the football. The Raiders may have been 31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed but the Chiefs were 30th (and not far behind Oakland's average). The Raiders will be looking to do what the Chiefs will be looking to do against them - run the football all day long.

Quarterback Tyler Thigpen #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs is sacked by Derrick Burgess #56 of the Oakland Raiders during the first half of the game on Saptember 14, 2008 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

I'll admit it. A new defensive scheme with hopeful but unproven younger guys makes me scared against Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Justin Fargas. Those three destroyed the Chiefs last year in Week 2 and there really isn't a whole lot, besides the addition of Tyson Jackson, that makes me think the Chiefs will have solved their rushing problems by Week 2.

Also, I know I'm not in the minority when I emphasize how much different this offense is going to look without Tony Gonzalez. I really have no idea what to expect without TG lining up for the Chiefs. I suspect that the loss of TG is going to hurt much more than any of us really want to admit right now. We'll be finding out very early in the season, and especially during Week 2, just how well the Chiefs are going to function without the Hall of Fame tight end.

Finally, the Raiders have a big edge on special teams. Sebastian Janikowski will continue to be a top notch kicker, even if the last few seasons haven't reflected that. Shane Lechler is the NFL's best punter. Plus, Oakland has two great return men in Justin Miller and Johnnie Lee Higgins. Miller returned two kickoffs for TDs last year and Higgins took three punt returns all the way back for scores. One big return by either one of those guys, resulting in a field goal or a touchdown, could be the difference in what I predict is going to be a close game.

My Prediction

I hate admitting this but the Chiefs and Raiders are pretty close in talent level right now. Things could easily change if say our rush defense gels quickly in 2009 but for right now, these two teams are pretty even.

I don't believe that either one of these team's defenses are going to be markedly improved by Week 2. With that said, I'm not predicting a shootout either. Both secondaries could be considered team strengths, which will limit both team's relatively weak passing games. I predict a sloppy game that is decided by one or two defensive breakdowns that result in points for the opposing offense. Looking at last year's Chiefs/Raiders point totals, I predict a 20 to 17 Chiefs win. The Arrowhead Advantage pulls the Chiefs through in a close divisional game.

More...

Previewing Week 1: Baltimore Ravens

AFTER FURTHER REVIEW...: Week 13 -- With a Bullet

Josh from Hollywood — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:00:07 -0000

Welcome to After Further Review..., where we can’t stop laughing when we think about Plaxico Burress, where we still can’t decide if we’re more annoyed or attracted to The "Fills You Up" Girl from the Bud Light commercials, and where we’re ready to bring you the odds, ends, and trends from this weekend's action in the NFL.

But, first things first, let’s get to the news that just can’t wait:

SAFETYWATCH ‘08 UPDATE: Yes, folks, the safety infestation continued to run wild throughout the NFL again this week as yet another safety was recorded -- for the fifth week in a row by my count. The most recent outbreak occured in the Falcons/Chargers game when Phillip Rivers was called for Intentional Grounding in the end zone in the 2nd quarter. Stay tuned -- more updates to follow.

Okay, with that out of the way, now we can go back about our business...

SELF-INFLICTED: I don’t even know what to say about this latest Burress thing. Before this year, he never seemed all that crazy to me -- at least not for a WR. Now, he looks like he’s trying to set a record for crazy. Honestly, I think Burress just realized that all the WR’s who get the biggest publicity are the crazy ones, and wanted to get him some of that.

Seriously, I think sometime this off-season he said to himself: "I just caught the Super Bowl-winning TD, I’m a great receiver, but I just don't get any respect." He got himself a contract extension, but that failed to fill the void that resides in every diva WR. So he got himself suspended -- still nothing.

Then it hit him: "Steve Smith punched out his teammate, Chad changed his name to Ocho Cinco. T.O. tried to kill himself with pills. I need to step up my game... I’ve got it -- I could shoot myself in the leg! Nobody’s ever done that! Then I’ll be the craziest WR ever!"

Burress was already out with a knee injury, and the injury report reads "P. BURRESS -- OUT (KNEE)", but I wish instead of the body part, they list the injury -- like "ACL TEAR". Because when his knee heals but he still can’t play due to being shot, the listing of "P. BURRESS -- OUT (THIGH)" just doesn’t tell the story like "P. BURRESS -- OUT (GUNSHOT WOUND)" would.

Then again, that point might be moot. NBC’s Peter King called it the "A 23 million dollar gunshot wound", referring to the non-guaranteed portion of Burress’s contract, and intimating the Giants might drop him as soon as the first chunk of that (for $1 million) is due on December 10th. That decision could be complicated by the fact Burress is reportedly facing gun charges. So it appears we may find out very soon just how much New York is willing to forgive in exchange for Burress's talent.

I think the biggest thing to come out of this whole thing is the realization that the Giants appear to be completely distraction-proof. They are 11-1, have won seven straight -- six against winning teams -- and have proven to be unaffected by injury, suspension, and now gunfire. Honestly, I think the only way to keep this team from winning is to blow up the team bus in the parking lot before they can get off.

Side note: I loved that NBC sent Tiki Barber on assignment out to Washington to cover the game, just so he could use his status as ex-teammate to get some on-camera quotes about the Burress situation from some Giants players. The highlight was Tiki delivering this breathless update from FedEx Field: "There’s been some reports that Derrick Ward was the third Giant player at scene, but I found out it was actually Ahmad Bradshaw."

Wait, so it wasn’t that one backup RB who was there but didn’t have anything to do with the incident, it was that other backup RB who was there but didn’t have anything to do with the incident? Thank god you were there to clear that up for us, Tiki!

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: If you missed the Pats/Steelers game this weekend, then you might want to check out this clip showing one of the very hardest hits I’ve ever seen. It may not have been completely ethical, it drew a flag, and will likely get tagged with a fine, but Ryan Clark’s de-cleater on Wes Welker over the middle has to go down as the most violent hit of the year so far. If you listen closely, you can hear Welker's I.Q. dropping as his head whiplashes back against the turf. The NFL: celebrating attempts to maim since 1922.

L.T. VS. M.T.: A ll the talk surrounding Michael Turner in his first year with Atlanta has been that he’s a breakout performer coming into his own. All the talk about LaDainian Tomlinson this season has been that he’s lost explosiveness and seems to be on the downside of his career. Though I agree Turner has been great , and LT has been just a shadow of his former self, it seemed ironic to me that they came into their game with the exact same amount of total yards from scrimmage (1,088) -- though much of that has to do with Turner’s shocking lack of receiving yards (11). I think that says a lot about expectations.

Sunday, it was another story. Or rather, it was the perceived story all along -- Turner dominated the game on the ground (31 carries and 120 yards, leading to a 35 minute time of possession for Atlanta), while LT struggled (14 carries, 24 yards -- though he did add 42 receiving yards). Atlanta’s 22-16 win kept the 8-4 Falcons in the heat of the playoff chase and put the final nail in 4-8 San Diego’s 2008 season.

Going forward, it appears Atlanta's only getting better. Meanwhile, San Diego, which failed to find a suitable trade for Turner before last season, has to wonder whether their window to win is closing. The RB position is a good example of this -- LT is still very good, but not good enough to keep a Super Bowl favorite from collapsing. Turner, on the other hand, is three years younger, has 2000+ less carries worth of wear and tear on his legs, and his best days still ahead.

In the end, this could be another Brees/Rivers situation, where San Diego may end up wondering if they made the right choice -- or how they might have at least better maximized the trade potential.

THE JOHN MCENROE "YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!" AWARD GOES TO...: The Oakland Raiders, for faking a 42-yard FG in the 2nd quarter of their game with the Chiefs so they could have their punter toss the ball to Sebastian Janikowski for a run on 4th and 10. There are so many things wrong with this idea, I don’t even know where to start. And that doesn’t even take into account the result fo the play: a fumble, recovered by Kansas City and returned for a TD -- a 10 point swing in a game the Raiders lost, 20-13.

Why make this call? Seriously, it’s so dumb, it actually makes me angry -- and I hate the Raiders. I could spend all day listing reasons why this was a bad choice, but I’ll just stick to my top three: 1) If you’re going to run a fake, 4th and 10 doesn’t seem like a real effective time to do it. Why not at least wait for a 4th and 5? 2) The FG was a relative chip shot for Janikowski, and the game was tied, so the game situation certainly didn’t call for it. 3) Janikowski is a fat ass, and was probably drunk at the time.

X-FACTOR: I’m not sure how much longer I can put personal favorite Peyton Hillis in this spot. Not because he’s not good enough, but because he’s too good. You can’t really be an "X-Factor" if you’re one of your team’s most prominently featured players, and Hillis is quickly becoming that. This week, he was not only Denver’s starting RB, but took each and every one of Denver’s 22 handoffs (What happened to the Mike Shanahan signature back rotation which has caused so many fantasy owners to curse his name to the heavens?). After a 129 yard day, and his third straight week with a TD, I don’t see any reason why he won’t be an every down back going forward.

LIES, DAMN LIES, & STATISTICS: QB’s are often judged on wins and losses, and while it’s slightly more fair than doing the same to evalute pitchers in baseball, the practice is still quite flawed. The Packers/Panthers game provided a good example of this: Aaron Rodgers was 26/45, 298 yards, 3 TD/1 INT, but still saw his team fall to 5-7 and likely out of the playoff chase, while Jake Delhomme (12/17, 177 yards, 0/0) was a winner despite -- or because of -- being asked to carry much less of the load.

GOAT OF THE WEEK: The Packers took the devastating loss despite outgaining the Panthers both on the ground and through the air, and dominating the time of possession. One of the big reasons was a huge mistake late in the game by Charles Woodson, a veteran who should know better.

The Packers led 31-28 with just 1:48 left as Carolina took over on its own 45. Woodson covered Steve Smith on a deep route down the seam, but got underneath help from LB Brandon Chillar, who stayed just a step behind behind Smith 50 yards downfield. So with that support, all Woodson had to do was not let Smith get behind him -- and he didn’t, staying a step ahead until right when Delhomme’s pass arrived. And that’s when he got greedy.

Woodson tried to be the hero, reaching up for the interception. But instead of leaping up to grab it at its highest point, he faded away from contact, failing to shield Smith from the ball. Smith took advantage, leaping up and snatching the ball away. Woodson then fell so far from the play, it was Chillar who had to track down Smith at the 1-yard line to make the tackle.

The Panthers didn’t actually take the lead until the next play, but Smith’s 54 yard grab was the play which essentially cost the Packers the lead, and ultimately the game. It’s the second game in a row where the Packers DB’s came up short in a crucial game. If they miss the playoffs they should know exactly where to place the blame.

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS: Every season there seems to be one week where all of a sudden it’s winter, and weather and field conditions become a major factor. This week was that week. Suddenly Sunday, it was the time of year when snow flurries, whipping winds, and driving rainstorms have major impacts on games. When where a team is playing can sometimes be just as important as who they’re playing.

The snow in Green Bay didn’t stop the teams from putting up 66 points. But the rain in New England, New York, Cleveland, Buffalo and Tampa seemed to affect play -- lots of fumbles, drops, and players slipping. The scores seemed to be affected as well, as two games were won by a team scoring 10 points -- 49ers 10, Bills 3 and Colts 10, Browns 6. Not surprisingly, dome teams saw their offense sputter. The Colts didn’t score an offensive TD, and Peyton Manning threw for just 125 yards (his lowest total in any non-final game of the year in three seasons) and 2 INT’s. The Saints were plagued by drops and slipping as they put up only 20 points and flubbed away their final chances to win.

It’s only going to get colder from here on out, which is good news for guys like me, who immediately find a game 200% more watchable when it starts snowing.

PATRIOTS SMACKED: The Patriots aren’t what they used to be, but they’re still one of the very last teams you’d expect into a pathetic heap at home in a late-season game with major playoff implications. But that’s exactly what they did against the Steelers on Sunday, fumbling and bumbling away a 10-10 halftime score into a 33-10 embarrassment.

Some signs of trouble emerged early, as twice Randy Moss dropped crucial passes to kill drives -- the first a deep crossing pattern at midfield, the second a sure TD pass in the final minute of the 1st Half. Even after the second drop, the Pats were tied at 10, and had a chance to take the lead going into the half, but Stephen Gostkowski shanked a short FG, and New England was denied.

In the second half, everything crumbled around them -- there were more drops, Matt Cassel (19/39, 169 yards, 0 TD/2 INT, 2 fumbles) wasn’t nearly as sharp as he had been the last two weeks, and they coughed up an amazing three fumbles in the space of just nine touches in the 3rd quarter. All while Belichick stood on the sideline, looking out from under his wet hoodie like a man with no answers.

The loss drops the Pats to 7-5, tied with Miami, one game out of both first place in the AFC East and also the last wild card spot (Baltimore and Indy are both 8-4). The good news for them is their upcoming schedule: Seattle next week and the Raiders after that.

X’S & OH’S: John Madden had the two best lines of the day. First, talking about Darren Sharper’s ugly attempt to tackle Devin Hester on the slant he too 65 yards for a TD vs. Minnesota: "Sharper has to make that tackle right there. I mean Hester made him look like he’d never played before."

Then, talking about how Chicago's defenders like to try to strip the ball : "The Bears have the best strippers in the league."

7 BURNING QUESTIONS:

1. Did you realize while you were scarfing down turkey and watching the Cowboys win on Thanksgiving, that the Niners were being eliminated from Wild Card contention? (It's true -- even if they win out and everything else breaks right, they would still lose a tie-breaker to Dallas.)

2. What was I thinking taking the Saints, a one-dimensional passing team against a team with a as good a defense as Tampa without even checking the weather (which was rainy)?

3. With the job Tony Sparano is doing improving Miami (7-5), along with the John Harbaugh engineering a turnaround for Baltimore (8-4), will we begin to see more new head coaches who’ve never been a coordinator in the NFL?

4. Did you know that on 4th down only the player who fumbles a ball can recover and advance it? (The Colts found this out the hard way when Peyton Manning ran a QB sneak on 4th and goal, fumbled and then saw Dallas Clark recover for a TD, only to have the refs disallow it and award the ball to Cleveland.)

5. Can anyone out there honestly say they predicted three NFC South teams would make the playoffs? (If the season ended today that’s what would happen.)

6. Has anyone ever seen their QB dissipate faster than Cleveland’s? (Two weeks ago, they started Quinn and backed him up with Anderson, next week they’ll start Ken Dorsey and back him up with some guy off the street -- Is Tim Couch still available?)

7. Since I’m already ragging on Cleveland: Is there a funnier sight in sports than Romeo Crennel running down the sideline waving his arms to get a timeout? (Follow-up question: If Crennel’s your head coach, shouldn’t you assign him a Designated Runner who’s shape doesn’t remind one of a Weeble?)

GAME TO WATCH IN WEEK 14: Tampa Bay (9-3) at Carolina (9-3) for 1st place in the NFC South on Monday night.

GAME TO NOT WATCH IN WEEK 14: Oakland (3-9) at San Diego (4-8) for 3rd place in the AFC West on Thursday night.

Something tells me not too many cable companies are going to get angry calls from viewers who are pissed they can't see this game on the NFL Network. In fact, they might even get a few thank you cards.

The pick: CHARGERS

Raiders @ Saints: The View from Section 108

Saintsational — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:33:55 -0000

This one was a good one. Pure domination. The Saints were all business and steamrolled over a weak Raider team. Actually, the game went very quickly and was a little boring compared to last week's nail biter.

Make the jump to check out my initial observations in no particular order. I just got back from the game and haven't looked at anything yet so take this with a grain of salt.

Colston was not introduced as a starter. Maybe next week.
Today was former Saintsation day. All of the former Saintsations reunited for this game and watched it from seats on the field. This means, of course, that I got a chance to see Renny of Big Brother fame.
The giveaway for today's game was a foam stick. Very phalic if you ask me. While we're on the subject...I will never understand those people who hoard the free giveaways. I know the economy is bad but these cheap items will not be used to replace American currency if the dollar continues to tank.
The Saints secondary missed a couple of interceptions opportunities, particularly safeties Josh Bullocks and Roman Harper.
On Weatherfords first punt he made a nice hit on the returner, up-ending him.
Following a nice 29 yards catch by Mark Campbell he is shaken up and slow to get up. Somewhere Stujo4 is laughing. Fortunately Campbell would be fine.
There was confusion in the crowd around me after Mehlhaff’s first field goal attempt. It looked like he had made it but obviously did not. Not sure what to make of Mehlhaff at this point. He kicked one into the endzone and went 2/3. Not sure if he is the next Morten Andersen but I'm sure we will find out sooner rather than later.
Reggie’s numbers actually weren’t that great, particularly on the ground, but he is turning out to be quite a playmaker and defenses need to account for him. He got a great block from the ref on his second touchdown.
Deuce had another solid game. I think it is safe to say that he is back and I see no reason why we shouldn't continue to see more and more of Deuce running the ball up the middle. It makes Reggie and Drew so much more effective.
The Raiders did a good job containing Reggie on punt returns with very high kicks and decent coverage. Fortunately, you can’t stop Reggie you can only hope to contain him.
The Saints defense initially looked poor. The Raiders seemed to convert easily on key third downs. After a slow start, however, the defense picked it up and played a great game. Fargas and McFadden were extremely limited. The Saints have become quite adept that stopping very good running backs.
I think we might have to accept the fact that Payton is going to be hard headed about Reggie with regards to running him between the tackles. Personally, I think his touches in those situations should be very limited but coach continues to try and fit a square peg in a round hole. Maybe it’s purely to mislead defenses?
The Saints put together a masterful 18 play, 86 yard, 10 minute drive capped by a Reggie Bush run for a touchdown to put them ahead 7-3. That Saints never looked back.
Brees put up ridiculous numbers. He is not even human! Where would we be without him? Seriously?
Janikowski has a hell of a leg. Fortunately its not very accurate. Those 53 and 57-yard attempts had the distance.
The turnover streak is over!!
My waving hand made the corner of the Jumbotron as they put members of my section up on the screen.
How good is Jonathan Vilma? He is all over the place. I feel like I say this every week but he was a steal this offseason.
It was at about the middle of the game when I realized that I never set my fantasy football rosters or make my weekly pick'em picks. Gil Fenerty...you're welcome!!
While it didn’t affect the game like last week, the officiating seemed a little lacking again. A couple of calls that appeared to be penalties went unnoticed. The refs were loudly booed off the field yet again following the first half because the crowd felt there was still enough time on the clock to kick a field goal.
Halftime saw a team of children play football against a collection of mascots including ones from the Saints, Zephyrs, Voodoo, LSU and, randomly, the Miami Dolphins. The mascots lost.
Guess who got a pick off? Everyone’s favorite cornerback Jason David.
Bobby McCray got himself 2 sacks today. McCray has 3 tackles for the entire season. All of them are sacks. The Saints defense had a tough time taking the very large JaMarcus Russell down however, and could only do so late in the game.
Russell has a cannon of an arm and overthrew his receivers more than a couple of times.
Aaron Stecker continued his comeback from injury by getting himself a touchdown. I like Aaron.
Lance Moore had another great game as Drew Brees’ favorite receiver. Though he did drop one, Lance did a great job getting open and making tough catches. Meachem didn’t even make the box score. Henderson also came up big on his two catches.
Quite a few Raider fans came out to support their team in the Dome. Behind me was a loud-mouthed Raider fan who talked trash about Reggie Bush and the Saints kicking woes through the first quarter. Didn’t hear much from him after the second quarter. There were also 2 Raider fans sitting in front of me but being respectful and polite. Unfortunately for them, the two parentless 10 years olds sitting next to them weren’t so respectful. In the fourth quarter the kids continued to sarcastically ask the pissed off Raider fans how they were doing, taunting, teasing and poking them with their foam penis. Funny kids. Poor guys.
On the ride home, the streetcar I was riding hit a car full of Saints fans that had cut in front of it on Lee Circle. The car pulled over to assess damage and maybe wait for the police. The streetcar just kept going.

Tailgating.

More tailgating.

That's a Norman Hand jersey, not Hollis "Spongebob Squarepants" Thomas.

Autographed Brees jersey up for auction.

More items up for auction.

Mehlhaff missing his first NFL field goal attempt.

Reggie's first touchdown.

Karney laying into a Raider defender.

Mehlhaff after his first NFL field goal.

Here is the roll call for the open thread. Great job guys. Thanks for coming out!

Name	# of Posts
dell00	36
SpindianSaints	27
xen-cuts	21
FrenchFreak	19
SaintBevo	15
BayouRebel	13
stujo4	3
MattHaggard	2
kssaints	2
TAYDIGGA	1
SSreporters	1

Poll

Who is the player of the game?

Drew Brees

70 votes

Reggie Bush

3 votes

Deuce McAllister

1 votes

Lance Moore

1 votes

Jonathan Vilma

7 votes

Entire defense

17 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

Tuesday Notes: Jon Kitna Looking Healthy

Sean Yuille — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:32:43 -0000

According to the Free Press, Jon Kitna practiced yesterday and didn't look injured at all.
Rod Marinelli isn't acknowledging that he is a lame-duck coach and claims to not even know what the phrase means. Well, Rod, basically it means you're coaching on a temporary basis until a new general manager is hired and he brings in his own guy. There's a long way to go until we get to that point, but Marinelli probably won't be back next season if a new GM is hired, so he's like a substitute teacher in a sense.
Matt Millen apparently was at the Lions' headquarters in Allen Park on Monday. I assume he was there to pick up his belongings or something like that as there is no other reason for him to be there anymore.
The Lions haven't received any phone calls about trading Roy Williams and they don't plan on making any, either.
The Free Press has a photo gallery of the Lions' first practice without Matt Millen.
The Raiders finally fired Lane Kiffin. Al Davis didn't even do it in person and "fired him without pay." I'm sure Kiffin and his agent will do everything they can to get the money he is owed, especially considering how rude Davis was throughout the entire process.
Before Kiffin was fired, he sent Sebastian Janikowski out to kick a 76-yard field goal at the end of the first half of Sunday's game against the Chargers.
The halftime entertainment for the 2009 Super Bowl will be Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier, who was shot 14 times earlier this month, is paralyzed from the waist down and had his left leg amputated as a result of the shooting.