SB Nation User Blog: TheRaiderWay

Talkin' With Tyvon - #10

TheRaiderWay — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:52:19 -0000

Greetings Raider Nation and the Silver and Black Pride community! I am pleased to bring to all of you the 10th installment in the series, Talkin' With Tyvon, from Raiders starting strong safety Tyvon Branch.

With the Raiders having entered their bye-week, Tyvon was good enough to answer some questions and provide some insight into the Chargers game before he takes a well deserved short break. Tyvon and the Raiders will be back in action on November 18th when they face the Kansas City Chiefs at the Coliseum.

The Community is invited to pose some questions for Tyvon in the comments section and he will do his best to get as many of them answered as quickly as possible:

Hello Raider Fans!! Thanks for all the support over the weeks. We tried to get the intensity back where it needs to be this week. We needed to make a few more plays and stop them from their long passing game. Going into the bye this week we can evaluate and hopefully get healthy. Getting some of our dinged up guys back on the field will hopefully get us going on the right track. We have eight games left to turn this around.

TB

SABP: I know players only like to count victories as the result from the scoreboard and not moral ones, but you and the defense had to at least be satisfied that the Raiders played a hard fought and competitive game. Did the way the defense played against the Chargers give you all hope going into the bye you will regroup and come out strong for the 2nd half of the season?

TB: Moral victories do not get us into the playoffs, and counting them just means you didn't win. Having two wins at this point of the season is not where we want to be. We need to build off the things we do well and remove the things that are slowing our progress. Hopefully this bye week will allow us to recoup and get some things going for the second half of the season.

SABP: The bye week I'm sure will be used to get everyone healthy, but will you use the extra time to work through some of the problems that have plagued the team for the first part of season?

TB: Definitely. We have a lot to work on. We just need to stay focused and get better.

SABP: Once again, great job Tyvon, you really showed up big AGAIN last week. You led the team in tackles and you played the receivers and Gates as well as anybody. I an wondering though, what happened on CJ's interception return? Did you give him a little grief for just tossing you to the ground?

TB: Oh man...did he ever. He ran me over. I was slowing up trying to set and get back for him and he comes and runs me over. I felt as if I rolled 10 yards. After watching that on film I will know to stay out of his way from now on.

SABP: Your size and speed are starting to get noticed around the league. Are starting to feel more comfortable with the speed of the game and the league in general that you are able to maximize your skills and play on pure instinct?

TB: Definitely. Last year I was starting to feel more comfortable then I got hurt. Now I am starting to recognize things quicker and make better football plays. Experience and comfort level are important to really play a pure instinct.

Thanks Tyvon, have a good bye week and look forward to you coming back and cracking the Chiefs.

Oakland Raiders Football:Pre-Game Thread Week 8

TheRaiderWay — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 13:13:07 -0000

More photos » by Tony Avelar - AP

Um, maybe now that I am coming in at 6:30 in the morning I might learn some things that I should have already known that will keep from getting benched today. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

Browse more photos »

Oakland at San Diego

Regular Season Week 6

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers

Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, CA

When: 1:05 p.m. PDT

2009 Records: Raiders (2-5), Chargers (3-3)

History: Oakland leads the series 54-43-2

Head Coaches: Tom Cable (Raiders) and Norv Turner (Chargers)

Raiders Radio: Listen live on KSFO 560 AM

Television: CBS

Line: Chargers by 17 points

SB Nation Raiders vs Chargers Preview here

The Raiders had four "3-and-out" drives against the Jets and now have 31 total on the season -- the most for any team in the league. During the "Bed & Breakfast" 2006 team, with Aaron Brooks at QB, it wasn't thought possible that an offense or QB could play worse. Well, last week, Russell 6-11 for 61 yards and 2 Interceptions, pretty much brings the this Raiders offense right on par with the 2006 team.

Now the Raiders tumble into San Diego to face the team that has now defeated them 12 straight times. The Raiders have been playing sort of a Jekyll & Hyde, with their strange ability to follow a promising win with a demoralizing, blowout loss. So, now after the 38-0 drubbing by the Jets last week, what are we to expect from the Raiders against the Chargers?

What is clear now, is that this team looses confidence quickly and realizes that when they are way down, that there is little hope of coming back. Starting with the very first play of the game against the Jets, Russell's fumble took the wind right out of the Raiders defense. Now the thing to see is how he will respond to his benching and sudden, apparent realization that "some" of the Raiders' problems are actually his fault. So if the Raiders are going to have any chance today, it's going to start with ALL the players executing the game plan, protecting the ball and not loosing confidence. In order for the team not to quit on themselves, they will be looking to Russell to really see if he is going to be the one who can lead them.

For the Chargers, it still may be to late to catch the Broncos, but they are playing better after their typical slow start and have now really become a passing team. Despite their struggles on the ground, San Diego has had little trouble scoring this season, averaging 26.8 points. The Chargers' defense, however, had given up an average of 27.2 points before holding the Chiefs to 203 yards. San Diego is also starting to get healthy, which still cannot be said for the Raiders, probably until after the bye. The Raiders will once again be without the services of Chaz Schilens and probably not Gallery. They will also once again, adventurously, start Khalif Barnes at right tackle, with his career one game of experience on the right side.

Beyond the obvious key that the Raiders offense needs to do SOMETHING, the Raiders defense needs to play that same aggressive, hard-hitting defense they played for the first 58 minutes of the opener. With the Chargers going more to the pass now,one great match up watch will be the one between Antonio Gates and Tyvon Branch.

So Raider Nation, what are your thoughts, your keys to this game and how do you think the Raiders will respond coming off of the shut out loss at home to the Jets last week?

Poll

After the humiliating defeat at home against the Jets, what are your expectations for today's game against San Diego?

They will play the same as the did against the Giants and Jets and get blown out

40 votes

They will take the Jets game personally, show they have pride, not quit and play a very competitive game

37 votes

As long as Russell starts, they will be doomed

53 votes

The benching of Russell was a wake up call and he will respond by giving the Raiders a chance to win

27 votes

I wonder how many Raiders fans will be in the crowd today

26 votes

183 votes | Poll has closed

Talkin' With Tyvon - #9

TheRaiderWay — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:30:01 -0000

Greetings Silver and Black Pride community! I am pleased to bring to all of you the 9th installment in the series, Talkin' With Tyvon, from Raiders starting strong safety Tyvon Branch.

Just when we thought that the Giants game was the worst possible game, we had last week's game with the Jets. Thankfully, Tyvon is man enough to come back here following the ugliness of that game to answer your questions.

The Community is invited to pose some questions for Tyvon in the comments section and he will do his best to get as many of them answered as quickly as possible:

Hey Raider fans....it was a tough week. First off sorry about not getting in to answer the questions. I will be sure to answer the questions for this week. It was a tough game Sunday. After the big win with Philly we should have played better. Hopefully we will be able to rev up the intensity this week and play well against San Diego.

TB

SABP: The loss to the Jets was the worst loss at home in franchise history. It's understandable that the defense would be discouraged by having to start the 2nd play of the game after a turnover backed up at your own 5 yard line. What are your thoughts as to what the game got out of hand so quickly and why the momentum of the Eagles game did not carry over to the Jets game?

TB: We had a great week of practice, and I thought we would come out of the gate firing. Things went south quick and it was hard to recover. When the Jets got that initial boost of confidence they put it to us.

SABP: The Jets amassed 316 yard on the ground, an incredible figure, especially since they did what everyone thought they would do coming into this game, run. With the Raider defense in a one-gap set, it theoretically would be up to the individual player to maintain their assignments, execute and make tackles. From your perspective, knowing the Jets were going to run the way they did, what was the principle reasons for the failure to manage their run game?

TB: They blocked extremely well and through some schemes in there we had not seen before. We need to learn to recognize this quicker and adapt. No excuses in this league.

SABP: Once again you led the team in tackles. This is great from the perspective that the Raiders have a strong safety than actually can tackle, but not so good that you have to be making all of those tackles. Do you think at this point that there needs to be some adjustments in the scheme to better match the personnel the Raiders have and put the defense in a better position to succeed?

TB: The coaches continue to try new things every week. Whether you guys can notice them or not, there are some significant changes happening within the schemes. Right now we need to build on the positives and learn from the negatives.

SABP: You have Antonio Gates once again with your game down in San Diego just before the bye week. It would be great to go down there and get one back from them after the opener and go into the bye with a win and get healthier. How do you see the preparation for you and the defense for this game following the kind of loss you had to the Jets and knowing this is the 2nd game against the Chargers?

TB: It is one of those things where we will watch film and learn. We know what worked to open the season and we will revisit some things and how they exploited certain situations. Going into the bye with a win would be huge for this team.

Thanks Tyvon and good luck down in San Diego.

SABP here to Answer Your Raiders Questions

TheRaiderWay — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:19:50 -0000

Please rec this FanPost so that it stays at the top of the site until Sunday. - John

Oakland at San Diego

Hello Charger fans, TheRaiderWay here to answer your questions about this week's game or about the Raiders in general.

We are hoping now for a competitive game like the season opener and not the blowouts similar to 2 of the last 3 games. The Raiders will be heading into the bye-week and this team needs to show its fans that they care and can be competitive. After the debacle against the Jets, the raiders response in this week's game should be fascinating.

Jets @ Raiders 2nd-Half Game Thread

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:34:52 -0000

24-0 Jets. Can the Raiders do anything to salvage this and keep it from getting any uglier then it is?

If so, it's now up to Bruce Gradkowski to do it.

Talkin' With Tyvon - #8

TheRaiderWay — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:15:05 -0000

Greetings Silver and Black Pride community! I am pleased to bring to all of you the 8th installment in the series, Talkin' With Tyvon, from Raiders starting strong safety Tyvon Branch.

Following the big upset win this past Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles, Tyvon, clearly encouraged by the way his team performed along with the intensity that accompanied it, has returned to our Community to answer your questions.

The Community is invited to pose some questions for Tyvon in the comments section and he will do his best to get as many of them answered as quickly as possible:

Hello Raider Fans! It was a great win for us this past week. The Eagles had a lot of weapons, and I think we did a great job of slowing down their attack. I think our confidence is growing, and we look forward to playing the Jets this weekend. We are watching a lot of film and our confident in our ability. I think our intensity was where it needed to be, and we look forward to bringing it out again this week.

TB

SABP: Congratulations Tyvon on a great win against the Eagles. It seems the team played an inspired and passionate game against the Eagles, the complete opposite from the previous week against the Giants, where afterward, LB Antonio Pierce said playing the Raiders was like "playing a scrimmage". Did the Pierce comments play any part in firing-up and motivating the team to really bring it Sunday?

TB: Things like that are a motivator to a point. We are all proffessionals, but if that is how he felt after the game, then we need to step it up. No one likes to be talked down upon, and that gave us some spark to get after it last weekend. Now we have to carry it over.

SABP: Everyone was surprised, especially the Eagles, about the defense which the Raiders threw at them Sunday. There were frequent blitzes, mixing in the Cover 2 and zone blitzes. First of all, was that defense fun for you? Secondly, will we be seeing more of that kind of defense from the Raiders throughout the season?

TB: That defense was fun. As a defender it is always good to be able to switch it up and run around a little more. I think it keeps the intensity up. We are definitely keeping our options open, and will tailor our defense to the team we are playing each week.

SABP: When the Raiders took the lead in the game, did the defense recall the many previous games where the team let up a bit and became less aggressive but now this time played a full 60 minutes of aggressive football?

TB: You know that is interesting because one thing we talk about out there is just keeping up the intensity and not letting the past repeat itself.

SABP: I noticed that you were not exclusively covering Celek the TE on Sunday and actually rolled over and covered the Eagles wide receivers on a few occasions. Was that a result of what the Eagles were running or the new defensive scheme employed by John Marshall?

TB: It was a mix of both. We saw some things on film and changed things up. Also, what we had been doing has not been super successful, so it is important to always give different looks.

SABP: The reeling Jets are coming to town with their rookie quarterback. Does the team now feel they can build off of the Eagles game and play the same level on a consistent basis for the rest of the season?

TB: Building off a win is something we always look to do. Each week we just try to get one game better. Consistency has been a bit of a problem, and we look to keep that going.

Thanks Tyvon and looking forward to another win Sunday against the Jets.

Oakland Raiders Post Game Community Poll & Report: RAIDERS WIN RAIDERS WIN!!!

TheRaiderWay — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:17:41 -0000

Wow, what a game! Losing the way that the Raiders have been losing these last three weeks, NOBODY could have thought that the Raiders, a 14 point home underdog, would beat the Eagles.

They did so by actually outscoring the Eagles. They outscored the Eagles because the defense held the Philadelphia to 3 field goals! I said before the game that all I was looking for from this game was a certain effort that proved the team cared and could display the kind of pride that is representative of a professional football team. It's one thing when your pride is challenged by the media and the fans, but when your pride and character is challenged by one of your peers, as was the case last week by NY Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, it's quite another. Pierce said playing the Raiders was like playing a scrimmage, so the Raiders responded this week in the wake of those comments with the kind of pride and character that befit a professional football team that cares. The inspired play and passion, to me, is as important as the win was.

The game itself was incredible just from the standpoint that the Raiders lost the turnover battle and had Russell completing two short passes to wide receivers. The patchwork offensive line held up and the running game finally appeared, but wins are going to be hard to come by if they can't get their wide receivers much more involved. Hopefully Schilens is back for the Jets and will be able to elevate the entire wide receiver unit's play.

But the defense, that's where this game was won and they surprised everyone, especially the Eagles with scheme they brought Sunday. It sounds from the reports from the post game that Al finally let the coaches and players play the kind of defense that they wanted. I offer you these choice quotes from the locker room:

"They did some things that we weren’t really expecting," Justice said, "some stuff that they really didn’t show the first couple game, and we were caught by surprise. We didn’t see the stuff they were doing on tape. They didn’t blitz as much as they did this game. It was a shock. " Eagles offensive lineman Winston Justice

"I don't know if you guys noticed it," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha helpfully informed reporters after the Raiders' 13-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at the Oakland Coliseum. "We were in the (Cover-)2 (defense), double coverage, blitzing with it, every snap."

"They're known for playing man coverage," McNabb said. "They dropped back in a lot of zone, more zone than we've seen in the early games. They came up with more of a blitz package today. They were able to get pressure."

"I'm sure they thought we were sorry and didn't want to play," defensive end Trevor Scott said.

"We looked at the film last week and knew that we didn't show up to play," Seymour said. "We got embarrassed. We just said, 'Hey, let's come out this week.' If we all put it together, then we could do something good."

"This time, I guess it worked out just because we knew the type of weapons that they had, and he said he was going to do it," Asomugha said. "Maybe he’ll see that it actually works, and we’ll stick on it. He said that he might get yelled at for it, but he’ll keep it going." Nnamdi Asomugha speaking about defensive coordinator John Marshall's game plan for the Eagles.

We also cannot forget special teams. The game-altering, field position-changing punting of All-Pro Shane Lechler, who is a true weapon for this team as well as Janikowski's now automatic kicking.

The offense is quite far from playing at a high level, but at least there is finally some progress to hang out hat on. Now the question is whether they can build from this win and carry it over on a consistent basis.

What are your thoughts on the game Nation? Can the Raiders inspired and build from the fundamentals of this game and bring it on a weekly basis?

Poll

What do you think about the Raiders following their stunning victory against the Philadelphia Eagles?

They turned the corner and will now play inspired, competitive football consistently

91 votes

They haven't turned the corner yet, there is still a lot of work to do, but they care

363 votes

If they win again this season, it will only be because of the defense

66 votes

"On any given Sunday", pure luck and the Eagles played a bad game

95 votes

See what happens when Al Davis lets the coaches coach and the players play

281 votes

Other

7 votes

903 votes | Poll has closed

2nd Half Oakland Raiders Game Thread: Eagles @ Raiders

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:40:20 -0000

Raiders up 10-6 incredibly over the Eagles after 1 half.

The Raiders defense is pressuring and they have got to keep it up!!!

GO R-A-I-D-E-R-S!!!!!!!

Oakland Raiders Football:Pre-Game Thread Week 6

TheRaiderWay — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 09:09:53 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Life was much better when I was just coaching the offensive line. The Nation wants be to bench JaMarcus. Hell, I don't even have the authority to bench myself from calling the plays! (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Browse more photos »

Philadelphia at Oakland

Regular Season Week 6

Philadelphia Eagles at Oakland Raiders

Where: Oakland Coliseum

When: 1:05 p.m. PDT

2009 Records: Eagles (3-1), Raiders (1-4)

History: The Philadelphia Eagles lead the all time series 5-4.

Head Coaches: Andy Reid (Eagles) and Tom Cable (Raiders)

Raiders Radio: Listen live on KSFO 560 AM

Television: Fox; Blacked out locally

Line: Eagles by 14 points

SB Nation Eagles vs Raiders Preview here.

WHEN THE RAIDERS HAVE THE BALL:

If the Raiders are the laughingstock of the NFL, then the Raiders offense is the joke at the center of the laughing. If being called out in public by your opponent (Antonio Pierce, NY Giants) isn't enough to motivate you for the next week to take personal responsibility and pride for your profession, then this team should be suspended from playing any further games this season and just be used as a traveling scrimmage team for the rest of the NFL.The Raiders offensive line are going to have to play by far their best game of the season to deal with the Eagles' blitzing on practically down The offensive line is once again patchwork, so Tom Cable is going to have to finally find ways to neutralize the blitz by running some screens, draws and in general open the holes for the running game. Most importantly, Russell needs to have a modicum of pocket awareness to avoid turning over the ball in the face of the heavy blitz. Gary Russell will be making his first start at fullback, so pass protection will be interesting to say the least.

Both Tom Cable and Russell claim to have the blitz well planned for, with Cable saying the Raiders have to execute. The Raiders offense have been unable to execute anything on offense since the first game, so it remains to be seen if they can execute against this defense.

WHEN THE EAGLES HAVE THE BALL:

The Raiders defense has been inconsistent at best all season. They'll have a lot to deal with today with McNabb, Westbrook, wide receiver DeSean Jackson and tight end Brent Celek. Now add to that offense, Jeremy Maclin, who the Raiders passed over in the draft for DHB, had his breakout game last week, finishing with six catches for two touchdowns and 142 yards. The Eagles strength is their passing game and the Raiders are much stronger on pass defense than they are against the run. It will be a case of strength against strength.

The Raiders will have to be disciplined in their defense as McNabb has a talent for scrambling out of the pocket and making things happen with throws downfield. This works against the Raiders as they have a poor habit of over-pursuit and are slow to making adjustments.

What to look for: At this point, all I am looking for is a honest effort from this team and for them to show the Nation that they give a damn. After the recent weeks of pure humiliation, this team needs to show that Pride and Poise is still somewhere in their DNA and give the fans a reason to believe.

What are your thoughts Nation? What are some of the things you are looking for in today's game?

Poll

Pregame Poll: Do you believe that the comments from Antonio Pierce earlier this week will motivate the Raiders today to play with pride and like they care?

Yes

42 votes

No

121 votes

Other

5 votes

168 votes | Poll has closed

The Raiders bring back Langston Walker According to Jerry McDonald, the Raiders have waived...

TheRaiderWay — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:03:37 -0000

The Raiders bring back Langston Walker

According to Jerry McDonald, the Raiders have waived injured starting FB Oren O'Neal to make room on the roster for right tackle Langston Walker. Look for Walker to play immediately at right tackle for injured Cornell Green, replacing last week's ineffective starter Erik Pears. Walker doesn't know the ZBS well apparently, but at least he can block.

McDonald reports, that if O'Neal clears waivers he will be reclaimed and placed on the IR.

JerryMcD on Twitter