It would seem the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell are at a crossoads.

By Steve Corkran:

JaMarcus started 25 of 26 games before his demotion. Will he ever reclaim his status as the Raiders' unquestioned starting quarterback?

"There are a lot of things supposed to be a certain way in this world, but they're not," Cable said of Russell's slow development earlier this season. "Where he is, where he goes with it will, ultimately, be up to him. How good he wants to be (depends on) how much he's willing to, ultimately, put into it."

 

Interviews from several players and insiders that would like to remain anonymous have lead to the following conclusions:

• Managing general partner Al Davis will redouble his efforts to ensure Russell polishes his mechanics, improves his decision-making and works even harder than he did this past offseason, in preparation for reinstalling him as the unquestioned starter. Hence the promotion of Hackett to QB coach.
• Davis will sign a proven quarterback to guide the team until he feels Russell is ready to be the full-time starter. Will that work? Maybe. But again you can only take someone as far as they want to go.

• Davis will attempt to trade for a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback so that the Raiders have a better chance of making the playoffs next season. In turn, Russell will get more time to work on his shortcomings.

So what these all pretty much lead up to is the fact we probably won't be seeing JaMarcus Russell leaving the Raiders anytime soon. But in just 3 short years he will be a free agent. There are a few other reasons. Some point to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, safety Michael Huff and guard Robert Gallery struggling early in their NFL careers and finally taking off in their fourth seasons. Others point to the rebirth of Alex Smith and Vince Young. However, they all wanted to try harder to learn more and get better to get on the field.

We could cut Russell next year with a modest cap hit. He's due to make $9.45 million next season, $9.35 million in 2011 and $5.83 million in 2012. Gradkowski is making $535,000 this season and No. 3 quarterback Charlie Frye $620,000. Both players' contracts expire at season's end.

If the Raiders ask Russell to restructure, that could change everything.

All-Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha believes the problems with the Oakland Raiders defense are simple - as in the defense is too simple.

Traditionally the Raiders play man-to-man defense with with a single high safety, a four-man rush and little blitzing.

"We're a team that chooses to be who we are regardless of who we're playing against and regardless of the matchups or the things that the other team is going to present,'' Asomugha said Wednesday. "We've got one way of doing it and that's what we do, and teams can get us into some tough situations.''

I've said this is part of the problem. If we start opening the play book on Defense like against Philly and Cinci we win games. We have the players on defense to do it. See my post bout the defense steeping up here. The Raiders have allowed an NFL-worst 54 plays that have gone for at least 20 yards, with 15 coming on the ground and 39 through the air. Oakland has also had 79 plays go for negative yardage, one shy of league-leaders Minnesota and Philadelphia, making the Raiders defense an all-or-nothing affair.
Asomugha said he gets a little jealous when he talks to former teammate Charles Woodson about all the different defenses the Green Bay Packers run. He cited an interview by New Orleans coach Sean Payton, who credited his team's defensive turnaround with taking some of the best parts of what many teams do. And he lobbies the coaches so much for those type of changes that they laugh at him when he keeps bringing it up. He said simplicity in itself is not always a problem, citing the success the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had earlier this decade running the Cover 2 on almost every play. But the Raiders apparently don't have the talent to succeed that way.

"Maybe we don't want to be as multiple as other guys, maybe we don't have to be,'' Asomugha said. "We have to prove that we're good enough to win and play well doing the simple things that we're doing. We're not proving that right now. It's not like we proved it last year or we proved it the year before. This is several years now where we haven't been able to get over the hump of winning more than four or five games a year. Maybe you go back and you think about what we're doing and think about ways to fix it.''

So we've had other players come out and criticized the Raiders after they have left for not wanting to blitz and Al Davis taking the blitz out of the plays. But it's been proven when we blitz we win. Even with Kiffin last year, had Ryan not gone into prevent D we would have won the Buffalo game and maybe a couple others. A change in defensive coordinator this season from Rob Ryan to John Marshall has done little to change the problems on defense. The system the team runs is still basically the same one that owner Al Davis has always preferred. But when he let's it happen, we win or come close to winning the game.  This is what the game is now.

"The game changes, the game is never going to be the same as it was 10 years ago or five years ago with the rule changes and things like that,'' Asomugha said. "You have to be able to adapt.''

We've all been saying this. The game is not the same as it was.

In Arkansas McFadden may have done everything from rushing to passing to returning kicks, but he has yet to live up to expectations in Oakland.

The Raiders took McFadden 4th overall in the 2008 draft. 27 games later, the Raiders are still looking for ways to utilize him. The Raiders paid him $26 million guaranteed to be a cornerstone of their offense. On Thursday, McFadden spent most of his time lined up wide as a receiver against the Dallas Cowboys. He caught four passes for 43 yards and rushed six times for 23 yards.

McFadden has been injury prone throughout his 2 year career and still collapses easy when hit. McFadden has had to deal with four injuries during his brief NFL career — turf-toe on each foot and a shoulder problem in 2008, causing him to miss three games, and torn knee cartilage this season. The shoulder and knee injuries required surgery.

Tom Cable says about McFadden:

 

"My feeling is Darren brings a lot to the table, I feel like we've got to keep moving forward, trying to figure out what is going to help him be at his best."

Perhaps what he brings to the table is a trade agreement. With Bush, if we can ever get him in the line up, and Fargas running like they have been, it seems McFadden may not be a crucial need for us right now.

Javon Walker wants to be released by the Oakland Raiders.

 

Javon has been injury prone since being a Raider and he feels he's just an after thought right now.

I agree that he's being under used. I think he should be put in instead of DHB. Imagine if Walker went for that catch in the KC game. Could things have been different with experienced hands?

This is some of the places I think that our coaches really mess up. And I'm not sure if it's Cable that doesn't want to activate him or of Davis is upset with him because he had that secret knee surgery during the off season. Javon insists he can play:

 

"(Releasing me) would be nice," Walker, an eight-year veteran, told the newspaper earlier this week. "It's not that I can't play. I can play. From everyone who sees me at practice, I still got it going on."

 

In his career, the former Florida State product has 267 receptions for 4,011 yards with 31 touchdowns.

Oakland owes Walker 4.6 million through 2010.

Here is an article on game grades for the Bengals game.

 

Quarterback: B

Bruce Gradkowski is now 4-9 in his career while starting and 1-0 at the helm of the Silver & Black. His decisiveness, inspiring play and ability to diversify the offense with his accuracy helped the Raider offense churn out yardage when they needed it most and it got them their first second half touchdown in seven games. Gradkowski managed the game well with his feet, evading sacks and getting rid of the ball quickly when all his options were covered and pressure was coming. On the game tying drive, his quick release on a blitz was able to gain 19-yards on 2nd and 4. Then on 4th and 10, he hit an open Chaz Schilens to give the Raiders life. The 29-yard toss to his rookie target was one of the most clutch plays this season.

 

Running backs: C-

After a solid performance last week, Michael Bush could have been a goat today with his fumble in the 3rd quarter. That turnover led to a 25-yard Shayne Graham field goal, which extended the Bengals lead to 17-10. He did average 6.8 yards per carry on his 4 attempts. Darren McFadden played a physical game. He had 9 touches for 25-yards, many of them on earlier downs that helped Gradkowski into manageable down and distances in key drives. Fargas went 8 for 32.

 

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends: B-

Louis Murphy’s lone catch of the game was a 29-yard strike that tied the game with 33 seconds remaining in the game. He worked the cornerback well and was able to adjust to make the reception and bolt into the end zone. Miller went 5 for 65 and a TD. His back-to-back catches; on 2nd and 4 for 19-yards and on 1st and 10 for 9-yards in the game tying drive helped move the chains. Chaz Schilens hauled in a stellar 25-yard pass to start a drive, jumping to snag the football with a cornerback draped on him and a 16-yard catch on 4th and 10 with the game on the line. DHB dropped a crucial 3rd and 2nd, but snagged a 7-yard pass on a 3rd and 3. In the 3rd quarter, the speedy rookie did draw a 19-yard pass interference flag on Leon Hall.

 

O-Line: B

This group played well at times, others they got mixed up in trying to block the varying Bengal blitzes. Gradkowski’s mobility and instant decision making kept Cincinnati from tallying a sack. Robert Gallery mauled the interior of the defensive line during Bush’s 10-yard gain on 3rd and 2 in the 3rd quarter. Cornell Green was mistake free.

 

Defense: B-

The run defense allowed way too many yards (177). But many times, the front-four was able to pressure Carson Palmer.

 

Linebackers: A

Probably the best game the linebackers played all season. Thomas Howard was very active, firing through the line of scrimmage on many stops and covering tailback Brian Leonard on a deep pattern to force an incompletion. Kirk Morrison had his best game of the year with 4-tackles – two behind the line of scrimmage. Sam Williams was in on a turnover that Desmond Bryant facilitated.

 

Secondary: B

This was a Jekyll and Hide game for this unit. Tyvon Branch tallied 12-tackles. He was routinely making stops around the line of scrimmage and in the backfield. On a 3rd and 6 in the 2nd quarter, Branch blitzed, sacked Palmer and forced a fumble when Cincinnati was at the OAK 27-yard line. He did get burned on an Andre Caldwell 17-yard reception in the 1st quarter, but he dove in the end-zone to break up a potential score on a 2nd and goal in the 3rd quarter – a key play as Graham missed a 37-yarder five plays later.

 

Special Teams: A

Rookie tight end Brandon Myers had the play of the game; stripping Caldwell on the game’s final kickoff with seconds remaining and recovering the loose ball at the Bengals 17-yard line. A few plays later, Sebastian Janikowski nailed his second field goal of the game from 37-yards out with 15 seconds remaining, giving Oakland the late victory.

 

Coaching: B

The play calling was significantly different with Gradkowski at quarterback. Oakland tossed the ball 34-times and the offense was pass happy on many drives. Tom Cable’s club looked impressive out of the gate in the 2nd half, putting together a 10-play drive and cutting the Bengals lead to 14-10 after intermission. The blitzing defense was a similar attack they installed against the Eagles, and it kept the often-stationary Palmer moving in the pocket. The team played motivated even after falling behind and they came from behind in front of an empty building.

 

GAME NOTES

• Ochocinco was flagged twice for false starts, playing anxiously in trying to get an edge by releasing early off the line against Oakland’s top-flight cornerback. He finished the game with 4-receptions for 67-yards.
• Gradkowski induced am encroachment penalty with his cadence in the first quarter. In total, the Bengals compiled 8-penalties for 59-yards. The Raiders’ passer facilitated another offside infraction later in the game, but the penalty was declined due to a McFadden 9-yard gain. Gradkowski finished 17 for 34 for 183 yards with an INT and two touchdowns.

Rookie Bernard Scott ran for a season-high 119 yards in place of the injured Cedric Benson. Former Chief Larry Johnson had two carries for 5 yards in his first game as a Bengal.

Jerry McDonald has an article over at Mercury news that praises our Defense:

 

And while Gradkowski's victorious debut in place of JaMarcus Russell, as well as a 10-point burst in a span of 18 seconds, will be the dominant storylines in handing the surprise leaders of the AFC North their third loss of the season, this win was made possible by the Raiders defense.

On the 40 snaps following their second touchdown, Cincinnati's offense gained 150 yards, scored three points, punted four times and had a turnover. Bernard Scott gained 61 of those yards on a single running play. Minus that big play, the Bengals had 89 net yards on 39 snaps.

 

 

Strong safety Tyvon Branch had a monster game with 12 tackles, a sack, two tackles for losses and a pass defensed. With defensive cornerstone Richard Seymour out since the early first quarter with a lower back strain, Jay Richardson stepped in with six tackles and a tackle for loss.

And had it not been for the late touchdown and gift fumble, the defense would have gone unrewarded, as it was seven days before when a Gradkowski-to-Darrius Heyward-Bey pass turned into a Chiefs interception.

 

The Raiders had a total of 11 tackles for negative yardage.

The Raiders brought more and different types of pressure than they have since a 13-9 win over Philadelphia.

 

The Bengals burned the Raiders on blitzes on a handful of early plays, as well as on Scott's 61-yard run, and they never turned off the spigot and went conservative.

``When they open up the playbook and let us change things up, you can see the difference,'' Branch said.

Over at SF Gate there's an interview with Tom Cable about the QB switch.

 

Tom Cable stresses the point that he's not giving up on Russell:

 

Q: You still see JaMarcus as the future of this football team?

A: "That's my hope. This is in no way giving up on the guy. This is just trying to jumpstart this team and really break it down and make a decision based on what gives us the best chance to win.

 

About why Gradkowski:

 

Q: Why Gradkowski over Russell?

A: "Just felt like he would give us the best chance to win, and we need to get to playing better offensively and win football games."

Q: What does Bruce bring to the table?

A: "I just think his leadership, his management, understanding of what we're trying to do, accuracy. Just a lot of those intangible-type things, and give him a chance to get all the reps and go out and build some chemistry with the receivers."

And about the duration of the switch:

Q: Will you go week to week with this?

A: "No, I don't want to be like that. This is where we're headed and what we're gonna do, and he'll take this team and go with it."

And a little hint what he expects of Russell during this:

Q: You want JaMarcus up there on the sideleines talking with you and Bruce during the game?

A: "Absolutely. And he will. That's the one thing I know about the guy, is he's strong that way and he will get through this. And that's why I said, I believe he has a bright future."

 

And how hard it was to make this decision:

Q: Did you agonize over this decision?

A: "It was an easy decision because I feel the responsibility for this football team to give them the best chance to succeed."

There are other questions also. Click on the link above to read the full article.

Per PFT.com:

As widely expected, the NFL will be requiring Raiders coach Tom Cable to undergo an evaluation by a doctor and psychologist in order to determine whether further action is necessary due to possible conditions like substance abuse or anger management, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

The move apparently flows only from the allegations made by defensive assistant Randy Hanson, and not from the allegations recently made by a former wife and a former girlfriend of domestic violence.

Even if Cable has no mental disability that would be protected by law, a mandatory evaluation aimed at determining whether he has a problem could, if the league isn't careful, result in evidence that the league is regarding Cable as having a problem, which would give him protection under California and/or federal disability laws, even if he doesn't actually have a mental disability.

But if all grievances go to the Commissioner, it doesn't really bode well for him if he has to file suit claiming he was screwed over.

Now, and I mean the word the not feminist organization, I do agree with this step, but as some comments from the story I linked state, this should be a consistent league wide, players and coaches, they be asked to be sent to a shrink. Jobs actually provide a way for mental help in a regular world professions, and the NFL should be no different. Especially if there is a mental problem of some sort. And excessive anger could be. And, just like a drug problem, it would be illegal to let someone go over this unless they refuse the offered help. Which leads us back to another post here on S&BP about Cable being fired at the end off the season. And if the shrink that NFL is sending him to determines he has some kind of condition, even if it's mild and not being a total psychotic, that would take some bite out of Davis firing him for cause.

Mercury News has a some what tongue-in-cheek article about picking Cable's replacement:

 

We're here to help with the second half of that next move — lining up a successor. As you know, this gets more challenging with every failed Raiders coaching regime. Once it was easy enough to compile a short list of familiar names and unheralded wunderkinds. These days the short list of men who would even consider the job could be scribbled on the back of a business card.

Ted Tollner. Currently a Raiders assistant, he's available and on-site. That's not the only reason he'd be an ideal battlefield promotion. He's been a head coach at three different levels — junior college (College of San Mateo), college (San Diego State), and semipro (USC). Given that he's currently the team's passing game coordinator, he might be eager for a new assignment. Odds: 9-1.

Paul Hackett. Currently the Raiders quarterbacks coach, he might be even more eager than Tollner for a change of scenery. Served as head coach at Pitt and USC. Odds: 15-1

Joe the Plumber. It's been quite a year for Samuel Wurzelbacher, who rocketed to prominence during John McCain's presidential bid last fall. Ol' Sammy Joe is a hard worker, as evidenced by his desperate struggle to maintain his infamy. Odds: The-biggest-number-you-can-think-of-divided-by-2-1.

Jim Fassel. You know the story. Led the New York Giants to the Super Bowl. Crazy-mad to get another NFL head coaching job. Informed Davis of his interest in the Raiders position in a letter written last fall. Odds: 20-1

Rush Limbaugh. Bitter after being dropped from the group trying to buy the St. Louis Rams, this could be his sweet revenge. Yes, there would be the obligatory jokes about conservative game plans and running to the right. But after blaming his failed bid on "the hatred that exists ... in the sports writer community," his news conferences would be priceless. Then again, he'd have to take a 97 percent pay cut. Odds: 500-1.

Jim Haslett. Briefly a linebackers coach for the L.A. Raiders, he once spoke to Davis about being the head coach in Oakland. Had a respectable six-year run as coach of the New Orleans Saints, and a forgettable 12-game interim slog with the St. Louis Rams. Odds: 50-1

Javon Walker. Hey, you might as well get something for all that money. Odds: 250-1.

The time has come for Tom Cable to make a stand -- the one that gets him fired.

From Ray Ratto:

This might already be done -- the bye week is coming, and Al Davis knows that this season is lost. His quarterback seems to give no earthly damn about his responsibilities, the rest of the team has reduced its Sundays to "Play hard until the other team scores," and the fans have finally made their peace with staying home, as they should.

Thus, Cable can do one of two things -- give in and play Russell in San Diego and let him continue his purposeful and inexorable march to Ryan Leaf-hood, or sit him down knowing that Bruce Gradkowski is a reasonable option only in comparison to Russell and will in any event anger Davis.

This will result in his firing, which is coming sooner or later anyway as the players revert to their natural state as check-cashers who long for the freedom to some day ply their trade in the National Football League. Either Al does it sooner than the bye, bringing out his handy Overhead Projector Of Death to rain down the terror of mid-20th-century technology upon Cable's head, or he waits until the season is over and the boys have produced another get-me-out-of-here 4-12 season.

So if Tom Cable is to go out any way, why not grow a set and go out his way? Let the D blitz more and put Russell down.