Oakland Raiders' Letdown Is Cause for Concern

(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Look on the bright side, Raider Nation. Preseason records are rarely ever a good indication of a team's future success.

Last year, the Lions went undefeated in the preseason, so you can only imagine how the Detroit faithful felt being blindsided by the worst season in NFL history.

Still, the dejected look on Tommy Kelly’s face as he walked back to the sidelines following the point after to make it 31-0 said it all.

The Raiders, a team with such vast potential, who came into the pre-season with good vibes and some nice momentum, have had their proverbial bubble burst.

This isn’t to say though that the season is lost before it has even begun. Hope springs eternal in Oakland and the Raiders have a lot to look forward to in the 2009-2010 campaign.

Given JaMarcus Russell’s improved play this offseason and a weakly perceived AFC West, it’s more than reasonable to believe that the Raiders will finish in the top half of their division.

However, it’s a bitter pill to swallow, this Silver and Black optimism. As former two-time Super Bowl winning Raiders head coach and current analyst Tom Flores expressed, Saturday afternoon’s 45-7 drubbing at the hands of the New Orleans Saints was a flat-out embarrassment.

It’s hard to point out any particular negatives in a game like this, but given their ineptitudes that began last week against the 49ers, the defense bats leadoff in what is a lineup of problematic issues and misgivings.

After allowing 275 yards rushing to the lowly San Francisco 49ers, head coach Tom Cable and defensive coordinator John Marshall made run defense a clear point of emphasis in training camp this week.

But given the 536 yards of total offense the Saints put up on Saturday, it’s safe to assume the Raiders’ defense has, instead, regressed.

Drew Brees was nearly perfect in only three offensive drives, throwing for 179 yards and three touchdowns on 14-for-17 passing.

A three-time Pro Bowl quarterback he might be, but the Raiders’ defense made Brees out to be the physical manifestation of Touchdown Jesus.

While giving credit to where it is due (great execution and perfect game planning on the Saints’ part), the Raiders were just plain awful.

First and foremost, as it was a problem last week (and last year), the Raiders’ poor tackling and inability to bring down ball carriers with initial contact are proving to be drive-savers for opposing offenses.

From first and goal of the Saints’ opening touchdown drive, fullback Heath Evans ran his way into the end zone nearly untouched.

Mind you, it was on first and goal, and Evans was met by only one Raider defender, Trevor Scott, who failed to bring him down with initial contact.

Again, in the following scoring drive, on second-and-6, Brees connected with Lance Moore on a quick slant that should have gone for only four yards, but instead, went for eight and a first down.

On that play, Moore was quickly met by Raiders cornerback Chris Johnson, but Johnson’s inability to firmly wrap up Moore led to the yards after the catch.

Poor fundamentals were a major reason why Marshall was brought in as defensive coordinator. Marshall is noted as a tough, no-nonsense disciplinarian, much like Cable, who places a high priority on solid fundamentals.

However, despite a rudimentary approach in the first week of training camp, the Raiders have failed to improve in this department.

To avoid a repeat performance, it has become gravely obvious that an emphasis on fundamentals should be a primary focus of the staff’s throughout the regular season.

The Saints benefited from a quick strike offense that provided plenty of options for Brees. Any defense would be hard pressed to stop such an attack, but you would at least like to see the Raiders to put up a better fight.

The word from camp has been that the players have been spirited and have competed well, but that attitude has failed to translate onto the field.

In any sport, the elite teams will have offenses that will misfire more times than not, but great defenses are a constant. If the Raiders intend to make the jump back into national relevance, as many around the organization believe they can, the defense must adopt a completely new mindset.

Great defense is part skill and good game planning, but it is driven to success by a sedulous approach and an aggressive attitude.

In Saturday’s performance, the Raiders were neither in both regards, and instead, seemed unprepared and conveyed a lackadaisical attitude.

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