Over the next few days, I'm going to take a look at the Raiders' schedule and show how the Raiders and their opponents match up. You may be surprised at how well they stack up against some of these opponents.
This is part four of four, and I will cover four games at a time.
Through the first twelve games of the season, the Raiders stand at 9-3, primed for a their first playoff run in five years. The last four weeks of the season, however, have four opponents that should pit this team against playoff-worthy opponents, starting against the San Diego Chargers on the road, continuing at home against the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans, and finishing the season at Tampa Bay.
Week 14: Raiders at Chargers, Thursday Night Football
Last Meeting: Chargers win 24-17, in Oakland*
If the Raiders are indeed a wild card team, this is the game to prove it. Coming off two straight wins against the Broncos and Chiefs, the Raiders head into this game with only four days of rest since the Chiefs game.
The problem? Lately it seems the Chargers have taken to getting better as the season goes on. And the Falcons were their last opponent and most likely their last brutally abused victim. And the primetime lights should make this game pretty interesting.
I'm thinking the Raiders' rushing attack makes this game a little easier for Russell to manage. I'm also guessing that Russell isn't going to be babied as much and play calling will allow him to do a little more with that rocket launcher they call his right arm. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how his development is going throughout the season.
And I think Russell's play is the key to beating the Chargers because if the Raiders fall behind he will be depended on to win the game. I think the Raiders will fight for this one, but will be thinking wild card (the Chargers should have a better record by at least one game because their schedule is so much easier and their team is proven),San Diego will be thinking home field, especially if they meet up with the Patriots again.
For that reason alone, I think the Chargers will want it more and pull out the win.
Final: Chargers win 27-24.
Week 15 Patriots at Raiders
Last Meeting: Patriots win 30-20 in New England, 2005
This game will be about one person and one person only: Randy Moss and his return to Oakland. If the Raiders stand at 9-4, as I have them at this point in the season, the storylines will be wild. One thing will be guaranteed no matter what the records of either team: Moss will be abused by the Raider Nation.
That said, I can't know how that will affect his performance, whether it rattles him (not likely) or if it motivates him to do his Superman-stuff (more likely). Tom Brady isn't one to be distracted by that and the Patriots offense remains intact with the exception of Donte Stallworth who was essentially a non-factor.
The Patriots' offense shouldn't have much trouble moving the ball because, like the Giants showed, blitzing is really the only way to take them down and the Raiders don't blitz.
The defense, on the other hand, took some major hits, mostly in the secondary. Asante Samuel and Randall Gay are gone as is safety Eugene Wilson. The linebackers are a mix of old vets and rookie newcomers.
33 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
greg pitsch 11 months ago
thats been my record since I saw the schedule.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
Ok number one the Chargers don't have an easier schedule!!!! They play the same teams as the Raiders except San Diego plays the Steelers and the Colts and Oakland plays the Ravens and Texans. Chargers have a way harder schedule right there.
Last year the Raiders had Warren Sapp, this year they don't! The Raiders may have good corners but with no one to stop the run teams will run all over the Raiders just like last year when they were 31st in rushing defense. Now they will have no one to stop the run and with no one to stop the run teams will be able to pass because the Raiders will focus on the run. Make since yet? Oh and guess what! The Raiders will have to face LJ and LT 4 times next year!!!
Now lets get to the Raiders offense. The Raiders got Javon Walker this year through the free agency but wait Walker is coming off a injury and the fact that a fellow team mate died in his hands AND he was mugged in Las Vegas. Walker at only 29 was wanting to retire this year. He even offered to give back his huge signing bonus. He will not be a force for the Raiders this year. Ronald Curry is a decent WR so expect him to get the ball more this year. JaMarcus Russell has only started one game in his career!!! If I were a Raiders fan I would be scared to have a QB with one start under his belt and be my teams QB, with may I add 4 ints and 2 TD's. Not good for Russell. Now the Raiders might have a running game this season with rookie Darren McFadden and 5 year pro Justin Fargas. The Raiders will run more often then pass but the Raiders have no O-LINE. With no O-line it will be very hard for Rookie McFadden to run but im sure he will be ok. Fargas will do good next year but since Russell with his 4 ints and 2 TD's with a depressed Walker and a ok Curry to throw to teams will expect the rush from the Raiders and most teams will stop it. Oh almost forgot, the Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin has the thought of him getting fired in his mind.
Raiders at the most will win 6 games this season.
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Raider Card Addict 11 months ago
Ok folks, first thing to notice, is the comments' source, in this case, a guy in a Royals uniform.
Secondly, the thought about LJ and LT only work if both players stay healthy. LJ last year broke down, and LT didn't have to whimper in the post season, he was already broken before the game.
Oakland's looking at developing their run blocking scheme, and adding Wilson gives them the chance to properly seat Huff.
A lot of people want to dish on the Raiders, because for 5 years, they've been bad. But don't dish on them before the season even gets going....otherwise, we get to dish on the Chargers, for years of failures in reaching the Super Bowl....let alone winning it.
I could see us splitting these 4 games, finally breaking through against the Texans. I also could see an upset in the making ,with the Patriots. How? Easy, we'll have 10 days of rest, and they'll be in their 2nd week away from home. And, add into any odds of injury after playing Seattle....Oakland will be looking to assert themselves. And not even Coleman the ref will save Brady.
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Steven Davis 11 months ago
I'm guessing the Raiders have a chance to be frisky this year. I'm a Chargers fan, but also believe the NFL is a better league with traditional powerhouses like Oakland being competitive. If their line holds up, they can establish a solid running game (probable, which will help out an unproven Russell considerably) and the defense is consistent, Oakland has a good shot at 8-8, 9-7.
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mike 11 months ago
chad come on. really? raiders were 6th in rushing last year and have upgraded (at least for the rush) the Oline. russell will certainly have a break in period, but he will make plays just off his natural gifts. warren sapp was not a big help (major understatement) in run stopping last year, and if he can stay healthy i think kelly will prove an upgrade. just the addition of wilson will help lift the raiders in the rush def. category, and if sands can step up to his 06 form all the better.
to say this team will only win 6 games is ludicrous considering they are probably gonna win at least three or four in the division. 10-6 may be a stretch but 8-8 definitely is attainable.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
LJ had no line last year now he's got alot better line. What dose post season have to do with LT dominating during the reg season? A upset with the Pats?!?!?! Your crazy! Your also a serious homer.
Listen to yourself "Warren Sapp was not a big help" are you kidding me?!?!? He was the center of the Raiders D-line and now he's gone!!! The Raiders have no D-line and the linebackers suck. Raiders will go 6-10 at the most.
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cory fair 11 months ago
Wait a minute...Our linebackers suck? Kirk Morrison sucks? Thomas Howard? No d-line? Who's Derrick Burgess? We don't have the best linemen in the league but we have a hell of an o-line coach and a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. We can make a legitimate run at the AFC west. I acknowledge you guys have made some improvements, But our record beats yours....easy.
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cory fair 11 months ago
Oh yeah, Zach Miller and Darren Mcfadden are also going to be a huge boost for the passing game, even if Walker is "depressed" (maybe) there is way too much offense out there for us to be scared to start Russell
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Raider D Richardson 11 months ago
Cory made really good points, especially this one:
"Wait a minute...Our linebackers suck? Kirk Morrison sucks? Thomas Howard? No d-line? Who's Derrick Burgess?" Kirk Morrison is a BEAST!!!!!!!
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
If they didn't suck cory then why were they 31st against the run last year? Please tell me that. Yes Walker is depressed it was said on ESPN that he was wanting to retire but they talked him out of it. The Raiders never should of got DeAngelo Hall(because of the 8th in the league last year against the pass, to bad the Chiefs were 5th with bad Ty Law ha), they should have focused on the run stopping game. The Faiders will suck next year like always. Raiders will have a running game but it wont be better the the Chargers or the Chiefs. they will be last or 3rd in the AFC West.
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noel ramos 11 months ago
we allowed a few too many long runs. kinda deflates the ranking a little bit...
look at our games against denver and san diego at home, and against indy. look at the statlines and tell us our run defense is bad. there were other games where we played good run D but i dont remember at the moment.
reason our run defense ranking was so atrocious was because of inconsistency. not to mention sapp did little to nothing to help in that department.
oh i remembered another game.
at home vs the chiefs. larry johnson had somethin like 29 carries for 112 yards. well 54 of those came of one run.
so in reality it was 28 for 58... not very good at all. but that one run makes our defense look worse than it is and your guy look better than he rally played.
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cory fair 11 months ago
Time will tell Chad, the addition of a real SS is also going to help the Raiders overcome their horrible run stopping effort from last season. The fact that the secondary has been improved will allow them to make up in scheme what they lack in depth. Meaning Michael Huff,Deangelo Hall , and Asomugha will be able to isolate respective receivers. The linebackers can now provide more run support rather than dropping back in pass coverage. We wont be first in run defense, but I believe we have come a long way from last year on both sides of the ball.
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Nate Reyes 11 months ago
Sorry Chad Warren Sapp was a pass rushing DT, kelly was hurt and swapping positions last year between DE and DT. And if the Offense takes off we won't need a good run D just a decent one. Just think High powered offense, other teams will have to pass aganist our secondary, sounds nice Raiders will be better then the Cheifs, Should be better then Denver, but SD is still an issue.
2008 RAIDERS The Turn Around
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Janean Marti 11 months ago
I admire your passion for the Raiders, Noel.
You've really done a heck of a lot of work breaking down the Raiders' season. Wow!
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noel ramos 11 months ago
thank you
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john evers 11 months ago
First year qb's, very,very,very, very rarely are productive,(and he is first year) yes, the Raiders will be better, but so will the , cheifs, Broncos (prob), and a few others on the sched. Next year your in the playoffs, this year, 8-8 is should be looked at as a success. With the playoff spots, most probably filled by Chargers, Colts, Patriots, Jags and Steelers, and the Titans, Jets, Buff, and Cleveland Improving, where do the Raiders Fit in, The Raiders have a good young core, Playoffs next year.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
Number one Noel, Larry Johnson held out of camp for more money last year and missed ALOT of training camp with a team that had a new offensive cordinator(that sucked by the way). Now he's in camp and doing really well. 112 yards is still 112 yards. 31st against the run last season remember that.
Why did the Raiders go get Darren McFadden when their running game was 6th in the league when they could have got Glen Dorsey to stop the run since they were 31st against the run last year. People say that McFadden will be a complement to "only 1 game started in his career with 4ints and 2 TD's" JaMarcus Russell but wouldn't the 6th in the league running game of the Raiders help just as much? Yes it would. Also why did the Raiders get DeAngelo Hall when the passing defense of the Raiders was 8th in the league last year? What the Raiders have done with going out to get players this season makes no since. Like with WR Javon Walker, he is good but he's coming off a injury and is mentally unstable to play football. He was even wanting to retire but the Raiders some how talked him out of it. The Raiders will be the same team this year just better at the positions they are already good in.
Lets go back in history. Last year was the 1st time the Raiders have beat the Chiefs(even though LJ was out and the Raiders only won by a field goal) since 2002. Last year was the 1st time the Raiders beat the Broncos since 2004 winning by only a point.
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cory fair 11 months ago
You have a ton of valid points Chad. Kind of nice actually. The fact remains the Raiders went out and got playmakers because every team could use playmakers. Javon walker doesn't make sense, I get that. You just don't pass on a guy like Darren Mcfadden , I learned this when we got Bo Jackson. I was a HUGE Marcus Allen fan but no matter how much I hated the Bo Jackson idea...he produced. Not saying that Mcfadden is as good as him but definitely a plus. The addition of DeAngelo Hall really solidified our secondary so it made sense to get him. Sorry I just don't trust Stanford Routt to start just yet. I pulled for Dorsey too, but this is a business as well. You have to take in account that not only can McFadden help the offense, he can definitely help sell those tickets.
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noel ramos 11 months ago
i realize 112 yards is still 112 yards.
but you missed my point. our run defense played way better than 31st in the league in that game. but the one run that accounted for half his yards inflated his stats.
all im saying is our run defense needs to play with more consistency and that it dosnt necessarily need new players. but if you ask me, kelly is an upgrade over sapp at dt when it comes to stopping the run and im sure most people would agree.
we got deangelo because hes young, and upgrade over washington, would compliment aso, and was a sure thing compared to a hit-or-miss 2nd round pick.
we drafted mcfadden because hes a playmaker, fargas is 28 and wont be around as long as russell (dmc is 20.. do the math), and kelly and dorsey play the same positition. we already had plans to put kelly at DT so there was no need to get dorsey. at least thats the raiders explanation but i kinda agree with it.
walker was the best receiver on the market, skill-wise; no one can argue with that nor can they argue that we were set at the position. but no one could have known that he was thinking retirement or about the vegas thing.
the chiefs got worse if only because thy lost a lot of starters and replaced them with rookies and the raiders got better.
the broncos just got worse.
so theres no reason to think we cant win at least one, if not both, games against both teams.
and a little more recently than 2002 or 2004, we beat the chiefs in Arrowhead (which has happened what? 3 or 4 time since 1990?), and beat the broncos by 14. not just a lucky win in either of those games. although theres something to the argument that herm cant manage a game for $#!t
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
See I've said this many times but its ok for fans of other teams not to see it because they don't watch the Chiefs games and fallow the Chiefs like Chiefs fans. Mike Solari was our offensive coordinator last year. He called most of the plays not Herm. Solari was a good O-line coach but he should have never been upgraded to the Offensive coordinator position. He would call a play many times that I remember running the ball on 3rd and very very very long(im taking about 20 yards long). Larry missed most of the training camp last year, even though he's a work horse he cant make a 20 yard run just like that. Solari also ran on first down about 70-80% of the time. I think teams would expect the run if you run that much on 1st down, which they did lol. Now the Chiefs have a smart new offensive coordinator.
It still doesn't make sense though Noel. I know McFadden is younger but why not get Glen Dorsey if you need to stop the run. The Raiders can always get another RB next year in the draft. Dorsey has proven himself and I've never heard of Tommy Kelly. I'm sure he's ok but he's not a Glen Dorsey. Last year for the 8 games Kelly was in he only won 2 of them. He cant be much help to the run stopping. LT almost had 200 yards in a game that he was in last year. LJ had 112 yards in a game against him last year. LenDale White had 133 yards in a game against him last year. One of his wins was against the 1-15 Dolphins. Selvin Young had 3 carrys 43 yards last year against a game Kelly was in. In that game the Raiders gave up 141 yards. I've made my point I think.
Chiefs couldn't have gotten worse they got better coaches, a way better O-line, a better CB(5th against the pass last year), Glen Dorsey to help stop the run, and more depth in most positions. Tell me how they got worse. All the players they got rid of such as Ty Law and Casey Wiegmann got old and bad.
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noel ramos 11 months ago
an people dont pay attention to our position coaches and such, theyre just quick to say that we suck because thats what they want to believe.
a new OC usually means implementing a new system and that takes time to master, especially a young QB like croyle. (difference between him and russell is that russell, for one, is just more naturally talented and has been grounded in this system for well over a year now. he may not have had much playing time but when he did he showed the ability to grow and improve (that hideous jacksonville performance to the respectable showing the NEXT WEEK against SD... and theyre not exactly pushover defenses).
and being with a team, the coaches, the system, and knowing the teammates for a year is way better than a rookie starter which is how everyone seems to be making him out to be.
and i already said, we paid kelly 50mil (not saying it was smart) toplay the exact same position dorsey plays at 3-technique, the same position sapp left vacant. we wouldnt pay kelly 50 mil to play out of position. the coaches think he can be one of the best, sapp said himself that kelly is better than sapp was at his age, blah blah. that was the reasoning behind not drafting dorsey. they think kellys the real deal. not saying i agree with it because i think kellys good, yea, but not 50 mil good. but whatever. i understand the reasoning.
the reasoning behind mcfadden was that hes a big-play type guy, very versatile, fast, etc and that ws something our offense sorely lacked last year. also another RB of his caliber/potential would make it that much easier to ease russell into the role of starter. i understand that too. also, it would completely STACK the backfield.
imagine what you could do when you have not one, but 2 change-of pace guys throughout the game to keep defenses guessing and almost guarantee you have fresh legs in the fourth quarter. especially when one of thems a threat to take it to the house very time he touches the ball. nice problem to have no? so i understand the reasoning behind that pick.
if youve never heard of kelly thats your problem. hes been on our team and starting for a couple years now, hes just been playing everywhere on the line at every position. and we cant say nothing about dorsey because he hasnt played an nfl down yet. (hes actually injured in training camp last ive heard
kelly was paying end all last year (outof position. that makes kind easy to run the other way). and ive already explained that 112 Lj game. if half his yards came on one play its consistency thats the problem and its definately not something to brag about.
the chiefs ot worse because they swapped proven players and vets for younger unproven rookies and/or younger players. until those players do something, they arent upgrades.
and jared allen?
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
He can sell tickets Cory but im going to the Chiefs vs Raiders game to see Dorsey play. Also Tony G, LJ, D Bowe, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Donnie Edwards, Brandon Flowers, and so on.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
See the Chiefs also have LJ, Jamaal Charles, and Kolby Smith. All can run the ball. Like you said fresh legs in the 4th. I call that a STACKED backfield.
Croyle this year will be with this team for 3 years now. You cant say Russell is better then him until he plays. The thing is Croyle is used to this type of offense that Chan brought in and he is comfortable in it. He's also behind alot better line this year.
Dorsey just sprained his knee and will be 100% in a few more days. Its been almost a week already since it happened. Why do they move Kelly so much? Shouldn't he stay at one position and get better at it? I've not heard him do anything amazing yet either. Dorsey won 2 championships at LSU by the way. He will be good. I wont even say anything on how much Kelly was paid because you even know that was dumb
The Chiefs got rid of proven vets yea but they were "proven" like 3 years ago, now they're washed up. Kennison was never good just ok, Parker was so so bad, Wiegmann just got old and bad, and Ty Law also got old and bad.
I'm not going to lie I was PISSED(thats an understatement) when Allen left but when I saw what we got out of the draft I forgot who Allen was.
I mean I know its good to have play makers but why try to get better at positions that are already good. The Raiders could have got Dorsey and a good but not great RB like Jamaal Charles for that 4th quarter fresh legs. Why waste a 1st pick. If the Raiders are so into Kelly why not bring in Dorsey to help compete or play the other DT position. That improves the run stopping right there. The safety's aren't going to help to much if they're 10-15 yards away from RB because their in zone or on a WR. Backs like LT will just juke or stiff arm the safety's and backs like LJ will just run them over. You cant put the run blocking in the safety's hands.
You also cant say that rookies aren't upgrades until they do something because that means that Russell and McFadden aren't upgrades which takes away most of your argument.
About the LJ thing, he held out of ALOT of training camp last season for more money and had a new offensive coordinator so he didn't have much time to get the plays down. Still a 50+ yard carry doesn't matter when it comes down to stats. It doesn't say LJ had one 50+ yard run and then a few other little carrys, it says LJ had 112 yards. LJ could brake another 50+ yard carry to change the game next time the Chiefs and Raiders play. That 50+ yard run is the point im making. It still happened so that leans more towards why the Raiders couldn't stop the run last season.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
Cory remember what happend to Marcus Allen? Went to the Chiefs and was still great.
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noel ramos 11 months ago
LJ, who and who? also, by fresh legs i mean they will be splitting caries. ive heard they want to reduce the workload for lj but you dont have quite the same 3 headed monster we do.
maybe so but hes injury prone.
russell led them to one of those. yes it was dumb.
we didnt bring him in to pay the other because its not his natural fit. that was supposedly kellys problem. all im trying to say about kelly is that was what the coaches were thinking when they passed on dorsey. not saying i agree but i sort of understand th logic.
the point of hall was to allow our corners to play man 99% of the ime and play it well, allowing us to have 8 guys in the box. that helps with the run. also what the coaches were thinking. well see how it works.
russell has an advantage on all other rookies, especially QBs. i never said russell would be amazing or even be better than croyle. i just he has a way better chance than some other true rookie.
(but for the record i do think russell will at least eventually be better than croyle, even if its not this year)
at least with those vets you knew what you were getting. some if not all of these rookies could flame out and be total busts. why would you bet your teams future on that? i wouldnt.
why trade the best young pass-rusher in the league for a bunch of unprovens? i wouldnt be happy til i see those picks put up the production allen had/has.
you said yourself hat OC called predictable plays. how hard is it for lj to catch on to running up the middle on first downs? that missing training camp argument carries little weight.
what are you talking about? a 50 yard carry matters ALOT to stats. especially when you look at his statline other wise. 28 caries for 58 yards is atrocious. add in the 54 yarder and it jumps to a 4 ypc avg. when in reality he did not average 4 yards a carry he got you 2 and a lucky one. that means for 28 carries the defense had him bottled up. good run D. but one play someone messed up. thats the consistency issue. we get that fixed, without needing a bunch of new players, and our defense shoots up to the top 5 because our secondary is set.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
How do you think teams rebuild? By drafting players! Those vets were good 2 years ago now they bring the team down, our back ups did better then them so why not get younger players that have proven themselfs in college like Dorsey, Albert, and Flowers.
McFadden and Fargas will never be as good as LJ. Have they ever got 1,750 yards? No. Who's the 3rd "monster" Jordan? To bad he's a Patriot. Bush? Never played a game yet. I see 2 "Monsters". The Chiefs will have fresh legs.
Your saying unprovens when McFadden and Russell are unproven which takes away most of your argument.
How dose the LJ missing most of training camp hurt my argument? Thats the way to learn the new play book and he missed it. Its still 50 yards it doesn't matter to stats.
The D will not shoot up to 5 lol. They wont be consistent because Kelly wont be a Jerad Allen, Warren Sapp, or any other good D-linemen.
Im proving your points wrong over and over. Its this simple the Raiders will be good on the rush and have a good secondary but thats the same as it was last year. They brought good players in at positions that don't need it. They will be a few games better because of that.
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cory fair 11 months ago
Looks like it got a little heated when i left here didn't it? Chad you can say that these guys will never be as good as LJ and maybe, just maybe neither one of them will be. But the as a whole the backfield of Oakland is stronger than the back field of Kansas City. We won't even argue that point. As far as Russell having to prove himself as an improvement... we had Daunte Culpepper and Andrew Walter last year.....not much to prove there. He is in a great position for a young quarterback. He has an improving offensive line. Same system in consecutive years. Excellent backfield to hand off to or simply check down to. Also in my opinion (gaining popularity by the way) a great young talent in Zach Miller. On the defensive side of the ball we are going to have to let our linebacker be linebackers this year instead of trying to be in coverage all the time. Chad face it, from a personnel standpoint we got a hell of a lot better. Yeah you guys cleaned up during the draft but for off season acquisitions and the amount of talent actually lost. Advantage Raiders
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noel ramos 11 months ago
and part of rebuilding is sucking for a couple years during. youre making it seem like your team is on the fast track to being important again. and proving yourself in college means absolute shit in the nfl...
lj was never that good to begin with. he was a product of his oline and the stats prove it. in 05 he gets 1750 yards behind willie roaf and will shields in 9 games. in 06 he gets the same # of yards behind shields (i think.. it was only one two though i know that) in 16 games. and last year, with both gone, he stinks up the joint in 8 games and goes down with an injury for the rest of the season.
jordan was never good. he was a tap dancer plain and simple and he can go dance with the stars over in new england now.
the raiders backfield has more potential than any other, theres no argument to that. and if it plays to its potential then it will most likely be unmatched by any other team.
umm.. how does saying your team is young/unproven make my argument look bad, just because of russell and mcfadden? it doesnt change the fact that your guys are nothing until they show it on the field. same with our guys although i gave my reasons for why russell, at least, has an advantage over other rookies and has a better chance to succeed because of it. the whole second year thing, being familiar with players/coaches/system.. it helps a lot. and hes not TOTALLY inexperienced either.
ok how dificult is it to catch on to a few run plays? if hes an nfl back he knows how to run up the middle, sweeps, counters, draws, etc. only thing that would be different is the terminology of the playcalling and he can study that without being in camp, all he needs is a playbook.
and your still not getting the point im making about the stats. the 50 yards INFLATED his stats, did they not? he was averaging 2 yards per carry. 2 yards every time he touched the ball. for 28 carries. that is NOT GOOD PRODUCTION. then one carry where he gets 50 yards, all of a sudden he got 4 yards every time he touched the ball. the 112 yards is a misleading stat. thats ll im trying to say. it makes him look better than he actually did and makes us look worse. in other words our run defense did a superb job that game (and in others where long runs inflated stats) minus the one run.
and about us being top 5, it was hypothetical. if we stop those long runs, our run D is good and no one is pasing on that secondary. in other words top 5. but it depends on stopping the long runs which takes back to the consistency issue i brought up before. keep those backs at 2 ypc and theyre forced to pass. being forced to pass = tunovers. and with a ball-control offense like ours it all ads up to wins.
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Dallas Wilson 11 months ago
Raiders backs have more potential? LJ was not a product of the line. for the first seven games that year Holmes did nothing, it was all Larry. He was on his way to a thousand yards before the injury; and that was with a horrible line. We also have Smith and Charles. DMC and Fargas wont mean a thing this year.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
I'm just going to leave it at this since its back and forth back and forth the same stuff over and over.
Chiefs do have a great backfield. Did you not see the Chiefs vs Bears game? Savage(yes a new name) killed, Larry did good, and Charles also did good. Smith was out. It looks like the Chiefs have found even more RB's. Lol LJ wasn't that good to begin with?!?! Say that to 2 years of 1,750 yards + in a season. Last year he was hurt for half the season so that doesn't count and Priest started over LJ in 2003 and 2004. Yea he wasn't good to begin with huh? Last year if you multiplied his yards by 2 for the next half of the season then he gets 1,118 yards behind the worst line in football last year! Add the fact he held out of most of training camp with a new offensive coordinator then that shows how good LJ is. Nice try.
When the dumb ass Chiefs offensive coordinator of last season ran the ball almost every time on 1st and 2nd down(even sometimes on 3rd and to long) then I would hope the Raiders could stop LJ but they still let him get that 54 yard run. Oh by the way since your supporting the Raiders run D so much why did they let rookie Kolby Smith get 150 yards and 2 TD's in one game? So that should help prove the back field of the Chiefs.
If you watched the 1st quarter of the Chiefs vs Bears game thats what you need to expect, except Tony G will do more then just block(they didn't want him hurt duh), Albert will start(Line gets better, it held pretty good that game without him), Dorsey will be in(the guy that will help stop the run), and Donnie Edwards will be in(a very good line backer).
I think Croyle proved himself against the Bears great starting D with out Albert and Tony(catching that is).
No Cory the Raiders didn't do better then the Chiefs. How many times do I have to say. Play makers are good yes but why get them at a position you already have good players in? Zach Miller, one name Tony Gonzalez. Miller started 16 games last year and made only 44 catches for 444 yards. Not that great my friend especially for starting all 16 games. I bet he gets about 600 yards this season.
We'll see how well all the points you both are making come true tomorrow because all the points I made for the Chiefs came true today against the Bears.
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noel ramos 11 months ago
chiefs have a good backfield, good depth. but what imm sayiing about lj is that hes overrated. you completely disregarded what i said about ljs oline with roaf and shieds. they were responsible for his success and the stats showed it. his production dropped overall because he got the same number of yards only it waas in twice as many games from 05 to 06. and that year roaf left. coincidence?
then the next year shield leaves and lj drops to 500 or so yards in 8 games. like you said he would have gotten 1100 yards in 16 games. not that great. hes not that good of a back, he was just a product of his oline.
you missed everything i said abouut consistency didnt you? our run d wasnt consistent at all. they had stellar games like the first one vs you and shitty ones like the second. i was just pointing out that there were games where we didnt play like the 31st ranked run d.
and as for what yoou said about miller, how many rookie TEs catch 44 passes? and in russells only start he caught 8 passes. and he caught russells first nfl td pass. and now russells our starter. you really think that miller wont get more than 600 yards? especially ina dink-n-dunk offense? lol, please.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
McFadden and Fargus will be good next year Dallas but they wont be as good as the Chiefs backfield.
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Chad Hogan 11 months ago
Russell completed 2 passes last night for 13 yards also getting sacked once. Raiders need to play him more. That wasn't impressive at all. The 49ers aren't even really decent against the pass.
The running game was what everyone expected but since Noel thinks one long run doesn't matter to stats then the 72 yard run by Rankin doesn't really count(even though it dose) that means he had a average of 2.7 yards a carry. The 49ers aren't good on D at all. They have Nate Clements and thats it. Its not a big deal to run good against the 49ers especially for a good backfield like the Raiders. Now if they did this against the Steelers, Bears, Pats, Ravens, Eagles, Bucks, Giants, Vikings, Redskins, Cowboys, or Jags then thats something to get really excited about, but it was the 49ers.
Remember Andrew Walter? Well he did the best out of the 3 QB's.
No I didn't totally disregard what you said about the Chiefs O-line. I said last year if you multiplied LJ's yards by 2 for the other half of the season he missed he would have 1,118 yards running behind the worst line in the NFL last year. He had Brian Waters blocking for him but that was it. That is impressive. You can't say he's over rated. Do I have to bring up the hold out again?
What makes you think the run stopping defense will be more consistent this year? What did they do with the front 7(don't even say Kelly because he hasn't done anything special to get attention yet)? Do you think improving the secondary will help the run stopping? Um no that will help defend the pass. Until they play a few good teams with good RB's and stop them(and not give up alot of yards against a no name or bad RB) then you can say something.
The Raiders also played some very very very bad QB's last night not a true test for the secondary. Those pics were very dumb throws. I would have thought the Raiders would have scored alot more points then just 18. One was on a punt return so only one was a offensive TD.
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