Oakland Raiders: Where Did All the Passion Go Against San Francisco?

There are plenty of nuances I could state about today's game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, but I won't.  That is not to say that nuances and circumstances are not important, but there really wasn't more to the box score than meets the eye.

The Raiders lost 9-17 and looked lethargic in doing so.

After the high-octane game with the Chargers a week earlier, the Raiders were once again unable to maintain that energy into the next game.  The Niners have been terrible in turnovers this season with minus-10.  Against the Raiders, the Niners were plus-two.

Surely, delusional 49er fans will tout this as proof of the Niners being the better team, when in truth, two down teams faced each other.  Just by circumstance, one team will usually win (barring a tie).

It seems to me that the Raiders took the Niners for granted.

Even though the Raiders were without Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, who lit up the Niners in preseason after Jason Campbell had struggled before he was injured.

Campbell completed only eight passes against a defense that is not very good against the pass.  With Gradkowski, we've seen the Raiders move the ball in the passing game.

This may sound strange, but I really do think that a good quarterback in the NFL must be narcissistic on the field and humble off the field.  He has to think and act like the game is the most important thing in the universe.  The quarterback should actually believe that losing will be the end of the world as we know it.

Campbell doesn't act that way, but Gradkowski does.

That should not excuse a defense that forced three turnovers and blocked two punts against San Diego.  The Raiders also forced fumbles on special teams against Arizona.  Where was that same energy?

At this rate, the Raiders should consider trading Nnamdi Asomugha for a first-round pick in 2011, because the Raiders will need to get creative in order to acquire a top quarterback or offensive lineman, after trading their first-round pick for 2011.

Either that or bring back Jon Gruden to groom a quarterback and demote Tom Cable to assistant coach.