Oakland Raiders: To John Marshall, Thanks For the Win, and Keep Manning Up

On October 24, 2010, the Oakland Raiders beat the Denver Broncos at Invesco Field, 59-14. I have heard several columnists and fans touting Darren McFadden’s performance for this win. He dominated the Denver defense behind a stellar offensive line, but the tone of this game was set early on the other side of the ball.

John Marshall started the game utilizing “the elephant scheme” and blitzing at least one LB/S. Marshall proved on Sunday that our secondary can man up against anyone for four seconds.

Blitzing applies pressure on the QB, forcing early and errant throws. It took away running lanes, forcing the RB to stretch for the side lines. With this edge, our front seven were able to contain the running game, our secondary blanketed the receivers and the QB continually checked the Denver skies.

The Silver and Black attacked the Broncos relentlessly all game. We hardly played zone all game, and it showed. The touchdowns Denver scored were against man coverage, as it should be. One of those touchdowns only occurred because McClain collided with Johnson at the goal line, allowing Moreno to get open for six points.

If our defense plays like this the rest of the season, we will dominate our opponents. This is the best I have seen the defense play in several years, and I look forward to it continuing. The Raiders may have games in which they hold opponents to fewer points, but their play could not be better.

Again I say to you, John Marshall, thanks for calling the elephant and blitzing all game. That is what the Raider Nation wants to see.