Comments and questions after the Raiders fall flat on their face opening night:
Is this some sort of Groundhog Day remake, with Art Shell back coaching the team? Inept offense, horrible tackling, brain-dead penalties, and giving up before the end of the game were all hallmarks of the Shell administrations.
Talking ain't the same as playing. With all the woofing the new receivers did about playing against their former team, all they really did was show why Denver sent them on their way.
Fire Kiffen. Sure, after one week, get rid of the head man. That will solve everything.
Not!
If Davis does whack Kiffen, Shanahan would hire him the next week on spite alone. Then whom do we hire? My bro-in-law said Davis would call Schottenheimer. Best laugh we had all night.
How to give up over 40 points in today's NFL? Never blitz. Give the QB all the time in the world to pick apart the defense. Don't press. Seems every snap DeAngleo Hall was five to seven yards off the line of scrimmage, leaving out and slant patterns as easy pickings. Mike Golic could have had 10 catches and 100 yards with that kind of coverage.
Millions for offense, but not one penny for protection. After throwing all that cash at the QB, RB, and WR positions, somehow Davis thought that retreads were the way to go with his offensive line. Mike Ditka had a moment of clarity when he noted JaMarcus should sue his line for nonsupport.
Conspiracy theories rise yet again. Like in The Mummy, Raider fans once again raise the specter of the refs out to get the Raiders. Sure, there were some bad calls, what game doesn't have them. The only place to lay the body of this stinkfest is at the feet of the players and coaches. As well as the owner who put them in place.
While we are on this topic, is the team conspiring to give Davis a stroke with its inept performance? At a particularly low point, there was a TV shot of Davis alone in his box. Someone asked why nobody was with him. My response was, "Would YOU want to be in there?"
DeAngelo Hall was doing his best to show that Michael Vick isn't the biggest idiot Virginia Tech has deposited into the NFL in the last decade.
Like the Biblical character Sampson, the haircut of Raider defensive coordinator Rob Ryan (a.k.a. soB, son of Buddy—with proper credit to ASFPOR, the definitive Raider newsgroup) has seemed to rob the Raiders' defense of its strength.
Derrick Burgess, the top Raider D-lineman, recorded one assisted tackle. No sacks and no turnovers generated. Hall did record seven tackles, but when you are forever letting guys catch balls in front of you, that kind of number tends to get inflated.
Justin Fargas gained 97 yards on 18 carries; that's not bad. But the Raiders racked up 96 yards on 10 penalties, and that's not good.
Shane Lechler remains the most effective Raider, punting five times for a 51.0 yard average, 39.2 net. Whenever your punter is your best player, pain and misery are sure to follow.
Many coaches feel games are won and lost on third down. Denver goes five for 10, that's 50 percent folks, otherwise known as half the time. The Raiders were two for 12, a pathetic 16 percent showing. Both play calling and execution make up for these numbers. The Raiders are found to be lacking in these areas. Severely lacking.
On the bright side, this was only one game. Plenty of time to turn it around. But on the other hand, we have to seriously question if the personnel is capable of achieving that feat.
29 comments Last one added 10 months ago — Leave a Comment
Miah D. 10 months ago
great read,
thankfully I do watch NFL enough to know what it is all about! lol
I actually thought I was the only one picking on the qb protection during games! I like ur line regarding the matter.
thanks for the POTD on the sundin article!
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Back in the bad purple and gold Kings days—after Pulford left, the defense was referred to as The Escort Service. The Raider line may just earn that name for this century.
Is there a particular team that is shown up your way mostly or is it more of a mixed treat?
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Michael Cline 10 months ago
Nice read. First time reading your stuff and I enjoyed it. I like the comment on DeAngelo Hall. 2 back to back personal fouls?? I laughed, I'm sure you didn't, neither the rest of the Raider Fans.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Few years back I was in Vegas at the Bellagio playing craps on at a fairly quiet table, wearing some Raider gear.
In conversation, one of the dealers told me their pit boss was a big time Raider fan too. After I complemented his taste the lady boxman, not a fan of the Raiders, said with a smile on her face how the pitboss had cried after the playoff lost to the Ravens.
I told them I didn't cry, just cursed a lot.
Monday I revisited that dark place.
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Michael Oleszek 10 months ago
The DeAngelo Hall comment was priceless.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Thanks Michael. I strongly believe the best rags have a undeniable kernel of truth at their core.
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Josh Prope 10 months ago
seeing this article gives me great respect for you. finally someone writes a realistic raider article pointing out how horrible they can be. it seems to me that they just can't function as a team. it seem everyone just writes about how great they think that they are then they get stomped into the ground and raider nation shuts up until the next time they can scrap up a win. thank you for being quite possibly the only sane raider fan in this country. please sit down with your raider brothers and educate them on their team and have them see outside of that densly compressed atmosphere that the raider nation lives in. seriously is their a gas leak in that stadium
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Thanks Josh, but I'm not going to educate the idiot fans of my teams just I don't expect you to take responsibility for the idiot fans of your teams.
When the Raiders dominate, I'll be more than happy to crow about that as well.
As I point out on my bio, one of my philosophies is if you want to smell the roses, you also have to deal with the thorns. The Raider fans have had to deal with a lot of thorns lately.
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ken rog 10 months ago
poor kiffin. he has to deal with the team Davis put on the field. Thats Davis' team, not kiffins. How come Bush wasn't used? Maybe he could have soften up the Dline a bit? Just a suggestion.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Good point about Michael Bush, Ken. I was kinda wondering about that myself.
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ken rog 10 months ago
there should be a huge protest outside of the facility asking for Davis' resignation. Send him a resignation letter Raider Nation. Make a really big sized letter and leave it on the lawn somewhere at the facility.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
During the offseason, some Raider fan friends and I were talking about the envitable day when Davis no longer is around. Who would be the best owner for the Raiders.
I suggested Madden. He knows the game and has enough cash from the TV contracts and video game deals to buy the team.
It can't just be anyone with a large bankroll owning the Raiders.
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ken rog 10 months ago
someone needed to give that raider fan at the game who held up the sign "fire kiffin" a take down. If I was there I would have gave him a serious wedge. Then I would have tossed him onto the field without his pants on, humiliating him. then I would have stormed Al's box and tossed him onto the field without his pants on because they were probably thinking the same thing.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
There is no doubt the guy with that sign is a complete idiot. It's amazing he remembers to breath.
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terry yunie 10 months ago
Very good read J.C. I dont know why other people want to fire Kiffin. If somebody should be fired it should be Ryan. No pressure at all. Give a High schooler that much time he will throw for 300+ yards.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Thanks Terry, appreciate your thoughts.
Kiffin wanted Ryan fired in the offseason and Davis intervened in Ryan's defense. They had an awesome defense a couple years ago, but it tanked big time last year.
There are those who claim Davis is the reason for the type of defense they are running. If true, it must really be frustrating for soB to take the blame for Al's calls.
Howie Long, Lyle Alzado, Ben Davidson and the like are no longer lining up along the first line of defense. These guys need some help with blitzing to get some pressure. Not all the time, no need to get foolish about it, but just sometimes to put the idea in the offense's head.
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Paul Peszko 10 months ago
Great read, J.C. I see none of the Raider die-hards are responding. Or maybe they have finally seen the light. You have certainly covered all the points. One thing is certain, Davis shouldn't have reversed Kiffin's call back in the off season. You know, the one where he fired Buddy Ryan's kid. Kiffin was right. They need a new D.C. pronto!
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Thanks for the props Paul.
As I told that 9er on the top of the list, gotta keep it real. We were real bad.
If you want to smell the roses, you gotta deal with the thorns.
I like soB. Got a feeling he is being used by Davis as his zombie. Did you see when Asomugha was trying to talk to soB after a defensive series and soB wanted nothing to do with it. He knows the problem, but may not be allowed to fix it.
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Paul Peszko 10 months ago
That disgusting relationship between Davis and Kiffin has spilled over to the entire team. Both the players and coaches know that Kiffin doesn't control the reins. Hell, he doesn't even know where Davis has put the reins. With all the money Davis spent this year, you'd think he would have given Kiffin his paltry 1 million along with his walking papers and hired another yes man.
Monday night was truly embarrassing. I dread to think what the rest of the season will look like. It's obvious that Kiffin has to stay on his side of the ball and is not allowed to even check out the defense.
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Lyle Tomie 10 months ago
I have been a Raiders fan for many years, but this past offseason convinced me that I am cheering for a hopeless cause. I could have this team competitive by next season by simply focusing on defensive schemes. Al Davis has already destroyed any legacy he may have had and he continues to publicly humiliate himself with every camera shot. I just can't figure out why a seemingly bright guy like Kiffin sticks around for this mess. Ryan is clearly a despicable unemployable rogue, so it makes sense that he would be part of this, but how do you explain Kiffin?
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Real Raider fans might curse and kick, but they don't give up the ship Lyle. Keep the faith dude.
Why does Kiffin stay? There are 32 NFL head coaching jobs. You don't step out just because the boss isn't kind to you, especially when you are as young as Kiffin is.
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Paul Peszko 10 months ago
Kiffin knows his future lies in College Football. There will be a lot more head coaching jobs open among college teams next season than there will be in the NFL. Just in the ACC and the Big East alone there will be more than in the NFL. So, he's sticking around to get the million that Davis owes him and will start pitching for a college job come January.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
If the Bucs bomb again this year, Kiffin may just do the Chucky shuffle down to FLA and have his dad work for him.
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BabyTate 10 months ago
The NFL has wielded a vendetta toward the Raiders since the merger because Al had been Commissioner of the AFL and there was jealousy in the NFL offices.
From 1967-83 the Raiders were the premier team in pro football. Over the past 25 years that has not been the case.
The Raider fans love their team and will support them no matter what.
The old Pittsburgh Panther, Mike Ditka, said the other night that there are not many good players on the Raider team. If that is true the Raiders can't win it all. If that is true then who is to blame? If that is true every step must be taken to improve the franchise.
So, many factors are at play in the demise of the Silver and Black. For me, the answer is simple, Denver and the Refs cheated us. And that is all the people need to know.
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Once Al got overly distracted winning in court instead of concentrating on the field, things started going sideways. Chucky snapped us out of the spin for a while, but that sure didn't last long.
With all the reaming the refs have done, you think they would have looked at the snow job as their pièce de résistance and moved on. Then again, I am the optimistic sort.
At least with the announcers ESPN sent, the Raiders were the second worst crew in the stadium.
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Pete Boyd 10 months ago
Nice objective piece of work JC. The Hall comment did make me laugh.
Been a black week with this resullt and Michael Essien out of the Chelsea squad for 6 months.
Well at least the International footie (I know 'soccer') team won last night...
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
Given the way Hall played, you can laugh or you can curse. In my case, I cursed, then after the game laughed. That's right, we are laughing at you DeAngelo, not with you.
Being a ManU fan, I can't say I'm too broken up about misery for Chelsea. Don't root for injuries as that will have a negative effect on the karma, but accept them as part of the game.
Which international team did you mean? US, England, or someone else?
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Pete Boyd 10 months ago
Apologies for being off topic!
Sorry JC I did mean England, after the debacle of only being able to put two past Andorra at the weekend (0-0 at half time!) to beat Croatia on their turf was considered a reach. Humble pie time.
Part of the game is true however Essien is also in my Dreamteam side (Fantasy Soccer/ Football) and no transfer until November...
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J.C. Ayvazi 10 months ago
It's all good Pete. You are not off topic - just expanding it. If others can't keep up, that's on them.
Given the English league was the first top league I was exposed to in my youth, I have always pulled for them to do well. Do you think Capello is the right choice to lead the team?
Sorry about the hit to your dreamteam. Have you been playing the fantasy leagues for a while? I played one season of baseball and one of NFL football, then quit because I didn't like having rooting interests against my favorite teams.
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