The Raiders did a phenomenal job today against a piss-poor offense and defense. Don't get me wrong; we had flashes of brilliance: Our QB wasn't sacked and he threw zero interceptions.
Darren McFadden showed us today why he was the No. 1 draft pick, and why he will be Rookie of the Year. I won't put the fumble on him. It was knocked out by his teammate's foot. That was just luck, or lack of it.
Still, McFadden definitely has proven to me why he was picked. He's damn good. Adrian Peterson was beat out by this guy today.
The comparison is this: Adrian Peterson had 29 attempts for 160 yards, 26 yards being his longest.
McFadden has 21 attempts for 164 yards, 50 yards being his longest, and he had a TD.
I'm not saying that he is better than Peterson, but that shows that he is damn good. Russell is still making the rookie mistakes that I expect him to make. He was rushing his throws out there today, even with some decent protection. But it's gonna happen.
Mario Henderson...He did really well today. Did they threaten to bench him if he didn't step up or what? I was real happy with his play today.
Our secondary was doing its job as well. Hall still had his miscues, but compared to last week, need I say more. Asomugha was his usual self. Morrison and Howard are beasts. I'm just glad they're Raiders.
Burgess had a phenomenal game as well, as did Kalimba Edwards and Gerard Warren. Looks like Ryan had all their asses in a sling this week. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for those meetings.
Michael Bush had a great showing today, with 16 attempts for 92 yards and a TD. Yes, he did have a fumble, but hey, this was pretty much his first regular-season game, if you don't count the one play he had last week.
Fargas is out with a groin injury. We're not sure how serious, but it's probably just a pulled groin.
Now, let's see how we do against a team that actually has an offense and defense. We play the Bills on the road next week. This will tell everyone how the Raiders really are.
And to give a little credit to the Chargers, they got duped by the refs today. First the (non) fumble and then the Cutler, incomplete, whatever the hell that was at the end.
Oh, and to all of the Bronco fans that were making fun of JaMarcus last week for going to throw the ball and he brought his arm back, and he fumbled it. Look familiar!
5 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
J.C. Ayvazi 9 months ago
Nice recap job FL Raider Girl.
Maybe Mario was threatened with a cutting, as opposed to a benching. Be interesting to see how he does when they pass more than 16 times.
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greg pitsch 9 months ago
we didn't need to throw the ball Mike, 300 yards on the ground means there is no need to pass.
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ken rog 9 months ago
I don't think Ryan is the reason for the better defensive performance by the Raiders. It was I think a matter of pride and if you noticed, the game plan was DIFFERENT. WHy ? they BLITZED. Thats kiffin's plan by the way. So to give credit where it's due, my hats off to Lane Kiffin for the job well done. As for the spineless D. Coordinator, good job of listening to your head coach. Hey AL, when are you leaving?
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ken rog 9 months ago
Russell did good mike. For a rookie, he managed the ball well. Hey, in Mannings rookie season, he had 20 something interceptions but you probably love him today. Give the Rookie a chance. It was game two, and they need time to grow. 2 games dude. He's gonna need 2 years and a couple of consistent receivers. So when he has his off game, everyone should keep there negative criticism to themselves and when he has a really good game, don't anoint him the next Favre. He'll be fine. He is already proving his intelligence as he manages the game well for a rookie.
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Chris X 9 months ago
managing the game...well, lets see there, genious...
no sacks
no ball handling mistakes
correct protections on passing downs
no picks
All this in KC with 30-40 mph gusts with no receivers to speak of and with a left tackle in his first start.
We know Russell can make the throws, the difficult part is between the ears (as the 49ers have found out with Smith).
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