Oakland Raiders Week 2: The Worm Turns, Crushing K.C.'s Offense

Comments and questions after the Raiders bounce back to scalp the Chiefs in their own wigwam.

Rob Ryan (a.k.a. soB) showed he might still know a thing or two when it comes to coaching NFL defenses. The coaches and players were well roasted after Monday night. They bounced back in fine fashion in Kansas City.

The Raider offense delivered on the promise of a dominating running game, chewing up 335 yards on 64 attempts for a healthy 5.5 yard per carry average. Darren McFadden held his coming-out party, gaining 164 yards on 21 carries with one TD and two fumbles (one lost). He also caught one pass for nine yards.

His touchdown was a thing of beauty: shifting the ball from one hand to the other and hooking it around the pylon while being forced out of bounds. Talent like that is not taught; you either have it or wish you did. Coughing the ball up twice was not as pleasing to the eye though.

Michael Bush carried the ball for the first time in a NFL game, 16 times for 90 yards and a TD that iced the game. He also fumbled the ball away once, but he learned his lesson and went with a two-handed death grip the next series.

It was a very good sign that beleaguered Coach Lane Kiffin went right back to Michael after the Raiders forced K.C. to punt following his fumble. The boost to Bush’s confidence should pay dividends as the season progresses.

A major setback suffered by the Silver and Black was the groin injury suffered by Justin Fargas. Given the talent behind Fargas, the Raiders were able to continue with their gameplan.

This type of injury can be particularly bad for a running back, so a close watch must be kept that he does not make it worse by trying to do too much too soon. 

No, not that kind of watch, you degenerates.

Raider kicker Sebastian Janikowski enjoyed an excellent day, kicking three field goals. The first was from 56 yards, which represents a career and Raider all-time best.

In addition to a brace of extra points, only one of six kickoffs were able to be returned, and that was brought back only to the 15 yard line after traveling six yards into the end zone.

Kicking like this brings the term “Stick and stay” off the golf course and forces the opposition to drive a long field to score.

Meanwhile, the colossus from Bristol has been pumping reports all day that Kiffin could be fired at any time. The quote attributed to team owner Al Davis is “He’s (Kiffin) not the guy I hired.” We can thank the San Jose Mercury News for this headline. Well done maggots, nothing better to do than dredge up quotes from last month?

Let the record also indicate Mr. Davis is not the guy who led the Raiders to Super Bowl victories in three decades anymore either. Other than the last two years under Jon Gruden, and that first season Bill Callahan operated with Gruden’s roster and playbook, the Raider experience after returning from Los Angeles has been ineffective at best, putrid at worst.

In no way should this denigrate the fantastic things Al Davis has done in football from the late '50s through the '80s, well worthy of his standing as a Hall of Famer. Save those three years though, we’ve suffered more than a couple of decades of decay.  

Does the Raider Nation not deserve the best Al Davis can provide? Surely not the impressive recreation of The Three Stooges of late, along with cloak-and-dagger dramas better set in the height of the cold war instead of the offices of the NFL franchise that promises Pride and Poise.

It is highly commendable that the Raider players could put all this week’s media effluent aside to go out and execute their gameplan. Execute it they did, with JaMarcus Russell having to attempt only 17 passes, completing six of them for 55 yards. He carried once for three yards and did not suffer a sack all game.

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