Bleacher Report - Articles by Justin Smith

Oakland Raiders: Thanksgiving Thoughts

Justin Smith — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:19:06 -0500

We didn't put our best foot forward yesterday during the Thanksgiving game in Dallas, and paid for it on the scoreboard. It wasn't all bad, though, and there were some signs that were encouraging for the future. There were some of the usual frustrations, as well.

Trevor Scott played standing up yesterday at linebacker, and played very, very well. He had two sacks, three tackles for a loss, and was in the backfield quite a bit. He did make a huge mistake, though, one that made it obvious that Mr. Scott has probably never played baseball in his life.

When a ball is in the air, it's always the right-of-way to the guy coming in on the ball, not going back for the ball. Scott, of course, was just trying to make a play on a pass that Chris Johnson deflected, but he should've bailed out and allowed Branch to come on and make the pick. He backs off, Branch most likely has a pick-six and it's a whole new ballgame.

Instead, Scott went for the ball, and I applaud his effort. What I don't applaud is the result: he smashed into Branch, causing the ball to careen to the turf and Branch to shoot him a look that could've melted adamantium.

But you can't complain about the effort or the desire to get the ball. It was just unfortunate. Scott played very well yesterday and continues to be an impressive pass rusher, whether playing LB or end.

It would be ideal to have Howard, Morrison, and Scott as linebackers, but there's one problem with that: none of them are run-stopping specialists, which we desperately need. Morrison would be the best against the run of the trifecta, with Howard excelling in pass coverage and Scott at pass rushing.

Jay Richardson, though not as prominent as he was against the Bengals, still had a solid day yesterday. With Seymour back in the lineup and Tommy Kelly playing, Desmond Bryant didn't get many snaps, but he showed against the Bengals that he's a gamer and capable of making big plays.

Matt Shaugnessy continues to benefit from Greg Ellis' gimpy knee and was solid yet unspectacular yesterday. Since having a breakout game against the Chargers two weeks ago, he's been relatively quiet.

Tyvon Branch is, without a doubt, one of the top-five young safeties in the NFL this season. The kid is phenomenal, and I will keep raving about him as long as he keeps being everywhere on the field. Wish he'd got that pick. Whole new ballgame.

Nice blitz by Mike Mitchell, showing his speed off the edge. A tandem with he and Branch, with Huff rotating in during obvious passing situations, could ultimately be dangerous.

We have a solid young nucleus on defense, but big plays killed us yesterday. Dallas gained 380 yards on 10 plays, and 194 on their other 46, meaning that we stopped them more often than not, but the not went for HUGE chunks of yardage. The Cowboys had the most explosive day (eight plays of plus-25 yards) of any offense since the New Orleans Saints in 2006.

If we could've limited the big plays, we could've easily been in the game. The Raiders had only four less first downs than the Cowboys (18-14) and their time of possession was only three minutes less than the Cowboys (31:14 to 28:46). The Raiders had chances to get back in the game, but couldn't capitalize on opportunities.

The most encouraging thing I saw yesterday was the play of our young wide receivers. There were a couple of miscues, but for the most part those were the best routes ran and most separation I've seen from them all season. A hearty, happy congratulations to Darrius Heyward-Bey for his first career NFL touchdown.

The kids were open yesterday; sometimes Gradkowski found them, sometimes he didn't. Another encouraging sign was the response to a poor first half. We came out, stopped the Cowboys, forced a punt, then marched 88 yards in 12 plays for a TD. The Raiders of recent vintage rarely, if ever, respond to poor play like that.

Gradkowski looked much more comfortable in the second half, and good things happen when he scrambles. He should do it more often.

I wish I knew what Jonnie Lee Higgins was thinking. The guy is so gun-shy he's texting Michael Moore for advice. Ever since Weddle decleated him in game one, he's been hesitant and tentative. If you don't want DHB returning kicks, fine.

What about Louis Murphy? Or McFadden? Put your playmakers in a position to make plays.

Which reminds me: Did Cable learn nothing from the Jets game? Why, oh WHY was Grad dropping back to throw on 1st-and-10 from our own five-yard line? The last time we tried that, it was a disaster. That fact, Cable acknowledged. Then he did it again.

Gradkowski was pressured on first down, almost resulting in a safety, but ultimately an incompletion. What followed was a predictable run that went nowhere, and then another pass on 3rd-and-long. I don't like passing from your own end zone unless you absolutely have to. Neither does Cable, at least according to him after the Jets game. But I guess he forgot what he thinks.

Mr. X wrote a recent article advocating coach Cable because the team seems to care when they lose. Granted, he's changed the culture a tad, but I'd credit Seymour and Ellis with that as much as Cable.

Cable has shown, time and again, that he tries to get too clever and outsmarts himself, makes baffling play-calls at baffling intervals, and doesn't talk to his team nearly enough.

What coach doesn't have his players gathered during a booth review of a pivotal call (the Austin touchdown)? While that review was going on, what was Cable doing? He was standing there, silent, not looking at anyone on his team, chewing gum. That's it.

He wasn't making preparations in case the call went the other way. He wasn't telling his defense how important of a stop this would be. He wasn't doing any coaching. Granted, he was leaving it up to his assistants. But, for a play so important, he could've done something. Anything.

He is the coach. So coach.

You could sense yesterday that it's only a matter of time before Murphy or DHB go deep, get a good pass, and haul it in. They are so close to breaking out I can almost taste it. It was right there yesterday, but continues to remain just out of reach. Now, though, I can see it happening, and sooner than later.

Yes, we have some excellent young players on this team that seem to now be improving every single week. We had a rough go yesterday, but it was really only a handful of plays consisting more of mental mistakes that ended up killing us.

The old poor tackling monster reared its ugly head yesterday, and that allowed the Cowboys to bust many of the big plays for much longer gains than they should've been.

But there is a team with talent here, and one to work with. I wanted Cable fired, and still do. I don't think he's a good coach; but he's learning, like the rest of the team. I know deep down we need continuity, so I will not be upset if we keep Cable. I just think there are better coaches out there, but who knows if they'll come here?

Now we can only hope that JaMarcus Russell works very hard to regain his starting job and he, DHB, Murphy, Chaz, Zach Miller, Bush, and McFadden can gel into what seems to be, potential-wise, one of the best skill-position player sets of any team in the league.

Of course, that potential needs to translate into production to have value. Yesterday, though a tough loss where many mistakes were made, showed me the possibility of making that a reality sooner than later.

And that's something to be thankful for.

Oakland Raiders Week 12 : Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:48:38 -0500

We're all feeling pretty good in Raiderland these days, with a temporary break in the clouds coming through in the form of a hard-fought, comeback victory over the heavily favoured Bengals last weekend.

On short rest, we travel to Dallas for a Thanksgiving day tilt later on this afternoon. Will Tony Romo continue to regress? Will Roy Williams ever realize he's not the best receiver on the team and stop causing Owens-esque issues? Will I ever shut up?

All interesting questions, but who's under pressure? Let's find out.

PRESSURES

Bruce Gradkowski

Okay, this is a nice kind of pressure to be under. After leading the Raiders back from the dead with a last-minute, game-tying drive, Gradkowski has raised his own expectations in Oakland. The offense had a much better rhythm and seemed to gel more with Grad behind center, and players responded very positively to his fire and energy.

He's under pressure simply because he played so well in the clutch last week that we'll be expecting more of the same from him from here on out. But, as I'm sure Grad himself will tell you, that's a nice kind of problem to have. Because it means he actually did something well.

Shane Lechler

The only reason the best punter in the league (and possibly league history) is under pressure is the expectation, since before the season began, that he'd be denting the giant television screen at Jerry World.

Peter King wrote at length about the dangers of the scoreboard with the likes of Lex and Mike Scifres punting there this season, stating that two of the best punters in the league would pepper the board.

So come on, Shane. The board hasn't been an issue yet, with Atlanta's Mike Koehnen being the only one to come close to it thus far. Lechler is under pressure to live up to his reputation and prove some people right by smashing a punt or two into the board.

Of course, I'm of the mind that if he doesn't get the chance to punt at all, that's even better.

HURRIES

Good for Desmond Bryant, seeing his most action last week against the Bengals due to a Richard Seymour back issue. The kid was in on a few run stuffs, and recovered a fumble that he himself forced. With Jay Richardson and Matt Shaughnessy also playing well last week, Trevor Scott having his pass rush ability, and Bryant in the middle, we've got a great young core of defensive lineman to build for the future
Having two consummate professionals like Seymour and Greg Ellis to teach them the ropes is a huge plus as well
Tommy Kelly has been playing much better against the run lately. In fact, the entire team has been tackling much much better the past two weeks
Tyvon Branch is quickly becoming my favourite defensive player. The kid was all over the field last week, hitting double-digit tackles, and grabbing a sack that was uber-aggressive and caused Palmer to fumble in scoring position
Stanford Routt, while still beaten in coverage often, had a good game rushing the passer last week as well. Here's hoping that Marshall continues to dial up the pressure on Romo today
Pretty quiet on the Cable front since the women-beating allegations first surfaced. He's been asked by the NFL to attend counselling sessions, but that's basically the last I've heard of it. It seems to have faded pretty quietly after a ton of initial hubbub, from myself included

KNOCKDOWNS

Gradkowski is no better than Russell

This is something that I, and many fellow Nationers, stated after we'd pulled Russell from the Chargers game. Gradkowski had done nothing of consequence in his two appearances, and didn't appear any more capable of moving the ball than Russell.

Well, last week blew that idea out of the water. Sure, his stats weren't eye popping (50% completion, 168 yards) but he had as many TD throws in one game (2) as Russell has all season. Receivers seem to catch his balls more easily, he's much more mobile, and the offense had a distinct rhythm, something that has lacked since the Tampa game to end the season last year.

With Gradkowski behind center teams have to respect the pass a little bit more, and, as we saw last weekend, that opens up the run for our backs, who seem to be hitting their stride somewhat lately.

Darren McFadden can't run tough

Although he does go down far too easily much of the time, the kid was lowering the BOOM! last weekend on the Bengals. Cable was quoted as saying he had some nice "big boy runs," and I concur.

If McFadden can keep up that kind of aggressiveness, then he'll get the ball more often. Really, he's never been used properly in this offense since day 1. It's up to him to continue to battle hard and make the tough runs, but he also needs the chance to bounce it outside and use his speed and elusiveness in space.

He can run tough, as he ran between the tackles frequently at Arkansas. He showed a little bit of that moxie again last weekend, and we can only hope it's a new and improved D-Mac from here on out.

Strap On Yer 'Skis and Ride With The Oakland Raiders

Justin Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:43:22 -0500

Well, I've been known to say that Bruce Gradkowski isn't any better than JaMarcus Russell, and I don't see how it helps our future to play him.

I've also been known to be wrong. Often. And this is another example.

Whether or not Gradkowski has Russell's physical gifts is debatable, but one thing is not: The guy loves the game and pumps his teammates up.

Even Russell.

Credit to the big guy: He was the first player out there to congratulate Gradkowski after he'd thrown a beautiful 29-yard TD pass to Louis Murphy, who made an exceptional move and finally had a replay decision go his way on the game-tying catch.

One thing that was interesting was that in celebrating with Gradkowski, we saw more raw emotion from Russell than we have at any other point in his Raider tenure.

I fully retract my earlier sentiment that the Raiders had no better chance to win with Bruce than they did with JaMarcus. The team fed off his energy yesterday, and you could see in their eyes that they truly believed they could win at the end.

Gradkowski running around, smiling and laughing after the game was Favre-esque, and so refreshing as a Raider fan. You could actually tell whether we won or lost. When we made mistakes, he got upset. When we made good plays, he got pumped up. The team fed on that, and after a sluggish start, took the play to the Bengals for the last half of the game.

The defense was stout yet again, and once they realized the offense could actually move the ball, they shook off some early doldrums and hammered the Bengals into submission.

I said before the game the biggest key was pressuring Palmer, and when we didn't earlier, he carved us up. After the defense began getting some reciprocity from the offense, they played like they were possessed and held the Bengals to nothing of significance in the second half.

I don't know if he's the answer going forward, and I don't care. Gradkowski, I now realize, gives us the best chance to win right now, and with our roster, decent QB play could garner a few more wins for this downtrodden squad.

With Gradkowski throwing and Janikowski kicking, we've got a great pair of 'Skis to navigate the treacherous "Super G" that is our remaining schedule.

And how about young Desmond Bryant stepping up? Exciting young players on that line, with Shaughnessy, Bryant, and Jay Richardson.

That's the Raider team we love, and we can be proud of. Great game, guys, and way to battle to the end. I was impressed on so many levels that I'm positively giddy today.

Oakland Raiders Week 11 : Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:47:28 -0500

After a bye-week hiatus and the a subsequent very busy week for my family, we're back with the old pressures, hurries, and knockdowns.

There have been some shakeups around our beloved Raiders, the most obvious of which is a switch from the struggling JaMarcus Russell to Bruce Gradkowski at starting quarterback.

With many of the Raider Nation now resigned to another poor season with poor results, there isn't as much pressure on the team as a whole these days. Just playing hard would be an improvement, and it's sad that we're at that point yet again.

We've gone through our five stages of grief:

We were in denial at first, saying as we have for seven years that this team is better than they're playing and will turn it around after the Broncos smoked us at home.

We were angry, yelling at Russell and Cable and wondering why oh why a team with this much talent couldn't score with Lindsay Lohan, and why the defense seemed to have multiple personalities after Houston smoked us on the road.

We were bargaining with ourselves and the team after the Giants debacle, questioning whether JaMarcus Russell even cared, and threatening to boycott games and merchandise if Al Davis didn't make some changes to the infrastructure.

We were afraid, after the Jets game, that this team was a rudderless ship that was folding quickly and had no hope to salvage the season. We were afraid that we'd wasted time and money on a quarterback who wasn't worth it.

Then, we finally accepted the fact that this team is in disarray and there's little hope to salvage a winning season after the Chiefs game. We also accepted, fully, that Russell is not the answer right now and embraced the change to Gradkowski.

We've gone through our five stages, in much more agonizing personal detail than I've outlined above, and constantly since the Jets game. Each and every member of the Raider Nation has gone through this, in their own personal way, every week.

Now, we're just excited to see something new.

PRESSURES

Bruce Gradkowski

Okay, this is obvious. He's stepping in to the most important position on the field against a Bengal defense that's been ferocious in the last three weeks with the entire hopes and dreams of Raider Nation on his shoulders. I'd say that's pressure.

However, JaMarcus Russell set the bar so very low for QB play in Oakland that short of soiling himself in the middle of the field Gradkowski can do little to embarass himself on Sunday. We are in a mode of extremely lowered expectations, therefore the pressure on Gradkowski is not as great as if we were a winning team with designs on a playoff spot.

The fact that only Cleveland has had worse quarterback play than the Raiders (and any back-yard football game played by fat guys in their 40's) means that Gradkowski has a long leash with which to hang himself; but he's shown this season that he's capable of doing so.

The excitement of a fresh face has created some buzz around Oakland, but it's easy to create buzz when the most exciting thing to happen to the team thus far is a renegade pigeon pulling outside contain duty on a kickoff.

Darren McFadden

It's time now, with Russell on the bench, to turn our attention to another massive offensive disappointment: Mr. Darren McFadden.

Since having a breakout game against the Chiefs early last season, McFadden has done little of consequence other than be injured. The man goes down when hit by a stiff breeze, and he's had some fumble issues.

Granted, the team bafflingly refuses to split him wide or try and get him on the edge with room to maneuver, which isn't his fault, but he has yet to show the explosiveness and ability that made him one of the most dynamic backs in NCAA history.

His time is running out, and with Michael Bush being such a fantastic option and Justin Fargas running hard and blowing people up in blitz coverage, he's fading into the background. The strange thing is, after all the excitement surrounding his arrival, Raider Nation doesn't seem to care all that much. There are those lowered expectations creeping in again.

HURRIES

Chaz Schilens gets back on the field and catches the first pass thrown his way. Then, he's forgotten about. Guarantee Gradkowski won't forget about him this weekend
Hall and Joseph are incredibly good, incredibly instinctive, and incredibly fast young corners for the Bengals. That's not a good matchup for our incredibly fast, incredibly non-instinctive, incredibly inept young wide receivers
However, they have been getting open far more frequently lately. Darrius Heyward-Bey, had he been able to catch a couple of the other balls thrown his way, would've had a great game last weekend. He catches the two that he drops, and you're looking at three catches for roughly 80-90 yards
Bey admitted he's putting too much pressure on himself and still feels the need to justify his high overall selection. He's not a natural pass catcher so the mental side of catching the ball is going to be as important for him as the physical. He has the tools, but needs the confidence
Gradkowski is deceptively fast and I expect him to scramble for a couple of nice gains and first downs on Sunday
Those weighing in on the JaMarcus Russell situation seem to feel that he's an excellent quarterback with a ton of potential that isn't getting any help from his teammates. McNabb, Ocho, Tollner, and Gannon have all expressed that they feel he's got the goods, but needs more help around him
There is no way this team wants to blow up the QB position and start all over again. This is a wake-up call for Russell, not a death-knell, and he responded positively by staying for extra time in practice and making throws. We'll see if that continues, but he no longer has the sense of comfort or entitlement he played and spoke with, and that's probably the best thing to come out of this whole situation

KNOCKDOWNS

Cable Will Always Toe the Company Line

I think we all know that his switch to Gradkowski was signed off by Al, but Cable himself initiated the change against the Jets and then pulled the trigger again against KC.

Now that he's gone through so much controversy in the media and the team is playing uninspired, terrible football yet again, Cable probably feels he has little to lose and is rolling the dice in some situations.

Let's see if he brings his new found gumption to getting more creative with his playcalling. I really, really hope so.

JaMarcus Russell Will Have a Breakout Season

This one's been dead for a while now, obviously, but he's lost his starting job so it seemed pertinent to mention this.

I was one who thought this to be the case, and lobbied hard for the kid early in the season. I was the ever-forgiving parent, pulling a Russell and blaming everyone and everything else but the kid.

But about four weeks into the season, after we'd seen him regress back to the womb insofar as quarterbacking, I'd had enough and began calling him out for his apparent apathy and lack of dedication, as we all did. Some got on board much earlier, some later, but we've all now reached the conclusion that he's not the answer this season.

The scary prospect is that he's not the answer at all, period. If that's the case, then we're back to square one at the quarterback position, with no first-round pick in 2011, and that to me spells a couple of more years of futility as we search for our quarterback.

Not a pleasant thought.

Oakland Raiders Disappoint Again : Quick Hits From Week 10

Justin Smith — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:22:30 -0500

The Raider Nation had one last bastion of optimism heading into yesterday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming off a bye in which they apparently practiced hard and rejuvenated themselves, the team was also getting back four starters on a beleaguered offense. Russell was coming in early, working harder.

Chaz Schilens would be back and open up the passing game and give Russell a reliable wide receiver he so desperately needs. McFadden was rested, healthy, and ready to rip the Chiefs apart as he did last season.

Players were ready to stomp the Chiefs, talking running the table, and enthused about their prospects in the second half. The Raider Nation, desperate for anything positive, bought into it hook, line & sinker.

And here we sit, 2-7, blowing a great early start against a mediocre team and left wondering what positive there is left to say about this team. I haven't been writing much the last couple of weeks because I'm tired of having nothing good to say, and being given no material to work with by this "team."

Here are some quick thoughts from yesterday and how they apply to the big picture:

- Chaz Schilens' return was not the savior of the Raiders offense, and it was honestly unrealistic and a little unfair to Chaz to expect him to fix everything by showing up. He made his presence felt early, catching a quick five yarder from Russell in the first quarter, but didn't show up again until Russell had been benched and Gradkowski was in.

He finished with two catches and didn't open the field up like we thought he would. He's a great player and finding his legs, and he'll continue to impress as the season goes on, but it was too much to expect so much from him.

- However, Heyward-Bey getting twice the amount of offensive reps as Chaz is simply ludicrous. Heyward-Bey had the potential to have his best game as a Raider, but dropped two key passes, including the last play of the game which nullified a chance for a Raider victory.

On two different occasions I saw Bey jump for balls he didn't need to jump for, and both were drops. That last play, he could've reached up and caught it with his hands, and instead he jumped unnecessarily and tried to body-catch the ball.

The result was a perfectly thrown pass ricocheting off his chest and into the hands of the Chiefs' Mike Brown, who fell to the ground and ended the game. The fact that Bey immediately crumpled to the ground and was inconsolable was little comfort to Raider fans.

- Louis Murphy has drop issues as well. The fact that these guys don't fight for the ball, body catch everything, and can't get open despite lightning speed has me seriously, seriously questioning why we'd get rid of James Lofton, and just what the hell Sanjay Lal is doing as receivers coach.

For these guys to show absolutely no improvement in fundamentals more than halfway through a season is inexcusable.

- Tom Cable, when the run game is working, why, oh WHY force the pass? I understand you can't run all the time, you need versatility. I get that. But mix it up. Don't always run, or always pass. Run sometimes, pass sometimes. Honestly, if the passing game isn't working, run it more often.

I just do not get why Cable continually goes away from the run even when it's working. And why he doesn't get McFadden to the outside. And why Michael Bush was taken out of the game. And why we don't use our speed on more reverses and trick plays. The latter I understand to a degree: this team cannot execute a normal offensive play properly, so throwing trickery into the mix probably isn't feasible.

- I'm now out of the "start him until he gets it" Russell camp. He's not getting it, and he doesn't care. The commentators in the game yesterday, Gus Johnson in particular, made the point about Russell's body language and how he simply didn't seem to care about anything.

There's one thing in being cool and collected, and one thing in being aloof. This guy is so far beyond aloof that if his teammates all walked off the field in protest of his play, he'd just shrug his shoulders and put his fur coat on and go spend some money. Because it's obviously someone else's fault, so why should he worry?

- I'm not usually one to get on the referees, and the Raiders were somewhat undisciplined yesterday, but the discrepancy in penalties called was huge.

There were a couple of occasions in which Raider receivers were interfered with an it wasn't called, Raider linemen were held all day with no calls (Seymour and Shaughnessy in particular) and every time a Raider sneezed a flag was thrown. We beat ourselves yesterday, of that there is no doubt, but we got a hefty push from Mike Carey and his crew.

- I'm very sad today. The season now means nothing but a draft choice, and we just lost to the Chiefs at home. I'm having a very hard time finding anything positive to say about the offense of this team.

- The defense, however, played a great game and deserved a hell of a lot better than what they got from the offense. The Chiefs were handed short fields, and the Raiders twice held them to field goals. Despite the offensive ineptitude, the defense had this team with a chance to win at the final possession. You cannot ask for anything more, other than some pressure.

- Seriously, the Chiefs O-line is horrid, and yet we couldn't generate any pressure? What up with that? When we blitzed on occasion, it worked. What happened to the D-Line wreaking havoc on QB's? That's gotta come back in a big way.

- Shane Lechler is the best punter I've ever personally seen, and a lot of people seem to think he's the best all-time. His performance, coupled with the defense, kept us in the game yesterday.

- After dropping a game we should've won yesterday, I realistically see only two more wins on the horizon, meaning another 4-12 season. At this point there is little to get excited about.

Perhaps if I saw some promise or potential with our young players, I would be excited to see them progress. But honestly, McFadden is approaching bust status (and isn't now, nor has he ever been, used properly by the coaching staff), Russell doesn't have a clue, DHB can't catch a cold, Louis Murphy thinks he's better than he is, and this offense is in shambles.

A great core of players and talent if they can ever figure out how to play in the NFL. Perhaps it's years of disappointment, but I'm just not that optimistic anymore.

- However, if they CAN get their heads to match their talent, it'll be a core for years to come

- How a team with Michael Bush, Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Zach Miller can fail to score week in and week out is baffling: until you look behind center. Russell is probably upset about being benched, and probably doesn't feel it was deserved. Wake up call, big guy: you aren't getting it done, and you never have. You've earned nothing. If Gradkowski played the entire game, I have no doubt we would've won.

- Cable needs to go and needs to go now. I already made the point in my last article that we get blown out by embarrassing margins more often than we win under Cable, and now this disgusting statistic from Jerry McDonalds blog: in 21 games coached by Cable, the Raiders have scored one or less touchdowns in 16 of them.

That means we have failed to score more than one TD in 75 percent of Cable's games as HC. Wow. Allegations of abuse and whatever other off-field garbage aside, Cable is a terrible head coach that obviously knows nothing about play-calling or offense.

- While were at it, the personnel decisions continue to baffle. Why de-activate Khalif Barnes, who started the last two games at RT, yet activate Langston Walker?

- Why even have Javon Walker on the roster at all? There is NO way that he's a worse WR than Heyward-Bey or Murphy, or Watkins, yet the guy gets no love. Cut him loose already, money be damned.

- This team is going to pack it in now. Seen it too many times, and if they don't, at 2-7 with nothing left to play for, I will be extremely pleasantly surprised. I hope I'm extremely pleasantly surprised and we win our last seven games. But with the Bengals, Ravens, Broncos, and Cowboys on the schedule that's not bloody likely.

Author's Note: I have edited the zero touchdown rant to the more accurate one or zero touchdowns. I apologize for the misinformation; I was quite upset yesterday.

The Internal Struggle of Oakland Raider Owner Al Davis

Justin Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:12:10 -0500

Everyone has an opinion about Al Davis, but the majority seems to think that the game of football has passed him by, and that his arcane ideas about building a team with speed and playing full on man-to-man defense is as outdated as his fashion sense.

I have a different take, one that boils down to the psyche of a proud man.

Al Davis is an NFL icon, there is no denying that. He was part of the 'Air Coryell' era in San Diego, the first semblances of a passing game that revolutionized the sport.

He went on to coach the Oakland Raiders and turn a poor team into a perennial powerhouse.

He was the commissioner of the AFL, and so influential that when other AFL owners wanted to meet with the NFL to talk merger, they did so behind Davis' back—knowing that his influence and fire would potentially stall and/or completely negate the talks.

You see, it was Davis that first started outbidding the NFL for their stars, and thus made the AFL relevant to the NFL as competition. This led directly to the merging of the two leagues into the NFL that we know today.

He acquired majority control of the Raiders by ruthlessly phasing out one of his co-owners while the guy was out of the country watching the Olympics. Not a man who cared about making friends when it came to the business of football.

He filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the NFL, and was the only NFL owner to back the USFL during their anti-trust suit against the league. Throughout the course of his career he's shown vision, revolutionary thinking, and made a large amount of enemies.

He's a Hall of Famer, and has been asked by other Hall of Famers (nine I believe) to be the one who inducted them into the hall. He has always been one of the most controversial, yet highly respected, NFL owners.

Yet he's nothing short of a joke amongst NFL pundits and fans now. Oh, many people who deride him use the disclaimer that he is one of the most respected people in NFL history, but then they go on to say that he's out of touch, senile, demented, and has lost it when it comes to NFL strategy.

I think it goes more to human psychology than anything.

Al Davis is a very proud man. This is the man who built the Raiders, who ensured they stayed in Oakland in their infant years. He designed the logo, and brought in players to be proud of and put teams on the field that were both feared and respected. He ran every aspect of the franchise, from the owners duties, to general manager, to coach for a spell, to scout, to everything football related. And he did it with passion, fire, and an energy rarely seen from anyone in NFL history.

His Raider squads borough this same fire and passion to the field. They played with an angry chip on their shoulder, much the way Davis continually battled the powers-that-be, flew in the face of convention by hiring Tom Flores and a young John Madden, and was a general pain in the ass to the NFL administration.

In essence, his teams have always been a reflection of he himself.

Now is no different.

The Raiders are a somewhat rudderless ship with talent but no direction. They're embattled coach, Tom Cable, has shown no real football acumen on the field, and continually causes negative headlines off the field, whether justified or not.

This is a reflection of Al Davis.

Al Davis is now 80 years old. I truly believe he still has the same passion, fire, and verve that he always had. The last seven years (really, with the exception of a few excellent years, since we returned to Oakland) must hurt Al as much or more than it does the Raider Nation.

So why does it keep happening? How can a man that loves his team, his players, his sport, and his fans continue to preside over such a disaster?

Pride.

Admitting to himself that perhaps he doesn't have the energy to do it anymore would be tantamount to dying for Al Davis. A man who was a dynamo from his young days in Flatbush, Brooklyn admitting that Father Time is not allowing him to be the man he always was would be surrendering.; and no matter what, Al Davis has always been a winner and will never surrender.

Al Davis is now a rudderless ship, and for a man so in control and so successful at accomplishing anything he wanted to in his younger years, that is a very sobering and scary proposition. He is at an age where his body and mind don't necessarily respond when he asks them to, and he's lost some control of himself. Yet, like always, he's the last one to realize it.

This is a man who is still trying to do everything like he always did. It's unrealistic to expect the man to be as effective as he ever was. His health is failing; his mind, though sharp, must become fatigued much more quickly. His body and mind are breaking down, and the Raiders along with it.

But don't expect a man of Al Davis' pride and success to go gently into that good night.

He has already stated he will be around until the Raiders win two more Super Bowls, or until he dies.

This is a man who used to be a fixture on the practice field, a former coach that not only knew how to pick players to succeed in his system but also knew how to mold them into better players and better people, despite the "thug" image the team cultivated and wears proudly.

Tim Brown, a long-time and much-beloved Raider who has no love lost with Davis, summed it up when he talked about "the shoelaces getting a little tighter" when Davis was around. If Mr. Davis came to the practice field, the players focused more and got more out of practice. Tighten up for the boss, boys.

Now, a Davis sighting at practice is almost like spotting Bigfoot. He simply does not have the physical or mental stamina to oversee absolutely every aspect of this team like he did so successfully for so many years.

Has he lost his football sense? No, I don't think so. He's drafted Nnamdi Asomugha, Robert Gallery, Michael Huff, Tommy Kelly, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Chaz Schilens, Louis Murphy, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush, Mario Henderson, and numerous other players that either start or heavily contribute to the Raiders. And I mean numerous.

But you only hear about the Fabian Washingtons and Patrick Buchanons that wash out and are first round bust picks. Never about the solid players Davis has drafted in the later rounds (of the above mentioned picks, only Asomugha, Gallery and Huff were first rounders).

He's made some poor decisions to be sure, but what NFL personnel man hasn't? But because Davis demands and expects so much from himself and takes on more responsibility than he can handle at this point in his life, his judgment is becoming a little clouded.

What he has lost is the ability to do everything himself, and there is no shame in that for an 80-year-old man. It is ludicrous to think that the man could continue to be effective overseeing every aspect of the team while being physically unable to get out of bed some mornings. I think his health is much more dire than anyone lets on, and the fact that he looks older and rougher in every subsequent picture is how I've drawn this conclusion (and the only "evidence" I have of my previous statement.)

The psychology of the situation is delicate and even a little sad. We have a man that on one hand wants what it best for his beloved Raiders, and wants nothing more than to see them return to glory. Knowing Al Davis' history and how much he loves this team, this is a definite truth. The Raiders are as much his son as Mark Davis.

But on the other hand his pride will not allow him to admit to himself that at his age, he cannot do it alone, and he needs help. Therefore, he continues down a path believing things are as they always were, and that he has the physical and mental stamina to continue overseeing everything Raiders.

Until Al Davis reaches his nadir and admits to himself that he needs help, and cannot do it alone, the Raiders will continue to suffer. Al Davis has had so much control for so long that giving up that control would leave him without an identity.

If he's not the Oakland Raiders, then who is he?

That's a question and a mortality I don't think he wants to face.

Oakland Raiders Midseason Awards, Disappointments, and Thoughts

Justin Smith — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:32:56 -0500

Well here we are at the bye, in week 9 of the NFL season. The Raiders have played eight games thus far, and sit with an all too familiar and disappointing 2-6 record at the midpoint. Here's a list of my hilights and lowlights of the first half, and things to do moving forward in regards to having increased success in the second half of the season.

Begin Slideshow

Is This Oakland Raider Coach Tom Cable's Bye-Bye Week?

Justin Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:14:58 -0500

Going into their bye during week five of last season, the Oakland Raiders were in a familiar position. Sitting with a 1-3 record, a lack of passion, and an uphill climb to improve the squad, the team finally pulled the trigger on the firing of "Lance" Kiffin, much to the delight of owner Al Davis.

Davis put on a show rarely seen in sport as he called a press-conference and actually used an old-school overhead projector (I'm guessing Al isn't so well versed in Powerpoint) to outline and detail his reasons not only for firing Kiffin, but why he shouldn't have to pay him the rest of his contract.

The overhead display of a letter he had wrote to Kiffin admonishing him for his public statements was awesome theatre, and Al Davis at his best. It was as surreal as it was entertaining, and showed that despite some questionable football moves recently, ol' Al is still alive and kicking.

Al stated that Kiffin lied repeatedly, tried to undermine his authority, made negative statements about the organization, and coached in a way detrimental to the team. Therefore, not only was he fired, but fired for "cause", legal terminology that essentially meant Al was not obligated to pay Kiffin the remainder of his salary.

That case is still ongoing, and there has been no verdict rendered as yet. Kiffin has recently come out with public support for Cable, but with his actions in Oakland last season and his mouthpiece nature in the SEC, it is being taken with a gigantic bag of salt.

So now the Raiders were a literal rudderless ship, as opposed to the symbolic rudderless ship they represented under Kiffin. Leadership under Kiffin was there in body, but certainly not in mind or spirit.

Enter Tom Cable, a Raider fan since childhood and the offensive line coach who was widely responsible for a resurgence in the Raiders' running attack. In his dream job, the interim Coach Cable brought the enthusiasm and want-to-be-great attitude that was sorely missing under Kiffin.

Cable brought fire, passion, and heart to a Raider team that still finished with a terrible 5-11 record (going 4-8 under Cable), but showed more potential and less apathy than they had in a long time.

Cable began playing young players that were derided by Kiffin, like Mario Henderson. Henderson has since become the starting left tackle and played very, very well at that position.

Cable gave opportunity to young receivers like Jonnie Lee Higgins and Chaz Schilens, and the result was an improved passing attack that looked like it could actually be something in the making for the future.

Cable gave opportunity and patience to JaMarcus Russell, who responded by playing very solid, if unspectacular, in his final six games.

The team was heading in the right direction under Cable, and Raider Nation was excited. We were divided into those who wanted Cable to become the full-time, official head coach, and those who wanted someone else with more experience and a better pedigree. Cable got his personal wish and had the interim tag removed shortly after the season.

I admit now I was wrong in falling into the former category.

Heading into the 2009 season, this team would finally have a healthy Darren McFadden, a more experienced and improved JaMarcus Russell, a full offseason with the new coaching staff (including new defensive coordinator John Marshall and D-line coach Dwayne Board), and a division that appeared to have only one real threat, San Diego, in it's midst.

Everything seemed to be lining up for the Raiders to get of the schnide and improve upon six consecutive seasons of 10+ losses (a dubious NFL record, by the way.)

There was the usual concern regarding Russell's offseason work habits and conditioning, but everything with the team seemed to be going well. The players were saying all the right things, and Cable himself was excited for the season to begin.

Then, August 4th, 2009 happened.

I'm not going to go into details, but assistant coach Randy Hanson (or slimy weasel as he's unaffectionately known to Raider fans) had his face broken. Originally, Hanson stated it just happened and didn't press any charges or make any direct accusations toward Cable.

Hanson then tried to extort money and position from the Raiders, which didn't work. We all know how well Al Davis responds to shakedowns. He's old school, and if this were still the 60's, I think ol' Al would've broken Hanson's jaw himself.

So Hanson then showed up at the Napa Valley (Ca.) DA's office and stated "the Raiders didn't give me what I want, so I'm ready to cooperate fully."

Hanson's spotty account of the story, as well as three other coaches who were present contradicting Hanson's version of events, left the DA with too much reasonable doubt as to whether Cable was guilty of assault or if it was an accident. No charges were filed.

But the damage was done. Despite many, many, many statements to the contrary, there is no possible way a looming felony assault conviction didn't weigh on the mind of Cable, or his players. No way. They'd have to be inhuman to not think about it.

After the charges were dropped, the NFL stated they would look into the incident based on their personal conduct policy. Punishment still loomed large for Cable, although it looked as if it may just be a fine.

This incident was just the beginning of yet another downward spiral for a cursed organization that can't seem to catch a break (or, honestly, put themselves in a position to deserve one most of the time.)

The Raiders began the season against the San Diego Chargers. They'd dropped 11 straight games to the hated Bolts, and wanted nothing more than a win. That was obvious in the way they played.

Passionate and fired up from the opening kickoff, the Raiders pounded the Chargers into submission. As a young team they couldn't figure out a way to finish the game, and ultimately lost 24-20. However, the effort and passion they showed were enough to spark excitement about things to come in 2009.

This is what we all hoped for and expected after Cable had the team playing well late last season. Improvement and passion; hope for the future.

But with subsequent subpar efforts it became apparent that the addition of Pro-Bowler Richard Seymour and his excitement played as much if not more into the Raiders bringing it hard as did Cable's inspiration.

Cable also began a bad habit and poor coaching decision of abandoning the run game early in this one. He falsely believed JaMarcus Russell was ready for prime-time, which we all quickly found out was not the case.

They went to Kansas City the next week, and played as flat and terribly as a team possibly can and still get the win. It was uninspired, boring, and ugly to watch, but the Raiders were .500 at 1-1 with the hated Denver Broncos coming to Oakland the next week.

A game the team should've had no trouble getting up for is one that they barely showed up for. Cable continued to abandon the run too early and ask JaMarcus Russell to do too much, and the Broncos ran the Raiders right out of the Coliseum.

Russell had regressed in his play since the end of the previous season, and Cable seemed to be force-feeding Russell pass plays in a misguided effort to get him back on track. All this served to do was stagnate the running game and tire out the defense, and upset a fan base that knows we need to run first, second, and third to have a chance at success.

The Raiders were shellacked at home in an embarrassing 23-3 loss that honestly wasn't that close, if that's even possible. That began a three-week free fall of some of the worst mail in jobs I've seen in the last seven years. And that's saying something, I'll tell you.

They FedExed a 29-6 loss to a previously struggling Houston Texans team the next week, and got absolutely manhandled in a 44-7 drubbing by the Giants that also wasn't as close as the score.

That game prompted NY Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce to liken the Raiders to a "scrimmage team," and Pierce openly questioned the heart and effort of the Raiders.

Suffice it to say, any good will that Cable had accrued during the late-season run in 2008 and the first two games of this season were buried under dubious coaching decisions, a team that didn't seem to care, and a quarterback who was getting worse by the minute despite being heavily coddled by all around him.

So the Raiders responded the next week by playing physically dominating football en route to a 13-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the better teams in the NFL.

The sheer dominance and physicality the Raiders demonstrated in the opening game against San Diego and then this contest against Philly had people wondering why this Raider team doesn't show up every week.

It's an infinitely frustrating reality of Raider fandom, and one we thought Cable had exorcised. He constantly spoke of eliminating the losing culture, getting rid of team cancers that only wanted money, and bringing the Raider way back to the fold.

It sounded good in theory, but his execution has stunk for the most part. So naturally:

The Jets came to town struggling mightily. The Raiders were coming off an inspired effort in which they took it to a superior opponent. The charges pending against Cable by the Napa DA were dropped. Good will all around, it was the Raiders game to lose.

And boy did they. Worst home loss ever, at 38-0. It was an embarrassment, and Cable finally heeded the calls of Raider Nation and benched a very under-performing JaMarcus Russell in favour of Bruce Gradkowski. It didn't make a difference, though.

The Raiders are fresh off their 13th straight defeat to the San Diego Chargers, although they once again played a decent game and had themselves with a chance to win at the end. Their inability to come through in the clutch has not improved with Cable under the microphone.

This is a team in desperate, desperate need of stability in the coaching ranks. But when your Coach doesn't seem to know what he's doing most of the time, can't get his team up to play important home games (Broncos), and inspires colossal efforts one week followed by three consecutive horrendous showings, it's time to look elsewhere.

Cable is inexperienced, and he could grow with this team. In fact, he probably would grow with this team, for better or for worse.

But there are new allegations; those of physical abuse against women.

If there is one thing Al Davis doesn't suffer, it's embarrassment not related to football. Oh, I'm sure he doesn't suffer embarrassment regarding football either, but he doesn't have much of a choice recently, and a lot of that is of his own making.

Granted, this information was originally reported by ESPN in the "Outside the Lines" segment, and without hyperbole I state that ESPN is notorious for trashing the Oakland Raiders (see: Cris Carter and Tom Jackson speaking with Darrius Heyward-Bey in what is the most unprofessional and insulting interview I've seen in some time.)

But there seems to be more to the story than just Raider-bashing, unfortunately.

Cable has now been in the midst of two very negative media firestorms in the last three months. If he'd turned out to be the second coming of Jon Gruden, perhaps he would get a pass. Perhaps.

And no, I don't believe being a good coach excuses poor off field behaviour, but I also live in reality.

Instead he's been the second coming of Joe Bugel/Art Shell/Norv Turner. The best analogy, because of their offensive line roots, would be Shell. That works also because of the putrid offenses that both of these men have fielded as coach of the Raiders.

Cable has been accused of physical abuse by not one, but two women. One is his ex-wife, whom Cable has copped to slapping during an argument about her infidelity. So Cable has admitted to hitting a women, even if it was in the heat of passion and even if it was an open handed slap. He still admits to assaulting his ex-wife.

Sandy Cable tells a different story.

She states unequivocally that he punched her, not slapped her, that she never was adulterous, and even has a hand-written letter signed by Cable in which he apologizes and states that he hit her. Cable insists it was an open-handed slap warranted by the heat of the moment.

I may take some flak for this, but if I found out my wife cheated on me, I would possibly open-handed slap her as well. A slap can possibly be forgiven, depending on the circumstances. But never a closed fist. Never. Ever.

Ever little boy learns one axiom that we never forget: You don't hit women. Beyond anything else, it's about respect. You don't disrespect women, and you especially don't hit them.

Sandy Cable went on to explain that he abused her emotionally and physically on more than just that occasion, and that she was fearful during her time with the Coach.

The other woman, Marie Lutz, is an ex-girlfriend of Cable's whom he claims is jilted and looking for revenge. Lutz has stated that Cable hit her "three or four times" during the course of their relationship, and that he physically restrained and then threw her out of his house earlier in 2009, when she caught him with another woman.

It should be noted that Cable cooperated with Alameda police and no wrongdoing was found, and that other woman is his current wife, Jean Cable.

Cable's second wife, Glenda, cited abuse in their divorce proceedings, but refused interview requests and has since recanted her original claims in a statement issued through her attorney.

I don't know if any of the allegations are true, but I do know this: the appearance of impropriety is enough for people to begin believing negativity, and Cable has appeared nothing BUT inappropriate in regards to his anger-management and violent behaviours in the last three months.

I'm not going to hang the guy in criminal court, that's for investigators, prosecutors, and the jury to do. It's also interesting that these allegations are coming about now, right when Hanson has a civil suit to ready, and right when Cable is most vulnerable to being fired.

But in the court of public opinion, the man is guilty of at least appearing to have violence issues. He is definitely guilty of embarrassing an already beaten-down franchise.

And his coaching acumen has shown nothing to warrant looking the other way.

The bottom line is that Cable was in danger of losing his job anyhow before these allegations surfaced. Now, with recent statements from the Raiders that they are taking the allegations very seriously and that they will conduct their own investigation, Cable is on the hottest seat this side of Eric Mangini.

I've always like Cable's persona. He's always seemed to have a childlike enthusiasm for the game, his players like him, and he's a fiery guy. My opinion on him right now hasn't changed, because there isn't enough overall evidence to warrant any kind of change.

But even taking into account that these allegations are coming from ESPN, and even taking into account that the timing is fishy for many reasons, it's hard to swallow another story of this guy hitting people without thinking there might be some truth to some of it.

We've heard both sides, but this time Sandy Cable has physical evidence, and three women accusing the man of abuse is too many to ignore or brush aside, whether his second wife Glenda recanted or not. The point is, she made the original statements.

Even if he didn't do any of this, the damage is done, and he needs to go. We're having enough trouble on the field without needless distractions off the field; needless distractions that represent an embarrassing and disturbing trend if found true.

This is an open request to Jon Gruden to please, please, please come back, and to Al to please, please, please bring him back no matter WHAT he wants.

Oakland Raiders Week Eight: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:27:16 -0400

Well, our schizophrenic Raiders showed their "OH" faces again last weekend, getting bent over and taken to task by the New York Jets.

We travel to rival San Diego this weekend looking to end a 12-game losing skid against the hated dolts, er, Bolts.

This team needs to find an identity and fast. They need to decide whether they are the team that shows up and physically beats opponents up, or the team that becomes a willing participant in their own destruction.

The pressure is on as always for this team and we have what seems to be a recurring themes here.

Pressures

JaMarcus Russell

Russell has played poorly enough at times this season to warrant a benching, but it never came and looks like it never would.

Until last weekend.

Having turned the ball over twice, leading to two Jet touchdown drives for a combined eight yards, Russell was leading the team on a solid drive and looking as if he may get them back in the game.

Then, he threw another pick; this time in the end zone. Granted, Darrelle Revis is a stellar cornerback who made a spectacular play and Todd Watkins didn't fight for the ball whatsoever, but Russell simply threw the ball up for and hoped.

After that, he was benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Others will argue with me, but I didn't see that Gradkowski played any better. Did he give the offense some life? Yes, but so did Josh McCown when he replaced Daunte Culpepper.

New life will bring immediate excitement; but Gradkowski turned the ball over as well, and easily could've thrown three to four interceptions if Jets defenders didn't suddenly become Darrius Heyward-Bey (cheap shot, I know).

Russell could've responded to the situation in a mature manner, stating that he knows he needs to get better and that the benching would serve as motivation.

Instead, he deflected blame and threw his teammates under the bus with more poise and precision than any pass he's thrown all season.

When told, Cable pulled him because he was out of sorts. He responded "No, I wasn't."

When asked about the turnovers, he invoked poor pass protection, poor route running, poor hands, and everything but his own poor decisions and passes.

This did not endear him to fans, teammates, or the coaching staff no matter what they say in the media.

He has since come out and taken responsibility for his actions, but that smacks of someone forcing him to come clean rather than him doing it on his own.

Sorry if that sounds cynical, but faith in Russell has yet to reward any one of us.

Hopefully the benching motivated him to work harder, get more serious, and understand he still has a long, long, long way to go before resembling an NFL quarterback on a consistent basis. Most professionals would take benching as a kick in the pants and we all have to hoped that's what's happened to big No. 2.

The pressure is on Russell to not only perform on the field, but to begin to act like he's being paid as the face of a franchise that takes the blame for losses and the credit for wins. If not, he may find himself very soon as the next big bust and I'm not talking in Canton.

Raiders Run D

After getting lit up by a Jets team that unequivocally stated, "we're going to run it down your throat," these guys have to be a little bit embarrassed.

It's one thing to get fooled and have some yardage put on you, it's quite another to know exactly what the other team is going to do and be powerless to stop it.

There are major factors to consider here, not the least of which is that the Raider defense was actually playing very well until Russell turned it over for a third time. It seemed, at that point, that the entire defense gave up, realizing that no matter how well they played the offense was just going to give the ball right back.

It's been a theme this season, the defense plays well to start the game, only to pack it in once the offense has stagnated for long stretches of time. The defense should never pack it in, but they do. It bothers me to no end, because they are one of the fastest and most physical defenses in the league when on their game.

But when they fall behind quickly, or they are on the field twice as much as their opponents, and are continually seeing the offense hand the ball back to the other team on a short field, discipline goes out the window and teams run wild on them.

The pressure is on this weekend to keep their gap responsibilities and run fits, tackle soundly, and hold the Chargers running game in check. We all know that Rivers and the SD passing game are sound and will put up yardage; if the running game is clicking as well we have no chance in this game.

Hurries

Still no definitive word on Chaz Schilens or Robert Gallery this weekend, but I don't think it's a coincidence that we've struggled on offense and these guys are both out. If they both return our offense should move much better.
With the speed and talent in our secondary, having only four interceptions at this point in the season is awful. Michael Huff alone has three of the four. I get that teams don't throw at Nnamdi much, but doesn't it concern anyone else that he's only picked off one pass in the last three seasons?
This team needs to generate more turnovers in general.
JaMarcus Russell has taken a lot of heat this week both for his on-field play and his off-field behavior and demeanor. I put my faith in him one last time and state that he will have a bounce-back game this weekend and renew somewhat our faith in him.
The Raiders really, really want to beat the Chargers, possibly more than anything else. The guys in that locker room that have been here since 2003, since we've lost 12 in a row, are vibrating to kill these guys. I hope that carries over to Sunday.

Knockdowns

No More Distractions Means Better Preparation

After the Randy Hanson debacle was mostly settled last week, at least from a criminal charges perspective, everyone thought that Cable would be able to finally concentrate fully on his football team.

Despite his claims that it was never a distraction, it's tough to believe that a pending felony charge was easy to blow off. So Cable got somewhat of a pass for a few questionable coaching decisions earlier in the season.

However, with no outside distractions to preoccupy him, Cable prepared a game plan that somehow handed the Raiders their worst home defeat in franchise history.

Oh, it's not all on Cable, that's for damned sure. He may call the plays, but he doesn't execute (or not) them on the field. That's up to his team.

He has admitted that sticking with a four vertical receiver fly pattern on the first play from scrimmage when the Raiders were backed up to their own 10 was a poor coaching decision. He's taken all the blame for the Raiders' lack of preparation and passion, and has expressed as much confusion and concern as we have regarding their mental state.

But, it's his job to have this team fired up every week and it's getting really frustrating to see them up one week and invisible the next.

With no outside distractions and no jail time looming, Cable has no reasonable excuse for not having this team fully prepared to play every single week.

He had ample time to scheme for a Jets team he knew would run, run, run, and we gave up over 300 yards.

Once again, I know the coaches don't run the plays, the routes, drop passes, etc. But, they are responsible for sound fundamentals and being ready to play and those are two areas we are sorely lacking in on too frequent a basis.

The Raiders Special Teams are Great

The once prayer-inducing Seabass has been on point all season, making all of his field goals and extra points. Shane Lechler continues to be the best punter in the NFL, if not in league history. But, that's where the good news ends.

After taking back three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns last season, the Raiders return game has stagnated. Dynamic punt returner Jonnie Lee Higgins was almost decapitated in game one against the San Diego Chargers after going over the middle for a pass and hasn't been the same since.

The Raiders cut return man Justin Miller, he of the two kickoff TD's last season, to make room for exciting rookie Nick Miller. But, Nick Miller has had a foot injury and hasn't seen the field all season.

After pulling off some fakes, scoring touchdowns, and generally being one of the best special teams in the NFL last season, the Raiders are among the league's worst in return yardage, return yardage allowed, and special team penalties.

Last week, the Jets, after being stuffed by the Raiders defense early in the game, decided to try a little fake punt. Not only did it work, it was downright comical (sad) to watch every single Raider player turn their back to the play and run down field to get into blocking position.

What they didn't know was that punter Steve Weatherford had taken off on a dead run and the Raiders coverage team was so clueless that at one point Weatherford was basically running behind Isaiah Ekejiuba, almost as if the Raider special team stalwart was blocking for him.

It was the low point in what has been an extremely, extremely disappointing season on special teams. This unit needs to get it going because if it weren't for Lechler, our average starting position would be about the 10 yard line while our opponents would be about their 40.

Unfortunately, it's not too far off from that right now.

The Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell Needs To Man Up Or Shut Up

Justin Smith — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:37:51 -0400

I think I'm one of the few Oakland Raider fans that still has faith in JaMarcus Russell. The ranks have thinned, and rightly so.

With so much invested and his physical gifts, I simply can't write him off and stop hoping that one day the light will go on and he'll start to show why we all thought so highly of him as recently as this offseason.

However, I'm not a stupid man, and his words and actions more than his play on the field are causing me to lose that hope not in tiny slivers, but in giant slabs.

It's safe to say that after years of futility, I was willing to dial in some patience this season, and hope that the team would play well enough to retain the coaching staff and finally get a little organizational continuity. We all know that constant ch-ch-ch-changes have heavily contributed to our failings as a team.

The Cable-Hanson incident threatened that possibility, but has now faded to background noise and will not now play a factor into whether the Coach is retained after the season.

What will play a factor is this team's utter inability to bring the pain each and every week. As prepared as they look when they play well, they are that unprepared and then leaps and bounds when they don't play well.

But leadership on the field needs to come from the quarterback position. His statistics are horrendous, but where Russell has failed the most is as a leader of this football team.

Is it right to demonize a 24-year-old for not being able to show the maturity and poise required to lead a franchise? When he's making more money than almost all his teammates combined, it certainly is.

When Matt Ryan has gone on record saying he's going to work as hard as he can to be one of the best to play the game, it certainly is.

When Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and others as young or younger than Russell seem equal to the task and hold themselves accountable, you're damned right it is.

Leaders get paid accordingly, because leaders are supposed to be the ones that step up, take responsibility for mistakes (whether their own or not), and motivate the team to move forward in a positive direction.

Leaders do not question why they are benched after effectively scoring more points for the other team than they have for their own in weeks.

Russell has shown his immaturity in myriad ways since he arrived in Oakland, from his holdout to his poor conditioning to coming in last and leaving first to avoiding the media to wearing ridiculously expensive gear while playing for a team in a bankrupt state, to now finally blaming everyone but himself for his own issues.

The thing is, when you play well, you can get away with a certain amount of criticism of your teammates and coaches. And Russell honestly seems to think he's playing well, or at least passably. It frosts me to no end, and makes as much sense as him continually blaming everyone else for his mistakes. To wit:

FUMBLE : He didn't fumble that ball; he didn't have time to check down. Translation: not my fault, my O-Line sucks. Nice message.

INT No. 1: A defender crossed my face, so I threw it directly to a Jet when there was no Raider within five yards. Translation : I don't even know WHAT to make of that other than : it's not my fault, a defender distracted me. WTF is that?

INT No. 2: I threw it up for the receiver to make a play. Translation : not my fault, I put it right there and Watkins boned it up. Once again, nice message. Revis made a great play, and there is something to the fact that our receivers simply never, ever make plays even when they could at times, as Russell so consistently reminds us when he is questioned about his poor play.

I wonder how badly Richard Seymour wants to hit Russell when he hears him say things like that. Or the rest of his teammates, for that matter. I know I want to slap him in the head and ask why he doesn't seem to care as much as a dude that lives in Ontario, Canada. Of course, he'd probably slap me back, knock me unconscious, and eat me.

Do you really think that he isn't going to lose this team if he keeps it up? That's assuming, and a big assumption at that, that he hasn't lost them already. The defense played really well Sunday until INT No. 2. After that, after seeing what Russell had to offer in the way of leadership and poise, they gave up. Who can blame them?

As a major contrast, Mark Sanchez, with tears in his eyes after blowing it against Buffalo with five interceptions, straight up said that he lost the game for his team. No excuses. No "they ran poor routes" or "I didn't have time in the pocket" or "I didn't sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

Nope. Simply poise, leadership, and accountability.

Three words that are nowhere near Russell's vocabulary right now. Until you start earning your money and outplaying anyone on the roster, you have no right to point the finger at anyone but big No. 2 in the mirror. Grow up.

The Oakland Raiders: The NFL's Answer To Sybil

Justin Smith — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:34:35 -0400

*SIGH*

After a solid performance against the Eagles in which JaMarcus Russell looked decent if unspectacular. A win at home against the reeling Jets, who were starting a struggling rookie quarterback and travelling across the country, seemed not only feasible, but realistic.

The worst home loss in franchise history has served to blow that theory clean out of the stratosphere.

This team cannot find an identity. When they play well, they beat up their opponents, dominate at the point of attack and swarm the ball. When they play well, they can hang with most teams in the NFL.

When they play poorly, they are the worst team in the league, hands down. And yes, I'm aware this is a historical year for very, very bad NFL teams. But, when Bad Raiders show up, they trump all the rest.

The Raider Nation is currently experiencing their seventh straight season of mountainous disappointment, with no end in sight.

Perhaps the worst time of all the seven years is right now. See, the reason for that is that we all know this team has talent. We know they have a solid defense, the potential for a great running game, and athletes on both sides of the ball that can make game-changing plays.

This is not a terrible roster. They just play that way 75 percent of the time.

The problem is, talent is not the only factor when it comes to winning in the NFL. Coaching and preparation is just as important, if not moreso, and it's in that area that we seem to be sorely lacking.

Tom Cable is trying to be too clever, and he ends up outsmarting himself and his team. How else to explain throwing on the first play of the game when we're backed up to our own 4 yard line?

It's almost as if he says, "Our passing game is struggling mightily. Our running game is solid. They're obviously going to try and stop the run. So let's pass!"

Which would be a great strategy...if JaMarcus Russell and our receivers resembled anything close to dynamic NFL players right now, which they unfortunately do not.

I truly believe Richard Seymour was being genuine when he said this team was making the playoffs. Of course, he hasn't been in Oakland long, so he doesn't realize that this team follows inspired performances by taking the next week off. He hasn't experienced the schizophrenic nature of this team.

We all know it all too well, and never has it been more prominent than this season.

Seymour's getting it now. Another personal foul toward the end of the Jets game, his second during a blowout this season, spoke to that. As did his "we couldn't beat a high school team today" comments after the game.

Disaster on Sunday could've been averted if Cable had simply called for a run on the first two or three plays of the game. Get 3-6 yards, get some breathing room, put J-Rock in a better, more manageable situation. Don't put him in a position to have to make a big play on the first play of the game from his own four. He hasn't shown anything this season which makes that a logical choice.

But nope. Instead, drop back to pass with a brand new right tackle and a mistake-prone QB from your own goalline. You know, because passing plays have worked so well from our end zone thus far. This is the fourth time I count Cable making a poor play call at the goalline and it either costing us the ball, or a safety.

Russell is certainly not absolved of blame. But for those saying Gradkowski was better; no, he was not. In fact, he looked worse than Russell throwing the ball; his legs were pretty dynamic though. As for Jeff Garcia: there's a reason he's still unemployed folks, despite the need for QB's in various places around the league.

The most frustrating thing about JaMarcus Russell is his apathy toward his own performance. No matter the numbers he puts up, he's always talking like he had a good game, and has never expressed disappointment or anger at his poor play. Nor has he owned up to it.

His personality, at least, is consistent. He can do no wrong and is just a "laid back" dude. Whatever. We're tired of it, to a man. You've been terrible; man up, admit it, and go to work.

His work ethic is improving by all accounts, as he's been the last player to leave the facilities quite a bit lately. This is confirmed by coaches and Eric Coleman's twitter account, as well as Jerry McDonald's blog.

That's a step in the right direction, but the kid still knows it's his job to lose. The benching seemed not to register with him at all. He's got such a sense of entitlement that it really makes you sick as a fan.

This is a team at war with itself. It's a team that should win with running and defense; instead, it's a team that is handcuffed by a mandate to improve the passing game despite not really having the tools to do so.

The defense simply gave up on Sunday due to offensive ineptitude. Seriously. After we were down 7-0, the D pitched a three and out. After we were down 14-0, the team pitched another three and out. At one point in the first quarter the Jets had had four possessions, and had about two yards rushing and Sanchez was 2/5 for 16 yards.

Then, Russell threw his second interception when the team was marching down field to potentially get back in the game, and gave the Jets a short field for the third time.

The defense then said "see ya later," and took the rest of the day off.

To improve the passing game we need a better offensive line, a quarterback who understands the NFL game better, and wide receivers that can get open and catch the ball when it's thrown to them.

We currently have none of those things.

This is a team in search of an identity, and as such, shows many different personalities and many different faces; many of which are ugly.

This team needs to figure out whether they want to be the guys who show up inspired and want to win, or if they just want to go through the motions until the season ends and they can look forward to next year. We all prefer the latter, but really, just some constency one way or another.

Because we can't take this Sybil act anymore.

Oakland Raiders Week Seven: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 05:01:25 -0400

Welcome to another addition of Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns as it applies to our beloved Silver & Black. Even though they played well last weekend and are coming off a big win, there are still concerns, obviously. Let's get to it.

PRESSURES

JaMarcus Russell

The defense won the game for us last weekend, but Russell showed a lot of poise, leadership, and confidence when he was on the field.

He has been much maligned this season, and I myself have called him out for an apparent apathy toward succeeding. A decent game last weekend (although spectacular by his standards thus far this season) does not answer all of our questions.

But from the outset against the Eagles last week, he looked like a different player. He seemed to have regained his confidence. He was moving around in the pocket, feeling the rush, and getting rid of the ball.

He made excellent usage of his check-downs to Gary Russell, and would've had an even better game if it weren't for the usual drops in the first quarter by our green and inconsistent wide receivers.

Now, Russell needs to show that this offense can put up more than one touchdown. Because the defense, stout as it is and I expect it to continue to be, cannot be expected to hold teams to under 14 points every game.

Russell needs to step it in insofar as making more consistent plays down the field. He took a step in the right direction last weekend, but this offense is one of the worst in the NFL, and Fargas' running, coupled with the stellar defense, helped shield this reality against the Eagles.

JaMarcus Russell is under pressure to show that he can put points on the board and have a large hand in winning games.

The Raider Nation knows what we have in our defense, we expect the return game to get on track soon, and our running attack is believed to be great (although that's been an unfortunate mirage thus far, Fargas excepted).

The only piece of the puzzle left is the play of Russell. Without him making more plays more consistently, great efforts by our defense could possibly be wasted. He's already shown this season he can play well in the fourth quarter when it counts.

But the game against the Eagles, and the subsequent confidence and talk from the locker room, has raised the bar in Raider land, and Russell's occasional flashes just won't cut it for much longer. He can do this; just more often is what we need.

John Marshall

Once again, the bar has been raised on the defensive side of the ball, and the pressure is on the D-Coordinator to, well, keep the pressure on.

We all loved the snarling, pin-your-ears back attack we saw last weekend. It was refreshing, swarming, and deliciously vicious. It was a thing of beauty.

Granted, the Eagles abandoning the run and having a less than healthy offensive line made them the absolute perfect opponent to blitz, but suffice it to say, Raider Nation finally saw it. And we liked what we saw.

If Marshall goes back to straight man schemes and 4-man rushes, and it doesn't work as well as last week's mixed bag of defensive marbles, then there will be a lot of unhappy fans. And, I daresay, unhappy defensive players.

HURRIES

Chaz Schilens suffered a setback in practice on Friday, and as of today was still questionable. I've been saying this for weeks, this might be the week, but we need him so badly.
Been hearing talk of Langston Walker or Khalif Barnes at right tackle, but haven't found anything around to substantiate it. Cable has indicated Walker's conditioning has improved, and Barnes is healthy. It remains to be seen what's going to be done with the RT spot, especially if "Turnstile" Green returns anytime soon.
Regardless of who plays RT, Erik Pears did a pretty good job last weekend. In fact, for a patchwork line thrown together, they did a hell of a job to a man last weekend.
I knew drafting Zach Miller in the ninth round of my fantasy league would pay dividends one of these weekends. Here's hoping that he and J-Rock keep it going, and of course not just for fantasy purposes.
Speaking of fantasy, I also drafted Darren McFadden in the seventh round. That one hasn't worked out so well. It's strange; with his lack of production earlier this season, and his subsequent disappearing act during his injury, he's become somewhat of a forgotten man in Raider land at the moment.

KNOCKDOWNS

Cut Justin Fargas; NOW!

Nope. Huggy Jr. was back with a vengeance last weekend, running with that ol' familiar demolition-derby style, chewing up clock and yardage, and even leaving some Eagles in his wake.

The blood-and-guts Justin Fargas we all know and love was on full display with hard running between the tackles, bone-crushing blitz pickups on linebackers and linemen alike, and even a catch out of the backfield.

Many Raider fans were calling for Fargas to be tossed aside altogether. I wanted him to play a reduced role, but knew the coaching staff loved him and he was essential for blitz pickups, so he wasn't going anywhere.

After he injured his groin earlier in the year and missed time at the beginning of the season, it was apparent that he was falling further behind both Bush and McFadden, and that the team would most certainly phase him out in favour of the younger dynamic duo.

But Fargas, as always, kept quiet, went to work, hit people, ran hard, and got his chances last weekend, where he made the most of it.

A key factor for Raider success is playing excellent defense and ball-control offense, and Fargas gives the team the best option at the latter right now. His running style simply wears the other team down.

Welcome back, Huggy, and keep up the excellent work.

Cable Guy is Going to Jail

Raider Nation: Hello folks. Tonight's special will be crow, served piping hot. Your waiter tonight will be Randy. Please don't look at him directly in the eyes; he's a little unstable and quite frankly we don't know what he's capable of.

Let us know when you're ready to order.

NFL Week Seven: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:27:42 -0400

I'm feeling pretty good this week after my Raiders showed up and played with pride and passion in beating the Eagles last weekend. I'm also tempering my enthusiasm for a turnaround until we see how they play this weekend.

Speaking of the Jets...

PRESSURES

New York Jets

So the "Sanchize" has come crashing back down to earth after his first three weeks in the NFL which were filled with impressive third down conversions, TD passes, GQ spreads, supermodel interaction, and Rex Ryan jokes.

Nobody's laughing now. Except maybe the Pats, Bills, and Dolphins.

The kid is a rookie, and a talented one. He's looked far more like a rookie in the last few weeks than he did in the first three, when he was coming through in the clutch and protecting the ball. He'll get back on track; but this weekend's game is crucial not only for Sanchez, but for the entire Jets team.

Rex Ryan is entertaining. He reminds you of one of your uncles, the one who's always bragging about everything because he's good at stuff and oozes confidence. He's usually drunk, and often fat like Ryan (his athletic glory days behind him). But always loud. always blustery, and always entertaining.

After flapping his gums and motivating his team to come out of the gates hard, Ryan has been unable to pull a victory out of this team in the last three weeks. They downright blew it last weekend, wasting a phenomenal effort by Thomas Jones on the ground by turning the ball over 20,000 times and playing uninspired and often porous defense. Ryan must be so mad right now, he can barely eat a couple of briskets.

The departure of Ryan from the Ravens is having a two-fold effect. The Ravens defense is a shell of their former self, and the Jets defense isn't scaring anyone anymore. That beautiful marriage ended in amicable divorce, and now both parties are trying to adjust to life without the other.

They've also lost Kris Jenkins for the season, a huge blow. Jenkins is a beast in the middle who clogs running lanes, but more importantly occupies the big dogs up front to allow the fast and active Jets linebackers to make plays unabated. His presence will be missed in many ways by many players.

They travel across the country to Oakland this weekend to play their annual Heidi reminder against the Raiders. Don't be surprised if the talking heads spend more time (especially on CBS) showing clips and discussing the Heidi game than breaking down the actual matchup. It's a little ridiculous, actually. I digress.

The Raiders are coming off their best performance of the season so far, beating the Eagles 13-9. The Raiders offense is still struggling, but their defense is looking very solid.

With the Raiders' reputation as a terrible team, this is a must-win game for the Jets. So many people were anointing them after they beat the Patriots. Hell, they were anointing themselves. Now that they realize they're not quite an elite team yet, they need to come in and beat a team that most people feel they should beat.

With Sanchez and the defense struggling, look for Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to pound the rock. The Raiders have long had troubles stopping the run (like Lindsay Lohan has had trouble staying sober; or attractive) so it stands to reason that it'll be a heavy dose of run, run, run.

The pressure is on Sanchez to regain some of the magic of his first three weeks, and to hold onto the ball and make smart decisions. A California kid, he's coming back home to nicer weather and that may allow him to throw the ball better.

But it hasn't just been his throws; he's been so jittery, confused, and scared in the pocket that it's downright pitiful at times. And trust me, as a Raider fan, I know what I'm talking about in that regard thanks to JaMarcus Russell (whom I still support and think will be great).

The pressure is also squarely on Ryan. He talked a big game and backed it up at first. But his words are ringing more hollow every week, and nobody likes a braggart that doesn't come through. He needs this team to play better to avoid personal embarrassment.

The pressure is on this squad to show they are more like the Jets of the first three weeks than of the last. If they lose to a Raider team who I personally (for obvious reasons) think will win this game, then they will be below .500, and will have lost to a team with a reputation for being terrible.

All that will spell a very unpleasant plane ride back to New York, and depending on the role Sanchez plays in a victory or loss, the removal (for now) of the "Sanchize" tag.

Donovan McNabb

Fans in Philadelphia are as spoiled as they are fickle. Despite consistently posting top-10 numbers, winning more than he loses, and guiding his team to the playoffs year in and out, whenever McNabb has a poor game like he did last Sunday against the Raiders, Eagle fans want to toss him on the slag heap like so much garbage.

Attention, Eagle fans. You're in Super Bowl contention almost yearly. McNabb is a great quarterback who wins games for your team. Would you rather have Derek Anderson? Or Brady Quinn? JaMarcus? I can guarantee with those guys, at this point, you're not a playoff team.

No, you've become spoiled, and with the play of Kevin Kolb, when McNabb went down with his rib injury weeks 2-3, you now have a viable backup and all the more ire to throw at Donovan when he doesn't perform well.

Maybe it's residual, since you never wanted the guy in the first place. Booing a kid from college who should be having the greatest moment of his life? Nice start to the relationship, guys.

Regardless, due to otherworldly and unrealistic expectations from a demanding and spoiled fan base, McNabb is under pressure to perform well against the horrid Redskins on Monday night.

Back-to-back poor games against mediocre teams would certainly spell rancor from the fan base, but Andy Reid isn't a stupid man, despite abandoning the run against the Raiders last weekend. McNabb will start as long as he's healthy, until he retires basically.

Live with it, Philly fans. And be happy. It could be worse. You could've drafted Tim Couch or Akili Smith. In fact, if you look at the top 10 of the 1999 draft, who has had a better career thus far than McNabb? Champ Bailey is comparable. Edge, maybe. Anyone else? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Appreciate what you have and show the man some respect.

HURRIES

Though I hate them with the intensity of the heat of seven suns, the Denver Broncos are a top-5 team right now, and possibly the best team in the AFC. It is not only due to great defense, and Kyle Orton doing exactly what he's supposed to, but due to Josh McDaniels being a brilliant coach who prepares so meticulously that his team is never rattled. For a 33-year old, that's extremely impressive no matter his previous experience. As a Raider fan who still misses Chucky I can tell you this: don't let this guy go anytime soo.
Matt Cassell is playing quietly well for the Chiefs right now, despite not having much help around him. I don't think Cassell is the star of 2008 that we saw, but I don't think he's a bad QB either.
The most disappointing thing to see last weekend was the Patriots clicking on all cylinders on offense. Granted, it was the Titans, but what a masterful performance. That doesn't bode well for the rest of the league, but the good thing is due to last season and the beginning of this, their aura of invincibility is all but gone.
Ray Rice is really, really fast for his size.
One of the most fun things I've seen in a long time was the Eddie Royal-Darren Sproles return extravaganza in the Monday night game. Fantasy owners everywhere have been cursing their decision to draft Royal high this season; now, those same owners are cursing themselves for dropping him two weeks before Monday's game.
I'll get into this more in my Raider-specific article, but Tom Cable has been cleared of assault charges by the Napa DA. Good for him. The story told sounds plausible, and Randy Hanson seems to be somewhat insane. Glad this distraction is over
Speaking of which, it may not be. Roger the Terrible still needs to assess the situation, and he has just enough arrogance to ignore a DA's decision and rule on his own. Of course, I don't know the personal conduct policy offhand, and going after a coach is probably not in the "What to do" section. So Cable may still receive league discipline.

KNOCKDOWNS

The Mighty Giants Will Stifle the Saints Offense

The Saints can run it up on anyone. These Saints, forgive the sacrilege, may have been able to hang 40 on the '86 Bears. You never know who Drew Brees is going to throw it to, and it doesn't matter.

The Saints receivers are all fast, have great hands, run great routes, detail your car, buy you a beer, and do anything else asked of them. They are the best unit in the league with the best quarterback in the league throwing it to them.

I'm talking production, not talent. That's why the Saints wideout corps trumps that of the Cardinals, Giants, Broncos, etc.

Brees, if he had a Super Bowl or two, would be in the Manning-Brady discussion. Frankly, I'm not sure either of those guys are better than Brees. They've just always had better teams. Until now.

The Giants had the No. 1 defense in the NFL entering the game, had just played a "scrimmage" against the Oakland Raiders (thanks, Antonio), and had the utmost confidence coming into this game that they were going to walk away victorious.

Instead, they slunk away humiliated, a result that Oakland DE Richard Seymour said "they deserved" after Antonio Pierce's comments regarding his team earlier that week.

Many experts felt this was to be the Saints first loss of the season, and that they were in danger of falling into a funk afterward like we've seen before from this squad.

Instead, they came out and put their foot on the Giants' jugular, and slowly pressed down for 3 1/2 hours.

They did whatever they wanted to whenever they wanted to on offense. Brees threw four TDs to four different receivers and the Saints hung a whopping 7 total TDs on a Giants team that had been smothering opponents.

As the Giants are starting two carpet cleaners and a dude they found drunk on the mound at Shea mourning yet another Met season, they need a pass rush to help out their sometimes overmatched secondary.

Credit to the Saints O-Line for stifling the pass rush and giving Dr. Drew Brees a chance to assess and then dissect the defense with his typical surgical precision.

The San Diego Chargers are a LOCK to Win the AFC West

Do I even need to point out that in NFL history a team with a 3.5 game division lead has never missed the playoffs?

The Chargers are frauds. Complete and utter frauds. Think on this: If Louis Murphy's touchdown doesn't get incorrectly overturned (jobbed, and you know it) the Chargers very realistically could be 1-4 and looking UP at the Raiders in the standings.

People will say they have Super Bowl calibre talent, but where is it? Behind center, and that's about it.

Philip Rivers, despite my hatred for him and his arrogance, is an elite QB with Super Bowl potential. Antonio Gates is still a great weapon at TE, and LT even looked a little better last weekend.

But their offensive line is porous, their defense is uninspired and manhandled weekly, they have no real leaders on defense, and they have a coach in Norv Turner who never should've given up coordinator duties.

The injury to Nick Hardwick against the Raiders set in motion a series of events that has caused the Chargers to look pedestrian and ordinary. Hardwick is a stout run and pass blocker who calls the blocking assignments and leads the O-Line. With him out, we've seen nothing but confusion on their O-Line, which has led to myriad problems.

Suddenly, they can't run the ball. Philp Rivers has such a hard time holding onto the ball when he's sacked, and is getting sacked so very often due to poor line play, that the offense can't get anything going.

Shawne Merriman is a shell of his former self. I don't know if it's not being on PEDs anymore, being injured as well, and away from the game for so long, or picking up any number of STDs from Tila Tequila, but the dude doesn't have it right now.

The only member of that defense playing halfway decent is Stephen Cooper. Larry English is as well, I suppose, but he doesn't get as many snaps as he should.

Even Mike Sciferes isn't punting as well as he usually does. Maybe that's because he's punting alot more often. I don't know. Something has happened to this franchise, and I can't say I don't love it.

Before the season started, I would've bet my life savings the Chargers would beat the Chiefs this weekend. Now? I'm tempted to take the Chiefs, and I realistically think it could go either way.

Sorry, San Diego fans, but much like the fanbase itself this is a team that doesn't seem to care as much about football as they should, and they are a very beatable, very overrated team right now.

They certainly aren't running away with the AFC West, that's for sure. That would be the Denver Broncos.

Oakland Raiders-Philadelphia Eagles: Raiders Man Up, Show Pride and Passion

Justin Smith — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:33:55 -0400

We should all wish that Antonio Pierce had something to say about the Raiders every week.

One week removed from a performance that was as lackluster and inspired as it was embarrassing, the Oakland Raiders looked themselves in the eyes and asked "Are we not men?"

The answer, at least for three-and-a-half hours on Sunday, was "Yes. Fierce men."

After laying an egg against the Giants in a 44-7 thrashing that honestly could've been 51-0 or worse, the Raiders were called out by New York linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Breaking an unwritten rule of team sports that makes it taboo for an opponent to question another team's heart, desire, passion, and professionalism, Pierce saw a team that was so far in shambles that his statement was more one of pity than it was of criticism.

It was on these players as men with pride in themselves and their craft to answer the bell and come out fired up, proving critics, fans, and a very disillusioned Raider Nation that they were professional football players. Not frauds. Not humps happy to pick up a paycheck.

I'm happy to say that they shut my mouth, that's for sure.

I don't know if it was Pierce's comments, or inspiration drawn from a fearless, hardcore pigeon that kept excellent contain on one particular Raider kickoff, but this was a different Raider team.

The pigeon gets a game-ball from me; he just flew down that field looking to hit someone. He owned that field; the strut and attitudinal head bob he showed fit right in with the swagger of the resurgent Raiders defense.

I hear Al Davis has signed him to a 5-year, $60 million contract with $25 million guaranteed.

This team came out like a house on fire. On defense, coordinator John Marshall finally decided to ignore conventional Raider wisdom and use his ultra-fast players to blitz the hell out of Donovan McNabb. Although half-joking he'll probably get in trouble for it, after the success the defense had getting in the grill of McNabb, he may be wrong.

When Eagles LT Jason Peters went out of the game in the first quarter, the Raider line began licking their chops. Richard Seymour, solid but unspectacular the last couple of games, made the trenches his own personal Ironman triathlon.

Despite being held, slapped in the head, double/triple teamed, and even blatantly tripped on one play, Seymour set up camp in the Eagles' backfield and refused to give up real estate. I'm not one for complaining about the officiating, but it was distinctly one-sided in this game; perhaps the refs felt sorry for the Eagles' O-line.

Seymour pressured McNabb constantly, knocked him down a half-dozen times, and recorded two official sacks. He would've had three had he not been taken down by replacement LT who, while prostrate after Seymour manhandled him yet again, executed a technically flawless scissor-kick that would've made the Fabulous Moolah proud.

Trevor Scott, Tommy Kelly, Kirk Morrison, and Thomas Howard were also gigantic pains in McNabb's rear. Imagine if Ellis was fully healthy? Inspired line play and good gap discipline. The Raiders intensity and creativity on defense completely and utterly took the Eagles out of their gameplan, and left them looking lost and scared. It was beautiful.

On the offensive side of the ball, we finally got that big play we've all been waiting for. I don't when I've seen a better effort from a wide receiver than Louis Murphy's one-man accompaniment of Zach Miller's 86-yard touchdown romp.

First, Murphy lines up safety Quintin Mikell and absolutely blows him up. I mean, he pasted the dude. Before he even hits the ground, he's running down field, looking for someone else to block. The unselfish sacrifice of Murphy is something we haven't seen much in Raider land, and it was as refreshing and inspiring as it was exciting. Even though he hasn't caught a pass in a while, from what I've seen, I love this kid.

JaMarcus Russell, whom I have been very very hard on recently, vindicated himself with a performance that was more about confidence, intelligence, and leadership than stats. Oh, his line was pretty good with 18/27 and 224 yds, a TD and 2 INT's (one which was a deflection) but his presence was much, much more impressive.

His pocket presence, non-existent against the Giants, was impressive against the Eagles. Although the Eagles didn't get a ton of pressure (great job, O-Line), when they did, Russell calmly slid out of the pocket and completed passes either to FB Gary Russell, or to Zach Miller.

On one play, Russell was snagged and heading for a sack. Before he went down, he showed his impressive lower-body strength by holding himself up just long enough to complete a flick to Gary Russell. He wasn't even close to making plays like that last week.

The best thing about Russell's performance was that his poise and improvement show he's been working harder. He really does care, something nobody could be sure of a couple weeks ago. It's not the win or the performance that say that to me; it's the way he carried himself all day.

This team showed what it's capable of against San Diego when they bring the fire and passion necessary to play football. They should've won that game, but didn't know how to finish. Yesterday, there were a few encouraging things that say to me this team is growing, and will continue to do so:

After Routt's pick-six was taken away (by a horrid call; the flag wasn't thrown until he was in the END ZONE), your average Raider team would pack it in and say "well, obviously it's not our day." This team didn't do that. They played even more inspired.

Impressive. Growth JaMarcus Russell stated during the week he knows he needs to improve his leadership, but he's not a vocal guy. We saw a much more poised, much more confident player on the field, and he got in some grills and did a great job reading defenses and dictating the plays to his offense. He also called audibles a couple of times and showed much better field awareness.

Growth. The defense got gashed for a couple of big plays, though no HUGE ones, and came back stout and disciplined. The tackling all day was solid, and everyone did their job and kept their responsibilities. Growth.

Nnamdi Asomugha was injured early in the game, and Stanford Routt played so surprisingly well that nobody really noticed. A good nickel back on this defense would be dangerous. Potential growth, if Routt keeps it up.

Tom Cable realized not only his, but the entire team's, backs were against the wall. Instead of glad-handing and cliches as has been his MO, he printed Pierce's quote, held players accountable, and challenged them to prove everyone wrong. He also coached a hell of a game. That play-call on fourth down was as ballsy as it was creative, and if Russell lifts it just a little, potential touchdown. Growth.

This team did what they wanted to do in the beginning. They ran the ball well, got a lead, played spectacular defense and wore the Eagles down late. They controlled this game on both lines, and did a great job of managing the clock in every situation. Once again, good coaching. Growth.

This is the best I've seen them look in a long time. Because it comes on the heels of such poor play and adversity, this performance is much more impressive than opening night. Nobody thinks the Raiders played great and forced the Eagles to play poorly. But if you watched the game, that's exactly what happened.

I've never questioned the talent of this edition of our Raiders. We have multiple potential Pro-Bowlers on both sides of the ball (potential being the key word for some of the young guys). The talent was never lacking.

I questioned their heart and professionalism. They didn't answer the call for two weeks afterward, both of which were more deflating losses than the last. However, when their backs were against the wall and when they were called out by a peer, they responded ferociously.

If this team plays with the fire and desire they did on Sunday, they can compete with anybody and win a lot more games. As encouraged as I was on Sunday, I want to see that twice in a row. If they bring it and bring it hard against the Jets, I'm convinced the season is turned around.

If they come out flat, then my cynical side will come out and it will be "same old Raiders." Consistency is the new buzzword.

Heart and desire every single game. Bring the fire. Keep it up, and good things will happen.

Don't, and our winged friend just may peck your eyes out. He obviously won't suffer a lack of effort with his intensity.

Oakland Raiders Week Six: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:53:21 -0400

Here is the Week Six edition of my pressures, hurries, and knockdowns.

PRESSURES

The Entire Organization

Can't really pinpoint any particular area, or individual under pressure this week. With Antonio Pierce and Greg Ellis' recent comments, this team is on notice that everyone now knows they're mailing it in, and not giving an effort out there.

At this point, every coach, player, secretary, security guard, and part-time valet involved with the Raiders need to step up and show that they care about the team, about success, and about the fans. The Raider Nation is becoming more disillusioned than I've ever seen, and if we don't want a full-scale mutiny on our hands, the entire organization needs to step it up.

The pressure is on this organization to show that they actually care, can bounce back from adversity, and put a passable team on the field.

HURRIES

We may finally get to see what this offense looks like with Chaz Schilens on the field. To say Russell has missed him would be the understatement of the season
It appears that as more information comes out about the Hanson-Cable incident, the muddier the waters become. The Michael Silver Yahoo! interview has largely been debunked since, and Cable is even whispering about counter-action against Hanson. All we can do is stay tuned
Perhaps what this team needed was a good roasting from an opponent. Too many times in the last seven years the Raiders have had players that put in no effort, but the demands of Raider Nation went ignored. It's out there now, and it's up to these guys as men to prove Pierce and everyone else wrong
JaMarcus Russell acknowledged that he needs to become more of a leader, and at least in his words he appears to know what that requires. I'm not ready to throw him aside yet; the kid has talent, and I want to see it come out

KNOCKDOWNS

I cannot think of any positive knockdowns to go in this section at the moment, so I'm reserving judgment until after the Philadelphia game. Things are at the lowest point right now; I hope I have better things to say after today's game.

NFL Week Six: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:23:59 -0400

Some interesting developments in the last couple of weeks. I was quite ill, which is why I missed a couple articles, but should be no problems going forth.

Without further ado, here are my opinions regarding week six in the NFL.

PRESSURES

San Diego Chargers

With the Denver Broncos' somewhat surprising surge to the top of the AFC West pack, the Chargers, with their typical slow start to the season, are in jeopardy of falling far behind in the race for the divisional crown with a loss on Monday night.

With the AFC West in shambles prior to the season, it was widely accepted that if San Diego simply suited up this season, they'd walk away with the division title. The Broncos had different ideas than those of their critics, and are enjoying a defensive renaissance.

Kyle Orton is exactly what Josh McDaniels tried to tell everyone he was over top the Cutler din, and though it pains me to say it, the Broncos look like a team built for the long haul right now, especially with the emergence of talented rookie Knowshon Moreno.

The Chargers, at 2-2, welcome the Broncos, at 5-0, to Qualcomm in San Diego in the Monday Nighter. It's hard to say that the fifth game of a team's season is must-win, but consider that if the Broncos win and go to 6-0, they will be 3 1/2 games up on the Chargers with 11 to play. In a 16-game schedule, that's a hefty hill to climb.

That's not a stranglehold by any means, but this Denver team looks more poised and solid than the one that collapsed down the stretch to allow an undeserving Chargers team to sneak into the playoffs last season.

The pressure is on San Diego to come through in the clutch at home and avoid falling into a massive hole in the AFC West.

To expect mediocrity for the first half of the season to magically transmogrify into a playoff berth two seasons in a row is simply too much to ask. The Chargers need to help themselves out and not hope for another epic collapse.

Washington Redskins

The 'Skins, in a quirk of scheduling you've probably read about many other places, face yet another winless team this weekend in the Kansas City Chiefs. This is their sixth consecutive game against a winless team.

This Washington squad was supposed to compete for the NFC East crown, or at least make things interesting. Instead, they barely compete in any game they are in, and make things interesting only to their fans. And not in a good way.

Jim Zorn has the hottest seat this side of Satan, the offense is stagnant, the defense isn't playing up to their talent level, and the team consistently gets down for their competition.

They've already given the Lions and the Panthers their first wins of the season, narrowly missed doing the same for the Rams and the Buccaneers, and now play the hapless Chiefs at home on Sunday.

If the 'Skins lose to the Chiefs on Sunday, Zorn should be fired immediately. That would be three winless teams in five weeks that beat the 'Skins, and the only team that looks more uninspired than these guys are, unfortunately, my Oakland Raiders.

The 'Skins are under pressure to prove to their fans that they're better than they've shown, and that Daniel Snyder didn't yet again waste a bunch of money on players that suddenly forget how to play football the minute they walk into the Nation's Capital.

HURRIES

Jeremy Maclin is a playmaker. Watching this kid in Missouri, you knew he was going to be special in the NFL. I don't know how my Raiders cover both him and DeSean Jackson on Sunday. Scary.
Despite the Titans' struggles, don't expect to see Jeff Fisher's name on any hot-seat lists anytime soon. Possibly ever. He's the longest tenured coach in the NFL and his track record shows far more success than failure.
In a league that's usually fraught with parity, there are some seriously horrendous teams this year. The Chiefs, Rams, Browns and Bucs are terrible as expected, the Panthers, Titans, Redskins, and Texans are all far below expectations, and the Raiders don't resemble their talent level on paper when they take the field.
Imagine if that bounce in the Cincinnati game goes the other way. The Bengals are 5-0, but the Broncos are still 4-1. Amazing.

KNOCKDOWNS

The Titans are Good

Okay, at this point the goodwill they built up with their wonderful season last year needs to go by the wayside. Each week we hear that the Titans are a good team that just hasn't gotten it going, and each week we see them play terribly.

Now Jevon Kearse is injured, their secondary is depleted, Kerry Collins looks his age, Chris Johnson isn't fooling anyone, and this team is being read and dictated to every step of the way.

A defense that lost Albert Haynesworth and Jim Schwartz is feeling the push. Ranked at or near the bottom of the league in every significant defensive statistic, it's safe to say nobody is afraid of the Titans anymore.

Yet, they are consistently spoken of and ranked as if they are still an elite team, despite being winless. Well, I personally think that the Titans are not a very good team right now, and their record reflects that.

Regardless of past performance and pedigree, what counts is on the field, and they haven't been on it much this season.

The Cowboys are Good

Barely escaping with a hard-fought victory over a poor Kansas City team, even though it was on the road, is not very impressive.

The Cowboys have put together one complete game this season, and that was against the Bucs. So far they've beaten the Bucs, the Chiefs, and the Panthers, who were all winless when they played the Cowboys and have a combined record of 1-14.

Granted they did give the Giants all they could handle in JerryWorld, and they fought against the Broncos at Mile High, but they've shown that they will play down to their weaker opponents and then cannot get up high enough to beat their stronger opponents.

Tony Romo has been incredibly inconsistent, and the defense, especially the secondary, has let them down multiple times this season. The Cowboys can be a good team, possibly an elite team, but they need to show up more often on both sides of the ball.

Romo needs to stop trying to make the big play every snap, and play within himself. When he does, he's nearly unstoppable and makes some big plays. When he doesn't, he throws poor passes, makes bad decisions, and costs his team games.

The Cowboys are still a decent team, but not good at this point. If I were a Cowboy fan I'd definitely be nervous about the fact that a possible Super Bowl contender can't easily beat the teams they're supposed to roll over, and then subsequently can't thus far beat teams with a winning record.

By the end of the season, I can see the Cowboys in the playoffs making noise or I can see them at home golfing. This team is tough to read, but they're certainly not as good as expected right now.

New York Giants' Antonio Pierce Could End Up Oakland Raiders MVP

Justin Smith — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:17:25 -0400

The collective cries of Raider Nation have fallen on deaf ears.

Media criticism and expert analysis has been ignored or sloughed off as "hating."

Ridicule from fans of other teams, constant cries from NFL fans who are tired of seeing a storied franchise sink deeper and deeper, and valid points regarding franchise dysfunction and anarchy are swept under the rug quicker than the leavings of a fat doobie.

Somehow, some way, most of the "players" that collect a check for the Oakland Raiders have managed to push all these distractions aside and do what's really important: spend money and soak in their fame.

With nobody within the organization willing to hold players accountable for not showing up and working hard, why would they? This team has denigrated into a vacation spot, a place with nice weather where you can get a nice payday without doing a whole lot.

The Oakland Raiders are the government job of the NFL.

Antonio Pierce, a well-respected linebacker for the New York Giants, basically stated as much in a recent quote. He was utterly amazed that despite the Giants' dominance of the Raiders offense, nobody on the Raiders' side of the ball seemed to care.

Nobody was getting fired up; nobody was getting upset with their poor play. They simply took a sack or lost a fumble, picked themselves up quietly and slunk back to the sidelines. As a Raider fan, reading this made me want to scream.

Now, we in the Raider Nation have long been frustrated with the mail-in jobs of our players. For some reason, people who play for the Raiders lately lack pride, discipline, and effort; what is worse, though, is that they are allowed to lack these qualities and still get paid handsomely. And still retain a roster spot.

If you were to listen to coach Tom Cable, this team is still in Super Bowl contention. The level of dysfunction and denial being exhibited by the franchise right now has reached laughable proportions.

Regardless of their recent performances, and of opinions to the contrary, the Oakland Raiders are still a team of professional football players that have individual pride. Getting called out by your fans, the media, critics, etc. may not carry that much weight, as that is just the life of a professional athlete.

However, getting called out for a lack of professionalism and effort by one of your opponents, after they've already waxed your tail? Well, if that doesn't light a fire under these guys, then nothing is going to.

You see a lot of individual sports involve head games and trash talking. Heck, team sports do as well. But when is the last time you heard an opposing player describe a regular season game as feeling like "a scrimmage"? In team sports, it's taboo to call the other team out for a lack of heart and passion. That's supposed to be an in-house duty, preferably belonging to the head coach.

But since anyone who plays for the Oakland Raiders can do whatever the hell they want and still get paid and praised by the owner and coaching staff, I guess Pierce felt he had to say something. I guess a guy who plays on a championship-caliber team who knows what it takes to win felt the need to call out his peers.

Perhaps he feels sorry for them. Perhaps he's jealous. More likely he's embarrassed and ashamed for them, and curious as to why they don't feel the same way.

I'm curious, too. Why is it that a linebacker on an opposing team seems to care more about the effort put forth by the Raiders than anyone involved with the franchise?

I can see this going one of two ways: either the Raiders will be stung by one of their peers calling them out in public for a lack of effort and heart, or they'll laugh it off and buy some more stamps.

If this team does turn things around, and soon, then we have to give credit where it is due. Antonio Pierce's comments could serve to bring this team together or make the rift larger.

I hope it's the former, but I can see the latter. There are myriad negative distractions around this team, and we need something to rally around. These comments are the perfect rallying cry for a lost and drifting franchise in danger of falling further than ever before.

There had better be 53 pissed off guys right now. I hope that every one of them feels ashamed, embarrassed, and downright humbled by what Pierce said about them. When someone who has no ulterior motive to call you out decides to do so, you'd better pay attention. Especially when that player has won a Super Bowl and is well respected around the league.

One thing is for sure: nothing else was working. These guys don't care. If they still don't after Pierce's comments, then I don't know how they look themselves in the eye. Pride, anyone?

Oakland Raiders Week Five: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 03:16:23 -0400

Well I'm back. Sorry I missed last week, I was pretty ill, but I'm all better now. Hope I can still say that tomorrow after the Giants game.

Sorry about the picture too. Getty Images has a somewhat limited selection.

Right to it. Cheers everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to any of my fellow Canadians.

PRESSURES

Tom Cable

The pressure is squeezing this cat from all sides right now, and for a guy his size, it's got to be very uncomfortable.

The Randy Hanson situation won't go away quietly; in fact, Hanson's attorney is parroting on about having incontrovertible evidence, and Roger Goodell is talking in code about potentially suspending Cable for a long time if the allegations prove true.

Cable has repeatedly said that nothing happened and denied any wrongdoing, but it's really not looking good for him right now. He needs to hope that this goes away quietly and can be dealt with behind closed doors; with a felony charge looming and Goodell's track record, that's not very likely.

His play-calling has also come into question lately, with many in Raider Nation wondering just what the hell he is thinking half the time. I mean, the run is supposed to be the strength of this team, yet we repeatedly come out passing and put ourselves in and-long situations. It's unhealthy for the offense.

I'll touch on this more later, but his "master motivator" tag needs to be removed, at least for now. This team looked like they were turning it around; they don't so much any more.

The legal situation is one Cable can do little about; he can, however, have his team fired up, ready to play, and ready to pour their hearts on the field Sunday. Something he hasn't done since the opener on Monday night. The pressure is on, and I can honestly say that I've taken a liking to Cable's personality, but I sure wouldn't want to be in his shoes.

The Defense

Let me make one thing clear: I'm not calling the defense out. They've played well for the most part this season, a couple of lapses in last week's debacle aside.

Nonetheless, we haven't seen the same heart or intensity from them since the San Diego game either. That game the defense gave up a respectable 77 yards on the ground in that game, but in the three games since have given up an average of 170+ yards, including over 200 to the Denver Broncos two weeks ago.

The defense is not fully culpable in their drop-off. They must be on the laundry list of folks who have no faith in this offense, and it's beginning to show. After they left their guts on the field during that goal line stand in the Broncos game, they were gutted again by the offensive inefficiencies. This defense is beginning to lose faith, and it's beginning to show in their play.

The offense is under pressure every single week, and that's patently obvious. What might not be so obvious is that that heaps tremendous pressure on the defense, and it's a pressure they've wilted under the last couple games.

Against a poised and efficient Giant attack, they're going to have to stay disciplined, make solid tackles, and get fired up and enjoy themselves. But if they don't get any help early from a so far stagnant offense, I hope they don't just mail it in. That's my biggest fear, and it will happen after long enough if the offense doesn't shape up.

They are under pressure to bring it. Just want it, taste it, hit em hard, and leave them respecting us. Bring that intensity we had when we first got Seymour and we wanted to stick it to the Chargers. That's what they're under pressure to do: rediscover their killer instincts.

HURRIES

Reports I've read say that Chaz Schilens is playing this weekend, and then I just read something that said he's doubtful, and then....so I don't know. What I do know is that if he is back, Russell has both his security blankets and no more excuses. The Giants being an excellent team is not an excuse
Russell made some really nice throws last week, but they were dropped. It seems like the entire offense is snake-bitten even when they execute well
The offensive line needs to get plenty of rest and eat their Wheaties tomorrow. That Giants front is scary, scary, scary. Speed rushers, bull rushers, hybrids, run stuffers. They've got it all, and our guys are going to have to bring their "A" game.
Having Gallery back would be nice, but Cable paying extra attention to the line this week is a potential double-edged sword considering all his duties
I'm glad Michael Bush is getting the start. Last time he got the majority of the carries was the Tampa game last season, and we all know how well that worked out
Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs are a scary tandem, obviously. But the Raiders have difficulty with shifty backs like Bradshaw, and equal difficulty with hammer backs like Jacobs. Solid tackling and gap discipline is of paramount importance

KNOCKDOWNS

Tom Cable has Changed the Attitude in Oakland

Now, I think he's begun to, and it's so damaged that it's a definite work in progress. But much like JaMarcus Russell's play, there seems to be a regression in commitment and intensity on this team.

In the beginning, all of Raider Nation—myself included for sure—were ecstatic that Cable was taking out the trash and instilling a new attitude. The players were saying all the right things, buying in, and Jerry McDonald's blog seemed to indicate that things were indeed feeling a bit different.

We all saw the team that flew out of the gates against the Chargers on Monday night. That's what we wanted, expected, and we were all on board. Despite the loss, there was a new attitude in Oakland and this team was going to do some good things because they finally cared; they weren't just picking up a paycheck.

Only are they? After three straight lackluster performances not only on the stat sheet but on the field as well, we're left to wonder whether anything has really changed. Recent comments from Jeff Garcia, Rich Gannon, and Boomer Esiason, although not confirmed by team sources, would suggest that there are players in the locker room with no interest in winning or playing good football; they just want to pick up a paycheck.

With Cable's legal troubles looming, the offense playing terribly under his tutelage, and the team slowly but surely slipping out of his grasp, he has to do something quickly to regain his hold on the franchise and the Nation. Our faith, once so strong in the beginning, is starting to waver. Cable needs to have this team ready and prepared and show us all we aren't the same Oakland Raiders anymore; he owes it to us all.

The Raider Run Defense Has Improved

For one game. That's it. Then, same-old same old. I've already gone into detail about how the offense has heavily contributed to any defensive struggles the team may be experiencing. But this team, so disciplined and smart in the first game, have forgotten their way.

Last week, there was horrible gap discipline. The tackles were getting shoved aside and the linebackers were being hacked up by the O-Line, leaving the secondary to make plays. I'm glad that Tyvon Branch, Nnamdi, and now Michael Huff are good tacklers, because without them there would've been much harsher gains.

The Texans were also stagnating in their run game, until they played us. Then, Steve Slaton remembered who he was. Against Denver, even though they held well on the goal line, the Broncos still marched down the field at will and we turned Knowshon Moreno into a star early in his career. Once again I put a healthy slice of the blame on the offense here, but many big gains in the Denver and Houston games were early and often, well before the D should've been exhausted.

No, much like Cable, the initial positive changes I saw installed by Marshall and his regime in regards to run defense have somewhat evaporated. Now, Board and Marshall have done a good job in getting the line to play strong against the man in front of them; the players just have to remember to do their jobs and not always try and make the big play.

This team has a lot of speed and the run defense is something that can be corrected. With Marshall's experience and the talent we have on the line I expect that to be the case.

The Giants are a tough running team; the game is going to be a huge test. It will also be the first step in showing everyone that this Raider team is more like the one they saw opening night than the one that's showed up since.

The Oakland Raiders Season : A First Quarter Reflection

Justin Smith — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:35:05 -0400

Well the first four games of the season are in the books, and I can't say I'm very happy about the results thus far. We all thought this team would be in better shape at this point; but there have been some pleasant surprises in the midst of all the turmoil. With the Giants looming, things don't seem to be any brighter on the horizon, and with McFadden's injury adding to an already stagnant offense, things look bleak indeed. I feel that we'll give the Giants a game on Sunday, and begin to turn things around. This team just needs to regain the attitude it showed on the first Monday of the season. There have been ups and downs in this early season, some highs, some lows, some surprises, and some major disappointments. Here are my "awards" for the first quarter of a thus far less than pleasing season.

Begin Slideshow

An Open Letter to JaMarcus Russell: Do You Care?

Justin Smith — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:03:28 -0400

Dear JaMarcus,

I have been an Oakland Raiders fan for nearly 20 years now.

From the moment I saw Bo Jackson on a football field, I was hooked. There have been some good times, some great times, and, especially recently, some bag-over-the-head, crying in your Sunday beer times.

Like a good fan, I have stuck by the team during these times, pushing for victory even when everyone thought I was insane. The Oakland Raiders mean a great deal to me, and to a lot of other members of the Raider Nation.

We live and die with every single snap of every single season.

My question to you is this: Do the Oakland Raiders mean anything to you?

I do not want the obvious answers such as "yes, they mean big money" or "yes, because I'm in the NFL." No, I want to hear answers like "yes, I'm proud to be a Raider and look forward to restoring the glory and tradition to the franchise."

Many of us in the "Nation" have given you benefit after benefit of doubt after doubt. All we want to see is that you appreciate the support, that you're doing your best, and that you care about being a successful NFL quarterback.

However, what I've seen this season is a spoiled child who blames everyone else for his own failings, spends money immaturely, and simply does not get razzed, upset, or even care that they just played two of the worst back-to-back games by a quarterback in NFL history.

Your physical talent is prodigious but no longer enough to get you by. You were great in college because you were a man amongst boys. But this season you look like a lost child amongst men.

Why do you do this to us?

Why entice us with such solid performances at the end of last season when you were going to regress this badly this season? And how does that happen with Paul Hackett and Ted Tollner teaching you the position? Something is going on here, and I can't put my finger on it, but I would point to your apparent lack of interest as main factor.

If your rookie wide receivers are the problem, take lots of extra time and throw with them.

There's this guy—you might have heard of him? He's pretty decent; his name is Peyton Manning. He spends as much time away from practice as he does in practice with his receivers, trying to get on the same page.

It seems to work for him.

You held a passing camp this summer, which was a great step in the right direction. But you had practice squad players and people who weren't going to see the field show up. That's not your fault. Really, the effort was there; you're trying.

But since then, I've heard nothing of you staying after practice or taking the rookies to the side and working on timing. Nothing. In fact, I've heard and read you are frequently one of the last people in and one of the first to leave.

Show me a single NFL quarterback—even a second stringer—that approaches work this way.

You have shown leadership in one area: crunch time. Remember, though, that a leader leads always, and that as a leader, everything is always your fault. Not your receivers, the referees, or the descent of Saturn into Mercury.

No, it's on your shoulders, even if it's not. This is one of the many aspects of playing NFL quarterback that you haven't seemed to grasp.

I know the story: You were drafted, held out, missed training camp, have had two different coaches and three different play-callers, have rookie wide receivers, and many other negative factors that have influenced your first three seasons. I get all that, and I am empathetic to your plight.

It must not be easy to succeed when seemingly all factors for quarterback success are working against you.

We in the Nation want you to succeed. We've seen your talent on full display, and are ravenous to see it more consistently. You tease us with the ability to fire a dart into double-coverage where only your receiver can get it, only to follow it up with a four-yard screen at your running back's feet.

You are culpable in this. You can take charge, slap some guys around, take some initiative, stay after practice, break down film.

You can care. Please.

Because we all do, so very much.

I have to say that right now, through your words, actions, demeanor, wardrobe, and acumen, you certainly seem like you don't.

Oakland Raiders Week 3: Pressures, Hurries and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:07:37 -0400

This is the first in what will be a weekly column about the Raiders regarding pressure situations, quick hit thoughts, and myths that have been disproven or are on shaky ground. I am also doing a weekly Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns article for the entire league.

Thanks for reading, and if you have any comments or suggestions to make the column better please send me a message.

PRESSURES

The Offense

I've already written about JaMarcus' accuracy issues, so I won't go into them here. I feel that the entire offense is under pressure to succeed, if only to keep the defense off the field and fresh.

The defense played great against the Chargers on opening night, but after a string of ineffective offensive possessions in the 3rd quarter, they were wearing down toward the end of the game.

They still stood strong until the very end, and that was more scheme than fatigue, but they were a step slower at times, and a noticeably tired defensive line failed to generate any pass rush on Rivers after being in his face the entire night. This can be attributed to being on the field too much in the second half.

Last weekend, Russell was struggling, so it afforded Kansas City the opportunity to load up the box and mostly neutralize the running game. The defense, as a result of multiple three-and-outs by the offense, were on the field for nearly 40 minutes.

They still held up strong and helped lead the team to a 13-10 victory, very impressive coming off a highly emotional game on a short week on the road. Russell and the offense got it going when it counted, as he shook off earlier struggles to complete 4/7 passes for 68 yards, and proving for the second week in a row he can bring his 'A' game come crunch time.

But the offense simply has to be better earlier in the game. The struggles cannot all be put on Russell, as the entire offense has stagnated at times. This offense is very young, and as such will struggle to be on the same page and read the field the same way.

Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy are both rookie wideouts, and as such have not yet developed a full cohesion with Russell. They still telegraph and run improper routes at times, which contributes to the overall struggles of the passing game. They can only get better from here as they continue to learn and grow.

It's a work in progress with this much inexperience, and it'll definitely pay dividends as time goes on. We should see improvement every week, and it's hopeful last weekend's first three quarters were the top of our struggles.

This offense has the talent to win now, if they can simply get a few more completions from Russell. This is easily attainable, as it is most likely the worst was over after the 3rd quarter of the Chiefs game. It's hard to believe, with the flashes of playmaking he's shown, that Russell could play that poorly ever again.

The playcalling of Tom Cable also needs to focus more on the run, and not abandon it when we aren't tearing the ground up. Both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush have shown consistent ability to pick up big yardage, and both can go the distance. Cable must be patient, because if you give them enough carries, one or both will make at least one big play a game. He also needs to get McFadden outside with the ball more often.

It's important to stick to the run, improve the pass, and get some screens in play to improve Russell's confidence and give our backs the chance to make a big play. A wide receiver screen to DHB or Murphy wouldn't be a bad idea either. There are many weapons on this offense, but without more efficiency with the pass, a full-on commitment to the run may be difficult, putting the team in a major conundrum.

I feel Russell bounces back and plays well, and the running game gets on track this weekend.

Erik Pears

When Robert Gallery, the Raiders talented left guard who was playing at a high level this season, broke his fibula in the Chiefs game, it was a harsh blow to an offensive line that had been playing rather well to that point.

The left side of the line had been instrumental in paving the way for effective running against the Chargers, and protecting Russell's backside in both games this season. Gallery and left tackle Mario Henderson have developed an excellent cohesion on the left side and many of the Raiders more effective runs have gone behind Gallery this season.

Replacing him will be Erik Pears. There is pressure on Pears to continue success in place of Gallery, as Gallery is a great player who continually gets to the second level to clearout space for longer runs by the talented backfield of Bush and McFadden, and Fargas (if he ever sees the field again).

Pears is an ex-Bronco, so this game has that much more significance for him. He will be putting a lot of pressure on himself, and the storyline of him replacing a team captain and essential piece of the running game against the team that tossed him aside after an injury (granted, they replaced him with Ryan Clady, who is a wall) will only add to the scrutiny he would already be under.

He better be prepared to bring it, but players usually get amped up for their former teams, especially if they've been cast aside. Pears started 10 of 16 games at Right Tackle for Denver in the his rookie year in 2006, and played well enough to earn the starting job for all 16 games in the 2007 season.

He got Wally Pip'ed by rookie Ryan Clady last year when he was shelved with appendicitis, and Clady played so well that Pears never got back into the rotation.He was picked up in the offseason by the Raiders on the strength of the fact that he played for the Broncos and therefore has experience in the zone-blocking scheme employed by his new team.

His experience with the ZBS and Denver as a whole, coupled with his size at 6'8, 308, as well as positive reports from practice indicate that he is capable of filling in for Gallery. This also allows Chris Morris to stay at center, where he has played quite well this season and is responsible for calling blocking schemes. With the offense under pressure to perform, it's essential Pears plays well to ensure the improvement I expect to see Sunday.

HURRIES

It's great news to have JLH back returning punts this weekend. You may remember the last time Johnnie played the Brocos: an 89-yard punt return and wonderfully soulful celebration. Wanna see him dance this weekend
Rich Gannon provided some very astute analysis regarding Russell's inaccuracy issues, and feels that all of them can be corrected, which is good news. Ted Tollner agrees
Josh McDaniels has respect for JaMarcus Russell even if Broncos fans don't. McDaniels noted in an interview that Russell has the highest yards-per-completion in the league at 16.6, as well as his success against the Broncos last season
Chaz Schilens will be back, but not until next week at the earliest. Though Schilens said he wants to be out there now, he conceded the medical staff is right in holding him back to ensure no longer-term damage
I fully expect the Black Hole to wreak havoc on Denver this weekend, and I ask my brethren in the Raider Nation to make it as miserable as possible for the hated Broncos and their new QB Kyle Orton
Michael Huff will start at free safety in place of an injured Hiram Eugene this Sunday. Huff leads the league with 3 interceptions and has been all around the ball this entire season. More on him below

KNOCKDOWNS

JaMarcus Russell Lacks Leadership

First off, let me get this out of the way. I think all of us in the Nation have questioned Russell's work ethic and commitment at some time during his career. We would all like him to study film more and practice take more initiative like he did in the summer with his passing camp.

But his leadership, though maybe not found in his preparation just yet as he matures and grows, has shone through on the field thus far this season.

His struggles have been well-documented, but what is not quite so well documented is his impressive ability to bounce back from early struggles to play strongly in the final minutes and put his team in a position to win. He's done it both games this season thus far.

For a young man who held out and missed training camp his rookie season, has had three different play callers and two different coaches, one of whom held him back intentionally and sabatoged his development, and more criticism, drama, and turmoil than many players experience in their whole career, Russell has shown a remarkable ability to shrug it off and go out and play.

His on-field leadership has come far, as proven in the fourth quarter of the San Diego game. After his shin was crushed by a pile of falling bodies, he limped out of the game and appeared done.

Bruce Gradkowski came in and made a couple nice throws, and then Russell returned. He then proceeded to throw a cold-blooded, 47 yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy on 4th and 15 to put the Raiders ahead.

I don't think Russell would've been able to do that last season. He has shown his teammates that although he may struggle, and even struggle mightily at times, when it comes time to lead a big drive in the final minutes they can hop on his broad back and trust him to get the job done. That is huge for locker room morale and usually the last quality a young quarterback develops.

Michael Huff is Done

This one is an absolute pleasure to write. Loved in the locker room, professional on and off the field, and a favourite of the coaching staff for his personality and work ethic, Michael Huff nonetheless was very close to being cut before this season began.

Drafted #7 overall in 2006, Huff was considered a top safety prospect and expected to have an immediate NFL impact. Instead, despite some decent numbers in the tackle department, Huff lacked any big play acumen heading into this season.

He always seemed a step late to the ball, despite having good coverage often. He missed many tackles that led to big gains for the other team, and generally didn't perform well. In fact, he probably would've been benched earlier had he not been drafted so high.

It seemed a real possibility that with Mike Mitchell being drafted in the 2nd round and Tyvon Branch being healthy, Huff could be the odd man out in the safety battle and demoted even further on the depth chart. But Mitchell has struggled with hamstring issues, and hasn't seen enough field action to be trustworthy on many snaps until he gets more comfortable.

That has opened the door for Huff, and he has responded in spades this season. Whereas he was never around the ball before, he has a league-leading 3 INT's, and has recovered a fumble as well. He also had four passes defensed last Sunday against the Chiefs, almost half of the 11 he collected starting or playing heavily in all 16 games last season.

The Huff have seen thus far in 2009 is the Huff we've expected all along, but even better. Nnamdi Asomugha has always been a huge advocate of Huff's, and he's stated that he believes Huff's recent play will be the rule going forward rather than the exception.

Huff is a very hard working player and has committed himself to justifying his draft status by watching extra film with Asomugha and staying after practice to work on catching and route reads. So far, so good, and with him getting the start this Sunday, we'll see if he can continue to create havoc for opposing offenses.

NFL Week Three: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Justin Smith — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:00:20 -0400

Welcome to the first of what will be a weekly column of mine, in which I describe pressure situations in the NFL in the Pressures section, make quick hit points in the Hurries section, and express my thoughts regarding previous truths that have subsequently been disproved or are on shaky ground in the Knockdowns section.

For any members of the Raider Nation wondering why there is no mention of our beloved Silver and Black, I will be doing a separate Raiders version of the column on Saturdays.

PRESSURES

John Fox, Carolina Head Coach

Previously one of the most insulated men in the business after taking Carolina to a SuperBowl in just his second season back in 2003. Fox has had an inconsistent run since then, at times under-performing with talented teams. He's now hitched his wagon to a quarterback who's better days seem to be behind him, and, with a team expected to be better than their current 0-2 record, the pressure is mounting.

Carolina followed up their SuperBowl appearance with a disappointing 7-9 season in '04, but bounced back to return to the NFC Championship game in '05. In '06, they had high hopes and were heavily favoured to represent the NFC in the SuperBowl, but, in a pattern that has maintained throughout Fox's tenure dating back to '02, the team failed to post back-to-back winning seasons, and, at 8-8, missed the playoffs.

Another Panther squad touted as SuperBowl contenders disappointed in '07, finishing below .500 at 7-9. They once again bounced back last season, riding a strong and versatile run game and stout defense to an impressive 12-4 record and a spot in the playoffs against Arizona.

Unfortunately for Carolina, the Cards were in the early stages of a magical run and the Panthers went out mewling in a debacle of a divisional round game at home behind quarterback Jake Delhomme's five-interception, one fumble self-destruction that was as hard to watch as it was mesmerizing.

Delhomme figures heavily in the pressure that is now on John Fox. Despite the fact that Delhomme has never joined the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the league, and despite the fact that he had a terrible season opener in which he nearly mirrored his '08 playoff performance with another four interceptions and a fumble, he was given a vote of confidence by the coach.

This after the team gave him a rich extension this past offseason ($42.5 million over five years with $20 million guaranteed), at the behest of Fox.

His clinging to Delhomme, who has always been a good quarterback who until recently was somewhat careful with the ball, has lead the team away from drafting a quarterback of the future and left the position somewhat of a question mark. It's not to say Delhomme can't bounce back and put up serviceable numbers, but at this point, it hasn't boded well for him this season; which doesn't bode well for Fox.

Fox's teams are also usually known for stout defense, but currently sit 24th in total defense and 26th against the run. With the real possibility of 0-3 looming in the form of a trip to Jerryworld in Dallas on Monday, this team is in danger of falling into a deep hole in the tough NFC South, and it's tough to see them or Fox surviving the fall.

New England Patriots

I'm not ready to throw the towel in on the Patriots by any means. We counted them out last season after losing Tom Brady, one of the best quarterbacks in the business, and they narrowly missed the playoffs, posting an impressive 11-5 record on the arm of a quarterback who hadn't started since High School. This team is well coached, and well managed, and always has a chance in every game. I don't like them, but I have to give credit where it is due.

The "Is Brady the same?" storyline has been played up enormously, and it is a huge factor in the pressure the Patriots are feeling to right a ship that's usually on a steady course. The offense is struggling; the offensive line is struggling; and, subsequently, Brady is struggling. Well, as much as he does anyhow.

But the issue with the Patriots now, one that can't be fixed in practice or with film study, is that their big-bad-bullies of Boston mystique is all but gone.

The Giants began eroding the myth in 2007 at SuperBowl XLII, where they repeatedly broke through the previously impenetrable Patriots offensive line and put constant pressure and pain on quarterback Tom Brady. The Patriots were still just a couple plays away from winning that game, but the Giants provided a blueprint for rattling Brady that proved effective again last week when employed by the Jets.

The Jets took the final shine off the Patriots aura last weekend and The Patriots have been the bullies of the AFC East in the 2000's, especially against the Bills whom they've now beaten 12 straight times, and the Jets, against whom they have a 10-2 record since '03.

The Jets-of-recent-years have lacked the confidence to stand up to a Patriots team that was often dominant. Coach Eric Mangini, like a good father does when his charge is being bullied, decided to take the conservative approach and tell the authorities. He ratted out his former team for using illegal taping techniques, leading to the horrifying cliche "Spygate" and all the bombast that went along with it.

This approach wasn't successful, and the Patriots continued their dominance of the Jets through the Mangini era, while a formerly warm coaching relationship was fractured forever. There is no way the new Browns coach will ever again be acknowledged by the Hood.

Enter tough Uncle Rex Ryan. Instead of telling the Jets to just sit back and take what comes, he instead told them to take charge, to tell the bully to their face they weren't afraid of them. He further dared them to punch them in the nose with everyone in the NFL watching.

This was surprising to say the least, as with the exception of '02, when you made statements like that about Patriot teams between the years of 2001-2007, they usually beat you by multiple touchdowns just to send a message: You don't talk smack about us.

The Jets, however, weren't intimidated and they took their coaches' words to heart.

They came out with a hard-hitting, pressure-packed performance on defense and got enough from Mark Sanchez and the offense to pull off an impressive 16-9 victory in front of the football world. By first calling them out and then following through, the Jets served notice that the bully wasn't to be feared any longer.

With that game, the Patriots' psychological advantage of presence intimidation is officially over. The Patriots are so used to being heavily favoured in most games and getting in their opponents heads before the game is even played that it'll be interesting to see going forward how things will play out.

At 1-1, the season is very much alive and the Patriots do not panic, nor should they. They still have a great team with a savvy coaching staff. And most bullies are still big and strong; it's just when they're exposed when the aura of fear is gone and people look at them differently.

With Atlanta coming to Foxborough this weekend looking like a very strong team, and with both Wes Welker and Randy Moss possibly shelved for the contest, 1-2 is distinctly possible. In a division where the Jets are playing great football, the Bills look like they could possibly contend, and the Dolphins are better than their record, it won't be as easy as it's been in the recent past.

And now, teams who felt hopeless before will truly believe they can beat them every single week.

HURRIES

We're seeing some great individual pass rushing displays this early season, with the Broncos Elvis Dumervil getting four against the Browns and the Bengals Antwan Odom rocking Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers five times last Sunday.

I don't usually feel bad for Jerry Jones or the Cowboys, but you had to feel a little bit sorry for him when the 'Boys non-existent pass rush and an erratic Tony Romo choked the life out of the amazing spectacle he'd created. Didn't you?

I'm not surprised Mario Manningham is playing well for the Giants. The kid was a big-play maker at Michigan, and I thought the Giants got a steal when they nabbed him in the third round of the '08 draft. He didn't see the field much last season, and it looked as if he might not this season either with the emergence of rookie Hakeem Nicks. But Nicks is hurt, and now Manningham is making the most of his opportunities. With Manningham and Steve Smith performing lights-out this season, and Nicks and fellow rookie Ramses Barden showing great flashes of potential, along with the ever-underachieving Sinorice Moss, the Giants suddenly have a very young, very talented core of receivers that could prove to be exceedingly dangerous.

Does Detroit get their first win this weekend when they host the offensively-challenged Redskins? It's the sexy pick of the week, but I can't pick the Lions until they win one. This may be their best chance in a while though, because their next three games before their Week Seven bye are: Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Green Bay. If they don't get it on Sunday, they will have another excellent chance, being rested and ready after the bye, in Week Eight when they host the Rams.

KNOCKDOWNS

A Good Running Game and the Time of Possession Battle Win Games

This truth was shattered to pieces this past Monday night, as the Indianapolis Colts were run all over by the Miami Dolphins, and held the ball for less than 15 minutes yet came away with a 27-23 victory on the shoulders and fingertips of Peyton Manning.

Manning threw a touchdown pass on his first attempt, a nice 80-yard catch and run by Dallas Clark that left the Miami crowd stunned. But the Dolphins went into leech mode, trying to bleed the Colts out with constant pressure on the ground and keeping their defense tired and on the field. The Dolphins put up more than 230 yards on the Colts with a variance of the Wildcat and straight running that kept them off-balance the entire game.

This one game cannot debunk the truth of the statement that if you have a good running game and win the time of possession, you stand an excellent chance of winning the game.

That is still true. However, a good passing game is more valuable than ever.

Look around. Though it would take too long to do a proper statistical analysis (if anyone knows a good place to go for NFL stats, please let me know) it certainly seems as if teams are throwing the ball a heck of a lot more this season.

Sometimes it's out of necessity (Kevin Kolb), sometimes it's because they're so, so good at it (Drew Brees), and sometimes it's for on-the-job training (Matt Stafford, Mark Sanchez). The league has changed on offense from the conventional one back, No.1 receiver offense where only a couple guys could burn you at any time.

Teams now have multiple threats to go the distance at any time, as athletes get bigger, stronger, and faster all the time, and want to get the ball in the hands of their playmakers as often as possible. This usually means passing to them, like converted punt returners Devin Hester of the Bears and Josh Cribbs from the Browns.

More dangerous athletes mean more home-run hitters, and throwing them the ball on short routes like bubble screens and slant patterns can pay huge dividends. For that reason, expect teams to continue passing to their big play guys.

The Houston Texans are Ready for Prime-time

Everyone's favourite darlings in the preseason for the past two seasons, the Houston Texans somehow always come out of the gate misfiring and then have an uphill climb just to get to .500, which is exactly how they've finished in those two seasons.

This season was no different. Every expert and many fans decided it was the Texans year, and there was no two ways that they were going to the playoffs. Heck, Sports Illustrated and others even picked them to evict the Colts from their long-tenured penthouse stay in the AFC South.

But then they came out against the New York Jets and laid an absolute egg in their home opener. Outwitted, outplayed, and outgunned by a rookie quarterback and head coach, Gary Kubiak and his Texans looked to be heading on to another down slide early in the season that would portend doom for their playoff hopes.

They bounced back in a big way against Tennessee last week, putting up 33 on a supposedly good defense (almost in the pressures section, the Tennessee D has not impressed thus far) and doing just enough to win a very rowdy game in which they gave up multiple huge plays to the fastest guy in the NFL, Titans back Chris Johnson.

At 1-1, the season is not over. My point is that the Texans have done nothing this season other than lower their expectations. Nobody really though the Jets would win that first game, let alone in such a dominant fashion. The Jets showed last weekend against the Pats that their Week One play was no fluke, but still, Houston simply cannot be trusted until they string together two or three good performances in a row.

Conventional wisdom would say that they have an excellent chance to do so as they host the Jaguars this Sunday and the Raiders next Sunday. As a Raider fan, I respectfully disagree with conventional wisdom and say we beat the Texans in their own house. But that's for another time.

The Oakland Raiders Worriesome Win

Justin Smith — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:42:33 -0400

The Raiders and Chiefs played yet another closely contested battle today at Arrowhead, with the Raiders pulling out a victory after a late touchdown drive that saw an offense stuck in neutral the entire day finally get it going when it mattered.

History will show that JaMarcus Russell showed well on the winning drive, going 3 of 6 for 58 yards with a couple of key first down conversions after penalties had mired the team in difficult situations. History will also show that before this drive, Russell had one of the worst quarterback performances I've ever witnessed.

That the Raiders were on the winning end of a drive in the final minutes is not lost on me, nor the rest of Raider Nation. Russell came through when it mattered, and Darren McFadden, bottled up most of the day, found no resistance on the left end to waltz in for the game-winning touchdown with 1:07 left to cap the drive.

It was a great feeling as a Raider fan to finally see a victory after trading scores in the final minutes. It far more often than not for far too long has gone the other way. The collective feelings of joy and relief across Raider Nation were tangible, and I know it was one of my best football moments in quite a while.

Up until the point that the clock read 0:00, I was unhappy with Russell's performance. He's engineered two go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter in two weeks, and that's to be commended. But his erratic passing that we all hoped was an anomaly against the Chargers turned into an utter nightmare against the Chiefs.

Starting out 0-5, he never seemed to be able to get in a rhythm. When he connected with Darrius Heyward-Bey for the kid's first NFL reception it was his first really good on target throw of the day down the field, it seemed a good bet he was about to get going.

But, he then proceeded to misfire constantly in the 2nd half. He missed a couple by just a touch, such as the potential Louis Murphy touchdown pass that was just out of reach.

He also was the victim of some excellent D-Line play from the Chiefs, who batted down a couple of balls that were intended as screen passes, one of the few plays that the Raiders had any success with all day.

Until the final drive, in which he zipped a couple of bullets right on the money, Russell looked very poor. He's still showing better pocket presence, and the line once again gave him time for the most part; but he simply must get better at putting the ball on target. We cannot continually blame others for his inability to hit open targets.

The Chiefs showed that if you dare Russell to beat you, then you can stop their running game. We need the run game to be effective, because the defense cannot keep playing as much as they did today and continue to hold up as well as they did.

Without having to worry about defending the pass, the Chiefs were free to send run blitzes and put eight and nine in the box to stop McFadden and Bush. The two backs combined for a hard-fought 70 yards on the ground, a far cry from the 138 yards the Raiders gained as a team against the Chargers on Monday night.

That can largely be attributed to Russell's ineffectiveness today, as the Chiefs found out early that they had little to worry about from the Raider passing game.

It's maddening to watch him at times because he'll miss easy throws or overthrow a simple screen like he did today to McFadden; and then he'll come out and zip throws down the field right on the money like he did with Watkins and Murphy on the final drive. He teases you with his ability to make amazing throws, and then makes you crazy by missing the simplest targets.

His accuracy problems can largely be attributed to him not knowing how to throw the ball in every situation; he fires the ball hard almost all the time, when touch is required on many of the throws he needs to make.

He's regressed as far as his accuracy goes, but he's definitely progressed in his leadership and his clutch performance. Those tendencies are of infinite importance, and no matter how hard you try you cannot truly simulate game situations in practice.

To know he can execute with the game on the line is comforting, but it would help the team if he could do it consistently for four quarters. Accuracy is all about repetition, and he obviously needs to work more with his receivers and put more time into his game.

Other than the final drive, there is little positive to say about the offense today. The penalties had gotten better, but three times on the final drive the old albatross reared it's ugly head. Cornell Green has got to go. Just...has...to...go.

The defense bent but didn't break today, and showed well when it counted. I was disappointed that they were getting pushed around more than doing the pushing this game, but they fought back and fought hard.

The late touchdown, given up when Nnamdi Asomugha was out of the game and Stanford Routt was left to cover Dwayne Bowe, was a blemish in an otherwise impressive performance considering they got zero help from the offense all game.

In the first quarter the Chiefs offensive line were bullying the Raiders front, something we didn't expect to see after the beating the Raiders put on the Chargers last week. The Chiefs had an impressive 17-play, 74 yard drive that ate up over nine minutes of the clock in the first quarter, but the Raider defense held them to a field goal.

Despite the fact that the defense held us in the game, and Michael Huff came up huge once again with a two-turnover game, grabbing a couple of picks from Matt Cassell, the run defense once again looked suspect at times. The bullying, in-your-face presence shown last Monday was nonexistent today. But that's understandable.

Coming off a short week after a highly emotional game, they can be forgiven for being a little sluggish. It's a testament to their will and talent that they kept the team in the game despite a tidal wave of three-and-outs from the offense.

I said before I felt this was a must-win game, and I meant it. This team, although not as fired up as they were on Monday, still showed we have the will to win and the want to fight for every game.

Now that we've won, it's a must that Russell bounces back next week against Denver, who he has played well against in the past, and puts the fears of a Nation to rest. We are all feeling that with our defense and the potential of our running game we have a chance to be a good team if we can get consistent production from our quarterback.

I still have faith in JaMarcus and his talents, but I must say my faith is getting thinner by the week at this point. I have given him the benefit of the doubt, but today was a nightmare, and one more repeat performance will have all Raider Nation cringing every time he drops back to pass.

A few thoughts:

Why rotate Richard Seymour out of the game so often? He was a force last Monday. He needed to be on the field more today
I like Matt Shaugnessy and Desmond Bryant; we suddenly have a deep D-Line
How much does JaMarcus Russell miss Chaz Schilens right now?
Heyward-Bey is getting better at selling his routes, but still has a long way to go. Congrats on catch #1 kid
Louis Murphy is eventually going to be very, very dangerous
We need to call more running plays to the outside

Why This Week's Raiders-Chiefs Game Is So Important

Justin Smith — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 02:17:58 -0400

Going into Week Two, the San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos both sit at 1-0, while the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs are both a little behind at 0-1.

Grudgingly, and despite it not being the cakewalk it has in the past against a what is a noticeably more aggressive and assertive Raider squad that beat them up from start to finish, the Chargers being 1-0 is not nearly as big of a surprise as the Broncos being 1-0.

The Broncos defense played much better than advertised against Cincinnati, but their offense was fairly stagnant throughout. Credit should go to an improved Bengals defense to a degree; but Denver looked out of sync often and didn't overly impress.

The Broncos were saved by a very fortunate, very unlikely bounce at the end of the game that will go down as one of the least favorite moments of disbelief I've experienced in my own personal NFL history. I don't need to explain; you know.

The Raiders smothered the Chargers on offense for most of the game, but like a scene out of a horror film slipped into the dreaded soft zone at the end of the game. San Diego took advantage of their exposed underbelly to march 89 yards in a 2:16 drive that was as gut-wrenching as it was efficient.

Darren Sproles capped the drive by punching the ball right through the end zone and the hearts of Raider Nation.

The Chiefs acquitted themselves well on the road against a very formidable Baltimore team. They moved the ball on a tough defense and hung in the game until the fourth quarter, at which point Baltimore's home field and talent advantages asserted themselves.

It's safe to say that the much-maligned AFC West didn't look as terrible as expected during their first games.

With both the Raiders and the Chiefs exceeding expectations even in defeat in the first week, they will be looking at the upcoming game at Arrowhead in Kansas City as a litmus test for where they are in their development.

Both of these teams are young, but the Raiders began their rebuilding process a little before the Chiefs so they are a little ahead of the game at the moment. This game carries a tremendous amount of importance for both teams. But, with the expectations of Raider Nation raised after an inspired Monday night performance, it means that much more to Oakland.

As mentioned, each team exceeded expectations by hanging with "superior" teams until the end of the game. The Raiders actually outplayed the Chargers most of the game, and were it not for a lack of aggression on defense at the end coupled with a cold blooded Philip Rivers, would've had the win.

But how much of it is the Raiders being better than people thought, and how much of it can be attributed to it being the first week of the season, San Diego playing down to their competition, or any number of other factors?

The Raiders that came out blazing on Monday night are not the same team we're used to seeing. The played with passion and a hungriness that's been lacking for far too long. The jubilation and genuine enjoyment with which they played the game was entertaining to watch.

San Diego did not play down to their competition. It did not appear to me that the Chargers had superior talent at any place on the field other than quarterback. I'm not knocking JaMarcus Russell, and I'll get to him a little later. But annoying as he is, Rivers has proven he's an elite quarterback. J-Rock has a ways to go before he's there.

Raider Nation has good reason to be encouraged by what we saw on Monday, as the running game got going early and often. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush both looked strong, fast, and aggressive, and only Coach Cable inexplicably straying from the run in the second half prevented D-Mac from breaking 100 yards.

That bodes very well for this Sunday's game against the Chiefs. You see, Bush and McFadden both like playing the Chiefs.

Last season in Kansas City the two backs combined for 254 yards on 37 carries, a 6.9 yard average, and two touchdowns. Throw in Justin Fargas' 43 yards on nine carries, and that's a total of 297 yards on 46 carries for a 6.5 yard average. Not bad for an afternoon.

Although Fargas is back from an injury and ready for Sunday, I still fully expect Bush and McFadden to touch the ball early and often. This is an important game for the Raiders rushing attack, as they've shown they can carve up the Chiefs on the ground, and they need to gain yardage to help alleviate the now considerable pressure on JaMarcus Russell.

This is a very important match-up for Russell's development. He's taken a lot of heat for his misfires on Monday night, while not getting enough praise for gutting out an injury to throw a go-ahead touchdown pass at crunch time. If the run game is effective he shouldn't have to throw the ball very much. But it's important that when he does he completes more passes to his receivers, and puts the ball on target more often.

Raider Nation wants to see JaMarcus succeed, because he shows so many flashes of great talent. But the missed timings and poor throws need to be held to more of a minimum than they have been.

He did many more good things than bad on Monday, and showed the heart and leadership on the field required from a great quarterback. He was a very accurate passer in college, so he has the capability, but this game will go a long way to either alleviating or exacerbating the fears of the Raider hopeful.

No question after the lack of production at the wide receiver position last season carried on into Monday, it's essential to get the kids on track. Starting two rookie wide receivers certainly help amplify Russell's difficulties, and even cause them on occasion.

Louis Murphy has shown flashes of brilliance thus far but has also shown flashes of inexperience, running an improper route that contributed to a 1st-quarter Russell interception. Darrius Heyward-Bey, despite assuring the fans and the press he played a good game, did not have a catch and looked lost at times on the field. These guys have got to get going, and Javon Walker has to contribute. The wide receivers must acquit themselves against an often shaky KC secondary to satiate the fans.

The defense absolutely has to have amnesia and bounce back from a disappointing end to an otherwise dominating performance against San Diego. Coaches Cable and Marshall are on record saying that scaling back the aggression was a poor choice, that they called the game conservatively at the end, and that they have promised to address the issue.

I'll believe that when we have a lead in a tight game on Sunday in the fourth quarter and we'll still up on receivers and in the face of the offense. It's of paramount importance that Cable and Marshall stick by their word should the situation arise again. And if the unthinkable should happen, the Coaches should be absolved of criticism as long as they stay the course.

But until we see it, we won't believe it. And hopefully we'll be too far ahead for it to be a concern anyhow. This team needs to learn to win, and not, as Warren Sapp astutely pointed out (surprising, I know) be afraid of success.

Most importantly, this game must go far toward rewarding the faith of Raider Nation. That team that came out and beat San Diego like it stole something was no mirage. This team is jacked up. They are more aggressive; they are better tacklers, more fundamentally sound, potentially explosive on offense, and getting better as a cohesive unit than they have been in a long time. If they play with the competitiveness showed Monday, they'll walk away with a victory.

But if they come out flat in this game, then the dreaded "here we go again" feeling may loom and threaten to blanket what promises to be a better season than in years past. They simply cannot, in any way, afford a slip of effort or passion in this game. Fans will be devastated after the showing Monday, and belief will dissipate.

A young team will always have kinks to work out, but this game is very winnable despite being on the road, and Raider Nation expects nothing short of a W in KC on Sunday. We love the improvement shown, but without wins, it'll be hollow at best.

It's time for this team to take the next step in it's growth, and right now there is no better opponent. The Raiders-Chiefs rivalry always produces intense, hard-fought games that come down to the wire, but Oakland seems improved and confident. However, both teams believe they can win this game.

Only one of them can be right, and it's imperative it be the Raiders.

Oakland Raiders: How To Stop the Chargers' Electric Offense

Justin Smith — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:02:47 -0400

As the Oakland Raiders prepare to do battle with their sudden nemesis, the San Diego Chargers, tonight at 7:15 pm PDT (10:15 pm EDT), there are, as always in a season opener, some questions that need to be answered.

Any season prior to the last four you could have asked any Raiders fan which team they'd most love to beat, and you'd get a smattering of "donkeys" and "chefs" in response.

We really didn't care about the Chargers (or "dolts" if you prefer), because they were never really relevant. Sure, they had the occasional nice season, but the all-time series was laughably one-sided and they were never a threat to win the Super Bowl, even when they made it there.

Over the last six years, not only have they become relevant, they've become pretty good, and our relationship has changed. Where once we were Michael Jordan to their Cleveland Cavaliers, we have now become Roger Federer to their Rafael Nadal.

We simply can't beat them.

Nobody on this great planet, with the exception of the citizens of the ever-optimistic Raider Nation, gives the Silver and Black a chance to be within two touchdowns tonight.

The Chargers are a good team, but they have weaknesses like anyone else.

Can the Raiders exploit those weaknesses? Or will they, themselves, be exploited?

I think the Raiders offense, with JaMarcus Russell improving and Darren McFadden healthy, will play fairly well tonight. The Chargers' defense can bring pressure, but their secondary can be shaky at times, and I truly believe the Raiders can put some points up on this defense.

My main concern is with the Oakland defense and how we are going to stop all the weapons on San Diego's offense.

San Diego has one of the best sets of skill players in the NFL, and how new defensive coordinator John Marshall plots and schemes to stop this explosive bunch is one of the keys to the game.

Let's take a look at some of our enemies.

Philip Rivers

Much to the chagrin of anyone who isn't a Chargers fan, or who doesn't have him as a fantasy quarterback, Philip Rivers has evolved into one of the best and most efficient QBs in the NFL.

Mr. Rivers may not be the most popular player around, but last season he was one of the best.

His completion percentage and TD-INT ratio last season were very impressive, despite the fact that his throwing motion looks akin to a middle-school shotputter having a seizure while putting. But no matter how ugly, it obviously works for him.

It is extremely important that the Raiders not just rush four linemen, as is their habit. They need to bring pressure from all areas of the field to rattle Rivers and get him off his game. If Rivers has time to throw, he's shown he can be equal to Brees, Brady, and Manning in his poise and decision-making.

The only way to get Rivers out of his comfort zone is to confuse him with multiple looks and various blitzes. Marshall needs to dial up the aggression and take advantage of what he called "the fastest defensive players I've ever seen."

This is possible with the Chargers' revamped offensive line, although it still needs to gel, not to mention the line is young and inexperienced.

There has never been a better time to get pressure on Rivers than now; the Raiders just have to use aggressive playcalling and take some risks. Blitzing, which the Raiders were allergic to under Rob Ryan, is also very important.

LT and Sproles

LaDainian Tomlinson is hell-bent on proving to everyone that despite reaching the death-knell age of 30 he can still be an elite back.

Whispers throughout football circles have been questioning how much LT has left, and he is itching to show everyone tonight against his favorite dance partner, the Oakland Raiders.

You see, LT tends to play the Raiders pretty well. But Darren Sproles worries me more.

Sproles, despite being quite a small guy, runs with the power of Zeus and the determination of the Little Engine That Could. The guy will not go down, despite the fact that he weighs as much as some linebackers' thighs. With the Raiders' tackling issues, Sproles is a dangerous enemy.

The key to stopping the running attack is simple: stay in your gaps, do your job, and wrap up when you tackle.

These are three areas the Raiders have been preaching this offseason, but in preseason, it didn't look like anything had improved. It is absolutely paramount that each player knows their role, accepts their role, and plays it accordingly.

Fundamentals are the key here, and with Richard Seymour joining the Raiders in time to play tonight, Marshall has the luxury of moving him around the line and creating mismatches. Seymour comes from a strong system in New England where fundamentals and discipline are stressed above all else. His presence alone improves the defense.

With Seymour taking blockers, Tommy Kelly won't be doubled any longer, and it'll also free up the law firm of Morrison, Howard, and Brown to shed blocks and make tackles. Wrapping up and making sure tackles is the biggest key to success in stopping the run tonight.

Gates, Jackson, and Co.

Vincent Jackson made some incredible, "did you see that?"-type plays during the preseason, and he looks poised for a breakout year. He's big (6'5", 230 pounds), fast, has improved his route-running considerably, and has freakish athleticism.

Still, the key here is not Jackson so much as Antonio Gates. Gates, a red-zone demon, always brings his A-game against the Raiders, and usually has big games against them. The much-maligned Michael Huff has shown success in coverage against Gates in the past, but it's a safe bet Huff will not see the field much tonight.

Nnamdi Asomugha is a little banged up, but good to go for tonight. He can play Jackson and has the size, speed, and strength to stay with him. But Marshall is in a pick-your-poison scenario here, as Gates is basically another wide receiver, and Chris Chambers and Craig Davis can also make some plays.

It would make sense to allow Thomas Howard, who is one of the fastest LBs in the NFL, to cover Antonio Gates, leaving the safeties free to provide double help on both Jackson and Gates. Howard has incredible coverage skills for a LB, and if he were able to play coverage in obvious passing situations, it would free up the nickel corner to roll double coverage to whomever is deemed most dangerous on any given play.

It's time we take advantage of this defense's speed and athleticism.

The biggest key tonight, and throughout the season, will be heart. The defense needs to come out, hit some people, play tough at the point of attack, and beat up the Chargers. It's always who wants it more, and the Raiders defense has not lacked talent in recent years.

But it has lacked heart, aggression, and discipline, and that's exactly why we brought in John Marshall. The Raiders needed new blood to kick these guys in the pants, bring them back to basics, and then unleash them and let them play.

I'm hoping Marshall is a big Bill Shakespeare fan, because I want to see the Raiders "Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war" tonight.

They also need to keep their heads up. If the Chargers break a big play early, and the Raiders slip back into hanging their heads and expecting the worst, it's going to be a long, long night.

Eleven losses in a row to the Chargers. Eleven.

Dial up the aggression, keep on their assess, and make sure it stops at 11.

Oakland Raiders Preseason: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Justin Smith — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:16:09 -0400

Well, the preseason is now over and we're into the big boy games very shortly. The first test for our beloved Oakland Raiders: our newest nemesis, the San Diego Chargers.

Preseason started out very well for the Raiders, with a 31-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The offense was looking better, and the defense was playing with more discipline.

Tom Cable was not yet embroiled in controversy, and Chaz Schilens still had two healthy dancing shoes. It was time for optimism in Raider Nation.

Things since then have deteriorated rapidly. Although there are still some positives to take from the preseason, things do not look as promising as they once had.

The Good

JaMarcus Russell

JaMarcus Russell's development seems to be coming along nicely. Although he is still taking a bit too long to go through his progressions and he's holding the ball too long (products of each other), his accuracy and command of the huddle have improved. His pocket presence, with the considerable help of Hackett and Tollner, will improve with experience.

There has been much talk about Russell's work ethic, but he has spent his entire offseason at the Raiders' facilities. I'm sure he's still not the film junkie we'd all like to see, but in his words and deeds he has shown growth, maturity, and leadership that were a major concern as recently as July.

Despite our poor effort against the Seahawks, Russell was the first one to congratulate or encourage his teammates from the sideline when they made a good play. There were times you also saw him take receivers like Jonathan Holland and Todd Watkins aside.

In the fourth preseason game, which is meaningless for most starters throughout the league, it is very encouraging to see your leader not only paying attention and caring about the game, but getting involved with his teammates and instilling confidence despite some poor play. Sure, we'd like to see him get heated and get in someone's grill, but he seems more the positive reinforcement type of leader. I've liked what I've seen from him this offseason.

Desmond Bryant

An undrafted free agent out of Harvard, and a bit undersized as a defensive tackle, Bryant has shown that working hard, wanting it, and having football knowledge are sometimes more important than raw talent.

The kid has played his heart out, and shown a burst as a pass rusher that is a pleasant surprise. The only real worry I have with him is his size. We do not need another pass-rusher. We need someone who can hold at the point of attack and help against the run. It remains to be seen if Bryant is that guy.

Louis Rankin

Although he's been playing mostly against second and third team defenses, this guy just does not want to go down. I love his running style and his talent. I think we should keep him and cut Russell, even if Russell can play fullback. Our backfield is so loaded with McFadden, Bush, and Fargas that it's tough to call. But I'd hate to see him cut and picked up somewhere else. He's a talent that, given a chance, could do some good things. I don't want to see it done in another uniform like so many others of recent history.

The Bad

More of the Same

Wasn't our problem on defense supposed to solely be Rob Ryan? Wasn't getting rid of him supposed to magically fix all of our problems? Oh wait. That's completely unrealistic.

And we're seeing the evidence.

We do not have a run stopper on this team at any position. Tommy Kelly would rather rush the QB all day long than hold his gaps, Gerard Warren has played fairly well but still lacks gap discipline, and our LBs and backfield can't tackle to save their lives.

I'm seriously doubting the coaching job that is going on regarding this side of the ball. I know that Marshall is an experienced D-Coordinator and has had success in the past. So maybe it's time for me, and everyone else including the organization itself, to admit that maybe Rob Ryan wasn't the problem. Maybe the problem is we're lacking talent on defense. We're certainly lacking depth. And, from the looks of our last three games, heart.

How do you get to the NFL and not know how to tackle properly? It baffles me that this is an issue every single season. No matter the players, no matter the coaches, we simply can't wrap up. It's our single biggest issue and needs to be addressed very soon, or else LT and Sproles, both elusive backs that are tough to bring down, are going to run wild in the opener.

We Lack Discipline

Still...even though it was a focus of training camp, to the point where we shut down contact for the first eight practices to focus on fundamentals and footwork. We should be on the same page. We should know our assignments. We should stick with our gaps and do our jobs.

But we don't. And I'm sick of it. Enough is enough.

Cable's Philosophy

While I like Cable's idea of team-first ideals, strong discipline, and accountability, where is it? The players are all talking a good game to the media, but they haven't brought any fire or passion to the field. They simply haven't cared enough, and it's shown. So obviously they aren't buying into Cable as much as they'd let on, or we'd see a crisp team out there who knows how to execute plays and wants to win the game.

Still not seeing it. And I'm sick of it. Enough is enough.

The Ugly

Cable's Fisticuffs

Although it's been downplayed by Cable, Al Davis, and the rest of the organization, if Cable did in fact break Hanson's jaw, and if he is in fact criminally charged, then this is a major issue.

We need coaching continuity for once. Cable is doing and saying all the right things despite the fact that the product on the field is looking eerily similar to the ones that have struggled the better part of this decade. I like Cable; he's personable and he's fairly honest.

But this is an unwanted distraction and a potential suspension that could seriously damage the growth of a young team with some talent. This needs to be resolved, and soon.

Chaz's Injury

Chaz was the best player on the field in the Cowboys game, for either side. I will stand by that statement no matter what anyone else wants to say. He worked his tail off to add reliability to his considerable physical attributes, and was looking as if he was the answer to our No. 1 receiver prayers.

Russell was loving him, hitting him five times in the first half of that game alone. It was looking like a wonderful marriage that may have helped us succeed.

Then, he hurt himself, and may be out longer than originally expected. The metatarsal injury is a sticky wicket for an athlete that very much relies on their feet, and we can only hope that it gets better quickly.

The Attitude

I touched on this above but cannot overemphasize its importance. We have not had a good attitude, especially the last two games. Players have been hanging their heads, not even trying to wrap up when tackling, lallygagging to the end of the play, and the list goes on.

This is very disappointing from a fan perspective, because we know this team has talent. But if you don't care, then what good is talent anyway? The coaching staff is culpable for this. They are responsible for getting the team ready to play.

In the third preseason game, generally the best barometer for how a team is going to play during the regular season, we put forth our worst effort. It made me almost sick to my stomach to watch our guys during that game.

We need leadership, and we need it fast. Russell is growing on the field, and I know he's a laid back guy, which means if he got pissed off and called the team out for a lack of heart it would carry that much more weight. We have no vocal leaders; our most vocal players, guys like Warren and Javon Walker, don't have the clout in the locker room to pull this kind of stunt.

It can only come from the coaching staff, or Russell himself. It needs to be done soon, because I and the rest of the Nation cannot suffer through another season of double-digit losses simply because the team doesn't care enough or take enough pride in themselves to bring it every single second of every single game.

I was originally very optimistic about the upcoming season, but after seeing our old selves the last two games, I'm honestly left to wonder if anything has really changed in and around this team. Are we cursed? I don't know. One thing I do know: we'd better smarten up, toughen up, and man up, or we're in for another long, long season.

Sports Phrases That Need To Go

Justin Smith — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 12:54:51 -0400

There have been many great phrases spawned from the sporting landscape. Some of the most articulate and poetic people of my generation have been sportscasters and announcers.

You get it all in the world of sports vocabulary. There's tried and true cliches, media glad-handing, politico-speak in which you say a lot of words and nothing of substance, attacking players and teams through the media, etc.

This is not an article about great quotes in sports history. Rather, this is an article regarding my opinion as to which phrases have become overused, are stupid or pointless, or simply offensive. Some have elements of all.

Some of these are not limited to the sporting landscape and have a hold on the whole of society, but are used ad nauseum in sports talk, so they make the list.

The first is probably the best example of combining overusage with ignorance and insensitivity.

Drinking the Kool-Aid

When someone has faith or hope that their team, who is usually not very good, will improve, or when someone looks at their team with blinders on with a willingness to believe anything and everything positive about one's team, they are "drinking the kool-aid."

Notwithstanding that I don't personally like the phrase at all and it's pervasiveness in sports message boards is reaching epic proportions, it is probably the most insensitive of all of the phrases commonly uttered in chat rooms by fans.

I get the sneaking suspicion that, since it has become ingrained in fan-speak, many who use the phrase have no idea of its origins nor its implications.

For those of you who don't know the history behind the phrase, I'll give a brief synopsis:

Jim Jones was the leader and founder of the People's Temple, a pseudo-religious organization started in 1955. Jones grew up reading about leaders such as Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Benito Mussolini, studying their strengths and weaknesses.

This served him well as leader of the People's Temple, as his agenda was one of dark foreboding. He would need all the charisma and charm he could get to convince people to go along with his ideas, which included communist ideals and fundamentalist religious viewpoints.

In 1978, in Jonestown, Guyana, Jones, having broken the will and spirit of his congregation through years of abuse and poor treatment, ordered them to drink cyanide-laced Flavor Aid.

Jones had spoken of the members committing suicide in the past, and even sponsored suicide-style rituals leading up to the actual "drinking of the kool-aid." This time, though, they went through with it.

Jones did not, and died from a gunshot wound instead.

918 people died, which was the greatest single loss of American civilian life not related to a natural disaster until the horrific events of September 11th.

This phrase is trite, tired, and played out, and certainly insensitive to say the least based on its origins. It needs to go, and it needs to go now.

The New York "Football" Giants/ Any phrase where "golf" is used to describe golf

Not much explanation needed here. I like the Giants, but hey guys; we know what sport you play. There hasn't been a New York Giants baseball team in most of our lifetimes, and even then it was a very short stint.

It's time to cut the cord.

Same goes for golf announcers. Football announcers are getting bad with it as well, but they still have a long way to go before they reach the level of integrating the name of their sport into every turn of phrase they use.

"Terrific golf shot"

"He needs to get under the golf ball"

And so on. Enough already. Much like the New York Giants, we know what sport is being played, and we don't need you to remind us every third word, David Feherty.

"Haters"

Okay, this one needs to go back into street lingo. Dave Chappelle's "Playa Haters Ball" was hilarious. But once again, sports fans have taken a perfectly good, perfectly humorous phrase, and turned it into grating terminology.

If you criticize anyone in the sporting world or any team (even if it's your own, and even if it's legitimate) you're a hater. Let's think about this for a second.

When I was growing up I was told not to use the word "hate" because of the weight that it carried. If you "hate" something, then it goes beyond dislike. It's a palpable feeling that starts at the back of your neck and creeps throughout your body until you feel either a) very angry or b) very ill.

I'm not saying there aren't "haters" out there. But when everyone becomes a "hater" simply because you disagree with them, the weight of the word is lost and it simply becomes another term like "jerk" or "loser." When something is overused it loses its clout.

In the immortal words of Milhouse Van Houten, "I've said the words jiminy-jillikers so many times the words have lost all meaning!"

"It is what it is"

Guilty myself of using this redundant phrase more than once in everyday life, I nonetheless cringe whenever I do. It is perhaps the most patently unnecessary phrase in our social vernacular, yet it is spouted off by more sports personalities than anything since "Give 110 percent!!"

As you can probably tell since I'm a Raider fan, I love Lane Kiffin. This guy is the king of "it is what it is." I lost count after 150 times last season. Sometimes it's a nice way of saying I don't want to answer your question, or if I did answer, you wouldn't like the answer.

More often it's a great way to use words that mean nothing to convey a point that means nothing. It is what it is? Thanks. I couldn't have figured that one out myself.

Please feel free to comment and add any other phrases I may have missed. There are tons, but these are the ones that stick out (and in my craw) more than any others.

Oh well. I don't want to be a hater. I guess it is what it is.

Watch The Oakland Raiders Vs. Dallas Cowboys Live Online!

Justin Smith — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:37:35 -0400

The Oakland Raiders are taking on the Dallas Cowboys tonight in their first preseason game. This article isn't really an article, simply a link to my Raider Nation brethren so they can watch the game online if they aren't fortunate enough to get it on television. I'm not.

Cheers Nation!

Here is the link. Obviously, since the game hasn't started, I can't fully verify that it works. However, the Pittsburgh vs. Arizona one works incredibly well, so I can only assume the Raiders link will work as well. Enjoy.

Let's hope Russell, McFadden, Bush, and the boys give us something to be excited about. I'm watching that run D, Cable. Show me something boys!

Live stream Link

Oakland Raiders vs Dallas Cowboys live NFL football live streaming online on your pc via online tv channel.

The menu will come up, just select the Oakland-Dallas game and enjoy. As per my disclaimer above, if it doesn't work, I'm sorry. Find it yourself you bums!

NFL Preseason: It's Fantastic! No, Really...

Justin Smith — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:19:32 -0400

Why a picture of Leinart, you ask? Well because, this is preseason!

Anyway, the NFL preseason schedule is much maligned for various reasons. Some of those reasons, if not all, are completely valid. To wit:

Full Price Tickets

This is total and absolute garbage. I don't really need to expand on this, but the way the NFL charges fans to see glorified scrimmages is criminal.

Low Quality Talent

The starters rarely, if ever, see more than 10 minutes of game time until the final preseason game. These are not the players the fans overpaid to see.

Risk of Injury

Football is a violent game played at high speeds. The more snaps, the more a chance of injury. That's the biggest reason we don't see starters for very long, and if we do and they get hurt, then the coach is in big trouble.

The NFL preseason is a litmus test for NFL coaches to determine their final rosters and starting lineups. It's the one chance coaches have to see their players in game-style competition before the real deal begins in September. I personally enjoy preseason games, especially late in the games when the scrubs are in. Here's why:

Who's That Guy?

Every so often, late in a preseason game, you'll be watching and some dude will pull something completely spectacular out of nowhere, and you'll say whoa, who's that guy? They don't always pan out (Todd Watkins of the Raiders comes to mind) but sometimes you've drawn a bead on a player that could be somebody before other casual fans get the chance.

I remember three years ago watching the Vikes in preseason and this young QB, Tarvaris Jackson. I'd heard little about him, but his athleticism and arm strength were a sight to behold.

He kept making WOW play after WOW play. Granted, it was the fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason game, but I noticed the kid. He hasn't been spectacular or anything, but he has started in the league. I love that stuff.

Whoops...Time to Apply at Denny's

If you're a fringe player, your play in the third and fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason game can mean the difference between collecting a nice NFL paycheck and unemployment.

There are few moments of raw emotion equivalent to watching a fringe WR drop an easy pass that would move the chains for his team in the fourth quarter of a meaningless preseason game. In this case, meaningless is relative.

The receiver reacts as if his life has just ended; and, as far as life on an NFL field is concerned, it probably just did. The pain is very real, and if you watch closely, you can feel back to any time you blew a major chance in your life and knew it right then and there. Raw, unbridled, human emotion we can all relate to.

An Honest Day's Work

The guys who need this game live and die with each possession, which is evident during these time frames. By the end of the game the field is littered with the intestines of fringe players laying it all out to make good on their opportunity. You've gotta love that kind of reckless disregard for personal safety.

It's the guys fighting for their lives, leaving it on the field, and playing with desperation that make these times so wonderful. Sure the talent level is lacking; but often the greater the talent, the lesser the passion.

What these fringe players lack in talent they usually more than make up for in fire and passion, and things can get pretty vicious out there in the late stages of a preseason game.

The stakes for most of the players, coupled with the passion for the game and the desperation of proving themselves one last time combine to make the late stages of an NFL preseason game one of the more intriguing preseasons in sport.

Is it pretty football? Not usually. But is it entertaining? The possibility of seeing someone ruin or make their career, and all the emotion that goes along with it, is worth the price of admission alone.

What's Going on with the San Francisco 49ers Michael Crabtree?

Justin Smith — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:54:59 -0400

Oh, Michael Crabtree. Already, without taking an NFL snap, you have been worth the price of admission.

From his pre-draft quotes subtly slamming the Raiders, to speaking on men's fashion, to reportedly bringing an attitude to team interviews that would make Naomi Campbell cringe, he's been in the news an awful lot for someone who has never played a professional down.

Now, rumors are circulating that, feeling slighted by not only where he was drafted but also with the money that goes along with that precipitous drop, he will skip this entire NFL season and re-enter the 2010 NFL draft.

I bet Texas Tech wishes he'd never signed an agent.

Speaking of his agent, Eugene Parker, he denies that this "threat," as he called it, has ever been discussed. According to Parker, he does not employ guerilla negotiating tactics and prefers to do his dealings behind closed doors rather than in the media.

This seems very reasonable and logical.

The rumors began when Crabtree's cousin and "advisor" David Wells spoke with ESPN. He stated that the money Darrius Heyward-Bey was paid dictates the fair market value, and because they and every single other person who isn't a Raider fan seems to think it's set in stone that Crabtree is and will be a better player, he should get equal or greater money.

In fact, since Crabtree is, in his own mind, such a good player already, he should get top-three money. That's where he should've been drafted, in his humble opinion. His advisor, who isn't giving him very good advice, agrees.

The problem, Crabtree and Wells, is that the proof is in the pudding, and the Raiders proved they valued DHB more than they valued you by drafting him. So did the other eight teams that chose to draft someone not named Crabtree.

So there's your fair market value. It doesn't matter how good you or your family think you are. It doesn't even matter how good so-called NFL draft pundits and "experts" think you are.

It matters how good your prospective future employers think you are. In this case, they didn't think Crabtree was as good as he certainly thinks he is.

The Lions, Rams, and Chiefs could all use a wideout. But they had much, much more pressing needs in this draft, and therefore were never in the cards to draft Crabtree.

Seattle had Aaron Curry fall to them, and if that hadn't happened, who knows whether they would've drafted Crabtree? The Seahawks certainly need wideouts, as it seems to be a real hard-luck position for them injury-wise.

But Crabtree didn't end up in Seattle. I wouldn't be surprised, if Curry was gone, if he had, though, and this probably wouldn't have been an issue. Of course, it's conceivable, based on his actions, that he would've demanded No. 1 money in that case.

Then Cleveland, who had already crossed Crabtree off their list due to what head coach Eric Mangini called a "diva" attitude—nevermind the irony of the heavy-handed massive-ego of Mangini calling someone else a diva—made a little trade with the Jets to allow them to move up and pick Mark Sanchez.

The Bengals, who after the departure of Stacey Andrews needed a tackle, took exactly that and chose Andre Smith. Despite losing T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the offseason and the ongoing mental meltdown of Chad Johnson—I'm sorry if it's disrespectful to him, but I refuse to encourage his ridiculousness—they still didn't need Crabtree's services as badly as they needed Andre Smith or Eugene Monroe or another equally talented tackle.

The Raiders were up next. Everyone in the world knew they had needs, but everyone in the world knew one of those needs, in a desperate way, was a wide receiver.

Despite his pre-draft comments in which it came across that Crabtree would be equally happy having red-hot sewing needles jammed into his eyes as he would being drafted by the Raiders, it was widely expected the Silver & Black would pick the obvious best receiver in the draft.

Which they did, in regards to a receiver that fits the Raider mold and fills a need moreso than Crabtree would have.

It certainly seems now that, if Crabtree holds out, the Raiders are vindicated here. Of course, I'm waiting for the "well they should've drafted Jeremy Maclin, then" comments to begin. Perhaps they already have.

The Raiders recognized that Crabtree didn't want to play for them, and that he would be a very big risk regarding holding out for more money. After their unfortunate dance with No. 1 choice JaMarcus Russell, and the amount of key learning time he missed due to holding out, they weren't about to take that chance again.

As a Raider fan, I'll admit I was slightly annoyed by the pick until I started reading up on both players. I began to get more excited about DHB's upside, and that just grows daily.

Based on their dynamics, DHB fits the Raiders system better than Crabtree would have, as he'll pull defenders and allow more underneath action for Darren McFadden, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Zach Miller, Louis Murphy, and other dynamic players on the roster.

Yes, there are some—I hear you lauging out there.

Anyway, on to Jacksonville. Now, it was also widely expected that wideout-starved Jacksonville simply couldn't pass up a talent like Crabtree. But they did as well, instead going with tackle Eugene Monroe to replace the departed Khalif Barnes.

At this point, with four teams expected to take a receiver all passing on Crabtree, you have to think there is more than meets the eye.

The Green Bay Packers didn't really seem like a viable choice, as they had more concerns on the defensive side of the ball and were changing their defensive scheme. To fit the mold, they made what I think was a great choice in B.J. Raji at defensive tackle.

I was actually more upset that the Raiders passed on Raji for DHB than I was that they passed on Crabtree for him. Stopping the run is something the Raiders don't do. At all.

Then the Niners, who must've felt like the kid on Christmas who gets the expensive toy he thought his parents could never afford, had Crabtree fall into their lap. They, naturally, pulled the trigger.

Immediately I thought: "Damn! The Niners just picked up a really talented kid, and they'll only have to pay him No. 10 money."

But then I thought about that.

It was inevitable that he was going to hold out. Especially since, based on what I'd seen and read, he thought he was the best player in the draft. With that being the case, there is no way his ego nor his expectations would allow him to accept No. 10 money.

I do understand where he's coming from. There is nothing wrong with feeling like you are the best player and asking to be rewarded. However, when nine other teams don't agree, perhaps you're wrong.

Skipping this season and re-entering the draft, after taking fully a year off from competitive football, does not seem like the best course of action for Crabtree to get the payday he's looking for. Players who take years off generally take a while to readjust, if they do at all.

Crabtree, having never played an NFL down and having no real idea of what NFL game speed is, will set himself back so far that I would be amazed if he were drafted anywhere near the No. 10 spot next season.

I hope the Niners continue to take a hard line with him, though. San Francisco does need receiving help, but the 49ers aren't in the desperate straits they've been in in the recent past. They have some veterans that still have life like Isaac Bruce coupled with young talents like Jason Hill and Josh Morgan, so they aren't desperate to get him in the lineup.

It's interesting now that this is a possibility to see Niners fans talk as if they never wanted him in the first place and that they don't need him anyway. Because whenever DHB is discussed in Raider forums, and Niners fan inevitably makes their way in there and trashes us for picking him over Crabtree.

Then they proceed to say how great Crabtree is and how he's going to be the best Niners receiver since Rice, etc. Funny how opinions change when it looks like you may have completely, utterly, and totally wasted a top 10 draft pick.

Unfortunately for Crabtree, his timing sucked this season. There were so many tackle-needy teams and so many good tackles available that the skill positions weren't as valued as they usually are in most drafts.

He needs to recognize that fact, be happy he's in the NFL, and take his multi-millions. Because the Niners have indicated they aren't budging here, and nobody is feeling sorry for a kid who's already shown a colossal ego and will make more by 23 years old than most of us in five lifetimes.

If the rumors from his advisor are true, then he needs to fire his advisor and get better advice.