Bleacher Report - Articles by Raider Card Addict

Lessons Learned: JaMarcus Russell, The Failed Experiment

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:12:14 -0500

As Oakland's season now is simply running out the clock, one has to look back at all that has gone wrong.

Injuries piled up, play-calling was shoddy, players underperformed. Sure, some players did perform well, on occasion.

One of these players, JaMarcus Russell, wasn't among the better performers.

Russell, due to the condition of the team was facing long odds. A first round pick, was thrown a ton of money after holding out through training camp. Then he didn't see any activity until late in the season.

Come the next year, the head coach was replaced early, other coaches were swapped out and the cycle kept degrading from there.

Questions had come up time and again, about his weight, his work ethic and his dedication to the team. It looked like the Raiders had picked up the traits of rebel but forgot if the football player was attached.

As it is, the team has a history of problems with quarterbacks that are drafted. Todd Marinovich, who was supposed to bring some stability to the Raiders lasted all of two years. Marc Wilson couldn't beat out Jim Plunkett, who was about 10 years his senior.

Ken Stabler was our lone good selection, and helped the Raiders during the 70's to multiple championship games plus our first title.

Right now, JaMarcus might be lucky to find employment in organized football.

The two problems that Russell now presents to the Raiders, is what to do with an overpaid, under-performing player. And what do we do for a replacement?

First, Russell is either going to kick around on the roster for another season, soaking up money. His number one fan, is Al Davis. Odds are good, Al will find another coach in the off-season to try and babysit his project for another year. The problem is, changing coaches will not help a player who needs to mature and grow up on the bench.

The second problem, fits in with the first problem. Who is going to QB the Raiders? The Raiders do have the advantage of a good history with replacements. Guys like Daryle Lamonica, Jim Plunkett, Jeff Hostetler and Rich Gannon all came to us from other clubs.

Right now we have Bruce Gradkowski who is two games into his starting stint with the club. Honestly, at least Bruce is getting yards. Going into the draft and trying to land Tebow or another high end pick isn't the answer.

As it is, questions on Tebow abound, size-wise, or ability to transfer his skills to pro football, make that idea dangerous. Right now, a safe course of action would be building up the defense, working on the offensive line, and leave the QB duties to Gradkowski.

Maybe if it is possible, trading Russell off, or last resort....drop him like a bad habit.

Thoughts From The Zone: One Step Forward, One Step Back

Raider Card Addict — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:55:35 -0500

One step forward, one step back.

Oakland came into the game had reasons for hope, considering the team has been good pulling off wins against the Bengals and the Eagles.

As it was, after Oakland had pulled to within 10 in the third quarter there was still some hope the team could repeat last week's comeback.

A touchdown by Tony Romo to Roy Williams sealed the Raiders fate early in the fourth quarter.

So, what did the Raiders learn from this game?

For one, the Raiders do have some offense now. It's only anyone's guess as to where this team would have been had we dropped JaMarcus Russell early in the season and had Bruce Gradkowski starting from game one. For the team, the Raiders had 305 yards of offense, and 14 first downs. When Russell was playing quarterback, some games they would have seven first downs and manage only 124 yards.

Not for the first quarter, not for the first half. The whole game.

We learned, that Darrius Heyward-Bey can catch the ball and score a touchdown at the same time. To be honest, if you put a guy in crutches out there and stood him up, he could catch the ball, too. Darrius was hit right between the numbers. Pure and simple, it doesn't excuse all the throws the Raiders make in his general direction that he doesn't catch.

We also have a running game that is coming along nicely. Now someone needs to tell Tom Cable to go ahead and let the running game control the outcome. It's obvious that the running backs the Raiders have will carry the team.

However, we did learn several things about the team that were unsettling.

We learned that our tackling is regressing and that several times the Raiders had golden opportunities to change the game. On one play, the Raiders had the ball tipped up, two players ran into each other, and a fourth player just missed the interception. This was deep in Dallas territory.

Other cases when a tackle early on was needed, the Raiders failed to wrap up the player, allowing Felix Jones to go for a long run. It's also starting to show that Chris Johnson is not near the player he was last year on terms of coverage, as he was picked apart constantly.

Some other factors, which are minor can't be helped—missed calls, an illegal chop block against Gallery for one—makes you wonder how many creative calls can be made.

As it goes, the home team automatically gets 10 points. The Raiders now can get the yardage. But until they can put more points on the board, they will lose those games.

Next up for the Raiders, a trip to Pittsburgh.

Oakland-Dallas: Do the Raiders Have the Advantage for a Change?

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:11:51 -0500

Is Tony Romo requesting two helpings of potatoes in this picture?

As it stands, the Raiders are coming into this Thursday's game at 3-7, facing off against a Cowboys team that is presently 7-3. Oakland does have some momentum, coming off a shocker, winning in the last minute with 10 points and a 20-17 final.

Oakland played at home against the Bengals, who had, at that time, a 7-2 record—direct opposites.

The Dallas Cowboys had a game on Sunday, in which Tony Romo directed the Cowboys to a winning drive at the end of their game against the Redskins with less than three minutes remaining.

The drive was helped by a late missed field goal, about the same way the Raiders won, thanks to a key mistake by the Bengals.

So, which team has the advantage coming into this game?

The Cowboys, with home field advantage are hurting. Romo wasn't his normal self after a first-quarter tackle, but did manage to both scramble and complete seven straight passes, leading to the game-winning score.

Oakland, coming off an emotional win, will have their second game under Gradkowski and looking capable of scoring more points than the seven Dallas put up last week.

Both teams will be playing on short weeks, so fatigue could affect both clubs.

Jason Witten, the Cowboys starting TE, was sighted in practice despite a foot injury. If he is missing in action or if the Raiders can rattle Romo with a blitz-heavy play, Oakland could go for back-to-back wins.

The last two options, regarding the Raiders and Cowboys, would be the running game, and familiarity issues.

The running game for the Cowboys had Marion Barber missing 100 yards by one, but also losing a fumble.

The Raiders, managed 84 yards of rushing, with three different running backs, also losing a fumble.

The familiarity factor, comes from one Greg Ellis who played for the Cowboys in the previous 11 seasons and may know a thing or two about the Cowboys' plans.

How many Raider fans remember Bill Romanowski? This keg of dynamite was picked up in time for the 2002 season.

He was particularly effective against Denver. He had four tackles and two passes defensed in Denver and then in Oakland he had nine tackles and a sack.

For Ellis, it should be an emotional return.

Luck, Skill, or Is It Our Time?: Three Questions for the Oakland Raiders

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:55:00 -0500

Going into the Bengals game, it seemed like the task for Bruce Gradkowski was impossible.

They would be playing at home, sure. But against a 7-3 team that had beaten both the Steelers and Ravens, twice?

If you had tried to place a bet on this contest, the bookie might have looked at you like you were crazy. No one bets on the Raiders.

Sure, they beat the Eagles. But that was a fluke with an ineffective quarterback and a good defensive effort.

Come Sunday's start, that was the prevailing opinion around football. The numbers, via Yahoo, had the odds of us winning at 4 percent.

When the Bengals had the ball through the first half of play, it looked as though the Raiders were going to have a long day. Every time the Bengals ran a play, they made first downs and built up a 14-0 lead.

Then, something with the Raiders clicked, as if the entire team said, "Not Today."

After having little success in moving the ball for much of the first half, the Raiders started a drive on their own 29 with less than four minutes remaining. Seventy-one yards later, Zach Miller had both hands on the ball and spiked it.

That gave Oakland had their first touchdown of the game, and Gradkowski his first since 2006.

For Oakland, though, this momentum seemed to carry over to the defense. With 59 seconds left, the Bengals were held to a single yard and punted the ball back to the Raiders, who then got into position for at least a try.

No good. But Oakland seemed to have built a fire for this game.

The second half showcased some tough plays, some strong defense, and some luck. The defense would only give up a single field goal after a fumble by Michael Bush put the Bengals in good range.

The Bengals also had a golden chance to score earlier when Carson Palmer moved them down to the one-yard line, but then on a third down was sacked by Stanford Routt.

If the irony is to be believed, Stanford was called for roughing the passer, setting up the 1st-and-goal series that ended with a missed field goal.

In the fourth quarter, the Raiders, down by seven, had their golden chance to choke. After stopping the Bengals at their own three with a drive that netted -7 yards, Bruce tossed a flutter ball.

This pass, which was picked off and run to the 21-yard line, in essence gave the Bengals another chance to end the game.

With only six minutes left, the Raiders would need two things to go their way: a drive-stopping set of downs, and a touchdown to even think about overtime.

The first one came almost four minutes downfield, when the Bengals just got over midfield and seemed to hit their version of kryptonite.

They would get no further than the 48-yard line and punted back to Oakland, giving the Raiders the ball back with two minutes and 12 seconds left on the clock.

Bruce had botched his last attempt. But, on this drive, the fans who stayed saw him put together his second great drive of the game.

While marching the team downfield, Bruce proceeded to throw a little bit of everything. When he needed a first down on 3rd-and-1, he even handed it off to McFadden. When he had a 4th-and-10, he found Chaz Schilens—and moved the chains again.

When the next pass was attempted, Louis Murphy, draped by a player, was short of the goal line. Twisting and pulling, he fought his way to paydirt, scoring six. With the extra point, the Raiders were tied.

As it was, the Raiders were back in the game. Some would say, "Let's wait until halftime; just stop Palmer from getting a field goal."

With 33 seconds and some great special teams work, Brandon Myers himself made sure they wouldn't be able to.

With a classic stripping move, Caldwell could only watch the ball go free, and the Bengals looked on in shock as the stadium got loud.

Could the Raiders actually win? How?

Three plays later, Janikowski would punch the ball through from 33 yards out, taking the lead and leaving the Bengals with 15 seconds to work with.

On the kickoff, the visitors could only muster two plays, reaching the 43-yard line before a last ditch throw was picked off by Asomugha to end the game.

Now, come those fun questions.

Were the Raiders lucky? Sure, but luck will beat skill every time. We were lucky the Bengals had a case of the fumbles, that Cedric Benson was out, that Caldwell had gotten stripped.

The Raiders are lucky that their own fumbles weren't converted into more points, that the Bengals made it to the Oakland one-yard line and couldn't get any points for it.

Did the Raiders have a measure of skill in this game? To a degree, it looked like the Raiders were slowly trying to set their timing up. They were butchered for most of the first half. But once they found their direction, the entire team was ready for some retribution.

The Bengals had the unlucky task of standing in front of them. Bruce, who had waited for his turn, rewarded Tom Cable with a good win in front of the loyal fans.

Is it our time? The next two opponents will be telling for the Raiders. The Cowboys managed just seven points against the Redskins on Sunday—and won.

The Raiders will be playing a short week, just like the Cowboys. The difference, I think, will be that the Raiders appear to be headed in the same direction for a change.

The second opponent, the Steelers, is wondering about concussions and who replaces Big Ben if he gets hurt again.

Both games are on the road. If Oakland manages a split, they are still going forward. And if they are 2-0, they could finish at 8-8.

What Can Oakland Bring To The Game Sunday?

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 16:45:00 -0500

Tom, this is your show. You've made some choices, which are either going to help the team or create questions on your sanity.

First of all, swapping out JaMarcus Russell was long overdue. It's good that he is on the bench, maybe he can stop using the playbook as a footrest. It's a question on if Bruce Gradkowski will do any better with the same group of players, but there are some ideas that might actually help the Raiders win on Sunday.

First of all, plant Darrius Heyward-Bey on the bench next to Russell. Sure, he's a rookie. Sure, he's fast. Sure, he's green. All the more reason for him to learn from others on how to catch the ball, get separation, and get into the end zone.

Secondly, Zach Miller is going to be Bruce Gradkowski's best friend. As a Tight End, he is the perfect relief valve for blitz packages, and if Tom wants to make the Bengals defense sweat, set up some double tight end packages—or pull out the stops, and send four players on first down. Hey, we caught the Chiefs last week flat-footed on the first drive, why not keep them confused all day long?

Third, is bringing the defense. We had a good game against Larry Johnson in week two, maybe Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis can bring back that pattern of stoppage.

Fourth, if something works well, keep using it. Last week the Raiders had good momentum on the running game—and then they would switch to passing and be forced to punt. If Michael Bush, Justin Fargas, and Darren McFadden are able to keep punishing the line, go ahead and let them wear out the line. By the end of the game, one of the three will go for paydirt.

Lastly, remember the game against the Eagles? Little things, like good tackles and good blocking all came together for a great Sunday.

I'd like to see a replay of that game—duplicate it, against the Bengals.

JaMarcus Russell: Can He Learn From This Experience?

Raider Card Addict — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:57:32 -0500

Congratulations JaMarcus. You played yourself out of the starting rotation. Your coach made it plain, in saying that this benching isn't a one game at a time deal. The team is turning its attention towards trying to work with Bruce Gradkowski as the starting quarterback in Oakland.

I can imagine it's a bitter pill to swallow, considering that you were drafted to be the face of the franchise and return it to the glory days. Instead, your considered by many to be a bust, ranking in the rare air class, with Ryan Leaf.

Right now, the only realistic way that JaMarcus Russell comes off the bench is if Bruce Gradkowski goes down hurt in the game, Al Davis suddenly realizes he has a very expensive bench, or Russell learns to be a quarterback?

As hard to believe as it sounds, Russell needs to make use of this time—now that he has plenty of it to work with. He needs to find himself in better shape, having better communication with his teammates, and he needs to take a harder look at what he can do to help the team. He needs to learn that just because he is a No. 1 overall pick, that the world does not revolve around him. He still needs to work with those same players.

The one advantage that Russell still has, that Ryan Leaf didn't, was he hasn't alienated himself from his teammates. Several players still think he can play, but needs to get himself into the mindset of playing football.

Probably the most accurate critic, Rich Gannon sounded off that Russell's biggest problem is the constant change of coaches. Could anyone function well with that much turnover?

Hopefully the next time we see Russell out throwing the football in a game, he will be completing passes to his own teammates...and not digging us a hole we'd like to throw him into.

Oakland Raiders Get Good News Twice: Will it Help?

Raider Card Addict — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:34:43 -0500

Today, two little pieces of news came out of Oakland. Both of them should bring a smile to the face of the fans both near and afar, but belong to the Raider Nation.

For one, JaMarcus Russell is now on the sidelines. Yes, this is right, Russell's actions have planted him there. For anyone's guess, it is similar to the same reason why the Titans benched Vince Young early in his career....too much, to soon, with too many chances to fail.

And for JaMarcus Russell, he did just about everything wrong, with a few exceptions.

As for the Bruce Gradkowski experiment, does anything think JaMarcus will remain on the sidelines for any length of time? It will depend on if Bruce comes out and wins a game or two right away, or if he actually looks worse than JaMarcus.

If he performs as he did last year, in a single start having a rating of one...we can only hope that with his mobility, he can use the speed this team has, and turn on the switches as needed.

What does come as a bit of surprise, is that Al Davis was okay with this. This, could mean one of two things. One, he thinks Tom Cable will be gone after the season, the same way Norv Turner was after replacing Kerry Collins for a game in his last year in Oakland. Or Two, he feels that Tom Cable still has some ideas on turning this club around and that Russell is truly that bad as a player.

The second news, to the Raider Nation, is important.

A general agreement to extend the lease for the Oakland Raiders was made to keep the team in Oakland until 2013. More than a few nights were spent, wondering if this was going to be Al's method of deciding on when to leave the city. The biggest problem that Al would run into, is who would accept a team with Al acting as the sole dictator to the Raiders?

Odds are good, he has not become trapped to his own team, until such time that the team can produce more than six wins in a season...Oakland's bargaining chip in the '80s, was the ability to win.

So the fans can rest easy, knowing at least some good news happened this week.

Will it help Sunday? It all depends on how well Bruce Gradkowski has been studying film.

Raiders Playing Chiefs for Native American Heritage Month. Why?

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:38:20 -0500

Recently two pieces of news regarding the Raiders had come out, concerning the month of November. For one, the Raiders were going to have a celebration event at the home game to be played on Nov. 15.

From the Raiders website, this would be a large-scale event, including broadcasting the game in Navajo, and on-field ceremony honoring Peter MacDonald, who was a Code-Talker during world war II and the Leader of the Navajo Nation.

An entire breakdown of all events scheduled can be found here:

http://www.raiders.com/news/article-1/Raiders-Celebrate-Native-American-Heritage/ab19127a-540b-4875-b2a8-7eb1546b62d5

Now for anyone who has visited the Raiders site, it is through no stretch of the imagination that the Raiders' fanbase does go well beyond normal boundaries.

The Raiders broadcast in different languages, to other countries and have fan bases in every continent, with the exception of Antarctica....haven't seen a penguin with a tattoo yet.

Then earlier this week a column circulated from Inside the Bay Area when a local contributing columnist wrote that the Raiders' choice of opponents was done in bad taste.

This article can be found here: http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/ci_13763248

Byron Williams, to his credit does have an interesting point. Why hold a celebration for Native American Heritage against a team that is considered derogatory and insensitive to the indigenous people of this land?

They could have just as easily had moved it back a week and held the event against the Bengals, one week later.

Looking at the situation from the team's point of view, the Raiders can look at it this way. The Raiders already have a history of setting forth an example regarding minority players and executives.

We had the first African-American Coach, we had the first Hispanic Coach, in Tom Flores, we had the first female executive in the NFL, with Amy Trask.

Why not make an example of Native American Day and beat up the team that doesn't recognize how offensive it is to others?

Maybe someone in Oakland did contemplate how useful it would be to play the Chiefs on Sunday.

The Raider Nation: There's Too Many of Them, Captain

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:29:13 -0500

One part of being with the Raider Nation is that you have brothers and sisters you never knew about.

Now, before someone starts asking questions at the family picnic, look at it this way.

I consider myself to be a good loyal supporter of the Raiders. I buy when I can, watch games, try to keep the locals faithful, and have a car decorated from the windows to the steering wheel cover.

On a recent trip to pay some bills, I was walking back to the car when someone I didn't know mentioned "they may not be much right now....but they're my team."

This comment can bring a smile to anyone's face, because it highlights two simple truths. They may be bad, but we haven't abandoned this team.

As Raiders fans, we love this team. It hurts when they keep making the same mistakes. We scream like madmen when they win, and want to kick the cat when we lose.

But all in all, "they're my team."

Even this week, with the Raiders at 2-6, the Raiders will be well-represented.

The fans are still out there. Be it wearing a cap, a jacket, or a few logos on the car, thumping down the street. Even now, the fans don't take anything from others, prideful of what the Raiders have...a loyalty that few can match.

Deep down, what makes this fan base loyal is the team. We may hate the owner, we may dislike the QB, and we might argue on who was the better coach, Madden or Flores, it still boils down to the same point. This is our team, for better or for worse.

So when the haters ask the grand question, "How can you follow the Raiders right now?" You can look at them and say it in simple terms.

They're your team...and you have a lot of company.

Oakland After the Bye: What Can Be Expected from the Raiders?

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:50:22 -0500

For the Oakland fans, they've seen this before.

2-6 for anyone has got to be frustrating, as other teams are jockeying for playoff spots, your team is either looking at playing spoiler or looking at the College Bowl games for the next draft pick.

With the Raiders, the bye week did provide some good news. Some players who were hurt are coming back, such as Darren McFadden, Cornell Green, Robert Gallery and Chaz Schilens.

As it stands, Cable needs to work five wins out of the Raiders to stand a chance at keeping his job. As for JaMarcus Russell, since his boss is Al Davis the odds are strong he'll get one more year to play quarterback. As erratic as the Raiders have been playing, sometimes hanging tough, other times pathetic The Raiders do stand a chance to surprise but it comes down to the question of the teams they are playing.

Earlier in the season the Raiders proved this, when they upset the Eagles. The Raiders offense did not play well, but the Defense was dominant to the point the Eagles could not function either. Against San Diego, twice the Defense worked hard to keep the score close, but due to fourth quarter issues, the Raiders lost both games.

Looking at the last eight games, some guesswork is needed, but at the same time it also doesn't take into consideration how teams will play out the second half of the year. What happens if Ben Roethlisberger goes down? What if Carson Palmer gets injured? No one really knows how these games will play out.

The Raiders, at 2-6, will probably not go 8-0. But at the same time, could they get back to .500 at the end of the year?

The games against the Chiefs, Browns and Redskins are the most obvious, best chance wins to work at. Cincinnati has been growing stronger every week. Pittsburgh already has wins against both the Chargers and the Broncos. The Raiders will also have another visit to Denver, and there's the short week game when the Cowboys will host the Raiders.

And after all of this...the Baltimore Ravens finish the season in Oakland.

The way the schedule plays out, the Raiders need to go 4-0 at home, for the last half of the year, win in Cleveland will put the Raiders at 7-9.

If they can repeat the Denver game from last year, they could make 8-8.

The game to circle on the calendar?

Last one of the year, January 3rd against the Ravens. Possibly Tom Cable's last game too.

Lies, Myths, and Tom Cable: When Are Allegations Considered the Truth?

Raider Card Addict — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:01:20 -0500

In the media age, almost anyone can accuse anyone of anything. Politicians can be accused of bribery, lawyers of falsifying information, and even the guy at the local burger joint for spitting on your food.

But only in this odd mindset does the world like to accuse someone, take it for granted, and then expect the accused to be guilty, without a judge and jury.

Welcome to Tom Cable's world, thanks to ESPN.

Tom, if you remember far enough back, had been told the DA in Napa would not press charges regarding an incident from back in August. By the DA, there was different stories given both to the police, to the media and then to the DA himself.

Wasn't too much of a stretch to see what was going on as Randy Hanson wanted both to be back with the team and when he couldn't, he wanted Cable to pay for it.

Now, in comes the basket of dirty laundry.

ESPN's Outside the Lines decided to parade Tom's past loves in a show, trying to commit character assassination against him. The first case, that he acknowledged stemmed from the mid to late 80's, resulting from his learning of her infidelity. Sandy Cable denied this, but at the same time she has the same problem that he has. It's a classic game of he said-she said.

After all, was anyone else in the room? ESPN, was Chris Berman giving a play by play?

No, Sandy's only defense is the same one that Tom has. Convincing other groups what happened. Now, it seems Sandy and Marie Lutz, another woman claiming Tom has a violent past has found a group to attack him with.

Enter the NOW. The National Organization for Women, who are calling for Tom to be suspended for his actions.

The question I have is on what grounds? In the divorce that Glenda Cable has, she claimed he was "physically and verbally abusive". Then, during the ESPN segment, she stated, "Tom was never violent to me or the children."

From reading on the case of Marie Lutz, it sounds like Marie was looking for a fight or at least trying to cause trouble, due to her showing up at the early hours one morning and starting to pound on the door. If a person came to my door at 5:00 A.M. and started to cause a ruckus, throwing them out would be a good solution to the whole matter.

In this day and age, groups like the NOW like to crucify for any altercation, no matter the case, no matter how long ago it was. They are on a witch hunt, spurred on by allegations that are not proven in any court in the country.

And we have ESPN to thank for all of this.

Oakland Raiders at the Bye Week: Rearm, Rethink, Refocus...Will It Really Help?

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:28:33 -0500

For the Raiders, this probably wasn't where they expected to be. Coming into the season, the hopes of the Nation would have the team looking at 4-4, maybe 5-3, resting up, and then making the push to the playoffs.

Now, the team will be saddled with the effort to reach seven wins, in effort to keep them from a double digit loss year, yet again.

Oakland does have a few things to look forward to, considering this bye week. For one, it is nicely placed in the middle of the season, not like prior seasons where it would come in week five, and by the end of the year everyone was getting hurt late.

Oakland should also see several players coming back at full power, who have been sorely missed. Robert Gallery, Darren McFadden, and Chaz Schilens should either be ready for Kansas City, or on limited duty, depending on the injuries that exist. Some of our defensive players could also enjoy the week off, getting a chance to heal up.

At this point, I think the team needs to sit down for a couple days and look at what systems of plays worked truly well for this club. Twice our defense came close to delivering wins against the Chargers. We shut down the Chiefs and Eagles when needed.

We got killed by New York teams, we have no offensive numbers to speak of...if it wasn't for the Cleveland Browns ineptness, we'd truly be the butt of Adam Schefter's jokes. As it is, JaMarcus Russell will probably finish out the season, to see if he can work like he did late last year. It's anyone's guess if he can, since he will have Schilens back.

One of the biggest question marks out there, is if Cable will be wearing the headset in Oakland when the bye is over. The Raiders organization did no favor, with it's most recent press release, regarding the allegations of past actions.

Although, it seems foolish to fire a coach from a slapping incident 20 years past...didn't they do a background check on the coaching? Either way, if Cable is removed...it is back to the drawing board.

Oakland's Tom Cable and the Media: Can the Guy Ever Get a Break?

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:17:55 -0500

You have to wonder if the media is truly bored sometimes.

Tom Cable, for the last two months, had been working under a cloud of controversy, stemming from an incident with one immature semi-coach for the Oakland Raiders. Speculation ranged from Tom's effort to join the UFC or that it was a lot of hot air by a disgruntled employee trying to blackmail the club.

After the DA's decision to not pursue charges against Tom, a good number of the Raider Nation collectively sighed, thinking now the coach could concentrate on his craft.

Then ESPN decided the last Tom Cable story provided so much enjoyment, they went digging for more dirt.

Two women, Sandy Cable and Marie Lutz, were interviewed by the ESPN program Outside the Lines and talked about how Cable had verbally and physically abused them. One case, according to the interview, was back in 1986 and another in 1988. A third woman, Glenda Cable, was married to Tom for 17 years and also claimed in divorce documents that Tom was verbally and physically abusive.

Until this last interview, that is.

In talking to Outside the Lines , Glenda said that during the 17 years of marriage, "Throughout the time I have known him, Tom has never been violent to me or our children."

What makes this case interesting is why ESPN in the first place started this witch hunt. Did they feel they were objectively covering a sports story, or starting a smear attack on Tom Cable? Did they lose a bet that Cable would be arrested and had to save face?

Then there is the question of timing. The most recent attack came back in January of 2009. If Marie Lutz makes mention of this, could Cable have been passed over for the coaching job of the Raiders? Or is this an attack of opportunity for Marie, looking for some retribution against Tom when she was running wild?

In the interview, it mentions most of her allegations are centered around an incident when she showed up at Tom's house at 5 AM and started pounding on his door. They weren't married and only dating.

If I showed up on the doorstep and started pounding on somebody's door, the people inside would probably call the cops, right?

As it was, Marie had her intentions set that night, by her own words:

"When Tom opened the door, Ms. Lutz told him she needed to talk to him, that she needed his help, and begged him to let her into the house," the statement said. "After she entered the house, the two of them had a verbal exchange. At no time did Tom commit any act of violence toward her. After not getting what she wanted from Tom, Ms. Lutz screamed at Tom 'I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] life and I am going to ruin your [expletive deleted] career if it is the last thing I ever do.' "

Sounds like her recent interview.

So, here comes the question. Is Tom the horrible monster ESPN is making him out to be? Is ESPN overstepping their boundaries? Should any of the stories be believed, as by Tom's quote:

"More than 20 years ago, during my first marriage, I became aware that my wife Sandy had committed adultery. I became very angry and slapped her with an open hand. What I did was wrong and I have regretted and felt sorrow about that moment ever since."

"...The incident involving Ms. Lutz, in which she came to my home uninvited, was fully investigated by the Alameda Police Department and I cooperated fully with that investigation. I never battered her in any way. The police concluded, correctly, that I had done nothing wrong and that was the end of the matter."

Sounds like ESPN is looking for anything to attack the Raiders....and Tom Cable makes the good fall guy. What's next, Tom Cable flipped off the band in seventh grade?

Note to readers: If Tom's actions are proven, it is inexcusable to abuse women. However, at this time, these are all allegations from one side of the story. We know how well one side worked with Randy Hanson, right?

Link to ESPN's story.

Oakland Raiders: If The Unorthodox Works, Why Not Run With It?

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:39:17 -0400

The Raiders have never been like the rest of the NFL.

No kidding...I can hear a few fans already saying that, or something cuter.

But realize it, for all it's fun, it has worked better for this team to embrace the unorthodox.

Take a look at the team in 1980. If you were a fan back then, weren't you a little shocked when Ken Stabler was sent packing? Or Jack Tatum? Earlier in the past, John Madden left, for medical reasons, Fred Biletnikoff was gone and Al Davis had a solution for Stabler....Dan Pastorini!

Who?

Dan Pastorini, for the uninformed, was the third quarterback taken back in 1971, third player overall that year. He had the ability to air it out, something Al Davis loves. Yes, another 'no kidding' statement is warranted.

So the team goes into 1980 with a retread QB, most of the critics had us pegged for third or fourth in the division. Through the first four games, Oakland would go 2-2, until a game against Kansas City would alter our fortunes.

Dan Pastorini would go down injured, and up would step Jim Plunkett.

Right about now, how many fans out there were wondering again, what does this guy have left in the tank? Pastorini was the number three pick in the draft....Plunkett was the number one pick that year. He had won the Heisman back at Stanford. He struggled with the Patriots and then fumbled with the 49ers. He was active in four games during 1979 and was hoping for a chance to start.

During that game against Kansas City, he took over the game and threw five interceptions.

Still loyal?

At this point, the Raiders are 2-3, have lost their starting QB for the season, a rookie named Marc Wilson is deemed too young to start for the Raiders and Jim Plunkett starts the following week against the San Diego Chargers, running a high-powered offense.

Oakland would win the game, 38-24, go to .500, and then wouldn't lose another game until week 12.

As a side note, Dave Casper would go on to leave the team after the Chargers game, moving over with Stabler and Tatum with the Houston Oilers.

Somehow through all of this, the Raiders would go onto the playoffs, beat the Oilers, and win the Super Bowl over the Eagles.

Now, compare this team to the modern-day Raiders...how do you think Al Davis would handle the chaos that exists? Or for that matter, any modern day team?

Al Davis would go out, find an assortment of pieces and as the season goes on, if pieces don't work, go down with injuries, etc, the players picked up should be able to step up.

There are some teams where if a key player is lost the team would suddenly be in trouble. Do you think the Indianapolis Colts are as dangerous with Jim Sorgi as they are with Peyton Manning? Or the Seahawks, now that we've seen what happens without Matt Hasselbeck?

For the Raiders, some unorthodox thinking works quite well.

Raiders-Chargers: Oakland Looks To Right the Ship

Raider Card Addict — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:44:59 -0400

For the Raiders, Sunday represents another game for the team to decide on being Jekyll, or Hyde.

For the Chargers, it's a chance to kick a little more dirt on Al Davis's team, who have had a horrible streak.

The Raiders have given their fans a trick-or-treat season, looking good in the first game, barely losing to the Chargers, then rebounding with an ugly win against the Chiefs.

Then several ugly losses later, the Raiders beat the Eagles in Oakland, shocking many in the football world. A week later, they reverted to form and were clocked by the Jets, 38-0, their worst loss at home ever.

For the Chargers, it has been a season of question marks. Thought by many to be going to the Super Bowl, they came out of the gate with a win against Oakland but then went 2-3 in the next five games.

Their last game matched them up with the Kansas City Chiefs, a team that is truly wondering which way is up. The result was to be expected, a 37-7 thrashing that was equal parts Chiefs ineptness as it was the Chargers letting loose against a division rival.

For the Raiders, some simple things need to happen for the team to get the win against the Chargers this week.

First, the team needs to find it's offensive skills. Russell needs to be accurate, with good timing. Fargas and Bush need to rip into the Chargers line often and keep them off-balance. The wide receivers need to make the catches to keep the team moving downfield.

Second, we need the second coming of the Legion of Doom. Greg Ellis, Richard Seymour, and company need to bring the Chargers to a standstill.

Odds are good the Chargers will use their running game and the Raiders need to stop it early and often.

Against the Eagles, if the opponent tried something creative, it looked like the Raiders read it and responded. A sweep was stopped behind the line. Heavy blitzing broke through often, finding Donovan McNabb holding the ball. If we can use this heavy blitz package, our game gets easier.

Lastly, the team has to play smart. Last week the Raiders made a number of missed tackles, even Tom Cable was pointing this out, but it goes beyond that. Players being out of position, not having enough guys on the field, guys unsure of what play is going to be used—these are textbook things that are learned on day one.

Hopefully, the upcoming practice will give a good snapshot if the players are listening. Or if it's possible, to weed out the dead weight.

Oakland does have some players possibly coming back into the huddle this week. Guard Robert Gallery has been practicing, which can only help this team. As the offensive line works back into their area of comfort, JaMarcus Russell may get his time needed to work with the receivers.

A win Sunday, would be considered a miracle.

We've already seen one, this year. Anyone up for another?

Oakland Raiders: They've Thrown Us Their Worst, but Can We See Their Best?

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:41:47 -0400

Oakland, right now, is 2-5, facing an upcoming divisional opponent and has issues of maturity in its quarterback, JaMarcus Russell. Questions have also been raised if the WR corps, young and raw, are even going to catch on.

But at the same time, people who have been growing tired of the same old song and dance think a player switch here or a change there will suddenly make this team viable again.

Maybe, maybe not.

A lot of people have been clamoring for JaMarcus to park his wideload on the bench and give us another QB that "should" be able to win. Tom Cable apparently saw something wrong from the get-go during the Jets game and since he was able to pull him in the second quarter although after the damage was done, we got to see what Bruce Gradkowski could do.

Then we learned what problem No. 2 is.

The offensive line, which started out the season looking good is starting to mirror the 2006 squad. The three step drop before being sacked line was bad enough to the point some wondered if even Joe Montana could do anything with the line that bad.

Oakland's offense will not be able to function without some stability along this line, because if JaMarcus can't get time to lumber back and throw, Bruce is going to run into the same difficulty, witnessed by his fumble on his blindside against the Jets.

So, you could expect continued problems from whoever QB's this group...right?

Well...here's one problem that doesn't help either. JaMarcus Russell is used to being a shotgun passer. If you took a guy who could be a fullback (possible football-career saving switch) and tell him to use a three-step drop, you're asking a guy to backpedal, rely on that same line that has been bad to keep the pocket intact and give him time to throw.

Having JaMarcus Russell start in the shotgun would give him time to watch his teammates go into their patterns, look for positions to work with, and hopefully find an open guy. It was interesting, but if the numbers for his offense are better than those playing under the center, it might be something for Cable to consider.

Of course, this logic also goes against Cable's run-first plans, but since we don't know when McFadden will be back or when Michael Bush will be out of the doghouse, maybe it's time to let Russell feel his normal stance.

The second aspect, that doesn't help the offense, is what the defense does. This group we presently have has talent, but they can't stop the run.

At all.

Something the Raiders did well, in week one was lost right away, somewhere. We had LaDainian Tomlinson tied up and Darren Sproles for the better part of the game shut down.

Then the team got stupid, and they salted it away.

We got another look at that defense, against the Eagles in week six, when Donovan McNabb was punished.

The defense relies on two things, staying healthy and fresh. Healthy-wise, the team has had a few issues, losing a few players to injuries here and there, John Bowie for the season and Ricky Brown with an ankle injury. As the season goes along, the team needs to learn to compensate for these losses and keep moving. The Raiders don't have the depth to take much more injury as it is.

The staying fresh problem has been a constant, and this can be tied back to the offense. If your team is staying out on the field for over 35 minutes because the offense can't get a first down, then the problem becomes more pronounced over the course of the game. It also comes back to the injury problem, as if you are already into the second player for a position, he won't be as good as the first team player.

Oakland needs to find a solution to all three problems, but again, a lot of it comes from Oakland's inability to put points on the board. Points mean two things, one that the team is functioning well, players are making catches and the offense is all on the same page. Well designed drives kill the clock, gives the defense a chance to stay fresh.

Now, what about this "Best" that I mentioned in the title?

How many of us remember the debacle of 1998? Oakland had a new coach, some guy named Jon Gruden, known to the faithful as "Chucky."

We had a roller-coaster ride for the season, with three different QBs starting games.

One QB, who went one for seven won a game...his lone completion? A touchdown to James Jett beat the San Diego Chargers. That was Wade Wilson.

Most people don't remember the early games that year, when the team was 6-2 or 7-3, because Oakland finished the season going 5-1, to finish 8-8.

A good start, completely thrown away.

If Oakland can right this ship, find out what they need to do to be successful and start to build, they could still make it to 8-8.

But the team needs to make that first step.

DA's Office Declines to Go After Tom Cable: Several Problems Existed

Raider Card Addict — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:13:30 -0400

After two and a half months, Tom Cable can breath a little easier now.

The Napa District Attorney elected to not pursue felony assault charges against Tom Cable, citing several key items that had come to light since the August 5th incident.

For one, was the timing involved in such a case. For the police to properly do their job, the party seeking legal action should have cooperated completely with the police department. Randy Hanson, as it was noted went to a hospital for treatment and was hesitant to help the police department.

Part of this seems to play to the belief that he tried to blackmail the Raiders into giving him his old job back...when this fell through, then he became very "helpful" with the Napa police department.

Second, was the widely circulated interview he gave with Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports. Within this interview he gave a larger story with more details, noting coaches and actions that took place. The problem came to light though, that this wasn't the exact same story that he had told the Police, once he started to cooperate with the authorities.

Once it was out in the media and the inconsistent facts couldn't be fixed, the DA had no choice but to drop this case, simply because he didn't want to waste the people's time.

A nice transcript of this entire case can be found, from David White's online column:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/raiders/detail?blogid=11&entry_id=50146

Oakland and the Next Task: Can They Run the String to Two Wins?

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:15:43 -0400

For Oakland, last week's win was a nice change of pace. Strong defense, aided by timely scoring by Zach Miller and Sebastian Janikowski.

For Tom Cable, his basic statement on the matter said a lot.

"Do it again."

The Raiders have had issues in the past, having a good win, then sliding back into the ways that frustrates coaches.

A case in point, last year was when the Raiders beat the New York Jets for Cable's first win in 2008.

This year, things have changed a bit. For the Jets, a new quarterback by the name of Mark Sanchez earlier was doing well, leading the Jets to a 3-0 record for the season, prompting some to think of Joe Namath.

Then the wheels came off, and losses to the Saints, Dolphins, and the Bills have the Jets looking for solutions to what has happened. Sanchez wound up tossing five interceptions, while Thomas Jones rushed for 210 yards. The Jets also learned they would be without the services of Kris Jenkins, who is now out for the year with an ACL injury.

Even with this, Oakland is going to face a very dangerous opponent.

It is well known Oakland has problems in stopping the run. Oakland's win last week was done in part thanks to the Eagles and their failure to rush a lot.

Leaving Donovan McNabb to try and pass his way to victory, John Marshall and his defense kept McNabb from getting into a comfort zone. The result was a lot of mistakes, sacks, and a game where the Eagles failed to score a touchdown.

Oakland, meanwhile has to count their blessings they did not need a lot of points. On offense, they managed 13 points, a touchdown, and two field goals. Then they relied on the defense to hold it as Oakland milked the clock to win.

Looking at this matchup, Oakland has to do three things to win this game.

First off, they need to maintain their control on defense. By asserting themselves early and keeping McNabb from getting comfortable, it forced the Eagles into a game of catchup.

This won't be easy, if Oakland is unable to stop the running game. Hopefully the Raiders defense can count on Nnamdi Asomugha to stop the passing game and let the Raiders fill the box.

Hey, if the Raiders can get an early lead, then Oakland can release the hounds on Sanchez. It worked against McNabb.

Secondly, all the Oakland offense needs is a breakout game. This has a stronger possibility with Chaz Schilens getting healthy at the right time. While Oakland's running game is still struggling to assert their control, the passing game needs to step up. Everyone knows Zach Miller is a walking weapon, so expect him to be covered.

And yes, Darrius Heyward-Bey is fooling no one.

Lastly, the simple fundamentals of football. Making tackles as needed, avoiding dumb penalties and finding a way to win can help the Raiders. Oakland's defense was a good example, as sacks were spread around, stopping the Eagles either at the line or catching the running back before he could accelerate all helped limit the team. Probably the biggest example of this was by Louis Murphy and his heads up play with Zach Miller.

If Oakland can capitalize on last week's win, the boo birds may fly south for the winter.

But keep that pigeon handy.

Oakland Raiders Show Some Teeth, Reward the Faithful at Home

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:12:19 -0400

The Raiders, coming home and looking at a 1-4 record, had been hearing it for weeks.

They didn't have much for an offense. Their defense was looking horrible, with the last two weeks leaving the media plenty of fodder for complaining.

The Eagles, meanwhile came into the bay area looking to simply brush aside a Raiders team that should have been easy to tear into.

But I guess that is why the games are played, right?

From the outset, John Marshall seemed to light a fire under his squad, as they set out to remove Donovan McNabb's comfort zone. Blitz packages, coverage, different looks and even without Nnamdi Asomugha, who left this game early with an eye injury.

This defense came to the game angry. Last week, this club was torched for 44 points. This week, they locked the Eagles out of the end zone, forcing the club to settle for three field goals...and two missed attempts.

Richard Seymour seemed to enjoy this matchup more than anyone, catching McNabb for two sacks but also two tackles and a pass defensed. Oakland had a total of six sacks, five passes defensed against a team that was averaging over 30 points a week.

About the only item that was of interest, was Stanford Routt who had a touchdown taken away, when he was flagged for pass interference when the man he picked fell down on his own.

For Oakland's offense, the points they were able to generate either came from Sebastian Janikowski, or on a neat 86 yard catch and run by Zach Miller. Zach's run was fun to watch, as Louis Murphy ran downfield with him and helped to bounce off two blocks, as Miller got into the end zone.

JaMarcus Russell, who in recent weeks has been dogging comments that he's worse than Ryan Leaf pulled together some nice stats as well. On 17-28 passing, he had 224 yards passing, but did have two interceptions. If he has to throw two INTs to win the game, by all means, let the winning continue.

Probably the two largest question marks that came from this game, were both delivered by the Eagles. First, why did the Eagles elect to give up on the rushing game? Bryan Westbrook had 50 yards on six carries, an 8.3 clip...were they worried he might come down hurt?

The second, came from the Eagles themselves regarding this game. Did they simply think travelling to Oakland the Raiders would drop to their knees and beg for a kind loss?

The Raiders went into the game looking like one of the NFL's worst clubs.

After the game, I think the Eagles are going back to the drawing board.

Next up, the New York Jets.

How Do The Raiders Fix This? Part Three: Coaching Needs to Change Speeds

Raider Card Addict — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:52:56 -0400

Oakland's offseason coaching changes were to be expected, difficult. When we played well against the Chargers, the belief is that we had started to find a proper course. After a number of games, the coaching is starting to look regressive. The fans have watched the team go from a close loss in week one, to three straight blowouts. What started in the preseason as a practice of fundamental football sessions of learning have degraded into a media circus every sunday, as the fans are ridiculed for loyalty.

The coaching, for what it is worth has been dealt a hard hand, both by the players and by the owner, Al Davis. The players, some truly want to play, are also working out the deadweight, such as Stanford Routt. Other players are slowly becoming player/coaches, teammates that want to see the Raiders return to the glory days.

Al Davis, as much as he wants to win and win now, is willing to throw away draft picks in what he believes is a one or two player gap from being there. The coaches, meanwhile are forced to work with common play systems, while others would love to use more sacks, more pressure and above all, find a way to bring back some tough defense.

As for the offense, Davis and his loyalty to the JaMarcus Russell project has forced Tom Cable to walk a dangerous tightrope between loyalty and winning. Everything would be solved with wins, but can this squad win? In today's NFL?

For the coaching to succeed, this is what needs to be done:

First of all, working without fear. If Al Davis wants to fire someone, let it be because they didn't worry about the owner. Firing a coach for winning will ensure a better chance at a job elsewhere...or maybe Al Davis will be forced to keep a coach who stood up to the Master.

Secondly, start playing some modern, original football. Start using the players we have in the proper perspective. When the Raiders won in 1983, they had a defense that could scare anyone...right now Oakland's defense wouldn't scare kids at Halloween.

Lastly, roll out some film from last year, look at the last two weeks we played, and try to figure out how that team, that went 2-0 was able to do it with almost the same team. If the Raiders can copy this method of playing, there is still a chance to save this season.

If not, by the end of the year we could be looking at a new Head Coach, with or without legal issues.

How Do The Raiders Fix This? Part Two: Defense Needs Help

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:43:15 -0400

Looking at the Raiders, it is not a simple thing that needs to be done for the Raiders to come back to respectability, but a series of actions, just to turn the corner.

The Oakland Raiders' defense started the season with some promise. Against the San Diego Chargers, the Raiders almost squeezed out a win, until the defense went soft, causing a late-game TD that left some shaking their heads.

Although, some felt that the Raiders had a good defense, and if we could get some offense the Raiders might still have the makings for an 8-8 season. The game against Kansas City helped reinforce this because even though our defense was pushed, the team did enough to win the game, thanks to a late miracle drive by JaMarcus Russell.

The last three games though, there were no miracles, no positive points, and the team has looked progressively worse.

The last week against the Giants, when it looked like we had figured out Brandon Jacobs, the Giants switched him out and dropped in Bradshaw, who gutted our team for yardage. Looking at the game on tape, Bradshaw was simply faster than our players and Eil Manning was performing well, throwing out passes just to where the receiver could make the catch.

Four drives delivered a verdict that was both painful and obvious...the defense is in trouble.

What has changed from week one? Were the Chargers really that bad, and we didn't change? Or has it been a slowly digressing skill set in our team?

Guys like Greg Ellis, Richard Seymour, Kirk Morrison, and others can line up week after week, but right now this defense won't stop anyone. Part of it isn't even their fault, as each week they have been playing more minutes than they expected to. With the offense being unable to mount lasting drives, the defense spends more time trying to stop a team that is fresh.

How does a team fix this problem?

For one, the team needs to fix the offense. The original idea was for the offense to help, by practicing ball control. With the running game bogged down and JaMarcus Russell unable to keep the ball moving, the defense is going to get tired. But if the team can find ways to buy more time, like devoting a drive to all running plays, it may give the defense the break they need.

Secondly, they need to bring in fresh players, so no one gets tired. The disadvantage of this option is that the Raiders are not overflowing in bench players.

Thirdly, the coaching field. John Marshall originally had plans and this coach comes highly recommended. It makes me question whether the Raiders are being sabotaged. Some have said that Randy Hanson, the exiled Raiders coach has been passing along notes to some opposing defensive players. If this is the case, then the Raiders need to plug this hole—the sooner the better.

Lastly, don't mess with what works on the team. Right now, the one aspect that works on this team is Asomugha, who's functioning well. We also had sacks coming from Seymour and Ellis. Huff was picking off passes. The team needs to build on these guys, keeping key players doing what they've been doing. Maybe the other players can learn by example.

How Do The Raiders Fix This? Part One

Raider Card Addict — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:18:15 -0400

Five weeks into a season that has gone from hopeful to chaotic, the Oakland Raiders have several options to look at regarding the team, what course of action to take, and hopefully salvage some wins.

Or things could go down in flames.

Looking at the team in the last few weeks, one key point that stands out is the lack of production from the quarterback, JaMarcus Russell (you may know him by any number of nicknames used to describe the hard-throwing, hard to catch passer).

One week he might overthrow a WR option by five yards, another time he'll hit Todd Watkins and the player can't pull it in. Sometimes he'll throw a beautiful 29 yard pass to Zach Miller, and then overthrow a player breaking away from the defender.

A lot of the screaming has been calling for Russell to be removed and all of the Raiders problems will suddenly disappear. The team will score, our players will become healthy, the sun will shine, Tom Cable will be innocent...

Now wait. Back to reality for a second.

Sure, pulling the plug on JaMarcus Russell may sound like a wonderful idea at face value, if that was all that was wrong with the team at this time.

Right now the offensive line—you know, the one that needs to keep the quarterback alive—isn't functioning well enough to keep anyone upright. Last Sunday against the Giants, Russell went down six times and lost more than 30 yards.

The wide receiver corps are still patching themselves back together with Chaz Schilens out two or three weeks. The running game, also hurting due to the offensive line, is still missing Darren McFadden.

Above all, you would somehow have to convince Al Davis that his project QB is a bust. Not an easy task, considering he wasn't willing to give up on Marc Wilson...

On the other side of the coin, replacing Russell with a more dependable, accurate and skilled passer—say Gradkowski—Oakland could reap some benefits.

With shorter and more accurate throws, he might not need to spend that much time in the pocket. With the ball moving, the defense would be given a chance to actually rest between possessions. And if we can put points on the board—more than 16 points in three weeks—we might be able to compete.

Maybe the possibility of shaming Russell into performing would be a good thing. If Cable is going to be lost due to his recent legal issues, and there are going to be some changes anyway, maybe it would be for the good of the team for Russell to hear the Raider Nation cheer on another quarterback.

Memo to the Oakland Raiders: Surprise Us, Shock the NFL

Raider Card Addict — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:52:04 -0400

For the Oakland fans, it hasn't been an easy season...and it has only been four weeks.

We have watched a close loss at home, a late touchdown win on the road, a blowout loss at home, and then a disaster at Houston. We've seen a good game, a bad game, a sloppy game, and a horrid performance.

For a change, I think the Raider Nation would like to be shocked. The NFL and the fans would not expect it to happen.

After all, here's a Raiders team that wouldn't scare a high school team. Its starting quarterback has one touchdown. One. We are waiting for guys like Darren McFadden, Robery Gallery, Chaz Schilens, and Cornell Green to return from the injured ranks. And for some reason we're still waiting for Tom Cable to use Javon Walker.

Sure, odds are long. Some are wondering if the game will get switched off at the first quarter or the second, or at halftime.

Thing is, anyone remember the last time people crowed about how badly the Raiders would be trounced?

Last year, Week 12...ring a bell for anyone?

At that time, Oakland came limping into a game against Denver, after losing to Miami at the last second by a field goal, dropping to 2-8. Denver, meanwhile, was coming into the game having dispatched Matt Ryan and the high-flying Falcons to be at 6-4.

The same point was made...this game would get ugly in a hurry...but how quickly would the network switch it to a more interesting game, with a larger crowd following?

As it turns out, the Raiders didn't get the league memo, telling them to turn over and die this week. They proceeded to pull out all the stops and ran amok in Denver, exacting some revenge for a beating they had taken in Week One.

Now, in Oakland's Week Five, the Raiders are looking at a similar situation. They are a game behind San Diego. The schedule isn't looking any easier. Eli Manning may not start or play, period.

To win would call for a team effort; that hasn't been seen since Week One.

All that we ask for is this: Surprise us. Go out and win one on the road. You've done it before...do it again.

Tom Cable and Shawne Merriman: Will Slanted Media Strike Again?

Raider Card Addict — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:12:15 -0400

Before anyone jumps the gun, the question that disturbs people of the Raider Nation, should be easy.

Innocent or guilty?

So far all we know regarding the case at hand was Randy Hanson went to a hospital with a broken jaw. As the media pounced on a leaked source, rumors circulated that Tom Cable, coach for the Oakland Raiders delivered a sucker punch during a meeting to the young coach, who has been at the center of arguments in the past.

Later on, Randy Hanson put the deed on Tom Cable, claiming it was his actions that injured him, and with the help of his lawyer is seeking to have Cable arrested and charged with felony assault.

So far, the only one who is making a lot of talk, is Hanson's lawyer. Talking to NFL.com, in the lawyer's opinion it's "a case of textbook case of felony assault".

What is interesting, is that this lawyer wasn't in the room. The only thing he has to go on, is the word of one coach who is obviously not going to be employed by the Raiders anymore. As well, he is hoping that one of the three coaches, who Hanson named will testify against Cable about the meeting, to give it credibility.

In the meantime, the Raiders season is spiraling downhill, with this getting dug up every week.

On the other hand, Shawne Merriman, who before the season had started had his own two minutes of fame originating from an altercation. As it was, his matter was cleared up in short order, DA heard the information and decided to not file charges. Quick, clean and fast.

Is there a reason that this case is being dragged on? More fuel for the media who don't have enough dirt to throw on the Raiders? Recently the Yahoo Sports reported that an arrest was imminent, but this was later denied by the DA's office.

Sounds like the muckrakers come in two flavors...lawyers and media.

I think if Cable is found innocent, he should demand letters of apology from John McGuinn and other media icons who believe they are perfect. Dragging this through the season is robbing the fans of a season without distraction.

Oakland Raiders: Decline Since Opener Shows Team Is Its Own Worst Enemy

Raider Card Addict — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:48:48 -0400

The truth is out there...and it's a scary prospect.

Nothing is more frustrating than watching the team you love struggle, than watching the coach pretend things are okay.

Tom Cable, things are not okay. And by the looks of it, they are not getting better each week.

JaMarcus Russell is still the laughingstock of the NFL.

Dropped passes, fumbles and poor play quality adds up to a team that needs to sit down and figure out a way out of this mess.

Back in Week 1, the Raiders were minutes from a win against the San Diego Chargers.

What changed between Week 1 and Week 2?

In the weeks that have followed, the defense has progressively deteriorated to the point that the Texans made the Raiders look like a high school team during Sunday's first half.

Oakland's season started off with some promise. And the Raiders are not completely out of the picture in the AFC West. They're just a game behind San Diego.

But unless they can find a way to right their own ship, Oakland's worst opponent won't wear another team's colors.

It will be themselves.

It's time for the Raiders to wake up and get back to page one before the season is lost.

Tom Cable and the Raiders: Tightrope Time?

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:22:37 -0400

Sometimes you gotta wonder if this guy is paid enough.

On one side you have the job as a coach. He has to look at the roster, figure out the opposing team, find weaknesses, bounce ideas off the coaches, talk to the media and then play babysitter to millionaires.

All that, before Sunday.

Then comes the other side...Al Davis.

With this side, he has to constantly listen to an owner who wants to be involved in all aspects of the game, never mind the fact the media has painted him as being in various forms of dementia, out of touch with reality, and that the game has passed him by.

Now as the JaMarcus Russell experiment seems to be falling apart again, questions are being asked, who is calling the shots in Oakland...and are they the right shots?

To one degree, it is understandable why Tom Cable doesn't yank Russell off the field, drop him in the locker room, and be done with it. It's called job security. Russell is still Al's prize catch and as long as Al is alive, Russell is going to be given every chance to start. Cable, to this extent has to try every possible method to make Russell succeed.

Difficult? Yes. Annoying? Yes.

It could also be said that if Cable leaves, Russell would probably find himself in an interesting tug-of-war. The new coach coming in would either be forced to work with Russell, or if no-one steps forward Russell would finally be discarded, as an expensive, underperforming player.

Is there a way both sides can win at this experiment?

There are two ways things could work, but both would take some big steps forward.

For one, Russell doesn't have to become Peyton Manning. He simply has to have better games. Throw a touchdown a week would be a good step forward, two or three and the boo-birds would have nowhere to roost. The Defense, able to rest between drives could lock down games and the running game could become useful again.

The second way this could turn out good, is Al Davis has a stroke or other condition that renders him unable to interfere...strike that, help the team in it's daily actions. Should this happen, the coach would be able to call his own plays, handle management details and if Russell is playing like he did against Denver...bench him after the first half.

Lastly...it could easily get worse.

Could you imagine John Herrera as the GM?

Panic Sweeping The Raider Nation? Not All of Us, Not All at Once

Raider Card Addict — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:51:34 -0400

Call me the eternal optimist.

Or, call me completely delusional.

Reading through the media in the last couple days you would think the Raiders have lost the last two straight seasons 0-16 and we are resorting to calling Jeff George out of retirement.

Folks, it's been one loss.

One.

For the season, we are 1-2, in third place in the AFC West.

San Diego is 2-1 and Denver is at 3-0.

Why am I not running like a chicken with it's head cut off?

Several reasons. For one, it's only three weeks into the season. Three weeks. Predicting the playoffs or even how the teams will set up for the draft is about as scientific as throwing darts at the wall. Could any of us see Robert Gallery going down in the second week of the preseason? Or how about Chaz Schilens getting hurt in April?

The simple fact is, no one can predict when these things happen.

For the same matter, no one can predict when JaMarcus Russell will go from playing horribly to being the go-to guy for the Raiders. We've seen him at his best, and now, I hope we've seen him at his worst.

There also is the fact that all three teams will be facing a truly difficult task in the coming weeks. Who wants to go play the New York Giants? They just got done throttling the Tampa Bay Bucs so bad, they switched starters this week.

Baltimore already enjoyed on AFC West team, beating the Chargers in San Diego. The Steelers, who are 1-2, may prove to be more difficult as the season progresses.

And of course all three teams get to face Cinci and Cleveland, who Denver won against.

Oakland has it's own things to attend to. Getting JaMarcus to practice, learn and if it turns out he is no longer worth the money, get rid of the guy and bring someone in that can make this team work.

As for me, I remain loyal to the colors and the team I have followed.

Oakland Raiders: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Stripes

Raider Card Addict — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:53:50 -0400

Ugh.

If I had paid $600 dollars for a flight, $76 dollars for a hotel room and then another $80 for the ticket...I'd want my money back.

The Raiders, who were 1-1 going into this game, discovered there are a lot of problems to fix.

Some things were out of our control, obviously. You can't replace Robert Gallery and expect his replacement to be as good.

But for the Raiders and the Nation, not a lot could be good about today's game.

For the Good, you could look at Oakland's Defense on a number of stops, including an opening drive for the Broncos that died on a fourth-and-goal.

Also, Denver could only score two touchdowns, holding Denver to field goals on other drives. Twenty-three points was at least within a ballpark...losing by 41 would have been much more painful.

Also for the good side, Oakland's running game, when it was used, did have some nice numbers. McFadden and Bush both combined for 65 yards, however it was obvious that Cable didn't want the run to win this game, he was looking for passing.

The last good point to make, was related to Sebastian Janikowski, who thankfully hit a 48 yard field goal. Without this, Oakland would have been shut out.

The bad side of things, as you can imagine, wasn't hard to find. Bad passing, bad ball control, and bad play calling.

JaMarcus Russell, is easily in this field, with two interceptions in short order. One was shortly after the Raiders had stopped Denver on a goal-line stand and then with a tired defense, was turned into a touchdown. The second INT, became a 10-0 lead.

Darren McFadden, while partially responsible for not hanging onto the ball securely, wasn't nearly as effective as hoped. It might be due to Robert Gallery being out, or due to Denver's effort to stack the box. Whatever the reason may be, McFadden wasn't given time to perform properly.

The mismatches, primarily created by Denver to exploit Oakland's man-to-man coverage, helped Denver march often and easily, but also made the Raiders prone to giving up large pieces of yardage. As stated before, this game could have been much worse. But for it's action, the defense—with a few tweaks—could carry the team.

The ugly aspects, are what makes me worried about the Raiders, in general.

For this, JaMarcus Russell falls into the bad and ugly category. Twelve for 21, his passing numbers were up, but for only 61 yards. On his two interceptions, both were attempts to Darrius Heyward-Bey. One the first one, Darrius looked like he was falling down, and on the second one, the ball simply overflew the receiver and the covering player, turned into a receiver.

Tom Cable, as well gets a nod on this. Early in the game, a drive would start up and the Raiders could convert first downs. For some reason then, Cable would switch to passing the ball, with predictable results. If you know what your teams' strengths are, use them, don't use the game as a practice session.

I don't know what sort of practice sessions they have with the Darrius Heyward-Bey...but after today's action, I hope they lock this guy in a room with Tim Brown.

Lastly for Ugly, comes the offensive line. These guys need to find some way to find some unity, giving up three sacks was unacceptable—as were the penalties. At the same time, this leads to the last phase: the stripes.

Is it a bad sign, when the announcer for CBS reports that, "this is the first game for Ed Hochuli since last year's week two game?" We all remember Ed as the reason why Denver won the "fumble game" against the Chargers, for his blowing of a whistle, then seeing Denver keep the ball, scoring a touchdown and inflating Mike Shanahan's head.

On this afternoon, Ed would have a field day, for different reasons. For one, was a called fumble by Darren McFadden, who when down, lost the ball, had it roll out of bounds and then get picked up by Brian Dawkins. What was also interesting, was that Brian went out of bounds and then back in, to recover the ball.

According to Ed, this is legal. It doesn't matter that McFadden was down, or that the ball was wobbling out of bounds...Denver would get the ball.

Also on Ed's to-miss list, was a pushoff by Brandon Marshall. It wouldn't normally irritate me, but considering he had flagged Chris Johnson for a pass interference call, it was pretty easy to draw your own conclusions on how the stripes would call things.

Missed holding, illegal blocks to the back, a can of pencils for Ed would be in order.

For Oakland, I hope they learn a few things from this mess. JaMarcus Russell has to fix himself...or find himself another team to play for.

They need to find some offense to go along with this defense.

Or we're going to be seeing more of these games.

Oakland Raiders: When Do the Colors Fade?

Raider Card Addict — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:38:34 -0400

After the most recent news out of Oakland was regarding the attempt to ban Rich Gannon from his duties with CBS, it opened up some questions in my mind.

When does a player, to the fans, stop being a Raider?

I'm not talking about the obvious ones. Randy Moss came in, opened the drawers, made a mess, and then pouted until the team shipped him and his ego out.

Some players, such as Jerry Porter and Ronald Curry, both at one time were useful weapons for a roster looking for more stability. Both are now gone and at last check, out of the NFL.

But how about further back?

Ken Stabler, arguably one of our best QBs to take the snap was shipped to Houston. Dave Casper departed for several seasons before returning. Even Jack Tatum went on to Houston, for a final year.

But you don't see Stabler, Casper, or Tatum being spoken ill of by the faithful within the Raider Nation.

Some, such as Warren Sapp seem to have been programmed to trash Oakland whenever needed, while some want to keep dropping two cents where needed.

Reading about Gannon's breakdown of JaMarcus Russell was enlightening and interesting. He would make a good coach, if a team needed one. Same goes for Rod Woodson, who just with his actions, could influence younger players to perform better.

Granted, this is a different era of football. Maybe it is due to their actions, such as Jim Otto's devotion to the team that keeps those players in our memories.

And maybe it's why more than a few people wanted to shower the field with Moss jerseys, when he played against us last year.

What does the Nation think of Gannon's reception?

Oakland Raiders Vs Denver Broncos: Welcome to The Black Hole, Orton

Raider Card Addict — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:25:29 -0400

For two teams in the AFC West, this matchup is going to be pivotal.

For the Denver Broncos, a win would move them into the forefront of the AFC teams playing.

For the Oakland Raiders, it would help prove the team is moving forward and back towards respect that has been lacking for years.

But this game means oh so much more than this.

For Denver, it is a chance to face an AFC West team. Their two opponents so far, the Bengals and the Browns combined for eight wins. Not bad if you had one team, but together it was four wins each.

In their first game, Denver was held down by a Bengals defense, until a small miracle of deflection gave Denver a win.

In their second game, they played a team that has scored a single offensive TD in the last 32 games.

For the Raiders, after a hard-fought game one loss to San Diego, Oakland went on the road to Kansas City and were on the right side of some very odd stats. Kansas City had over 400 yards. They controlled the ball for the majority of the game. They had their marquee player back in action, Matt Cassel.

The result? Oakland held Kansas City to 10 points and won the game, 13-10. Incidentally, it might have not been that close if Nnamdi Asomugha hadn't suffered from dehydration when Dwayne Bowe made his touchdown grab.

The important aspect to remember about this rivalry, is that when it comes down to these two teams, the records go out the window. The players, the coaches, even the fans take it to another level. Oakland and the Raider Nation look forward to this rivalry, be the team 2-8, 5-5, or even twice in three weeks.

Welcome to the AFC West, Kyle Orton.

Try to stay on your feet.

Prediction, Oakland 24-21