The Return To Glory: Raiders Show Signs Of Improvement

After losing 11 straight games to the Chargers, the Oakland Raiders entered last night’s season opener determined to break the losing streak. After converting a crucial 4^th and 15 and scoring a touchdown with slightly over 2 minutes remaining in regulation, the Raiders were ahead 20-17.

            The Black Hole along with the rest of the Raider Nation was excited; this year was finally going to be different. Or at least that is how it seemed until Phillip Rivers, Darren Sproles, and the San Diego Chargers marched down the field as if they were playing against a high school defense. Darren Sproles rushed into the end zone with 18 seconds on the clock. After 58 minutes of impressive football, the Raiders reminded us all that they are in fact, the Raiders. As expected, the silver and black began the 2009 season 0-1.

            While it is easy to focus on the negative fact that the Raiders lost, it is also important to notice how well they played for the majority of the game. This year’s version of the Raiders is much improved from last year. The team was focused, motivated, and inspired throughout the night

            If you take away the 89 yards over the final 2 minutes, the Raiders defense was impressive and held the Chargers to 228 yards of total offense. The worst run defense in the league a year ago limited the Chargers to just 3.3 yards a carry. The defense was swarming to the ball and contesting every play. Recently acquired defensive end Richard Seymour was a huge addition with 6 tackles and 2 sacks.

            While the defense was impressive, the offense was predictable and stagnant. The offense was successful in the beginning of the night as the run was effective. The problem however, was that running was the only thing that worked. The Chargers caught on to the fact that Oakland was running the ball and when they stacked the box, the Raiders had no answer. Jamarcus Russell was inaccurate and it cost the Raiders all night. If Russell would have been able to hit the open receivers, the defense would have had to respect the pass, opening the run for the remainder of the night.

            The other positive that I’m taking from this game is the fact that the Raiders only had 6 penalties for 40 yards. The Raiders are usually one of the most penalized teams in the league and the fact that they were able to limit the penalties and not shoot themselves in the foot is a good sign. Hopefully the Raiders continue to improve and learn how to finish games.

            All it takes is one win to get this team to believe that they can win. After that, the program should be well on its way to turning itself around.