Raider Nation shows up to Baltimore; Raiders defense doesn’t

We had a great weekend in Baltimore, meeting up with fellow members of the Raider Nation from all over the world, including Oscar and his Raider TailGator and Crusader Raider.  Once the game started though, we all waited for a defense that never seemingly took the field.
Carson Palmer continues his Raider record-setting pace.  He’s now #3 in the league in passing yards, and #1 in the AFC.  Unfortunately, those yards haven’t equaled nearly as many points as they should.  Still, Palmer was able to work with the makeshift backfield of Marcel Reece and Jeremy Stewart.  Palmer sent touchdowns to each of the Raiders’ primary receiving targets, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Denarius Moore.  Seabass added two field goals and two extra points, and that was it for the Raiders’ scoring for the day.
If I wanted to write all of the Ravens scoring on the site, I’d need additional room.  The Ravens scored at will, only being stopped once in the first half by a Michael Huff interception.  The Ravens did not punt until the second half.  Oakland’s game plan was to stop Ray Rice.  They did; he scored a touchdown, but it was in the red zone.  Overall, they contained him well.  But, Joe Flacco fired at will to receivers, and absolutely lit up the Raiders secondary.
One of the more questionable moves over the weekend was the cutting of Pat Lee.  I understand it was to make room for Ron Bartell, and Lee was  pretty bad early on, but was he really worse than Philip Adams and Coye Francies?  At this point, it may be better just to fair catch and touchback each punt and kick.  At least Oakland would hang onto the ball.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Raiders.  They have New Orleans at home this Sunday.  A win would keep the playoff hopes (or at least respectable season) on life support.  But New Orleans’ offense is dangerous, and Oakland’s defense is hazardous.

Week 9 recap: The case of the missing defense

After two wins in a row, the Raiders were brought back to Earth on Sunday, courtesy of a rookie running back.  Doug Martin and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gashed the Raiders and escaped from the Black Hole with a 42-32 victory.  the Raiders tried to make a comeback, but ultimately it failed.  More on that in a bit.

The story of the day was Oakland’s defense forgetting to show up.  They were nonexistent in the second half, allowing Doug Martin to run all over them.  I don’t care if Oakland’s offense was led by Joe Montana and Tampa’s defense was a Pee-Wee football team, allowing Doug Martin to score at will made it next to impossible for Oakland to come back.  The front four were pushed around by Tampa’s line, and the linebackers were nowhere to be found when Martin went running by.

On offense, Carson Palmer did his best to keep the Raiders in the game.  He and Denarius Moore looked out of sync all game, though.  Something was seriously not connecting with the two, and it needs to, as it looks like Oakland’s already pass-heavy offense will become more so with Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson suffering high ankle sprains.  Big thumbs up to Rod Streater, though.  He needs a lot of work, but he made a great veteran play by smacking a ball down that he couldn’t catch.  Rather than giving up on the play and letting it possibly be an interception, Streater decided if he wasn’t getting it, nobody was.  He was rewarded on the next play with a touchdown.

Yes, Palmer threw three picks and two of them were crucial, occurring late in the game.  However, at that point the Raiders were down to their third-string running back.  It was painfully obvious they were going to pass the ball.  Palmer had a helluva game, but ultimately came up short.  Again, his defense offered zero help in the second half.

Oakland now has to prepare for an East Coast trip to Baltimore (of course the East Coast Raider and Hook will be there!) and has some injury questions that must be answered.  Let’s not forget Aaron Curry, too.  The Raiders have two days to figure out what to do with him.  We should see Ron Bartell back soon too, which will mean questions regarding the shuffling of the secondary.

Speaking of secondaries, there’s someone looking for a job right now, and his name is Stanford Routt.  I want to mock Routt for getting cut, but seriously, the guy got fired twice in one year and walks away with $10 million.  I don’t think he minds that much.

 

Week 8 Studs & Duds

#1 stud of the week – Jon Condo’s heads up hustle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Week 8’s Studs & Duds will be different… I’m not as focused on individual players, as to me, nobody really stood out (at least on the dud side).  Here’s what I saw:

Studs

1. Jon Condo’s fumble recovery – How many teams have a long snapper who, after snapping the ball and blocking the other team, races down the field and recovers a muffed punt?  Condo’s hustle led to points for the Raiders, and, true to form, he did it somewhat under the radar.  True blue-collar leader for the Raiders.

2. Downfield blocking – On Denarius Moore’s 50+ yard reception, all of the blocks had to be there or Moore would have been roped in early.  They were, and Moore was able to break free for a big gain.  Darrius Heyward-Bey is underrated in terms of his value as a blocker.

3. Linebacker run-stuffing – Can we just extend Philip Wheeler’s contract right now?  He plays with lights-out intensity.  Add a solid game by Miles Burris and Rolando McClain, and Jamaal Charles, KC’s biggest weapon, had just five yards rushing.

Duds

1. Receivers’ dropped passes – There were at least four of them, but I think five or six.  At least one would have led to a touchdown instead of a field goal.  Carson Palmer’s completion percentage has been around 60 all year.  It should be higher, and drops like there are a reason why.

2. Richard Seymour’s roughing the passer penalty – The only reason I put this on here is that the game was already wrapped up.  Seymour won’t be suspended, but why risk it?  The game was won, and we can’t afford to lose Seymour’s veteran leadership for any length of time due to a suspension.  I like that he was making an aggressive statement, but with as well as the defensive line has been playing over the last two weeks, why risk disruption?

3. Juron Criner – Where has he been?  He nearly held out (as a late round pick!!) and received rave reviews during camp, but he’s been invisible since!  With Jacoby Ford out, Criner had a chance to step up and secure his role in the lineup.  Instead, Derek Hagan and Rod Streater seem to have passed him by.

Raiders win again at the Midwest Coliseum…I mean Arrowhead

The Raiders took another one in Arrowhead on Sunday. (Photo credit: imikeh)

For the sixth straight time, the Oakland Raiders defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Chief’s home stadium.  To be fair, the Chiefs have done pretty well in Oakland lately, but Oakland may be on the rise, and Kansas City is sitting in the gutter.  The Chiefs are pretty bad.  They had a bye week to prepare for this game.  It’s against the rival Raiders.  And yet, when the clock struck zero, it was Oakland 26, Kansas City, 16.
The Raiders had a lot to be pleased with, and some work to do.  The story in this game was the Raider defense.  They played extremely well, quieting (former) NFL rushing leader Jamaal Charles and his backup, Peyton Hillis.  In addition, Dwayne Boye was held to only three catches, though one was for a substantial gain.  Still, the Raider defense showed up.  The lineman put pressure on the quarterback all day, the linebackers played smart and fast, and the secondary was in sync.  Seriously, Pat Lee and Michael Huff have improved by leaps and bounds over the past month.  Matt Giordano, starting at safety due to Huff’s transition, read Brady Quinn perfectly for a nice interception early on.  Toward the end of the game, Richard Seymour received a roughing the passer penalty.  It wasn’t an overly severe foul.  He may get a fine for it, but I’d be amazed if he had to sit out a game for it.

On offense, there was good and bad, as there usually is.  On the first play from scrimmage, Carson Palmer went after Stanford Routt, the former Raider.  He went deep for Darrius Heyward-Bey.  However, Routt came up with the pick.  There may have been some contact by Routt, but it wasn’t overly flagrant, and the refs didn’t call anything.  Heyward-Bey would get his revenge on Routt, though, breaking a Routt tackle en route to a 35+ yard touchdown.  According to Mike Mitchell, who had a locker next to Routts for a few years, he didn’t really seem in the mood to talk to his former teammates after the game.

Oakland’s #1 receiver, Denarius Moore, nearly cracked the 100 yard mark again this week.  He also had a nice leaping touchdown near the end of the second quarter.  However, Moore had two balls get away from him, including one that would have been a sure touchdown.  The Raiders dropped at least four passes on Sunday.

But, let’s focus on the good here.  Moore scored a touchdown for the third straight game.  He’s the first Raider wide receiver to do that since Johnnie Lee Higgins (I love to make a Johnnie Lee reference whenever I can).  Also, Palmer recorded yet another 200+ yard game.  In 17 games as a Raider, he has over 4,700 passing yards.

Saving some of my big props for this week’s studs & duds… Not too many duds come to mind!  I may have to focus on groups or individuals plays this week.  That’s not a bad thing.  If the Raiders are playing at a level where I have to get creative to find things wrong, I’ll take it!

 

Very cool: Lamarr Houston named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Lamarr Houston was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for week 7. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lamarr Houston had a better game than I originally thought.

The NFL named Houston the AFC Defensive Player of the week after his game vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which Houston had multiple tackles, a sack, and forced the fumble that led to Sebastian Janikowski’s game winning field goal.

Early this year, I was frustrated with Houston’s play, as well as the entire defensive line.  But Houston has been looking good lately.  He shows great hustle and dedication.  Remember, in the game vs. the Broncos, Houston’s hustle led to a Broncos’ turnover rather than a touchdown.

With Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour winding down, Houston will be the anchor of the Raiders’ line for the foreseeable future.  If he keeps playing like he did on Sunday, he’ll be ready for the responsibility.

 

Chiefs game no lock for shaky Raiders

Today, I was checking out CBS Sports’ Week 8 picks.  Kudos to them getting that done and published even though it’s only Tuesday.  To my surprise, the Raiders were a unanimous pick over the Chiefs, even though the Raiders barely won against Jacksonville, the Chiefs are coming off of a bye, they have one of the premier running backs in football, and the game is at Arrowhead, a notoriously unfriendly stadium to visiting teams.

As I said earlier in the week, the Raiders have nothing about which to be overconfident.  While they showed a lot of heart and resolve in coming back to beat the Jags, it was still pretty ugly.  Carson Palmer is playing well, and he stepped it up with his no-huddle offense late in Sunday’s game.  It’s time for him to completely take over.  I get that the Raiders can’t run the no-huddle offense all game, but they can run it a lot.  Palmer should be trusted to make the right decisions, even if sometimes (the last two games) he’s regressed into trying to force balls, resulting in turnovers.

The biggest area to watch, and biggest surprise to me on Sunday, was the failure of the offensive line.  From the get-go, Palmer was hurried, hit, and sacked.  The line didn’t undergo that many changes from last year, when it was a core strength.  They need to get it together in a hurry.  Ugly win or not, beating the Jaguars was the first step in a possibly streak that could somehow land the Raiders 4-4 before their game against the Ravens, who are suddenly looking quite beatable as well.  Crazy as it is, the Raiders are only one game out of first place right now.  But, they have absolutely minimal room for error if they want to make it interesting.

Week 7 Studs & Duds

First, I must give an honorable mention to Lamarr Houston and Joselio Hanson for forcing and recovering the fumble that led to the game-winning field goal.  Speaking of field goals, the number one spot in the “studs” this week goes to…

1. Sebastian Janikowski – SeaBass was 4-5 on field goals this week, missing only a 64-yarder at the end of regulation…Only Jano could look so visibly upset at missing a 64-yarder.  I get that it was the end of the game and he really wanted to win it, but still.  SeaBass came through in the clutch, hitting the game winner in overtime.

2. Miles Burris – The rookie had another stellar game, and may be creeping into the defensive rookie of the year talk.  Cool moment during the game – Seeing the pride on Papa Burris’ face after Miles recorded his first career sack.  Good stuff.

3. Rod Streater – Streater only caught two passes during the game, but each was clutch and both looked to be extremely difficult grabs.  The second one set up the missed 64-yarder, but at least it gave them a chance.  The other was on a critical third down.  Streater came up big when the Raiders needed him.

There’s two sides to every coin.

Duds

1. Philip Adams – Adams isn’t good enough to be on the Raiders solely due to his defensive skills.  He also needs to field punts.  After the Raider defense made a strong stop, Adams pooched a punt return that put the Jags in prime position and kept the Raider defense on the field.  Adams didn’t muff any other punts, but each one after that had Raider Nation holding its collective breath.

2. Darren McFadden – This one hurt to put on the list.  I know it’s largely Knapp’s fault.  I get that.  But McFadden is a good enough player that he needs to adapt to the offense somewhat.  Each week McFadden is expected to break out, and short of a few big plays in the first six games, we haven’t seen enough Run-DMc.

3. Tyvon Branch – Branch is still one of Oakland’s top tacklers, and very early in the preseason I wrote why he is Oakland’s defensive cornerstone.  I still believe that, but Branch’ primary role as safety is to keep the play in front of him.  I know Oakland’s corner situation is shaky at best, but Branch, being by far the best player in the backfield, needs to compensate for that.  Instead, Jacksonville wide receiver Cecil Shorts blew by everyone for a touchdown that should have never happened.

Week 7 recap: Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat

See what I did there?  Last week was the exact opposite.  Either way, I have to believe games like this shorten my lifespan.

The Raiders pulled out a victory against the Jaguars in overtime, 26-23.  After coming up short on a 64-yard field goal attempt at the end of regulation, Sebastian Janikowski booted a 40-yarder in overtime to clinch the game.  The kick was set up by a Jacksonville fumble caused by Lamarr Houston.

This game was truly a tale of two halves.  Oakland looked dead in the first half, and made a plethora of mistakes that put them in the hole by 14 points.  But after scoring in the third quarter, a feat as rare as a popular Greg Knapp decision, Oakland closed the gap before tying the game in the fourth quarter.  That drive was aided by a pass interference call in the end zone, which enabled Palmer to sneak the ball in for the touchdown.

Palmer still continues to toe the line between good and great.  He’s a leader, no question, and he has a great football mind.  But I said before that the Raiders aren’t good enough to win without him playing mistake-free football, and I stand by that.  In a bonehead moment, Palmer attempted a horrible shovel pass that resulted in an interception.  He also fumbled the ball.  Turnovers hurt.  Teams shouldn’t and usually don’t win when losing the turnover battle as poorly as the Raiders did.  To Palmer’s credit, he kept the team in it and made some key completions, including a great touchdown throw to Denarius Moore.

The defense was given a major break early on, as Jaguars star player Maurice Jones-Drew was knocked out of the game early in the first quarter.  Jacksonville still managed to get on the board with a deep ball by quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was also eventually knocked out of the game.  The coverage on that touchdown pass was embarrassing.  Safety Tyvon Branch obviously thought he had help on the play, but he’s the safety; he had to know there wasn’t anyone behind him.

Overall, this win was ugly, but I’ll take the ugly win over last week’s good loss any day.  I like the way this win sets Oakland up.  They should be relieved, but angry.  This win will not lend itself to any overconfidence.  Rather, it should make them realize how hard the team is going to have to work to continue to stay in the AFC West chase.

Aaron Curry returns to practice and other notes

Oakland Raiders’ linebacker Aaron Curry has returned to practice after bring placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list for the first six weeks of the season.  The Raiders have 21 days from Curry’s first practice to determine whether Curry will be activated or shut down for the year.  The Raiders could certainly use Curry, although an interesting note is that many don’t believe Curry would regain his starting weakside linebacker role.  Miles Burris has filled that role as well as anyone could hope.

Carson Palmer took Sunday’s loss rough, and said this week’s game is a “must win.”  He’s not wrong.  Oakland is entering a stretch of winnable games, and could pick up a game on idle San Diego and Denver.  The Raiders are relatively healthy with a couple exceptions, so they need to capitalize on that.  Oakland’s #1 goal will be stopping one of the NFL’s best running backs, Maurice Jones-Drew.  If they can do that, and if the secondary can play as well as they did on Sunday (can’t believe I’m writing that), then the offense will have plenty of time to get going.

Dennis Allen has been repeatedly questions as to why he didn’t go for a 58-yard field goal in the first quarter on Sunday.  I don’t think it was the wrong decision.  It was a judgment call.  If Shane Lechler would have coffin-cornered a punt at the one, he would have been called a genius.  If SeaBass would have gone for it and missed, people would have attacked Allen.  As it stands, SeaBass is on the injury list weekly for a sore groin.  Why force him to attempt such a kick early on in a game, even if he does have one of the strongest legs in the game?

Week 6 Studs & Duds

Studs

1. Denarius Moore – Moore had over 100 yards receiving and a touchdown on Sunday vs. the Falcons.  The second-year star is a playmaker, folks, and will be one of the Raiders’ key players for the foreseeable future.  He’s the kind of receiver around which you build a corps.

2. Michael Huff – What a difference a bye week makes.  Huff looked – dare I say? – comfortable at corner on Sunday.  He defended well and made a key interception in the second quarter.  If Huff can keep up that kind of play next week, it will be a big boost for Oakland.

3. Miles Burris – Burris took Rolando McClain’s (see below…) spot in the Nickel defense, leaving McClain as the extra defender.  He played well, and head coach Dennis Allen had nothing but great things to say about the rookie.

Duds

1. Carson Palmer – I hated to put Palmer on this list, because the rest of his game was so good.  But the one play that defined Palmer’s day was an ill-advised pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown.  The Raiders just aren’t consistently good enough to win without Palmer making mistake-free football.

2. Willie Smith – Smith, the offensive lineman who is a starter because of Khalif Barnes’ injury, not only ruined several key plays due to penalties, he was also no match for the Falcons’ defense.  They harassed him all day unmercifully.

3. Rolando McClain – I’m only putting McClain on this list because the first round pick that is supposed to lead the Raiders’ offense has been supplanted on a package by a fourth round rookie.  McClain isn’t supposed to be playing like an average defender.  He’s a top pick, and needs to start acting like it before it’s too late.