Skip to main content

Post Game Wrap: Raiders Fall Late 28-24

We learned quite a bit about the 2010 Raiders in the third preseason game, often considered a regular season primer.

Although the Raiders lost the final score, the score when the bulk of the starters exited the game was 21-17 with the Raiders leading. Bruce Gradkowski played significant time with the starters taking over for Jason Campbell when he was knocked from the game with a stinger. The injury to Campbell is not considered serious.

Campbell was hit on the blindside by Travis LaBoy, who blew by left tackle Mario Henderson. 

Henderson continues to be a below average left tackle. If the Raiders had a legitimate alternative Henderson would be benched.

The only other option is rookie Jared Veldheer. Although Veldheer's talents may be put to better use as the center if Samson Satele misses significant time with an ankle injury.

Veldheer failed to diagnose an A gap blitz by Patrick Willis, but otherwise performed well.

Langston Walker has been inconsistent at right tackle in terms of pass blocking. He has little pressure behind him, but still needs to be better.

Rolando McClain is on a steep learning curve. McClain made multiple mistakes including not sinking deep enough into zone coverage which resulted in a 49ers touchdown pass. 

Perhaps more concerning was the appearance that McClain was not giving 100% effort in the game. Hopefully this is something the coaches will address in the film room. McClain may be protecting himself for the regular season.

On a positive note, McClain has yet to make the same mistake twice, showing an amazing ability to learn from  them.

Stanford Routt had a chance to grab the starting cornerback position from injured Chris Johnson and didn't waste it. Routt broke up several passes and had solid coverage.

Michael Huff proved once again that he isn't very good at tackling. Gore bounced off Huff to scamper 49 yards before Tyvon Branch could push him out of bounds.

Tommy Kelly made his presence known and applied consistent pressure, but the Raiders weren't good at applying pressure on the quarterback for most of the game.

Michael Bush was much more effective than Darren McFadden. This has been reoccurring theme that the coaching staff must surely see.

The problem is now that Michael Bush has a broken left thumb. It is unclear if or how much time Bush will miss with the injury.

The Raiders didn't defend the run well, a theme that has carried over from last season despite a defensive makeover.

Receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy performed well despite a couple drops. They will need to continue to put up solid performances to help the offense.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that this was a preseason game. Preseason games are rarely indicators of regular season success. 

So take the good and bad with a grain of salt. Even the third preseason game consisted of a vanilla defense and watered down offense. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oakland Raiders Swing for the Fences in 2016 NFL Draft

[embed align="center"]http://gty.im/153039819[/embed] These aren't your daddy's Oakland Raiders or even your younger self's Raiders. If anything, these are your newborn's Raiders or your puppy's Raiders. These are the Raiders we've never seen before. Indicative of the freshness of the franchise was their 2016 NFL Draft. No longer slave to a high draft pick and desperate needs, the theme of the draft for the Raiders was upside. It's as if general manager Reggie McKenzie got so used to hitting his draft picks out of the park that he started swinging for the fences. We'll have to wait a couple of years before we know if he struck out or if he'll continue his Ruthian ways. First, McKenzie boldly went with a safety at No. 14 overall. Kyle Joseph is coming off a torn ACL and fills a major need, but safety isn't a premium position. Only a handful of safeties have been drafted in the first 14 picks in the last 15 years and include names like Ea

The Raiders aren't who we thought they were....they're better

The Oakland Raiders are tired of being the team that will be good in a year or two. The team expects to win now and it is winning now. We thought the Raiders needed more talent. We thought that being in the playoff hunt was a year away for this team, but we were wrong. This isn't the team we thought they were, they're better. On Sunday, they moved to 3-3 on Sunday with a 37-29 win over the San Diego Chargers that wasn't close until the final minute. It was also the Raiders second road win of the season. The last time the Raiders had two road wins by their sixth game was 2011. Before that, a five-year streak from 1998-2002. The Raiders went 8-8 in 1998, 1999 and 2011 and narrowly missed the playoffs each year.  They made the playoffs in 2000, 2001 and 2002. They didn't have a losing record in any of those seasons because teams that can win on the road are usually pretty good. As the season matures, there is more and more evidence that some of the "best-case scenario

Final 53-Man Roster Prediction

The Oakland Raiders will trim their roster to 53 players today. Expect them to make at least two waiver claims Sunday to address needs at defensive back and on the offensive line. As such, there are a couple guys on this final roster who could be waived on Sunday and could subsequently find their way onto the team's practice squad. As is, I've included a list of players who are candidates for the practice squad. There is some positional imbalance on the 53-man roster as I expect the Raiders to balance it out with a few waiver claims. [table id=8 /]