Studs and Duds From Week 7

 Posted by at 12:32 PM  No Responses »
Oct 252011
 

Studs

Michael Bush

While he was stone-walled at the goal line by Derrick Johnson three times he still managed to put up a very respectable game with 99 rushing yards on 17 carries. That’s a very healthy 5.8 yards per carry. He managed a respectable game despite little to no threat passing and an early two score deficit. He wasn’t amazing, but no one was on Sunday.

Darrius Heyward-Bey

He snarred another 5 balls for 89 yards and he’s the Raiders leading receiver and it isn’t close. Heyward-Bey is on pace for over 1100 yards receiving on 72 receptions. Over the past four games Heyward-Bey is averaging 96 yards and 6 receptions. If that trend continues he’ll finish the season with 82 receptions for nearly 1400 yards. It probably will not continue at the same level, but it is worth noting. Ten receivers finished the 2010 season with more than 1100 yards and only Brandon Lloyd finished 2010 with more than 1400 yards. The sample is still relatively small, but Heyward-Bey may have finally arrived. 

Aaron Curry

Flying around and consistently around the ball. He hasn’t looked as lost in coverage as he did in Seattle. The Raiders turned in another solid performance against the run and Curry was a big part of it. The Raiders have been playing a lot of big nickel and Curry isn’t a part of it, but what the Raiders have asked him to do he has done well. Let’s hope it continues as he gets more and more comfortable in the defense.

Demarcus Van Dyke

 He did allow a few receptions, but he was targeted a lot and had pretty solid coverage most of the game. Obviously he is a rookie so he is still learning things. He showed more willingness to tackle and use his body on Sunday. He’s thinly built, but he’ll get bigger and can’t shy away from contact. Rod Woodson and Kevin Ross have done a good job with the Raiders young corners. It wasn’t a great game for him, but it was a good game and worthy of recognition.

Honorable Mentions: Tyvon Branch, Stanford Routt, Lamarr Houston

 

Duds

Kyle Boller

It would be easy to write and entire post here about how poor Boller played. He locked onto receivers, he made bad decisions. There just isn’t a lot to say. If the Raiders have their way he wont start again and he shouldn’t.

Hue Jackson

Just for talking large and then letting his team put up a goose egg is enough for dud status this week for the Raiders leader. He’s wearing a lot of hats now and made a spectacle of the Raiders acquisition of Carson Palmer. Then there was a decision on who to start at quarterback and some shoddy playcalling. Hue did just about everything wrong last week, but those same moves are genius if the Raiders win. That’s just life as a coach that talks a big game. He’s only seven games into his head coaching career and will rebound from the loss and learn from some of his mistakes.

Denarius Moore

Four of the six interceptions were in the direction of Denarius Moore including one that bounced off his chest. Perhaps the quarterbacks placed a little too much confidence that Moore would “make a play” and it seems like there was a communication issue and a poorly run route among the interceptions. Boller has to make the right decisions, but Moore wasn’t helping on Sunday.

Jared Veldheer

At least one of the interceptions was the result of pressure from Tamba Hali. Hali bull rushed Veldheer and blew through him giving Boller less than two seconds to make his read. He was blown into the backfield numerous times and failed to get enough of a push at the goaline to open up things for Bush on the wildcat run that would have made it 14-7. He’s had a very good season, but he struggled with Hali.

Dishonorable mention: Carson Palmer, Samson Satele

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Always interesting in Oakland

 Posted by at 7:30 AM  No Responses »
Oct 212011
 

This year has been very interesting in Oakland.

On October 8, Al Davis passed away. The entire sports world focused on the life and accomplishments of Al Davis and the Raiders. The next day the Raiders responded with a win on the road against a quality opponent. Football fans everywhere will remember how the Raiders sealed the victory with only 10 defenders.

This week, the football world almost lost their minds when the Raiders pulled a Mike Ditka and gave up big time draft picks for one player, Carson Palmer. The trade showed Hue Jackson’s commitment to winning now. Good receivers rely on great quarterbacks to become great and once Palmer gets his legs under him, the sky is the limit for the Raiders young receiving corps.

Last week against the Browns, the Raider turned some heads when newly acquired Aaron Curry started after one practice. The Raiders then held Cleveland’s offense to 65 rushing yards and for the first time this season the Raiders defense held the opponent under 300 total yards. Gone was the Raiders linebacker problem. No doubt, Hue Jackson’s living on the edge mentality and play calling has rubbed off on defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan. Mixing up coverage packages and using exotic blitzes is exactly what the Raiders defense needed. When the secondary becomes healthy, the Raiders defense will be one of the league’s best.

For the first time since 2000, in the hay day of Tyrone Wheatley and Tim Brown, the Raiders have a good chance of boasting both a 1,000 yard rusher and a 1,000 yard receiver. A feat accomplished only seven times in the history of the Raiders. As it stands Darren McFadden leads the NFL in rushing with 610 yards, over a 100 yards per game average. Darrius Hayward-Bey has 345 yards a 57 yard per game average, but over the last three games DHB has 296 yards, nearly an 100 yard per game average. With a couple more 100 yard games, DHB will likely hit 1,000 yards. Hue Jackson is a varied and risky play caller so DHB and DMC have a great chance to make Raider history.

For years Al Davis made Oakland interesting. It may have been Davis’ infatuation with the vertical passing game, acquiring castoffs, resurrecting careers, benching star players, lawsuits, relocation, more lawsuits, intimidating opponents, cheating or simply winning superbowls. Even during times of irrelevancy, the Raiders remained interesting. For decades, the Oakland Raiders have been anything but boring.

In America’s favorite sport, there is no team quite like the Raiders. For decades NFL people around the nation, have said “The NFL is better when the Raiders are good.”

Week 6 Preview: Browns @ Raiders

 Posted by at 12:12 AM  1 Response »
Oct 162011
 

On Offense

With all the discussion about last week’s emotional win in Houston it is easy to forget that statistically, last week was the Raiders worse offensive game. Last week, the Raiders finished with 278 offensive yards marking the first time since week 1 the team did not reach 300 yards. The Raiders offense were out-gaineed by nearly 200 yards, by far the largest amount so far this season. The most the Raiders had been out-gained this season was by 56 in Week 3 when Mark Sanchez and the Jets were playing catch-up and attempted 44 passes.

To improve this week, it starts up front with the big hogs. The Raiders offensive line last gave up 3 sacks in week 5 after only allowing two total in the other four games this season. The Browns have 11 sacks in four games and a pass rush that could pose problems to the Raiders offensive line. Darren McFadden totaled only 51 rushing yards in week 5 and 75 in week 4. The opposition has done a good job shrinking the running lanes the past two weeks. Regardless of the defensive front or scheme the Raiders offensive line needs to find a way to get McFadden cleanly to the second level and beyond.

The Browns will likely load the box and make Jason Campbell prove he can be consistently accurate. In order to help open up the running lanes, Jason Campbell must make the Browns secondary respect the pass. Campbell can do this by connecting with tight end Kevin Boss and other receivers on intermediate passing routes. Campbell will be facing a defense that is giving up less than 200 passing yards a game so look for McFadden to break out his mini funk with 125 yards or more this week and look for Kevin Boss to make an impact in the red zone.

 

On Defense

The Browns are led by Colt McCoy and running back Peyton Hillis, but Hillis has been maligned and McCoy has shouldered the offensive burden impressively. In four games, McCoy has passed for 984 yards and 6 touchdowns. More would be talked about McCoy’s campaign if it was not for Hillis’ off the field problems. Given that Hillis’ agent did not advise him to sit out this game; the Raiders should expect a healthy dosage of him. His physical running style will go along with a well-distributed passing game which will feature team leading receiver Mohamed Massaquoi and tight end Benjamin Watson. This Sunday, Cleveland rookie Greg Little will get his first career start at wide receiver.

So far this season, the Browns offense has not been impressive. Victories in the NFL cannot be taken for granted and opponents cannot be underestimated, but the Browns’ victories came over Indianapolis and Miami. Cal product Alex Mack is the Browns starting center and is recovering from an appendectomy. This is a golden opportunity for the Raiders defensive line to flex their muscle and dominate once again. After one practice Aaron Curry will get the start, look for him to be around the ball on running downs and off the field in passing situations. Look for multiple sacks from the defensive line and an interception or two in the secondary.

 

Matchups

Darren McFadden vs. D’Qwell Johnson

D’Qwell Johnson has been plagued with injuries during his career but he is now staying healthy and is having the best season of his career. He has registered double digits in tackles in three out if the Browns four games this season. Johnson also leads all middle linebackers in sacks and was voted AFC defensive player of the month in September. For the Raiders to have a big game, McFadden needs to have early success. After two unusually subpar games, McFadden needs to get back on track. The key will be how many times McFadden gets past the first wave of Cleveland defenders.

Raiders’ Offensive line vs. Browns’ front 7

In all aspects the Raiders offensive line had their worst game last week and it showed. They gave up 3 sacks and the Raiders only gained 94 rushing yards. The Browns are coming off a bye but they will be without pass rushing Marcus Bernard. The Browns front 7 has a good combination of size, experience and speed. They are led on the line by 300 pounder Ahtyba Rubin and in the linebacker corps by D’Qwell Johnson. The Browns have had early contributions from massive rookie lineman Phil Taylor and his defensive end peer Jabaal Sheard. This matchup will set the Raiders offensive tempo for much of the game.

Jason Campbell vs. Browns’ Secondary

Campbell did barely enough to lead his team to victory last week. The Browns’ defense will likely come out loading the box, begging Campbell to make accurate throws. Campbell needs to make the Browns’ respect the pass. For McFadden to have success, Campbell needs to distribute the ball well, take advantage of open receivers and make accurate passes. The Browns secondary has an impressive mixture of experience and youth with 2nd year safety T.J Ward leading the way. Pass defense is a team effort but so far the Browns’ secondary is holding teams under 200 passing yards a game. Joe Haden, the Browns’ stud corner back is coming off a knee injury and will likely be a game time decision, his presence could be missed.

Kevin Boss vs. Browns’ coverage

Three out of the four games the Browns have played a tight end has caught a touchdown. Two out of those three games, the tight end was the leading receiver for the other team. Kevin Boss started the season injured and has been outshined by the Raiders wide receivers to this point. Boss has yet to reach the end zone so look for Boss to have his coming out party this Sunday against a defense that struggles defending the tight end.

Colt McCoy vs Chuch Bresnahan

Colt McCoy deserves his own light. With Hillis’ shenanigans, McCoy really has really stepped up and led this team. After a record-setting collegiate career, McCoy probably still has a chip on his shoulder after falling into the third round. Watch for McCoy to distribute the ball well and work short routes that test the Raiders open field tackling. Last week, Bresnahan used blitzes to take his linebackers out of coverage and it worked. Look for Bresnahan to dial-up the blitz again. Bresnahan will probably use a mixture of blitz packages including safety and zone blitzes to put added pressure on the Browns’ young quarterback.

Peyton Hillis vs. Raiders Defensive Line

When the Raiders defensive line plays inspired and they lead the team to victory. Tommy Kelly, Richard Seymour and Lamarr Houston all had great games last week. If the defensive line was not busy holding Arian Foster to 68 yards rushing, they were getting after Schaub and deflecting passes. When the defensive line plays like this, they are nearly unstoppable. Peyton Hillis so far has been a disappointment this year. His play has taken back seat to his contract and him being sick. Look for Hillis to come out motivated after the bye week.

Greg Little vs. DeMarcus Van Dyke

Greg Little is making his first career start at wide receiver and has been an early season favorite of Colt McCoy’s. Little, who’s getting the start over Cribbs, has caught a respectful 14 balls for 131 yards this season. Even though he has a low average he has caught more balls in four games than any Raiders receiver has in five, outside Hayward-Bey. DVD had a great first start for the Raiders only giving up one catch. If DVD gets the start, expect Little on his side and for him to get consistently challenged.

Benjamin Watson/Evan Moore vs. Raiders Linebackers/Safeties

The best friend for any young quarterback is a reliable tight end. Watson has been McCoy’s favorite target, leading the team in receptions with 16. Moore has 7 catches in four games and is currently tied with Watson in touchdown catches with 2. Even though last week the Raiders defense was stout again the run, they had some blown coverages that resulted in touchdowns. The Texans tight ends finished with 12 catches for 201 yards last week. The Raiders linebackers did not play the pass well. They often respond late and were suckered by play action. The Raiders safeties have had communication problems as well as problems tackling. The Raiders need to clamp down on these tight ends or Watson and Moore will have a party of their own.

Aaron Curry vs Aaron Curry

Just after a couple of being traded Aaron Curry is making his first in the silver and black. Curry will be asked to play weak side linebacker, a position that he has never played. Curry will see runs his way and be responsible for cut backs on runs to the strong side. Curry will be tested early and often by the Browns. It would make sense for the Raiders to take Curry out on obvious passing downs. The key will be how he plays against play action and other pass plays. Curry get one chance to make a good first impression on his new team and to the Raider Nation and this is it.

Breakdown: Aaron Curry to the weak side

 Posted by at 4:00 PM  2 Responses »
Oct 142011
 

It comes as a bit of a surprise that the Raiders will start Aaron Curry after just one practice with his new team. What was almost as surprising was that the Raiders will move Curry to the weak side. Curry replaces Quentin Groves as the starter.

The Raiders obviously believe Curry was miscast as a strong-side linebacker in the 4-3 and flipped him over the weak side. What’s the difference between the two positions in the Raiders 4-3? The weak-side linebacker in the Raiders defensive scheme is responsible for basically three things.

Clog running lanes. The weak-side linebacker needs to keep the opposing running back from turning the corner on running plays and he needs to make tackles in the running lane. Curry has shown he is solid against the run and should be effective in this role. Groves has been inconsistent diagnosing the correct running lanes and has been unable to turn the run inside when a lineman engages him. This is undoubtedly Curry’s strength.

Cover the flat. In the passing game the weak-side linebacker has the role of covering the flat. In man coverage this would typically be a back coming out of the backfield, but it could also be a wide receiver screen or a tight end short out in zone coverage. As a strong-side linebacker Curry struggled in coverage on the strong side, mainly in zone coverage where he was required to back-peddle into a middle zone and in man coverage against the opposing tight end. Curry will now play with everything in front of him and his only coverage responsibility will be a back in the flat in man coverage alignments. If the Raiders go into zone alignments Curry would gain more coverage responsibility in the flat, but would not have to sink into a zone as flat plays develop quickly. Curry has the quickness to get to the flat consistently and in the Raiders scheme and as a weak-side linebacker Curry will not have to do the things he does poorly.

Backside pursuit/cutback protection. The last responsibility of the weak-side linebacker is chasing down running plays and short pass plays on the opposite side of the field. This requires the linebacker to be the fastest of the three linebackers in a 4-3 defense. He’ll need to fight through blockers occasionally and protect against a cutback. The strong-side linebacker tries to seal the edge and the middle linebacker tries to shoot the running lane to bring down the runner, so the weak-side linebacker needs to protect against a cutback when Rolando McClain “chooses” the wrong running lane.

I’ve gone back and watched some of Curry’s best games as a professional. He’s had success against the 2010 49ers, Bears, Broncos and Cardinals and the 2009 Bears, Jaguars and 49ers. These teams were are all passing deficient teams with running backs that lack elite speed, but thrive on cutback runs. Curry wasn’t required to cover much in the best games. If the Raiders can keep him out of coverage, particularly middle zones and in one-on-one situations they might have themselves a pretty good linebacker.

Aaron Curry Headed To Oakland

 Posted by at 1:21 PM  2 Responses »
Oct 122011
 

Raiders have acquired former 1st round pick Aaron Curry from the Seahawks for two future draft picks.

The compensation is a 7th round pick in 2012 and a conditional mid-round pick in the 2013 draft.

Aaron Curry was much heralded coming out of college but has been a non-impact player so far in his career. Curry has struggled to defend the pass and hasn’t added much as a pass rusher either. However, the Raiders likely traded Curry for his ability to stop the run. Curry has been decently successful at stopping the run since he entered the league despite occasional struggles.

The most likely scenario is that Curry is used in running situations to start as the staff work with Curry on other areas of his game.

With Matt Shaughnessy’s status in doubt the Raiders have worked out defensive ends and linebackers in successive weeks. The Raiders ultimately decided against signing these players. Kamerion Wimbley has been lining up more at defensive end with Shaughnessy out and that may continue as Curry sees time at Wimbley’s strong-side linebacker position.

While traditionally the strong-side linebacker would cover the tight end the Raiders are more likely to cover pass catching tight ends with a safety.

McClain missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury the severity of which is currently unknown. If McClain were to miss time the Raiders could turn to Darryl Blackstock or slide Curry into the middle linebacker spot. The Raiders would certainly be able to more creatively shield Curry from having to drop into coverage if he played in the middle.

The trade is a low risk, high reward move and Curry’s draft status will not hang over his head in Oakland as it did in Seattle. Don’t expect Curry to be a plug-in starter unless the Raiders have injuries that force him to play, but he should help the Raiders shore up the run defense.

I wouldn’t expect Curry to move to the weak-side and challenge for Quentin Groves spot because of his deficiencies in pass coverage.

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