Highs, Lows & Blows From Thursday’s Game

 Posted by at 1:58 PM  2 Responses »
Aug 122011
 

Everyone likes to win, but this is preseason. It’s the first preseason game of a year which features very little practice time beforehand.

It’s far too early to jump to conclusions about the season or any one player. It doesn’t mean that there is nothing to learn from the game.

Highs

1. The defensive line looks even more dominant than they did last year. Matt Shaughnessy looks poised for breakout year. They held up on the goal line.

2. The passing game looks ready to take the next step. Darrius Heyward-Bey, Denarius Moore and Kevin Boss all looked the part. Moore got snaps with the first team and made the most of them.

Heyward-Bey made a hands catch and then beat a defender deep only to have Jason Campbell under-throw him. Even Kyle Boller and Trent Edwards looked to be effectively orchestrating the passing offense. David Ausberry looks like he could become something special and a weapon in the receiving game.

3. The offensive line blocked reasonably well. A pleasant surprise. Sacks and pressure mostly came as a result of blitzes, something you aren’t really planning for in preseason games.

First team offensive line (left to right): Jared Veldheer, Daniel Loper, Samson Satele, Cooper Carisle, Khalif Barnes.

Second team: Stephon Heyer, Alex Parsons, Stefen Wisniewski, Roy Schuening, Joseph Barksdale

4. Depth players who looked good last night include Sterling Moore, who made a play, which echos what we have been hearing about him in camp. Chances are improving that he will make the roster. Tommie Hill was consistently getting a good push.

5. Jarvis Moss looks like he is in great shape. He’s motivated and he’s energetic on defense. He could become a key player this season if he continues to play with as much speed and strength as he did last night.

Lows

1. Depth in the secondary. After the starters left the game it got ugly. Walter McFadden looked the worst and was picked on repeatedly by the opposing quarterbacks. Jeremy Ware was not exposed in coverage, but could have made a play on the game-winning touchdown catch and run and didn’t. Stevie Brown didn’t even look good, missing the defender completely on an open-field tackle attempt.

Demarcus Van Dyke started strong by blanketing Larry Fitzgerald early. Fitzgerald still made a long reception over Van Dyke, but his coverage was good. He struggled with the backups. He was stiff-armed by Beanie Wells and was beat for a touchdown reception. He needs to bulk up and his speed will not benefit him if he isn’t within five yards. It looked worse than it was for Van Dyke, but he certainly has a steep learning curve.

2. An announced crowd under 30,000 means the Raiders will have a hard time selling out games. On any given week the Raiders will have to sell more individual game tickets than they have season ticket holders. The two for one offer starting August 15th will help, but it’s a steep hill to climb to avoid blackouts.

3. Not much depth at outside linebacker. Travis Goethel may end up sliding outside when the season moves closer, even though his best fit is in the middle. Goethel reminds me of Greg Biekert. Quentin Groves was playing with third and fourth string players and you almost couldn’t tell. Besides those three players there isn’t much depth. None of the backups stood out from the crowd. Raiders are rumored to still be interested in Lofa Tatupu. I’m not sure he can play outside, but he’s a quality option.

4. Mental errors killed the Raiders. Khalif Barnes had three false starts. That’s going to cost him snaps and could cost him his job. Trent Edwards had a delay of game penalty after a penalty. Reading Hue Jackson’s lips on the sideline: “You can’t do that! Come on!”

Blows

1. Hiram Eugene dislocated his hip. It’s a season ending injury. The same injury ended Bo Jackson’s career when the injury caused a subsequent conditions that resulted in loss of blood flow.

2. Chaz Schilens hurt his knee. Enough said.

3. Many Raiders players tweeted post game that the team had “a lot” of injuries. We’ll find out who had “nicks” when Hue Jackson talks to the press at 5 p.m.

Plenty of things to correct for Hue Jackson, sadly most of it will be on the back of Chuck Bresnahan. It only took one game for fans to lament his bend, don’t break defense.

 

Rivers vs. Rookies & Routt

 Posted by at 6:03 PM  No Responses »
Nov 302010
 

Nnamdi Asomugha went down with a high ankle sprain injury against the Seahawks and when he returned last week against the Dolphins after three weeks of rest he clearly wasn’t himself.

Now it appears his ankle is worse than previously believed or got worse during the game on Sunday. Asomugha could miss more time.

Chris Johnson was also out with a groin injury and could also miss this week’s game in San Diego.

That leaves Stanford Routt and rookies Jeremy Ware and Walter McFadden as the only healthy cornerbacks.

Jeremy Ware drew poor reviews from the coaching staff in Pittsburgh and was inactive last week. Walter McFadden was active and had a rough day against Miami. Both will be relied upon against the second best passing team in football.

When the Raiders defeated the Chargers in Oakland, Philip Rivers threw for 431 yards and two touchdowns. He was unstoppable against the Raiders secondary, which included Asomugha and Johnson.

Michael Huff will likely see additional snaps at cornerback in practice this week and could see plenty of work at cornerback in nickel situations.

The Raiders would then bring in Stevie Brown at free safety or have Mike Mitchell come in to cover Antonio Gates with Branch sliding over to the deep safety position.

If Norv Turner is smart, which offensively he is one of the smartest, he will spread the Raiders out by using four and five receivers sets.

The dime package means one or both of Ware and McFadden would have to be in the game presenting favorable matchups for the Chargers dynamic passing game.

Ware and McFadden simply must step up this week for the Raiders to have a chance at stopping the Chargers passing game.

The pass rush from the front seven need to pressure Rivers to give the young secondary a chance. Communication must be better in the secondary to avoid huge mistakes, such as a corner believing he has over-the-top when he doesn’t.

It took a series of big plays for the Raiders to defeat the Chargers the first time at home. Now instead of the Chargers being banged up and the Raiders healthy at home, it is the reverse.

One of the big keys to this game will be the play of the Raiders secondary. After the Chargers rolled them up the first time and after an embarrassing showing last week at home, they should be hungry.

Bye Bye Bust Label: Draft Picks Shining For The Raiders

 Posted by at 6:13 PM  No Responses »
Oct 292010
 

People line up to declare the next Al Davis draft selection a bust because the Raiders are well known for draft blunders. These people point to a lack of football instincts in the players Al Davis drafts. They say things like, “He’s just a track star, he’s not a football player.”

Let me know if you can figure out what a saying like that means. It sounds good but means nothing. Can a track star not be good at football also? You don’t hear people say, “He’s a wrestler, he’s not a football player.”

Those same people turn around and say, “Speed kills.” What? So now speed is good in the NFL player? Yes, there is much more to being a good player than speed, but much of it depends on how smart the player is, how much they can learn and if they are dedicated. Are these traits not also desirable in a track star? Why does running track have to be a negative stereotype?

Some guys have more smarts, have learned more or have been more dedicated to football when they enter the NFL. This is the reason why some players will have instant success, but can be limited by their physical gifts Others take time to grow, but end up being better players. Good examples include Nnamdi Asomugha and Vernon Davis.

The buzzards were circling around Darren McFadden coming into 2010 and seven weeks later he is averaging more yards per game from scrimmage than any player in the NFL. Any person who watched a little bit of Darren McFadden tape saw a football player more than they saw a track star. Even though I don’t think McFadden ran track. So the focus shifts to someone else now that McFadden has fought off the buzzards with a sharp stick.

Once upon a time Nnamdi Asomugha was a bust. I even suggested the Raiders move him to safety right before his breakout season. It remains one of my worst calls. Everyone was quick to jump on Mike Mitchell, the super reach of the 2009 draft is making the Raiders look pretty good right now. If he keeps improving, Mitchell could make the Raiders look very good and restore some of the respect Al Davis has lost the last seven seasons.

Next up, Darrius Heyward-Bey. Track star? Check. Production? Not much. Years in the league? Two. Al Davis? Drafted him. Bust? People have been saying it since he was a rookie.

Heyward-Bey has a chance this Sunday to have a breakout game against a soft Seahawks secondary ranked 29th in the league while giving up an average of 261.3 yards per game.

With Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy out, Heyward-Bey is now the best option at receiver. That’s scary. He badly needs a breakout to fend off the vultures and the Raiders badly need a receiver to come through for them in a big game. The biggest game of the season to this point is Sunday. The Raiders are 3-4, looking for credibility, a .500 record and back-to-back victories before squaring off against the rival Chiefs, who happen to be in first place.

For the Smurfs, Jacoby Ford and Nick Miller, this is their first crack at receiver in the NFL. Basically, they are both rookies, even though Miller was on the roster last season.

Ford played second-fiddle to CJ Spiller at Clemson, but was the alternate offensive weapon. Ford may be making a bigger impact on the Raiders than Spiller is on the Bills, drafted three full rounds apart. Ford will start this week for the injured Murphy. He’s shown his speed can be deadly and that he can score if given space and few people will be talking bust for this ex-track star, since he was drafted in the fourth round.

Jared Veldheer, drafted in the third round has seized the starting left tackle position. If he plays anything like he did last week, Veldheer will lock the position down for good. How often can a team say they are starting a rookie third-round draft pick at left tackle and feel good about it? Not often.

Has anyone even suggested Rolando McClain will not be a good player? Smart, dedicated, learned a lot from Nick Saban before coming into the league. He’s a physical specimen. Now that he is getting comfortable he’s starting to make more plays. The Raiders and Raider Nation are very excited about the centerpiece of the defense.

Texas has really churned out some nice defensive players in the past few years and Lamarr Houston is next in line. He’s been disruptive at times and learning from Richard Seymour should help the 305-pound defensive end. He’s never going to be a sack extraordinaire, but like Seymour he can still have a significant impact on the game. He’s already a fine player.

Jeremy Ware and Bruce Campbell are seeing limited snaps and the Raiders are hopeful about their futures. Walter McFadden and Stevie Brown have varied rolls, but Brown is making an impact on special teams.

It’s far too early to make definitive statements, but it doesn’t seem like the Raiders have anything approaching a draft bust with their 2010 draft selections seven games into the season. With a little luck they will be able to say the same about the 2009 draft class.

What To Watch: Sophomores

 Posted by at 5:59 PM  No Responses »
Aug 122010
 

Every year and in every city the preseason is when the fans watch to see if they have the next impact rookie.

This year’s top crop includes Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston, Jared Veldheer, Jacoby Ford, Bruce Campbell and Walter McFadden.

What is often lost in the rush to evaluate the rookies is just how much a second year player can improve and make an impact for a team. One recent example is Tyvon Branch.

Branch, as a Sophmore, lead all safties in tackles. He figures to be an impact player for the Raiders in 2010 and beyond.

The 2010 sophmore crop includes: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Mike Mitchell, Louis Murphy, Matt Shaughnessy, Desmond Bryant and Marcel Reece. These sophmores will all see significant playing time in 2010.

The offseason has been filled with reports on Heyward-Bey’s improvement. He’s looked like the best player on the field at times and his route running is much better. All the reports a vast departure his the drop-filled 2009.

Mike Mitchell’s rookie campaign was hindered by a hamstring that kept him out of camp and into the regular season. In limited duty late in the year he had success, but questions remain about his coverage skills.

Will Murphy be able to build on a successful 2009. You would think the addition of Jason Campbell would enable Murphy to take a leap forward, but unless Chaz Schilens remains on the sideline, Murphy could be forced to in the slot. Murphy will have to compete for reps with a more crowded core of young receivers.

Matt Shaughnessy has been so impressive the Raiders cut Greg Ellis and moved Richard Seymour to defensive tackle. Equally strong against the run and pass, Shaughnessy’s progression will go a long way towards determining the success of the Raiders defensive line in 2010.

Desmond Bryant is all of the sudden fourth on the depth chart at defensive tackle. This isn’t a terrible problem to have. Bryant still needs to become more consistent, but he can be a valuable member of the defensive line with limited snaps. Giving the aging Henderson, Kelly and Seymour a breather will be his primary role, but that’s not to minimize it. The Raiders will expect minimal drop-off in play when they call on Bryant’s number.

While many fans will keep a close eye on the rookies, perhaps it is the sophmores that are hungry and primed to make an impact in 2010.

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