Studs and Duds From Week 3

 Posted by at 1:00 PM  No Responses »
Sep 302010
 
Studs

Richard Seymour (+8/-1)

His hamstring didn’t seem to bother his play. He was applying pressure consistently and was a force stopping the run. The Raiders are paying Seymour elite money this season and can’t be disappointed with his play. Seymour and Henderson have both missed a game this season and have really stepped up in each others absence against the run. Seymour missed practice Wednesday, but if he can stay healthy he will have a chance to make this list weekly.

Marcel Reece (+8/-0)

It isn’t often a fullback will make a list of studs, but Reece had an amazing game last Sunday in Phoenix. He did an excellent job picking up blitzes and finding players to block in the run game. He became a receiver on multiple occasions and looked more like a running back catching the ball and running with it. He has come a long way and deserves some recognition for his efforts.

Rolando McClain (+7/-1)

McPain has game. He still learning things in coverage, but is beginning to trust his instincts more and play faster. We know he has a mean streak after body slamming Danny Amendola in week two. He tipped a pass, was in position and is showing up around the ball. McClain’s efforts may have gone unnoticed during the game, but watching film it was clear McClain had a game worthy of this list.

Lamarr Houtson (+5/-1)

Another good game by a rookie. Houston repeatedly sealed the edge in the run game and was applying pressure repeatedly in the first half. He didn’t have as strong of a second half. Chalk this up to endurance. The Raiders only have three true defensive ends and Houston wasn’t getting many plays off.

Nnamdi Asomugha (+4/-3) and Stanford Routt (+5/-1)

Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston can be formidable pair of receivers that are difficult for opposing cornerbacks. Both receivers scored a touchdown on the day and it is no coincidence the touchdowns were not scored on the Raiders starting cornerbacks. The Raiders starting duo was so good the Cardinals were running plays to specifically target the safeties and linebackers in coverage. This was a wise strategy as the Cardinals were able to score two touchdowns.

Asomugha proved why many consider him the best corner in the league. Fitzgerald was physically frustrated with the match up. Asomugha had two negative plays in run support, with a habit of lowering his head and lunging for the tackle becoming a reoccurring theme. Routt has turned in a few solid games in a row and could be finally turning the corner. You haven’t seen many people calling for Chris Johnson and that’s a testament to Routt’s solid play.

Duds

Cooper Carlisle (-6/+1)

What can you say when one lineman keeps showing up on a duds list and yet there has been no discussion of replacing him? He is better in the running game, but hardly special. He was tossed aside like a rag doll by Darnell Dockett on multiple occasions including what could have been touchdown pass if Gradkowski was given enough time to find the open receiver. His play makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Khalif Barnes (-3/+0)

He comes in for a few plays and looks horrible. So much for the theory that Barnes was a better option than Walker. Last season he was going to press for the left tackle position, this season he is the backup right tackle, that should tell you everything you need to know.

Langston Walker (-3/+0)

Oh, a third offensive lineman makes the duds list? Walker was injured and out of the game and still couldn’t keep from making a handful of bad plays. His pass protection is embarrassing, but he can be a decent run blocker on occasion, so I guess he has that going for him.

Johnnie Lee-Higgins (-3/+0)

How did he even make the list having played so few snaps on offense? Horrible punt returning, that’s how. Just catching the ball and running straight forward was better than what Higgins was doing out there. It seems Nick Miller or Jacoby Ford could be given the shot to return punts sooner rather than later.

Sebastian Janikowski (-3)

He missed three kicks including the game winner, but he is still a weapon. He will bounce back as he has before and I’m predicting a game winner this week for redemption.

Notables:

Bruce Gradkowski (-11/+9)

It would be interesting to see what a Raiders quarterback could do with a little pass protection. Gradkowski had at least three passes go off the hands of defenders that are normally easy interceptions. He made some plays, but missed far too many open throws. One thing is clear, the Raiders quarterbacks can only go as far as the protection goes.

Quentin Groves (-7/+6)

He is always around the ball and seems to be making plays every couple minutes. His problem is mostly in coverage, but will also miss the occasional tackle. If he can eliminate the poor plays he would be a pretty good linebacker. The Raiders are clearly hoping addition playing time at linebacker will help him. He is certainly making an impact, I graded him on 13 plays second only to Gradkowski’s 20.

Major RAMifications: Rams @ Raiders Preview

 Posted by at 7:13 AM  No Responses »
Sep 192010
 

Second-year head coach Steve Spagnuolo has the St. Louis Rams on the right path. With Sam Bradford the highest paid rookie quarterback ever leading the way.

The team formerly from Los Angeles takes on the other team formerly from Los Angeles on Sunday, with more than just a win on the line.

Both teams had offseasons of hope. The Rams selecting its quarterback of the future, the Raiders cutting its quarterback once thought to be of the future. Both teams have new quarterbacks desperate for their first win.

One of these teams will go into week three with a 0-2 record; the other with 1-1.

If the Raiders lose this game, Tom Cable’s seat is going to heat up dramatically.

This game couldn’t look better for the Raiders to earn their first win. The Rams have a rookie quarterback making his first road start and are 6-43 since the start of 2007. Three years of futility even the Raiders can’t match and the Raiders are coming off a disappointing loss in Tennessee, so they aren’t likely to look past a weaker opponent.

The schedule makers handed the Raiders a win. All they must do is reach out and take it.

How do rookie quarterbacks fair in their first road starts?

Matthew Stafford
16 for 27
205 yards
0 touchdowns
2 interceptions
QB rating: 27.4
Result: 27-45 loss

Mark Sanchez
18 for 31
272 yards
1 touchdown
1 interception
QB rating: 84.3
Result: 24-7 win

Josh Freeman
16 for 28
196 yards
1 touchdown
1 interception
1 lost fumble
QB rating: 75.9
Result: 23-25 Loss

Peyton Manning
21 for 33
188 yards
1 touchdown
3 interceptions
1 lost fumble
QB rating: 51.1
Result: 6-29 Loss

A word of caution. Mark Sanchez came into Oakland as a rookie in 2009, completed 9 of 16 passes, had 1 touchdown passing and 1 rushing. He left the game early with a 107.0 QB rating, ate a few hot dogs and the Jets finished off the Raiders, 0-38. One of the worst home losses in Raiders history.

Offense

If it wasn’t for solid play from Darren McFadden the offense would have been a total disaster.

The offensive line is again under the microscope and this time will be missing the best of the bunch. Robert Gallery is listed as doubtful due to a hamstring injury. Daniel Loper will fill in for Gallery along the offensive line.

Jared Veldheer’s status as a surprise starter at center is in jeopardy. The Raiders did not announce the starter and it could be Veldheer or 2009 starter Samson Satele.

The Rams have speed off the edge with Chris Long matching up with the bigger slower Langston Walker and this defense was able to force four turnovers against Arizona in week one. Look for Erik Pears to enter the game if Walker struggles.

OJ Atogwe, James Laurinaitis and Chris Long are major players the Raiders must be concerned with, but the Rams otherwise lack impact players. One player flying under the radar is defensive tackle Fred Robbins, who could give the Raiders problems up front. Especially is Cooper Carlisle continues regress.

The Rams defense is improving, but if the Raiders can give Jason Campbell enough time, he should be able to easily pick apart the Rams poor secondary.

Michael Bush is questionable with a thumb injury and the Raiders may decide to hold him out another week or two if McFadden can continue to produce like he did in Tennessee. One factor that could come into play is McFadden’s suspect ball security with the potential for rain during the game.

Darrius Heyward-Bey was targeted only a couple of times last week. He made a tough catch on the only pass that made it to him. Look for Heyward-Bey to get involved early in the passing game with a few early designed plays.

Matchup to watch: Langston Walker vs Chris Long

Defense

The Raiders defense improved at stopping the run, but ended up not having much to show for it.

Thanks to the mistakes by rookie Rolando McClain and Tyvon Branch, 91 yards and 2 touchdowns went against the total allowed. Otherwise it would have been a good day for the Raiders rush defense.

Steven Jackson is the next back to challenge the Raiders run defense, but will do so on a sore knee. He is listed at probable. The Raiders don’t have the blazing speed of Chris Johnson to worry about, instead it is the Jackson’s ability to bust arm tackles and pancake cornerbacks.

This test may be taken without Richard Seymour. The best Raiders defensive player last week is listed as questionable due to a hamstring injury. A huge blow, but thankfully veteran run-stopper John Henderson will step into the starter role.

Unfortunately, the Raiders pass rush wasn’t up the level the Raiders are typically accustomed in week one. Perhaps the defense had to respect the running ability of Chris Johnson and the scrambling ability of Vince Young, but the Raiders never were able to bring consistent pressure in Tennessee.

Sam Bradford wasn’t really pressured last week at home against Arizona. The Rams were cutting the field in half for Bradford by rolling him out of the pocket. This bought Bradford extra time to make simple reads or check it down.

Extra time for Bradford means the Raiders coverage units can’t let players get loose deep in the secondary and they can’t afford to bite on play action. Tyvon Branch was twice victimized by the play action last week to the tune of 14 points. He must not only do better this week, but come up with a few big plays for redemption.

Matchup to watch: Rolando McClain vs Steven Jackson.

Special Teams

The Raiders were much better covering kicks in Tennessee than during the preseason, but a troubling new hiccup emerged in Sebastian Janikowski’s kicking accuracy.

Janikowksi appears to have been a little shaky kicking the ball in the season opener. He will now have to compete with a 60% chance of rain and a dirt infield on Sunday.

The Rams have nice return men in Mardy Gilyard and Danny Amendola and the Raiders will have to keep them contained and the Rams backed up in their own territory.

The Raiders waived Yamon Figurs after a one week experiment. Rookie Jacoby Ford will return kicks and Johnnie Lee Higgins punts. Both men have what is takes to do the job and the Raiders even cited Jacoby Ford’s emergence as reason enough to cut the fumble-prone Figurs. With a wet one possible, the return men need to secure the ball.

Matchup to watch: Kickers vs the elements.

Weather Report


High: 67
Winds: 9 mph out of the west
Cloud Cover: 84%
Chance of Precipitation: 60%

“Return” To Excellence

 Posted by at 8:31 PM  No Responses »
Jun 022010
 

One of the major problems with the 2009 Raiders was the struggle in the return game.

Fullback Gary Russell became the primary kick returner when Nick Miller was injured for the season.

Johnnie Lee Higgins was the primary punt returner, but showed little of the promise in 2009 that he did in 2007 and 2008.

The Raiders ranked 32nd in the league in kick return average in 2009 with just 18.2 yards per return and 29th in the league in punt return average with just 4.9 yards per return.

There are three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. The Raiders have two of the best legs in the game to kick and punt, but in 2009 the worst return game.

A lot more goes into the return game in the form of blocking than we can cover here and the personnel are so fluid at this point it isn’t worth the effort.

One way the Raiders can improve drastically is to give the return duties to a new player.

Gary Russell’s lack of speed and agility really hurt the return game. Warren Sapp at one point commented saying that Russell’s waist was as big as his. Take this for what it is worth, but by most accounts Russell should never have been returning kicks.

Higgins struggled mightily to recapture the success he had in the return game in 2008, but has a small window to recapture it in 2010.

Higgins punt return average in 2007 and 2009 were an identical at a sub standard 5.2 yards per return. In 2008,

Higgins returned three punts for a touchdown and averaged 13.0 yards per punt return. His career average is 23.4 yards per kick return and 8.7 yards per punt return.

Can Higgins recapture his 2008 success or 2009 the norm?

Almost immediately following the season the Raiders signed Yamon Figurs. Figurs will attempt to earn a job in return game in 2010, having averaged 23.1 yards per kick return and 8.0 yards per punt return in his career. If Figurs can replicate those marks in 2010, the Raiders return game could improve, but those numbers would still be considered average by NFL standards.

The Raiders used the draft pick acquired for Kirk Morrison to select Jacoby Ford out of Clemson University. Ford was good enough to share return duties with C.J. Spiller, the Bills first round draft selection.

While Spiller was much more dynamic with seven kick return touchdowns to Ford’s two, he wasn’t significantly more successful returning the football. Spiller averaged 27.7 yards per kick return in college and 6.5 yards per punt return. Ford averaged 23.9 yards per kick return and 6.0 yards per punt return.

Ford’s youth and speed make him the favorite to win a return job, but it is also possible the Raiders opt for dual threat kick return game for the first time in years.

Nick Miller returns as a second year player who made the team as an undrafted free agent only to play in zero snaps. No small feat. Miller averaged 20.3 per return on kickoffs in college and a whopping 16.5 yards per punt return while playing for Southern Utah.

It is difficult to gauge how return stats will translate to the NFL, especially in Nick Miller’s case. He played just one year against inferior competition.

Rock Cartwright also has a chance to make the roster partly because of his kick return ability. Cartwright has returned kicks exclusively the past four seasons and averaged 24.0 yards per return in his career.

Cartwright is a sleeper candidate to win the kick return job, but he may also need to beat out Michael Bennett for the reserve running back position to stick.

Johnnie Lee Higgins has a slight window to recapture his 2008 success, but he will have players breathing down his neck for the punt return duties.

This will be one of the better return battles in recent memory and the Raiders are hoping the player who wins the job can elevate one of the weakest areas on the team.

Who do you think wins the kick and punt return jobs in Oakland?

twtpoll

  Johnnie Lee Higgins Nick Miller Jacoby Ford Yamon Figurs Rock Cartwright Other
PR
KR


Notes:

- The Raiders signed CB Joe Porter of the UFL’s Las Vegas Locomotives. He was a track star at Clemson University and ran a 4.33 second 40 yard dash at his pro day in 2007.

Pre-Season Game 1: Battle of the Bay

 Posted by at 5:33 PM  1 Response »
Aug 092008
 

I was at the game, so this is from a live perspective this time around. I should attend a number of games this season, although I don’t forsee another pre-season game in me.

I got to see the rotations and I paid very careful attention to the RB rotation.

Fargas played only against the starters, and struggled a little bit, but he ran hard and it wasn’t as if we were tipping our hand as far as running plays go. Solid. He had a couple nice gains. I find it hard to believe Fargas isn’t going to get banged up and hurt again the way he runs, but at least we have some nice young backs to back him up this season.

McFadden got a few carries against the starters and looked really good. It wasn’t flashy, but he only got one outside run the whole game and never lined up as a WR nor was he thrown a screen pass. He runs hard and fast and its only a matter of time until he breaks some big ones. McFadden also got rotated with Bush against the second string defense (With second string offensive line) and did just as good. We should probably take it easy on him the rest of the preseason, we need to keep this backfield as healthy as possible.

Bush was a pleasant sight to see, he runs hard and breaks a few tackles. It was against second and third string guys (With our second and third string offensive line) so take that for what it is worth. He looked good and I think he was happy to get some real contact for the first time in two years.

With all of that said, Fargas contract only pays him like a starter for this season, after that he gets paid like a backup and has a contract we could easily get rid of. The plan is the use this year to get the young backs feet wet and turn them loose together next season. Fargas could stay on as backup or get traded/released.

The offensive line looked suspect in pass protection again. Russell had a number of plays where the pocket collapsed around him. It was terrible, but a young QB is going to need as much time as possible to make his reads. Russell undershot the long pass in the first series, had he really air mailed it he may have had a very long touchdown. Overall, he looked poised, and I was glad Kiffin didn’t leave him in there with the second stringers, too much injury risk. The timeout on the second play of the game is hopefully just a preseason hiccup.

Tommy Kelly looked good early, he ran out of gas a little in the second series, but I think as he works into shape that will be a thing of the past. J-Rich also looked like he was getting pressure off the end, maybe he will be an everydown player I think he can be this season as opposed to next.

The backups at virtually every position on the defense looked weak. Routt actually looked solid even though the INT was easy he blanketed WR well and the offense picked on the safties and other corners before they even considered going after Routt. His mistake was running laterally after getting the INT. IF he runs north-south he gets to the 10-15 area instead he doesn’t go anywhere and fumbles on the three.

Nice to see Terdell Sands run across the field and recover the fumble. When he landed on the ball it disappeared into his abdomen, the refs are still looking for it.

Higgins was my highlight of the night. Punt returns aren’t easy and both returns were good with the block in the back not even effecting the first return. The only thing is he didn’t beat the kicker on the first one, I could run over Andy Lee. Still if his fumble problems are behind him, it looks like the return game could be much improved.

Mario Henderson had another bad game, looks to me like we might have to write this guy off as a bust of a pick. IF Tom Cable can’t get the guy to play better (Like he has every other lineman) then who can?

Walter had a nice game and although not smooth did well at the rollouts and bootlegs. Tui was okay, but unimpressive. Walter appears to be the front runner for the backup job at this point.

Walker failed to go up and get the ball and it slipped through his hands. ON another play he failed to turn on any extra bust to catch up to a well thrown fade route. Not inspiring. He needs a fire lit under him. Would be nice to see Russell call him out, but I know that is wishful thinking.

Was disappointed not to see Curry out there, with his job threatened you’d think a slightly tight hammy would keep him from two series worth of plays.

Tony Stewart had one really nice catch through the middle. Madsen was again absent from Kiffin’s plans, something I still don’t understand when you have so few options in the passing game. Then again Miller didn’t really see any balls his way either.

Rankin had that long run and looked quick, but when touched lightly he went down without much of a fight. Auditioning for practice squad or another team. I don’t expect him to make the roster unless someone gets hurt, then he still would have to beat out Adimchinobe Won Konobi.

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