Injury Updates: Schilens, Bush & Campbell

 Posted by at 12:59 AM  No Responses »
Aug 302010
 

Chaz Schilens will miss 3-6 weeks after undergoing surgery on his knee. He is more than likely out for the opener and likely will also miss the first few weeks of the season. His injury history is now pages long and he can’t stay healthy enough to stay on the field for more than a few games at a time.

Michael Bush will have a procedure on his left thumb. Tom Cable said he will not wear a cast, but will wear protection on the thumb. This is good news as it may have already been determined that he can play through the injury or wouldn’t miss significant time.

Michael Bennett may have secured his spot on the roster with the injury to Bush and the injury history of Darren McFadden.

Jason Campbell is likely good for the season opener. The more severe injury sustained in Saturday nights game was not the stinger but the right wrist injury from the drive before. This likely isn’t an issue, he came back into the game after the injury. The Raiders will be cautious, but I don’t expect this to be anything going forward.

Jared Veldheer will practice at tackle and center this week and it will be determined soon which position will be his permanent position. This is a tough decision to make, with the poor play of Mario Henderson and the injury and sub par play of Samson Satele.

Post Game Wrap: Raiders Fall Late 28-24

 Posted by at 9:05 PM  No Responses »
Aug 292010
 

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. 

Watch The Passing Game

 Posted by at 9:49 PM  No Responses »
Aug 212010
 

Preseason is not a time to worry about wins and losses. The coaches aren’t worried about wins because too often a score is the result of little to no game planning.

The coaches will go back and evaluate every player in the film room, but only a few fans even watch a preseason game more than once.

Tom Cable has stated the offensive problems in last week’s preseason game were minor things that can be tweaked.

That theory will be put to the test today in Chicago.

So what should the fans be looking for in the second preseason game of 2010?

Since this will be the first action of the season for Bruce Gradkowski, Jacoby Ford and Colt Brennan this will be the first chance the coaches and fans have to evaluate their performance and progression.

The poor showing from Jason Campbell and the receivers in last Thursday’s preseason win over Dallas will likely bring a more critical eyes to both groups.

Darrius Heyward-Bey has missed nearly the entire week worth of practice due to fatigue. He hasn’t been ruled out of the preseason game, but don’t be surprised if he is a late scratch. His ‘fatigue’ is something to watch closely.

Chaz Schilens hardly ever practices and the excitement surrounding him has worn off, leaving nothing but health concerns. One has to wonder if he can ever progress without practice reps and if he can stay healthy enough to become a favorite target for newly minted starter Campbell.

Colt Brennan will see his first action of the season, but at this point would have to really impress the coaches to get the nod as third quarterback over Kyle Boller.

Will fans start calling for Gradkowski if he performs better than Campbell against the second string units? They shouldn’t. Gradkowski is the perfect backup. The depth is second to few in the league even if Campbell isn’t an elite quarterback.

The passing game usually hinges on protection and Samson Satele and Cooper Carlisle didn’t do a great job of that last week.

Carlisle doesn’t yet have to worry about his job with rookie Bruce Campbell as the backup, but Satele needs a positive game to stop the calls for rookie Jared Veldheer to replace him.

While Mario Henderson did a solid job last week against a vanilla 3-4 Cowboys defense and all-pro DeMarcus Ware, the bigger test comes this week against the immensely talented Julius Peppers.

If Henderson can successfully block Peppers and Ware in back-to-back weeks the fans and coaches will likely be very pleased.

Chris Johnson was victimized by Tony Romo and Miles Austin last week and will sit out this week due to a sore hamstring. Stanford Routt and the rookies will get an extended look and attempt to cover a young and explosive receiving core.

During the game, follow me on Twitter or join the game-day chat.

Camp Questions, Preseason Answers

 Posted by at 8:26 PM  No Responses »
Aug 102010
 

The first preseason game could answer questions or it could create new ones and complicate old ones.

There is no way to know what will happen Thursday night in Dallas. More than anything, the coaches want to make it through the preseason without significant injuries.

There are plenty of questions that need to be answered and the coaches will start to answer them Thursday in Dallas.

Who will win the third running back job: Michael Bennett or Rock Cartwright?

Each back has a different style despite similarly small statures. Cartwright being the better special teams player and much more physical. Bennett is a quicker, faster and can get to the edge. This will be a tough call the coaches will have to make. Cartwright is a little more useful as long as McFadden and Bush are carrying the load, but should the third back be pushed into starter duty as it was multiple times last year, Bennett would probably be the back you’d want to have.

Will the return game improve?

The coaches would probably like to get Jacoby Ford, Yamon Figurs, Johnnie Lee Higgins and Cartwright a chance to return one in a game situation. Ford’s a bit banged up and may not play Thursday, leaving the others to have the first opportunity to wow the coaching staff.

What are the Raiders doing with Desmond Bryant and Thomas Howard?

The two ended last season as starters, but have been pushed down the depth chart. At first glance Bryant was pushed aside by Richard Seymour. While Seymour did move inside, he will play the three technique tackle position. This means Tommy Kelly is taking snaps with the first team at Bryant’s position.

Howard was moved from weak-side linebacker to strong-side linebacker last season, with Trevor Scott taking over on the weak side. In the offseason, the Raiders brought in Quentin Groves to play the weak side and Kamerion Wimbley to play the strong side.

Howard’s projected role shifted to nickel linebacker, but during camp that role has been filed by Mike Mitchell relegating Howard to third string duties. Adding insult to injury, Cable has repeatedly put down the work the linebackers did in 2009. Howard is the only current player that started the majority of the games at linebacker last season.

Rumors have been circulating that Howard could be released. It one possibility. It could also be that the Raiders knows exactly the type of player Howard is and are intent on getting Scott, Wimbley, Groves and Mitchell extra work.

Will the offensive line block better?

Robert Gallery is healthy, Samson Satele and Mario Henderson have another year in the system, and Langston Walker appears to have latched on at starting right tackle. Will these men, along with Cooper Carlisle be able to protect Jason Campbell? Can this line get a Raiders running back to 1000 yards?

Watch DeMarcus Ware Thursday night versus Mario Henderson. One of the best players in the NFL could wreck havoc versus a base offense.

‘Learning Intensive’ Practices Delay Assessment

 Posted by at 5:36 PM  No Responses »
Jul 302010
 

The Raider Nation must wait until Monday to begin assessing the team behind the leadership of new starter Jason Campbell. Thanks to Tom Cable’s ‘learning intensive’ practices, the Raiders will not put on pads until Monday.


The offense could put the defense to shame in non-contact drills, and with little risk of getting hit or tackled, the offensive players have an advantage. Equally, a poor offensive performance in non-contact drills doesn’t mean much. The coaches could be testing things out and the players are adjusting timing.

Enjoy the weekend for what it is, a non-contact, buzz generating walk-through. Sad to say, the Raiders have deprived the fans the opportunity to assess their favorite team for the first four days of camp.

Hopefully Cable is right and the learning intensive practices make for fewer mistakes and fewer soft tissue injuries for the rest of camp.

Monday is when the assessment can truly begin and questions can be answered.

1) Can the linebackers cover? – This can be gauged without pads, but a hit and tackle from the linebackers will change the way the backs and receivers run through the middle.

2) Can Mario Henderson be an above average left tackle? – We need Lamarr Houston and Matt Shaughnessy pushing him around with pads.

3) How many scraps will Lamarr Houston get into? – One already and he doesn’t have pads on yet.

4) Who wins the starting running back job? – Can Bush show burst and run aggressively? Will McFadden secure the ball?

5) Is Darrius Heyward-Bey really improved? – All signs point to yes, but we don’t really know until Nnamdi can play him with pads.

6) Can Chaz Schilens stay healthy? – Already a spectator. What happens when the team starts hitting.

7) Do the Raiders have enough depth in the secondary? – Routt becoming a drama queen and rookies are the other primary backups.

8) Is the offensive line strong enough to protect the QB? – Khalif Barnes? Langston Walker? Samson Satele? Mario Henderson? Far from an all-pro offensive line.

*If there is any silver lining to learning intensive practices, it is that I am going camping this weekend. I’ll be checking in as cell service permits on Twitter and the blog should any significant news break.

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