Hue’s Bullies Are Meek In Loss

 Posted by at 12:42 PM  1 Response »
Aug 212011
 

Hue Jackson has been beating a drum this offseason. He wants his team to bully opposing teams. It’s reminiscent of something Mike Singletary would say. Big talk from the coach doesn’t always translate to the team.

On Saturday at Candlestick, the Raiders were bullied. The offensive line couldn’t intimidate a 7-year-old girl. The reserves on the defensive line were pushed around like a grocery cart with a crazy wheel.

It was bad, but it is never as bad as it looks. Particularly when it is the reserves getting pushed around. Next week against a superior Saints team will be the best sampling of the Raiders progress under Jackson. Next week, the starters should play an entire half. Drew Brees will expose any weaknesses on the Raiders defense and Gregg Williams isn’t likely to make it easy for the Raiders defensive line.

The game did highlight some areas of great concern, but there were bright spots early.

 

Studs

Darrius Heyward-Bey – Could he finally be a useful weapon? If he keep catching the ball and getting open like he did Saturday he will have an impact for the first time in his career.

Denarius Moore – Things turn to gold when Moore is around the ball. He has been too good for the Raiders not to keep him in the mix, even if he isn’t announced as a starter.

Kevin Boss – If he stays healthy Raider Nation may forget about Zach Miller. The only issue is that he strained his knee during the game. It’s not a major injury, but the Raiders would like to keep him out of the trainer’s room.

Michael Bush – Aside from one missed blitz pickup, he played well. Bush was picking up extra yards despite an offensive line that was getting very little push. He picked up the blitz well when he got a second chance.

Lamarr Houston – Houston held the edge very well and the 49ers were not picking up big chunks on the ground when Houston was in the game.

Matt Shaughnessey – Did a great job selling his rush and dropping into coverage on a zone blitz. He was rewarded with an interception. He’s definitely a player to watch this season.

 

Duds

Daniel Loper – Gone is Robert Gallery and Loper is the starter at left guard. If you couldn’t figure out why Stefen Wisniewski was getting snaps at left guard we figured it out on Saturday night. Loper was terrible against Ricky Jean Francois. Jean Francois isn’t even a starter and Loper couldn’t block him. I don’t think Loper won as single battle all night. He was bullied by a backup.

Jarvis Moss – He should have a role as a pass rush specialist, but he was consistently losing his contain on the outside. Not only did he lose his contain, but the offensive line was able to manipulate him out of running lanes. Not swag.

Trent Edwards/Kyle Boller – The backup offensive lines fared a little better, but Boller and Edwards were inaccurate at best. Too many bad decisions from the backups.

Reserve DL – Jamie Cumbie, Tommie Hill and Mason Brodine might as well have been a blocking sled.

 

The Sophomore Scene

Walter McFadden – He was beat by Braylon Edwards on a long pass, but it was good coverage. A great throw and great catch. That’s about all we saw of McFadden on the night. Rebound for him.

Bruce Campbell – Plays way too high. His natural strength helps him from looking terrible, but he loses the point of attack battle far too often. Inconsistent at best. Cooper Carlisle doesn’t have much to worry about at the moment.

Jeremy Ware – Aside from one blitz we didn’t see much of Ware in coverage. The 49ers second team was content to run and throw short passes to the flat.

Travis Goethel – The defensive line in front of him was getting thrown around making his performance difficult to evaluate. He’s shown enough in practice and during games that he’s likely to get a shot at outside linebacker once camp breaks.

Rolando McClain – Struggled to get off blocks at times and was slow to read a run near the goal line. Not much to worry about with McClain. He doesn’t make the same mistake twice very often, but does need to keep defenders away from his body.

Jared Veldheer – Allowed a sack. It was pure speed rush and the linebacker went very wide. Veldheer was able to keep him deep, but the linebacker made it around him with excellent bend. Jason Campbell’s first read was not open and he didn’t read it fast enough to avoid the sack.

 

Rookie Report

Demarcus Van Dyke – Played with the starters. On the only play he could be evaluated his footwork and technique was all over the map. He got turned around and allowed an easy reception. Too early to make much of Van Dyke and you can’t put much stock into a single isolated play. He’ll take his lumps as all rookies do.

Stefen Wisniewski – Played consistently as the backup center. Not overly impressive, but didn’t make any glaring mistakes. Samson Satele may have been the most impressive starting offensive lineman which could mean Wisniewski remains a reserve. Snap reaction would be that Wisniewski’s best chance to start could be at left guard.

Chimdi Chekwa – Tight coverage and came up to support the run. It was his first game back and he should continue to get expanded opportunities. Looked solid.

Richard Gordon – For being a blocking specialist he sure did get handled on a couple blocks. He’s probably a safe player to stash on the practice squad.

David Ausberry – Not much action for Ausberry. This happens quite a bit when the team knows what they think of a player. Time to hide him from the film.

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.

 

Pass Offense & Rush Defense Still a Problem

 Posted by at 10:00 AM  No Responses »
Aug 082011
 

Attempt to think back to when the Raiders went 12-4, won the AFC West and led the NFL in rushing. It was the year 2000 when the Raiders did exactly that. With a similar two-headed monster in the backfield of Tyrone Wheatley, the bruiser, and Napolean Kaufman, the speed guy, the Raiders ran all over opponents.

In 2010 the Raiders were second in the NFL in rushing with Darren McFadden, the shifty speed guy, and Michael Bush, the bruiser. The Raiders running game was tough for any front seven to handle, but it may be necessary for the Raiders to improve the rushing game even more in 2011 because of the mediocrity of the passing game and rush defense. If Hue Jackson is going to achieve his goal of “building a bully” and earning a 2011 playoff berth these two areas must improve dramatically.

The key to this season’s offense is improving the passing game. The Raiders ranked 23rd in passing with 3180 passing yards. However in 2000, the Raiders finished with just a middle of the road passing attack, at 15th in the league with 3306 passing yards. Although the yardage was very similar, the discrepancy is passing touchdowns. In 2010, Raider quarterbacks combined for 18 touchdowns through the air, which tied them for 25th with the St Louis Rams. By comparison the Raider threw 26 touchdowns in 2000, tied for 5th in the league.

Had the Raiders had the same success in 2010 passing in the red zone as they did in 2000, they would have been in the playoffs. If they can in 2011, there is a good chance they will be playing in January.

The 2000 Raiders were 5th in the league in rush defense as they gave up 1551 yards on the ground while the 2010 Raiders came in at 29th, giving up 2138 yards. The Raiders have made moves to strengthen the front seven. There have been improvements shown by Quentin Groves and the Raiders having both Trevor Scott and Travis Goethel healthy will make the front seven a lot stronger against the run.

Lamar Houston and Matt Shaughnessey should see more consistent playing time this season and the Raider brought back John Henderson, who lives to stop the run. The mixture of these players in the front seven should hopefully cut 300-400 yards over the course of the season. It is a seemingly small amount, just 18-25 yards per game. That drop off in opponent production would have placed last year’s Raiders in the middle of the pack, and probably in the playoffs.

The Raiders need to steadily improve the passing offense and score an extra touchdown through the air every other week. The defense must cut out about 25 rushing yards per week. The combination of these two should give the Raiders equal to seven points per week. An extra seven points per week in the 2010 season could have made for a staggering 13-3 record as the Raiders lost only 3 games by more than 8 points.

Improving to mediocrity last season may have been just enough to make the Raiders the favorites in the AFC West. If they can take the next steps towards “building a bully” they may indeed find themselves on top of the division.

Follow me on Twitter: @MatthewGhanem

 

 

2010 Defensive Line Review

 Posted by at 4:00 PM  No Responses »
Feb 102011
 

By Rick Drummond, Profootballfocus.com

It would be hard to argue that this wasn’t the most outstanding position group for the 2010 Oakland Raiders (though the running backs could make a case for themselves.) With impact performances coming from all spots along this 4-man front, a foundation was established for an improved defense and some enthusiasm about the future.

In a 4-3 defense, there is typically a pass-rushing force coming off one edge or the other and some combo of blocker-eating big bodies in the middle. Interestingly, the final version of the Raider D-line boasted two pass-rushing beasts inside and two run-stuffing edge players.

For veterans Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour, the battle cry clearly was not “Let’s keep Rolando clean!” The two did not spend much time occupying blockers as they fully embraced the “cut it loose” mentality and spent the season slicing through gaps. As a result, both ranked among the top four pass-rushing DT’s in the league as rated by profootballfocus.com. Their combined 83 QB disruptions (sacks+hits+pressures+batted passes) were the best by any NFL duo.

Playing on the ends, youngsters Matt Shaughnessy and Lamarr Houston, were two of the NFL’s top ten 4-3 DE run stoppers (again as graded by PFF.) They excelled at holding their edges, stringing runs to the sideline, and squeezing down running lanes when the ball went inside. When given the chance to get after the QB, they did that well too, totaling 69 QB disruptions between them.

So many ingredients went into making this line the success that it was, but perhaps even more important than the assembled parts was bringing Mike Waufle back as the D-line coach. Waufle captured the minds of this group, used players in well-defined roles, and rotated them with confidence. Getting each to fully believe and play like they were a valuable and unique contributor was an achievement that could get overlooked, but shouldn’t.

As of this writing, the Raiders have not landed their next defensive coordinator but we do know that Waufle will be around next season – as the D-Line coach or possibly serving as the DC himself.

DT Richard Seymour *Pro-Bowl
Experience: 10 seasons, signed through: was Franchise Player, FREE AGENT in 2011
2010: 13 starts, 642 snaps (284 run / 356 pass), 38 QB disruptions, 36 stops, 8 penalties
PFF grades: overall +18.8, run D +9.4, pass rush +14.0 (#4 DT in NFL)

Seymour earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection and was viewed by most as the Raiders’ defensive MVP in 2010. The leadership and consistently outstanding play he brought each week was invaluable to a re-shaped defense that featured young players in prominent roles. For the D-line specifically, Seymour provided a focal point as the top of the hierarchy that allowed each of the others to simply do their jobs without taking on extra attention – be that in the media or in opponents’ game plans.

Lining up as the right defensive tackle, he regularly had his way with the left guards he faced – including some of the best in the game: Kris Diehlman, Wade Smith, Brian Waters, to name a few. He constantly knifed into offensive backfields – hardly slowed by opponents draped on his shoulders – to greet ball carriers before they got started and to startle passers as they finished their drops.

Seymour appeared to relish his role as a leader and a cornerstone for a Raider franchise looking for a turnaround. He showed up to camp early with the rookies and maintained his enthusiasm all season. He was tagged as the Franchise Player for 2010 and should be again in 2011 if a long term deal isn’t reached. I fully expect him to return to Raiders one way or another and to finish his career in Oakland.

DT Tommy Kelly *Pro Bowl
Experience: 6 seasons, signed through: 2014
2010: 16 starts, 859 snaps (403 run / 451 pass), 45 QB disruptions, 27 stops, 12 penalties
PFF grades: overall +11.1, run D +2.4, pass rush +15.5 (#3 DT in NFL)

Slimmed down, determined, and eager to change some minds, Tommy Kelly entered 2010 a new man and with Seymour at his side, he was set loose. He split so many double teams so quickly, I nearly wore out my DVR while running back all of his “I’ve got to see that again” plays. His impact was noted around the league and Kelly was selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl.

The 2010 Tommy Kelly was the player the Raiders though he could be (though initially they envisioned him doing it in the other tackle spot.) He led all DT’s in QB disruptions while managing to be an above average run defender too. Somehow, he kept surprising opponents with his quickness and was able to slash past blockers that should have been prepared to handle him after seeing his work in the early part of the season.

He’s locked in with the long contract he signed a few years back and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Even in the unlikely event that the team decides to jump to a 3-4 defense, Kelly will have a home with the Raiders, though he’d probably be best suited for an end position if that was the case.

DT John Henderson
Experience: 9 seasons, signed through: FREE AGENT in 2011
2010: 2 starts, 272 snaps (162 run / 109 pass), 9 QB disruptions, 24 stops, 1 penalty
PFF grades: overall +22.6, run D +21.0 (#3 DT in NFL), pass rush +1.7

Henderson missed seven games in the middle of the season with a foot injury, but when he was present, there were few better run-stuffers in the NFL. Big John provided the situational, hold-the-line counter to the Seymour-Kelly upfield combo and another veteran presence in the middle of the Raider D.

His one-year contract is done, and his performance this season showed the NFL that he can still dominate when used appropriately, so he’ll likely get some attention as a free agent. If the team and he decide to give it another go in 2011 (why wouldn’t they?) expect him to continue on as a part time, early down, short yardage option.

DT Desmond Bryant
Experience: 2 seasons, signed through: Exclusive Rights Free Agent in 2011
2010: 0 starts, 333 snaps (171 run / 161 pass), 12 QB disruptions, 18 stops, 2 penalties
PFF grades: overall +11.3, run D +11.1, pass rush +0.8

The undrafted defensive tackle from Harvard made strides in his second season and finished 2010 particularly strong. Bryant has turned out to be a reliable alternative at tackle when spelling the starters and, late in the season, put his versatility on display by filling in at defensive end.

In Bryant, the Raiders have a young, talented, and affordable depth player that they can count on. He’ll remain a Raider and may even see a few more snaps next season.

DE Matt Shaughnessy
Experience: 2 seasons, signed through: 2012
2010: 8 starts, 649 snaps (354 run / 290 pass), 29 QB disruptions, 36 stops, 4 penalties
PFF grades: overall +15.3, run D +14.3 (#5 4-3 DE in NFL), pass rush +3.3

Shaughnessy began his sophomore season splitting time in a rotation with Trevor Scott but was playing himself into a larger role even before Scott was lost to injury in Week 11. He made a name for himself this season as a force against the run. Primarily lined up as the right defensive end, he gave no ground, controlled the massive left tackles that tried to move him, and showed the ability to keep an arm free and use it to bring down runners.

He had a noteworthy high-low experience in back-to-back forgettable midseason games for the Raiders. An excellent personal day (as expected) against Pittsburgh’s Jonathan Scott was followed by his first start – an 80-snap day against Miami and Jake Long – and his worst day of the season. Looking beyond those spikes, Shaughnessy played consistently well.

Not to be lost in his success as a run defender, he quietly collected eight sacks and gave the coaching staff more confidence in using him as an every down player. He remains under contract for two more seasons and should be given the chance to build on this breakout season as the starter to open 2011.

DE Lamarr Houston
Experience: 1 season, signed through: 2013
2010: 15 starts, 741 snaps (406 run / 332 pass), 40 QB disruptions, 33 stops, 6 penalties
PFF grades: overall +9.1, run D +10.6 (#10 4-3 DE in NFL), pass rush +3.4

Houston has been named to just about every All-Rookie team out there and deserves every mention he gets. The fire and energy he brings was evident from the start and the guy genuinely looks like he’s doing it right and having fun playing the game. If any young Raider inspires memories of the old-time John Madden “be on time, pay attention, and play like hell when I tell you to” Raiders, Houston is the guy.

Consistently strong against the run, he also enjoyed some very good games as a pass rusher and put together a couple of performances that were visions of what he can be – dominant. He was tenacious, fearless, and versatile – bouncing inside when needed for spot duty or for an entire game. There isn’t a tight end in the league that can move him and if he can avoid being latched onto by long-armed right tackles, he’s too quick for them to handle too.

Houston made a splash as a rookie starter and set the bar high for himself. He’ll have to work to get his play to a steady level, but there’s no doubt that he’ll put that work in. Judging by his play on the field and his demeanor off of it, this is a star in the making … and hopefully a career Raider.

DE Trevor Scott
Experience: 3 seasons, signed through: 2011
2010: 13 starts, 487 snaps (208 run / 233 pass rush / 46 cover), 24 QB disruptions, 11 stops, 4 penalties
PFF grades: overall +2.0, run D -1.7, pass rush +4.3, cover 0.0

Scott bounced between the defensive end and weakside linebacker spots in 2010. He was expected to be at LB when the season began, but when Quentin Groves was named the starter there, Scott landed in a rotation with Shaughnessy and Houston and got time on each end of the line. When Groves went down with an injury, Scott slid back to take on that job for a few games. After a return to defensive end, a knee injury against Pittsburgh ended his season.

Scott had previously proven himself to be a slippery pass rusher with a knack for finding the quarterback, though this season he didn’t have the same success. When at linebacker, he looked comfortable in space and generally maneuvered himself into good leverage positions, but was not an attacker. His versatility is a plus, but being good at both positions and great at neither may equal back-up duty for Scott going forward. His best chance to compete for a starting gig next season will be at the weakside linebacker spot.

DE Jarvis Moss
Experience: 4 seasons, signed through: FREE AGENT in 2011
2010 (with Raiders): 0 starts, 36 snaps (10 run / 25 pass), 8 QB disruptions, 1 penalty
PFF grades: overall +2.1, run D -1.0, pass rush +4.5

The Raiders signed Moss for depth after Trevor Scott was placed on injured reserve. He was with the team for the final six games, sat out the first, played briefly in the next four, and got in for 23 snaps in the finale at Kansas City. In that game, the former first round pick showed that he had something to offer, collecting a pair of sacks and four other QB disruptions.
Moss could return to compete for a pass-rushing specialist role in 2011, though I don’t expect there to be much room for a player that can only contribute in that way.

** Special mention **
Kamerion Wimbley’s season will be reviewed when we get to the linebacker group, but he deserves at least a quick shout here. Wimbley put his hand in the dirt and joined the line for nearly every nickel situation this season. His presence added a much needed element to this line – speed off of the edge. In 283 snaps as a pass rusher, he generated 36 QB disruptions and led the team in sacks.

Raiders Buck Broncos, 59-14

 Posted by at 3:05 PM  No Responses »
Oct 252010
 

Now the hard part; recovering from the win. The Raiders have had the uncanny ability to recover from losses, but a marked inability to recover from a win. Back-to-back wins would be a marker for this team.

The concept is simple. Take one game at a time. Win a game, the next week you are 0-0 and looking to go 1-0. Lose a game, the next week you are 0-0 and looking to go 1-0. It’s cliché, but that doesn’t reduce it to rubble. Each team must be able to do both, focus on the next week instead of the prior week.

Next week Pete Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks come into Oakland on Halloween. The Raider Nation doesn’t need a holiday as an excuse to dress up, but on Halloween you will get more than your fair share of crazy costumes and the FOX broadcast will love it.

A win next week means the Raiders could be playing for the division lead when the Kansas City Chiefs visit Oakland in week nine before a bye in week 10. The Raiders sit at 3-4 and have yet another chance to get back to .500 for the first time since 2002.

The Raiders demoralized the Broncos, something Nnamdi Asomugha and Tommy Kelly have seen before and both highlighted with their postgame interviews. The impact an early big lead can have a snowball effect on the opposition. It has happened routinely to the Raiders and now they get to taste what it is like on the other side.

The only negatives Tom Cable could muster in his post game press conference were penalties, blocks could be a little cleaner and two sacks.

In reality, the penalties are an issue in losses, but never in wins. Avoid the mental mistakes, but this isn’t really a big deal. The errors you want to avoid are penalties that turn third and short into third and long or negate positive plays. Timely penalties are worse than penalties overall. Raiders didn’t have many ‘shoot yourself in the foot’ penalties.

Blocks can always be cleaner. No team has ever executed an entire game with perfect blocks. Sometimes an ugly block works just as well. Not many issues with blocking on Sunday. Keeps improving, but if they do what they did in Denver, they should be fine.

Two sacks surrendered? I can remember at least one of them was Jason Campbell holding the ball too long. Tom Cable is taking issue with two sacks? Really? I didn’t think this line was capable of the performance they turned out Sunday.

Raiders did rack up a list of injuries during the game.

Matt Shaughnessy (Concussion)
Chris Johnson (Concussion)
Samson Satele (Concussion)
Louis Murphy (Clavicle)
Kamerion Wimbley (Groin)
Robert Gallery (Calf)
Darrius Heyward-Bey (ill)
Michael Bennett (Hamstring)

Concussions aren’t to be taken lightly. Players must pass several tests to be cleared to play the following week and the NFL is considering a mandatory one week waiting period for all concussions in the future. Tough to count on any of those three this week.

Louis Murphy re-injured the clavicle he originally injured three weeks ago. Thus far, Murphy is the only receiver who has produced. While the Raiders were able to make things happen without wide receivers on Sunday, defenses are going to load the box to stop Darren McFadden if the Raiders can’t find a competent passing game. Receivers must get involved.

Darrius Heyward-Bey started the game, but came down with an illness. He is the receiver the Raiders need to step up more than anyone. Jacoby Ford and Nick Miller can only be counted on so much.

Gallery’s injury didn’t seem serious, but he’s been an injury magnet, so cross your fingers. Wimbley’s injured groin is a big question and we may not find out the severity until Wednesday.

Jared Veldheer had a great game overall. He started as a left tackle before moving to center when Samson Satele was injured. Mario Henderson came into the game a did a good job run blocking, but his pass blocking wasn’t tested. A healthy Satele keeps Veldheer at left tackle. Veldheer needs to stay at left tackle.

The Raiders could go out and sign a center, but the only one with enough knowledge of the scheme to start next week would be Chris Morris. Jake Grove is also available.

Let’s hope Satele’s concussion was minor and he will be able to play this week.

Other Notes:

Didn’t get one complaint from the Raider Nation about Jason Campbell after the game. The talk the entire week was that Kyle Boller should get the start regardless of the health of Campbell.

Late in the week it was looking like Campbell might miss the game due to injury and that Kyle Boller might get the start. Not so fast.

Speaking of injured player surprises, who had Darren McFadden sitting on their fantasy bench? That was 47 points, ouch. I did, but it looks like I might still get the win against @ThunderingBlurb

Studs and duds article should be easy this week? Not so fast. I’ve had to think long and hard about any possible dud on the Raiders and how can I possibly give out studs to only a few players? Harder than you think to pinpoint them despite the huge win.

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