Skip to main content

Raiders Score 3 TDs, Crush The Broncos

It was a satisfying win. Sweet revenge after the week one debacle. As has been my practice recently, instead of tell you what you should think or what happened, which undoubtedly you watched it yourself or already know. I will just give you some of my observations. Feel free to add your own in the comments. I will post any good ones that I happened to miss.

- The defense has been very good three weeks in a row. Against teams that have different strengths and weaknesses. No Hall, No zone, No joke.

- Russell is looking very crisp with his reads and throws. The stats are reflecting the improvement. HE still hasn't been allowed to throw it a ton, but I do like that he takes care of the ball and has been able to get it deep into the secondary.

- The lack of creativity on offense is bothersome. I don't think I am the only one who noticed that once the playbook was opened up, the offense started to roll. Hopefully we can keep the diversity in playcalling going into future weeks.

- If the lack of creativity was due to the lack of McFadden, should one player make such a big difference in the way you call a game? I think not, but I understand the perspective.

- Fargas although he runs tough an racked up nice yardage late in the game, was struggling with the tough yards. He couldn't punch it in at the goal line, he couldn't pick up 3rd and 2. Overall, I think the lack of Fargas speed makes it easy to key on him without McFadden or Bush in the game.

- Bush seemed to embrace the FB thing, he was on he field more. He threw a bad pass even, thanks Zach Miller! Having more RB weapons in the backfield surely made it harder to defend.

- Don't get me started on the roughing the passer penalties. Are QBs not football players?

- Russell is right in line with the conventional wisdom of when young QBs start to figure it out. This used to be the norm. Now it seems to be on hte back burner. Anyone who even alluded to Russell being a bust needs to really evaluate the history of QBs in this league. Also looks at Russell's stats from the past few weeks.

- Appears we escaped without any major injuries, knock on wood. Should bode well going forward.

- For the extreme optimists = The Fat Lady isn't signing.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Looking Forward: Raiders 2012 Free Agents

Khalif Barnes - Weakest link on the offensive line with youth behind him. Raiders will look for for other options. It's not as if there aren't a dozen Khalif's on the street each year. Darryl Blackstock - Was a Chuck Bresnahan guy, but found a home on special teams. Would have to make the team as a reserve LB and special teams guy next training camp. Wouldn't be surprised to see him back as a camp body or gone entirely. Kyle Boller - Hue didn't have enough confidence to turn to Boller. Expect the Raiders to look elsewhere for a backup to Carson Palmer. Jerome Boyd - Was nothing more than a reserve and special teams player. Some good moments and some very bad ones. Camp body again and fate will depend on the defensive coordinator. Tyvon Branch - About the only consistent producer in the secondary. Raiders will want to bring him back. Desmond Bryant - He's been great in limited action and can play inside and out. Key reserve. Michael Bush - He'll find a home a...

Oakland Raiders' Studs and Duds From Preseason Week 1

[embed]http://gty.im/484069738[/embed] The Oakland Raiders finally look like a competitive football team again. That should be the biggest takeaway from their preseason rout of the St. Louis Rams. Quarterback Derek Carr and the offense looked significantly improved from a year ago, thanks in large part to some of the studs listed below. The starting defense was still a little shaky, but there were still a few bright spots. Overall, the Raiders can feel good about their first live action of the year, especially since there appeared to be no significant injuries to come out of it. Studs Rodney Hudson Of all general manager Reggie McKenzie's offseason acquisitions, he committed the most money to center Rodney Hudson. Offensive linemen rarely get the praise they deserve, but a great offensive line as anchored in the middle can be huge for an offense. Hudson was very solid in his debut against a very good defensive front. If Hudson and the offensive line can consistently protect Carr an...

Texans Preview with Stephanie Stradley

Stephanie Stradley, AKA TexansChick from the Houston Chronicle was kind enough to do a Q&A with us. Follower her on Twitter @StephStradley  and check out my answers to her questions on the TexansChick blog.  Big thanks to Stephanie for taking the time to answer my questions.  Raidersblog: How much of a difference has Wade Phillips made to Houston’s defense? Has  scheme played as big of a role as the additions of Joseph and Watt and a healthy Cushing? Stradley: "The biggest difference in the Wade Phillips hire is sort of a institutional confidence. The previous two defensive coordinators were first time coordinators. The Texans have had the youngest starting defenses in the league since Gary Kubiak started in 2006. Inexperienced DCs + Inexperienced Players = A defense ranked by Football Outsiders as 31st-2006, 30th-2007, 29th-2008, 20th-2009, 31st-2010. When Phillips took over, he had a clear plan of the players he did not want to retain and which ones he wanted to target in fr...