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It is easy enough to blame Chuck Bresnahan for the Raiders second half collapses this season. He was never Hue Jackson's guy and his performance this season means there will likely be turnover in that area unless the Raiders defense turns into the 1985 Bears the last two weeks and the team squeaks into the playoffs and continues to dominate defensively. That's not going to happen. Jackson will likely get a pass for his rookie season. Dealing with the loss of legendary owner Al Davis and assuming the General Manager duties, losing his starting quarterback, his star running back, and having some of his best players miss time will all be excuses to give Hue Jackson another chance. That's probably how it should be, that's a lot to bite off for any first time head coach. Add to it the Jackson-created hype and expectations and you have a dangerous mix that has a segment of the Raider Nation upset. Playing the blame game Let's take a look at the two phases of the game. Let...

The Raidersblog team gives their grades at the midway point of the season. Quarterback Chris Hansen: B Brandon Dwonch: C - (Incomplete) Nick Silverman: B- Natalie Saar: C - (Boller D) Bram Makonda: C+ Jeff Fagen: B Overall GPA: 2.5 Jason Campbell played his game and did it well enough until he got injured. Carson Palmer, given ample time to learn the offense, tossed three touchdowns and had such command of the offense he was audibling at the line. The grade can be considered incomplete for now, but with significant room to grow. Runningback/Fullback Chris Hansen: A- Brandon Dwonch: A- Nick Silverman: B+ Natalie Saar: A Bram Makonda: A- Jeff Fagen: A Overall GPA: 3.8 Darren McFadden held the league lead in rushing until his injury against Kansas City. Michael Bush is a great replacement back and can consistently put up 100-yard days. Marcel Reece injury really hurt the offense, but he's as good as they come at the position. Richard Gordon and Manase Tonga have done a good job as blo...

Since I've already blasted Hue Jackson and Chuck Bresnahan, we'll keep this to the players who didn't perform on Sunday. Studs Lamarr Houston - One of the few Raider defenders who showed up on Sunday. He's becoming a force on the defensive front. The Broncos couldn't block him and instead ran away from him with great success. Michael Bush - He isn't McFadden, but he is still good. He grinds out positive yardage every time he gets the ball. He doesn't quite have the burst to run away from the defense, but he is good at finding running lanes and agile enough to get through them. He should have had more carries on Sunday, maybe if he does the Raiders grind out a victory after being up by ten points. Carson Palmer - Three interceptions, but good enough to be a stud. Keep in mind he still only has three weeks in the offense. He looked crisp enough and made a few laser throws. He was audibling at the line and commanding the offense. For a debut it wasn't ba...

Hue Jackson essentially benched Darrius Heyward-Bey, the team's most productive receiver, in favor freshly signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh and rookie Denarius Moore. Moore's production has dipped since taking over punt return duties and was targeted on three of the six interceptions against the Chiefs and another one Sunday against the Broncos. Benching a guy just starting to get confidence is terrible mistake if he is to be part of the Raiders future. Al Davis wouldn't have let this happen and by pulling this move Jackson is essentially urinating on whatever legacy Al Davis left behind. Houshmandzadeh hasn't played a down in months and he gets more action than your top receiver? Palmer is paid to throw the receivers on the roster. Houshmandzadeh was not a terrible sign, but it's subtraction by addition if he plays more than your top receiver. The only valid reason to bench Heyward-Bey was for discipline reasons. By all accounts Heyward-Bey is a model teammate. Jackson h...

Hue Jackson vs. Hue Jackson This is the most important matchup of the game. Jackson made himself look foolish with the Raiders quarterback situation two weeks ago and Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer combined to throw six interceptions. Jackson will be walking a fine line this Sunday. He has to balance his aggressive tendencies, Carson Palmer’s effectiveness and game management. The play calling has to vary enough to keep the passing game respectable without putting Palmer in a position to fail. Jackson has to remember that the opposing team has one of the worst quarterbacks and will struggle to be productive. If the Raiders lose this game it is because Jackson failed. Carson Palmer vs. Carson Palmer Palmer will make his starting quarterback debut this Sunday vs. Denver. To lead the Raiders to victory this Sunday, Palmer has to be more of a game manager than anything else. Rather than making plays that lead his team to victory, Palmer has to avoid plays that give away the game. This is no...

Both Tim Tebow and Carson Palmer are coming off performances they would love to forget.  After orchestrating a heroic comeback against Miami, Tebow fell flat at home against Detroit, while Carson’s last outing resulted in 3 interceptions in one half of football. For Palmer, the Raiders bye was anything but an “off week" as he spent some of the mandatory off days gaining chemistry with receivers Jacoby Ford and Darius Heyward-Bey. “There’s no comparison to last week…I’m comfortable with the entire playbook.  I’m comfortable with the guys,” Palmer said. The Raiders added to Palmer’s familiarity by signing veteran free agent wide receiver T.J. Houshmanzadeh.  Houshmandzadeh will help out in the slot. He’s a big body that’s not afraid of contact and can go over the middle.  Palmer and Houshmandzadeh played together in Cincinnati and worked out together last summer.  Palmer will look for his safety blanket primarily on third downs. Perhaps the definition of “Tebowing” should be changed...

In the six quarters following Jason Campbell’s injury the Raiders offense has a grand total of 277 passing yards, 6 interceptions and 0 touchdowns. The Raiders have scored 10 points in those quarters, 6 from a perfectly executed fake field goal. With extra work being put in by Carson Palmer and the wide receivers during the bye week, hopefully the Raiders offense has hit its lowest point and is on its way back up. Last game vs. Kansas City was a debacle and downright embarrassing. The Raiders were shutout in a game they were expected to win. Not only did Kansas City end the Raiders domination of the AFC West, but the victory has supplied the Chiefs with enough momentum to make another run in the AFC West. It's three way tie for first place. The AFC West is officially up for grabs. In the coming weeks, Oakland, Kansas City and San Diego all face Green Bay and Chicago. San Diego and Oakland face Detroit. Kansas City will host the Steelers and travel to New England and New York to see...

The Raiders are coming fresh off the bye week and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Raiders are nursing a host of injuries and spent extra week getting Carson Palmer ready and advance scouting for the Chargers next Thursday. The coaching staff also spent time evaluating their own team so don't be surprised if there are a few changes in the starting lineup come Sunday. Several Raiders receivers stayed in Alameda during the bye week to work with Palmer on timing and routes. Palmer has extensive homework to do getting to know the Raiders playbook and the game plan for the Broncos. The Raiders coaching staff also took a look at T.J. Houshmandzadeh and he will have a physical Tuesday. Housh is very familiar with Palmer and Hue Jackson, so it comes as little surprise the Raiders would take a look at him. One of Derek Hagan or Chaz Schilens would probably be out if the Raiders brought in the veteran receiver. Everyone is hoping Darren McFadden's foot sprain was minor and...