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Surely in a blowout loss there were more duds than studs. I suppose a stud is relative to the play of the rest of the team when the score is 147-14. A few players did have nice days and the rest didn't. There were probably more duds than I can list, so the duds this week are the "Death Ro" of duds. STUDS Desmond Bryant He's earning himself more playing time each week. With the way Richard Seymour is playing and with John Henderson banged up he might just earn more time at defensive tackle as well as defensive end. Stefen Wisniewski Towards the end of the game the Raiders sat the Wiz kid down. I guess the coaching staff realized that he was the only solid offensive lineman and gave him a rest. He was very good pass blocking and did a solid job run blocking for Bush. He was particularly good at getting to the linebacker. Some may argue Wisniewski is better suited to play center, but until Stephon Heyer or Joseph Barksdale play well enough to slide Wisniewski over he...

The Raiders slogged through the second half again and it nearly came back to bite them. A better team may have been able to capitalize on the Raiders penalties, but the Vikings without Adrian Peterson were powerless to do so. The defense looked suspect again and the Raiders offensive line struggled more than they have all season. A few welcome surprises this week and the reappearance of duds from 2010. STUDS Jared Veldheer Veldheer handled Jared Allen on Sunday and held him without a sack for the first time this season. The Raiders finally found their franchise left tackle from Hillsdale College. If Veldheer can handle Julius Peppers this Sunday, he'll start getting national recognition and should get a decent amount of Pro Bowl consideration. Allen did get pressure on Palmer on back-to-back plays in the first half, but Veldheer adjusted and was pushing Allen well wide of Palmer for the rest of the day. On one occasion Veldheer flattened Allen on a run. A great performance from the...

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 profootba...

In 2008, the Raiders gave Tommy Kelly a monster contract in the form of $18.125 million in guarantees with $25.125 million total in the first three years. It is worth noting, Kelly stands to make about $4.5 million in 2010, having already collected all but $300,000 in bonus money. He will also now be bound to the Raiders until 2014 with only base salaries. He could be easily cut in future seasons. The Raiders get much for those millions they paid Kelly as he recorded just 5.5 sacks in the two years since signing the deal. All of this adds up to Tommy Kelly being a lightning rod for criticism. Some of the criticism merited and some not. Instead of waste away as another member of Al Davis’ 2008 spending spree, Kelly has remained a professional. After playing the season at nearly 350 pounds, Kelly has trimmed down to 315. Kelly looked quick and punishing as a 295 pound defensive end. Moving him inside to the pass rushing three-technique tackle position was logical, but after two seas...

Every year and in every city the preseason is when the fans watch to see if they have the next impact rookie. This year’s top crop includes Rolando McClain, Lamarr Houston, Jared Veldheer, Jacoby Ford, Bruce Campbell and Walter McFadden. What is often lost in the rush to evaluate the rookies is just how much a second year player can improve and make an impact for a team. One recent example is Tyvon Branch. Branch, as a Sophmore, lead all safties in tackles. He figures to be an impact player for the Raiders in 2010 and beyond. The 2010 sophmore crop includes: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Mike Mitchell, Louis Murphy, Matt Shaughnessy, Desmond Bryant and Marcel Reece. These sophmores will all see significant playing time in 2010. The offseason has been filled with reports on Heyward-Bey’s improvement. He’s looked like the best player on the field at times and his route running is much better. All the reports a vast departure his the drop-filled 2009. Mike Mitchell’s rookie campaign was hind...

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 p...

Fifth in a series analyzing players that need to step up their game in 2010 for the Raiders to be a playoff team. Keeping Everyone Fresh Desmond Bryant is the 290 pound defensive tackle who played 28% of the snaps in 2009. He is a Harvard graduate. By comparison, Tommy Kelly played 69% of the snaps, Gerard Warren played 70% of the snaps and Richard Seymour played 23% of the snaps at defensive tackle. This offseason, Warren was released, Seymour was given the exclusive franchise tag, Lamarr Houston was drafted, and John Henderson was signed. Kelly is still playing on his huge contract and Bryant was penciled in as the team’s new starting defensive tackle with Seymour slated to start at end. In a surprise move, it was announced Houston would play end as well. As it turns out, Houston would play end because Seymour will play more inside. At least this has been the case in training camp to this point. Where does that leave Bryant? Bryant has gone from the potential starter opposite Kelly ...