At times it seems like the Sun will never come out again, doesn’t it?
Of course we’re still “showing progress” and “staying the course” for something like 7 years, but the simple fact remains:
We are still losing more games than we are winning as we live past that delightful year of 2002.

Hey, I’m one of the most the positive guys in the World (appearances can be deceiving),
but when I heard that our Head Coach beat women like Chris Brown back in the day AND recently?..
Even the Lord of the Sith wanted to use his Lightsaber for a Guillotine exercise.

My bud, Master Chad said it right the other day “Sometimes, It’s pure torture being a fan of this team”.
Makes you wonder if the Devil is simply collecting for that deal he made with Al in 1963.
(In the most Demonic voice possible)
“Win now, pay it later!!!”

Lord, all personal arrests and issues aside?
Our Team HAS to get better. I’m not sure how…I’m not sure when…
but it just has to!!!!!!!
Hell, if you read enough of the daily blogs, news feeds and articles?? I guess even YOU start sounding like the players!
You speak positively, your goals sound unrealistic and your chin is always up to the Sky.
I believe that’s the life of a professional Athlete. No one needs your negative feedback, what does that even accomplish?
(Sigh)
Right, it can currently be a negative OR positive vibe in the Locker room right now and our team would still respond the same way, correct??!!
This is the only problem with waiting for younger players to perform like the Crabtrees and Ryans of the Universe.
(Double Sigh)

I’m not sure where I can find the Silver lining today. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

(Lightsaber SFX)

Summary:
LaDainian Tomlinson did what he always does against the Oakland Raiders.
Shawne Merriman got to break out his spasmodic “Lights Out” sack dance for the first time since 2007.

It was simply business as usual for the San Diego Chargers, (who got two touchdowns from Tomlinson) in beating Oakland 24-16 on Sunday, their 13th straight against our hapless Raiders. It’s the longest active NFL winning streak by one team over another.

The Chargers (4-3) have swept the series for the sixth straight season. Many Chargers, including quarterback Philip Rivers, have never lost to the Raiders (2-6). It was San Diego’s seventh straight home win against the Raiders.

“When I first got here, the intensity and atmosphere of the game, it rubbed me the wrong way,” said Tomlinson, who was drafted by the Chargers in 2001. “By beating them 13 times, it means 13 times their fans went home with their heads hanging.”
Oakland coach Tom Cable called it “a big hump to get over. We’ve had two good opportunities this year. Are we closer? Yes. But you don’t take anything from it until you get over the hump.”

That “Hump” seems like the size of Antarctica right about now.

With the Denver Broncos losing 30-7 at Baltimore, the Chargers pulled within two games of the AFC West lead. San Diego is trying to win its fourth straight division title.

Whup..PEE.

Merriman got his first two sacks since 2007, dropping JaMarcus Russell late in the second quarter and again late in the fourth. The outside linebacker has been working his way back from knee surgery that cost him the final 15 regular-season games and both playoff games last year.

“It’s one of those things that was long coming,” Merriman said. “I don’t put as big an emphasis on sacks as everybody else does. But they are important. I realize I’ve got to go out and make plays and get those sacks in order for us to be a better defense. As long as I’m doing that and putting pressure on the quarterback and forcing him to do things that he doesn’t want to do, we’re going to be better.”

Or at least as long as Steroids still exist..

San Diego had a season-high five sacks and allowed a season-low 180 yards. The other outside linebacker, Shaun Phillips, also had two.
Rivers, who was sacked only once, was impressed watching his defense.
“Not that they haven’t been applying pressure, but it’s good to see. There’s something to getting the quarterback on the ground,” Rivers said. “I think it’s huge. The thing about sacks, just what I’ve seen from the sideline, these guys have had a force in some of these games. But when you don’t see it in sacks, it doesn’t get the attention.
“The thing with sacks that’s funny is you can have a spurt in a few games and all of a sudden have six, seven. I think it just shows what a huge pro he is, all these guys, that they just kept hammering away.”

The Chargers didn’t have to rally to win as they did in the season opener at Oakland, when they were physically beaten up by the Raiders despite taking a 24-20 victory.
Cornerback Antonio Cromartie intercepted Russell when tight end Zach Miller fell down. It was the first pickoff in 20 games for Cromartie, who had 10 in 2007 but dropped off to two last season.
The Chargers’ first play from scrimmage was a 53-yard pass from Rivers to Malcom Floyd, who replaced struggling Chris Chambers in the starting lineup. It gave San Diego first-and-goal on the 6. Tomlinson took the direct snap and ran around the right end for a 7-0 lead.

Notes:

Chris Chambers was let go of the Chargers after the game. Is signing the WR a good idea? Yup! Will the Oakland Raiders even consider? Nope!!

Oakland’s Sebastian Janikowski made all three of his field goal attempts and has hit 12 of 12 on the season.

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell threw an interception for the fourth consecutive game.

Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson scored twice and now has 22 rushing touchdowns against the Raiders in his career.
Oakland tied it early in the second quarter after Rivers’ pass to Vincent Jackson glanced off the receiver’s hands and was intercepted by Chris Johnson, who returned it 20 yards to the San Diego 27. Justin Fargas scored on a 3-yard run to cap the short drive.
San Diego scored on its next two drives to go up 21-7. Rivers hit a wide-open Jackson on an 8-yard scoring pass and Tomlinson scored on a 10-yard run.
Rivers was 16 of 25 for 249 yards. Tomlinson had 56 yards on 18 carries. Fargas also carried 18 times for 59 yards.
Tomlinson has accounted for 28 touchdowns against Oakland in his nine-year career: 22 rushing, three receiving and three passing.
All the Raiders got the rest of the way were three field goals by Sebastian Janikowski, of 48, 41 and 28 yards.
Russell, benched in a 38-0 home loss to the New York Jets a week earlier, was 14 of 22 for 109 yards.
“He seemed very much to be in control today,” Cable said. “A couple throws he’d probably like to have over again, but for the most part he gave us a chance to win today.”

Ok, I have suddenly found ALL of the positives lurking in my mechanical brain:
We had a CHANCE Sunday!!! (unlike last week)
The Sun IS actually shining outside.
The Lakers won
My Godchild is beautiful in Halloween pictures
I have a good job.
My brother’s family is moving closer to me.
I’m listening to the Beatles.
You’re STILL reading this..

Life is good, Lads

Be well in Hell, my friends…
DR

So we’re reverting back to comedy!!! SUPERB! I’ve always been one to enjoy laughter from time to time..
It’s just usually appreciated at Comedy Clubs!

The worst loss in Home Franchise history? Pshh, I could of swore we’ve already lived through that wonderful moment with Brooks, but ok..
What do we do now? You ask

..Hope and pray for a better day, Sirs…before we’re old and damn gray!

Hell, you got what you wanted, Boo Birds. Bruce Gradkowski lit it up like an inferno! 4 TD’s, 300 passing yards, 100 rushing yards and ate a Turkey on the sideline!!!!
Oops..sorry… my mind wanders.

Sure, Jam has his terrible, horrible and idiotic moments, but he’s not the only problem and we all know it!
The run Defense STILL couldn’t catch a back to save their own lives…even with the NY Jets number 2 RB out with an injury. The team logged 316 total rushing yards and looked fresh the entire game. This problem has followed us since the start of 2003 season!!! You’d think we would have had the leaky roof fixed by now, but I guess we keep thinking it will be fixed with duck tape instead of new shingles!!!

Murphy and Heyward-Bey STILL stick to the corners like Peanut Butter sticks to bread. Catching??!?! Hey, one thing at a time, Dog!
Yes whiners, I know Crabtree had a better day and I still don’t care. You still lost. This game was never about individuals anyways, you delusional Bastards.
I guess we can only really know how bad/good our Wides are in a few years. Only then will I give ‘em the Sith Lord choke if they’re not productive!
O-line? Next…
D backs? Who needs ‘em when Thomas Jones is running faster than the Flash? Doesn’t it seem like Chris Johnson has reverted back to a 2nd stringer?
Shane Lechler? MVP! MVP! MVP!
Coaching? At least no one’s Jaw was broke….
uh, yet.

I say again…help us Chaz Schilens, you’re our only hope.

Summary:
Mark Sanchez had to apologize for his sideline demeanor again. This time, he was hot-dogging it. Literally.
Sanchez shook off the worst start of his young career by running for one touchdown and throwing for another, before taking time to munch on a snack in the closing minutes of a 38-0 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Sanchez was criticized last week for looking dejected on the sideline while throwing five interceptions in an overtime loss to Buffalo. He was happy enough after this performance that he was caught by television cameras trying to discretely eat a hot dog at the end of the blowout.
“I want to apologize for that,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling very good and didn’t eat much before the game, so I was feeling a little queasy. Toward the end of the game, I probably should have eaten one of those bars or something, but someone offered (a hot dog), so I grabbed it and tried to be discreet about it, but obviously not discreet enough. So I shouldn’t have done that, and it won’t happen again.”

I’m just surprised it wasn’t a Taco. (Hey, I can say that as I am also on Team Bean) .

The game plan for the Jets (4-3) was to take pressure off Sanchez and they did just that by forcing four turnovers and becoming the first team in 34 years to run for at least 300 yards in two straight games. And that was after losing Leon Washington indefinitely to a broken right leg.
The Jets started two of their first three drives at the Oakland 4 after turnovers by JaMarcus Russell, setting up touchdown runs by Thomas Jones and Sanchez.
“It makes it so easy on the offense when your defense is playing like that,” Sanchez said. “Hats off to them, they had a heck of a game to shut that team out. I don’t care who we’re playing, that’s a big-time accomplishment for our team.”
It was so bad for Oakland that Russell, its former No. 1 overall pick, was benched in the first half after committing three early turnovers. This was the most lopsided home loss in the 50-year history of the Raiders (2-5). They were shut out at home for the fifth time ever, with four coming in the past four seasons. The crowd of 39,354 was the smallest since the team returned to Oakland in 1995.

Pretty soon it will be just me and the lucky Pigeon.

“I don’t think we could have beaten an Oakland high school team today,” said defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who earlier in the week said the Raiders would make the playoffs.
Rookie Shonn Greene ran for 144 yards and two scores, and Jones had 121 on 26 carries as the Jets ended up with 316 on the ground.
Calvin Pace beat right tackle Khalif Barnes on the first play from scrimmage, sacking Russell and forcing a fumble that Marques Douglas recovered at the 4. Jones eventually scored from the 1 on fourth down.
Jim Leonhard then intercepted a badly overthrown ball by Russell, who was pressured by David Harris, and returned it 44 yards to the 4. Two plays later, Sanchez scored on a 3-yard quarterback draw.
Sanchez got into the act passing the ball in the second half with a pretty 35-yard strike to David Clowney, but by that point it didn’t really matter as the blowout was already on. Sanchez was 9 for 15 for 143 yards with no interceptions.
“Sanchez was great,” Ryan said. “He was just smart with the football. I think sometimes he could have put the ball on a receiver, but he was making sure the ball wasn’t intercepted. It was great to see him respond.”
The Raiders came in full of confidence following last week’s 13-9 victory over Philadelphia. The week got only better when the Napa County district attorney announced Thursday he would not file charges against Cable for an alleged attack on a former defensive assistant.
But any good feeling ended as soon as this game started, as Oakland lost by at least 20 points for the fourth time in five weeks.

Thank the Lord for Basketball season.

Other Notes:
Ok I looked it up again…This was TRULY Oakland’s worst home loss in club history.

The Raiders were held without a touchdown for the third time this season. Sign Kolb…yesterday.

Russell has committed 13 turnovers and completed just 46 percent of his passes in a horrific start to his third NFL season. He has been booed heavily in the past three home games and was finally benched late in the second quarter.
“I thought he was really out of sorts early in the game,” Cable said. “I just did not feel like at that point he gave us the best chance to have the success we needed to have offensively and made the move. JaMarcus will continue to be our starter. There is no issue there.”

Russell was 6 for 11 for 61 yards, with two interceptions and a fumble. He disagreed with his coach’s assessment, saying he felt just fine but that the results weren’t there.
“I’ve never been in that situation,” he said. “It was kind of shocking to me at first.”

What’s really shocking, Jam? HONESTLY? Is when you play like an average Quarterback!!!

Backup Bruce Gradkowski also lost a fumble to end one potential scoring drive and failed to convert on fourth-and-goal in the closing minutes.

Someone pass the Tequila.

Still love you all, Nation! Sometimes? We’re all we got!!!!
Infinite Peace,
-DR

There are truly no words to express how the local Raider Fans who attended Sunday’s game had felt after our Raiders grounded the Philadelphia Eagles 13-9.
We all kept looking at each other…stunned, amazed ..astonished, even.
Finally, we were all in celebration mode..
“Well, I guess it’s about time for another 1st F#@ing down call! 1….2….3!!” I shout.
“FIRST DOWN!!” The crowd chants.

Lord, I swear it felt like the old days.
It also actually felt like we still mattered again in the NFL…like our team was only hibernating for only a few weeks, that’s all.
It felt like we could defeat anyone that day.
Sure, I know YOU, the typical fan, could never believe that..
But if you really have watched enough Football in your time, you’d know this game is won by simply gaining more continuous momentum than your opponent…
and boy, did we have momentum.

The Defense played off the charts, chain and radar!!! SIX damn sacks were totaled and more hurries than you could even dream of!
Richard Seymour had 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 2 kills to call his own. Trevor Scott had 2 sacks in the 1st Quarter and was playing like a mad man possessed. Stanford Routt had the game of his life after Nnamdi left the game after his eye was poked badly..(making him a true Oakland Raider).
Fargas also proved he’s worth a damn rushing for 87 yards and killing clock like a true Starter should. Take that D-Mac! How about Gary Russell?? (5 for 55 yards) He was running for his life on that last screen pass…
Not bad for a kid resigned just this past week.

Hell, I still can’t believe I’m here writing all of this to you. Can you believe it? The light bulb was finally working!!!

Jam Russell? What can ya say? He finally grew up in the face of adversity. He didn’t even seem to be phased with all of the 1st Quarter boos coming his way. He didn’t trip, complain or get frustrated after things got bad….he simply balled. Nice spin move by the way, biggie.

Sure, it was still sloppy on offense and I know we still have a long way to go, but to show progress against one of the NFL’s best teams?
That, my friends.. is victory in itself!!!!

Summary:
Louis Murphy sprinted upfield and laid out a defender with a punishing block. Not satisfied, he caught up to the play again and delivered a second block that allowed Zach Miller to cruise into the end zone on an 86-yard catch-and-run.
For an offense criticized for lacking big plays, intensity and leadership, a rookie receiver gave the Oakland Raiders all three in one play that answered the skeptics.
Miller scored the only touchdown of the game, Justin Fargas helped control the clock by rushing for 87 physical yards and Oakland’s defense harassed Donovan McNabb all day in a 13-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“We went out and threw a fight on somebody and said, ‘Enough. Let’s play,”‘ coach Tom Cable said. “That’s all you can say. There’s no magic words or anything like that.”

Leave the magical stuff to me, Coach Cable. I actually made Green Akers miss those Field Goals. The force is strong with this one.

It was a major turnaround from the last three weeks when the Raiders (2-4) lost by at least 20 points for the first time in franchise history, capped by a 44-7 loss to the Giants last week.
After that game, New York linebacker Antonio Pierce said it felt like playing a scrimmage. Those comments were posted in the Raiders’ locker room this week and the team responded to the critics in impressive fashion.
“That gave me extra fuel,” Murphy said. “You have to look yourself in the mirror and man up. His comments were true. We played flat. We didn’t play with any emotion. This game was totally different. We took those comments to heart.”

Glad to hear it, sir.

The key Sunday was the Oakland defense. Coordinator John Marshall mixed in more zone coverages and blitzes than usual to combat a high-powered Philadelphia offense that was averaging the second-most points in the league.

The Eagles abandoned the run early, only had Michael Vick on the field for two plays, allowed six sacks and were the first team in three years to fail to score a touchdown against the Raiders.
“They were able to get home and hit our quarterback,” coach Andy Reid said. “When we did have opportunities we didn’t take advantage of opportunities.”
Philadelphia’s last chance ended when McNabb underthrew DeSean Jackson on fourth-and-4 from the Oakland 44 with 2:14 remaining.
David Akers missed a pair of field goals for the Eagles (No Thanks necessary), a 43-yarder wide left in the first quarter and a 47-yarder wide right in the third quarter that proved crucial down the stretch.
McNabb finished 22 for 46 for 269 yards. He struggled without left tackle Jason Peters, who left in the first quarter with an injured left knee.
“I’m embarrassed by the way we came out here and played. We’re a much better football team,” McNabb said.
Richard Seymour and Trevor Scott each had a pair of sacks for Oakland as the Eagles ran the ball just 14 times against a defense missing star cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for much of the game with an eye injury.

Other Notes:
- Eagles K David Akers missed two field goals in a game for the first time since Week 14 of last year.

- The last time these two teams played in Oakland was in 1995 when the Raiders won 48-17. I believe we scored 48 unanswered points in our 1st “Return to the Bay” Opener.

- Zach Miller’s 86-yard touchdown catch was the Raiders’ longest since 1984.

- Entering the game, Oakland had nine sacks. We had six against the Eagles. Thank you, John Marshall.
- Vick had one carry for minus-4 yards and was on the field for one incomplete pass by McNabb.
Sometimes, I wish rapid Dogs could take the field as D-Linemen.
“I’m sure they watched the Giants game and thought we were sorry,” Scott said. “But all week coach Cable talked about persevering and forget the past and move forward so we can get to where we want to go.”
Keep moving forward!!!

-JaMarcus Russell iced the game with a 12-yard pass to Gary Russell on third-and-10. He ran out the clock after that to the delight of the fans, who began the game by booing their quarterback.
Russell completed 17 of 28 passes for 224 yards, with two interceptions and the touchdown to Miller that was the longest pass play in years.
Russell found Miller open over the middle on a pass 16 yards downfield. Miller then ran up the sideline and got sprung by a devastating block by Murphy that flattened Quintin Mikell. As Miller got close to the end zone, he slowed up to give Murphy time to catch up and block Ellis Hobbs to help complete the 86-yard catch and run.
“I came over to him and was like, ‘Man, that’s the best two blocks I’ve ever seen from a wide receiver,”‘ Miller said. “I have to buy him something now. He deserves it.”
Get him some stick ‘em, glue, paste, etc..

Show up for the Jets, kids. That goes to the fans AND our new Redeem team!!!
Maybe we’re just starting to warm up….

PEACE!
-DR

It’s the hangover that never stops!! On Sunday, you’re still wondering why you even bother turning on your TV!!! You could always be doing something a little more constructive, couldn’t you? There’s buying Groceries, washing clothes, visiting your old friends, shopping for that new shirt you wanted, going to the movies, playing Arkham Asylum, buying Comics, looking into the Sun…etc etc
You then choose to turn it on for shits and giggles. Who knows? Maybe Mike Bush had the game of his life? Maybe Nnamdi received a gift and took one to the house?

You suddenly realize you should never should of awoke from your wonderful slumber.

For Heaven n’ Hells sake, why even hope? I suggest to all fans now…PLEASE bring a Newspaper or book to the game (away on the tube or home). It’s the only thing that makes the time move more rapidly than usual.

All jokes aside, maybe the team will improve dramatically with Cable locked up. I believe the team we’ll break on “I’ll f#!ing kill you!” in his honor.
Other thoughts:
Maybe we’ll get to see our team compete again in 2012? I think Al will grow tired of DuhMarcus by then.
Maybe that Monday night team was a figment of our imaginations..(at least those guys competed)
Maybe the old man should be looking at QB free Agents RIGHT NOW..
Maybe our young Receivers have ALWAYS been the root of the problem..
Maybe our injury prone O Line has regressed and will always be at the top of our priority list..
Maybe we all should do something different than suffer this week’s up and coming loss..most likely, in the rain, Homers..
Maybe not.
The Lord of the Sith shall forever be a glutton for punishment. I still await the day to be the lone soul in the Coliseum. I think that day may be coming in the not too distant future.
At least I’ll finally be able to sit anywhere I please! I can’t wait!!!!

Summary:
After taking the opening snap and making a play-action fake, Eli Manning dropped back, set up with a bounce on his right heel and fired a 9-yard pass to tight end Darcy Johnson.
Any concerns about Easy Eli’s painful right heel were answered on the first play of his 83rd consecutive start Sunday.
Manning threw two scoring passes and led the Giants on touchdown drives on their first four possessions in a 44-7 win over the hapless Oakland Raiders that has New York (5-0) off to its best start since winning the Super Bowl in 1990.
“At the end, it was picture perfect,” said Manning, who was 8 of 10 for 173 yards, needing to play less than a half in the rout. “Just get in there and score, score quickly, score a lot and then rest it and make sure you don’t put more strain on it or make it more sore tomorrow. It turned out really well.”
Manning led the Giants on scoring drives of 77, 79, 94 and 13 yards in what was easily his most effective performance this season.
His touchdown passes covered 30 yards to Mario Manningham and 9 yards to first-round draft pick Hakeem Nicks. He played one extra series before donning a baseball cap late in the second quarter for a well-deserved rest on a day the Giants gained 483 yards in total offense.
“We didn’t expect anything less out of him,” said defensive end Justin Tuck. “People were talking he might not play but we figured he was. It was good to see your starting quarterback be a tough guy like that and go out there and help his team win. That’s the leader he’s become.”

UGH…makes you wonder when we’re going to have that kind of leadership…possibly in the year 3000.

Backup halfback Ahmad Bradshaw also played a big role, rushing for 110 yards and scoring on runs of 1 and 9 yards.
Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell struggled again leading the league’s worst offense. He lost three fumbles and was 8 of 13 for 100 yards — not that he had any time. He was sacked six times as the Raiders (1-4) were limited to 124 yards of total offense.
MVP! MVP! MVP! (Most Valuable Pariah)

Their lone score — Michael Bush’s 5-yard touchdown run — came after the Giants’ Sinorice Moss fumbled on a punt return at his 15.
Ya’ll can thank the Force for that one…

“We thought it was an opportunity if we came out and got after him early, there would be a lot of chances,” defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said of Russell. “He has flashes of greatness but we wanted to make sure he didn’t flash against us.”
The only thing Jam currently flashes is his platinum-ice earrings and necklaces. Lil Wayne and Jon should be envious.

Manning’s availability was the Giants’ biggest concern. He sustained a painful injury to his right heel in the win over Kansas City last weekend. The 2008 Super Bowl MVP missed two days of practice and then took half the snaps Friday, giving the indication he would go on Sunday.
Two hours before the game, Manning was on the field warming up, and he showed no ill effects of his injury.
“He wanted to play; he wanted to play all week,” coach Tom Coughlin said. “He has done a great job with the power of the will over these things a couple of times.”

Notes:

» The Giants outscored the Raiders, 31-7, in the first half and have outscored opponents 99-34 in the first half this season.

- Oakland became the first team since at least 1960 to have under 200 total yards of offense in four straight games.

-The Raiders fell to 5-27 in non-divisional road games since 2003.
Manning was 4 of 5 for 36 yards on the opening drive that Bradshaw capped by slamming in from a yard out on fourth down.
The next three Giants possessions were lightning fast. The second drive was three plays and 79 yards, featuring a 43-yard pass to Steve Smith and runs of 17 and 19 yards by Bradshaw.
The third score came on a five-play, 94-yard jaunt that featured a 55-yard screen pass to Bradshaw on third-and-24. Manning found Manningham in the right corner on the next play and the rout was on.
A sack by cornerback Terrell Thomas and a recovery by Tuck set up the three-play drive that Manning capped with his pass to Nicks.
“We couldn’t stop anything,” Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour said. “That’s a bad feeling when you are out there and they are running whatever plays they want to. The third or fourth quarter I think they had their backups in the game and they were still doing whatever they wanted to offensively. There is no excuse for that and everybody has to look themselves in the mirror and say, ‘I have to do a better job.”‘

I already looked, Richard. My image told me it’s going to be another loooooong season.
Keep your head up, Nation. Maybe the rain will stop sometime this century..
In the meantime? Buy a Newspaper and skip the damn sports section.

Have a nice week,
DR

It’s comical at this point. We’re living the same day over and over again every damn Sunday. Hell, I’m sure it’s not the first time I yelled “Groundhog day!”
At least the entire team can take some responsibility this week. Sure, the kid was off the mark at times, but you had to be a masked blind man if you couldn’t see all of our Receivers having a severe case of the dropsies. I guess that’s what happens when you start the youngins’ right? Is the entire team undisciplined? You’d think so after witnessing the same kind of penalties that have plagued us for years. “We kept ourselves in third-and-long situations,” Russell said. “We keep harping on that it’s a must that we stay in manageable downs.”
I’m not sure anyone even listens anymore, Jam.

The Dark Lord of the Sith is still wondering what kind of criticism Greg Ellis was offering when he approached the offensive bench 10 minutes before Halftime.
“Ya’ll better makes some plays before I sack your f$#%ing asses next series!!” Heh, one could only guess..
Help us Chaz Schliens, you’re are only hope.

The running game is still not a factor since the Defense sets up for it weekly. The other teams simply know our passing attack isn’t up to par. Why wouldn’t you want to prepare for the run?
I know people are still wondering why can’t D-mac , Bush and Justin run loose anymore..just look at how many Defenders are in the box next time.
“I do get a feeling, like during the preseason and stuff, we ran the ball a little bit, but it was more of a thing where we say, ‘Well, we know we can run it. Let’s work on the pass.’ And you can’t hang your hat on what you did before,” running back Justin Fargas said Monday. “It’s kind of like you have to still improve it. Like yesterday, teams stack the box against us. And if you’re not really detailed and if you don’t control the line of scrimmage — you’re not detailed in your assignments, you don’t control the line of scrimmage, you’re not going to be able to run the ball.”

I’m glad at least some people are seeing the same things I am.

The Defense was getting killed in the first half. Chris Johnson was getting used like David Letterman’s Interns. If it was me, I’d send Nnamdi to blanket Andre the entire game but.. oh well…

I’m not a Defensive Coordinator.. you’re not either.
You’re just a fan, just as I am, waiting for our Raiders to turn this whole damn thing around.
The only problem with waiting is all of our patience is wearing super thin after 6 looooooooong years.
What’s left to hope for? Basketball season??
Go Sharks, sir.

Summary:
For the first time this season, the Houston Texans weren’t left to answer questions about their horrible run defense and inability to stop big plays.
Instead, the defense got to celebrate its best performance since 2004 as the Texans beat the Oakland Raiders 29-6 on Sunday. The 165 yards Houston allowed was the second fewest in team history and the fewest since giving up 126 in a win over Jacksonville almost five years ago.
“Everybody was having fun,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “When you’re having fun, you have confidence in what you do. You don’t second-guess. You don’t pull up when you can (go full speed) and that’s when you make big plays.”
Steve Slaton scored two touchdowns and Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a score to help out in the win.
The Texans (2-2) finally found their running game and figured out a way to shut down someone else’s as Houston’s NFL-worst run defense held the Raiders to 45 yards rushing. The Texans were allowing 205 yards rushing entering the game.
Houston also forced three turnovers and got its first safety in almost seven years.
The Texans got the win despite struggling with some illnesses. They had the NFL’s first confirmed case of swine flu earlier this week in tight end Anthony Hill. Houston had some other players get sick on Saturday night and Sunday morning, but did not confirm any other cases of swine flu.
Safety Eugene Wilson sat out with an illness and running back Chris Brown was available but not feeling well and didn’t play. Linebacker Xavier Adibi was also ill but played on special teams.
“Eugene got very sick last night, it continued through this morning, so there was no way he could play,” coach Gary Kubiak said. “We’re monitoring the situation. It’s something that’s hit us in the past four days and we just have to work through it.”
Offense lineman Eric Winston said Wilson was so sick he “could barely walk.”
When asked if the illnesses were more cases of swine flu, Kubiak said: “I don’t want to speculate on any of that … but it was kind of scary this morning, to be honest with you.”

So teams can now beat us even with the Swine Flu virus! Are you really that surprised?

The Raiders (1-3) continued to struggle, with JaMarcus Russell completing 12 of 33 passes for 128 yards and Darren McFadden finishing with six carries for minus-3 yards rushing.
“We could not run the football and that really disrupted our offense,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “We are really killing ourselves — we’re shooting ourselves in the foot all over the place.”
I would say both feet, arms, chests, head, etc., etc..
Slaton’s first score came on a 32-yard run in the second quarter that pushed Houston’s lead to 13-3. It was the Texans’ first rushing score this season. Slaton finished with 65 yards rushing and Ryan Moats added 56.
Slaton scored again on an 18-yard catch-and-run that made it 20-3 later in the second quarter. That score was set up by a career-long 44-yard reception by Owen Daniels.
Oakland’s first turnover came when DeMeco Ryans stripped the ball from Michael Bush and it was recovered by Antonio Smith in the third quarter. The Texans couldn’t capitalize.
But Andre’ Davis downed the punt at the 1 and rookie Brian Cushing tackled Justin Fargas in the end zone for a safety to make it 22-6. It was Houston’s first safety since the inaugural season of 2002.

Other notes:
The Raiders dropped to 10-40 on the road since 2003. I think Fans should now be able to play Offensive positions.

Oakland RB Darren McFadden was held to a career-low minus-3 rushing yards..eek.

Mario Williams got to Russell in the fourth quarter and forced a fumble that Houston recovered on the 20. The Texans came away empty when Kris Brown’s 33-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
Houston had a chance for another score near the end of the first half, but Matt Schaub was intercepted by Chris Johnson in the end zone. Schaub was 11 of 22 for 224 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders added a field goal late in the second quarter to cut the lead to 20-6. That drive was kept alive when Russell found Louis Murphy for a 19-yard reception on fourth-and-9.
A 62-yard reception by Andre Johnson got Houston to the 7 in the first quarter and Brown’s 26-yard field goal made it 3-0. Oakland tied it with a 46-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski after a fumble by Slaton in the first quarter.
Jano is also quietly having his best year. Does anyone even really care??!?!
Brown added a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Johnnie Lee Higgins muffed a punt late in the fourth quarter that the Texans recovered and then ran out the clock.
Raiders T Cornell Green has a calf injury, S Tyvon Branch has a groin injury and TE Zach Miller is recovering from a concussion…
So am I.

The good news?? The undeafeted Giants are up next! I’m sure we can handle Eli Manning with the likes Jack Tatum, Bo Jackson, Jim Otto, George Atkinson, Howie Long, Greg Townsend, Willie Brown and…
Oops, sorry… I was thinking All time teams.

Keep your head up, Nation. At least we’re not the Rams.

What can you say? We played like the same team that tanked in the past previous years!!
I believed we were different, had improved with our passing, running Offense and run stopping Defense, etc., etc..
But I guess it was all a damn dream! I thought I saw a team that would CONTINUE to compete after that tough, combative Monday night opener.
Now, in the past couple of miserable weeks, all I can see is a kid lost, Receivers tripping over each other and a lack of aggression on the D-Line.
Of course, we all knew about the inaccuracy issues Russell has had…but for the rest of the team to pedal backwards as well?
That’s completely unacceptable! The team makes me want to throw a Darth Vader Helmet on the field!
(especially on an Offensive series!!!)

Darren McFadden…WTF?!?!? THREE fumbles? Are you f$@##ing kidding me? Sure, the organization heard of those kinds of problems in College, but this is the big time, son!!! When will you become the magnificent bad ass we all thought you were going to be???
Is it turf toe AGAIN?!?!

Defensive line, after looking in on Denver’s attempt to run in the past two games, there was no way I thought they would be THAT successful last Sunday. Buckhalter and Moreno combined for a total of 198 yards! Who are they?? EXACTLY! Sure D, I know the Offense leaves you on the field for way too long after they stink it up, but DAYUMMN!

Last, but not least, let me mention Mr. JaMarcus Russell.
I never booed.. I never bitched.. I never moaned and griped while you took the field. I believe that kind of stuff is counter productive. But now, after hearing from inside sources that you’re arrogant, have a bad work ethic and have been to known to party hard even while your team is in total disarray?
I just might be done believing in you.

Recent rumor mills are telling me that the kid still parties with Codeine at clubs.
It’s a common known fact that kids have been mixing Cough Syrup with Alcohol for years. On the street it’s called “Lean” (so potent it makes you lean over when high). It’s also a southern thing. As you can imagine, It gives you more of a loopy feeling than just ordinary liquor.
Withdrawal symptoms include: drug craving, runny nose, yawning, sweating, insomnia, weakness, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle spasms, chills, irritability and pain.
You think this might have anything to with our boy playing the way he does?
Let’s hope not.
I really hope I don’t have reliable sources…but after seeing pictures like this? They’re looking more credible by the second.
Don’t lean on me, sir.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_WtdXDEP9fck/Shbut4sJD7I/AAAAAAAAAJc/dTNrSjgFzOA/s1600-h/JaMcLintock+RUSSELL.jpg

Summary:
Kyle Orton, Josh McDaniels and a newfound dominant defense have quieted all the talk of offseason disfunction in Denver with a 3-0 start.
Orton threw a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall, the defense kept a second straight opponent out of the end zone and the Broncos overwhelmed the Oakland Raiders 23-3 Sunday.
“We’re happy with where we’re at, 3-0,” Orton said. “We’ve been improving every single week.”
The performance to start the season is a far cry from the offseason. McDaniels caused an immediate stir when he was hired to replace the fired Mike Shanahan as coach in Denver last offseason. He alienated Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler before trading him to Chicago for Orton, then suspended Marshall in the preseason.
But once the season started, things couldn’t have gone much better for the Broncos. They capitalized on a lucky bounce to win the opener at Cincinnati and followed that with convincing wins over Cleveland and Oakland (1-2).
“There’s no vindication because there’s nothing to be vindicated about,” McDaniels said.
The schedule gets considerably tougher starting next week against Dallas, but the Broncos have to be pleased with where they stand now.
Rookie Knowshon Moreno ran for 90 yards and a score and Correll Buckhalter added 108 yards on 14 carries for the Broncos. Matt Prater added three field goals as Denver won its AFC West opener for a 10th straight year.
Orton again played mistake-free football, going 13 for 23 for 157 yards. He has not thrown an interception in three games, quite a change from the flashier Cutler, who made more big plays last season but also more mistakes with 18 interceptions.
“I thought it was a clean game,” Orton said. “We got off to a good start, no turnovers again and we made plays in the passing game when we needed to. That’s kind of the formula we wanted to take into this week and we executed it.”
The Broncos have committed just one offensive turnover all season, and even that didn’t end up hurting them. Two plays after Buckhalter fumbled deep in Denver territory, Darren McFadden gave it right back to Denver with a fumble of his own.
That recovery by Brian Dawkins was just one of many big plays from coordinator Mike Nolan’s defense. The Broncos have allowed just 16 points all season, getting six sacks from Elvis Dumervil the past two weeks.
The Raiders offense looked inept for a second straight week and this time the defense couldn’t keep Oakland in the game long enough for JaMarcus Russell to steal one at the end, as he did last week in Kansas City.
The Raiders were held to 137 yards, their second straight week with less than 200 yards of offense. This is just the third time since the start of the 1993 season that Oakland has put together back-to-back games like that, with the other two coming in 2006.
“There’s some glaring problems that need to be fixed, in all phases of the game,” Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. “So I don’t think we have quite a read on who we are. And that’s concerning, because at this point you want to know what type of team you are.”
Russell threw two first-quarter interceptions and was the target of boos all afternoon from the frustrated Raiders fans who bothered to show up. The attendance was 45,602 and the game was blacked out locally.
Russell, who entered the game completing 35.2 percent of his passes, finished 12 for 21 for 61 yards, with only 1 passing yard in the second half.
“I know that the guys in my locker room are behind me,” Russell said. “When the fans get to that, it’s kind of where they seem like they’re fed up. But again, until you come out and play like I know we should and get back on track it will be a different story.”

We’re all still waiting for you, Jam..

The Broncos dominated the first half but only had a 13-3 lead to show for it. LaMont Jordan was stopped on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 to thwart their first drive and Denver had to settle for a field goal after driving inside the 5 late in the half.
The other 10 points were set up by interceptions thrown by Russell. He was picked off by Renaldo Hill following the goal-line stand when Darrius Heyward-Bey fell as his feet got caught up with a defender. That set up the 2-yard TD pass to Marshall. The second interception by Andre Goodwin set up a 48-yard field goal by Prater.

In other news, Rich Gannon broadcast the game for CBS after the Raiders tried to ban their former QB from pregame production meetings. Anyone even happen to hear Gannon striking back?
I thought not. Sorry Al, the people STILL side with the former MVP. I hope this somehow gets to ya, Rich.
This was the 100th all-time meeting between AFL rivals, including two playoff games. The Raiders hold a 56-42-2 edge. Thank you 70’s Raiders.

All we have to look forward to now is the illusive Chaz Schilens. You think he can make an immediate impact?
Will we ever see that week 1 team again?
How will Cable respond to the recent statements made by Randy Hanson and the Napa police?

May the force be with us…AGAIN.
Mucho Gracias, Nation.

Sometimes when you play well enough to win, you still lose..
Sometimes when you play awful enough to lose, you still win.
That’s all I really learned last Sunday as our Raiders battled hard for a victory we never really deserved.

It’s now apparent to me that JaMarcus Russell may not be the Quarterback all of us have envisioned him to be. The kid currently can’t throw an out to save his life, is consistently inaccurate, makes poor decisions in critical moments and never runs quickly enough to avoid a sack or gain a few yards..
Whew! There, I said it!!! It’s really hard for a former fan of the year to become negative sometimes. Sure, I hear the boos, the taunting and the cursing directed at Mr. JR weekly, but I’ve always have been the first fan to ask for others to believe in the guy and to also have patience. “Boos aren’t going to make him play better, Asses! He’ll prove it to you soon..you’ll see!” I scream. Bam, the kid bombs one to Murphy against SD for a TD. “I told you all!!! I told ya!!!”
Hell, after that pass? Not only did I think I WAS a former Jedi, but I also thought our worries were over..
Then we see THIS kind of game…ugh.

Damn Jam, it’s not like the Lord of the Sith wants you to fail, I just want you to improve, son!! But after witnessing a year and 2 games worth of starts, a harsh percentage, poor overthrows, miscues, etc….
Eh, it’s still early. Maybe I’ll hold my final Judgment until a later time. We still need to see what he can do with his number one weapon on the field; Chaz Schilens (who may or may not be available this weekend). Now that Russell has an improved line, a solid backfield and trust worthy TE’s? There should be no one to stop him this time…
Unless… it’s himself, of course.

Summary:
Missing high, low and everywhere in-between, the overall No. 1 draft choice of 2007 completed only 7 of 24 passes for 109 yards. But Russell came into focus when he had to, engineering a 69-yard scoring march in the final 2 minutes for a wildly improbable 13-10 victory over mistake-prone Kansas City.
The Chiefs out-gained the Raiders (1-1) 409-166, while Russell became just the second quarterback since the start of the 1997 season to try 20 or more passes and complete less than 30 percent of them but still win.
And it’s the first time in the Raiders’ 50-year history they’ve emerged with a victory after giving up more than 400 yards and gaining fewer than 200 themselves. May the force be with us!
“I felt really good. The ball was just coming out different for me,” Russell said. “Other than that, I felt good.”
Riiiiiiiiiight.
Russell’s teammates knew it was a fight from start to finish.
From the first quarter all the way to the fourth quarter it was a struggle for us, until the last 2 or 3 minutes left in the game,” said Darren McFadden, whose 5-yard touchdown run around left end with 1:07 left made the difference.
“It’s probably one of the strangest wins. But a win is a win.”
Cassel, making his long-awaited Kansas City debut after being out a month with a knee injury, had given the Chiefs (0-2) the lead with a 29-yard touchdown strike to Dwayne Bowe with 2:38 to go. Cassel wound up throwing for 241 yards.
Oakland’s victory may not have seemed so improbable to coach Todd Haley.
“When you have nine penalties, two turnovers and a couple other lapses, you’re not going to win most of the time,” he said. “We didn’t get the result we wanted. We’re going to have a smart team here. Nine penalties and a couple of those things don’t reflect a smart team. We’re going to get back to work because we’re going to have a smart team here.”
But Tom Cable agreed it was about as strange as they come.
“It’s as poor as I think you can play offensively and still find a way at the end there to win a football game,” said the Oakland coach.
While Cassel clearly outplayed his Oakland counterpart, he did make one mistake that Russell did not. Russell avoided interceptions while two of Cassel’s passes wound up in the arms of Oakland defensive back Michael Huff.
“We had things that happened throughout the day that we hurt ourselves with, whether it was offense or defense or special teams,” Cassel said. “The Raiders did a good job and made the plays when it counted. Therefore, they’re going home with the victory.”
Russell hit Louis Murphy for 19 yards and connected with Todd Watkins for 28 on the nine-play touchdown drive. McFadden took a pitch and sped untouched around the right side of the Chiefs defense.
“I knew that we left plays out there on or previous drives before, so we had to come up with something,” Russell said.
Cassel, who missed the opener with a left knee injury, hit a key third-down pass in the nine-play, 72-yard drive that gave the Chiefs their only lead of the second half.
The Chiefs crowded the line of scrimmage and dared Russell to beat them with his arm, and until the final drive Russell seemed bent on making the strategy work. At the end of the third, he had 35 yards passing and the Raiders had only 77 yards of offense to 313 for the Chiefs.
But a host of Chiefs mistakes, including nine penalties for 70 yards and atrocious clock management — and Sebastian Janikowski’s two field goals — provided a 6-3 Oakland lead.
Also key to Oakland’s winning drive was a roughing call on Wallace Gilberry, who fell onto Russell while he was on the ground.
“When we had the personal foul penalty we kind of were in a position to put them in a bit of a difficult position, and we let them off the hook,” Haley said. “They made plays at the end.”
Brandon Flowers, the Chiefs’ No. 1 cornerback, returned after being out almost a month with a shoulder injury. But he was also guilty of one of the many mistakes by Kansas City when late in the first half he let an interception sail right through his hands.
With nothing but open field in front of him, Flowers would probably have waltzed into the end zone.
“Every loss hurts. This loss kills you,” he said.

Pshhh, doesn’t this sort of banter sound familiar?

FYI The horrible Broncos are currently in first place in the AFC West. It’s time to take them down a notch..
DOMINATE THE RIGHT WAY THIS TIME!!!!!
-DR

Ps If anyone would like a picture, please visit me at the “Raiders Fan Convention”
hosted by Ricky’s sports bar in San Leandro; Saturday, September 26th !

The hours of the event are from 11am-4pm. We are going to have Prize giveaways every half hour and are planning to have me and other “Super Fans” doing the drawings and presenting the prizes.

The “Super Fan Roundtable” will go from 1pm-2pm where “us supers” will be available for questions, stories, photo ops and Raider fan charm…
Uh, do we really have charm? Find out Saturday!!!

Happy Hump day Nation!,

Fact: You have to improve before you win. Fans, before you get too down in the week, remind yourselves we are now looking at a better team.
It was one thing to say it and mean it during the off season and pre-season, but to actually see it on the field in front of you in regular season????
That is something entirely different.
Sure, we lost and should of won..
Sure, Murphy caught that Touchdown with two feet set before he started falling down to supposedly drop..
Sure, we made mistakes…especially in the 4th Quarter..
But our team has improved!!! After seeing the Offense Line protect properly, the Defense shut down San Diego’s rushing and seeing the entire Offense grow a bit, I’m SOLD! Hell, we’ll get another shot at those bastards anyways on November 11th. Mark it down and improve every week that leads up to that date..
it’s the only way.
In my humble opinion, that game told the World we’re going into a new direction…we only have to work on finishing.

Summary:
Rivers answered a pair of go-ahead scores by Oakland by leading two touchdown drives, capped by Darren Sproles’ 5-yard run with 18 seconds left that gave the Chargers their 12th straight in this one-sided rivalry, 24-20 Monday night.
This might have been the toughest one of the bunch. JaMarcus Russell had given Oakland a 20-17 lead with a 57-yard touchdown pass to rookie Louis Murphy with 2:34 left. But despite having two backup linemen in the game, Rivers calmly led the Chargers down the field for the winning score.
“One thing I know is no team in this league can practice two-minute situations as much as we do,” Rivers said. “It’s a little different executing it on Murphy Canyon Road as it is in Oakland. … I said: ‘Well, we’ve done this a million times, let’s go score. All we need is three.’ I was talking to myself, too.”

I’m guessing he’s thinking “Lord, I hope Seymour or Ellis don’t get me again..”

Rivers was six for seven for 79 yards on the winning drive before Sproles silenced the crowd with his run up the middle. This marked the Raiders’ 11th straight loss in prime time and perhaps the most painful, considering how close they came.
They took a 13-10 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski before Rivers drove the Chargers down and gave them the lead with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson. Then Russell’s fourth-down pass to Murphy looked as if it would provide an emphatic end to a pair of losing streaks. Instead, it was just a footnote to Oakland’s league-worst 73rd loss since the start of the 2003 season.
The Chargers offense looked overmatched for much of the night against newly acquired Richard Seymour and the Raiders defense. Injuries to center Nick Hardwick and guard Louis Vasquez in the third quarter made moving the ball even tougher for San Diego and the frustration led Rivers to commit a personal foul that thwarted one drive.
But the two last drives were the reason why the Chargers gave Rivers a six-year contract extension worth $93 million, with $38 million guaranteed, last month. He finished 24 for 36 for 252 yards, playing his best when it counted most.
“People talk about quarterbacks that handle pressure, that respond and lead their teams from behind,” Chargers coach Norv Turner said. “He’s done it continuously and he’s done it in some real difficult situations like tonight. It’s great to get the win here.”

F$$# you, Norv. I don’t care if peeps still compliment you, you’re STILL terrible.

Russell nearly had overcome a rough night with that one pass to Murphy. Russell was 12 for 30 for 208 yards and two interceptions, including one on a desperation heave following Sproles’ TD.
Oakland got a big boost from Seymour, who arrived from New England two days ago and didn’t even go through a full practice with his new team. He sacked Rivers twice in the first half and helped Oakland keep longtime nemesis LaDainian Tomlinson in check.
Tomlinson, who averaged 119 yards rushing per game against Oakland coming into the game, managed only 55 on 13 carries. But Sproles helped out with two long kickoff returns, five catches for 43 yards and the winning touchdown.
The Raiders dominated the play in the first half, outgaining the Chargers 217-74, but were still tied at 10 because of two turnovers, and a replay review that went against Oakland.
With the offensive line creating big holes, Darren McFadden and Michael Bush ran the ball down the field on the opening drive before Russell threw an interception from the San Diego 25 to Quentin Jammer.
The Raiders finished the job on the second drive, getting a 30-yard pass from Russell to Zach Miller to set up Bush’s 4-yard run. McFadden fumbled on the next drive, setting up Tomlinson’s 1-yard run to tie it, his 20th career rushing touchdown against Oakland.
Oakland was on the wrong end of a replay review at the end of the half, when an apparent 19-yard touchdown pass to Murphy was overturned because the ball came loose as he hit the ground. Oakland settled for a 37-yard field goal by Janikowski with 40 seconds left.
“By definition in our rule book, he’s going to the ground and has to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire act of the catch,” referee Carl Cheffers told a pool reporter. “And in this case, he lost possession and the ball hit the ground. Therefore, it’s incomplete.”

Yeah, I know..Bullshit.

Sproles returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards, setting up Nate Kaeding’s 47-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
BTW: Tomlinson’s lost fumble in the first quarter was his first since Oct. 22, 2006, against Kansas City. … Former first-round pick Michael Huff had an INT and a fumble recovery, matching his total from his first three seasons.

Let’s take out all our anger on the Chiefs, Gentlemen. Hear my words..
We will see a better day!!!
-DR

What it do, Nation!??! !!!Good to be back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JYEH! Welcome Seymour! I hope u were worth the trouble, sir!

I have to mention, the 2009 50th anniversary Oakland Raiders don’t look great so far, do they? Sure, there were only Pre-season games witnessed, but Raider fans wish the team showed more promise in the past few weeks.
Eh, maybe they’re saving it for the Chargers, right?? DAMN RIGHT!!!!
BTW: Anyone ever notice the “San Diego Super Charger” song would make a great theme song for a movie musical about prison sex?

Indeed, the past couple of months has been full of expectations, new prospects, ideas and hope.
The good news is:
Receivers are finally catching the ball, Jam and Bey have improved dramatically, McFadden can’t wait to be the work Horse, Quarterbacks will still stay from Nnamdi and Greg Ellis looks on target for at least 11 sacks…
we even get to sport new “Legacy” Jerseys with Ice Cube on Monday night!!

I should be more excited, but I can’t help to think about the last time it all blew up in all of our faces the last time we faced San Diego in our opener.
Sure, there were different faces, different philosophies, different coaches , etc. etc…
but you never know when we can be blindsided yet again if we don’t take this team seriously.. (see below).

Thoughts that currently come to the Dark Lord of the Sith’s mind today..
1) How can we contain/stop “The Choker” Shawn Merriman without using a Court of law?
2) How can we contain LT in the current state of our running stopping D?
3) How can we not let Phillip Rivers beat us again?
(Notice I mention the word “We” a lot. Hush, no one knows I’m the 54th man..)

Short Answers:
1) We MUST give Mario or Cornell backup blocking with our Tight Ends. Sure, he’s bound to leak through the middle as well..but hopefully, all of our Running Backs are preparing for this kind of situation. We don’t need a 5 second block (anyone see last night’s Steelers game?) just about 2 or possibly 3…
2) If we can’t improve in stopping Running backs from treading all over us, then we’re headed for high tide waves swallowing our Defense the entire year! Sure, our starters weren’t in the majority of the past couple of pres season games, but c’mon!!! If I’m Cable, I’m leaving their asses out there until they get it right! Sure, Richard Seymour can help our team considerably, bu it’s going to take a collective effort to get the job done right. I’m tired of seeing the backs running around our D like the Bulls in the streets of Barcelona..
Please, D ..MAKE IT STOP!
3) Well, the good news is D-Hall is no longer a part of the team. Thank the Force. I can still see Denver Offense tearing us to shreds last year. Chris Johnson should be a major contributor in trying to stop the Chargers passing attack. If you throw in little pressure (probably coming from Ellis AND Seymour) we might have a better chance at beating this team.

Realistically, on paper? The Raiders should lose this game. The point spread is -9 1/2, the NFL Analysts still talk shit and the entire World thinks we’re going to lose this game.
“So why do you continue supporting this team?” a friend asks.
“I want to be here when they turn this damn thing around..and when it does? I swear I might hit someone in the face out of pure enthusiasm. If you have read what I’ve read, saw what I’ve seen and know that ANY team has a chance at winning against an 8-8 team? You might feel a wee bit more dedicated too, ass”.

Here’s the post game wrap of the last time we faced the Chargers in an opener…

In his first NFL start Monday night, Rivers didn’t do much more than hand the ball off and watch his defense dominate. He didn’t have to: Tomlinson carried 31 times for 131 yards and one touchdown and the Chargers handed Oakland its second home shutout in a 27-0 victory over the Raiders on Monday night.
“It was exciting,” Rivers said. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. … I’ve said before, I don’t care if I have to hand it off 50 times or throw it 50 times, as long as we win.”
With much of the focus on Rivers as he replaces Drew Brees, Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer put the game in the hands of Tomlinson and his defense, spoiling Art Shell’s first game back as Raiders coach.
“I was shocked,” Shell said. “We didn’t play well, as you could tell. We didn’t have the intensity level that the San Diego Chargers did. I didn’t get us prepared for this game.”
San Diego beat the Raiders for the sixth straight time and shut them out for the first time in their last 90 regular-season meetings. When the Chargers won 44-0 in 1961, Al Davis was still an assistant with San Diego .
Tomlinson showed little sign of rust after sitting out the entire preseason, topping 100 yards rushing in the second quarter. He has 837 yards rushing in his last six meetings with Oakland .
“When you have a young quarterback, you run the football a lot,” Tomlinson said. “You don’t ever want to put a young quarterback in a situation to make a turnover unless you have to. We played conservative and our defense was playing well so we had to ride our defense.”
Rivers, who spent his first two seasons as a backup, went 8-for-11 for 108 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Gates in the fourth quarter that made it 20-0.
The Chargers ran the ball on 48 of 59 plays, and Rivers threw only two passes to wide receivers.
“That was dictated by the score,” Schottenheimer said. “If I had Dan Marino, I would have done the same thing. Everything he was asked to do, he did in a winning fashion.”
The Chargers’ win capped an opening weekend in the NFL in which 11 games were won by visiting teams, the most on opening weekend since 1983, when 12 teams did it. The Raiders joined Green Bay and Tampa Bay as home teams who failed to score in their openers as they had no answer for Merriman and the Chargers defense.
Merriman, last year’s top defensive rookie, had three of San Diego ’s nine sacks and the Chargers held the Raiders to 129 yards in Brooks’ first game as quarterback. Brooks, who went 6-for-14 for 68 yards, was replaced in the fourth quarter by Andrew Walter.
“It was just a tough outing. They played better than us,” Brooks said. “We’re going to get better.”

So here we are WITHOUT Art Shell, Schottenheimer, Brooks, a bed n’ breakfast Offense and more weapons this time around with an improved O-line, D-line (uh, in theory) a better QB, quality Running backs and Tights, etc. etc.
Tell me, are we truly better?

We’ll see come Monday, kids. LET’S GET IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May the force be with us. See you all on Monday night. Take it away, Cube..
Happy Birthday, Panvadee!!

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH. 2009
7:00pm

The stage will be set.. the lights will be on…the fans will be in a frenzy and the cameras will be rolling..

How will our 2009 Oakland Raiders respond against the San Diego Chargers in the season opener?

Recent history hasn’t been too kind to us against those notorious bastards.
Whether we’re up 15-3 in the 3rd Quarter like in the 4th week of the 2008 season, or getting our asses kicked throughout the entire game like in the 14th week of the season..
In any event, we have come up on the short end of the yard stick for quite a while now.

What has to change? What player has to be stopped?
The #1 answer; two capital letters that all Raider fans despise: LT.
The kid racked up a combined total of 45 carries for 197 yards for both games and has been known for sticking it to the Raiders even since he signed with the damn team.
I repeat, for the zillionth time, WE MUST STOP THE RUN!
Hell, what does our Defense really know about the word: “stop”? I’ll go again with “contain”. Mention that word after a game (Media) and I’ll say we are FINALLY progressing.
The same problem seems to be haunting us every damn year…the incorrect personal to slow down the opponents run.
The bad news is we have practically the same squad from 2008 (ranked #31st in the NFL in rushing yards allowed..YIKES!) .

Emperor Al seems to think that our team has improved with the added addition of our new Defensive Coordinator, John Marshall. He will be expected to give our secondary, D-line and Linebackers a fresh new outlook and approach to defensive philosophy, therefore improving the weak spots overall. I hope for all our sake, the old man’s right. (He’s probably not, but remember…we also have the Force with us!)

Philip Rivers tore it up in both meetings too. The first game he went 14/25 for 180 yards with 1 Td while in his second meeting, he completed 10/22 passes for 214 yards with 3 Touchdowns.

You think this year we can we put a helmet on that man’s hip?!??!

Hopefully, our new teammate, Greg Ellis can find #17 behind the line of scrimmage. The warrior had a total of 8 sacks last year while playing limited minutes with the Cowboys.
Oakland envisions the 33-year-old Ellis as the every down player he was earlier in his career.
“I think he can be,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said earlier last month. “You look at the film and he’s been doing that, albeit in a different position. This is a guy you would rely on to come in and compete to be a starter and all that. He’s got so much left in terms of where he’s at physically, in terms of his body, his production, so (it’s) just a positive for our team.”
Ellis played outside linebacker the last two seasons in Dallas’ 3-4 system, but he’s listed at defensive end on the Raiders’ roster. That is the position he played while with the Cowboys before being moved by former coach Bill Parcells at the end of the 2006 season.
Oakland already has a two-time Pro Bowl left defensive end in Derrick Burgess, but Burgess wasn’t at last month’s practices. He hasn’t attended any of the Raiders’ offseason workouts except for a brief appearance at a mandatory minicamp in May when he was sidelined due to an upset stomach.
Not to worry DB, my tummy aches after offseason sessions too.
Burgess has also been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but the Raiders insist the signing of Ellis is not related to that situation.
“I don’t think it has anything to do with it at this point,” Cable said. “This [Ellis signing] was just let’s make our team better and here’s the next opportunity to do that.”
The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2007 when he garnered his only Pro Bowl selection, Ellis had been at odds with the Cowboys for several years. He was finally released by the team on June 2 in a move Dallas owner Jerry Jones said was based more on performance than pay.
Ellis, who was scheduled to earn $5.6 million in salary and bonuses from the Cowboys in 2009, drew interest from several teams before agreeing to a three-year deal with Oakland.
“It came about pretty quick last week, and once it got in motion, I think this was the place he wanted to be,” Cable said. “What we’re doing defensively, it fits him. It makes our team better.”
Ellis has had at least 7.5 sacks in seven of his 11 NFL seasons and has started all but six of the 162 games he has played in during his career.
Hopefully, John Marshall and Greg Ellis can be enough. If not we’re going to have to pray for a great showing by at least TWO of the following: Chris Johnson, Darren McFadden, Kirk Morrison, Justin Fargas, JaMarcus Russell, JL Higgins, Chaz Schilens, DHB or Javon Walker.
Nnamdi Asomugha? Hell…we already KNOW that man’s going to get the job done!!!!

I hope you’re all having a great summer vacation!!!!
Cheers!!!
-DR