What a great game.
Sarcasm, can’t live or die without it.
What changed over the start of 2nd half of the season?
Yesterday, I saw an old man dance faster than any other Food Vendor on the Planet. My beloved Niece, Caitlin even joined in the fun and got on the big screen. Thank the Force…that brought me a half a smile.
As for the game?
I’m not sure when the enthusiasm, inspiration and excitement will ever come back to the great city of Oakland.

Perhaps, when my eyebrows are a little greyer, when my knees are more fragile and when the Coliseum reaches its lowest attendance record of 10,000 peeps. I’ll barely be able to yell, my older friends will be 6 feet under and the Youth will take over the Darth Raider persona.
We’ll go 9-7 and I’ll fall out my wheel chair crying “We did it! We did…eckk”.
R.I.P. Darth Raider. You lived an ok life. You attended an AFC championship and a Super Bowl blow out.
Ouch..

Positives, positives, positives..I’m always looking for ‘em. Lesseee…(sigh)
Michael Bush had a great game. His Bulldozer running style makes me wonder if we’d win more games by simply giving him more touches while the others sit in awe.
Chaz Schilens is back and looks as if he’s just warming up (3 catches for 27 yards). I know he’s capable of so much more, but I also realize he has to get back into the feel of things before he puts up bigger numbers.
Shane Lechler is still bomb and is going for the All-time punting record. BTW Unless your name is Pele, It’s really hard to root for kicker…(oops, stay positive)
Kirk Morrison and Tyvon Branch combined for 19 Tackles.
Bruce Gradkowski went 5 /9 for 49 yards. The guy had 2 picks, but still looks like he could give our team a better chance to win if he starts..
or not.
I don’t even want to mention our current case of the dropsy’s. That last offensive play was pitiful. DHB stands for Dropping Hella Balls..

Whiskey anyone?

Summary:
OAKLAND, Calif. — Since the middle of the 2007 season, no team in the NFL has been worse than the Kansas City Chiefs. All the losing and mistakes somehow disappear when the Chiefs arrive in Oakland.
Jamaal Charles scored on a 44-yard run for Kansas City’s first rushing touchdown of the season and the Chiefs used a late interception to win their seventh straight road game against the Oakland Raiders, 16-10 on Sunday.

“I guess we got a winning streak here,” receiver Dwayne Bowe said. “Every time we play a division team our goal is to win. But every time we play the Raiders, it’s always a heated rivalry and coach stressed it all during the week: Hate the Raiders, we’ve got to beat the Raiders.”

I think the Oakland Raiders rivalry against ANYONE is outdated. We’re currently more at war within ourselves than anyone else…

The Chiefs (2-7) have managed to win just five of their past 35 games. But three of those wins have come at the Oakland Coliseum, where Kansas City has the longest winning streak ever by a visiting team.
Ryan Succop kicked three field goals and Kansas City once again pulled out a close one against the Raiders (2-7) in Oakland in the Chiefs’ first game since releasing running back Larry Johnson. Charles stepped in and ran for 103 yards, including Kansas City’s only touchdown on a fourth-and-1 in the second quarter. That was the first rushing touchdown for the Chiefs since Tyler Thigpen had one Dec. 21, 2008, against Miami.
“I feel like I’m getting the opportunity to play,” Charles said. “I’m really trying to take over at the spot. I don’t just want to take over, I want to win so it’s not all about taking over the job, it’s who can make plays.”

The Raiders scored a touchdown on their opening drive and then managed just three points and 202 yards the rest of the way. For the second straight home game, the Raiders pulled former No. 1 overall pick JaMarcus Russell for ineffectiveness.
He was taken out in the first half against the Jets last month after committing three first-half turnovers. He lasted into the second half this week, before being replaced by Bruce Gradkowski late in the third quarter after going 8 for 24 for 64 yards. Russell said he was surprised and disappointed by coach Tom Cable’s decision.
“Things were going OK,” Russell said. “Toward the end, we weren’t able (to) move the ball as well.”

HA! WHEN WERE WE EVER ABLE TO MOVE THE BALL WELL?!??!?!?!?

The change didn’t provide an immediate spark as Gradkowski failed to get a first down after a fumble gave the Raiders the ball at the Kansas City 49. Gradkowski then threw an interception to Mike Brown on a tipped pass on the next drive, giving the Chiefs the ball at the Oakland 47.
The Chiefs drove the ball down to the 11 before settling for a 31-yard field goal by Succop that gave them a 16-10 lead with 6:17 remaining.

Other Notes:
Jamaal Charles scored the Chiefs’ first rushing touchdown of the season.

Kansas City won its seventh consecutive game at Oakland.

Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell has a passer rating of 50 or below in six of nine games this year.

Oakland had a season-high 182 rushing yards.
Gradkowski drove the Raiders to the Kansas City 26 before rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey bobbled a pass inside the 10 and it ended up in Brown’s hands for a game-sealing interception.
“It’s tough to swallow,” Gradkowski said. “You know that kind of summed up today though. We had plays out there that we need to make.”

No shit.

Cable said he wanted to look at the film before deciding who he will start next week against Cincinnati. He blamed eight drops for some of the poor play but said Russell missed open receivers too often.
“This game is about making plays and we just did not do that whether it was JaMarcus in there or Bruce in there,” Cable said. “I’m just looking for the guy who gives us the best chance to win.”

10/1 odds: Darth Raider is in the House..

The Raiders, playing with a healthy offense for the first time all season, got off to a fast start. Michael Bush’s 60-yard run set up a 1-yard plunge by Justin Fargas. Oakland’s only other score came on Sebastian Janikowski’s 50-yard field goal after Dantrell Savage muffed a punt later in the first quarter.
One play in the third quarter provided some comic relief. Dwayne Bowe fumbled after a 12-yard catch for Kansas City. At least six players had a shot to fall on the ball, but it kept squirting down field until offensive lineman Brian Waters fell on at the Oakland 22, giving the Chiefs an extra 23 yards on the play. Kansas City was unable to capitalize on the good fortune as Matt Cassel threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-1. … Janikowski missed a 45-yard FG in the third quarter, ending a streak of 20 straight makes.

Eh, Jano has been solid until this last mistake. I’m sure he’ll get back on track next Sunday.

It seems like the Bengals are no longer the team to kick around. Who knows? Maybe the team that beat the Eagles will show up. If not?

I sure hope the old man’s dancing again.
I need something to keep me entertained.

Peace,
DR

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