Getting off to a good start
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at 9:50 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Get the losses out of the way early, and then go for a strong finish, I say.
That was obviously my strategy as in today’s Bay Area News Group editions as I whiffed on both the New Orleans-Seattle and Jets-Indianapolis games.
That gives you ample time to load up on Sunday’s Baltimore-Kansas City and Green Bay-Philadelphia games and go the other way for big bucks.
My latest e-mail came from someone named Terry Parks, who wrote, “I just cancelled my subscription to your newspaper, because you sure as hell don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Mr. Parks has obviously been talking to my wife and kids, and I’d add that if he was subscribing to the paper solely on my ability to predict football games, he probably can’t afford his mortgage, anyway.
The onslaught has been slow outside of Mr. Parks, however. When I wrote off the Saints a couple of weeks back in my weekly NFL column, a lot of the same people that hammered me for picking Indianapolis over New Orleans in the Super Bowl were reminding me of my mistake.
Don’t think I’l hear from many of them today, although I picked their team to beat Seattle.
Outside of the wild card games, another quiet day for the Raiders.
A couple of notes:
– I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15.
– The National Football Post named tackle Jared Veldheer to its All-rookie team along with Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey, St. Louis tackle Roger Saffold, 49ers guard Mike Iupati and Seattle tackle Russell Okung.
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January 8th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
uno
January 8th, 2011 at 9:51 pm
JB Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 9:46 pm
Let’s just hope we can get Huff re-signed. He knows the system and has just now started to play up to his pick level.
——-
I’d really like Al to re-sign Huff for those reasons in particular, but I don’t know how likely that is.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:53 pm
Pitos
January 8th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Jerry = Pito
January 8th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Veldheer has been a very pleasant surprise. Now, if only BCampbell can progress as quickly we’ll be well on our way to fixing our O-Line woes.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:56 pm
Have to wonder what the Raiders are planning on doing at the RT spot.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Bring back the Fat Monkey.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Does Barrett Robbins have a younger brother? LOL He was our last excellent center. I guess being 5150 helped when directed at the opposition.
January 8th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Go Veldheer!!
Mr Davis is taking his time and covering all bases leaving no stone unturned. Hujack might get this job but I’m telling ya’ marching orders are coming with it. Hujack called a bad game vs the Colts as well as the Steelers and Miami. The strength of this team is it’s power running game. Too many times he neglected that.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:00 pm
Veldheer was the only rookie who made the team?
January 8th, 2011 at 10:02 pm
JB I think Mr Davis agrees with you and he’s making damn sure they find out.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Possibilities at RT: MHenderson, BCampbell, FA or draft. I think the RT issue is more important than the RG problem. We’ve got upgrades available on the current team (i.e. Loper, BCampbell, Walker) that for whatever reasons TC didn’t use. TC just liked Carlisle and that was one of his failings. Now maybe we can put the best players in their best positions. An O-line of Veldheer, Gallery, FA or Draftee, Walker/Loper, MHenderson/BCampbell should do well with the right system & coaching.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
I wish Davis would give whomever he hires authority to hire coaches, have control over def and off schemes and everything else associated with the HC position. From what I read Al was the head coach and general manager and had complete control….I’m not saying we should have a Head coach with Gen Mgr duties such as personnel decisions but give him more control than what Davis currently allows. I doubt AL had anyone looking over his shoulder while he was a head coach…..what a damn HYPOCRITE
January 8th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
JB I agree wholeheartedly.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:04 pm
Power running game?
I dunno about that. I think that’s what we’d like to be. But I guess the question is do we stick with a 3rd OT on the field as the power running game? And do we have a FB for the power running game?
January 8th, 2011 at 10:05 pm
9.priesttj Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Go Veldheer!!
Mr Davis is taking his time and covering all bases leaving no stone unturned. Hujack might get this job but I’m telling ya’ marching orders are coming with it. Hujack called a bad game vs the Colts as well as the Steelers and Miami. The strength of this team is it’s power running game. Too many times he neglected that.
…………………………….
Leaving no stone unturned??? Oh please, lets dont go there. Scary thought what the old boy could dig up. But hey, he’s got until September. Plenty of stones out there.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
– I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15.
—
But the Jets only scored 17 pts. and Raiders scored 26. What am I missing here?
January 8th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
~Mr Davis is taking his time and covering all bases leaving no stone unturned~
Lol. right. Just like he did when he took all that time before hiring Shell?
And really milked it when he kept us all on the edge, when he “left no stone unturned” when took all that time before naming Kiffin..
And who can forget the massive stone turning that went on when Al stated “was down to Cable and one other applicant” where Al lied and said the new HC got to pick his staff, even though Al already had them all signed. Oh hell ya, stone turning like no tomorrow.
You need to shut the hell up, Old Man TJ.
Just because you’re an old fart doesn’t mean you get to drool, and ramble on like a fool.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Priest
I agree that HuJack tanked those three games and called the very poorly. That’s another reason why I think we’ll have a new playcaller as the OC. He did not stick with he power running game as he probably should have. This next year assuming we keep Bush, fix the O-line, Schilens returs and Ford continues to improve, JCampbell should do very well. Our offense could be very scary to the opponents. Let’s just get back to old school Raider smash mouth football.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Jhill we have the players to have a power running game and that is our strong suit IMO why Cable resisted that is beyond me.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:13 pm
I would have liked to see the Raiders sign RT Ryan Harris in FA, but if the Raiders are moving away from the ZBS I’m not sure how good of a fit he would be.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:17 pm
I do like Darrius Morris from Temple, though. Could be a target in the 2nd or 3rd round.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Demarcus Love from Arkansas or Joseph Barksdale from LSU are good run blockers. I also found out OLB Travis Lewis decided to stay in school, so could he be a first round target next year?
There is a chance WR Baldwin from Pit will fall to the Raiders in the 2nd.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:23 pm
# Guy Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Demarcus Love from Arkansas or Joseph Barksdale from LSU are good run blockers. I also found out OLB Travis Lewis decided to stay in school, so could he be a first round target next year?
There is a chance WR Baldwin from Pit will fall to the Raiders in the 2nd.
———————–
Travis Lewis has much less than ideal size. However i like that baldwin kid hes got the size thatd compliment our recievers very well.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
Baldwin from Pitt could definitely be an option (if he shows he has “Raider speed” at the combine).
I still like Greg Jones from MSU. I think he’d be the perfect WLB for the way the Raiders play defense.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
This is the reason why he’s taking this time IMO Hujack has to sign off on this gameplan.Hue is an outstanding offensive mind but those btypes like Mike Martz tend to fall in love with design rather than results. He wants to see his creation come to fruition and that sometimes gets in the way of good oldfashion results oriented football. Somehow Hue has understand that winning the game in the most simplest fashion is better than flamboyance and flair. Expecially when you have the better team. There is no need to fool an inferior opponent.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
9.priesttj Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Go Veldheer!!
Mr Davis is taking his time and covering all bases leaving no stone unturned. Hujack might get this job but I’m telling ya’ marching orders are coming with it. Hujack called a bad game vs the Colts as well as the Steelers and Miami. The strength of this team is it’s power running game. Too many times he neglected that.
——————–
Just don’t know if I can agree with this one. Al does not seem like a ‘covering all the bases’ kind of guy.
To quick to hire and fire
To quick to throw large money at busts
To quick to ‘angerness’
But he’ll wait til the cows come home before we get a HC. We need one now so:
A-He can get right to work like they are doing in suk francisco
B-Any body worth a hoot will be gone
But then again, its Al were talking about.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Young, I think Greg Jones moved up to the top OLB prospect when Lewis didn’t declare and because of Bruce Carter’s injury. He is probably going to end up going before us in the 2nd to STL or Det.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:31 pm
I think we can all agree that we AT LEAST have a QB with the talent of Sanchez.
So tell me why we can’t win again?
——————
the diff is Sanchez is willing to throw it down the field and your boy JC doesnt. Sanchez has done it in a 2 min drill against Houston earlier this year. You see that back shoulder throw today to Edwards to win the game? Can you point out to one occasion this year where JC threw a back shoulder throw.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
17.djohnnyg Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 10:10 pm
– I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15.
—
But the Jets only scored 17 pts. and Raiders scored 26. What am I missing here?
—————-
DJ,
The Jets had a TOP of 33 vs 26 mins. They kept Peyton off the field and their D is better than ours. They ran and ran some more vs Hue’s great plan of pass and pass some more. the best way to beat Peyton is to keep him on the sideline.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:36 pm
The difference is what he seems like to you means nothing I know the man. Seems like to fans is about as far from the actual man it’s ridiculous.
You just don’t know what type of person MR Davis is he is one by one dealing with each and every coach to see how the graded out and wether they should stay everyone is being evaluated to the tee. We didn’t win the division aeventhough we beat everyone in the division that doesn’t compute and he’ll find out why. Trust me.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:38 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Oakland Raiders Buzz, BayAreaCadillac, RAIDERSRSS and others. RAIDERSRSS said: IBA: Getting off to a good start http://bit.ly/fzqyKd [...]
January 8th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
You may not agree with him but when it comes to this team he doesn’t eat sleep or take a crap until he knows why who when and where. It’s his life I don’t mean it from a cliche standpoint “it is his LIFE”………..period
January 8th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
JC is obviously trying to not make mistakes. He is not a risk taker. Sometimes that’s a good thing.
I am just not sure whether he is doing that because of wanting to preserve his personal stats or because he is team guy and doesn’t want to hurt the team with picks.
He seemed more like a team player as the season wore on.
I still haven’t gotten over “the slide”.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
# Guy Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Young, I think Greg Jones moved up to the top OLB prospect when Lewis didn’t declare and because of Bruce Carter’s injury. He is probably going to end up going before us in the 2nd to STL or Det.
———-
Really? I heard he might have even dropped to the top of the third round. But you’re right, I didn’t hear about Lewis not declaring. That could definitely effect Jones’ stock.
My hope is that Jones drops to the Raiders because he’s not the prototypical pass-rusher most teams expect their WLB to be.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:43 pm
DJ,
The Jets had a TOP of 33 vs 26 mins. They kept Peyton off the field and their D is better than ours. They ran and ran some more vs Hue’s great plan of pass and pass some more. the best way to beat Peyton is to keep him on the sideline.
—
That makes sense. Thanks.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Good Night Raider Nation!
January 8th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
agree with post 30 … i was @ that game
January 8th, 2011 at 10:47 pm
Aig, you like stats, and that’s a good thing.
Of the 44 passes in the Colts game, 18 came in the final 20 plays.
Another 5 came in the 1-minute drill at the end of the first half.
Take those out, and you get something akin to a 40-60 run / pass split, which is as good as you’ll get when you’re going 3 and out the entire 1st quarter getting stopped on run plays 2 downs every series.
It was honestly a very balanced game-plan up until the final 2 series of the 4th quarter when we were down two, passed it 18 times, and scored our only TD.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:48 pm
McFadden also got injured in the middle of that game.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
And to those thinking we should be playing this weekend…
that same Jets team blew us out 38-0 last year.
I don’t think Jamarcus cost us 38 points.
Jets running game vs our D = D fail
Russell or Campbell vs Rex D = our QB fail
January 8th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
the d was getting worked that game….180 degrees from the k.c game
January 8th, 2011 at 10:50 pm
we would have played bal @ home though
January 8th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Last two or three years, we’ve been BLOWN OUT (at least a 21 point loss) by:
Saints, Giants, Falcons, Steelers, Jets, Patriots, Titans.
We’re not ready for playoff football.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:52 pm
I wonder how we would’ve done against Pittsburgh had we played them again AND with a different offensive gameplan.
When I see the teams in the playoffs and their running game(s), I compare them to ours and we have a running attack that can be downright scary, possibly the best in the league. I think you just have to commit to it even when you get that first three and out. You can’t panic even if you’re down 7-0 off the bat.
Now if you get down 21-3 early like we did against Pitt. then you have a sense of urgency, but I wonder if we would have been down 21-3 early if we would have not panicked and stuck with the run.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:55 pm
Oak Invader,
we played the majority of that Chiefs game with a lead.
Our D looks pretty awesome when we play with a lead most of the game. Hides the fact our run D wears down quickly.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:55 pm
doesnt matter goin in hot winnig against jax and indy …a home playoff game would be different regardless who we play..ive been in the hole in the playoffs we dont lose …unless the goose sits on gannon
January 8th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
we had a lead b4 i sat down …..
January 8th, 2011 at 10:56 pm
remember #12 ??? and indy went three and out first series…
January 8th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
DJohnny,
the Steelers gave up something ridiculous like 63 yard a game on the ground.
They overwhelmed our O-Line, as they do with most O-lines in the NFL. They would overwhelm them again and shut down our running game again.
To beat the Steelers, you need a top-shelf QB that backs them off the LOS.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Alex7 Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 10:49 pm
And to those thinking we should be playing this weekend…
that same Jets team blew us out 38-0 last year.
I don’t think Jamarcus cost us 38 points.
Jets running game vs our D = D fail
Russell or Campbell vs Rex D = our QB fail
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Go up and down both teams’ rosters last year and you should come to the same conclusion I did: That game was lost before we ever took the field.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Priest, since you kind of know Al, may I ask in your heart of hearts what do you think he is gonna do about the HC position and when do you think we’ll hear something?
January 8th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Personally, I just don’t think this team has the talent right now to straight-up beat the Steelers 9 times out of 10.
And of course, there’s always the chance of some breaks going their way early and the game playing out differently. But in every phase of the game the Steelers are a more complete team and it showed.
The biggest problem is that our offense struggles when a team has a lot of speed at outside linebacker and defensive end. If a team can take away the Raiders’ perimeter runs, and force them into 2nd-and-12 and 3rd-and-9 situations, they’re just not going to be effective.
The offense as it is right now is completely dependent on being in 3rd-and-short situations, or avoiding 3rd down entirely.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:58 pm
Oak,
the reason you were in the hole in a playoff game…
was because our team was really good back then.
We lost to almost every legit team this year, for a reason.
January 8th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
hate warren sapp but he might be right … single high safety and man to man evreydown doesnt get it in 2011
January 8th, 2011 at 11:00 pm
i get it but we smoked some games ….and our d does wear down ….but if we played this weekend we dont lose at home in the playoffs
January 8th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
True YA.
Debo, so do you agree that this year, our roster is STILL far behind that of the playoff teams?
What did we upgrade? Jason Campbell and his 12 touchdowns? Ford? McClain?
Not sure that’s enough to not get steamrolled by about 220 rushing yards by the Jets, and have them overwhelm our O.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
We’ll probably hear after the SB and my guess is he wants to do what’s best for the QB he thinks pretty highly of. If he and Hue think along the same lines Hue will have the job. But I’m telling ya’ when he gives Bush all this money he ain t doing it so Hue can sit again. Hue will have to cometo grips with what he wants IF he wants that job and he probably has 2 coaches he can go to in case they don’t see eye to eye.
I think he likes what Hue has to offer but he wants that running game to proper along with Hue’s passing game aspirations.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Oak,
we lost at home to the Ravens last year.
We lost at home to the Texans, Dolphins, and Colts this year.
I just don’t see what you see.
The Titans, Steelers, Dolphins, and Jaguars were our PUT UP OR SHUT UP games this year. Yuck.
These playoff teams have either superb D’s that don’t give up two 100-rushers in one game, or a QB that can put up 300 yards and 3 TDs.
We don’t have either.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
just think we would have beat bal @ home ….we only won 2 road games so we are far from the real deal holyfield
January 8th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
and we played the nfc west and lost those road games
January 8th, 2011 at 11:08 pm
Priestt,
why isn’t the #2 running game in the entire NFL good enough?
No one’s running game lights it up every single week.
Only the Patriots (because of Brady) run on the Steelers.
#2 rush O in the NFL, with our lack of QB play, was dang impressive.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:09 pm
u mean lack of wr play????????
January 8th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
no # 2 wr let alone # 1
January 8th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Alex7 Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
True YA.
Debo, so do you agree that this year, our roster is STILL far behind that of the playoff teams?
What did we upgrade? Jason Campbell and his 12 touchdowns? Ford? McClain?
Not sure that’s enough to not get steamrolled by about 220 rushing yards by the Jets, and have them overwhelm our O.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
It’s obvious we’re not there yet. Just look at the Jets. Think Jamarcus would rather be throwing to Murphy and DHB as rookies, or Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes? Who would you say has the better OL? People talk about how Hue didn’t attack the middle of the Colts’ defense, but that’d be easier to do if our D could have held them down like the Jets did. That’s why Cable’s idiotic statement that Jamarcus held us back from making the playoffs pissed me off so bad. Good riddance!
January 8th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@ DJ
Jax didnt panic against us. They stuck to their gameplan and eventually broke our back. The Jets are the same way. They stick to their ground game, ask their D to keep them in the game, and eventually they win.
@Alex
I just went back over the play by play of the Colt/Raider game. For all of 3rd and 4th qtr, we had 27 passing plays (including sacks) to 7 runs. Prior to the final 5 min, we had already ran 17 passes to 6 runs. Score was 17 -13 at half and 24-16 end of 3rd qtr. Hue needed to be more patient and pound them into submission. He got cute and we paid the price.
On top of that, we kept on running sweeps to the outside vs a speedy team. It has been proven that you beat Indy by running right at them. We need to be 60% run team and run right at them.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Not interested kid go bother someone else.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:13 pm
Hasselbeck proved you need a QB more than you need star WRs.
But at least now we’re arguing something similar.
Davis and Hue are going to look at improving the passing-game. Priority #1.
And Hue benched our current QB twice, as deep into the season as week 11/12.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15.
==============================================
Probably a valid point by Jerry, but that’s not the only ‘better idea’ the Jets had for defeating the Colts.
To me, what really stood out was the obviously better game plan, preparation, recognition and execution on defense to control Manning.
Against the Raids, Manning took the Colts to the line, looked over the defense, made his read, changed the play as necessary, and just about ALWAYS found a weak link to exploit.
He was always one step ahead of the Raider defense and seemingly kept the chains moving with ease.
Not only that, but the Jets actually stopped the run when needed.
I’ll agree Hue should have used more power runs up the gut against the Colts (even though the Jet O-line with Mangold is probably more suited to this than the Raids with Satele). Keeping Manning off the field and wearing the Colts down is the ticket to beating them. The Jets did a good very job of this (esp. in the 2nd half) and were able to win.
But don’t kid yourselves, the Jets won by limiting the Colts to 16 points. This is attributable not only to having a better idea of how to attack a perimeter based defense and keeping Manning on the sideline, but also having a sound defensive scheme and players actually executing on defense.
The 2010 Raid defense had it’s moments. Last game against the Chefs was very strong (although it’s arguable the game meant little to KC). But the efforts against Houston, Miami and Jax were atrocious.
The Raids aren’t the only defense Manning has made look silly, but today the Jets showed that a well prepared and solid defense is capable of limiting even arguably the best QB in the game.
If the Raids are going to go with JaJason at QB in 2011, they’re going to need more than just a better plan from Hue to exploit perimeter defenses, they’re going to have to develop a dominant defense of their own.
JaJason sucks, and the Raids also need better defensive coaching and execution.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
dont need a star but starting dhb????
January 8th, 2011 at 11:15 pm
True. We dont have a QB to beat Pitt. You beat them by dinking and dunking them to death. Hasselhoff with all his brittle injuries played a heck of a game today. Threw some great timing passes.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Aig,
again, 18 of the final 20 plays were passes.
Yes, that was before 5 minutes were left.
The entire 4th quarter was mostly passing.
We were down 2 scores, and the passing actually led to our only TD on offense.
Look at the play-by-play the first 3 quarters.
I don’t mind going pass-happy when down 2 scores in the 4th quarter when #1 RB is hurt, our D is getting shredded by the run, and it leads to our only TD.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
I thought where our playoff shot went south was how we came out against Miami.
I had the sense the team was demoralized after the Pittsburgh debacle as if that game really humbled them and made ‘em feel like crap. It was such a slap in the face and Miami was so fired up that they just played harder than we did, thus securing the win, then with our backs against the wall they got that chip back on their shoulder and had to “prove something” against SD.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
Raiderman,
good post. You understand the huge gap in D philosophy/creativity/variation between the Jets and Raiders.
You can only continue running the ball, if you’re actually getting 1st downs to extend drives.
Jets did that today.
We didn’t vs Colts.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:22 pm
A7
Just counted the first and 2nd qtr, it was around 20 passes to 10 rushes. When JC takes off or get sacked, I count that as a pass attempt as well. Basically, the play broke down or no one was open, and he took off. The final number showed 20 rushess and 42 pass attempts but there was a whole lot more than that.
You look at the number of times JC rushed the ball and times he got sacked, it is well into 50+ passing plays.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:24 pm
yeah Johnny,
the Raiders had 4 true PROVE IT games.
Opener at Tennessee = fail (mostly QB and run D)
Steelers game = fail (mostly QB and O-line)
Dolphins game = fail (mostly QB and run D)
Jaguars game = fail (run D, and missed 3rd down conversions early)
We weren’t a playoff team.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:27 pm
Aig, when you get sacked and it’s 1st and 18, and you pass two more times, I don’t mind.
When you run the ball 4 of your 6 first plays, and 6 of the first 8 to start the 3rd quarter, and give the ball to Manning time after time because you’re not running it well or converting 3rd downs, I understand the desire to not continue that pattern.
Anyhow, the Colts game was pointless.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:28 pm
DJ,
The biggest loss to me was against JAX. That basically took all of our momentum out after the prev week against SD. Hue had a great game plan in SD. We had a 38 min to 21 min TOP advantage. 52 rushes to 16 pass attempts. We didnt score as many as JAX but we had over 5 drives of 5 min or more.
Against JAX, Hue basically abandoned our strength and went back to passing. We only had 1 drive over 5 min and more passing attempts than rushes.
Our bread and butter is ground and pound. Hue for some reason refuses to stick to it and, contrary to Cable’s denial, I believe there was a rift between the 2 on this subject.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
@A7,
That’s the main problme was calling a passing play to be sacked to begin with but the game was really pointless…I agree.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:31 pm
reasons we lost to the Colts.
1) We gave up 191 rushing yards.
2) We were 4-15 on 3rd down conversions
3) Their TE lit us up for 7-76-1 TD
4) Our run game was demolished in the first half.
5) We realized we were eliminated from the playoffs.
Playcalling and “only” scoring 26 points is pretty far down the list.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Aig,
to be fair, here was the playcalling in the 1st Q…
run, run, pass, punt.
run, run, pass, punt.
pass (sack), pass, pass, punt.
I’m kinda glad Hue doesn’t go all 1990s Raiders (run, run, pass every single series).
January 8th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
# oakland invader Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 11:10 pm
no # 2 wr let alone # 1
=====
Really? You think it’s the WR that makes the QB and not the other way around?
Then explain how Indy can go 4-5 deep into their depth chart due to injuries and start guys nobody ever heard of and make them legit #1 WRs? Do you really think that Garcon is a #1 on the Raiders? Man, just look at how they lose Clark and stick in this guy out of nowhere, Tamme, and suddenly he’s ranked as a #1 fantasy TE.
And then there are a gazillion cases of a nobody WR that changes teams and suddenly blows up. Or maybe a better example is a WR on a team where the QB changes and his performance does with it. Look at Larry Fitzgerald this year versus the last many. Look at Roddy White before and after Ryan showed up.
Fact is, if you’re a WR in the NFL, you’ve got the skills. But if you don’t have a QB that can make most of the throws, then you don’t look so hot.
Last case, how many times did you see Campbell or Grads have a wide open Murphy or Ford streaking deep, only to either under or overthrow them? A lot! Especially on the underthrows, the WR has to slow up and try to sell the DBs that the ball isn’t coming. If that balls on target, it’s an easy catch and dash the rest of the field for a TD. Add a few of those to either guy’s stats, and suddenly you’re looking at legit starting NFL per game numbers.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Alex, than we need to make a move with the QB position to become that playoff team. Or, do we hope JC somehow gets better in the offseason?
January 8th, 2011 at 11:39 pm
DJohnny,
too many Raider fans are hoping JC suddenly becomes good.
History shows NO QB in the last 15 years has started 5 or 6 seasons in a row, then suddenly turned the corner.
Not a single one.
JC is who he is. Hue is smart and benched him twice.
If Hue is our HC, he’ll ask for and likely be given some new QBs soon.
January 8th, 2011 at 11:45 pm
Zymurge,
preach on, brother! I’ve been stating that for months.
TJ leaves Cincy and nada.
Fitz loses Warner and team sucks.
Bills find a QB (Fitzpatrick) and look more competitive than when they added a WR (Owens last year)
Rams get a QB and voila, improvement.
Vikings lose QB production and suck (same exact team as last year).
January 9th, 2011 at 12:15 am
I want to explore this idea that JaJason is going to ‘get better’.
To start with, what exactly would that mean ?
My idea of JaJason getting better would be a solid increase in his yards per pass attempt, coupled with his interception ratio going down (or at least not increasing).
In order to do this JaJason is going to have to accurately throw intermediate passes and occasionally hit a deep pass.
It was certainly noticeable that the Raids lacked an intermediate passing game. With the exception of the miracle to Ford to send the KC game into OT, and the long pass in OT that won the game, I can hardly remember more than a handful of passes that were in the air for 20 or more yards the ENTIRE season.
This is unacceptable.
Of course, there are legitimate mitigating factors. Pass protection was poor, WRs aren’t great, Hue understands JaJason can’t complete these throws and is averse to including them in his game plan.
Still, the bottom line is JaJason can’t consistently get the ball downfield with success, and this is the most glaring deficiency of his game that needs to improve.
I submit he can’t do it, and what’s more – he knows he can’t do it.
JaJason has only survived in the NFL this long by not taking chances, by not attempting to make throws he can’t complete, by avoiding turnovers and letting the rest of the team carry the load.
At best, he will manage a game and not blow a lead or keep a game close. But if you need to move the ball through the air to score points – forget about it.
That’s JaJason, and I don’t fault him too much for knowing his limitations. He’s managed to hang around the NFL for 7 years and make millions.
But if you think he’s going to improve, or that he’s a QB the Raids can build around, well then you’re delusional.
I’m pretty sure Hue doesn’t have this delusion, and I pray Al Davis still doesn’t.
Because if they don’t know it yet, 2011 is going to be a depressing year of watching them come to the realization that….
JaJason sucks.
January 9th, 2011 at 12:22 am
Falcons – Ryan – franchise turnaround.
Bucs – Freeman – franchise turnaround.
Saints – Brees – franchise turnaround.
Panthers, Browns, Redskins, Lions
No QB = no playoffs.
Pattern?
January 9th, 2011 at 12:37 am
Raiders aren’t ready for playoffs, 2 major reasons that stand out is are inability to run against true playoff teams. Yeah we ran it down the chiefs necks, but they are not a true playoff team yet… Lucky asses are gonna run into a freight train against Baltimore… But teams like the ravens, steelers, jets, and even colts with there fast sideline defense stuff us everytime… The other reason is our Oline can’t protect the qb against playoff caliber teams… We looked so weak against the steelers pass rush…. To me these are glaring offensive deficiencies…. And our coaches almost never make halftime adjustments that work…. To me a coaches true worth is his ability to adjust and make changes that turn games around….the colts game was prime example of coaches not making the correct adjustments…. Perimeter was shutdown and we barely attacked the soft spot (middle)…. And when Mi
January 9th, 2011 at 12:53 am
Veldeheer is a beast !!!!! I’m telling you he is it…. For him to crack the lineup and play well was a blessing…. I wish ford would have started from week 1 cuz he would Be on that list too… Right tackle needs to be addressed…. If Al has a draft like last year, then we will have serious serious talent and whoever is coaching better make the most of this squad…..Might be a little more harder without a first rounder
January 9th, 2011 at 1:25 am
My playoff picks…
KC 13 Baltimore 31
KC will go down hard courtesy of 2 guys both named ray(Lewis and Rice)
Philadelphia 17 Cheeseheads 24
Packers have a more rounded team and a nasty set of linebackers and they can play in the cold too
January 9th, 2011 at 1:52 am
Ravens D has been run on plenty this year. J. Charles might keep it close. Like Jerry alluded to, though, KC might be a bit beat up from the Oak boys.
January 9th, 2011 at 2:57 am
a couple things ,championship teams dont miss tackles ,and they dont give up big plays for td’s every week after week after week,also we have got to get at least one guy who is going to catch around 70 balls or better .the guys we got now are 3rd and 4th type guys.they only had about one good game apiece maybe.no one caught 6 or 7 balls week in and week out .yah they are up n coming but they arent there yet
January 9th, 2011 at 4:49 am
pretty sad that Brees & Manning are already out of the playoffs!
Who’s next?
Rodgers & Flacco?
I hope not. this might shape up to be some BORING playoffs …
January 9th, 2011 at 5:11 am
The National Football Post named tackle Jared Veldheer to its All-rookie team along with Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey, St. Louis tackle Roger Saffold, 49ers guard Mike Iupati and Seattle tackle Russell Okung.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Not bad for a kid from Hillsdale College which has a student body the size of a big high school in California.
Nice writing Jerry. Highly amusing.
January 9th, 2011 at 5:15 am
– I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I believe that’s correct.
We had a poor game plan. We had the league’s 2nd running offense and they had the league’s 28th running defense but it was pass, pass, pass for us.
January 9th, 2011 at 5:19 am
So ahhhh…….
When do we trade DHB?
January 9th, 2011 at 5:34 am
priesttj Says:
January 8th, 2011 at 10:24 pm
This is the reason why he’s taking this time IMO Hujack has to sign off on this gameplan
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Hue has to sign off on Al’s game plan???!!!
Did hell freeze over?
January 9th, 2011 at 6:34 am
Really Jerry? We don’t care about your picks.
January 9th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Rolando McClain had a great season at Mike linebacker for the Raiders. He started off playing mostly on run downs but as the season progressed he played more in passing situations. He is an excellent run defender who is strong and physical and shows very good awareness in pass coverage.
*********************************
McClain and Houston also made the all rookie team on defense from the National Football Post.
January 9th, 2011 at 6:48 am
Peyton Manning = 9-10 career in the playoffs.
And the year he won the SB he had like 1 TD and 6 turnovers until he get it together in the second half against the Pats in the AFC championship game.
He’s lucky he did win that one SB, or he would be considered a huuuuuuuuge choke artist.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:14 am
January 8th, 2011 at 10:10 pm– I know Hue Jackson said execution was the problem against Indianapolis and not the game plan. But it sure seemed to me the New York Jets had a better idea about how to attack a perimeter based defense than the Raiders did in Week 15 defense than the Raiders did in Week 15—— But the Jets only scored 17 pts. and Raiders scored 26. What am I missing here?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Obviously you’re missing a lot….
Power running game will control the ball and T.O.P…
You keep Manning off the field…You beat the Colts.
Engaging in a shootout with Manning is a recipe for disaster..Especially with a passing “attack” like the Raiders have.
Its like chasing the dragon.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:19 am
priesttj Says January 8th, 2011 at 10:39 pm
You may not agree with him but when it comes to this team he doesn’t eat sleep or take a crap until he knows why who when and where. It’s his life I don’t mean it from a cliche standpoint “it is his LIFE”………..period
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Well his life sucks….
Jesus…. If there was a prototype for Captain Obvious posts…. This would definitely be it.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:21 am
Just Fire Baby Says January 9th, 2011 at 6:48 am
Peyton Manning = 9-10 career in the playoffs And the year he won the SB he had like 1 TD and 6 turnovers until he get it together in the second half against the Pats in the AFC championship game He’s lucky he did win that one SB, or he would be considered a huuuuuuuuge choke artist.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And that being said is a Top 5 QB all time and is walking into the HOF the same day he retires….
And is much better than any QB that has ever played for the Raiders…
Not sure why you would even mention this.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:24 am
Just Fire Baby Says January 9th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Rolando McClain had a great season at Mike linebacker for the Raiders. He started off playing mostly defender who is strong and physical and shows very good awareness in pass coverage********************************* McClain and Houston also made the all rookie team on defense from the National Football Post
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Great season? No…. Patrick Willis’ rookie year was a great season…. Ray Lewis’ rookie year was a great season…
McClain had an OK season.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:47 am
I remember when rookies rarely if ever made an impact in their first year. High school & college training have a lot to do with it.
I am real pleased with Rolando. He should be a top 5 MLB for the next ten years with some pro bowls sprinkled in.
Or maybe he will stick someone with a shiv and become a HOF MLB like Ray.
January 9th, 2011 at 7:56 am
mornin’ nation,
i find it hard to believe that some on here want to defend cable, saying he got this team to 8-8, and should be allowed to continue… it took him two and a half years!!! haley turned the queefs around in one season!! several other teams like the rams turned it around in less than two seasons..tell me again why we should keep cable!!!
January 9th, 2011 at 7:58 am
Hopefully JC & DHB & Murph & Ford will train hard all off season. JC will have to make the calls, encourage everyone and push his WR’s hard.
DHB & Murph need to catch 100? balls 5 days a week most all off season from the JC, the juggs and anybody else who will throw them balls.
Get with DMAC, he did it last year and exploded
January 9th, 2011 at 8:00 am
Cable is GONE!
He is history
He did his job and most of us knew Al would get someone else to finish the job.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:04 am
anyone following the football news closely should thank the football gods for mr davis..he lives for this team, and will stop at nothing to make it better!! it is not his side business or a toy, it is his life..
January 9th, 2011 at 8:06 am
Darn Jets ruined my colt-packer SB pic.
But I had a feeling the hawks would win.
I have the Ravens/packers today.
The big question is can the Steelers beat the Cheats
I hate both teams but I really hate the cheats and do not want them to go to the SB.
Pitt is the only team left in the AFC that can beat the pats.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:08 am
Its hard to see the Jets beating the cheats after the last beating they took but the pundits are talking up the jets this morning.
Can RR figure out how to stop Brady?
January 9th, 2011 at 8:09 am
Teabag,
Wasn’t my words that he had a “great” season, I was quoting the writer for the NFP.
BTW, Ray Lewis’s rookie year, his teams ranked 26th against the run, barely giving up less yards per game than we did.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:10 am
r8rwill, it doesn’t matter anymore. He’s gone.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:11 am
Well, so much for my Superbowl pick of New Orleans, although I don’t think anyone outside of maybe Pete Carroll and Doughhead Hasselbeck can honestly say they saw that coming. Hats off to Carroll for a great game-plan and to Doughhead for having one of his rare great games. At least I got the Jets/Indy tilt right.
Today’s predictions: Ravens by 10 and Cheeseheads by 3.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:11 am
# CJ Legend 34 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 5:19 am
So ahhhh…….
When do we trade DHB?
*************************************************
do you really think he has any value.you gotta see if he has any cover skills.if he does you gotta make him a corner ,other wise buy him a bra ,cause he’s a bust.lol….by the way breast’s without nipples are pointless
January 9th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Plunk: Sanchez will have to play a lot better next week if the Jets want to beat the Patsies. Let’s hope.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:17 am
Plunk,
Good morning brother.
I don’t think Cable “did his job”, and that’s why he wasn’t resigned. His job was to improve the team, and get them to play good football.
If we all credit Hue for our offense improving, and blame (some credit him) for the defense, then why do we need Cable?
January 9th, 2011 at 8:19 am
#113 yes he is gone, and thanksvery much for his loyalty and effort. i agree he is gone and is not coming back. we need to move on too…
January 9th, 2011 at 8:19 am
Sanchez has looked miserable his entire career in cold-weather.
Nobody was more happy than the Jets when the Raiders beat the Chiefs, thus elevating the Colts to the #3 seed, and keeping Sanchez indoors for another week.
They are going to get their doors blown off against the Patriots, like they did a month or so ago.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:20 am
And Blame Marshall* (some credit him) for the defense, then…..
Fire Marshall!!!!
Lal too!!!!!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:23 am
“Raider O”: At first I was really pissed about the Cable firing but after some thought the wildly inconsistent efforts of the team seem to point to poor preparation for too many games. We should have beat Arizona, San Fran and Miami, and probably the Jags as well. The two blow-outs to Pitt and Tenn were brutal as well. While expecting to make the playoffs was likely unrealistic, more consistent efforts should have been the case.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Sanchez better learn how to throw a touch pass pronto.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:27 am
ESPN talking Nnamdi leaving Oakland!!!
RIGHT NOW IN 2!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:30 am
# Raider O Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:20 am
And Blame Marshall* (some credit him) for the defense, then…..
Fire Marshall!!!!
Lal too!!!!!
….
I do blame Marshall for not game planning properly for some teams and not teaching consistent gap control, the formations that took Nnamdi off the field and left Huff as a corner, and the fact that TE continues to be a problem for coverage.
Don’t get me started on the 3rd down efficiency. The Raiders have been horrible at getting off the field on 3rd down for it seems like 30 years now.
I hope that Al lets Hue at least present some candidates for the staff.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:31 am
Campbell should be gone, or at least challenged. I could live with a true competition between Campbell, Grads an Ricky Stanzi from Iowa. Though I’d rather see Vince Young brought in to take over for Campbell. I think Young would be a great fit with the rest of the players in place here.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:31 am
Contract VOIDED!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:31 am
Nnamdi’s contract voided
January 9th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Wow I knew Al would make waves this summer but thats………………. wow
January 9th, 2011 at 8:32 am
Looks like Nnamdi is not coming back!
Al do the right thing…hire a GM!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:33 am
Our Defense didn’t play up to it’s potential this season, and I blame Marshall for that.
1- who has a package with all Ss and not a single CB on the field. In a passing situation?! To make things worse, they practiced it!!!
2- his only move/ trick was the S blitz, and the LBs were not that involved.
3- used MM as a LB, he used him to blitz, and kept him in the box.
4- our defense allowed a lot of big plays.
5- we allowed 30+ points in 6 games!
6- we allowed 31 points in 1 half to Jax
We can do better!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:33 am
our current team is young ,talented, hungry, and headed in the right direction, thank you cable..we have nowhere to go but up!!! the best total position we have been in in years, almost decades..
in watching yesterdays’ games, i don’t see a single team our team could not beat, if we played like we did against kc last sunday!! we played sooo well that kc is going to lose today!!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am
OUCH! From Rotoworld:
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Nnamdi Asomugha’s contract has voided, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Asomugha’s contract contained a complicated clause that essentially voided the contract if the star cornerback failed to achieve certain incentives. The clause also does not allow the Raiders to slap him with the franchise tag. He’ll enter free agency as the biggest name defensive player on the market.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am
O
Al decided Tom could not cut it moving forward and I am happy with that.
I mourned for Tom for about a half a hour and have now moved on
January 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am
Hasselbeck was ridiculously good yesterday. Never saw that one coming. Got totally burned on that game but the Jets got me even. Like the Ravens today and leaning toward the Packers but feeling the over 47 much more strongly than either team in this one.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am
Thats what happens when you don’t have a Coach and GM…results = disaster!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:35 am
I didn’t know he can do that. I thought we had the option.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:35 am
r8rwill Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:33 am
our current team is young ,talented, hungry, and headed in the right direction, thank you cable..we have nowhere to go but up!!!
*************
Ummmm, unfortunately, down is always an available direction…
January 9th, 2011 at 8:35 am
I agree that the jets will have their emergency exits blown off in flight next week
January 9th, 2011 at 8:36 am
aso is gone. he put in his raider time. I’m sure he wants to move on. go play some zone and get more INTS and stats. like woodson did.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Nnamdi is going to the J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Plunk,
LMAO
You are very loyal
1/2 hour!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:37 am
HOLY POO!!
PGutierrezCSN Paul Gutierrez
#Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha’s contract has reportedly been voided
January 9th, 2011 at 8:37 am
aso will go to the niners if he leaves. its all about the bay area.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Chris in NY Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:34 am
Hasselbeck was ridiculously good yesterday. Never saw that one coming. Got totally burned on that game but the Jets got me even. Like the Ravens today and leaning toward the Packers but feeling the over 47 much more strongly than either team in this one.
***************
I feel the exact same… I had the aints and Jets too, I also predicted the +/- on both, but failed to pull the trigger ;(
January 9th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Nnamdi may still come back though the odds may be against it, but he’s not worth Manning/Brady money. QBs are so much more important than any other position you can’t justify paying that kind of cash to non-QBs.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:39 am
#21 Jersey is one of many I’m adding to my collection!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:40 am
145.Chris in NY Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Nnamdi may still come back though the odds may be against it, but he’s not worth Manning/Brady money. QBs are so much more important than any other position you can’t justify paying that kind of cash to non-QBs.
____
AD might throw a lot of money at him, but if he leaves, he leaves. aso has shutdown WRS for years and our defense has still be torched. he def shouldn’t be getting top $$$ imo.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:40 am
And with the Raiders 2nd round pick, Oakland selects ________, CB – From Somewhere ST.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Nnamdi will go where the money is which may be Oakland. But I could see him getting the itch to go to a perennial contender if the cash is close.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:42 am
Raiders are looking to sign Champ Bailey…???
January 9th, 2011 at 8:43 am
Saints will have money. Cowboys may also be an option.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:43 am
Raider75 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:40 am
And with the Raiders 2nd round pick, Oakland selects ________, CB – From Somewhere ST.
**************
And with their 3rd pick, the Oakland Raiders select _______, CB from…..
January 9th, 2011 at 8:43 am
NY, we are a contender…and the money we’ll offer him is probably more than any other team!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:43 am
the ravens will step up their game now that the play-offs have begun.. pats are still the team to beat, but on any sunday….?? did caroll have the seahawks playing over their head?? how did he turn them around??
January 9th, 2011 at 8:44 am
106.r8rwill Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 7:56 am
mornin’ nation,
i find it hard to believe that some on here want to defend cable, saying he got this team to 8-8, and should be allowed to continue… it took him two and a half years!!! haley turned the queefs around in one season!! several other teams like the rams turned it around in less than two seasons..tell me again why we should keep cable!!!
—
The only reasons I am worried about Cable going is the players being demoralized because of it. They all seemed very convincing that they wanted him back and that he was a big reason they did as much as they did this year. Also, continuity. Constantly changing coaches shows instability and scares off potential big name free agents.
Other reason is why do it if you don’t have a better option? Do it just to do it?
January 9th, 2011 at 8:44 am
Nnamdi will go to the Chargers to stick it to Davis and stay in Cali.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Man what the hell is up with this Nnamdi stuff. Can he walk with no compensation to us?
This is tragic.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:48 am
The Raiders are falling apart…right in front of us!!
Oh wait….they’ve been!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:49 am
Teabag #104,
Its interesting that you compared McClain to Lewis and Willis for analysis because ironically I was looking at the numbers yesterday for McClain and trying to compare him to other great players their rookie year.
The numbers Willis and Lewis put up were astounding! Much greater than McClain. But why is that I asked? I had to dig deeper. Is McClain really that bad compared to these two because it wasn’t even close.
The obvious, and the bottom line, is right there. They play in completely different systems. 3-4 ILBs vs 4-3 MLBs. By design the 3-4ILBs are the tackling machines of that defense. Almost all LBs in the 3-4 have numbers that morph the 4-3 LBs.
Its all in the system. I think McClain had a pretty solid rookie year for a 4-3 MLB. Something like 85 tackles 6 passes defended and 1 INT.
Its hard to compare apples to apples with the MLBs in the 4-3. They are almost incomparalbe to the ILBs in the 3-4.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Nnamdi leaves Oakland and we get NOTHING for him?
Should have traded him for something of great value and not just let him leave with NOTHING to show for it.
This is ridiculous.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:51 am
504 Raider Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:46 am
Man what the hell is up with this Nnamdi stuff. Can he walk with no compensation to us?
This is tragic.
*********
As is stands now, we would get a compensation pick in next years draft… Al better get movin on the coaching situation and try and lock up as many FA’s before the market hits… Which is when by the way? I guess everything is up in there air without a CBA.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:51 am
155.djohnnyg Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:44 am
106.r8rwill Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 7:56 am
mornin’ nation,
i find it hard to believe that some on here want to defend cable, saying he got this team to 8-8, and should be allowed to continue… it took him two and a half years!!! haley turned the queefs around in one season!! several other teams like the rams turned it around in less than two seasons..tell me again why we should keep cable!!!
—
The only reasons I am worried about Cable going is the players being demoralized because of it. They all seemed very convincing that they wanted him back and that he was a big reason they did as much as they did this year. Also, continuity. Constantly changing coaches shows instability and scares off potential big name free agents.
Other reason is why do it if you don’t have a better option? Do it just to do it?
__
players probably backed art shell to as they won 2 games. its all about results. raiders won 8 games JUST becuase doubled their scoring ppg. thats it, it was hue jackson the whole time, not cable. raiders still had mental breakdowns, gave up big plays and lost a lot of close games and games to really bad teams. thats all on cable. cable sucked as a HC, anybody who disagrees will have a hard time proving that he was any good at all. cable sucked.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:52 am
John, IT’S THE RAIDERS…GET OVER IT!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:52 am
The 3-4 LBs get all the glory and attention in this league because of thier impact and numbers produced …again by design …but you can’t do a simple comparison to McClain.
You must use other MLBs in a similar scheme; which still has its faults because you can have a poor defense that boosts the MLBs numbers because the RB is always getting past the LOS to the second level: paging Kurt Morrison!
January 9th, 2011 at 8:53 am
160.djohnnyg Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 8:50 am
Nnamdi leaves Oakland and we get NOTHING for him?
Should have traded him for something of great value and not just let him leave with NOTHING to show for it.
This is ridiculous.
___ yeah he’ll leave unless AD pays him 15 mil per year, which would be stupid. let him go at that point. not worth it. aso would put up great stats in a more balanced defense.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:54 am
I think Nnamdi will resign. I read an article that said the contract was voided because Nnamdi didn’t earn his incentives due to missing 2 games, not having INTs, etc..
January 9th, 2011 at 8:57 am
Sometimes being a Raider fan feels so dam hopeless. I will ALWAYS root for this team but nothing ever gets better.
We have had nothing but bad news and scary scenarios since our “resurgence” this year.
How about some good news for a change?
Oh yeah, I guess that’s too much too ask.
Al Davis seems like he’s just hell bent on destroying any hope for the fans.
I am not encouraged by anything I’m seeing or hearing in regard to this franchise.
It’s always something negative and bad news.
January 9th, 2011 at 8:59 am
AD should just make it offical and go down to the sidelines and coach from his chair.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:01 am
I have always been FOR trading Nnamdi for some other needs on the team. My thought has been WITH him on the team we could only win 5 games anyway and how much worse could we be without him?, but I always thought you had to get something great in return.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:02 am
This means that the Raiders will need to take the top DB available with their first round pick in the upcoming draft. Oops, I mean the top DB available when they make their first pick at #17 in the second round.
I’m just happy that I’m not a Raiders fan… they finally field a competitive team for the first time in years then they screw it up by firing the coach and potentially losing their best player with nothing in return.
Here’s to another high draft pick in 2012! Your Oakland Raiders… The LA Clippers of the NFL!
January 9th, 2011 at 9:03 am
I just hate to lose Nnamdi without compensation. A compensatory pick in the draft starts in the 3rd rnd I think. Unless they give us two of them.
At least with Nnamdi gone we might play more zone instead of that bump and run.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:06 am
170.andrew33 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:02 am
This means that the Raiders will need to take the top DB available with their first round pick in the upcoming draft. Oops, I mean the top DB available when they make their first pick at #17 in the second round.
I’m just happy that I’m not a Raiders fan… they finally field a competitive team for the first time in years then they screw it up by firing the coach and potentially losing their best player with nothing in return.
Here’s to another high draft pick in 2012! Your Oakland Raiders… The LA Clippers of the NFL!
————————————————————————————————————–
Why are you in here?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:07 am
Andrew33 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:02 am
This means that the Raiders will need to take the top DB available with their first round pick in the upcoming draft. Oops, I mean the top DB available when they make their first pick at #17 in the second round.
I’m just happy that I’m not a Raiders fan… they finally field a competitive team for the first time in years then they screw it up by firing the coach and potentially losing their best player with nothing in return.
Here’s to another high draft pick in 2012! Your Oakland Raiders… The LA Clippers of the NFL!
=======================
Your Oakland Raiders…The Golden State Warriors of the NFL!
January 9th, 2011 at 9:08 am
Here’s to another high draft pick in 2012! Your Oakland Raiders… The LA Clippers of the NFL!
—
Only difference is the Clippers have no history whatsoever. Raiders were in the Super Bowl 8 years ago. Clippers have never even made the playoffs that I remember.
But, things are not looking good right now and we can keep it at that.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:09 am
Stanford Routt stock just went up.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:10 am
I wouldn’t panic yet about Nnamdi. I doubt very seriously that Schefter knew about this situation before Al and Amy did.
Could he leave? Sure. Is it a foregone conclusion? I doubt it.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:10 am
Our starting CB’s in 2011: Chris Johnson and Stanford Routt!
Assuming there is a 2011 season, of course…
January 9th, 2011 at 9:12 am
169.djohnnyg Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:01 am
I have always been FOR trading Nnamdi for some other needs on the team. My thought has been WITH him on the team we could only win 5 games anyway and how much worse could we be without him?, but I always thought you had to get something great in return.
___
aso was a great AD pick. i thought OAK could have traded him this year for a 2010 1st round pick. would have been worth it IMO. but AD wont let go.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:12 am
Wow!
Aso had a clause in his contract that said that said that if didn’t meet his-pretty impossible-incentives that his contract would be voided and he couldn’t be designated as franchise player.
He is therefore a free agent.
That’s terrific management.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am
A 2011 NFL Season is about as sure to happen as a morning piss.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am
Will someone let me know when something GOOD happens? Geez, we just went through seven yrs. of hell and then finally some progress, but nooooooooooooo, let’s see how we can totally destroy everything.
I want some good news.
Can Al Davis handle a franchise anymore? Is he a “cutter” or something? Filled with so much self hatred that when he has something good he can do nothing but intentionally screw it up?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am
put the young CBS to work. we’ve all seen that chris johnson isnt the answer and routt? if aso stays its because AD overpays like a madman. and becuase the bay area is the best place in CA.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:16 am
I have a feeling Nnamdi will still get paid more here that he would anywhere else.
Hopefully if anything this means Al will let Routt walk.
Still, re-signing Asomugha, Seymour, and Miller means Al is going to be shelling out a lot of money in the offseason.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:18 am
England,
If I recall, Nnamdi was a free agent when he signed that contract. The team sucked, and he wanted some assurances and some proof that the Raiders would win again, or he was gone to begin with. That’s pretty well documented. He had leverage, Al wanted to keep him. Simple as that.
I’m sure that Al had it in his mind that the team would improve to the point where Nnamdi would want to stay when the time came. Aso still might; the team is on the cusp, and he knows it. As I said in an earlier post, he could absolutely leave, but I don’t think it’s a slam dunk that he will.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:18 am
What pisses me off is that ESPN is reporting it as Nnamdi is already OUT as a Raider, as if he has said he wasn’t going to re-sign.
Nnamdi is a bit over rated because he is rarely tested. I remember seeing him get burned a few times in the Pro Bowl 2 years ago when opposing qb’s didn’t avoid him. My guess is if he signs with another team that doesn’t play mostly man coverage (meaning every other team in the NFL), he may get more picks (shouldn’t be too hard to improve on 0 picks) but he will also be exposed a bit more.
Someone will overpay for him and chances are it will be the Raiders….
January 9th, 2011 at 9:18 am
181.djohnnyg Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:14 am
Will someone let me know when something GOOD happens? Geez, we just went through seven yrs. of hell and then finally some progress, but nooooooooooooo, let’s see how we can totally destroy everything.
I want some good news.
Can Al Davis handle a franchise anymore? Is he a “cutter” or something? Filled with so much self hatred that when he has something good he can do nothing but intentionally screw it up?
_)___
AD was a coach and helped shape the nfl. so he cant let go. Raiders started to suck in the 90s after Free agency started and defenses got faster. AD was right in not resigning cable though, raiders had the same mental breakdowns this year and won 8 games becuase Hue Jackson got that offense making plays. cable sucked as head coach.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:19 am
Did Revis make the Pro Bowl? If he did, just think how this year’s “just think if we were teammates” conversation would be.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:22 am
To #172:
I found this blog back when the Seymour trade went down (I am a lifelong Pats fan from Boston’s North Shore)and I was praying that he would report to the team and finalize a trade that I felt may prove to be another fleecing of Al on the Pats’ part. I’m in here because it is entertaining & genuinely like Jerry Mac’s writing. You are very lucky to have him as a beat writer.
The Raiders are a fascinating team to follow in their disfunction, and to see how a dedicated and loyal fan base reacts to getting repeatedly pissed on by Al Davis. I do feel bad for the more rational members of Raiders Nation. You guys deserve better than this.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:26 am
188.andrew33 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:22 am
To #172:
I found this blog back when the Seymour trade went down (I am a lifelong Pats fan from Boston’s North Shore)and I was praying that he would report to the team and finalize a trade that I felt may prove to be another fleecing of Al on the Pats’ part. I’m in here because it is entertaining & genuinely like Jerry Mac’s writing. You are very lucky to have him as a beat writer.
The Raiders are a fascinating team to follow in their disfunction, and to see how a dedicated and loyal fan base reacts to getting repeatedly pissed on by Al Davis. I do feel bad for the more rational members of Raiders Nation. You guys deserve better than this.
____
to compare the raiders to the clippers is an unsult. raiders have 25 playoff wins, more than the patriots so this isn’t the clippers.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:27 am
edward teach Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:18 am
England,
If I recall, Nnamdi was a free agent when he signed that contract. The team sucked, and he wanted some assurances and some proof that the Raiders would win again, or he was gone to begin with. That’s pretty well documented. He had leverage, Al wanted to keep him. Simple as that.
I’m sure that Al had it in his mind that the team would improve to the point where Nnamdi would want to stay when the time came. Aso still might; the team is on the cusp, and he knows it. As I said in an earlier post, he could absolutely leave, but I don’t think it’s a slam dunk that he will.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I hope not ET.
It’s one thing to trade him and another to just lose him and get nothing
Don’t really see why Al had to agree to the agent inserting this clause anyway, especially considering how much he paid Aso.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Cable might have sucked but the repercussions seem they could be worse. First, is the next coach gonna be any better? And why do it if u don’t have a real plan to make it better at the risk of losing the team. Lechler said guys are gonna wnat to leave now. Is it worth canning Cable then?
Has Al weighed the pros and cons of this?
Nnamdi leaves and who’s next? Bush, Seymour, and anybody else that can find a way out? You want players that want to be here don’t you?
It’s not like Cable was a cancer that absolutely had to be removed before anything else. Why not put up with him and create a “Joe Paterno” situation with him where he is more of a figure head who does nothing just to keep the morale of the tem intact?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:28 am
raiders will get something for aso, AD wouldn’t be so stupid to set it up to get burned by aso leaving like this.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Will Al persuade Aso with money?
Man he’s got twelve free agents to persuade including Symour who is going to be expensive.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:30 am
191.djohnnyg Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:28 am
Cable might have sucked but the repercussions seem they could be worse. First, is the next coach gonna be any better? And why do it if u don’t have a real plan to make it better at the risk of losing the team. Lechler said guys are gonna wnat to leave now. Is it worth canning Cable then?
Has Al weighed the pros and cons of this?
Nnamdi leaves and who’s next? Bush, Seymour, and anybody else that can find a way out? You want players that want to be here don’t you?
It’s not like Cable was a cancer that absolutely had to be removed before anything else. Why not put up with him and create a “Joe Paterno” situation with him where he is more of a figure head who does nothing just to keep the morale of the tem intact?
____
the punter has the last word.haha, the players back any coach that they relate too, even if they lose. players liked norv turner too. player opinion isn’t that important. lechler is just spouting.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:34 am
To #189:
Who would you compare the modern Raiders to? I would say that since the 2002 SB loss, the Clippers are an apt comparison. Clueless ownership, poor management, and chronic losing. The thing that makes the two teams different is the Raider’s history and dedicated fan base, but their last SB trophy is an antique and there are Raiders fans approaching 30 years old that had not yet been born the last time they hoisted a trophy.
Am I incorrect in my analysis?
January 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am
# Teabag Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 7:24 am
Just Fire Baby Says January 9th, 2011 at 6:40 am
Rolando McClain had a great season at Mike linebacker for the Raiders. He started off playing mostly defender who is strong and physical and shows very good awareness in pass coverage********************************* McClain and Houston also made the all rookie team on defense from the National Football Post
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Great season? No…. Patrick Willis’ rookie year was a great season…. Ray Lewis’ rookie year was a great season…
McClain had an OK season.
====
Willis was in a different situation than McClain his rookie year. He didn’t have the same quality DTs as Seymour and Kelly in front of him. He was able to make more tackles because more of the attack was getting to him. He’s also a much faster, side to side cover LB that looks flashy, whereas McClain is a stay-at-home 4-3 mike that has a different role. He has to read the offense, make the defensive adjustment calls, and then hold the middle. If that doesn’t mean making the tackle, it means disrupting the blocking schemes and blowing up the attack so that others can make the play at or near the LOS.
It takes a deeper knowledge of football to recognize the difference. Otherwise, it’s like trying to compare the effectiveness of a RB vs a blocking TE in terms of only looking at amount of yards gained.
January 9th, 2011 at 9:45 am
195.andrew33 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:34 am
To #189:
Who would you compare the modern Raiders to? I would say that since the 2002 SB loss, the Clippers are an apt comparison. Clueless ownership, poor management, and chronic losing. The thing that makes the two teams different is the Raider’s history and dedicated fan base, but their last SB trophy is an antique and there are Raiders fans approaching 30 years old that had not yet been born the last time they hoisted a trophy.
Am I incorrect in my analysis?
the chiefs last SB trophy is an antique, same with the jets, dolphins,vikings? bears, redskins,eagles!!!lol, seahawks!!cardinals, falcons? jags?oppps,titans-oilers,. of all the teams with what you call “antique” trophies or with none and you pick the raiders as your clippers comparison. not too bright are ya?
January 9th, 2011 at 10:04 am
T0 #197:
I asked who you would compare the MODERN Raiders to, and maintain that the Clippers are a fairly accurate comparison.
All the teams you listed, exluding possibly the Redskins and even including the Cardinals, have been better managed in recent years that the Raiders. For nearly a decade the Raiders have been the benchmark for NFL (and pro sports overall) disfunction and incompetence.
I actually cited Raiders history as where they differ from the Clippers, but since the 2002 SB not much else separates them in terms of mismanagement and futility.
You either didn’t read what I said or lack the ability to comprehend it.
January 9th, 2011 at 11:44 am
Sign champ Bailey and Aso is an afterthought…. I love having a star on defense but aso has been overrated to me…. 0 picks = mediocre cb…. Many will say he never gets thrown on… He plays on 1 side and offenses know it and make sure their # 1 is matched up against a yonger corner… We need to focus on the defensive front…. With adequate pressure routt and CJ will look much better…. Leave it to a Pats fan to refer us to the clippers…. 2 words : SNOW JOB…. Go back 2 Baaston with all that noise…. Second half of game is starting and I would love a little self gratification seeing chiefs lose
January 9th, 2011 at 11:49 am
Zymurge Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:36 am
“Willis was in a different situation than McClain his rookie year. He didn’t have the same quality DTs as Seymour and Kelly in front of him. He was able to make more tackles because more of the attack was getting to him.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ray Lewis had the best DLine in front of him for 10 years which freed him up to make more tackles.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“He’s also a much faster, side to side cover LB that looks flashy, whereas McClain is a stay-at-home 4-3 mike that has a different role. He has to read the offense, make the defensive adjustment calls, and then hold the middle. If that doesn’t mean making the tackle, it means disrupting the blocking schemes and blowing up the attack so that others can make the play at or near the LOS It takes a deeper knowledge of football to recognize the difference”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What you are talking about is read and react and every LB (not just ILB’s) has to do this. Do you realize you are stating Lewis and Willis don’t make calls and read and react? The difference the scheme makes is marginal. And I hate to break it to you, McClain played 34 ILB at Alabama his whole time there. It was where he was projected as a best fit. You’re right it does taking a deeper knowledge to recofnoze the difference…the very marginal difference.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“Otherwise, it’s like trying to compare the effectiveness of a RB vs a blocking TE in terms of only looking at amount of yards gained”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So let me get this straight… Because I am confused.
You are saying comparing an inside linebacker…….with an inside linebacker is like comparing a RB with a blocking TE? o_O
January 9th, 2011 at 11:54 am
Compare us to the Yankees of the 80’s where Steinbrenner had a horrible decade but rebounded after alot of bad moves…. Al is a legend like his old friend Steinbrenner…. Oh you don’t want to do that since the yanks cursed the sox for almost a century….
January 9th, 2011 at 11:59 am
Ok im talkn out my a$$ a little bit but can u blame me….. We won’t know if Al messed up or has an underhanded plan that blows us all away until September and we see what kind of team takes the field
January 9th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
Chiefs are selfdistructing and I love it….. Cuz im a raider a Fu**n raider !!! U know the song
January 9th, 2011 at 2:40 pm
manassamauler Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:45 am
195.andrew33 Says:
January 9th, 2011 at 9:34 am
To #189:
Who would you compare the modern Raiders to? I would say that since the 2002 SB loss, the Clippers are an apt comparison. Clueless ownership, poor management, and chronic losing. The thing that makes the two teams different is the Raider’s history and dedicated fan base, but their last SB trophy is an antique and there are Raiders fans approaching 30 years old that had not yet been born the last time they hoisted a trophy.
Am I incorrect in my analysis?
………………………………………..
wow i didnt realize the clippers played in the nba finals 5 times and won 3 of them
January 9th, 2011 at 2:43 pm
with all this talk of the olden days maybe the raiders should change their name back to the oakland senoirs ,and just start over
December 15th, 2011 at 5:45 am
Sump Pump Problems…
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February 1st, 2012 at 12:14 pm
designing a kitchen…
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