A Bad Case of Flashbacks
I’ve been staring at my computer screen, trying to think of something original to say about Sunday’s game, and all I can come up with are two words: See 2006. Or 2005.
Honestly, Norv Turner must have been having flashbacks, watching L.T. run over a lackluster Raiders team that was unmotivated, incapable and ultimately incompetent.
No one on the Raiders escapes this analysis, from the coaching down to the water boy, except for maybe Ronald Curry.
The one thing I liked—well, not liked, but appreciated—about our earlier losses is that they were different losses than we’ve seen over past three years. They were close games, played with purpose, and coherently, if not brilliantly, executed. Sunday, however, was just like old times, right down to our L.T. problem, which is verging on supernatural.
Honestly, I would rather lose to the Chargers by a score of 35-7 while limiting L.T. to one touchdown than to lose a closer game this way. I’m serious. If we can’t beat the Chargers, we at least need to find a new way to lose to them.
L.T. is really good, but he’s not that good. Prior to Sunday, he had scored two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in five games. On Sunday, he had four touchdowns.
We saw this coming. Earlier that week I said that I was sick to death of watching L.T. carve us up like raw fish in the hands of Benihana chef. I now present to you yet another fresh plate of silver and black sushi.During the Chargers' current eight-game winning streak over the Raiders, L.T. has rushed for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching one TD pass and throwing two.
Pro-rated over 16 games, you're talking about the greatest, most statistically rich season by a running back in the history of the NFL. That's how poorly our great defense has been dealing with this guy.
We had 2:43, a timeout and the two-minute warning on our side while down by two touchdowns in the 4th quarter. Do you think it’s impossible to score two touchdowns in the NFL in nearly three minutes with two stoppages and a long thrower like Daunte Culpepper on your side? Of course not—unless you don’t try. We didn’t try. We ran ten plays that netted us 50 yards before time expired, including plays of 7, 8, 11 and 12 yards, including three consecutive “short rights” to Jordan. Not deep outs to Higgins or Curry. Short rights toSo I’m just going to pout this week. I figure, if the Raiders can’t be bothered to stop L.T., then I can’t be bothered to write about them. If the Raiders can’t be bothered to try to win the game at the end, I can’t be bothered to care for a few days. If the Raiders can't get geeked up about playing a hated rival, then I can't get geeked up about having a take. I’m suffering a bad case of flashbacks, and I need time to recuperate.
I’ll be at the Chiefs game on Sunday, and hopefully I won’t have to listen to the KSFO propagandists painting lipstick on another toad while coasting home on I-880 after the game. I’m still “in” and all that business, but I’m close to out of patience.
posted by Raider Take at 7:07 AM
103 Comments:
Kiffin's quote summed it up for me. "What happened today is we came out and played like really bad football teams play."
Rather than dwell on the obvious, how great was Zack Miller's first career TD?!
Good for Zach. Too bad it came after an eight-minute drive in the 4th quarter while two scores down. Sorry, I'm feeling cranky today.
This nothing that a little victory over the Chiefs can't fix. :)
And how does this happen? How do the Chargers play us in their 6th game of the season, and LT gets almost half of his total yards, while Merriman gets almost half of his total sacks against us? It's mostly LT killing us, but Merriman is their defensive equiv. I saw him hit Daunte on a run play before he even handed it to Jordan. Now if THAT doesn't remind you of 2006 nothing should!
Psycho
RT you're a mind-reader, good post.
Since I was the last to post on the previous take I need to re-post my thoughts on our LBs because it's bothering me:
************
I got to watch the tape last night. The Patsy fan is right on a few things, like him or not. LJ is our biggest problem at hand, because as of right now we don't have an answer. Sands needs to give all that money back, Washington needs to cover his side (run) more patiently, Howard was horrible in run support (2 tackles, missed reads galore), and maybe we should've been using Brayton at DT for run support and left Kelly where he was.
I feel like we missed Sam Williams a lot (Bama will hate me for saying that). All of our LBs would simply run straight into the pile as soon as a run play starts, leaving the ends open. With Morrison as an MLB I can understand, but our OLBs blew play after play all day long with LT simply running around whichever corner we covered worse. Pathetic.
It's hard to bash a guy who returns INTs for TD's every week but we need Howard to become a complete LB or else he'll continue to be a liability in run support. If you can't stop the run you'll never be any good in the NFL (as a team).
I've never been a Sam Williams basher but it's safe to say Morrison and Howard are keepers no matter what, and we obviously have LB issues when it comes to stopping the run. I know it's not fair and I hate it (he didn't even play!), but if we're going to upgrade over Sam this year we need a pure run-stopping, blitzing machine. I know it won't happen because we expect them to mainly cover. But this is turning into a damn circus and at some point you have to have hit people.
Psycho
I am not going to make excuses about us loosing this game but as far as I am concerend we played the elite from the afc west, indeed they are no match to the patsies but they are the best in the afc west, look at the trashing they put on the donkos, we are who we are, OUR COACH HAD NEVER BEEN A HEAD COACH BEFORE THIS GIG, our line was the worst in the nfl last year and our defense was average at best.
My thing is are we better than last year and in my opinion my answer is yes, is our coaching better than last year and my answer is yes, do we need help in different parts of the field yes, we will get better in the next few weeks on the offensive side, we will get help from Bush and eventually Russell, our defense is weak and we will have to reload next year.
I hate the fact that we lost to one guy and not a team, I went to this game and saw the innefectiveness of the defense against this guy, we will need to load heavy on defense next year but on the other side of the coin the offense is only going to need a couple of lineman and maybe a receiver and we'll be very competitive.
I still think that we are on a 2 year plan and this is year zero, we have next year as a 9 and 7 season and there after we will be the heavy favorites of the afc west.
I am not going to make excuses about us loosing this game but as far as I am concerend we played the elite from the afc west, indeed they are no match to the patsies but they are the best in the afc west, look at the trashing they put on the donkos, we are who we are, OUR COACH HAD NEVER BEEN A HEAD COACH BEFORE THIS GIG, our line was the worst in the nfl last year and our defense was average at best.
My thing is are we better than last year and in my opinion my answer is yes, is our coaching better than last year and my answer is yes, do we need help in different parts of the field yes, we will get better in the next few weeks on the offensive side, we will get help from Bush and eventually Russell, our defense is weak and we will have to reload next year.
I hate the fact that we lost to one guy and not a team, I went to this game and saw the innefectiveness of the defense against this guy, we will need to load heavy on defense next year but on the other side of the coin the offense is only going to need a couple of lineman and maybe a receiver and we'll be very competitive.
I still think that we are on a 2 year plan and this is year zero, we have next year as a 9 and 7 season and there after we will be the heavy favorites of the afc west.
raiderdecoachella
RT,
I too share your frustation but i have to disagree on one point. The long ball at the end of the game. What did you see during the game that gave you the indication that Danted would have had time to throw a long one. The oline played horrible when it came to pass blocking and we finally saw the other face of the two faced culpepper. I posted on another site as everyone was heaping praise on culpepper last week. He will give you 5td's one week then lost the game for you the next week. The defense could have played better but dante lost that game for us. UGH!!!!!
Im in
ekgraider
RT:
How do you go from liking where we are (improvement-wise) to "out of patience" in one weekend?
Depending on how we play KC, I'm prepared to look at this game as "a letdown." Our boys are not used to any positive press, so when they get it, they start to believe it. I admit that Sunday reminded me of last year, but that's one Sunday vs. a sixteen week mission of ineptitude. Actually, I should say that's one Sunday vs. a 64 week mission of ineptitude.
The OL was as much to blame on Sunday as anyone. All week long the press was talking about their remarkable turnaround. I guess the OL wanted to remind us of what we endured last season. I wish they pick a non-conference game to do that.
But I have developed a WTF regarding Kiffin. To Kiffin, division games are just another game. He better disabuse himself of that notion very fast. The AFC West rivalries are among the oldest and most passionate in the NFL. It is the best division in football, and we measure ourselves against the best.
Psycho, you're right about the LBs. The LBs seem to be the only unit Ryan allows to play aggressively, with the exception of Williams who seems to just patrol a given area. But Howard continually over pursues on running plays. Ryan also repeatedly neglects to back up the defensive right (protecting against the run there with only a corner). If the corner is drawn away by a receiver, or leaves his position to cover what looks like a run up the middle, LT breaks to his left and there's no one there to take him on.
It's not that Ryan's defense is too passive, it might just be that they over react. Defenders continually leave their zone assignments to charge blindly after the ball carrier. That leaves holes for LT to run through. LT dives into the middle of the line, the whole Raider defense follows suit into the middle, then LT breaks outside which has been left unsealed.
RT,
Tough one definately.
Worst is that damn 16 game division loosing streak. That one will stand for a long time I'm sure.
LT is no joke. Just because he hasn't had stellar numbers the frist 1/4 of the season doesn't mean he has lost anything. Not making excuses, just stating reality. I would have gladly given up 800yds and 8TD's to him if we could have beaten them by a point :-(
On the brite side, there's a long way to go. Our division record sucks, but there is a 4way tie in the loss column in the AFC West, so it's not hopeless just yet.
-BamaRaider
It’s hard (really impossible) to explain the nonchalant manner in which our O played toward the end of the game. (And it's more than play selection, it's getting to the line quickly and not running 8 minutes off the clock for one score when you need two.)
As I said before, at the end we helped SD make their prevent defense look state-of-the-art... just dinking and dunking the clock away from the short middle of the field. Brilliant!
The 1st qtr and end-of-game D implosions fall on Rob Ryan. His game plan wreaked of never having played the Chargers in his life.
H made the point before, why do we blitz on run plays and not pass plays? It’s asinine. It was extremely painful to watch our D leave the outside wide open for LT.
KC’s LJ is more of a between the tackles runner. Good thing for us, because we can’t cover the outside.
Honestly, I wasn’t confident we’d win both in SD and against KC games (back-to-back), however, I never thought we’d get embarrassed by either one. I still have my sights on the game I feel we can and will win.
Blanda,
More importantly Al thinks of the division games as the most important. Maybe he'll let Kiffin's 'Just Another Game' attitude slide if he wins the games, but so far he's 0-2. Scary territory. I'm holding out hope that Kiffin is just toying with the media like he does with injuries. Because I'd hate to go through an era where the rivalry games aren't played with a Raider spirit. Crossing my fingers.
Psycho
Raider Freak
I know it is hard to swallow but we are not going from worst to first. We do not have that kind of talent yet. There are going to be set backs and we are going to get routed a few times. We are also going to get a few games we should not win that we will. Kiffin needs a year or two to move out the players he does not want and bring in his kind of players. We are making progress. San Diego is better than their record and will run away with this division. Joey Porter and Raider Take need a hug. Hang in there, for the first time in 4 years we are moving in the right direction. On another subject: Why do we not blitz anymore. Our linebackers are always in coverage. I remember when Ryan first got here we came after the QB. We are always in a 4 man front with no blitz. We are getting shredded anyway, lets atleast put the QB down. Raider Freak, Freaking Out
Some responses:
How do I go from being happy about our improvement to nearly out of patience? Four touchdowns by L.T., awful coaching, and no offense, that's how. I didn't see this regression coming, and I'm pissed. I'm a paying customer, so that's my right.
Sure, Culpepper had very little time to throw the long ball, especially when the plays being called were short outs to Jordan requiring blockers on the move. Get in the shotgun, protect and heave. Let's put it this way: By at least trying to chew up some big yards in those last minutes, we might have a 1 percent chance of pulling off a miracle. By not trying to chew up some big yards in that situation, we have ZERO chance. ZERO!!! Why do teams throw Hail Marys in the last seconds of close games? Why do teams call timeouts on defense in the last minute to keep time on the clock when down by 11 points? You see this stuff all the time in the NFL. Why? Because you should always play for that 1 percent miracle if at all possible. Always. Never give up. That's not too much to ask when I'm paying $612 annually in tickets to watch competitive football.
This may be year zero for Kiffin, but it's year five for me in terms of losing awful games like this. That's enough time for my kid to go from fetus to kindergarten, so it's enough time for me to start losing my patience.
It's not Kiffin's fault. What are the two constants over the past four years (2004 - 2007)? The organization and, largely, the players. Since we didn't clean house in terms of personnel after four straight losing seasons, I had to trust that the organization knew what it was doing in terms of our offensive line and defensive line, did I not? If we're rebuilding, what are we rebuilding upon, in terms of line talent? How many years are you willing to suffer before we figure out a way to stop the run? Five? Ten?
This be patient, year zero, that's the breaks talk is scaring me. You ought to be pissed. We've lost 16 straight games to divisional rivals, and you're not livid after a game like this? This is the Raiders!!!
Does anyone have some Prozac? I need a fistful.
RT,
Dr. H says take two IPAs and call me in the morning.
Agreed Curry played his butt off.
I still can't understand who thought a rookie tight end could block Roidiman one on one. On several pass plays Miller was left to block Roidiman or Phillips without any help. Why isn't Griffith in to help slow the rush. It was evident we needed to max protect.
I also didn't understand the lack of urgency being down two scores.
With the small amount of time remaining after our score, the defense had to gamble more. So, when LT broke the line he was gone.
It amounts to lousy in game adjustments. Hopefully the learning curve has been shortened with that performance.
H
P. S. You may substitute any comparable libation for the IPA.
Yeah, nothing like a good IPA to wash down a fistful of Prozac. I love IPA, enjoyed one with Monday Night Football last night, it was the best part of the game.
By the way Take, I was so pissed on Sunday I was throwing things at the screen. Nothing heavy thank goodness.
There are several players that you can point to as part of the breakdown. However, I still look at this as a bad coaching job. It will happen to every coach on occasion. Now we will see what he learned from it.
To paraphrase Madden in a somewhat Yogiism, the players you have are the players you have. Coaches have to figure out a way to win with the players on the roster. You have to game plan to what you do best and force the other team to stop you.
H
RT - I find myself agreeing with you on every point. However I think I will not cross the line yet of being super pissed. Pissed yes. But we can just as well chalk it up to shaking off the rust from a bye week and losing to a newly rejouvinated, extremely talented team, who was supposed to destroy us in week #6 anyway before the season started. I have little doubt that we'll beat the Chefs Sunday and put this behind us. And I don't mind paying for it. I just hope we gradually show more & more freaking Raider pride and take these division games more seriously.
Psycho
Bama7
H, I'm glad you brought up Miller's blocking or lack thereof. I read the pope's gleeful comment on Miller's TD, and all I could think was who cares about that when he blocked so miserably?
I'm glad to see RT is finally where I am at with this team. Disgusted. We have very few Blue Collar, (Shottenhiemer type) players on this team. And Sunday we saw blue collar vs athletic. Blue collar wins. Just like it did with tatum vs nat Moore in the seventies. We're all about potential and speed over production and physical football. Sick of it. Porter's a big pus. Enough already with his act. He's paid like a top nfl receiver... damn make some plays in a meaningful game, please!
And Schweigert: has this guy ever laid the wood on an opposing WR? Has he had one jack tatum moment since he's been with the s&b?
Has huff ever popped anyone? do we have any players in our back 7 that actually, routinely lay the wood on anyone? We have no hitters and that's our problem. No one is the sligtest bit scared of our defense. Surwe, we have some fine athletes (Howard, Morrison, Huff) that keep us in some ball games. But there is ZERO initimidation factor. I can't help but feel if we had Darius at SS and Donnie Edwards playing LB alongside Morrison and Howard how much different our defense would be.
Only good thing about the SD game: Hopefully Robert Thomas will take the unproductive Sam William's job from him permanently, finally. Sam W is a microcosm of why we have sucked so badly. Just makes no plays and never hits or intimidates anyone. Other teams would have cut or benched him a long time ago but not us. It takes an injury to sideline this unphysical player.
Blanda, I know that breaks your heart cuz you keep telling me how good Williams is doing albeit quietly. Well, Thomas came in and finished the game tied for the lead for in tackles for the game last Sunday, right? Now what's your excuse for Williams?
Has Williams ever laid anyone out on the opposing team? Has our defense (current defense) ever laid any opposing player out? have we ever taken someone out of the game with a hit? Any of them besides Sapp?
Think about it. Who's our Merriman? Who's our Roy Williams? Who's our Sean Taylor?
Answer: we don't have one, and every receiver and RB in the NFL knows that. that's our problem. We get a defense that hits and our fortunes will change. Opponents never get the dropsies or alligator arms against our defense. No meaness whatsoever.
One more quick point. Last year we were 0-5 with only fifty points scored. This year 2-3 with 116 points scored.
On the defensive side, last year 126 points surrendered, this year 128. It was later in the year when the defense took off.
Just trying to put things in perspective
The glass went from 85.7% to 67.1%. Still over half.
The game needs to be a sellout, and loud. It's time to end the west loosing streak and who better to do it agains than the Chefs.
H
RT:
I don't think anyone around here is displaying a lack of pissedoffitude. The feedback has been pretty scathing - from Kiffin, to Ryan, to the players.
As for rebuilding, I think you're forgetting a couple of things. That's okay, a loss like that can send one in to early Alzheimer's. But we brought in more new players in the off season than any team in football. We used up the cap room. We weeded and picked and pulled, and at the end of the day even Kiffin said that what we leave behind will be virtually devoid of talent and we still won't have filled all of the holes. There's only so much you can do in one season. Everyone raved about the Saints last year, but they aren't in the AFC West, nobody takes them seriously (to their benefit), and where are they this year?
Still and all, there's a couple of things that I'm pissed off about not seeing yet. The biggest one is defensive player staying with their assignments. Players abandoning their assignments lost us one game (Denver), and contributed to the loss in this game.
Everybody is pissed off at the O for their lackluster effort at the end. After Miller caught the TD pass we were down 1 score with plenty of time left. Did anybody see the defensive effort on the next series? Even last year wasn't that pathetic. It was like 5 plays and in the endzone. A total joke. It was one of my most embarrasiing moments as a fan. I'm getting tired of Ryan. The hair shit and the image doesn't make great d's.
RaiderMike
Mercifully, the game was not televised where I live. But I did have that sick feeling in my stomach the entire afternoon with each update. Mostly because I kept thinking about that huge credit card bill I'll be receiving soon for plane and game tickets for this weekend. All is not lost and I still have hope the Raiders will redeem themselves against KC. For purely selfish reasons, they better!
Janfran
"I talked to my agent, and I really told him that I wanted to be here. If it meant pay cut, then pay cut," Cooper said. "This is my seventh year, hopefully I can make it to 10, and I want to retire a Raiders. By the grace of God it worked out, and I’m just very excited to be here."
Good, then lace up and knock somebody's head off, because no one else is doing it.
RT, it hurts to see you in this kind of pain brother!
Sunday can't get here soon enough. Deep breaths. We'll all feel better Sunday night.
I guarantee a win!
Wait. Did I just jinx us?
I told you, I'm feeling ornery today. Please bear with me. Since September of 2005, I've published 390 takes while enduring 29 (!) losses and witnessing not a single divisional win. All the while, I've been preaching patience and optimism. Today, I'm preaching accountability.
H said-
"On the defensive side, last year 126 points surrendered (I'm assuming after 5 games), this year 128. It was later in the year when the defense took off."
Yeah, and it was about the same time last year that Ryan discovered blitzing. How quickly he forgets. Maybe it's time he got his hair cut and started focusing on the defense.
Blanda:
I agree with you, this is a game of knowing what we have and what we had, I know for a fact that we are indeed better than last year, again (I went to the game) I could feel the sense of urgency from the dolts fans, it was a game that not until their last score, nobody knew for sure who was going to win this game, if Curry would have scored at the half this would have been a completely different game.
I am in and will not look back, yes we could have and should have but like some of you have said, we are indeed in year 0 with a coach who had never ever been a head coach, not in high school not in college, I will give him all the benefit of the doubt, I saw a lot of positives I saw an offensive team that did not quit in the 4th quarter, they drove down the field and went for it on 4th down and scored a td.
I can look at all the negatives but I refuse to see them, I wish I could go to support my team on Sunday but to me it's too far and don't have so much money to buy more tickets.
raiderdecoachella
I'm with you Take. I've been pissed since last year, only then it was called hating.
I don't care about our final record, the only thing I want is three division wins. Is that too much to ask for? Three, what are we the Seahawks? We've never been the doormat of the AFC West, and it sucks!
I wrote in the comments of your last post, that we didn't have to win only compete and I would be happy. We did neither.
Roy
ronald curry made a good play and got us down to the 1 with time and a time out...i don't fault him for not punching it in...he did good...but then what do we do? instead of smashing the ball in with at least one rushing attempt (on the one mind you) we go for a pass and get sacked for a loss with clock running and gotta burn a time out that simply throwing the ball away would have avoided not to mention putting ourselves back on the one...not sure if it was the playcalling or just a boneheaded move by our starting quarterback who is a vet!
i agree that a touchdown there would have changed the game entirely....but seriously how could we screw up that bad?
raiderhip
Raider Freak
Take, I am not saying don't be pissed. I was yelling at the TV on the last LT Score for the defense to just get a stop. Just give us a shot. It did not happen then we went in the short passing, eat up the clock mode. It sucks. I am just saying Kiff is different than Norv or Shell or Callahan. It is going to take a while but we will be back to Gruden form next year. You really want something to be pissed about.....I have always been a Raider Fan....since I was 3 years old. I also live in Nebraska, born and raised....still here. How can 1 man destroy my passion...then come destroy my Saturday entertainment as well. His days are numbered. Bye Bye Bill!! Thanks for 8 years of football misery.
Raider Freak, Freaking Out
Seems to me we got way too high after the last game, and we're going unnecessarily low this time.
Let's review. How many here expected any wins against SD when training camp started? Not many, but we had high hopes because SD started slow, and we were playing BETTER THAN WE EXPECTED.
How many here felt, at the beginning of training camp, that we'd be happy if the Raiders just kept the outcome of the game against SD in doubt until there was less than two minutes to go in the game? Just about everyone here, I expect. And we got exactly that.
How many here expected that we would be one of the league leaders in ANY OFFENSIVE category a quarter of the way through the season at the beginning of camp? I doubt many.
But we're a league leader in RUSHING. Jordan has almost as many yards as he had all last year, Fargas as well. And we haven't even cranked up Rhodes yet.
We've taken four steps forward, and one step back.
While I've been accused (for good reason sometimes) of being overly optimistic, I'm calling out folks here who are being overly pessimistic. And today that includes you RT. This game was a let down, and hopefully nothing more. The best of teams have let downs. Don't be the kid who cries on Christmas morning because Santa didn't bring him MORE than what he asked for.
If we play badly against the Chefs, I'll join you in your pissedoffitude.
I'm glad someone mentioned Coop.
Hearing he is back was the best roster news I've heard all year.
I think Coop would have stopped Ronnie Brown on the 1.
And Chuck Norris tells Coop stories!
I'm more dissapointed than pissed off. I've seen enough positive things from our rookie coach to believe he will work through some tough spots and bring this team back.
My biggest concern, however, lies with our defense. Our pass defense is NOT as advertised, and our run D is, well, pitiful.
Hopefully, Rob Ryan pulls this unit together the way he did last year... under much less motivating conditions.
Good points, BlandaRocked. But I sure feel better after a good venting like this. My Sunday ulcer is even healing.
Here are some things I also didn't expect to see this year: Consistently poor and undisciplined defense, the return of mystifying clock mismanagement revealing a lack of competitive awareness, a horridly porous offensive line, and L.T. racking up 4 touchdowns in one game against us when we all know by now that job number one is stop L.T.
You're right, I didn't expect us to run the table, destroy the Chargers or perhaps even go to the playoffs this year, but neither did I expect to witness the aforementioned issues, either.
I expected better, and I still do.
A little bitter pill for y'all: "During the Chargers' current eight-game winning streak over Oakland, Tomlinson has rushed for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching one TD pass and throwing two."
Pro-rated over 16 games, you're talking about the greatest, most statistically rich season by a running back in the history of the NFL. That's how poorly our great defense has been dealing with this guy.
Bama7,
i agree with you. we need football players, not just players who look good in a football uniform.
but kiffin has had only one draft in which to shape his vision. it will take some time, i'm sorry to say.
this is a team that one only 2 games last year. unfortunately, many great athletes/bad players, still remain on the roster.
but i am confident that in another year or two, kiffin will weed out the rest of the garbage, and upgrade with real football talent.
sundays loss shows that there is more work to do, but that rome was not built in a day.
kiffin is just beginning to form his roster, and i believe when he is done, he will unveil a sparkling masterpiece that all raiders fans will be proud of.
But also, RT, we're not talking about any RB. We are, after all, talking about LT who might go into the Hall as the greatest RB of all time. We're talking about the RB who reached 100 TDs sooner than anyone in the game. He doesn't just do it to us, he does it to most teams. It's not like he does it to us no matter what we do, he's done it against the 4 worst seasonal teams in Raider history.
I don't say this out of complacency, I say it for perspective. Am I tired of it? You bet your ass. Do I want it to change this season? More than just about anything. But five games in, in a season that's displayed many positive signs, I'm not willing to cash out and say, "It's no better than last year."
I'll give you a bright spot though. You know that I don't think much of statistics. What would people be saying if we had stopped only that last TD drive, got the ball back, and tied the game. Even if we failed to win it in OT, we'd all be talking about how they made plenty of mistakes but overcame them to make a game of it.
Think about the season finale in Gruden's second year against KC. That game started worse than this one. The difference is that in that game we settled down and finished the game. We didn't win, and we didn't play well on Sunday, but we stayed in the game until its very end. The difference between these two games is our measuring stick. Kiffin and company just have to teach these boys how to finish.
if anybody cares... Justin Fargas will be on 1050 and probably KNBR 680 with the Razor and Mr. T in about 20 mintues or 4:40 PST.
As for the Raiders, I'm right with you RT. I guess for me it's more Raider fatigue than anything. I'm just tired of seeing them be such a horrible team. Maybe we're on the right track, but I'm not going to truly believe until I see it with my own eyes.
And yes I realize that probably makes me a bad fan.
The weekend sucked for football, from Cal breaking my heart and the RAiders pretty much finishing me off.
Rt said- “During the Chargers' current eight-game winning streak over Oakland, Tomlinson has rushed for 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching one TD pass and throwing two."
Blanda said- “We are, after all, talking about LT who might go into the Hall as the greatest RB of all time.”
Not to rub salt in the wound, but that’s circular reasoning because it’s in large part our fault LT is so good and will probably end up in the HOF. This guy's NFL resume is a montage of Raider games.
NYRaider:
From Calico's site:
"In the 101 games that LT has played, he has racked up 106 rushing TDs, 12 receiving TDs, and has passed for 8 TDs. That is a grand total of 126 TDs in 101 games played. Amazing."
Trust me, he'll get into the hall on better strength than games against the Raiders.
folks, culpepper should still start BUT if after a couple'a games we lose, gotta go with the rook man (assuming walter's gone). the future is coming at the end of october. gotta run to class. you all have a nice evening!
RT, I suggest that we match up with SD worse than any other team in the NFL and that includes both NE or Indy.
We saw last year how hard of a time we had stopping the run and it looks worse this year... and SD has one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL.
The only way we could stop Rivers is to blitz him and SOB refuses to blitz during passing downs.
So right there we are doubly fucked.
Defensively they have the speed and aggressiveness that can stop our rushing attack and disrupt any passing attack (that we BARELY had to begin with.) They are one of the best run stopping teams in the NFL... no wonder we couldn't move the ball.
So with that, I am not as disturbed by what I saw on Sunday. We would have had to play nearly a perfect game to win.
OTOH, if we stink it up against KC this weekend, I'll be right in there with you. I think we match up to KC pretty well. They are 20th in the NFL in rush defense, and a SHOCKING 30th in rushing.
We should be able to play pretty mediocre and still win at home.
IF only we could replicate RT's passion on the playing field. One of the strongest of Take's points was the idea of forcing SD to beat us in a different way, without LT. Romeo Crennel's Browns went into their matchup with the Patsies with the mindset "anyone but Moss". They lost the game, but Moss had his worst game of the season and the Pats were forced to use their other receivers. How could any coach watch game tapes of our past meetings with SD and a)not get furious over how thoroughly we've been beaten and b)devise a strategy based on the principal of "anyone but LT"????
RT-
LK will be in the house on Sunday as well--looking to witness the first division W in too long. Is the scalp situation still plentiful?
Can the Raiders really go winless in their division for the third season in a row?? Well even though I think KC sweeps you this year, I think that you have a tiny chance to beat Denver at home and believe it or not, when you play San Diego at home on NYE (week 17), I think you have a chance in that game too, if San Diego decides to rest their starters for a playoff run. You may see LT for only one series in that game if San Diego has nothing to play for. So I feel that your home games against Denver and San Diego represent your brightest chances to prove to the rest of the NFL that you guys actually belong in the AFC West. Should be an interesting next few months of the season for you guys.
By the way, I am joining the Raider fan base and will be rooting against San Francisco for the rest of the season. Why? Well because my Patriots get their #1 draft pick! The more the Niners lose, the higher up in the draft we will select!! Can you imagine the reigning Super Bowl Champions with a top 5 draft pick??? ;)
Regarding anyone but L.T...
Does someone in here still have the game on TiVo? If so, check out that last TD run by L.T.
You can see Washington near the line, looking right at the Rivers to L.T. exchange, but still biting on what I think is a tight end crossing over the middle. Washington tries to reverse course, but manages only a hand on his ankle. You know they're going to run the ball at that stage of the game with three yards to go, needing to run time off the clock. You know it. The guy has already scored three times. Yet you overpursue in the other direction. Check it out.
So much for anyone but L.T.
Quentin Moses: cut by the Cardinals.
Maybe he was worth cutting in the first place, if not drafting with the first pick in the third round.
Got a call a spade a spade ...
It is rare that I disagree with you RT but your statement "L.T. is really good, but he’s not that good."
Umm, yes LT is REALLY, REALLY good. It pains me to say this but he could very well go down as the BEST RB of all time.
I looked up his career stats and was completely blown away by his ability to create touchdowns. In the 101 games that LT has played, he has racked up 106 rushing TDs, 12 receiving TDs, and has passed for 8 TDs. That is a grand total of 126 TDs in 101 games played. Simply amazing or in your verbiage, supernatural.
RT, great take, but I have to disagree with this point:
Honestly, I would rather lose to the Chargers by a score of 35-7 while limiting L.T. to one touchdown than to lose a closer game this way. I’m serious. If we can’t beat the Chargers, we at least need to find a new way to lose to them.
Not me. It's getting tedious and tiresome but as much as I hate losing this way, it still means one thing: the team still has a major defensive flaw they need to fix. I think it's important to stress the singular there. It's a big hole in the dike, but it's still one hole. If they managed to contain LT...but then lose in a variety of other new ways...I'd be far more concerned of all the NEW holes they needed to fix.
I'm with you in the pissed off department, but disagree a bit about the clock management.
The Raiders cut the lead to 7 with plenty of time left. A stop there and they had a chance to tie. The defense just couldn't stop the run. It was very frustrating to watch because they knew it was coming. Does their OL match up that well against our DL? Was the Warren loss that critical? Do we just consistently overpursue? Whatever the answer(s), the D could have redeemed themselves with a stop and totally folded.
Outside of that, the most critical series was at the end of the half. I just can't believe a pro bowl veteran takes not one sack, but two there. Un-freakin-believable! When that happened, I frightened my children with my screaming at the plasma screen. Daunte's gotta do better.
Uh oh...is RT's Fresh-o-meter taking a serious nose dive? Going from Altoids to anti-depressants is never a good thing. I'd come up with a catchy "beer-before-liquor-never-been-sicker" saying, but trying to rhyme with "Prozac" ain't easy.
I think Blanda's right. This team was the worst team in football last year. Our head coach has never coached in the NFL before. The fact that they were 2-2 and briefly held the title of division leader is a pretty big accomplishment. We can't expect them to fix everything in one year. Besides, we all knew there weren't many steps taken to shore up the porous DL in the offseason. Why should it be a surprise that LT was able to run all over us...again. I'm just hoping it doesn't happen again Sunday against LJ.
CJ, good points. Trust me, I'm not saying he's anything short of remarkable.
However, defense is supposed to be our strength. Yet L.T.'s stats against our defense are well north of his own admittedly remarkable median, meaning that our defense is south of the median and far below average in dealing with him.
At the rate he is rushing for TDs against us over the past eight contests, he would have 151 rushing TDs, not 106, in 101 games. In other words, I agree that he is really good, but not THAT good.
Additionally, we are talking about intradivisional games, which should always be grinders, and for which the opponent should be appropriately familiar with and game planned for the force that is L.T. It's literally insane what he's doing to us, even if you don't factor in the notion that our defense is supposed to be above average.
The fact that we are well below the median in stopping L.T. (with a supposedly above-average defense) speaks volumes to me, unfortunately.
Doobie, do they make spearmint Prozac? If so, write me a prescription. That would sum me up right now. Not fatally depressed, but a bit less minty.
RT-
Super excellent points on stopping LT.
You're so right - if you play a team twice a year, you should be able to game plan against them BETTER than a team that sees them once every 1-3 years, yet LTs numbers spike against the Raiders. Add in the motivational factor of beating a division rival that's had your number.
His success against the Raiders is approaching supernatural.
Doobie, do they make spearmint Prozac? If so, write me a prescription.
Whaddya know, you're in luck!
Unreal. I now feel up to the rhyme challenge...
The Silver and Black
nearly gave me a heart attack
Until Doobie found me
a 'scrip for spearmint Prozac.
QUENTIN MOSES CUT? HET HIM THE HECK BACK HERE! WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET!!!!!
i see that donivin darius was cut by the dolphins. i know we need saftey help but PLEASE AL DO NOT GET THIS GUY AGAIN!
I feel you pain Take. I recorded the game on my DVR only to delete, cause i couldn't put myself through the misery of having to see it again on high def.
This game made me sick. It really sickened me not to score at the end of the half and see LT score 4 TD's.
As far as your question is it possible to score more than twice in the final 2 minutes--just watch the MNF with Dallas and the Bills and that's your answer.
The execution was horrible and I expected more from Culpepper, Kiffin and the Defense. Can we force Rivers to beat us instead of LT again.
Anyways, winning Sunday will be a step in the right direction, but i am not feeling minty...
>>>>
You can see Washington near the line, looking right at the Rivers to L.T. exchange, but still biting on what I think is a tight end crossing over the middle. Washington tries to reverse course, but manages only a hand on his ankle. You know they're going to run the ball at that stage of the game with three yards to go, needing to run time off the clock. You know it. The guy has already scored three times. Yet you overpursue in the other direction. Check it out.
>>>>>
I think thats the TD where Stuey bites hard on the flow of the play (as usual) and then instead of taking an angle backwards and to the other side of the play to maybe help prevent a TD after he realizes LT reversed field, he kinda keeps running forward and almost gets tangled up with a ref.
The "anti-safety." We could just as easily have him stand at the ten yard line and tell him to try and keep the guy with the ball out of the endzone on every play... he'd be just as valuable.
How bad is the Raider rush defense? My cousin was telling me last night that Priest Holmes might make his return to football Sunday against Oakland. Does this mean that Oakland's rush defense
is so bad that Herm feels this is a good game for Priest to make his return in after a two year absence from football? Maybe this is considered a warm up game for Priest, to allow him to get his legs back? And here is a serious question for you Raider faithful. If this kind of rush defense goes on for 16 games, will Rob Ryan be back next season? I would not mind that, cause New England plays Oakland in 2008 ;)
Didn't have time to read all comments, got to get to work. But, I must agree with Brother Blandarocked.
Remain optomistic borthers. Yes, we coulda, shoulda. But we didn't. Now, I looked back at my spreadsheet I keep where I predict wins and losses. I had this one as a loss. I've only missed one so far this year. The Kittens game.
If you look at the next 8 games 4 to 7 of those are very winnable.
Let's just say we win 4. If at the beginning of the season someone had said we could be sitting at 6-7 after game 13, how would you have felt?
After the last four years, we would have said, "We're on our way".
Let's not gage the season on last Sunday yet. Now, if they come out flat this Sunday, in front of a packed house and an ornery Black Hole, then someone will need to kick Kiffin in the pants. And, if he then lets the one after that slip away, we go for a much more sensitive area.
H
I like what Kiffin said in his Monday press conference (www.Raiders.com).... if any player got a full night sleep Sunday night, that player doesn’t belong on the Raiders.
As much as the SD game might remind us of years past, there is a dynamic that Kiffin brings which Shell and some of his predecessors didn’t have. Kiffin is determined and, IMHO, equipped to correct the situation.
No more scholarships; players held accountable; pure competition. It all seems to be working, however, there are limitations as to what he has available.
We can all pack up our criticisms of dumping Moses and Darius, because both those guys got cut by their new teams. Although, bringing one back now might be worthwhile.
Meanwhile, welcome back Cooper. If we had 53 players with his heart, albeit somewhat limited ability, we’d be 5-0.
NY - Yeah I say if Darius isn't hurt bad, get his ass back to Alameda! I was anti-Darius in the beginning but he grew on me during camp. I was sad to see him cut.
Darius is exactly what we need right now. If nothing else at least he can 'coach' our young guys into playing with pride and preparing for games the way an all-pro type of guy should. Even if he's a liability in coverage I think I'd take that trade-off because of the intimidation & hitting he brings. Someone has to do it. Hell, start Cooper! Is anyone else secretly hoping Coop is still using roids? Merriman looks like he is.
Psycho
Is Bing playing anywhere?
Does anyone know?
I hope when Kiffin makes his statements he's looking in the mirror also. Coaches should be held accountible also.
H
Psycho-
My understanding is that Cooper took an over-the-counter supplement that turned out to have something illegal in it. He simply didn't check first, thus, caused himself a big headache and a 4-game suspension. That's, in part, why the door was left open for him to return.
Can anyone else confirm that?
H-
Kiffin publicly accepted the blame for the loss Sunday. Also, he has said over and over that coaches need to be coached. So, I believe the coaches are being held accountable, and that Kiffin has beat himself up over this loss as much or more than any player or coach.
Thanks for that update NYRaider. The articles I read didn't mention that.
It's probably the media trying to start something between the players and the coaches.
H
Psycho:
You are right about Cooper. He just failed to check the ingredients of an over-the-counter supplement. Since he was being suspended, Kiffin said publicly (last week, I think) that he used that for an opportunity for somebody else to prove them self (think Ward). By releasing Coop at the start of training camp, that allowed other players the practice reps to prepare. After four weeks, when it was plain Ward wasn't working out as hoped, they released Ward and immediately resigned Coop. Kiffin wasn't worried that someone else would pick Coop up, because nobody is going to pick up a journeyman player undergoing a suspension. I thought it was all handled very intelligently and with a good deal of forward thinking.
I'm totaly demoralized on this one. this was a statement game for our defense and it's coach. I was really suspect of this group when we announced the final cuts and we made no significant changes in the safety position and along the line. How does Brayton and Schweigart make this year every year? I live on the East Coast and listen to the radio braodcast of the games. One of the most glaring things you notice is that nothing is ever said about our safties making tackles or defending passes. Do we even have any on the field?
Blanda,
I think that it's time to bring in the tequila, the saloon and the horses back to this discussion, it's time to move forward to this Sunday, I am in and feeling minty fresh!
raiderdecoachella
"VIVA LOS RAIDERS"
Thats good news on Cooper, not taking roids.
Yeah Kif doesn't have a problem taking blame for losses, he's holding every person in the building accountable, including himself.
Speaking of which, Blanda mentioned on the the last big LT run that Fabian Washington got caught out of position. You are correct Blanda. In his defense he fessed up right after the game, explaining exactly what he did wrong and took full blame.
From what I saw, Route and Huff had good games back there, worth mentioning.
Psycho
A quiet day in the Miss Trask's Saloon. BlandaRocked sits at a table, quietly eating an unfamiliar dish while reading the morning paper.
"What's that you're readin'," asks Sheriff Take?
"Don't know exactly," replies Blanda, "but it's kinda tasty. It's got eggs in it. I think they call it a quiche. Somethin' them Frenchies eat."
"Where'd it come from," asks Psycho, belching?
Blanda points to the bar. "There's a bunch a fancy grub lined up over on the bar there."
"Food for the soul," says Rev. Roller, while devouring something that looks like raw hamburger.
"You eatin' RAW MEET!?" demands Bama.
"Well, yeah," says Roller, "they call this here, Steak Tar Tar."
"Got all kinds a fancy stuff here," says H, the barkeep. "Fillet Mignon, Boeuf Wellington, all kinds a fancy sauces."
"Well, where'd it come from," asks Calico Jack?
"Don't know," says H. "It was just here when I opened the saloon at 7 AM this mornin'."
"My God," cries Pope, freaking! "It just appeared here? Out a nowhere."
"Well... yeah," says H.
"That can only mean one thing," yells Pope, pulling out his hair!
"You mean...," starts Take?
"THE CHEFS ARE ON THE WAR PATH AGAIN," they shout in unison!
I'm almost recovered. Like I said, I had put this one in the loss column with my preseason predictions. I also didn't have us winning our first division game until this Sunday.
Make no mistake, I want them to win every Sunday. But, since that's impossible, except for Bilicheaters, I try to see where the most logical losses would be.
Therefore, I'm bumping the glass from 67.1% up to a reasonable 69.4%.
H
Good one Blandarocked.
I actually did tend bar for a bit in my younger days.
Can I keep a 5.56 Squad Automatic Weapon behind the bar instead of the usual shotgun?
H
Thank you blanda!
That's awesome!
raiderdecoachella
I do have to say that my best friend is also a big Raider's fan and he is sure that Mr. Davis called coach Kif and told him that if he was to win one more game and the media was going to jump on Kiff's bandwagon he was going to fire him right there and then.
He also believes that Mr. Davis has coach Shell on speed dial and as soon as he fires Kif, he is rehiring Shell.
raiderdecoachella
Early line has us a 3 point favorite. Please no Ed Hochuli. He's at least 6 for the opposition.
Raiderdecoachella,
No offense to your friend, but he must have eaten the worm in the tequila bottle.
H
One thing about Coop, our safeties had better start poppin people or Coop will take their spot. We need some run support. He is a less talented, younger, healthier Darius. (with less coverage ability)
Coachella,
I'd place bets with your friend on a daily basis. You could be rich!
Psycho
Coachella runs into the saloon through the swinging doors labeled Sims and Gallery with a plate of Sauteed Salmon in capers.
"Damn! I found this on my front porch," says Coachella. "That means the Chefs are comin' back, and I can't find Cole Pepper anywhere."
"He's recoverin' over in my office," says Doc Doobie while stuffing more of that odd smelling tobacco in his pipe.
"What's he recoverin' from," asks Mike?
"Well," ponders Doobie, "last weekend he said he was going light up Raider City. He got himself one of them LTs and got fried. He got burned completely."
"What's an LT," asks Take?
"It's one of them electrical chargers," answers the Doc.
"A Ladamian Transformer," says Calico.
"Well, how we gonna stop them Chefs without Pepper," asks Pope's brother, Freak?
"The only way is to out cook 'em," says Blanda.
"Anybody here cook," asks H?
Silence.
"Tell ya what," Blanda suggests to Panty, "mosey on down to that corner restaurant - what do they call it? - 'Hacks in the Box' - an' see if you kin find anyone down there who knows their way around a gridiron griddle."
"But they ain't been servin' up anything but diarrhea," protests Panty.
"I know," says Bland, "but it's all we got."
You know, you just sit down and start something like this and someone walks into your office and says theirs work to do. God, I wish these people would get their priorities straight.
i guess we should not be surprised by our poor run defense.
what did we do in the offseason ?
slide brayton inside so he can be lousy at yet another position.
watch while sapp lost 50 lbs so he can be more easily blocked.
pick up gerard warren.
nothing here to write home about.
to top things off rob ryan has apparently signed a non aggression pact with other teams around the league.
no blitzing, stay at home, wait for a mistake.
buddy must be watching at home with his jaw on the floor. i know i am.
anyhow, if we beat the chefs on sunday, i'll buy a round at the RT saloon.
RT,
You have got to feel a little better after this!
raiderdecoachella
so priest holmes wants to play so he can get well against the raiders eh? as a RB, what better situation can you ask for? he must be licking his chops!
i truly hope our boys on D have this posted up in the locker room this week and get angry for this game. i hope they consider this gesture as a complete insult i hope our defense takes pride in making it their personal mission to put priest holmes in permanent retirement mode.
we WILL beat KC!
Raider00,
Gerard Warren has been our best defensive lineman. He's played decent against the run and leads the team in sacks. He was on pace for double digit sacks (12) before he was injured.
He also had some pressures, one knockdown and caused a fumble. Unfortunately no one had the presence of mind to get to the ball before it went out of bounds. Warren was trying to get there but his momentum took him away from the ball at first.
Injured in practice and didn't even get on the field Sunday.
H
Scorpio:
Holmes was an RB who we had history of limiting. That he now wants to test his legs against us should be doubly insulting to the DL.
H,
i am aware that warren was hurt, and did not play against the charmers.
however, it seems to me that even when warren was in there, the run stopping effort was lacking.
it's not warren fault, i know. he's an ok player, just not a difference maker.
in my opinion.
Heard Phil Villapiano on Sirius NFL Radio today. They asked him about the game. You could hear him shaking his head about L.T.
Said the Raiders knew he was going to run on that last series. He said that the defense wasn't lacking effort, just poise and strategy. He said there are times when you have to let the run come to you. That if you're just flailing and trying to blast through the line, you essentially run right past the runner, creating the types of gaping holes that L.T. exploited.
I have to agree, too often our defense looks like a bunch of beheaded chickens. They don't look terribly stout or purposeful, and they are not squaring up and sticking receivers, either. Seen any devastating hits lately?
Our defense is turning into Cirque du Soleil, a bunch of acrobats flying around, hitting nothing.
Here we are again starring at the sad reality facing us this weekend.
KC has won eight straight against the Raiders.
Last meeting, Johnson had 135 yards and a TD.
Lifetime, Johnson has rushed for 634 yards and nine touchdowns in six games against the Raiders, his highest total against any team.
RT is right, it’s time to get f’n pissed off.
RT:
You're going to have to change your handle to "Gloomy Gus."
But Phil is exactly right. Not staying with their assignments is the problem with these boys, and that's a problem with most young defenses. It's the same problem Gruden was confronted with in his first two years. Yeah, it took that long to put together a playoff calibur defense.
The concept of "letting the play come to you" is one of the most difficult things to master. When you see someone running free with the ball, every fiber of your being says "chase the SOB." It's like dogs and cars. But you don't take the time to realize that if someone interupts your journey to the ball carrier, you've vacated a position that the ball carrier can then run through. The thing that makes LT great is that he's a master at finding those holes.
Gloomy, perhaps, but I can tell you that I was quite proud of my Cirque du Soleil analogy!
Raider News has been down so I have been spending more time observing at RT. I normally can't add something more insightful than what my fellow takers already have. But I would like to Amen the fact that we should have an intimate knowledge of division opponents seeing them as often as we do. Ryan has game planned SD six times more often than Kiffin but gets beat the same way each time. I rememeber a lot of discussion last year for him to become the HC. Whew.
And I don't blame the f-ups at the half on Kif but certainly on Culpepper.
What changed my view from RT to Blanda in feeling was hearing Kiffin talk. All of last year I lamented the fact that this team was directionless. Not the case now. The more I hear this kid talk the more faith I have. I remain excited about the direction the Raiders are going. I think we bounce back Sunday.
Raider00,
The wording in your post indicated to me you thought Warren was a negative. My point was he was outplaying the others and it was a good pickup. He was on pace for 12 sacks from the tackle position. I'll take that any year.
It's the others that need to step it up.
Cirque du Soleil analogies... Hmmm... Sheriff Take, I'm startin' to worry 'bout ya.
Jus' promise me you won't be serving no quiche at the next tailgate. I'll have to close the saloon early and throw out all that Chef food. Get some real eats back in. Pork ribs, burgers, nachos and flame throwin' hot wings.
Maybe that's the problem. They ain't gettin' no proper pre game meal.
H
the san diego loss hurts. mostly because inside i felt we were moving fast to being a solid team. i feel ya take.my perspective,(now),is going to watching the team grow. at this point we are in the top of bottom halfand that's strides ahead of last year.
I just wanted to echo some of the earlier thoughts;
(1) The Raiders D is young & athletic but sorely misses a lights out, intimidating prescence.
Our safeties are not contributing from a run support or coverage standpoint although Huff does a decent job vs. tight ends. I would be more than fine in sliding Huff to FS and moving Cooper in at SS. Atleast Cooper has tackling skills, football instincts, and run support awareness. Another option would be to leave Huff at SS and give Carr a crack at FS. Carr is fearless, athletic and would be more apt to make a game altering play than Stu will ever be. As you can see, I've reached my last straw with Stu.
(2) I have been pleased with Kiffin's communication to the media, the message he is conveying, and his overall accountability. He is a smart, ambitious young man who will continue to learn and make adjustments to improve the Raiders fate.
(3) The overhaul of the roster will continue after this season. There is plenty of dead wood to be chopped and garbage to be taken out. An obvious laundry list:
(a) True, run stuffing SS
(b) Another pass rushing DE
(c) Lane clogging DT
(d) True, tackling machine SLB
(e) Athletic LT with solid pass protection skills
(f) Additional OLine depth
(g) 1 playmaking WR
(4) Howard & Morrison are terrific, young athletic LBs who excel in coverage BUT we need better run support from both. Is there any logical reason why they play so FN far off the line of scrimmage? On obvious run downs, I would love to see us stack the box, play man to man coverage, and commit to stopping the run. The Chefs game would be the perfect time to put the onus on Huard to beat us by throwing to his WRs. Howard from the weakside LB should be blazing off the edge on blitzs. Does Ryan realize that Howard is the fastest LB in the league and he can run faster going fowards (towards the QB) than he can backpedaling into coverage? As soon as Huard sees Howard taking a bead on him, guess what? Huard will make an errant pass that is taken for six by Asomugha. Letting Huard get comfy by handing off to LJ or surveying the field from the pocket is nuts. Turn the dogs of war loose, dammit.
(5) Finally, kudos to BlandaRocked who needs to keep things rollin with his "Chiefs are on the warpath epic" story.
I agree with all the comments about the reason our defense sucks ass, but the key thing here is why it is happening?
I proclaim coaching. Ryan doesn't have a clue what he is doing.
We've been over-pursuing, abandoning assignments, and one of the worst run defenses in the NFL for four years straight now. I think there might be a clue here somewhere.
Remember faida fanatixcs, I told you all that "miss kiffy the wonder boy-girl coach" will be a no hit wonder (why big al (MR.) davis hired him)! He was coaching when the faidas "beat" 2 teams that virtually could have phoned in their losses to the faidas being ranked so low in all stats. Well K C Chiefs WILL kick the faidas asses again 35-3 choketown gets a "seabiscuit" field goal, but you are well on the road to an unprecidented 5th losing season! Just think babies, you could have bought 49er tickets and at least be assured of an 8-8 season. The amazing KARNAK has deemed it. Defend the "nation" 2-14
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