This Sunday: The Biggest Game in Four Years
Sunday’s game against the Chargers is the biggest game for the Oakland Raiders in four years. I’m not joking.
There is so much on the line on Sunday, not the least of which is first place in the AFC West. Will we have a winning record come Monday—or a losing one? Will we finally beat a division rival and get that monkey off our back, or will that little chimp still be chattering in our ears? Will we expose Norv Turner for what we know him to be, or will we give Chargers fans another week of false hope on their path to inevitable ruin? Will we turn the corner on the second quarter of the 2007 season on a high note, or with the clang of loss and doubt?
Not since our Super Bowl matchup with the Buccaneers have we faced such a crucial contest. That Super Bowl was the end of an era as the team began to show its age before backsliding into outright dissonance with head coach Bill Callahan. Rich Gannon started just seven games in 2003, a portent of changes to come. Those who had set the veteran tone were on their way out, and the fields of youth were not yet sown. The result was a lost season.
Three more lost seasons followed under Norv Turner and Art Shell. None of the games under their watch could be considered significant in retrospect. There was never anything on the line except last place.
Now, for the first time in a regular season since 2002, we are drinking from the fountain of momentum. Will our cup runneth over on Sunday—or will it go dry?
I have nothing against Norv Turner. It’s not his fault that people keep hiring him as a head coach, and I have to admire the fact that he keeps walking away from cushy offensive coordinator assignments and into the buzzsaw of the head coaching position. I don’t think it’s wise, but I can understand the impulse. Who among us wants to acknowledge our limitations and close the door on our dreams?
That said, the guy has no business being a head coach, and he wouldn’t be, if not for the astonishing arrogance of A.J. Smith and Alex Spanos. They thought that they were better than 14-2. They axed Marty Schottenheimer for losing to the three-time world champion New England Patriots in the playoffs with a first-year starting quarterback throwing to mediocre wide receivers. To prove that they mattered more than the coach, they hired a two-time failure who was last seen racking up a 4-12 record in their own division.
I had to laugh when, two weeks ago, Chargers fans were gnashing their teeth about unused timeouts, about poor clock management and misuse of the talent at hand. Where were they during those two years that Norv Turner was coaching a team right in their own division? Oh, that’s right, they weren’t watching, because their bandwagon hadn't yet left the station.
The Chargers organization could have avoided this fate by simply subscribing to Raider Take and reading my takes from the 2005 season. The seven-minute touchdown drives in the fourth quarter while down by three scores! The four straight unsuccessful running plays up the middle at the goal line! The inability to mount a two-minute offense! The mystifying clock mismanagement! The misuse of available talent! The unused timeouts! The clear lack of vision and leadership!
What, did they think I was making this stuff up? Did they think I was crazy? I wasn’t.
Anyhow, I’m not going to analyze the Xs and Os of this upcoming game. There’s plenty of good analysis from Raider Take regulars in the comments section of the preceding take. For me, it all boils down to three words: Stop L.T.
If we stop L.T., we win. Period. No more L.T. throwing touchdown passes. No more L.T. wandering around unattended by our defense. No more L.T. busting through lazy arm tackles. Okay? I'm sick to death of it. SICK! I've had enough of this guy slicing us up like raw fish in the hands of a Benihana chef.
Shut this guy down and we shut the Chargers down, and suddenly Norv Turner is throwing the ball into the middle of the field at the 50-yard line with no timeouts and 10 seconds left on the clock.
Our biggest game in four years is on the line. It’s time to win. It’s time to turn the tide. It’s time to truly launch the return to glory.
posted by Raider Take at 9:33 AM
161 Comments:
RT, I've had the feeling from the beginning (casting asside all the usual bromides) that this is the first game on Kiffin's schedule. The strategy employed in the 1st Quarter of the season was all to set up for this game (and the KC game to follow). We win those two games and our 1st place standing means something.
Right on RT! To stop LT we need a Raider attitude. I feel like we're in good hands with Morrison leading the way. Spy LT with him all day long get to him in an angry mood. The rest will fall into place. Morrison's leadership I think is on another level this year and hopefully guys buy into it this week more than ever. We need intensity. Oh, and we need Daunte to spark the offense once again, which I don't see as a big issue, we should be able to score.
I feel real good about this one. I'm going to try not to drink too much at the tail gate so I can comprehend what's going on!
Psycho
Town Drunk
(714) 555-CHARGERS-SUCK
bama7
Don't forget about Turner. I think we'll get a dose of both. And the unsung hero of the Dolts is Lorenzo Neal. Every team he plays for has had a productive running game.
Time for Sam Williams to step up, Blanda.
I see the patriots put Chad Brown on waivers. If he's not hurt, why not give hima shot. Thoughts?
We need Sands to step up more than Williams, IMO. Sapp will rotate out a lot, leaving Warren & Sands to stop the run. Tyler & Richardson need good games too. And it's good to have Burgess back, excellent timing.
Yeah L.Neal is a problem. We need one or more of the above mentioned guys to 'take one for the team' and eat up Neal's blocks for the LBs to make plays. We need to get in their heads early. Someone should pick a fight.
Psycho
Blandarocked and Town Drunk(AKA Psycho),
I left a post for you guys on the previous Take. Appears my timing wasn't too good.
Take, 100% agreement with what you said. Now I add this.
Refer to my post on the previous Take. Stop L.T./Turner and Gates is their only reliable receiver. Thus the way Thomas and Howard have been used so far.
Point 2, TURNOVERS. First 2 games 7 turnovers. Next 2 games only 3.
One turnover or less and we win. No short fields for the Dolts offense. That goes for kick and punt coverage also. Our three best tacklers and blockers on special teams are back.
Burgess is also back. More pressure. Jordan may be able to play so we have three backs able to carry the load.
In my humble opinion I think Miller/Masden may wind up being the key to the game on offense. Run and hit them with short slants and quick outs to the tightends to set up the deep stuff.
If the game is close I like our chances since Norv has a history of bad clock management.
H
H
Re: Previous Take. I remember hearing a story about Howie chasing a coach after a game trying to kick his ass over the cut blocks. Pretty sure that was a Denver game.
Psycho
Actually, Psycho, I believe that was our beloved 9ers. Speak of the devil.
H, there was one game in SD (2002) where the Raiders produced far more fans than the dolts. It was like playing a home game for our boys. There were some rumbling in the SD press after that, discussing ways to keep Raider fans from attending their games.
The stadium management put the kabosh on that. "We'd rather sell tickets to Raider fans than not sell them at all." I think what they ultimately did was to always package that game so that you couldn't buy it without buying tickets for several other games. What most Raider fans do now is just buy them from scalpers and season ticket holders who don't attend.
Have we heard who is going to start at running back? Rhodes, Jordan? I know we're going to run tandom but I'm interested in seeing who gets the starting nod.
Psycho,
RE: Cut Blocks.
You are exactly correct. But I don't recall which game or team.
The Mules used to have the most penalized offensive line in the league when Alex Gibbs was there.
The only problem was it was after the fact. They would be fined for low blocks, but not penalized during the game. Cost of doing business. I even wrote the league office on that crap.
They even broke Chester McGlockton's leg in one game.
Now, so far, and I've looked at the Miami game about four times, I don't see our guys going below the knees. That was Howie's primary complaint. They would go below the knees.
RT, this take was so good there is very little to add. I had to dredge up something from a previous post. Great Job.
H
RT, I do have one thing that I would add. The fact that we have an important game after four years of not having one is testament in itself of our improvement.
A loss to SD is not a devistating blow, but an indication that we are not as far along as we'd hoped after being encouraged the last two weeks. But solid improvement is still present.
In other words, win or lose on Sunday, I'm still in.
That being said, I think we'll win on Sunday. 24-21 sounds right to me. We'll have all 24 before the end of the 3rd Quarter, SD will score their 3rd TD, too little, too late.
This just in:
The Suckneers just signed Zach Crockett.
I think 27-20. The defense will be better with Burgess back just from a rotational and pressure standpoint.
H
I think 27-20 Raiders is about right, H. I think we'll start fast with quick strikes, keeping it close throughout with a ballanced attack. Then Norv's group will cave and not move the ball towards the end. Our half time adjustments will be better, and that will be one of the deciding factors. Even if LT gets loose we'll be OK, Daunte will light it up against this secondary if we're backed into a corner.
Psycho
this is one big game. i think our first big game of this season was week 2 against the doncos.
these next 2 weeks will be an indicator to me if we win the division, and where we will place in the division.
i don't think jordan will start, i think he will see limited runs, and rhodes and fargas will bang out the load running downhill on this overrated defense.
my prediction is that the raiders win (our first division win in 2 seasons) 24-21 OT.
Bama7
Anyone think we should give Chad Brown a look (patties cut him) or maybe the DE Peterson... that the donkeys just cut?
Bama,
I don't see any reason to look at either. Chad Brown is a little long in the tooth. 15 years is a long time for a linebacker.
I looked up Peterson's career. 33 games only 3 sacks. All those came in the same year.
Carolina needs quarterbacks. Tampa needs running backs. We have a glut of both. Maybe Gruden and John Fox, two former Raider coaches, will come calling.
H
I won't be watching the Raiders game this Sunday, because my team will be mopping Texas Stadium with the Dallas Cowboys. But if Kiffin was smart he would watch the gametape of the Patriots 38-14 shellacking of the Chargers in week 2 and try to emulate everything he saw on there. When you see greatness in action, one should try to copy greatness San Diego is overrated with a bunch of loud mouth crybaby whiners on their team. Let's see if the Raiders can give them an ass whoopin.
Funny how dramatically things have changed to face a must-win in October. While I am in complete agreement about LT, I do have concerns about Merriman. Tom Cable's line faces their biggest test of the year as the Chargers are fully aware that we're one big hit away from... Andrew Walter.
I know everyone is tense abouth this one, but I gotta tell ya- I don't think it's gonna be that close. We're gonna mash their asses. Culpepper has a big game and the ground game continues to roll. Get in Rivers face on d and he is done. Final 34-21 Raiders
RaiderMike
AHHHH!!! Take you got me all amped up!!! I feel like goin' over to LT's house myself and punching him in the mouth!!!
raiderhip
Go do it, Raiderhip! Someone needs to set the tone early. Might as well be you. I'll bet you wouldn't forget to watch for L.T. on third and six.
Guy's a freakin' magician, because he somehow makes himself invisible when we play him. There he is, wait, where did he go, oh, there he is, he's in the end zone catching a pass without a defender in sight. Hey, when did Philip Rivers turn into a black guy, wait, that's not Philip, that's L.T. throwing a TD pass. On and on...
I was actually talking to a guy at work who grew up in seattle and needed to rebel against his father, a seahawks fan. How bettter to do that then become a Raider fan! We talked about the upcoming game and the fact that this is a game with meaning was a rush. I am enjoying this.
However, not an end all. Coming up we play the chefs twice, donks at home and the dolts again in Oaktown. Split with donks and dolts and beat the chefs twice, catch a few more wins here and there.........
Well done RT. That was a mouth, errr pencil full for sure. It was pure arrogance that drove Schottenheimer out of SD, and his replacement is, as we all know, lost in space.
Aside from a rookie mistake here or there, I have no fear that the Raiders (under Kiffin) will no longer be out-coached by AFC West teams. The coaching talent has certainly turned in our favor.
And, as Kiffin has already proved thus far, coaching makes a huge difference (as he's been successful working with largely the same players).
SD still possesses incredible talent, but will that be enough to overcome superior coaching and pure desire to win by the Raiders.
However, win or lose, I don’t think our cup will run dry. We are at the genesis of something very special that should last for many years.
That said, no mercy. If we get them down, let's keep them down. It's time for some f'n payback!
One more thought-
Raiders have lost seven straight to the Chargers. For four of those seven loses we were coached by none other than one Norval Turner. Just a thought.
The Dolts have a couple of great players. I dissagree with them being incredibly talented. Very talentd maybe. But, very beatable.
They showed in the Mule game that it all revolves around Tomlinson. When they tried to do it without using him as much, it didn't work.
The foumula is there. Plus, as I said before, Ryan lined his guys up against the Norv Turner offense for two years. He should know his tendicies.
I'm nervous about the game, but that's good. After last years opener, we owe them one.
H
Not to say that we have to with this team, this year, with this coaching staff...but...i hope that this team is taking this game as seriously as you do Take (and of course all of us)...i'm curious to see how the Kiff will aproach this...if we win it's HUGE...not that we're really out matched or anything..but we've lost to these guys now for 4 years along with all the other westers and while Kiff hasn't felt that agonizing feeling for any of those games WE HAVE...AL HAS...alot of the players have...to break that against the "most talented team in the league" would strengthen the entire Raider Nation...something that needs to happen soon...it will happen, that i am sure, but when? with this game it can. i'm with you Take "Biggest Game in Four Years"
raiderhip
A Raider win on
Sunday, prove Raider glory
once again, stand proud
JanFran
H-
Unfortunately, it did (and sometimes does) work without Tomlinson. Take a look at the Denver stats. Backup RB Michael Turner had 147 yards on 10 carries, i.e., more yards on the ground than LT had combined ground/air.
Gates had 7 receptions for 113 yards, and is now the third-leading receiver in the NFL, behind our buddy Raggy Moss and Chad Johnson.
Plus, SD didn’t just beat Denver, they pummeled them one mile above sea level. Got to respect that.
Add to this, the cruel reality that Merriman and Tomlinson are both Raider killers, and you see there seems to be a fine line between incredibly talented and very talented. It’s just semantics.
But you're absolutely right, they’re beatable. Look no farther than NE, the Pack and KC. Something I’m sure Kiffin will thoroughly review.
seven game drought ends
Raiders beat the Dolts - plus 10
bet on the pirate
I totally agree with H's 2 central points:
(1) Contain LT & Gates
(2) Minimize our Turnovers
I love having such a meaninful game on the docket.
I love the hype, uncertainty, and butterflys in my stomach ... almost a playoff like buzz.
I love that we have Kid Kiffin on our sideline ... cocksure, confident, and well prepared.
I love that the Bolts have Norvell Turner on their sidelines ... passive, uninspired, and lost.
I love that there will be 30,000 plus screaming lunatics like ourselves donning silver & black in Qualcomm Stadium.
Sure. It might not be the "end all game" for our fortunes BUT as RT so eloquently described in his post, it is the BIGGEST game in 4 years.
Raiders 24
Bolts 19
Game MVP: Captain Kirk Morrison with a whopping 13 tackles; 3 for a loss.
Amen! Don't forget two INT's for the law team of Morrison and Howard... not to be confused with the law team in NE of Duey Cheatem & How.
Hang your heads again faida fanatics, the "glory" stops sun. in sunny San Diego! The Bolts WILL put "culpumper" out for the season, big al (MR.) davis will give him his walking papers and you will all be scratching your heads trying to figure what caused your "glorious" team to crash so fast and hard! The faidas are STILL only a cellar dweller...Keep believing babies, but forget about defending the "nation"...it doesn't exist! 2-14 coming to a murder capital near you soon.
Hey, where's "pantyslobber"? I hope he didn't get thrown in the slammer! I wouldn't want him to miss seeing the faidas get their asses handed to themselves this Sun. "culpumper" is done ....stick a big fork in him", "miss kiffy girl-boy coach" will cry like the whinning little kid he is. Your whole world will implode this Sun. I can't wait to cheer the BOLTS to victory....49 Chargers chokeland faidas 9. 2-14 Just wake up and smell the stank from choaktown babies. Don't even talk about the STUPID BS "nation shit".
i see this game going like the miami game.
we will try to run, run, run.
control the ball, control the clock, and keep the charmers offense on the sideline.
only trouble will be if we fall behind in 2nd half.
and if the zebra's get involved.
remember last year in SD ???
we had'em beat, but then the refs stepped in to rob us blind.
hey, 5th game of season and it means something....gotta love it. let's keep it going.
NYRaider,
I included Turner and Gates in my initial analysis. I was just pointing out that in their three losses, LT was basically nonexistant. They weren't using him as much.
After Denver, they will try to go to him hot and heavy. He should be number 1 on the defense's hit list.
Gates will be a factor but with Morrison's and Thomas' cover skills we should be able to hold him down.
But, if we turn the ball over like we did against Detroit, we would be in trouble. Zero turnovers, control the clock, touchdowns in the red zone and low penalties.
Sounds like a lot, but it's not really. It's just a sign of an improving disciplined offense that gives the defense rest and allows them to be more agressive.
H
H-
You're right and that's a good point. Norv didn't use LT as much, and that's probably why he lost those games. Let's face it, LT can be a one-man show... which, as Calico Jack said, goes back to your central point, we need to stop him.
Interesting, from PFT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsUb3g-un9Q
Yes, the Raiders are for real. "The Daunte Culpepper revenge tour." I like it!
Bama7
I think SD will come out playing very agressively in an effort to get us down early... so as to get us out of our run game. We're going to have to be able to pass vlock in this game so we can take some shots off play action down field.
And H... Peterson may not be the answer but we only have 2 sacks from our DE's through 4 football games and one of those was from a back-up that has played mostly OLB at Washington (behind Arrington)... Clemons.
Hell, put Clemons in Sam Williams spot.
– RB LaDainian Tomlinson conceded "Raider Week" isn't what it used to be without Marty Schottenheimer around to remind everyone how much he hated anything in silver and black.
"He couldn't stand the Raiders," Tomlinson told the Bay Area media on a conference call. "I don't think he ever worked there. It was always for him a little more personal. With
Norv, Norv has a history of being with the Raiders. He obviously coached there and everything. It's a little different in that aspect. Marty just downright hated the Raiders."
When asked why he gained so many yards against the Raiders (1,455 in his career), Tomlinson again pointed to Schottenheimer.
"I think it was Marty. I think Marty just like I said he had a mindset that he just didn't like the Raiders," Tomlinson said. "He wanted to try to punish them. The common theme was Marty Schottenheimer."
*************************
These comments need to be posted in Alameda as a reminder. I've been reading all these feel-good quotes from players about how much they love Norv. F that, what about the disrespect we've recieved over the years from the Dolts and their fans? Their secret weapon has been fired and it's time to turn the tables! They better play angry on game day.
I'm reminded of that inspiring win over the Redskins where Norv got the game ball. Good head coach or not, players want to win for him and the Chargers know he wants to prove something to the Raiders.
And caveman needs to keep a deep safety on ever 'toss' running play in case they run a HB pass. They always run it on us.
Psycho
psycho,
marty's legacy is rather sad, don't you think ?
marty hated the raiders. marty had success against the raiders...
marty....never won the big one.
leagacies are important in sports.
i'll glady take the raiders 3 sb titles over marty's hatred anyday.
would marty trade his hatred toward the raiders for a sb victory ? i bet he would.
to late marty. the sun is setting on your coaching career.
besides, marty cannot coach in the nfc...no raiders.
he cannot coach in the afc east, or central...no raiders.
this narrow minded man must wait for a job to open in the afc west.
that's all he's good for, and nothing else.
as for me. i love the raiders. and i feel sorry for marty, "almost was a great coach", shottenheimer.
Congratulations to Psycho for pointing out what I think will be a key to this game. Turner has no emotion invested in the Raider/Charger rivalry. He never got the Raiders up to play the Chargers, and he won't get the Chargers up to face the Raiders. SD will play without emotion. But they will play for team pride to show that their 14-2 wasn't a fluke.
That has both a good face and a bad face, because the dolts will be focused on execution (not on humiliating us). So the absolute key to this game will be EXECUTION!
And just when things seem to be going great, we're going into this game with our DL decimated. Likely no Burgess and no Warren. That is going to require the law firm to move closer to the line to contain LT. I doubt if either has an interception in this game, because Kiff will focus them on the run, and blitz them occasionally.
We will likely go without Jordan. That means that Fargas will have to prove that last week was no fluke, and Rhodes will have to step up big after not having touched the ball in over a month.
SD will likely repeatedly test our OL with blitzes which will require Miller and Madsen to help with the blocking.
We can win this game, but our execution has to be stellar.
Yeah Otto man, he's a piece of crap. Lets hope he never shows up in the AFC West again, for the sake of the Raiders and of "legacy". Hopefully he dies soon from being kicked in the balls too hard or something.
Blanda
I'm with you man. Execution is big. I feel like we'll out-execute them, except for possibly some misreads in the secondary with the safeties running around in circles, missing tackles. But I expect Rivers to make a dumb pass or two and we have to take advantage of those as they come.
Psycho
Hey... No fair stealing my "Most meaningful game in four years" quote from the night before. lol
Just kidding.
It's sad, in a way, about Schottenheimer. Does anyone know what started this hatred?
That's bad knews about Burgess and Warren. Kiffin seems to be the most tight lipped about Warren. Maybe he's playing mind games again with the media and Norv.
I just see it as an opportunity for Sands to start earning that new contract he received. Also, we will see what kinds of adjustments Ryan will make.
And, before anyone starts going on about Moses, he still hasn't gotten any playing time, at all.
I agree about execution. But I put the onus now on the offense. It now becomes even more important that we control Time Of Possession and don't make silly turnovers. A fair catch is better than a muffed punt. Give the ball to the offense and let them grind the Dolts defense into dust.
The articles I read did say there is the chance Burgess would play. If not, that's the hand we've been dealt. We'll find out what kind of attitude they will have.
Bob Golic used to say win our lose, at the end of the game you should have nothing left. If they play like that the Raiders can and should win this game. Be physical on both sides of the ball. Norv's style is more of a finesse offense, that's why it didn't work for us. Finesse and Raiders should never be used in the same sentence.
H
>>>>
Calico Jack said...
I totally agree with H's 2 central points:
(1) Contain LT & Gates
>>>>>
Thats kinda one of the reasons we drafted Huff, from what I heard... to neutralize Gates and Gonozalez for four games... he did it pretty good last year. Hopefully the same this year.
For all the Al haters... remember how we got abused by TE's before we drafted Huff? THIS is why he is a Raider.
It stopped.
>>>>
H said...
It's sad, in a way, about Schottenheimer. Does anyone know what started this hatred?
>>>>
I think it started in KC... he thought we cheated to win. I can remember a special on it where he was in the locker room before the game yelling "THESE GUYS CHEAT LETS KICK THEIR FUCKING ASSES because they CHEAT."
Oh, btw... I can't imagine Turner yelling that the Raiders cheat now... lol. He'd have to say he is a cheater.
Ten point dogs this week? The "Turner Factor" alone gives us seven of that.
Me likee!
Bama7
If Burgess and Warren don't play, the only way we win is by moving the chains on O and winning time of posession.
I'm interested in seeing how the Patties WR's do with Roy Williams lurking in the secondary... I bet it's a whole different story than what we've seen so far this season from moss and co, and something Kiffen should watch in comparison to our unphysical safeties. Tatum like safeties make a huge difference.
Hey Bama,
We agree on something. Just kidding, we agree on a lot of things.
As for Tatum like safeties, On some passing downs instead of pulling linebackers and putting in an extra DB Howard is being allowed to line up as the third safety.
On one third down play in the Fish game he absoultely nailed the tight end and warpped him up in a textbook tackle. They punted. We drove the ball down the field and scored.
H
This Just In:
We have released B. J. Ward and are giving a tryout to Jarrod Cooper.
Is he availabel immediately. I'm a little fuzzy on the rule. He was actually released prior to the season. But, the four weeks have passed. I'm sure they checked with the league first.
The article said the following about Ward:
"Ward made the team training camp because of his special teams play and willingness to hit, neither of which were in evidence during the regular season."
Cooper was a great special teams player. I only hope he can pick up where he left off. The problem might be his blocking on returns.
I don't recall him being used much in coverage.
H
H,
That's great news. I guess Ward getting run over on the goal line costed him a job. This should really help our special teams big time, and we need it. For any negatives that come with Coop at least we know he won't get out-hit.
Psycho
I think Warren Sapp needs to give the pregame speech for this one. All this Norv love fest is spooky.
Yeah, he's a likeable guy, but we need a win. When I compete in anything against a friend, I'm there to bury them. And, I would expect nothing less from them.
When it's over we can go have a beer.
Well, I used to anyway. To old, to many miles.
H
So releasing Ward means we got nothing for Moss. Except an antidote for the poison he spreads.
Yeah, the Turner love fest is really weird. But I've always been told he's a really nice guy.
Solution? After we kick his new team's ass, we can send him a card.
Sometimes I feel like Alice in Wonderland. The Chargers organization, the media and now the Raiders players...Did they not see what I saw, the clock mismanagement, the weird playcalling at crucial times, the play-it-safe mentality, the misuse (or non use) of timeouts, the inability to mount a two-minute offense...What does it take?
Here's what I wrote on December 26, 2005, when I'd finally had enough:
"We saw it in the first Broncos game, the six-minute touchdown drive while three scores down in the waning minutes. We saw it in the second Chargers game, when even the ESPN announcers briefly awoke from their analytical coma to remark on the Raiders’ mystifying lack of urgency while three scores down with 10 minutes remaining. On Christmas eve, I decided I still had a life. I went out to run some errands, and while listening to KSFO, I heard Tom Flores express utter puzzlement as to why the Raiders weren’t running a two-minute offense toward the end of the fourth quarter against the Broncos.
So don’t take it from me, don’t take it from ESPN, take it from Raiders Super Bowl champion Tom Flores. What in the hell is going on? This is not football.
It's a disgrace, this inability to enact urgency in the face of defeat, and thus to demonstrate any will to win. It is an affront not only to the Raider Nation, but to the game of football. Absent a decent explanation for this affront, the Raiders should have an interim head coach in charge by tomorrow morning."
Guess the Raiders players weren't as bothered as me and Tom Flores.
RT, you've just done an excellent disertation on what it was that caused you and I to put our faith in Art Shell. We thought "old school" was exactly what the Raiders had been lacking. But then we went through the exact same thing with Shell.
On a slightly different subject, one of the reasons I expect us to win this Sunday is because the Raiders have shown a very limited passing game so far this season. McCown put up a lot of passes in the first two, but only because we were coming from behind.
I think Norv is going to focus completely on our running game, but I have no doubt that Kiffin has added extra wrinkles to our passing game during the bye. And I still think he breaks out those new wrinkles in the second half.
Heck, after Norv, I was ready for any school.
You're right, though, Art Shell was just as bad. Maybe we should throw a lovefest for him too, and hand him the Patriots head coaching job.
In terms of playcalling and game management, I've seen more coherence, aggressiveness and purpose in four games under Lane Kiffin than I did after three years under those guys.
If Oakland and San Diego both bring their "A" game, then San Diego should have no problem with Oakland. Without Burgess and Warren, Oakland's pass rush will be non-existent, and that will allow Rivers plenty of time to find Gates over the middle and exploit those two overrated safeties Huff and Stu. LT always plays well against the Raiders and he is likely to have about 125 yards and two scores against your defense. All you Raider fans can wish and hope and pray all you want, but I see the AFC West division losing streak being extended to 16 games.
RT, you've attracted another troll.
I can actually see him shaking. It was almost begging. "Please don't hurt my dolts."
Anon 4:00
We have a secret weapon this year. We've secretly replaced Schottenheimer with our own Norv Turner. We can't lose. And you didn't even notice.
In the previous 3 years, as a fan, I was continually scratching my head and saying "WTF" on a regular basis in terms of the following areas:
(1) Playcalling
(2) Predictability
(3) Lack of common sense
(4) Lack of creativity
(5) Poor (or no) in game adjustments
(6) Poor (or no) game to game adjustments;
(7) Lack of adaptability to an opponents strengths & weaknesses.
(8) Poor game management
(9) Improper use of personnel
(10)Little to no competition for roster spots and playing time
(11) Poor clock management
(12) No sense of urgency
(13) No will to win
(14) And last but not least, no leadership from the HC
All of these areas have been greatly improved or completely fixed due to the leadership of Kiffin. Think about it ... in the 4 previous games when have you had a WTF moment during a game? I'd be curious to get the RT crews thought and opinions on this matter.
My overall take on Kiffin as Head Coach is that he has a plan & vision for the team. Most importantly, he has instilled a sense of confidence in his players and fans alike that better days are ahead of us.
Ward... poor guy gets steam rolled once, and gone. Cooper would be a welcome addition to a special teams unit that still can't find itself.
Calico-
You'll get no argument from me. That's a big dido. The only WTF I can think of is why did we wait so long? Kiffin has savvy and moxie that has been completely missing here for many years. In a similar point I made before... I'm convinced we will no longer get out-coached in our division, nor in this league. What a relief.
Calico, that's pretty accurate list.
Sometimes it appears as if Kiff gets stuborn with the running game. But the big difference is that under Kiff, when we run, we run farther than the line of scrimage. I think we've had WTF moments this year, but it's been regarding the defensive play calling. And when we've reviewed the film, it turns out it wasn't that bad a call, but it wasn't properly executed.
Al did well by us this year. We have a ways to go to build better personnel, but we do have a plan which is moving and in progress from week to week. We are not committing the same mistakes from one week to the next.
We will need one coaching change if things don't improve on Special Teams. They are not as bad as last year, but they are no where near as good as they need to be.
Take, I remember those games and never understood why Collins didn't say anything or try to hurry things up himself. Could you imagine Manning putting up with that. Or, Snake for that matter.
Which brings up a point I made about our clock management in the Mule game. We had three timeouts late in the game. I though we could have run more to set up the field goal. We were running well with 2 minutes left.
We switched to passing, Sims got a holding penalty, but we had let a lot of time run off the clock. We were forced to pass and McCowan threw an interception.
If you have all three timeouts with two minutes left, it's ok to use one or two so you are not restricted in your play calls.
A long way to get to the point that I hope Kiffin learned something from that game other than icing the kicker.
H
Calico,
My previous post is my only WTF moment this year.
H
Blandarocked, I am just offering my football analysis and you go and call me a troll. I am here to talk football. With Burgess and Warren being hurt and possibly deactivated for the game, that is a huge blow to the Raiders defense. A defense that was suspect against the run and atrocious against the pass to begin with. Yes I realize Norv is the coach of SD now, but even he is not dumb enough to not hand it off to LT 35 times in this game, considering that LT has owned the Raiders over the years. SD can easily control the clock and if you put 8 men in the box to stop him, then Rivers can just lob it over the middle to Gates and exploit those weak safeties. I don't see Oakland coming within 17 points of the Chargers.
But on the bright side, I see you putting a "W" in the column against KC the following week.
Calico Jack: Classic.
Anon, at least pick a handle, like ClosetRaiderFan, or ILikeToCheatLikeBelichik or something. You're becoming a regular, you might as well adopt a handle. And unlike Faida Boy, at least you can spell and aren't begging to mow my lawn and clean my pool. You may be a troll, but compared to Faida Boy, you're Albert Einstein.
I do like the fact that you can take it as much as you can dish it. We're turning into Paris and Nicole: frienemies. When you come out of the NFL closet, I know you'll be wearing silver and black.
RaiderTake
Closet Raider fan? Please. I will sooner root for the Yankees and Jets before I would ever abandon my Patriots. I have been a seasont ticketholder since the early 1980's and have followed/hated/made fun of the Raiders for just as long. I mean how can you not make fun of Al Davis and the Raiders? The past four years it has been like fishing with dynamite. I call it like I see it, and I have given you my complete take on the upcoming Raiders/Chargers game. I won't be watching the game since New England and Dallas are on at the same time, so maybe I will log on here Sunday night and read this board to find out what went on. Me thinks I will find a bunch of ref whining goin on.
H: Although I agree with your point about using timeouts in the last 2 minutes vs. the Donkeys ... ultimately, we had the perfect play & opportunity to win. The only problem was that McCown couldn't hit a WIDE OPEN Porter for six. There are always going to be moments in the game where it was a lack of execution. I would not label this a WFT moment.
The point I was attempting to convey is that there have been very few if any times during the 1st 4 games where I was screaming at my t.v., dumbfounded by a Kiffin move, or upset by the gameplan or playcall. That my friend is a sign of Kiffin's preparation, plan, and vision.
Gary,
if shottenheimer hated the raiders because he felt thet were cheaters, does that mean he now hates the patsies just as much ???
will he now head to the afc east to punish the patsies for their cheating ways ???
or is his weird obsession/hatred/fixation, only reserved for the mighty raiders ???
where's fraude when we need him.
Calico,
WTF may be a little strong. But, I remember screaming at the TV. We were running the ball so well at the time. I just wanted us to have the time to mix in a few more and not have to throw deep.
I heard a coach once say if they're going to give you three timeouts - use 'em. Of course there are exceptions.
H
Going back to Howie Long...
Working for a newspaper has its perks. Here's a snippet about former 49ers OL coach Bobb McKittrick from the 10/2/2005 Florida Times-Union (courtesy of Factiva):
The late San Francisco 49ers offensive line coach was both credited and reviled around the league for being the first to make the cut block the centerpiece of his team's blocking scheme.
Often adding injury to injury, McKittrick also instructed his lineman roll on defenders after cutting them. That practice finally was banned by the league in 1999, the same year he retired and 20 years after his arrival.
Former Raiders defensive lineman Howie Long nearly came to blows with McKittrick after a game, and ex-NFL linebacker Tim Green devoted an entire chapter of a book he wrote on the league to the coach, whom he dubbed "Dr. Mean.''
Cut blocks have been a part of football for decades but rarely were used in the NFL before McKittrick because offensive players made them at their own risk. Defenders weren't shy about retaliating, in part because they were low-paid and didn't have much to lose by fighting back.
Calico,
Great "WTF" take. I agree 100% with you and have total confidence in Kiff's plan to get us back on top with minimal WTF moments.
Regarding Shittenheimer's hatered for our beloved Silver & Black. Jealousy. Pure old fashioned jealousy.
The fact is, is that Marty was never good enough to play for us. As a player with Buffalo and Boston (1965-1970) his teams went 3-5 vs the Raiders.
As his teams went 30-39-3 over his six year career as a linebacker, the Raiders were 61-18-5 over that same time. We were winning division titles and post season games while Morty was watching from the sidelines.
If Marty EVER put the same amount of emphasis on post season preperation the way prepares to beat the Raiders, maybe he would actually win a playoff game.
I remember he was quoted as saying something to the effect that as long as he wins two regular season games, and those games are against the Raider's, then he was satisfied. WOW, no wonder he has nothing left for the post season.
Good riddence Morty.
azraider63
One more thing,
Marty's 1971 Topps football card reads:
"Marty has the longest name in the AFC".
Nice! If that's all they have to say about him, he must not have been that good.
At least Dan Conners (Raiders LB 1964-74) 1970 Topps card says:
"Dan's great knack is to come up with a fumble".
Sorry, got off track with that one. But I hate Marty more than he hates us. I hate the Haters.
azraider63
Bama7
If someone would have told me back during camp that our glut of SS's would soon be completely gone before the season was half done (Colin Branch, Darius, Ward & Frampton... all cut), I would have said... well I would have said... only Al could do that. Well, I don't want to flame this entire board and have Al's apologists attack me en mass, so I won't blame him. I guess we have to point the finger at the guy supposedly in charge: Caveman. Caveman, WTF? We have only two starting LB's on this team (I know, I know, Sam William's is quietly, great. I thought only an offensive lineman was good when you never heard his name called?). We have several capable FS's (Carr, Schweigert, Huff) yet no SS, we have only one decent, veteran DE and he has a long injury history, we have a DT playing one DE position... sheesh, what a mess. I promise you guys I'll shut up on the hate if Kiffen is allowed to name his own defensive coordinator next year. You can bet his dad, Monty, is recommending that privately.
The biggest game in 4 years and we're going to have to win it on heart.
Stepping outside the 1st four games... WTF may apply to the draft, as we bypassed available O-linemen to select players that have since been cut. And we didn't draft The Freak (who's probably doing time in some Mexican jail by now).
Also, WTF may apply to McCown being selected outright over Culpepper, but that's marginal given Kiff's reasoning.
Far outweighing WTFs, however, are plays like going for it on 4th downs and surprise onside kicks. Even better, those plays actually work!
CJ asked, "Think about it ... in the 4 previous games when have you had a WTF moment during a game?"
My only WTF moments have come on the defensive play calling side.
Again, why do we have a problem with stuffing the run? Why are we playing a prevent defense? We should be stacking 8, playing read-n-react defense with our linebackers and safeties; having them zone blitz on passing plays, and letting our corners play man. We would have the #1 defense if we did that; guaranteed.
That is my only WTF for the season.
Patsy Ano:
You're viewing the dolts through last year's stats. They have not been able to run time off the clock effectively this year because they've never gotten LT on track, and that includes against the donkeys. History has it that when LT is not effective, the Raiders win.
Yes, we'll miss Burgess and Warren, but they'll be replaced by two guys fighting for those starting spots. That's the way Kiffin runs things.
But don't worry about your team. The Peppermint Patties are the greatest team in the history of football. They'll never lose another game, ever. And Moss, he's the most unselfish player whoever played the game, bar none.
Oh, by the way, there's a few 1990s era 49er fans I'd like to introduce you to.
And, of course, it wasn't a fumble.
My favorite WTF moment was when the Browns got a crucial sideline first down despite the fact that we dropped 11 guys back into coverage. The converse of that accomplishment would be Browns RB Jamal Lewis getting dropped for a one-yard loss despite there being no defensive linemen.
Great post RT!
This is definitely a huge game and the first huge non-fantasy game I've watched in four years. However, and this is a big however, a loss would not mean disaster for us. Not even the most fervent Raider fan expected us to win the West and make the playoffs. I believe the consensus on your blog was about 7-8 wins.
We need to go out there and play hard and compete. I agree we need to shut down LT and if we can do that and keep it close until the end I will be happy. Okay, I won't be happy if we lose. I'll probably skip the night game, scream at my television and wake up Monday pissed off. But I won't be demoralized like I was after losing the opening game against them last year.
The past four years I've been demoralized, now, I'm minty fresh and one loss won't change that.
Roy
If my calculations are correct, the set-up is complete.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/20071012-9999-1s12chargers.html
The Raiders will confront the dolts with the run to start the game. And they'll run successfully. Enough to continue to do it throughout the game. But in the 3rd quarter, they'll open it up and pass for a couple of quick scores. Then they'll go back to pounding down the clock.
It's going to be up to the D to keep it close in the 1st half.
Bama7
That's a good article, Blanda. the stage is indeed set. There D wants a piece of us! Man, we need a big game out of Culpepper. A good QB can beat those guys. If you don't have a QB, you can't beat that defense. Cuz you have to throw when they they think run...and run when they think pass... and a good QB can change the play at the line.
As questionable as our defense seems right now, I almost just want to throw caution to the whim, and give 'em a dose of what they always give us... jailbreak blitz all day long. If they score they score, but we're coming after rivers. Don't know who can get to him, but we should be coming, at least 5 guys every down.
The donkeys can kiss Henry goodbye this season.
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_7152628
The "pot smoke was in the room, and I must have inhaled second hand smoke" defense has already been tried (by a promising young Raider DT) and failed.
Donkeys, pray that Detroit is willing to trade Bell, otherwise you got nothin'.
Huh? No hate from Real Football 365? I'm not used to that. This guy says we win on Sunday.
http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/19793.html
Cooper was signed to replace Ward.
You guys must ge talking about the trash talking article from the Dolts. Basically they are saying no one runs on them.
They might slow us down, but I doubt they will stop us.
There was an article on RealFootball365.com that talked about this. The had the following quote:
"Statistically speaking, the Chargers' standing as the league's 10th-best rushing defense is a bit distorted when considering some of the weak to nonexistent running games they've faced in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers."
The thing is they left out the Chefs.
For all the talk about us rushing against Little Sisters of the Poor,
here are the Dolts opponents rushing standing:
KC - 32
GB - 31
Chi - 27
Den - 6
NE - 3
That's an average of 19.8 or 20th
The Patsies put up 144.
The Mules 74 (But with three turnovers so they had to go to the air).
KC put up 126 (and they are ranked 32).
GB only 42 (but they can't run on anybody)
Last but not least Chi did 80 (ditto on them for GB)
The Muel Game goes to my point about turnovers. The Mules were -3 for the game. That had a big affect on the final score, and the play calling.
One final thing. I not sure how the Dolts justify being a 9 1/2 to
10 1/2 point favorite. They beat Chicago barely and lost three more.
We have had the lead late in every game.
Just one fan's observations.
azraider,
You have a Topps 1971 Marty Shittenheimer card? And it's not burned to a crisp with needles sticking in it, and it doesn't smell like piss and dog crap? Just messing with you. But seriously, can you send it to me? I'll take "care" of it.
Did I mention I hate the Chargers? Not sure if I made that point clear. I expect a 50%+ Raider fan turnout.
Psycho
H,
Hurt back or not, we're going to run all over their asses! Kinda wish Michael Bush were ready for this one.
Psycho
I had a thought about this yesterday, and I was going to post a comment, but didn't.
It occured to me that the Raiders innitially released Coop with the idea of bringing him back after the suspension. They didn't worry about him signing with someone else. Who's going to pick up a journeyman safety suspended for four games? So they gave Ward a chance to prove his worth. He didn't, so Coop is back. From Kiffin:
"I had a conversation with him about him doing things right and him handling himself right and that there’d be a chance for him to come back," Kiffin said. "Part of what went into the decision at the time was to release him at the time gave a lot of other guys opportunities opposed to a guy that you knew couldn’t play the first four games. And to keep him at that time and he’s taking up reps in practice from other guys, younger guys and other guys getting better. And it gives us a chance to look at other guys so that went into it as well."
This was handled very intelligently!
So - who's going to have to step it up this Sunday?
Tyler Brayton and Chris Clemons. I don't really have a handle on Clemons, but it seems to me that Brayton has been playing much better than last year.
Blanda-
That makes sense, but I don't think a suspended player counts on the roster, e.g., Rhodes, so they could have held the rights to Cooper and made room for him after his suspension (or released him at that time).
I think B.J. Ward impressed the coaches enough to stick after preseason, but took a tumble (literally) after the Miami game.
nyraider:
It's not the roster spot, it's the practice reps. By releasing Coop before training camp Ward (and Frampton) got reps in that would have been taken by Coop. They both got a chance to prove that they were younger and better than Coop, but they couldn't get it done. Ward they thought was going to be a devistating hitter, but getting run over at the goal line against Miami sealed his fate.
Psycho,
LOL...yes, I actually do have one. The only reason I keep it is to laugh my ass off at his picture cause he looks like such a dork.
The urine thing is not a bad idea though.
On another note: I agree with some previous posts that even if we lose Sunday (and I don't think we will), all is not lost. We are headed in the right direction from a "Big Picture" standpoint. I believe regardless of this weekends outcome, we will roll ALL OVER KC in two weeks.
azraider63
Blandarocked
I am going by THIS year's Raiders staff. Your defense can't stop the run to save their lives. And this was with Burgess and Warren in the lineup. Tatum Bell, Travis Henry and Ronnie Brown has already gone through your run defense like a hot knife through melting butter. LT is better than the three of those RB's combined. He is going to get the rock no less than 30 times this coming Sunday. And you really expect your rush defense, now without Burgess and Jordan, to stop them? I don't think so. Your defense was a mirage last season because no team had to pass on them. The true Raider defense is being exposed this season for what it really is and that is overrated and overhyped. If anyone out there plays fantasy football and has Antonio Gates on their team, he is a must start this week, cause those two cream puff safeties Huff and Stu are gonna be burned for 60 minutes out there. Set your lineups now.
Ano, you're an idiot. You don't call games by reading stat reports. Just because you might be doing well in your "fantasy league" that doesn't make you an NFL prognositcator.
Talk about LT all you want, but some very mediocre teams have shut him down this season. You also give no notice of the current Raiders running game. If you think it's all Jordan you haven't got a clue, nor are you likely to find one. Also, while he has no interceptions to show for it, TEs haven't done much against us since the acquisition of Huff. But of course, in your fantasy world, interceptions are the only things that count for a defensive back.
Go back to dreamland, Ano.
One added note. Sorry for the hyperbole of calling you "idiot." But if you don't name yourself for this site, that gives us the license to pick out a name for you.
So either "idiot" or "PrefersRaiderFans." Which do you prefer?
Some very mediocre teams have shut LT down? New England is mediocre at 5-0? Wow if that is mediocre, I would like to see what you consider a great team. Green Bay is 4-1, man they must be downright awful. Chicago shut down LT in week one and that is when their defense was at full strength. The only team to let LT run wild was Denver last week and their rush defense is just about as pitful as yours. Tatum Bell, Travis Henry and Ronnie Brown ran through your defensive line like saloon doors. Ronnie Brown did it behind one of the poorer offensive lines in the league so far in 2007. Just imagine what LT is going to do against Oakland's line which is not even at full strength. Remember, you heard it here first. LT 30 carries, 130 yards, two TD's against that swiss cheese of a defensive line that resides in Oakland.
Blanda, going back to your Tatum Bell comment...I briefly thought the same thing myself but then remembered that the donkeys HAD Bell for three years and he never quite excelled for them...the reason why he's with the Lions this year.
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1775068
...plain and simple, we have to improve our drafting
dang. we have injuries galore. we could have surely used moses right about now. but i'm still confident we can take this one. a major player here is the norv factor. our pass rush was poor even with burgess in there, so brayton and kelly better step up their game this week. otherwise these guys'll have a field day on us. huff better step up too on his assignment of covering gates.
ok, so the chargers are fully expecting us to run the ball. could it be that this could be the game kiffin breaks out the passing game and expose their weak secondary?
Late on the takes the last several days. These injuries are something to be considered.
Blanda-
Nice take on the practice reps and Cooper situation. Right on as usual.
Doobie -
Nice to see you back
Did I ever tell you guys that I have had bostin patridiots season tickets since the 1800's?....
I disagree. Its not the biggest game since the SuperBowl. It is week 5. Let's not blow this out of proportion. All new coaches, revamped o-line, injured key players, our largest acquisition not nearly ready to play... let's take it easy and enjoy the fact that we are competitive; going in the right direction, and bringing back the poise and excellence. But is we lose, its not the Superbowl, its part of the growing, strengthening, rebuilding. Let's take it easy on the hyberbole. I support Kiff, wine lose or draw on this one!
-r8ermike
R8erMike, with all due respect, I can't think of a more significant game for the Raiders since that Super Bowl appearance, can you?
I agree, let's not blow it out of proportion, but let's not downplay it, either.
Does a loss mean our season is over? Of course not. But that doesn't mean it's not the biggest game our team has played in four years. Remember, we're grading on a curve here. This team hasn't been playing for anything but futile avoidance of last place since the 2002 season.
An exciting new coaching regime, trying to break a miserable losing streak against our divisional rivals, with the possibility of winning our third game in a row (ie: 20% of our total combined victories over the past four years by game five of the 2007 season) and seizing first place in the AFC West...I sure don't remember anything this big since that Super Bowl.
This whole "I'm in" thing is getting old to me. Of course I'm in, I'm a Raiders fan. A true Raiders fan, by my definition, is never out.
RT-
"I'm in" means more than being a undying Raiders fan. To me, it's the difference between believing in what's being taught and implemented by Kiffin vs the what none of us could stomach last year.
"I'm in" is another way of saying "I believe." It's akin to Minty Fresh.
It's Gameday! Let's go kick some ass! I'm In!
Didn't I say something about stopping L.T.?
Biggest game in years, huh.....Ha ha ha ha ha...."culpumper" is really lighting up the board today, the awesome running game of the faidas is domibnating...YOU FAIDAS SUCK...14-0 in the first qt. L.T. 2 td's already? Well "nancytake" I think you're gonna see "culpumper" take the easy way out and go down with a knee injury. That faida offensive line is lookin' great....Just cringe baby, defend the "nation". 2-14...
Hey, my unpaid intern is back.
At the two-minute warning, I'd like some iced tea, please. Three cubes please. Slice of lemon. Don't screw it up.
During the third quarter, I have to run to the hardware store, so make sure you're back in your seat for more live blogging. Raider Take is counting on you.
I said three cubes, not four! Damn, can't you get anything right in your life?
F*#K, S@#T, F#@K, How can you give away points with 8 seconds?
Roy
Culpepper should have thrown that ball away. Then we could have run the ball from the one-yard line with a timeout still available. Rookie mistake by a veteran.
Is it too late to start revisiting that goal of stopping L.T.?
Where is BlandaRocked?
I came on here during the week and discussed how Oakland could not stop the run and I was called an idiot and a troll by BlandaRocked. Well LT has 198 yards and 4 TD's against you guys and he has made me look like a freakin genius!. But wait, I am not supposed to go by past statistics. Please. Your run defense is pathetic. I would not worry about Rob Ryan taking a head coaching position any time soon, because who in the hell would offer him a job after his defense could not stop an old granny on a walker? Seriously, next year you guys should draft some DT's maybe Glen Dorsey from LSU. But knowing the almighty Al, he will probably take the fastest DB avaliable.
Oh yeah, thanks again for unloading Randy Moss on us! ;)
Oh is "miss kiffy" the girl-boy coach gonna cry again? Ha ha ha ha
this game just goes to show we have a LONNNNNGGGGG way to go to hang with the big boys. no defense (except for thomas' return), no sacks, no run d. culpepper picked a bad day to have a bad day. it was a poor performance all the way around.
kiffin did show that he has a huge set of balls going for it on 4th and 12 and that TD.
lick your wounds guys and get ready for next week.
OK, another big game next week. gotta learn from this one. Biggest change I hope to see next week is clock management and I'm not talking about us taking our time at the end of the first half. How many times did we snap the ball with 1-2-3 ticks or less on the play clock? Can't do that all the time and can't do that when behind. If the game clock's running, you waste too much time you might need later and more important the D can tee off [they see the play clock and just take off]--on half the plays Pep had pressure it was a late in the play clock situation. I think Lane will handle that this week.
I need some logic help...
When you're down by one touchdown with a few ticks on the clock at the 50-yard line, you throw a Hail Mary, right? Why? Because that's your last chance of tying or winning the game. Logical.
So when you're down by two touchdowns at the 50 with 53 seconds left, doesn't logic dictate that you start throwing Hail Marys instead of 17-yard passes in the middle of the field with no timeouts, after which you've lost 30 seconds and have ZERO chance of tying the game instead of an extremely slim chance (ie: TD, onside kick recovery, TD...hey, stranger things have happened).
I'll take extremely slim anyday over zero. Sunday isn't for practice and stats. It's for winning.
Please point out the flaw in my logic.
Come on Blandarocked, where are ya big boy? This was the gem you said earlier this week
"Talk about LT all you want, but some very mediocre teams have shut him down this season"
Wow, if some very mediocre teams shut down LT, what does that make the Raiders who yielded 198 yards and 4 TD's to him? Told ya your run defense was lacking!
Take...no flaw in your logic exept that we conceded...we said it's over and that's it...kind of like last year but is Daunte really gonna do it? no. two huge fumbles...interceptions...penalties...same shit..bigger pile...it's alright though all is not lost...we beat ourselves, they didn't beat us
couple questions...was jordan alright to play? even the anouncers were suprised he was playing. why did we pick up rhodes to play him one play that didn't even count? i was looking forward to seeing him. also...why pass it with 1st and one on the goal?!? we had time to punch it in with a time out...WTF! that's my big WTF moment this year... like you said Take "rookie mistake by a veteran" YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE TO THROW A TOUCHDOWN OR THROW IT AWAY!!! WTF
it's alright though we'll kick the snot outta the cheats next week and i'll be 20 seats back having the time of my life...plus the division is still very tight
raiderhip
I'm not sure what the Raiders were working on the last few weeks, but I doubt very much it was football.
This was a messy game on both sides of the ball for the Raiders... kinda depressing.
The "bad Culpepper" showed its ugly head at the worst time, just as all my Vikings friends warned me about. I figured we wouldn't be able to run much but I didn't figure that Kiffin couldn't figure out a way to attack such an aggressive defense... or maybe he did, but Culp is too horrible to execute it.
I can't stand watching horrible QBing week after week.... whats it been... four years now?
JR by week eight please. At least he'd have an excuse for being horrible... he's a rookie.
Don't blink faida fanatics, it gets worse next week! Just trash the faida gear babies, stop defending the "defunked nation" 2-14....
well, the best i can say is, they didn't kill us.
but at the same time, we never were really in this game.
i think our D-line is becoming as big a concern this year as the O-line was last year.
the D-line cannot stop the run, and applies zero pressure on the Qb's. not a good combo.
we did not stack 8, we did not let our corners play man, we did not blitz, therefore, we could not shut down lt and the dunder dolts.
on the offensive side of the ball, we tried to set up the run with passing, and made huge mistakes in doing so.
i said it last week, we needed to establish the run against this team. the teams that beat them this year, have run downhill on them, and wore them out. we didn't do neither. that was a loss that effected my morale. kiffin needs to game plan better, because he is choking it hard; and i'm losing confidence.
I've been out of pocket all weekend. Out of town company.
Now, what is going on with the center - quarterback exchange?
One of my major points was about this game was turnovers. We had three, they had one. Even when we recover our own fumbles, it's a wasted down.
I also think Fargas should have started. I don't think Jordan was fully recovered he seemed slow getting to the holes. Like McCowan started when he was hurt and shouldn't have been playing. Fargas saved out butts on that fourth down conversion if memory serves.
Also, I thought if you hit the receiver before the ball got there it was interference. But, that was the only call I can argue about at the moment. I must review the tape to look for anything good.
Now the defense:
Why didn't we just man up and dare them to throw? We're supposed to have three fairly good cover guys.
Why do our linebackers line up five yards from the line of scrimmage? I made the same statement about our previous two defensive coordinators.
Why do we blitz on running downs but not on passing downs?
Note on Robert Thomas:
He actually played fairly well in place of Williams and tied for the team lead in tackles. He dropped LT a couple of times.
Also, Routt had a few good hits, but overall not a good defensive or offensive effort. Especially after haveing two weeks to prepare.
Ryan deserved another year after last years production, but he needs to put forth a better product if he wants to stay.
Just my quick observations.
H
Could we have come out any flatter? The bye week sucks! It squashed any momentum we had from our two-game win streak. This game looked more like the Art Shell version than the Lane Kiffin version. In Kiffin defense, his coaching is only as good as his players ability to execute.
I predicted we’d pass-first, then run, but never thought it would look so miserable.
Jammer made a goal line TD-saving play on Curry (at the end of the half) that Schweigert should have made on Tomlinson. Instead, LT just carried Schweigert into the end zone.
Then, Culpepper, not once but twice (in a row) took a sack on goal-to-go instead of simply throwing the ball away. His fumble on the second one cost us a score and maybe the game (momentum).
As RT already pointed out, apparently padding our stats at the end of the game was more important than actually trying to stage an attempt to tie the game. Of course they were giving us the short middle of the field. Folks, that’s how the prevent defense is supposed to work (as opposed to any so-called prevent defense the Raiders are known to employ).
I like to see Huff take a chances, but I didn’t think the play against Gates was that close. He whiffed and we gave up big yards. IMO Huff was playing too far off Gates to begin with.
There seems to be no end to the game-breaking runs we’ll give LT. We simply let him score from anywhere on the field.
16-in-a-row division loses is a new NFL record. It’s time for the Raiders to get very pissed off and enact some revenge on the Chefs.
Not sure if I'm just repeating what has already been said. But I just got back, and boy am I pissed.
Rusty, pathetic, and Shell-like come to mind. Culpepper played like crap. Front 7 couldn't stop ME from running. The SD fans are all ass holes. Charger dogs taste like dirt wrapped in used toilet paper. And I've never seen so many WR screen & HB screens in my entire life, combined!
Some of the play calls are just plain wierd. And I didn't see any hint of the "Raider Attitude" that I was looking for. I guess it wasn't as big a deal to the players as it is to the fans for them to be in first place, because that's how they played.
Psycho
NYRaider,
I disagree. This game was poor coaching. Two weeks to get ready. Jordan's back was better, but he was slow getting to the holes that were there. Kiffing should have pulled him and gone to Fargas/Rhodes, and he should have done it early in the game.
Also, virtually zero in game adjustments.
Psycho,
I agree with you on being in first place was not a big deal to them. And, I put that on the coaches. If the coaches don't care why should the players.
I didn't see the attitude of the two previous games on the field or on the sidelines.
I will say Curry played his butt off. He carried three players for a first down on one play and tried to get that touchdown.
And why didn't we use the tight end in the passing game before the last six minutes. A few short ones to them would have helped slow down the rush if the run wasn't working.
Did we even try a screen? I realize the Dolts defense is better than the Brownies, but we used four or five successful screens in that game.
I think we only threw over the middle about four times times and it was successful three times, Fargas, Williams and Miller.
What am I missing that we could have done to win this one?
H
I guess that we are all starting to loose sight of what this year really is! this year is a rebuilding year, we won 2 games and right away we are talking playoffs and all, well I am sorry there won't be no playoffs this year, I don't care what anybody says but sd is the best team in the west (even without marty) they are the elite.
We had our worst out there Sunday and our worst was one yard away from tying the game at the half and we kept up with them thru the game, I am so pissed off that we lost and the way we lost but I am in a 2 year plan and I am sticking with it, we will be on top in less than 2 years.
Would have, could have, should have are for crybabies, we are who we are and right now we are not good all we are is average! we will win some but we are going to loose more, I think that a 6-10 season would be a good season for our team.
Bama7
We do not have a very good defense at all. The verdict is in on last years defensive ranking for us: It was due to us being no threat on offense.
We basically have 2 LB's, maybe a CB or two and 2 DT's (Warren who's hurt & Sapp). That's it. Need safeties (hitters) and another LB, plus a ton of DE's. We need blue collar football players, I've been saying it for some time now. Everyone keeps defending all the speedy track DB's we pick up year in year out by saying, "you need that type for special teams." Yet our special teams are never any good. Time to go with actual production over workouts and potential when evaluating players in the draft and via trade.
We let Huntley and Moses go and kept guys like Brayton, Bowie, Williams and Hiram whoever he is etc etc. Non-physical, non productive, potential type guys. Enough is enough with the potential types. If you weren't a hitter or productive in college then you won't suddenly learn to be that way in the NFL. Parcells said they're either hitters when their puppies or they never become hitters. Huntley had some sacks in limited time last year. Brayton had zero in 16 games, yet we kept Brayton. Moses had 18.5 sacks in Division 1 SEC football, going against guys like JRuss, Chris LEak, Jason campbell, Erik Ainge, the chargers LT McNeil, etc etc. Jay Richardson looks the part but he was not productive at OSU. Go check out his college stats. If he couldn't get sacks in the big ten, as down as it has been in the last five or so years, then why expect him to light it up in the NFL (?) He's a Bobby Hamilton type AT BEST. And we need pressure on the QB. Read the scouting report on Richardson... basically "looks the part but had very little production in college". That phrase is like the magic words to get you on our team. Just curl the right amount weight, or bench press a ton and then run really fast and you're a Raider.
And before you come back with Moses not playing at Arizona, the coach says they are in no rush with Moses who came on their roster late. They had him in their top 100 players in the draft. There's no way he logs the sacks he did in college and that not transition somewhat into the NFL. He had more sacks in college than fellow players Robert geathers who ended the trent green era in KC, and as many as Charles Grant who is a sack leader year in and year out for the Saints.
Watched the Patties and Cowboys secondary yesterday... bunch of hitters. Kiffen better gets some defensive help now... and say no thanks to Al's opinion on future prospects.
Again, I find myself in agreement with H. This team was poorly prepared. However, we also have to take into consideration that four consecutive coaches have not been able to prepare this team to play division rivals. Kiffin is bright, so I expect him to learn, but he can't lay all of this (although he can lay a significant amount of it) on the players.
When I called out what would have been my game plan last week, it was based on the way we MUST always approach SD and KC. You MUST attack their strengths BEFORE you attempt to take advantage of their weaknesses. Against SD, that means, on defense, you stack the line and put a spy on LT - forcing Rivers to pass (this is especially true because man coverage is supposedly one of our strengths). On offense, you batter them between the tackles with the run, then throw it over their heads on play action passes.
I also believe that we should have used Fargas a lot more. Fargas was having more success out there then Jordan. Kiffin is going to have to learn that you can't always trust what the player is telling you in terms of how he's feeling. Jordan hasn't practiced, and Fargas has shown he's hot. I think I'd have started Fargas, and backed him (liberally) up with Jordan and Rhodes.
Culpepper played astonishingly bad, but so did the OL. Their pass protection was pathetic. If Culpepper was not as mobile as he was, there would have been 20 sacks. But, barring injury, we were stuck with him for the whole game. Walter hasn't played, JaMarcus isn't ready, and McCown is injured.
But what astounds me the most? What the hell happened to Culpepper's accuracy??!!! He was missing receivers all day by YARDS!
Yes, yes, and yes Blanda.
Fargas had a 7yd and a 3yd run. Feed it to him! Rhodes didn't even touch it. We needed to run 'around' those guys more than 'through' them at some point. Why put more wear & tear on Jordan if the middle wasn't giving us anything? Instead of running outside, we gave up and substituded runs we short passes.
H
You're right about the coaching. Poor preparation all around. Evident by the "flat" or "rusty" play. Hopefully there are some good lessons learned for future bye weeks.
Psycho
Bama7:
Al had nothing to do with this one. I think it was a mistake to bring Kelly inside for this one game. He's been having success at DE and we should have left him there. This is a Ryan problem that has been here since Ryan got here. Players are not always interchangable. Somethimes you have to leave players where they are showing capability. Since Kelly began the season as a DE, he should remain at DE until at least next season. Howie Long was the last Raider DL who had any success moving inside and out during the course of a season. But Long was so talented that he could switch back and forth during the course of a single game.
Regarding the D. I still think we're a top-ranked D with a healthy Burgess producing sacks. He is still the key. Once he gets going Sapp will get more opportunities, and more pressure will go a long way. Everything will snowball into a what we saw last year. You watch and see. Sapp has been too quiet. The reason he was a beast last year was because everyone either focused on Burgess, or Burgess would force the QB to step up into a waiting Sapp. It takes 2 to tango. The fate of our 2007 D rests on one man's shoulders.
Psycho
A word in defense of the D. While I think the game was poorly planned (coaching), our guys did reasonably well. One TD was set up by our offense, and the offense never getting on track eventually wore down our defense. The two main culprits yesterday? Daunte Culpepper and the OL. QB and OL, the same problems as last year, which is why the Raiders looked so agonizingly similar to last year in this game.
H-
When did I say the coaching was good? I said... “this game looked more like the Art Shell version than the Lane Kiffin version.” I merely qualified that by implying the players were as much to blame.
The reason the TE wasn’t involved in the passing game was mostly due to our inability protecting the QB. Not that Miller can block their steroid LBs.
NYRaider,
Then my apologies sir. I misread your intent with that sentence.
Blandarocked,
You are right in one aspect in your defense of the defense. The game was close and winable through three quarters. Since the offense had done very little the defense was keeping us in it.
H
So while you are defending the defense, you're offended by the offense? Perfect symmetry. I'm In.
Psycho
Before Culpper was the starter we were all saying that he should be the starter rather than McCown, now that we have him as a starter we have Walter as the last option!
do we start crying for Walter now or do we just let a couple of weeks go by and bring Russell as the starter and get him seasoned for next year.
raiderdecoacehlla
Raiderdecoachella:
Seven loses. I say that when we hit seven loses we're playing for next year. At that point, but likely not before, we should bring in Russell. I think it would be a big mistake to bring Russell in this season with the expectation that he "save" the season. If we start him at any point before that, whether the fans say that's what they expect of him or not, that's what will be expected of him. I'd hate to have him start his career on a steep uphill grade. Best to start him on even ground.
coachella,
You gotta' roll with Pepper. He had a bad game. Nobody ever said he was perfect, but he'll continue to be our best option for many more games. My guess is we won't see Russell until December.
I see us winning 3 of our next 4 games and he'll get his rythym & confidence back. Hell, we better, because the schedule gets tougher as we go from here on out.
Psycho
I haven't seen so many misfires by a Raider QB since... well, since last year. I'm only glad that Culpepper wears #8. If he wore #2 I'd have believe that I was suffering from severe '60s flashbacks. Bad trip, man.
raiderdecoacehlla,
I think we stay with Culpepper for now. I feel it was a very poor game plan on both sides of the ball. I think we should have stuck with running the ball early, but used Fargas.
By the way, unless I was hearing them wrong, the announcers were talking like we only got Culpepper the Wednesday before the season started.
They said he had only been on the team five weeks. Who checks their facts?
H
Raider hater week has started here in KC. Everybody's talking big about how they're going to whip Oakland as usual. Some fans are suggesting hitting Culpepper in the knees and ending his season. I hate the Chefs soooo much. Our guys have to get fired up for this game. The key to beating KC is to blitz blitz blitz. Haurd is terrible under pressure. Their O line is awful. Too bad blitzing is against Rob Ryan's religion.
Key to KC. As I've always seen it, the key to beating KC is a hard defensive push up the middle. Force LJ to run wide, and force Huard to roll out. Just like SD you should go after their strengths before taking advantages of their weaknesses. Their strength is running between the tackles and pocket passing.
Huff will have to have a big day, because they love to hit Gonzales over the middle short. I predict at least one INT for Morrison.
I tried not to get too caught up in the hype last week. 2-3 and a half game back is not a terrible situation. But I see this KC game as a must-win right here.
At some point we have to win division games. We've already dropped games to every other AFC West team this year. Now we have a chance to catch our biggest rival in the perfect situation. They flat out suck, and it's in Oakland!
I don't care who is injured. If we can't get motivated enough to beat KC then we might as well just admit that we still suck. This would tell me we have some serious holes to fill. Fill with guys who play with heart, and can rise up to the spirit of a rivalry. I'm sick of freaking losing to these 3 ass holes! I better not be driving all the way to Oakland, with a Chef fan, only to see another loss! F*k Raider week, ITS CHEF WEEK!
Psycho
Here's some grist for RT's news you can't use mill.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20071015/WIRE/710150369/1010/SPORT01
I wrote a brief response (and for those who know me, a "brief" response is hard work).
"Sometimes it is best to go with simplicity. It would be a lie to say this is a bad article, completely devoid of a point, analysis, or entertainment value. The fact is you're just a really rotten writer."
We'll try again.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20071015/WIRE/710150369/1010/SPORT01
Damnit!
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20071015/
WIRE/710150369/1010/SPORT0
Join 'em together.
Yeah I think I saw that one Blanda. I tried to post a comment but you have to register and he wasn't worth it. Something about "we showed our true colors" blaaaah bla blaaaaah.....Jack ass.
Psycho
WTF moments so far this year:
Against Cleveland... WTF did kiff not review the pass to Mike Williams? That would have been a TD. I TiVo'd that replay many times, and his second food is CLEARLY down befor the ball starts to come out.
Agains the Dolts... WTF was Lamont doing in there? His back is obviously a problem, and his trying to 'wiggle' and juke when he shouold be going North and South!! Fargas would have done better (IMHO). Plus Lamont is by no means the sharpest knife in the drawer. He constantly makes late game errors in judgement. Two times in that last 'drive', he's wiggling and juking when he should be taking the line to the sideline which would have got us 2 first downs and two clock stopages (to little to late? Maybe, but that's not the point).
-BamaRaider
PS: I liked the intentional false start to keep from running another play with time expiring. All we needed was another injury on a play that didn't matter (well, if Daunte goes down, Walter gets a shot :-)).
Needing 3 scores, we ate up 8:00 of the 4th quarter on one drive. If Gannon were dead he'd be rolling in his grave!
Psycho
Psycho:
Still, there's a big difference over last year. Last year they wouldn't have scored on that 8 minute drive.
And BTW, that TD equalled (in five games) our entire offenses TD total for last year over 16 games.
I originally thought you guys had a shot at beating KC this Sunday, but I am changing my tune now. It is obvious that your defensive line can't stop the run in any way, shape, or form, so I expect Larry Johnson to have at least 130 yards against you. If Ronnie Brown can light up your rush defense behind Miami's crummy offensive line, then Johnson should have all day to run behind KC's equally bad offensive line. Kansas City 24 Oakland 13
By the way, how about my Patriots???? If we can beat Indy in a few weeks, we are going undefeated! Our fourth Lombardi is on the horizon, we can see it all off in the distance getting closer and closer! How sweet it is!
H-
No problem. I may not have made my point clear (nothing unusual for me).
This week’s scenario:
It’s a bye week for SD
Raiders beat KC
Denver loses to Pittsburgh
New AFC West Standings:
Raiders (3-3)
SD (3-3)
KC (3-4)
Denver (2-4)
Back in first baby!
Actually you guys would be in second place, cause San Diego would own the tiebreaker over you. But it is all a moot point anyway, because you won't be able to stop Larry Johnson so you won't be beating Kansas City.
Oh, my goodness! We've lost Patsy's support? Whatever will we do.
So Patsy, that cheating thing seems to be working out really well for you guys.
Give me some insight into your psychosis. When folks around here are on the winning side of things we virtually high five each other and enjoy our victories. But you go on the lookout for a team that has been struggling in a very juvenile attempt to rub it in. Is that the beginning and the end of your football enjoyment? "It's not enough that I win, others must suffer!"
Do you pick the legs off of caterpillars, the wings off of butterflies? Knowing the usual destination of kids like that, I hope you don't own a gun. I know a pretty good psychologist in Boston if you need to talk to someone.
Psycho-
I am sick of losing to these shmucks too. I don't think it is a matter of getting up or motivation. We just don't have the horses. The dolts won 14 games last year. The ball has to bounce your way alot of the time for that to happen but still. I do think they will get theirs. At some point norval will have to coach. They had 4 and 1 at mid-
field a couple of times and punted. Mortty would have stuck it up ours each of those times.
Kiffin is a rookie HC and a quick study I think. I hope he learned from the Jordan start. What I am concerned about is Ryans d always allowing the other teams start to beat us. Looked like no adjustments either. I dunno.......
Blanda-
F the troll. This guy is annoying to even his cheatriot bandwagoners. Why else would he be here?
Blandarocked
What I think your problem is, is that you can't stand the fact that someone else that does not wear the silver and black shades comes in here and offers their opinion about Raiders football. Never once have i done any juvenile things like insult the Raider fan base or the city of Oakland. I come in and offer my unbiased, tell it like it is, impartial view of Raiders football, and since your team is struggling, you can't stand that. Last week I stated how the Raiders could not stop the run and LT would have a field day, and I made the conservative prediction that the Raiders would give up 130 yards rushing and 2 TD's to him. Even I didn't know that your rush defense was as bad as it was on Sunday. But you said "oh don't go by past stats, there have been some very mediocre teams that shut LT down this season". Uh huh, what words of wisdom you going to offer me this week?
While Larry Johnson won't have LT numbers against you guys, he will find the end zone twice and rush for about 130 yards. Oakland's defensive line and secondary lacks major talent, and while your LB's are great in pass coverage, from the Raider games I have seen on the tube this season, I can tell they overpursue the run, making them a liability. That will get corrected as they get more experience, I mean Howard is only in his 2nd year and will get better with time. But as of here and now, your defense is atrocious, your run defense would have trouble stopping Forrest Gump in his prime, and I dont see how you guys can expect to win more than 5 or 6 games this year. I am predicting the JaMarcus Russell era is kicked off by Thanksgiving weekend.
holly roller hit the nail solid.
rob ryan refuses to blitz. doesn't matter who we play, what down it is, how many yards to go, nothing matters.
rob ryan is a damn passive, freak.
he must be adobted. there's no way the blood of buddy flows in him.
use the 46 defense at this point. try something to get the thing going.
instead it's sit back and wait for a mistake. that's bullspit and it aint working for hell.
I actually don't mind so much the Patsy fan that posts here. I mean, I hate the Patsies with a passion, but at least he makes some coherent points. Unlike the Faida guy, who I think is, like, 9 years old.
Patsies are high right now, but that'll make watching them fall that much more enjoyable. Unfortunately, we have to bear all the media's Patsy love until then. Personally, I avoid all the football mediot shows to keep from throwing up.
If they win it all with guys like Randy Moss and Belicheat, that'll be further proof (to add to robberies like the Snow Job) that the NFL is just not right....the undeserving are rewarded.
Wait a minute, isn't a Moss led Patsy team winning it all and a nuclear-armed Iran a sign of the Apocalypse?
blanda/x - hate to say it but he IS right on all counts......
L Johnson is a between the tackles runner, so, the run blitz we used against SD would actually work against KC.
Question is, will Ryan use it again?
He anonymous Patsy fan.
The point really is, we don't care what you think. Your opinions are irrelevant to us.
We discuss our team, the good, the bad and the ugly. And, Sunday was ugly.
Now, I think it was Psycho who said Rob Ryan won't blitz. Actually he will. He must have blitzed four or five times on first down.
I also was screaming at the TV for them to hurry up with the clock running down under six minutes and they were huddling up.
You want the defense to have time in case they don't get a three and out. It's a moot point if they can't stop them, but if they get a first down there needs to be time to stop them on the second set.
The back breaker really was the end of the first half. We score there, even if it is a field goal, and we get the ball to start the second half. Total loss of momentum.
H
H,
It was actually Raider00 talking about the blitz this time. Although I have ripped half my hair out in past weeks over the lack of blitzing.
This week I'm more concerned with the flat, confused play of our D, and some weird things on O.
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 ruturns 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
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