One Postgame Take
For me, the pleasant surprise of the first preseason game was Terrelle Pryor, who looked positively in command and electric during his first drive. That is, until he threw a lousy interception in the endzone.
I also thought that Matt Flynn looked pretty solid, too. On that note, I think we have some healthy competition brewing.
I think that Flynn is the safe bet right now, but Pryor is the wild card. I figured that Flynn would seize the starting role early, but that was because I didn't expect Pryor to look as poised and comfortable in running the offense like he did on Friday night.
I still have no sense of where this season is headed, but whatever direction it takes will largely depend on our fortunes at quarterback. And after Friday night, I think our fortunes took a turn for the better.
One thing is for sure, it will be different. The house is being truly cleaned. The Spackle and Pine Sol are out in force. And there's a wisp of minty fresh in the air...
I also thought that Matt Flynn looked pretty solid, too. On that note, I think we have some healthy competition brewing.
I think that Flynn is the safe bet right now, but Pryor is the wild card. I figured that Flynn would seize the starting role early, but that was because I didn't expect Pryor to look as poised and comfortable in running the offense like he did on Friday night.
I still have no sense of where this season is headed, but whatever direction it takes will largely depend on our fortunes at quarterback. And after Friday night, I think our fortunes took a turn for the better.
One thing is for sure, it will be different. The house is being truly cleaned. The Spackle and Pine Sol are out in force. And there's a wisp of minty fresh in the air...
posted by Raider Take at 6:27 PM
39 Comments:
Both leading candidates for starting QB are inexperienced but both have shown ability to run the offense presented to them.
If these guys are approximately nose to nose in this horse race, I'd ask the question which QB has the most upside potential when deciding which QB will start the season?
For now, I'd like to see Pryor start with the first team next game.
I thought Pryor moved the ball better. Yes, Flynn did his job, and I don't want to take away from that.
Sio Moore looked like a beast! I'm excited about this guy. I hope he is the LB we've been missing since Biekert.
I'm still looking forward to seeing Hayden play, and like I said in the last post, what kind of pressure we can get on the QB with our starting DT's and a healthy line.
There were times I was screaming at the TV for the Raiders to get pressure on Romo. The drive where they went up 10-3 (in particular) was one where Romo felt no pressure at all. At one point, there was a 4 man rush, and he had about 11 seconds before he threw the ball. Deplorable! Even for 2nd stringers! The biggest concern after the 1st preseason game is that. QB pressure.
Nate,
Word to the wise. Don't be screaming about anything when watching pre-season games.
Look, this team is being rebuilt from the ground up. That's 53 roster spots to be upgraded. It can't be done in one year. Last year was basically in neutral, since Reggie and DA did not who to keep, re-sign and who to cut or let go--also severe lack of draft choices and cap space.
This year progress has been made, but has been limited again by salary cap issues and not enough draft picks to fill out a 53 man roster. If the only glaring weak spot is the defensive line, then that would be huge progress from last year's edition. You just can't fix all the problems this team had in 1 or 2 seasons. It's a 3 year deal. Accept that fact and you'll be much less agitated about the state of the current team.
If the defensive line can consistently stop the run for once, THAT would make me very happy, even if they can't bring down the quarterback twice or more a week. Plus, you can bet that we are seeing a very vanilla defense in the preseason--the tricks, disguises, stunts and/or blitzes that Jason Tarver has been scheming up over the off season have not been put on display yet. He will have to be creative to compensate for the lack of a consistent pass rush.
To me, the biggest improvement lies in the coaching staff. Having a full offseason to work with, DA has added the pieces to his staff that make this, IMO, a very formidable coaching staff. They just need a few more chess pieces with which to play. This season, I'm just going to sit back, relax and enjoy the journey to becoming (somewhat) relevant again. And I am excited about THAT.
Anon, I'm warming up for the real screaming of the regular season. My screams were meaningless in nature, just like the games are.
Sactown, I agree with you that the coaching has improved. The firing of Take-a-Knapp as OC was a good decision; the best being Knapp never being hired. I do, however, believe our D-Line and LB corp will be night and day difference; we just need our D-Line to get healthy. The disguises, stunts/blitzes, and other defensive schemes are implemented based on one condition; pressure. In order for them to work, we have to get strong pressure from the D-Line; something we haven't seen in a long long time.
IMO, Knapp was hired out of "no other candidates were available at the time". Obviously, he was not looked at as an asset as he was let go immediately after the season. Chalk that one up to the clusterf*ck that was, IMO.
Now, in just the 1st preseason game, we see more formations, cleaner execution, better understanding of assignments, better play calling etc. This Offense is way ahead of last years and will be more diverse...can't get mad at Knapp, he is what he is and he filled the hole until a better replacement could be found.
The coaching is better all around and the Roster is taking shape. SACTOWN, Reggie is going to have huge cap space to play with next year, and a full compliment of Draft picks, with his eye for talent that isn't going to break the Bank....this is going to be good....stay tuned.
JONES
Take,
You rolled out the "minty fresh" theme when Kiffen was hired, and we all know how that turned out. Now every time I read "minty fresh" I cringe.
Time to turn the page on minty fresh. No more masking foul odors. How about clean air?
Veldheer on IR. not so minty.
Clowney! Clowney!! Clowney!!!
Losing Veldheer is as bad as it gets for the Raiders. Go up and down the roster and it's clear no single player is more important to the team, IMO.
Rivers and Manning the clock is ticking! Clowney is coming!!
Has Reggie acquired via draft or free agency one true impact player yet? I dont see it. We have 4 above average guys on offense (Reece, McFaden, Veldheer, Wiz) and two on D (Branch, Houston). That is sad. Don't want to shit on Reg just yet he probably needs three years to make a mark but lets face it two years and counting and not one impact acquisition---not good.
Thanks Raider Take
Steve
Losing Veldheer is a big blow, but someone will fill that spot until he can come back. They are going to have to double team that DE more often now, it can be managed.
It's a blow, but it isn't the end of the world. If it was going to happen, it's a good thing that it happened early in Preseason so a replacement can be worked into the line without having to do it in a Regular season game. Just because he got hurt, doesn't mean all the other good things are now back to sq 1. It's a blip, a good sized blip...have to wait and see how it plays out.
JONES
Just read that it could be just partially torn and not a full blown one like Ray Lewis had. Which means he might not be out as long as first suspected. That would be good news.
JONES
Could the loss of Velhdeer increase the chances for Pryor to start? Pryor has to be hands down the best QB on the roster at avoiding pressure.
The only thing I dislike about naming Clowney the "best defensive prospect in 10 years," is he has never played a game in the NFL. That is going to put a HUGE target on his chest with O-Lineman; assuming he comes out next year. Plus, he hasn't even played this year yet, and could get hurt; then where does that put him?
Can you imagine this guy coming into the league labelled "the best"? I can hear the O-Line now, "So you're the best, huh? I just planted your @$$, who's the best now?"
Not saying this guy is going to flop, but let's face it, college is a different level than pro. Guys are bigger, faster, and more athletic. I wouldn't want that title.
This is why they are the best at what they do, Nate. They don't fear that another guy wants to go at them, they accept it as a challenge and rise up to the challenge. Any kid coming out of College and drafted high is going to be tested, not just Clowney. It's the nature of the beast and if you can't stand up to that nature...then you don't play. It's the same at any level, just like coming out of High School and going to a U, they keep passing the test and that's why they are the best.
JONES
Raiders desperately need Alex Barron to step up BIG time in Veldheer's absence.
Barron was a highly rated 1st round pick with all the tools.
He is getting a golden opportunity to recalibrate his career.
Pretty ugly start. Flynn doesn't appear to have very good vision if he can miss seeing a wide open receiver like that. McFadden is not a good short yardage back. He proved that again!
Maybe McFaden wants Pryor to be QB, cause he is going to get Flynn killed. It was McFaden that blew the blocking assignment vs Dallas that almost killed him. Tonight, he blew at least 3 blocking assignments...and the 1st string O-line is looking sad, Veldheer is hurting the team tonight, but, it's the 2nd game of preseason....injuries are hurting the D too, hopefully it will be getting them out of the way now...if not, here we go again. Oh yeah, looks like Ausberry blew a shoulder when he has been looking good....tough right now. Just got to play rope a dope for a while...
JONES
Let’s hope the Raiders aren't as bad as they looked against the Saints.
Both lines were pitiful, Only the prospect of Sims, Walker and Houston all getting healthy and playing at a high level lends any notion that the D-line might be ok. Otherwise, we probably haven’t seen the last of QBs getting unlimited time to survey the field and throw a pass.
I think the Raiders didn't blitz too often and played a very basic Defense, it seemed. But getting those 3 DL starters back could help, that is for sure. Ryan on the other hand, seemed hellbent on embarrassing the Raiders with all the blitzing and knowing the Raiders O-line was in shambles.
McFaden is way over-rated, he is floating and it came close to getting the QB killed. Can't stand his running either. I saw 2 times where he could have cut back or out to get some open field, instead, he just ran into the pile and fell down. Just like last year when he blamed the ZBS, he's doing the same thing. If there isn't a hole right in his face, he can't find one, so he runs into the backs of the O-line.
I saw some of that 'old culture' showing it's ugly head last night. Stupid penalties, lack of focus, very poor start etc. Compared to the 1st game where they looked sharp and ready. Next week, they need to look like a hungry team and put on a good performance. Hopefully some players will be back to get some playing time in before the 1st game.
Looks like things are lining up for Hayden to start on opening day, Porter looked done (injury) and he was getting burned all night. Brees looked like he wanted to really go after him and made him look bad, something he knows?
Good thing it was only preseason, but the team needs to look better than that.
JONES
the best competition on the Raiders is punter makes me feel very sad
great blog Franklin
I think the Raiders have done pretty well to fill their roster. No way one season is enough to overcome the previous roster and cap issues. The lines are both a mess, presumably mostly due to injuries... three significant names on each side.
Veldheer
Watson (2nd rd pick!)
Brisiel
Sims
Walker
Huston
Alex Barron looks horrible as Veldheer's replacement. I would expect the Raiders to quickly find another LT to come in and compete for that spot.
Jammal Brown, Jared Gaither, Winston Justice and Sean Locklear are veteran options that have been recently linked to the Raiders.
I'd like to see Justice, not sure about Gaither after his stint with the Chargers. Haven't heard much of Locklear, but wouldn't mind giving him a tryout. We'll see.
Excited to see DJ Hayden vs. da Bears.
SCAR
Just now watched the preseason game vs. Saints.
Flynn is a can of tomatoes. Dump off passes on third and long??
ONE, I say again, ONE attempt of a pass more than 5 yards after 5 drives. That crap is not going to get wins let alone first downs.
Whose job is it to check off rushers? The QB? the Center?
The O-line sucked, but did we EVER see Flynn make a play?? Even once? Its football, sh*t breaks down, but you still have to make the play. Flynn had the dear in the headlights look,,,in the pre-season.
Longest completion of the night for Flynn was on a busted out of rhythm defense offside play
Am I the only one here that thinks that Pryor needs to see more 1st team reps, and not be button holed into the pistol package?
I Really, I mean really hope Pryor can win the starting job because if Flynn Really is the best qb for the raiders, its going to be a looooong season.
SCAR
With the current state of the O-line, it may come to pass that all four quarterbacks get to start, as each goes down to injury. I hope that's a wild and unfulfilled statement on my part, but it looked brutal for the QBs in New Orleans.
Now there is talk that Menelik, when healthy, will get a shot at left tackle. That almost sounds like a desperation move, if true...oh yeah, that's right, we ARE desperate.
Actually, I am not going to get all in a tizzy over this stuff because this is basically an expansion team, talent-wise. Patience and the long view is the way to go. It's definitely right to try and win games now, but Reggie and DA must stick with their master plan no matter what. Switching plans in the middle of a rebuild will only lead to the same results Al Davis got doing that the last 10 years, God bless him.
SCAR
SactownRaider said...
"Reggie and DA must stick with their master plan no matter what. Switching plans in the middle of a rebuild will only lead to the same results Al Davis got doing that the last 10 years, God bless him"
Umm, I hope the master plan includes playing the best players.
Ok, so it is only pre-season, but I'm starting to really get worried that this offense is going to be dog poop. Just one game, but I thought I was having flashbacks to Josh McCown and Andrew Walker.
I guess I will just tell myself its only preseason and that Seattle didn't know what it was doing when they benched Flynn for a rookie.
I Really do hope I'm wrong...
SCAR
While perhaps not part of any master plan, we've already been through one iteration of the offense. At this point, the team is steeped in trial and error. I think we have to brace ourselves for other failures before things turn around.
One thing for sure, do not draft any Raiders in your FF team this year; McFadden included. I'll give McFadden 4 games until he goes out with an injury and is done for the season, if the O-Line holds like this.
We need to be looking at Tackles who will be released in the coming weeks. Also, CB Chris Johnson of the Ravens was cut, we could bolster our CB spot by adding him. Good news, it's still preseason, not the end of the world. Let's hope the O-Line gets their shizz together.
Don't know about you, but ever since Brees went to New Orleans, when the Raiders play them, they seem intimidated.
Raiders signed Tony Hills from Pittsburgh, released Carmona.
OT: But I thought this was sort of funny, especially considering the minty fresh gripe from above.
Where I work we get a free copy of ESPN Magazine, why I have NO idea... I work at an architectural firm, any-way there's a section called College Football Confidential in the latest issue and one of the questions was "Last Coach You'd Ever Want To Play For"
11% Lane Kiffin
14% Todd Graham
75% Other
Ha!
I would have thought the Kiff would be okay to play for at the college level. But then again I never understood the whole Kiffin bashing. He was a bit of a douche, but there are a whole lot of those amongst the pro and college ranks. I personally despise WATB Mack Brown...
I watched about 5 minutes of the Saints game and felt the Raiders looked awful... and I mean awful. But hopefully it's because it was preseason, the Saints are really good, the Raiders not so much and like it was you know preseason.
More OT: Ray Guy (and Claude Humphrey) are the Seniors Committee Hall of Fame candidates.
I didn't know Guy had been nominated 7 times before. Hopefully he gets in this time.
If there ever was a punter worthy of the HoF it's Ray Guy.
Reggie has drafted 16 players so far. Based on the current depth chart when the season begins only one will be starting---lb Moore.
Reggie sucks I say get rid of him and DA pronto
Anon:
Last year was Reggie's first draft and as we all know, he didn't have any early round picks.
You are already writing off this years picks without training camp being completed. Seems a bit premature.
To suggest that Sio Moore is the only pick that will start and/or make a significant contribution this year or in subsequent years is ignorant.
What about DJ Hayden? Menelik Watson? Already giving up on them?
What about 7th round pick WR Brice Butler who has shined in camp and in the exhibition games?
Other draftees from last year who can make a contribution as starters or provide important depth:
Tony Bergstrom
Miles Burris
Jack Crawford
Juron Criner
Christo Bilukidi
Pirate Dude-Calico
I said one of 16 draft picks is starting today its a fact. Just saw that Raiders have one guy in the ESPN top 100. Sorry man just the facts,
I love the Raiders deep down in my bones but the point of the matter is Reggie has had two off seasons and he has not added talent or improved the roster. One writer called them a Triple A team. Outside of us fans blogs they are the laughing stock of the league.
Straight up man at what point are you willing to hold him even a little bit accountable---how about a 5 year pass does that work for you?
My interpretation is he sucks. All good bro glad you can keep it positive I am just keeping it real. At least with Al they might have sucked but they had sole now they suck and are just another franchise. Sad Times
Anon Dude:
Keeping it real also includes context. When Reggie joined us our salary cap was severely bloated and we had no early round picks.
This offseason, Reggie continued to get out the weed whacker and bladed numerous players to get our financial house in order.
Not a easy pill for us fans to swallow but Reggie is doing/has done the necessary dirty work that was required MANY years ago.
All I'm suggesting is with zero cap room and limited picks, it was going to be some rough sledding in the early stages of the new era.
I believe a realistic time table to see if Reggie is the right guy is at least 3 years.
Next season will be Reggie's first season with both a full complement of draft picks AND money to spend in the free agency market.
Just curious but how did you expect Reggie to add significant talent the past 18 months? And why are you quitting on this year's picks before a single snap?
The team sucked for 9 years before Reggie got here. Considering the mess he inherited, I'm more than willing to give him adequate time to rebuild the org. from the ground up.
This debate continues with a new take, now up...
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