Five Postgame Takes
1. Our defense is almost unrecognizable, in a good way. For years, I've had to liken our defense to Cirque du Soleil (clowns flying around, hitting nothing). Now our guys are swarming and squaring up and hitting people. Check it out: 10 new starters on defense on Sunday compared to last year. Injuries have played a role, but make no mistake: this is the result of a housecleaning, in personnel, mindset and scheming. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but things are trending quite well on that side of the ball.
2. Jason Tarver's middle finger is way better than Rob Ryan's hair.
3. Via The MMQB, gotta love this tweet from Steelers safety Ryan Clark after Sunday's game: “You have to understand the beast that’s playing quarterback. Once a guy like that gets in front of the whole defense, he’s a legit 4.4. It’s real."
4. I think our offensive coordinator was in a bit of a Catch 22 in the second half. We played not to lose, and came too close to losing. On the other hand, Pryor and his teammates have shown a penchant for coughing up the ball lately. In this instance, going conservative ultimately sealed the deal, but it was uncomfortable to watch. And maybe it wasn't as conservative as it looked, maybe it was just lack of execution.
5. No doubt, Pryor is electric. He's still raw, but I'm encouraged by the reports of him being so committed to working hard and getting better. Right now, we're on pace for six or seven wins, and he's a huge part of that. He's not exactly working with an all-star cast, either. Let's see how this plays out, but it's looking like this team might be coming together. I haven't seen nor heard the Clown Car yet, have you?
2. Jason Tarver's middle finger is way better than Rob Ryan's hair.
3. Via The MMQB, gotta love this tweet from Steelers safety Ryan Clark after Sunday's game: “You have to understand the beast that’s playing quarterback. Once a guy like that gets in front of the whole defense, he’s a legit 4.4. It’s real."
4. I think our offensive coordinator was in a bit of a Catch 22 in the second half. We played not to lose, and came too close to losing. On the other hand, Pryor and his teammates have shown a penchant for coughing up the ball lately. In this instance, going conservative ultimately sealed the deal, but it was uncomfortable to watch. And maybe it wasn't as conservative as it looked, maybe it was just lack of execution.
5. No doubt, Pryor is electric. He's still raw, but I'm encouraged by the reports of him being so committed to working hard and getting better. Right now, we're on pace for six or seven wins, and he's a huge part of that. He's not exactly working with an all-star cast, either. Let's see how this plays out, but it's looking like this team might be coming together. I haven't seen nor heard the Clown Car yet, have you?
posted by Raider Take at 8:03 AM
21 Comments:
Looks like the clown car might stay in the garage for a while. The team is playing with emotion, they look together and are playing hard for each other. Focus is high and the intentions are good.
Coaching looks good, players are committed, management has their shit together...holy shit....when in doubt, I whip it right out, we got ourselves a fucking football team....it's a FREE FOR ALL BABY...(ted nugent reference).
JONES
Great points, RT! No way the Raider defenses of the past 10 years could be counted on to hold a 21-3 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter. We have a legitimate NFL defense for the first time in what seems like forever. And it feels good and right. The rebirth of the Raiders should be through a stout, suffocating defense first. Make no mistake, TP2 is also a big part of the resurgence. And I believe both are just going to get better in the coming months and years. Just my opinion.
"2. Jason Tarver's middle finger is way better than Rob Ryan's hair."--LMAO--great line!
As you and JONES note, put that clown car in deep storage.
Raiders’ D is playing well... which reflects well on mgt and coaching.
It's sad to think that AL played such a huge role in the Raiders defense until his death, but any notable success had to wait until after dismantling his defense.
IMO, much of the Raiders struggle on offense has been due to injuries along the O-line. Our season took a serious hit when Jared Veldheer went down, then another hit when Watson couldn't play. Give Barnes props. He's done well at LT (his natural position when he joined the Raiders).
This offseason will be crucial for the Raiders to focus on the O-Line.
Sure progress but they are still in the bottom 30% of the league
I am tempering my enthusiasm until I see a signature win against a quality team on the road or at least 2 or 3 wins in a row. Like when they beat KC at the end of 99 or when they beat Peyton in Indi at the start of 2000. That is when I knew it was for real
Raiders seem like they are improving but still 3-4 lets not forget. A couple of chip shots made by the Steelers kicker and they would have lost
To quote The Wolf from Pulp Fiction: Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet
"A couple of chip shots made by the Steelers kicker and they would have lost"
Sorry but I don't buy into this faulty assumption. A 60:00 game has many ebbs and flows whereby the score, field position, and other variables dictate adjustments in real time.
If the score was tighter (due to 2 made FGs) going into the 4th quarter, the Raiders logically wouldn't have played so conservatively. For every action there is a reaction.
In other words, a tighter score would have been a potential impetus for the Raiders offense to take off the conservative training wheels and aggressively go for another TD drive.
The execution (or lack of execution) of 120+ plays in a game determines the final score when the board hits 00:00. Scoreboard doesn't lie just like a team's record.
Play #57 (good, bad, or inconsequential) in some way can possibly shape plays 58-120 in a direct or indirect fashion.
Dude it's soooo much better to watch this defense. And our record of three and four has only happened three times since the Superbowl. Having been a Raiders fan for almost 25 years now, I was unaware that 3 people could tackle that we could make stops behind the line of scrimmage. Blitzing, that is so awesome. Our offense is pretty inept but the defense is soooo fun to watch.
Listen it's been 2 years since Al got a call from the man upstairs, and weather you supported Al, or it was all his fault the team is making strides in the right direction. Salary Cap space, no more aging veterans being paid more than what they are worth, drafting football guys and not track stars. And the icing on the cake for me IS Al's last draft pick.
I can't remember when I have this much hope after 8 weeks of football.
Angelic Raider.
Angelic-that's right on. What is so ironic about Al's last draft pick, TP2, is that in his entire career, Al had very poor luck with drafting quarterbacks. Unless I am forgetting someone, the only one I remember working out was a guy named Kenny Stabler, a second round pick. All his other successful QBs came through trades or FA signings. Pryor was also the quintessential Al draft pick: size, speed, strength, talent. But Pryor has something which few of Al's top picks over the last 10 years had: great passion for the game, innate deep desire to improve and be the best, dedication and commitment, and decency. Whether it all comes together for the young man, we will see. So far, it looks pretty good.
I'm happy for the win, my complaint in the last post was taken rather wrong. I want the OC to get a fire lit under him, and display the "killer instinct" we lack offensively that DA spoke about.
I know there is plenty of blame on both the coaches and players, but, dropped passes and deflected INTs are a part of the game. Coaching not to lose is deplorable.
Now, Jones, about the D-line comment I made, I did write it wrong. We should go after 1 or 2 of those guys I listed to bolster our QB pressure. As well as our D-line is against the run, it is still unproductive (for the most part) in pressuring the QB. This last game was the most sacks (5) that our defense has had in a long time. 3 of those came from our D-line (Houston, Walker, and Muir). Adding one of the 4 I mentioned, would help with that.
I keep coming back to this: No Clown Cars in seven games.
This is a roster that many "experts" looked at and thought was the worst in the NFL.
The Clown Car was regularly popping wheelies when we had such "stars" as Richard Seymour, Carson Palmer, DHB, Michael Huff, etc.
On a shoestring budget, this bunch is so far OUTPERFORMING the previous roster bloated with high-priced free agents and questionable draft picks.
There's still a long way to go, but I like where this is trending.
And yes, Al Davis gets major props for the Pryor pick. It's just like Mr. Davis to get the last laugh and poke a posthumous finger in the eye of the pundits.
If Pryor continues to improve, and we can get him some more playmakers on offense, we might be on our way.
Nate, That D-line is part of a top 10 Defense, sure, upgrades can be made, but I don't know why you would point at the D-line like it was a problem. The chemistry on D is outstanding, why mess with it with an overaged player who won't be around much longer? Trade away a Pick? WHY?
The O-line is biggest problem right now. It is one of the reasons why Allen shut it down on Sunday. The O-line was getting overwhelmed, the QB was totally rattled and the WR's were very Shaky, then throw in McFadden who dropped it on the ground 2 times....that's what it was, Nate.
If the coaches were playing not to lose, then they did a good job, because, they DIDN'T LOSE. Once again, under those circumstances, what else should have been done? Try and push for something that isn't there? Create another turnover deep in their own zone? IMO, Allen made the right call.
JONES
"we might be on our way."
Isn't it obvious that "we ARE on the way"? Come on, what they have done in a year and a half is amazing. This team has done a complete 180 in a year and a half and is only going to get better. We all should be jumping for fucking joy over this, but because of the agony endured over the past years, people still can't 'believe'.
If you know what you are seeing, it's happening and at an accelerated rate...but then again, some people just like to complain. It isn't a mirage, it's the real deal, we as Raider fans have a lot to look forward to after years of torture....if that don't bring a tear to your eye...then you really aren't a Raider.
JONES
I see M Huff was released today....LOL, told you so..lol
JONES
"if that don't bring a tear to your eye...then you really aren't a Raider." Who is this GUY!?!? So dramatic much?? Hahaha but yeah the team is brewing something to love and fist pump in the air towards a victory!
But complete 180 is a stretch with an offense (whether coached to "not to lose"?) generating no offense in the second half, gaining one first down and 35 yards of offense in the final 30 minutes. Mmmmmm yea that's not going to cut it for too long, unless are defense is the likes of 85 Bears or defenses of Baltimore Ravens as such. In order to have that, we do need at least one defensive lineman (from draft, trade, free agency) who brings fear and constant double teaming on him!!
"We've gotta learn to finish (off) people a little better, but you know what, we had a heck of a first half."
Mike Brisiel,
Raiders guard
We are in year 2 of a MAJOR overhaul. The exciting part is seeing a very bright future right around the corner. McKenzie has done herculean dirty work to put us in a very favorable position to take significant strides in year 3. Stability, PLENTY of cap space, draft picks, and a foundation of personnel to build from.
180 in the meaning of how the team does it's business. The 180 on the field is coming. This year is the setup year, next year the fruits will be there.
JONES
I'm sensing that the Clown Car may make it's first appearance after today.
Shameful to give up 7 TDs.
Raiders were grossly overmatched in every phase of the game. I hope this isn't a setback but have to wonder how it cannot be.
IMO, the Raiders should not attempt to re-sign Darren McFadden next year. Jennings is avg at best and looks 10x better than McFadden... whose entire career is a huge disappointment filled with injuries and underachievement.
Agree about McFadden. No use tying up valuable cap dollars on a guy who can't be relied upon to be available or productive on a weekly basis.
Hoping this game is more of a rude wake-up call to a defensive unit who has played above expectations most of the year.
Raiders were totally unprepared. Hope Allen/Tarver learned another lesson today.
This team...just when you think they have turned a corner...they lay another egg.
I hope it's because they underestimated their QB, because that was pathetic. For most of the year, this D has been impressive, maybe today, they were caught with their pants down....so it better be, lesson learned.
Still interesting to watch McGloin get some time...see how this O could do without the mad dashes/ Chinese Fire Drill Offense.
Still don't know if this regime is sold on Pryor. He's the best option at this point...but if he continues to regress...the O looked bad, the D looked bad and the Coaching wasn't there this week....can't have these letdowns, need it week in and week out...not too high and not too low....now get to work and win in NY.
JONES
great draft pick Reggie what a loser and great pick for a coach. When the camera would pan to Allen he looked pathetic
Postgame take is up. Let 'er rip.
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