One Postgame Take
And suddenly we start chasing our tails, allowing Nick Foles (Nick Foles!) to tie the NFL mark for passing touchdowns in a game.
Gotta hand it to Jerry Mac of the Tribune for summing it all up in one sentence: The futuristic offense of the Philadelphia Eagles conjured up disturbing images of the past for the Raiders Sunday at O.co Coliseum.
Cue the bearded lady. Call the sword swallowers. Launch the human cannonball. For the first time this year, the Clown Car is back. Damn you, Clown Car!
posted by Raider Take at 9:22 PM
40 Comments:
Yup, it was ugly, hope they learn from it...NY at 10:00 am = not an easy task.
The Offense needs some maturity to it, at times, it looks like play ground stuff. QB situation is really hurting now/ goes along with a disaster O-line, I guess. Pryor is still thinking run 1st...can't do that.
Defense can still win games for the Raiders, from the sounds of it, they were under estimating Philly...Can't do that, Mr. Allen. Learn from it and come out firing in NY, need a bounce back game to keep some of the momentum built so far.
JONES
Kelly is used to lopsided games in college, and that's what the Raiders looked like... a second tier college team getting its ass kicked by a ranked team.
It will be easy for coaches to say the Raiders didn't execute, but they were completely unprepared for the Eagles.
Dennis Allen sucks. This guy is not HC material. This team needs a veteran coach and Reggie goes for a project/rookie just like his 1st round pick, man that guy Hayden sucks.
Pryor its hard to blame or properly asses him when he is playing behind such a terrible offensive line
I guess letting them have last Tuesday and Wednesday off after a huge win, was a HUGE mistake.
Rack this up as a wake up call gents. The Raiders, all week, were a little too high on their play, and not really focused on the Eagles. All week, I read articles about the Raiders-Steelers; but nothing in the sense of what they were doing to prepare for the Eagles.
No, I take that back. PFT had an article where Tarver did say that he was accustomed to preparing for a Chip Kelley offense, and he shouldn't have a hard time preparing for Sunday.
Now DA needs to take a long look in the mirror with his team. This can unravel, or he can use this as a springboard to turn things back around and get the team back on track.
Then he needs to do the same thing every time they win. Look back in the mirror, and remind them of this game when we got a little too high on ourselves....JUST WIN, BABY!
SCAR
Hmmm, cant make too much of a detailed critique as I listened to the 1st half on the radio and just couldn't stomach watching anymore after the score went to 49-13.
How/Why in the world were the wide receivers for Philadelphia sooo wide open. The mental errors by the dbs, linebackers, heck even the linemen, were MASSIV. Just watching in the 3rd quarter, It was ugly.
Offensively... Don't we know by now that this offense is what it is?
Huge step back, as the Raiders got caught up in their own hype, and now the spotlight goes back onto each and every Coach, and player... As I used to hear in the army,,,"ladi dadi, everybody" is to blame...
Allen looked like a deer in the headlights. He just does not have the commanding presence you expect from a head coach
Man how much better would star lotulelei look in silver and black versus that total bum Hayden. Way to go Reggie
SCAR
Hey anno,,,how about you put your calltag behind your remarks?
Dennis Allen? This is Reggie's guy. I personally think he made a bunch of tactical in game mistakes last season, and am not seeing those same glaring mistakes this year. This is a guy who I feel is big on attention to detail, and maybe isn't so much rah rah, motivational...I don't know, I'm not on the ground,I'm only speculating.
So what if he is Reggie's guy does that somehow make him a good coach? He is a lightweight. Just look at him he could not inspire a dog to pooh. LOL. When I think nfl head coach I think a commanding presence like a Parcells, Gruden, Madden, Harbaugh. Let's stop on that one and compare Allen to soemone like Harbaugh across the bay. You can just feel the leadership and confidence come across when you see Harbaugh on the sideline.
I wish the Raiders had someone like that
Not a Ratto fan by any means, but maybe he is at least partly right in his piece here. Hope not, because he's saying the Giants have even more dominant players than the Eagles. I tend to think the coaching staff may have concentrated more on the Eagles of the past couple of games vs earlier in the season and that the Raider DL just didn't match up well against the Eagles' OL. Houston was invisible and the pass rush was non-existent all game.
"The QB must go down and he must go down hard" is the most elementary rule to winning in the NFL. Always will be.
Raiders played coverage (react) defense against the Eagles and paid for it. The Eagles were playing against a mobile QB in Pryor but they blitzed frequently.
In hindsight, the Raiders should have been far more aggressive at the line and applying QB pressure. They are weak against spread offenses and against hurry-up tempo. The Eagles did both and the result was a blowout.
I don't want to say the sky is falling. I really don't.
If the Raiders rebound, on the road, against the Giants, I think we can move on from the Philly game.
But something in the back of my mind is haunting me. Something from the last 12 years or so.
I keep thinking, what if this season starts to unravel, what then ?
Is it blow up time again ?
New HC. New QB. New GM ??
I hope it doesn't come to this. Because it really would suck to have to start over....again.
The one thing that the Raiders young coaching staff has to learn, and learn quickly; is the aggressive team wins.
This is the biggest difference between Gruden's mindset and DA's mindset in their early careers. DA has been aggressive in some games this year, and when he taps the brakes and eases off the gas, they get destroyed by the Uggles.
Stay aggressive, and JUST WIN, BABY!
Yes, it looked like the Clown Car was back in action this last game. But, that is our own dark, paranoid past history of the Raiders the last 10 years, raising its head. This is a new team, new coaches, basically a new organization. So, let's give this young team a break. This is their worst game of the season so far. I think they are still learning how to win games, how to mentally and physically prepare for upcoming opponents. This was a game about execution...Philly's players executed and ours didn't. I am sure there are lessons in this for the coaches as well. And no doubt, we still need to improve the quality (in a few areas) and the depth of the roster..
This is not about the coaches or Reggie. People who are criticizing Dennis Allen because of his sideline demeanor and who think that a great coach is one who rants and raves on the sidelines are just so ignorant, it's laughable. If that were true, every team would have coaches on steroids, going crazy all game long, helling and hitting their players. Tom Flores won two Super Bowls, one more than either Madden or Gruden and was a quiet stoic sideline presence. Think of Bud Grant or Tom Landry, two very successful coaches who were quiet sideline presences. Dennis Allen knows what it takes to win, has done a great job in bringing this team along and will be a great coach, whether here or for another AFC West team. In true Raider tradition, if we fire Allen, you can bet he'll end up head coach for the Chargers or Broncos, a la Shanahan, tormenting the Raiders for decades. I want a coach who is cool, collected, thinking three to five plays or more ahead, on top of what is happening---not someone caught up in the emotion of the moment.
Anyway, a big disappointment to see the defense regress this week. Sometimes a game like this can really serve to motivate the players and impart to them the valuable lesson of not taking any game for granted. I hope that is the case here. We will see.
I find myself increasingly concerned about DJ Hayden, which in turn makes me increasingly concerned about Reggie's ability to evaluate talent.
I've tried to talk myself into the whole "he's getting better every game" mantra, simply because his name hadn't been called much over the last few games, but against the Eagles he was absolutely shredded. The scariest play was the fade to Riley Cooper, where Hayden seemed to read the play right away, turn his head around nice and early, and STILL seem completely lost when it came to trying to make a play on the ball.
I completely understand that life is rough for a rookie corner, but the fact is that through 7 games we've seen DJ make exactly 1 impact play. (on a play he was badly beaten on initially had Rivers thrown the pass on time)
I haven't given up on DJ Hayden, but this is a pick that HAS TO PAN OUT if you're Reggie Mckenzie. I wish I felt better about the odds of that happening right now.
Hayden had a bad game, so did Ross, so did Woodson, so did Jenkins, Porter was avg. Woodson and Ross hung him out to dry a couple of times.
He's a Rookie who missed all of Preseason, before that he missed games at H.U. because of the freak injury. Give the Kid some time, CB is a hard position to come in and just dominate. When he feels comfortable, he will show his worth. Right now, he ain't there yet.
As far as the Raider preparation for last game...IMO, the coaching completely misread what kind of team they were going to be facing. It looked as though they had game planned for a completely different team than the eagles. The players seemed lost and the coaches did too. IMO, that is on the coaches, for whatever the reason was for the team being so unready to play that team....Coaches need to show this week that they learned their lesson.
JONES
Hayden sucks and its not about needing time. The Raiders are so lacking in talent Reggie should not have taken a risk with their 1st rounder. Why not take someone safe like Mingo or Star. Bottom line they needed someone to contribute this year and Hayden has sucked ass
At this point, it would be hard to argue against hindsight of drafting Star Lotulelei. Hayden was a bit of a risk and they needed beef along the lines on both sides of the ball... still do.
Nevertheless, it's far too early to say Hayden is a bust. Plus, McKenzie's trading down yielded Watson in the second. It won't be until next year before we can begin to fairly judge these picks.
CB's rarely start off as shut down corners. Hayden was taken with beyond this year in mind. This years draft wasn't used to win today, it's to compliment what's coming tomorrow. This team isn't ready this year to contend, they will be next year...and if they don't, then Allen needs to look over his shoulder...right now is about building for tomorrow and if the wins come, it's a bonus.
JONES
Jones, Woodson or Nnamdi didn't start out as a shut down corner. They developed into that position (now Nnamdi has regressed in new systems).
IMO, the CB position is the hardest position to adjust to from the college ranks to the pros, except for QB. Once Hayden feels comfortable, he will be fine. He missed all of preseason, he's behind the learning curve, just needs some time.
Too early to judge this years draft, just like it is with almost every 1st year players.
BUT, you get the trash that falls out of the clown car spouting off like it's a done deal that ALL THE PICKS are a flop. Then he will tell you that D.A is just a 1 feather.
Last week was not on Hayden, every other DB played just as bad, but someone likes to pick out the Rookie, just because.
JONES
Come on guys lets be honest if oyu could trade Hayden straight up for any other guy in the draft there are probably at least 20 guys that you would do it for in a heartbeat. Alonso, Star, Mingo, Richardson, Bernard, Long, Olgoltree, Eric Ried, Mathieu,
Hey could have been worse at least Reggie did not draft Manti Teo or Bergstrom oh wait he did draft Bergstrom. LOL
Hayden has the physical tools and mental fortitude to improve over the course of this season by learning from his mistakes.
He needs to keep grinding, learning, and trusting his instincts which should lead to a more aggressive confident player/playmaker.
1 clown car in 8 games is incremental progress from the previous few years.
The game on the road vs. NYG is an excellent barometer for the resiliency and will of this team.
Vic Tafur of SF Chronichle had an interesting stat
Only players from 2012 draft class to receive any snaps this year and remain on Raiders roster are DE Jack Crawford (92) and WR Juron Criner (64)
There isn’t a single member of the Raiders 2012 draft class with more than 100 snaps
Between that and Hayden glad the raiders are building thru the draft
Ouch Reggie Ouch
Anon -
Your drive-by schtick is getting rather tiresome and quite frankly, you are rather ignorant.
Do you understand that the 2012 draft was relatively dry because ... wait for it ... we had no picks until the end of the 3rd round.
Were you honestly expecting guys picked in the 4th-7th round to be impact players? Seriously? Please. Do you honestly want to blame Reggie for the lack of draft picks BEFORE he was even hired?
BTW, in spite of no early round picks in 2012, Reggie was able to identify and sign Rod Streeter as undrafted FA. Does this count for personnel evaluation?
Are you already closing shop on guys drafted in 2013 like Hayden, Watson, and Moore after a mere 8 games into their rookie season?
I seriously question whether you've got an axe to grind, an agenda, or if you are a drive-by troll based on all of your anonymous posts Any person not willing to put his name or handle to a post and continue to do anon posts is in my mind a spineless weasel who isn't a real Raider fan. Why hide behind the anon shield unless (a) you aren't a fan or (b) you are a coward.
Let's not forget, behind the scenes the Raiders are evaluating free agents between every game, and have signed several FAs this year to counter injuries and displace underachievers. They've been very proactive in this regard, and far more so than the past regime. Hell, we used to hold on to scrub players so other teams couldn't have them, ala LaMont “tiptoes” Jordan. How ridiculous is that?
It's not gonna happen over night, particularly with the resources at hand! The occasional finger pointing aside, I think folks have to temper their criticisms this year and allow the front office, coaching and team to mature.
Calico, Just passing on what a highly respected reporter pointed out.
Who the hell cares what my name is? I suppose your name is really Calico Jack. I guess I struck a nerve you sensitive pirate or you would not be calling me a coward.
I have no ax to grind, I am fan for decades and I love the Raiders dearly but I think Reggie has done a less than stellar job and I don't think Denis Allen is HC material. That makes me a troll?
Don't insult someone for stating facts and coupling it with an opinion. Is that not what blogs are for. Or if we are not ready to lick Reggie's butt we are not allowed to comment here?
Listen "Flamboyant" Pirate the Raiders just got destroyed (7 tds) at home by a less than .500 team with a middling QB. I am sorry if my reaction to that is to lash out at the coach and GM I guess I don't see this wonderful progress you do
Have an awesome day, you can call me Barnacle Bill. LOL
Calico--spot on!
LOL, Anon got what it wanted....anon isn't here to discuss, anon is here to provoke. It's the same message that was coming from OTB/Balanda. By not putting a name, it is provoking and it knows it.
By sending the same message after every loss, it's fairly obvious who Mr Troll is. It calls D.A 1 feather and will only defend Mr. Davis players while bashing the new regime. It seems to feed off of negative energy...DO NOT FEED THE TROLL.
JONES
The best guys on the team are Al Davis guys: Veldheer, Houston,Pryor, McFadden, Denarious Moore, Branch, Wiz, Reece
Woodson is still good but not a long term piece. Of the new players its hard to say if any of them are definitively long term pieces.
Hopefully some will emerge over the course of the rest of the season. But right now I only see two with the potential to turn into high end starters: Watson and Sio and they are far from proven, especially Watson. I am not convinced Streeter is an NFL caliber starter.
There are some solid pieces like Roach, Barnett, Sims and Jenkins. But they are not guranteed to be here in a couple of years and they certainly are not high impact difference makers.
I am concerned that in two years there is not more new talent. I hope they sign a star or two in free agency. Sports is about stars. Yes the NFL is the most "team" sport but you need play makers and the Raiders are still very lacking in this department
It's a reach (and, yes, provoding) to be so critical of McKenzie and Allen after such a short time of service and with the limited resources they've had access to. These guys have had to operate under unimagable circumstances, after the Raiders had already fallen off the NFL map.
It's amazing to me how folks kept mostly quiet for the previous 10 years of the old regime but are fed up with the new regime after less than two years during which many fans see progress... perhaps not in a single game but globally throughout the team and organization.
The infamous Ritchie Incognito contacting Raider OC Greg Olson for a possible hook-up for a job? Ummmm, let's see... patchwork offensive line; can't protect the QB, can't block for the running game... H.E. DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS YEAH! SIGN HERE ON THE DOTTED LINE FOR THE VETERAN'S MINIMUM SALARY YOUNG MAN!!!! http://www.insidebayarea.com/raiders/ci_24478033/richie-incognito-contact-raiders-offensive-coordinator-greg-olson
NYC we can usually count on you to give a balanced opinion, but I have to take umbrage with you when you say the team had fallen off the map.
The Raiders were 8-8 and one win away from the playoffs the year before Reggie got there. So either they were not in terrible shape had some half decent talent or Hue was one fantastic coach. Think about the circumstances that was done under. With Al dying, switching QBs no defense etc. I would say 8-8 was a great accomplishment.
The Raiders would probably have one win now if not for Pryor, a guy Reggie was ready to cast off for Matt Flynn.
If Al Davis got the benefit of the doubt it was because he won 3 bowls and went to two more and he deserved the Nations love and admiration.
Sorry for not wanting to give Reggie and Denis Allen a free pass. I am skeptical until I see something.
Most comments on this blog was heralding Allen as the second coming of Bill Walsh and Reggie as a genius, then Philly rolled into town and embarrassed us.
Sorry there have been more head scratchers and singles than home runs by the new regime. I will shower praise for results, not 7-17 and getting crushed and humiliated by a crappy Philly team.
"The best guys on the team are Al Davis guys: Veldheer, Houston,Pryor, McFadden, Denarious Moore, Branch, Wiz, Reece"...
That is all that is LEFT and that ain't sayin much with all those top, 1st RD picks they had....and a dead money hit of approx. 40 mill, some late round picks, last year...and you want the whole roster turned over and made into a SB contender? And you talk about reasoning? LOL. McFadden is a joke, sorry...Vel, Reece and Houston are keepers...rest are very avg.
Where are those players that would have taken those 8-8 Raiders to the SB? Oh yeah, they are now in the NFL has-been list.
Stop with the Hue was god BS, it is such a lame argument and has been debunked many times...it's time to let go of those 'glory years' lol, A new Sherriff is in town, let him have a chance to work it out, in a reasonable...amount of time.
JONES
Question for Barnacle Bullshit Bill:
How does McKenzie acquire "star" talent when there was no money in the bank to spend? Instead, McKenzie had to take out the weed-whacker" JUST to get into cap compliance.
This is what I've been saying for the past 12 months and it hasn't changed one bit -- if anything it is more true today;
Give DA & McKenzie 3 years to prove their chops. This is a reasonable time-line for a duo who inherited the worst possible situation (no early round picks in 2012, the most dead money on the books in the NFL, complete cap hell, little talent on roster).
My bottom line: McKenzie has done the necessary dirty work to put the Raiders in a position to be successful next season.
As far as this comment, "The Raiders would probably have one win now if not for Pryor, a guy Reggie was ready to cast off for Matt Flynn."
what a load of crap with Palmer pulling the plug and Pryor have 1 total NFL game under his belt.
DA & McKenzie are talking the talk and walking the walk when it comes to competition and earning your spot on the roster and the starting line-up.
And yes, the Raiders had fallen off the map the previous 10 years. Zero winning seasons + zero playoff appearances = bottom feeding irrelevance.
It is funny how some fans could be so patient for 10 years and here were are in year 2 of a complete rebuild and all of the sudden we are SB contenders fast enough. Hypocritical mental masturbation anyone?
B. Bill -
8-8 and set for self-destruct. Not a lot of hope for a team without true presence of upper management, no identifiable chain of command and an otherwise fragmented organization headed for salary cap hell and strapped with the worst venue in professional sports.
Who was going to play QB on your 8-8 dream team? Palmer was under contract yet couldn't get out of town fast enough... opting to go to another bad team.
I don't think I'm reaching to suggest the Raiders were not at the cusp of greatness before McKenzie took over.
The Raiders stadium has been an issue since well before the last 3-year lease was signed, yet nothing has been done. Like any other business, you need to have the right mousetrap to make the machine work.
98-100 GMs would have been over their head taking over the Raiders at their lowest point in franchise history. Davis once did it. Now McKenzie has a shot.
And there's no free pass. Results are expected.... If after a reasonable period this isn't working, McKenzie should be replaced... just as Al Davis should have hired his replacement years before he passed.
Okay guys sounds good so how many wins this year and how many next year do the Raiders need to keep Reggie/DA around?
I say anything less than 6 wins this year DA must go and anything less than 8/9 next year they both should go?
Straight answers please none of this as long as they are competitive which counts for crap in the NFL.
Have a great weekend
The formula to replace Allen or McKenzie shouldn't be based on wins in 2013. This is a ground up rebuild. That said, I agree .500 should be a minimum requirement in 2014, or jobs are at risk.
This is the process should have been undertaken at some point during the previous 10 years.
I'd say a minimum of eight wins in 2014, and a good eight, not a crappy eight like the flameout eight under Hue Jackson. Or a good seven, maybe.
Six wins in 2014? Off with their heads. At some point, you need to just win, baby.
Guess it's just in the eye of the beholder...some see what this regime has done as GOOD, yes there have been a few bumps, but when has there never been? Others see it as unstable and making blunder after blunder. This crowd seems to forget that to turnover a roster 2 times in 2 years with a cap handicap....WTF do you want? You want magical fairy dust? If you can find some, then take it to Alameda toot sweet.
Allen is learning as he goes, IMO, he is hitting learning points and is passing for the most part.
For the most part, this team has played it's ass off for this HC. And for the most part, he and Tarver have done a very good job with the Defense.
Offense has a QB who is learning as he goes and is still an unknown commodity. The O-line has been in shambles all year so far...Reggie is doing a good job too...you either like what you see, or you don't...but don't want another revolving door of HC's because the rest of the League will see it and Oakland will be avoided by anyone who is worth a lick.
Just see how they respond this week, last week was a throw away, let's see if they have learned. If they have, another very good sign, if they slump down the stretch...then that won't be good. THAT's WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME....
JONES
Check out the latest episode of Hey Vato: Bless us Al Davis http://youtu.be/kt1fnKINUwI
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