Saints Gamenight Thread
Last week, I said prove it--and they did. In a game the Raiders seem to always lose, the one where they have to make a last stand on defense, they actually made a last stand.
Now we have the official start of the Vegas era, against an opponent that provides a much truer test of what the Raiders are this year.
Will they pass the test? We shall see. GO RAIDERS!
P.S. Friends, thanks for your comments and takes, I'm enjoying them, it's keeping this place going!
posted by Raider Take at 5:35 PM
10 Comments:
Carr had a shot to run twice, and was sacked. Have to play better football, not the start I was expecting. No pressure by d, not a lot of calls against Saints for holding. Garbage
Ummm...Wow. Prove it, indeed. That was one of the best Raiders wins in a long time. Could we be on our way?
I'm almost speechless. Derek Carr is taking charge of this team. Saints mostly choked off the Raiders run game, but Carr found his TEs with regularity.
Carr lacked some downfield vision but game-managed the Raiders to victory. Aside from Richard's fumble, the Raiders were solid at securing the ball on pass and run plays.
Maybe the most impressive thing about the game was, after the Raiders came out flat on offense and defense, they made adjustments and fought to keep themselves in the game. They controlled the clock, including during critical periods before and after the half.
That's definitely one for the Vegas record books!
On a side note, I'm getting sick of the fake crowd noise.
Wow, indeed! What a different game from when I first posted! After the slow start, the Raiders started rolling on all cylinders, defense/offense/special teams. Carr stepped up and punched the Saints D in the mouth and gave them a taste of their own medicine. Dare I say, Carr looked better this game than any game in 2016! The fire and intensity I saw in his eyes last night, I never saw in 2016. It was a different fire and intensity in him. TV showed him talking with Jenkins after a play, and you could tell it was friendly and not rude; but usually Carr would laugh and smile, but there was no smile, just focus! This is a different QB! I have always stood behind Carr, and he is my QB; but he played 95% perfect last night, with exception of a few plays!
The defense certainly got in the act as well, once Carr started rolling. The pressure they put on Brees after scoring 17 was AMAZING! Even though they didn't get a sack, they made Brees throw the ball early, miss targets, and even throw a pick at a crucial point in the game. How the Raiders played after the Saints scored 17, was the best football they have played in a LONG TIME! I hope this is the energy they continue to play with too. Carr proved he was the leader of this team last night!
My only beef with the Raiders, was Guenther playing Prevent-us-from-winning defense that gave the Saints 24, and put them back in a position of hope. Why is that formation still in our playbook is beyond me, but Gruden needs to rip it up and shove it up Guenther's @$$! We should have held them to 17, and played hard the entire game. It should have never come to that 54 yard FG attempt to ice the win, but Carlson saved Guenther's butt again. But in the end, a "W" is a "W".
"Who's dat gonna beat dem Saints?" DA RAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIDEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSS!
Hey Nate,
In the context of one game, that was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Things really went the Raiders way after the first quarter. The timing of Morrow's pick, end of the 2nd quarter and getting the ball first in the second half ended up being a critical order of events.
I agree Carr looked really good but, IMO, he's not up to 2016 form yet. He's wasn't seeing the whole field the way he did in 2016. He missed open WRs deep and opted for check down receivers instead. Understandable given the makeshift O-line and pressure he faced.
The Raiders found themselves in a lot of 3rd down situations (going 2x on 4th downs), and sometimes had to rely on penalties to keep drives alive. That's probably not sustainable.
Ultimately, short, high percentage plays led to ball control and consuming the clock, so it worked against the Saints.
In the end, the team that wanted the game the most won it. Carr was determined.
Jacobs carried the ball 27x last night, and seemed to be injured toward the end of the game. Another reason for concern. The drop off at RB after Jacobs is a steep cliff.
Raiders face a mobile QB this week. That's their achilles heel.
One game at a time.
I think Richard is better than Booker (IMO). Richard seems to hit and find the running lanes better, Booker had a tendency to bounce around trying to find it. When Richard got in the game, the running game continued to be strong (exception of the fumble). Richard and Jacobs both lowered their shoulders into defenders and carried them a few yards. They are tough and gritty runners.
Ingold is another amazing FB the Raiders have, and I am glad to see Gruden utilize more, especially in the Red Zone. The play action pass for his TD was a beautiful site that Raider Nation has missed the last almost 2 decades now. Cannot wait to see how the Raiders do as the season progresses.
Cam Newton has seemed to found new life in New England, but the Patriots still have their issues. I think the next 4 weeks are going to be incredibly difficult, but I am excited (for the first time in a long time) to see how the Raiders as a team handle the adversity because I feel they can rise above it. JUST WIN, BABY!
I have a different take on Richard.
I like Richard but he struggled badly with muffed punt returns until the Raiders just stopped using him. His lack of concentration showed up Monday when he dropped a ball in the backfield that was perfectly tossed to the center of his hands.
Booker is a well rounded RB, and already shown he is equally good as a receiver. Booker's career receiving yards almost match his running, and his return yardage isn't far behind. He's clearly ahead of Richard as Jacob's backup, and a more viable returner as well.
That said, the Raiders whiffed badly on getting a true 1-2 punch for Jacobs during the off-season. That may haunt them if Jacobs can't play for any reason.
RT it would be nice if we could get some of the old blood back and pumping into this site. Blandarocked, H, 00, Calico Jack, PantyRaider and so many others.
As I look at other blogs and sites that used to get a lot more traffic, I have to wonder what's going on around Raider Nation. Has the base eroded since the move to Vegas?
Internet content sucks. Bill Williamson and others at SB Nation take a beating in the comment sections for lack of content. Damien left SB Nation, and his new site is loaded with pop-up ads that make the site almost unbearable.
Is there anywhere to go anymore to get decent perspective about the Raiders?
Any thoughts?
Is this due to the move, or perhaps the product of 18 years of failure by the Raiders?
NY,
I think it is due to the fact that most people don't go to blogs anymore because they get more play in social media, i.e.-twitter, Facebook. I think it is sad, because usually on those social media sites, they surround themselves with people who agree with their own thoughts. I like it here because not everyone agrees with my thoughts. I'm not afraid of disagreeing viewpoints, it gives me a new perspective on what people see, helps me catch things I miss, helps me change my viewpoint, and it helps others do the same.
The problem has become that our society cannot function, nor see the value in disagreement. A lot of that has to do with social media where we surround ourselves with people who think like us. The problem is we are suffocating diversity, innovation, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and the entrepreneurial spirit that made this country. Instead, we cultivate fear, hatred against those who don't think like us, a bully mentality, self-centered, destructive, and an unstable society.
I really enjoy the disagreements here, as much as I enjoy the agreement that we love the Raiders. I have always said I value everyone's opinion here, with the exception of personal attacks. I too miss the other voices here, and I hope they swing by and read things, but I really hope they speak up too. Blanda, H, 00, Calico, Panty, Jones, Take, NY, and OakTown Blues, I really wish you all the best and hope you are all doing well. I also hope to hear from you, not just about Raiders football, but about life.
My family and I moved about a month ago. No longer in Austin, still in TX, just south of San Antonio about 60 miles. I took a position of Lead Pastor at a church. I am in the midst of Cowboy/Texans country, where I get double takes from people because I have a GIANT Raiders sticker on the back of my truck. The other day, I took a walk around our new neighborhood, and behold, a neighbor is flying a Raiders' flag outside his door. I've knocked once, but no one answered. I am planning on wearing my jersey and introducing myself. Even in the remotest place in a town less than 4000 people, I found another Raider fan. JUST WIN, BABY!
Amen that! Not a big fan of social media, myself, as I see some of my friends get sucked into it for hours each day. Lots of football media posts have links to twitter and other media which are posted in real time. So I get the fascination. I guess my complaint is that decent commentary seems to have disappeared.
Raiders face a tough challenge this week trying to contain a revitalized CAM Newton. This game has me more worried than the Saints game did. Raiders need to play extremely disciplined on defense, staying in lanes, spying on CAM and somehow still getting pressure.
On offense, I don' know how Carr can keep the pace he's set with 3rd and 4th down conversions. Seems like the offense is playing outside itself and it's only a matter of time before someone slows them down. Pats have a tough D.
After beating Panthers on the road and Saints at home, I'm not making any predictions. Raiders are capable of anything. Consistency is my hope.
Post a Comment
<< Home