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From training camp to their first preseason game, Oakland has had a busy week preparing for the season.
Early on, injuries limited a variety of players, some of which carried over to the preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Darren McFadden, Jacoby Ford, and several others were unable to participate in the Thursday night affair.
As it seems, Oakland’s game was a nice change of pace for the fans, especially if you have been waiting months for the game, the Raiders had both good points and bad.
For the good points, Oakland’s defense, from the first team with Rolando McClain to Lamarr Houston to the third team with Jerome Boyd and Stevie Brown, helped lock up the end zone, limiting the Cowboys to only three field goals.
Stevie’s game ending interception looked like a player covering a kick than a true pick, while Boyd’s pick off had end zone written on it when all he had between him and six points was daylight.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders’ first team looked as if was still in training camp. Routes could stand to be a bit more solid, the offensive line could stand to hold back the opponents more and Jason Campbell could develop a bit faster, more accurately than he did Thursday night.
A good example of how his work is coming along could be noted by three passes meant for Louis Murphy. With the first pass, he would miss the target entirely…the second pass was caught, but Louis could only get one foot down in bounds. The last pass would be caught, with some decent yardage behind it. It was an Oakland first down made by Zach Miller, showing a good flair for both getting open and being open as needed.
Nick Miller helped the Raiders score their first touchdown of the game with a nice grab from Kyle Boller. The idea that Jason Campbell would play the first quarter, then Boller for a quarter and a half, then Colt Brennan, apparently did not materialize, as Boller helped lead Oakland to 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Two things could be learned from the Raiders’ win in Dallas. First of all, the Raiders’ defense seems to be ready, here and now for the team to compete in the NFL. It did not seem to matter which route Romo experimented with—whenever the Cowboys would get in close, someone would step up, sacking the quarterback and backing them out of the red zone. Lamarr Houston put his stamp on this defense by sacking Romo twice, accounting for two of the three he had on the night.
The second thing that could be taken from this game is that while the Raiders are developing slowly on offense, there is still time. If this was the performance against the Seahawks, with the Titans game looming, I would be pulling out my hair wondering where our options exist.
As it is still early, we need to finish getting Chaz Schilens healthy, Darren McFadden up to speed, and must get Jacoby Ford worked out on returns; we also need to see if we want to keep Johnnie Lee Higgins or Shane Bodiford around…they are questions to be solved.
As it stands, several players are now on the bubble…
Shane Bodiford muffed a punt that could have been turned into a touchdown, but luckily it only turned into a field goal. Better ball control needs to happen.
Several false starts, which the Raiders need to get a rein on, were committed by several different players. This is understandable for rookies, like Lamarr Houston and Jared Veldheer, but when you are Chris Morris, it does not help your chances.
Khalif Barnes, another player hoping to continue his career, was caught holding as well. Tom Cable has admitted it is one thing he would like to work further on, as it was one thing Raider fans cited as a reason to get rid of Cornell Green.
Forward progress is happening in Oakland….next game up is vs. the Chicago Bears. How many want to see Cutler run for his life?
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Last night, the Raiders defeated the Cowboys 17-9 in their first preseason game.
You take things with a grain of salt in the preseason, but there was a lot of telling information both for and against the Raiders. A few things I noticed:
Offense Is Still A Work In Progress
Jason Campbell made his debut as the Raiders new quarterback and the results were average to say the least. In this case, average is good for now.
Campbell finished 7-of-13 for 49 yards and zero turnovers before leaving the game midway in the second quarter.
Campbell looked very comfortable throwing to Zach Miller. Getting Chaz Schilens completely healthy is a must.
The offensive line seemed particularly shaky in the middle. Samson Satele looked to be overpowered repeatedly while he manned the center position. Although he’s regressed, a call to Kevin Mawae might be an option to look into.
It’s only one preseason game, but it would have been nice to have Darrius Heyward-Bey make a couple of catches this game.
Reports say DHB has greatly improved this offseason. A couple of catches would have added to the confidence boost and temporarily quell some of the criticism.
Defensive Front Seven Was Impressive
This offseason, the Raiders were intent on solving their deficiency in stopping the run. The front seven seemed swift as they swarmed to the ball.
In total, the Cowboys had 22 rush attempts for 66 yards. Not bad.
The line was able to get pressure on Tony Romo, with rookie Lamar Houston and Matt Shaughnessy getting two sacks each. It was also interesting to see Houston and Shaughnessy still playing late in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders need to find where their sacks will come from this year, and having both the young starters getting extra snaps is good for them.
Bruce Campbell Finishes Plays
For someone who seems so unsure of his potential, Bruce Campbell made a couple of nice blocks to spring both Michael Bennett and Rock Cartwright for good gains.
He did have a couple “chicken with his head cut off” looking plays, but he did a good job of sticking with his man and riding them until the play is finished.
Hopefully this will be a confidence booster for when he eventually faces a first-team defense.
Penalties…
It’s expected to have some problems with penalties when you are trying to get all of your players some time, but this one particular segment was rather ugly.
During Kyle Boller’s first series, the Raiders had three penalties, two of them were consecutive and one was declined to make it fourth down. Every play that wasn’t a penalty went for zero or negative yards. In total, there were nine penalties for 63 yards.
Other Random Things I Noticed
–Congratulations to the Cowboy’s announcers for the title of, “fewest amount of references to an opposing team ever.” Watching another teams local broadcast of a game, you expect there to be a bias in favor of the team that employs them. Even with that in mind, the lack of Raider discussion (besides the negative stuff) was surprising.
Of all the local broadcasts I’ve watched, they all have a graphic to show the opposing teams names and positions. Not the Cowboys.
Normally, the play-by-play announcer will let you know who makes the offensive play as well as who makes the defensive stop. For example, the announcer says Jason Witten makes a catch and then proceeds to say Nnamdi Asomugha is the person who tackled him.
Not if you’re the Cowboys announcer. It seemed the announcers would only call a Raider by name if they absolutely had to.
Maybe this is just a preseason thing so they don’t have any extra work to do. It was still strange.
– Nick Miller looked much quicker than I thought he would be. I’m also not so sure he got his feet down on that fourth quarter touchdown.
– I was expecting Tony Romo to spit on the microphone when he was being interviewed late in the fourth quarter.
– Someone should interview punter/kicker Swayze Waters on why his parents gave him that first name.
– This recap is coming nearly a day after the game was played because I couldn’t watch it until the NFL Network broadcast.
– I was hoping to see some of Colt Brennan during the game. He said he could fake his way through even with limited practice. That would have been really fun, or really ugly, to watch.
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Here’s an updated look at my top 60 fantasy WR rankings.
1. Andre Johnson
2. Reggie Wayne
3. Larry Fitzgerald
4. Randy Moss
5. Miles Austin
6. Brandon Marshall
7. Calvin Johnson
8. Roddy White
9. Greg Jennings
10. DeSean Jackson
11. Marques Colston
12. Michael Crabtree
13. Steve Smith (CAR)
14. Dwayne Bowe
15. Anquan Boldin
16. Chad Ochocinco
17. Percy Harvin
18. Steve Smith (NYG)
19. Sidney Rice
20. Hines Ward
21. Pierre Garcon
22. Hakeem Nicks
23. Mike Wallace
24. Robert Meachem
25. Vincent Jackson
26. Jeremy Maclin
27. Mike Sims-Walker
28. Terrell Owens
29. Dez Bryant
30. Santonio Holmes
31. Santana Moss
32. Wes Welker
33. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
34. Kenny Britt
35. Lee Evans
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Donald Driver
38. Derrick Mason
39. Davone Bess
40. Mike Williams (TB)
41. Steve Breaston
42. Early Doucet
43. Nate Burleson
44. Johnny Knox
45. James Jones
46. Chris Chambers
47. Mario Manningham
48. Malcom Floyd
49. Devin Hester
50. Devery Henderson
51. Donnie Avery
52. Mohamed Massaquoi
53. Chaz Schilens
54. Arrelious Benn
55. Kevin Walter
56. Bernard Berrian
57. Devin Thomas
58. Eddie Royal
59. Jerricho Cotchery
60. Josh Morgan
Notable Changes
- I bumped Sidney Rice down a few more notches. His lingering hip injury is starting to concern me.
- I bumped Dwayne Bowe up a few notches. He has escaped Todd Haley’s doghouse, and should be primed for big things.
- Mike Williams and Johnny Knox have joined the rankings. Williams earned the starting gig in Tampa, which should get him plenty of looks. Knox was been targeted more than all of the Bears WRs.
- Demaryius Thomas and Devin Aromashodu came off the list. Thomas’ foot concerns me, while I think Aromashodu will be at least third fiddle behind Knox and Devin Hester.
- I bumped Michael Crabtree up a few notches. He had impressive numbers considering he was coming off an injury and was a holdout. With a full offseason program, and the experienced he gained last year, he could double his production from last year.
- Now that Terrell Owens found a home, and a suitable one at that, he lands smack in the middle of the list. T.O.’s signing bumps Ochocinco down a few spots and Antonio Bryant off the list.
- Lee Evans went down a few slots because Buffalo’s offense frightens me.
- I swapped Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson, mainly because of their quarterbacks.
Also check out:
2010 Top 30 Fantasy QB Rankings
2010 Top 50 Fantasy RB Rankings
2010 Top 25 Fantasy TE Rankings
2010 Top 25 Fantasy IDP Rankings
2010 Top 25 Fantasy Team Defense Rankings
2010 Top 15 Fantasy K Rankings
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The Oakland Raiders play the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow, at Dallas. This should make for a very fun game as there are a lot of questions that need to get answered for both teams.
A lot has been going on with the Raiders these past few days, so here are my thoughts on all the current news and hot topics.
Al Davis On Sirius Radio
You don’t see Al doing interviews very often, but he was willing to answer a few questions from long-time friend Gil Brandt. The interview was obviously restricted, as there were no questions about JaMarcus Russell or current problems with attendance and venues.
It was still interesting to see what Al had to say, though. Topics ranged from this team’s similarities with the 1980s Super Bowl team to Oakland’s fans around the world. Some interesting points:
- Al did not mention Tom Cable in the 11-minute interview. However, he did mention Hue Jackson. Rumors have been swirling that Jackson will replace Cable after the season.
-Jason Campbell was compared to Jim Plunkett in terms of not having prior NFL success. Davis said he sees a bit of Jim in Jason. He said he likes Campbell’s big arm and size. Surprise, surprise.
Injuries
The injury list seems to be growing day by day. Jacoby Ford (quadriceps), Paul Hubbard (hamstring), Chaz Schilens (foot), Luke Lawton (Concussion), Darren McFadden (hamstring), Charlie Frye (wrist), Bruce Gradkowski (groin), and Jason Richardson (knee) are all out for tomorrow’s game.
I’m starting to grow weary of seeing Chaz and McFadden on this list. They need to stay healthy this season, so at least there is plenty of time to heal up. Colt Brennan was also signed to the roster to make up for the injuries to Frye and Gradkowski.
Quarterback Competition
This is exciting, heated, and entertaining. Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, Kyle Boller, and Colt Brennan are all fighting to back up Jason Campbell. Truthfully, I like all four of these guys and don’t care who makes it. I wish they could all be on the roster but only two will make it. Let’s see what happens.
Thomas Howard To Be Released?
Thomas Howard is the only outside linebacker who can cover any tight end in the league. Period. He is one of the best cover-backers in the league and has great quickness.
However, he’s getting limited reps in camp.
This is a bad sign. He’s done so much for the Raiders and should be kept on the roster. While Oakland is stacked at linebacker, Thomas is a guy who will strive as a pass specialist. The coaching staff has already taken his starting spot. Don’t take his job.
Who Will Start at Fullback?
There are so many names at fullback even I’m starting to get confused. Expect Luke Lawton to get released for sure. He’s dead weight. Mananse Tonga looks very solid so expect him to stay. Chane Moline never impressed.
Marcel Reese is a solid pass-catcher and returner. Rock Cartwright has already won over a lot of fans. Alex Daniels has so much heart for the game, but can the former defensive end impress at fullback? Only time will tell. These next few preseason games will tell a lot.
Those are my thoughts on current topics. Now, to the questions of the day.
Is It Safe To Play Chaz Or Murphy? Or Gallery?
Well, Chaz is out with a sore foot. I hope it is just precautionary, which it supposedly is. Murphy should be absolutely back to normal. He said he was fine on Tuesday, I believe. Gallery has been fine since OTAs.
Who Will Be The Final Three Quarterbacks?
That’s tough. Probably Campbell, Grad, and Boller. Or Frye could make it instead of Boller.
Final Prediction For Tomorrow?
Raiders 24, Cowboys 10.
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The Raiders have the day off today as they prepare to travel for their Thursday night game against the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is one of two teams to have already played in the preseason, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 16-7 in last Sunday Night’s Hall of Fame game to kick off the season.
As to be expected from the first preseason game, Dallas looked fairly sloppy on offense and managed only three field goals. The Cowboys’ lone touchdown was an INT return by a rookie linebacker on a gift-wrapped spiral from Jordan Palmer. Dallas is a Super Bowl contender this season (so “they” say) and its defense looked pretty fierce. We should be able to garner a few things from tomorrow night’s game in regards to the progress the Raiders have made from last season.
Thus far in camp, there have been some very encouraging signs that the Raiders will improve upon their recent futility. There have been a few setbacks as well. Here are some thoughts on camp thus far.
Jason Campbell is no JaMarcus Russell
And that couldn’t be a better thing for the Raiders. Campbell is a highly motivated, hard working son of a coach with innate leadership ability who loves football and demands and receives respect from his teammates.
Quietly, he has come in and changed the culture at the game’s most important position. Teammates are effusive in their praise for his study habits, knowledge of the game, respect for the team concept, and his Herculean work ethic, not to mention his downfield accuracy and ability to move in the pocket.
Campbell has made believers not only out of a Raider Nation, who desperately needed a new quarterback, but a team and coaching staff that had to be somewhat skeptical based on the perception of Campbell as a failure in Washington. A new start for both parties is just what is needed to inject some life into their respective seasons.
Do you want to play fullback?
Because we need someone, anyone. When the Raiders are lining up coveted second round pick Lamarr Houston at fullback, you know there’s some desperate straights back there. The incumbent, Luke Lawton, has been injured throughout camp and faces a two-game suspension to start the season. The next guy in line, Marcel Reece, has shown well but also been injured. Manase Tonga has shown excellent ability to block but no hands or burst, and he’s injured as well. Chane Moline has been injured the majority of camp.
Enter Alex Daniels, a converted defensive end who speaks like a true football player. He’s been quoted as saying he’d do anything to make the team, including fetching coffee. He’s a gamer who wants to be on the field, and since switching over to the white jersey he’s got in the grill and under the skin of some of his former defensive teammates.
At this point, it’s looking like it’ll be Reece by default because the rest are injured and Daniels is just learning the position. It’s intriguing to think of Houston carrying the ball on the goal line, and he was a very successful RB and FB in high school. Risking injury to him on the offensive side of the ball when our run defense needs addressing is not wise, in my opinion.
Or wide receiver?
The one position this team could least afford to be beset by injuries is the wide receiver position. Chaz Schilens, Darius Heyward-Bey, and Louis Murphy are projected to be the starting wideouts, but they have a combined five years experience between them, so they need every single snap and every single drill they can participate in. Unfortunately injuries and soreness have limited all three to some extent.
Thus far, Murphy has missed most of camp. He first had a concussion, and kudos to the Raiders for not rushing him back too quickly and placing his health first. Since Murphy recovered, a foot issue that isn’t overly serious has limited his reps.
Schilens has had two surgeries in the recent past to repair a broken metatarsal, and the Raiders appear to just be protecting their big wideout from further aggravating the foot. It’s been tender in camp, but there is no damage or injury to the foot. With Schilens being the Raiders’ most experienced wideout and most likely possession receiver, he’s imperative to the offense and the team is right to limit his reps, even if it does limit the rapport he can build early on with Campbell.
Rookie WR Jacoby Ford was impressing in camp and turning some heads before he missed significant time with a quad injury, and will not suit up for the Dallas game. Once again, this is not a serious injury and the Raiders are just being cautious, but the WR corps is inexperienced and injuries are now making it very, very thin.
Or quarterback?
Raider fan-favourite Bruce “Grads” Gradkowski is a competitor, but his body is conspiring against him in recent history. After blowing out both knees during a game last season, then tearing a pectoral muscle prior to OTA’s, Gradkowski was rehabbing vigorously and ready to rock in training camp. But he’s hurt again, this time beset by a tweaked groin, and he’s frustrated as hell about it. His competitive fire burns as brightly as ever, but his body is not allowing him to play. He’s also out for the Dallas game.
As is Charlie Frye, the possible third stringer who has a hand issue. Frye is really more of a future coach than anything on this roster, and doesn’t give the Raiders much when he’s on the field. I like him as a player and a leader, but he’s not the greatest QB.
As such, the Raiders recently signed Colt Brennan, the former Hawaii Warrior and Washington Redskin known for his weak arm and accuracy. He was a system QB in college, but a damned good one, and he looked good for ‘Skins in preseason last year. Thus far, he’s dispelled his weak-arm notion by throwing deep balls equal to Campbell’s, and his accuracy has stood out. He’ll be the No. 3 QB for the Dallas game, and could stick around in place of Frye.
At this time, the Raiders have five QB’s on the roster in Campbell, Kyle Boller, Gradkowski, Frye, and Brennan. With Campbell the starter and Grads the likely backup, that leaves Boller, Frye, and Brennan battling for the No. 3 job. Boller thus far is in the lead by default, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Brennan usurped him.
Failure To Launch
The new anti-launching rule prevents a player from leaving their feet to make a tackle. I, for one, say THANK YOU! The reason I’m happy about this is that the Raiders have struggled mightily in giving up huge plays over the last few seasons, and a huge, huge contributing factor to those big plays has been a lack of fundamental wrap tackling.
This team needs to tackle better, period, or all the Rolando McClain’s and John Henderson’s in the world won’t improve the run defense. The Raiders last season were actually quite good against the run the majority of the time, but then would see missed tackles and missed assignments allow an opposing back to bust a 40+ yard run, and the numbers would then jump up significantly.
The emphasis on having to make a solid, wrap tackle can only help in the Raiders’ goal to improve their run defense.
Nnamdi’s Roaming
It’s about TIME this team decided to let their best defensive player change things up and have more of a chance to be around the ball and make some plays. When people talk of the best corners in the NFL, Asomugha’s name is mentioned, but always with the caveat that he doesn’t get a lot of interceptions. That’s because they don’t throw the ball his way.
Now, he’s been lining up all over the defensive backfield, and with the depth in the front seven as well as the improved talent, the defensive backs should have more opportunities to make plays on the ball. Asomugha has shown in the past that he’s very adept at making plays on the ball; he just needs it to be thrown in his vicinity.
The defense is finally realizing that we have versatility all over the field, at virtually every position. It’s time to take full advantage of that versatility.
Cable Guy
Coach Cable’s relentless optimism can at times be tedious, but you have to love a guy who truly believes in what he’s doing and by extension has the team on board. Cable is not an experienced or overly effective in-game coach to this point, but he does bring the ability to motivate his players, challenge his players, and have them willing to go to war for him.
Cable has changed the culture from a me-first group collecting paychecks and laughing during losses to guys who are battling camp, getting after each other, and enjoying each other’s company. The concept of team has taken hold strongly, and with veterans like Nnamdi and Richard Seymour, it will only solidify as the team makes improvements on the field.
Renewed Hope
The players, the coaches, the fans, even Al Davis in his recent interview, have all expressed realistic hope that things are changing for the better in Oakland.
A new quarterback, the growth of the young explosive players like DHB, bringing in Hue Jackson as a legitimate OC, giving John Marshall some freedom on defense to mix and match with the various parts we have, and just having the team excited to play football and excited about the changes and culture that is forming in Oakland gives us all a reason to hope.
Other than injuries to Schilens, D-Mac, and the occasional drop by a receiver, camp has been positive for the most part. The passing game is lightyears ahead of where it was this time last year (though it’d be impossible NOT to be), and the defense is showing a lot more fire, intensity, and stoutness at the point of attack.
I’m very excited to see what this team brings to the table tomorrow night. Although it’s preseason, stopping the run and our offensive line play are going to be the two biggest things I look for. If they both look sloppy, that’s not a good sign, but remember it’s the first preseason game and sloppiness can be forgiven to a point. Still, this team needs to show marked improvement in both areas to appease the fans of the Nation.
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