Oakland Raiders Midseason Awards, Disappointments, and Thoughts

Well here we are at the bye, in week 9 of the NFL season. The Raiders have played eight games thus far, and sit with an all too familiar and disappointing 2-6 record at the midpoint.

Here’s a list of my hilights and lowlights of the first half, and things to do moving forward in regards to having increased success in the second half of the season.

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Is This Oakland Raider Coach Tom Cable’s Bye-Bye Week?

Going into their bye during week five of last season, the Oakland Raiders were in a familiar position. Sitting with a 1-3 record, a lack of passion, and an uphill climb to improve the squad, the team finally pulled the trigger on the firing of “Lance” Kiffin, much to the delight of owner Al Davis.

Davis put on a show rarely seen in sport as he called a press-conference and actually used an old-school overhead projector (I’m guessing Al isn’t so well versed in Powerpoint) to outline and detail his reasons not only for firing Kiffin, but why he shouldn’t have to pay him the rest of his contract.

The overhead display of a letter he had wrote to Kiffin admonishing him for his public statements was awesome theatre, and Al Davis at his best. It was as surreal as it was entertaining, and showed that despite some questionable football moves recently, ol’ Al is still alive and kicking.

Al stated that Kiffin lied repeatedly, tried to undermine his authority, made negative statements about the organization, and coached in a way detrimental to the team. Therefore, not only was he fired, but fired for “cause”, legal terminology that essentially meant Al was not obligated to pay Kiffin the remainder of his salary.

That case is still ongoing, and there has been no verdict rendered as yet. Kiffin has recently come out with public support for Cable, but with his actions in Oakland last season and his mouthpiece nature in the SEC, it is being taken with a gigantic bag of salt.

So now the Raiders were a literal rudderless ship, as opposed to the symbolic rudderless ship they represented under Kiffin. Leadership under Kiffin was there in body, but certainly not in mind or spirit.

Enter Tom Cable, a Raider fan since childhood and the offensive line coach who was widely responsible for a resurgence in the Raiders’ running attack. In his dream job, the interim Coach Cable brought the enthusiasm and want-to-be-great attitude that was sorely missing under Kiffin.

Cable brought fire, passion, and heart to a Raider team that still finished with a terrible 5-11 record (going 4-8 under Cable), but showed more potential and less apathy than they had in a long time.

Cable began playing young players that were derided by Kiffin, like Mario Henderson. Henderson has since become the starting left tackle and played very, very well at that position.

Cable gave opportunity to young receivers like Jonnie Lee Higgins and Chaz Schilens, and the result was an improved passing attack that looked like it could actually be something in the making for the future.

Cable gave opportunity and patience to JaMarcus Russell, who responded by playing very solid, if unspectacular, in his final six games.

The team was heading in the right direction under Cable, and Raider Nation was excited. We were divided into those who wanted Cable to become the full-time, official head coach, and those who wanted someone else with more experience and a better pedigree. Cable got his personal wish and had the interim tag removed shortly after the season.

I admit now I was wrong in falling into the former category.

Heading into the 2009 season, this team would finally have a healthy Darren McFadden, a more experienced and improved JaMarcus Russell, a full offseason with the new coaching staff (including new defensive coordinator John Marshall and D-line coach Dwayne Board), and a division that appeared to have only one real threat, San Diego, in it’s midst.

Everything seemed to be lining up for the Raiders to get of the schnide and improve upon six consecutive seasons of 10+ losses (a dubious NFL record, by the way.)

There was the usual concern regarding Russell’s offseason work habits and conditioning, but everything with the team seemed to be going well. The players were saying all the right things, and Cable himself was excited for the season to begin.

Then, August 4th, 2009 happened.

I’m not going to go into details, but assistant coach Randy Hanson (or slimy weasel as he’s unaffectionately known to Raider fans) had his face broken. Originally, Hanson stated it just happened and didn’t press any charges or make any direct accusations toward Cable.

Hanson then tried to extort money and position from the Raiders, which didn’t work. We all know how well Al Davis responds to shakedowns. He’s old school, and if this were still the 60’s, I think ol’ Al would’ve broken Hanson’s jaw himself.

So Hanson then showed up at the Napa Valley (Ca.) DA’s office and stated “the Raiders didn’t give me what I want, so I’m ready to cooperate fully.”

Hanson’s spotty account of the story, as well as three other coaches who were present contradicting Hanson’s version of events, left the DA with too much reasonable doubt as to whether Cable was guilty of assault or if it was an accident. No charges were filed.

But the damage was done. Despite many, many, many statements to the contrary, there is no possible way a looming felony assault conviction didn’t weigh on the mind of Cable, or his players. No way. They’d have to be inhuman to not think about it.

After the charges were dropped, the NFL stated they would look into the incident based on their personal conduct policy. Punishment still loomed large for Cable, although it looked as if it may just be a fine.

This incident was just the beginning of yet another downward spiral for a cursed organization that can’t seem to catch a break (or, honestly, put themselves in a position to deserve one most of the time.)

The Raiders began the season against the San Diego Chargers. They’d dropped 11 straight games to the hated Bolts, and wanted nothing more than a win. That was obvious in the way they played.

Passionate and fired up from the opening kickoff, the Raiders pounded the Chargers into submission. As a young team they couldn’t figure out a way to finish the game, and ultimately lost 24-20. However, the effort and passion they showed were enough to spark excitement about things to come in 2009.

This is what we all hoped for and expected after Cable had the team playing well late last season. Improvement and passion; hope for the future.

But with subsequent subpar efforts it became apparent that the addition of Pro-Bowler Richard Seymour and his excitement played as much if not more into the Raiders bringing it hard as did Cable’s inspiration.

Cable also began a bad habit and poor coaching decision of abandoning the run game early in this one. He falsely believed JaMarcus Russell was ready for prime-time, which we all quickly found out was not the case.

They went to Kansas City the next week, and played as flat and terribly as a team possibly can and still get the win. It was uninspired, boring, and ugly to watch, but the Raiders were .500 at 1-1 with the hated Denver Broncos coming to Oakland the next week.

A game the team should’ve had no trouble getting up for is one that they barely showed up for. Cable continued to abandon the run too early and ask JaMarcus Russell to do too much, and the Broncos ran the Raiders right out of the Coliseum.

Russell had regressed in his play since the end of the previous season, and Cable seemed to be force-feeding Russell pass plays in a misguided effort to get him back on track. All this served to do was stagnate the running game and tire out the defense, and upset a fan base that knows we need to run first, second, and third to have a chance at success.

The Raiders were shellacked at home in an embarrassing 23-3 loss that honestly wasn’t that close, if that’s even possible. That began a three-week free fall of some of the worst mail in jobs I’ve seen in the last seven years. And that’s saying something, I’ll tell you.

They FedExed a 29-6 loss to a previously struggling Houston Texans team the next week, and got absolutely manhandled in a 44-7 drubbing by the Giants that also wasn’t as close as the score.

That game prompted NY Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce to liken the Raiders to a “scrimmage team,” and Pierce openly questioned the heart and effort of the Raiders.

Suffice it to say, any good will that Cable had accrued during the late-season run in 2008 and the first two games of this season were buried under dubious coaching decisions, a team that didn’t seem to care, and a quarterback who was getting worse by the minute despite being heavily coddled by all around him.

So the Raiders responded the next week by playing physically dominating football en route to a 13-9 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, one of the better teams in the NFL.

The sheer dominance and physicality the Raiders demonstrated in the opening game against San Diego and then this contest against Philly had people wondering why this Raider team doesn’t show up every week.

It’s an infinitely frustrating reality of Raider fandom, and one we thought Cable had exorcised. He constantly spoke of eliminating the losing culture, getting rid of team cancers that only wanted money, and bringing the Raider way back to the fold.

It sounded good in theory, but his execution has stunk for the most part. So naturally:

The Jets came to town struggling mightily. The Raiders were coming off an inspired effort in which they took it to a superior opponent. The charges pending against Cable by the Napa DA were dropped. Good will all around, it was the Raiders game to lose.

And boy did they. Worst home loss ever, at 38-0. It was an embarrassment, and Cable finally heeded the calls of Raider Nation and benched a very under-performing JaMarcus Russell in favour of Bruce Gradkowski. It didn’t make a difference, though.

The Raiders are fresh off their 13th straight defeat to the San Diego Chargers, although they once again played a decent game and had themselves with a chance to win at the end. Their inability to come through in the clutch has not improved with Cable under the microphone.

This is a team in desperate, desperate need of stability in the coaching ranks. But when your Coach doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing most of the time, can’t get his team up to play important home games (Broncos), and inspires colossal efforts one week followed by three consecutive horrendous showings, it’s time to look elsewhere.

Cable is inexperienced, and he could grow with this team. In fact, he probably would grow with this team, for better or for worse.

But there are new allegations; those of physical abuse against women.

If there is one thing Al Davis doesn’t suffer, it’s embarrassment not related to football. Oh, I’m sure he doesn’t suffer embarrassment regarding football either, but he doesn’t have much of a choice recently, and a lot of that is of his own making.

Granted, this information was originally reported by ESPN in the “Outside the Lines” segment, and without hyperbole I state that ESPN is notorious for trashing the Oakland Raiders (see: Cris Carter and Tom Jackson speaking with Darrius Heyward-Bey in what is the most unprofessional and insulting interview I’ve seen in some time.)

But there seems to be more to the story than just Raider-bashing, unfortunately.

Cable has now been in the midst of two very negative media firestorms in the last three months. If he’d turned out to be the second coming of Jon Gruden, perhaps he would get a pass. Perhaps.

And no, I don’t believe being a good coach excuses poor off field behaviour, but I also live in reality.

Instead he’s been the second coming of Joe Bugel/Art Shell/Norv Turner. The best analogy, because of their offensive line roots, would be Shell. That works also because of the putrid offenses that both of these men have fielded as coach of the Raiders.

Cable has been accused of physical abuse by not one, but two women. One is his ex-wife, whom Cable has copped to slapping during an argument about her infidelity. So Cable has admitted to hitting a women, even if it was in the heat of passion and even if it was an open handed slap. He still admits to assaulting his ex-wife.

Sandy Cable tells a different story.

She states unequivocally that he punched her, not slapped her, that she never was adulterous, and even has a hand-written letter signed by Cable in which he apologizes and states that he hit her. Cable insists it was an open-handed slap warranted by the heat of the moment.

I may take some flak for this, but if I found out my wife cheated on me, I would possibly open-handed slap her as well. A slap can possibly be forgiven, depending on the circumstances. But never a closed fist. Never. Ever.

Ever little boy learns one axiom that we never forget: You don’t hit women. Beyond anything else, it’s about respect. You don’t disrespect women, and you especially don’t hit them.  

Sandy Cable went on to explain that he abused her emotionally and physically on more than just that occasion, and that she was fearful during her time with the Coach.

The other woman, Marie Lutz, is an ex-girlfriend of Cable’s whom he claims is jilted and looking for revenge. Lutz has stated that Cable hit her “three or four times” during the course of their relationship, and that he physically restrained and then threw her out of his house earlier in 2009, when she caught him with another woman.

It should be noted that Cable cooperated with Alameda police and no wrongdoing was found, and that other woman is his current wife, Jean Cable.

Cable’s second wife, Glenda, cited abuse in their divorce proceedings, but refused interview requests and has since recanted her original claims in a statement issued through her attorney.

I don’t know if any of the allegations are true, but I do know this: the appearance of impropriety is enough for people to begin believing negativity, and Cable has appeared nothing BUT inappropriate in regards to his anger-management and violent behaviours in the last three months.

I’m not going to hang the guy in criminal court, that’s for investigators, prosecutors, and the jury to do. It’s also interesting that these allegations are coming about now, right when Hanson has a civil suit to ready, and right when Cable is most vulnerable to being fired.

But in the court of public opinion, the man is guilty of at least appearing to have violence issues. He is definitely guilty of embarrassing an already beaten-down franchise.

And his coaching acumen has shown nothing to warrant looking the other way.

The bottom line is that Cable was in danger of losing his job anyhow before these allegations surfaced. Now, with recent statements from the Raiders that they are taking the allegations very seriously and that they will conduct their own investigation, Cable is on the hottest seat this side of Eric Mangini.

I’ve always like Cable’s persona. He’s always seemed to have a childlike enthusiasm for the game, his players like him, and he’s a fiery guy. My opinion on him right now hasn’t changed, because there isn’t enough overall evidence to warrant any kind of change.

But even taking into account that these allegations are coming from ESPN, and even taking into account that the timing is fishy for many reasons, it’s hard to swallow another story of this guy hitting people without thinking there might be some truth to some of it.

We’ve heard both sides, but this time Sandy Cable has physical evidence, and three women accusing the man of abuse is too many to ignore or brush aside, whether his second wife Glenda recanted or not. The point is, she made the original statements.

Even if he didn’t do any of this, the damage is done, and he needs to go. We’re having enough trouble on the field without needless distractions off the field; needless distractions that represent an embarrassing and disturbing trend if found true.

This is an open request to Jon Gruden to please, please, please come back, and to Al to please, please, please bring him back no matter WHAT he wants.

 

 

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Oakland Raiders Week Eight: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Well, our schizophrenic Raiders showed their “OH” faces again last weekend, getting bent over and taken to task by the New York Jets.

We travel to rival San Diego this weekend looking to end a 12-game losing skid against the hated dolts, er, Bolts.

This team needs to find an identity and fast. They need to decide whether they are the team that shows up and physically beats opponents up, or the team that becomes a willing participant in their own destruction.

The pressure is on as always for this team and we have what seems to be a recurring themes here.

 

Pressures

JaMarcus Russell

Russell has played poorly enough at times this season to warrant a benching, but it never came and looks like it never would.

Until last weekend.

Having turned the ball over twice, leading to two Jet touchdown drives for a combined eight yards, Russell was leading the team on a solid drive and looking as if he may get them back in the game.

Then, he threw another pick; this time in the end zone. Granted, Darrelle Revis is a stellar cornerback who made a spectacular play and Todd Watkins didn’t fight for the ball whatsoever, but Russell simply threw the ball up for and hoped.

After that, he was benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. Others will argue with me, but I didn’t see that Gradkowski played any better. Did he give the offense some life? Yes, but so did Josh McCown when he replaced Daunte Culpepper.

New life will bring immediate excitement; but Gradkowski turned the ball over as well, and easily could’ve thrown three to four interceptions if Jets defenders didn’t suddenly become Darrius Heyward-Bey (cheap shot, I know).

Russell could’ve responded to the situation in a mature manner, stating that he knows he needs to get better and that the benching would serve as motivation.

Instead, he deflected blame and threw his teammates under the bus with more poise and precision than any pass he’s thrown all season.

When told, Cable pulled him because he was out of sorts. He responded “No, I wasn’t.”

When asked about the turnovers, he invoked poor pass protection, poor route running, poor hands, and everything but his own poor decisions and passes.

This did not endear him to fans, teammates, or the coaching staff no matter what they say in the media.

He has since come out and taken responsibility for his actions, but that smacks of someone forcing him to come clean rather than him doing it on his own.

Sorry if that sounds cynical, but faith in Russell has yet to reward any one of us.

Hopefully the benching motivated him to work harder, get more serious, and understand he still has a long, long, long way to go before resembling an NFL quarterback on a consistent basis. Most professionals would take benching as a kick in the pants and we all have to hoped that’s what’s happened to big No. 2.

The pressure is on Russell to not only perform on the field, but to begin to act like he’s being paid as the face of a franchise that takes the blame for losses and the credit for wins. If not, he may find himself very soon as the next big bust and I’m not talking in Canton.

 

Raiders Run D

After getting lit up by a Jets team that unequivocally stated, “we’re going to run it down your throat,” these guys have to be a little bit embarrassed.

It’s one thing to get fooled and have some yardage put on you, it’s quite another to know exactly what the other team is going to do and be powerless to stop it.

There are major factors to consider here, not the least of which is that the Raider defense was actually playing very well until Russell turned it over for a third time. It seemed, at that point, that the entire defense gave up, realizing that no matter how well they played the offense was just going to give the ball right back.

It’s been a theme this season, the defense plays well to start the game, only to pack it in once the offense has stagnated for long stretches of time. The defense should never pack it in, but they do. It bothers me to no end, because they are one of the fastest and most physical defenses in the league when on their game.

But when they fall behind quickly, or they are on the field twice as much as their opponents, and are continually seeing the offense hand the ball back to the other team on a short field, discipline goes out the window and teams run wild on them.

The pressure is on this weekend to keep their gap responsibilities and run fits, tackle soundly, and hold the Chargers running game in check. We all know that Rivers and the SD passing game are sound and will put up yardage; if the running game is clicking as well we have no chance in this game.

 

Hurries

• Still no definitive word on Chaz Schilens or Robert Gallery this weekend, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we’ve struggled on offense and these guys are both out. If they both return our offense should move much better.
• With the speed and talent in our secondary, having only four interceptions at this point in the season is awful. Michael Huff alone has three of the four. I get that teams don’t throw at Nnamdi much, but doesn’t it concern anyone else that he’s only picked off one pass in the last three seasons?
• This team needs to generate more turnovers in general.
• JaMarcus Russell has taken a lot of heat this week both for his on-field play and his off-field behavior and demeanor. I put my faith in him one last time and state that he will have a bounce-back game this weekend and renew somewhat our faith in him.
• The Raiders really, really want to beat the Chargers, possibly more than anything else. The guys in that locker room that have been here since 2003, since we’ve lost 12 in a row, are vibrating to kill these guys. I hope that carries over to Sunday.

 

Knockdowns

No More Distractions Means Better Preparation

After the Randy Hanson debacle was mostly settled last week, at least from a criminal charges perspective, everyone thought that Cable would be able to finally concentrate fully on his football team.

Despite his claims that it was never a distraction, it’s tough to believe that a pending felony charge was easy to blow off. So Cable got somewhat of a pass for a few questionable coaching decisions earlier in the season.

However, with no outside distractions to preoccupy him, Cable prepared a game plan that somehow handed the Raiders their worst home defeat in franchise history.

Oh, it’s not all on Cable, that’s for damned sure. He may call the plays, but he doesn’t execute (or not) them on the field. That’s up to his team.

He has admitted that sticking with a four vertical receiver fly pattern on the first play from scrimmage when the Raiders were backed up to their own 10 was a poor coaching decision. He’s taken all the blame for the Raiders’ lack of preparation and passion, and has expressed as much confusion and concern as we have regarding their mental state.

But, it’s his job to have this team fired up every week and it’s getting really frustrating to see them up one week and invisible the next.

With no outside distractions and no jail time looming, Cable has no reasonable excuse for not having this team fully prepared to play every single week.

He had ample time to scheme for a Jets team he knew would run, run, run, and we gave up over 300 yards.

Once again, I know the coaches don’t run the plays, the routes, drop passes, etc. But, they are responsible for sound fundamentals and being ready to play and those are two areas we are sorely lacking in on too frequent a basis.

 

The Raiders Special Teams are Great

The once prayer-inducing Seabass has been on point all season, making all of his field goals and extra points. Shane Lechler continues to be the best punter in the NFL, if not in league history. But, that’s where the good news ends.

After taking back three punts and two kickoffs for touchdowns last season, the Raiders return game has stagnated. Dynamic punt returner Jonnie Lee Higgins was almost decapitated in game one against the San Diego Chargers after going over the middle for a pass and hasn’t been the same since.

The Raiders cut return man Justin Miller, he of the two kickoff TD’s last season, to make room for exciting rookie Nick Miller. But, Nick Miller has had a foot injury and hasn’t seen the field all season.

After pulling off some fakes, scoring touchdowns, and generally being one of the best special teams in the NFL last season, the Raiders are among the league’s worst in return yardage, return yardage allowed, and special team penalties.

Last week, the Jets, after being stuffed by the Raiders defense early in the game, decided to try a little fake punt. Not only did it work, it was downright comical (sad) to watch every single Raider player turn their back to the play and run down field to get into blocking position.

What they didn’t know was that punter Steve Weatherford had taken off on a dead run and the Raiders coverage team was so clueless that at one point Weatherford was basically running behind Isaiah Ekejiuba, almost as if the Raider special team stalwart was blocking for him.

It was the low point in what has been an extremely, extremely disappointing season on special teams. This unit needs to get it going because if it weren’t for Lechler, our average starting position would be about the 10 yard line while our opponents would be about their 40.

Unfortunately, it’s not too far off from that right now.

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The Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell Needs To Man Up Or Shut Up

I think I’m one of the few Oakland Raider fans that still has faith in JaMarcus Russell. The ranks have thinned, and rightly so.  

With so much invested and his physical gifts, I simply can’t write him off and stop hoping that one day the light will go on and he’ll start to show why we all thought so highly of him as recently as this offseason.

However, I’m not a stupid man, and his words and actions more than his play on the field are causing me to lose that hope not in tiny slivers, but in giant slabs.

It’s safe to say that after years of futility, I was willing to dial in some patience this season, and hope that the team would play well enough to retain the coaching staff and finally get a little organizational continuity. We all know that constant ch-ch-ch-changes have heavily contributed to our failings as a team.

The Cable-Hanson incident threatened that possibility, but has now faded to background noise and will not now play a factor into whether the Coach is retained after the season.

What will play a factor is this team’s utter inability to bring the pain each and every week. As prepared as they look when they play well, they are that unprepared and then leaps and bounds when they don’t play well.

But leadership on the field needs to come from the quarterback position. His statistics are horrendous, but where Russell has failed the most is as a leader of this football team.

Is it right to demonize a 24-year-old for not being able to show the maturity and poise required to lead a franchise? When he’s making more money than almost all his teammates combined, it certainly is.

When Matt Ryan has gone on record saying he’s going to work as hard as he can to be one of the best to play the game, it certainly is.

When Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and others as young or younger than Russell seem equal to the task and hold themselves accountable, you’re damned right it is.

Leaders get paid accordingly, because leaders are supposed to be the ones that step up, take responsibility for mistakes (whether their own or not), and motivate the team to move forward in a positive direction.

Leaders do not question why they are benched after effectively scoring more points for the other team than they have for their own in weeks.

Russell has shown his immaturity in myriad ways since he arrived in Oakland, from his holdout to his poor conditioning to coming in last and leaving first to avoiding the media to wearing ridiculously expensive gear while playing for a team in a bankrupt state, to now finally blaming everyone but himself for his own issues.

The thing is, when you play well, you can get away with a certain amount of criticism of your teammates and coaches. And Russell honestly seems to think he’s playing well, or at least passably. It frosts me to no end, and makes as much sense as him continually blaming everyone else for his mistakes. To wit:

FUMBLE : He didn’t fumble that ball; he didn’t have time to check down. Translation: not my fault, my O-Line sucks. Nice message.

INT No. 1: A defender crossed my face, so I threw it directly to a Jet when there was no Raider within five yards. Translation : I don’t even know WHAT to make of that other than : it’s not my fault, a defender distracted me. WTF is that?

INT No. 2: I threw it up for the receiver to make a play. Translation : not my fault, I put it right there and Watkins boned it up. Once again, nice message. Revis made a great play, and there is something to the fact that our receivers simply never, ever make plays even when they could at times, as Russell so consistently reminds us when he is questioned about his poor play.

I wonder how badly Richard Seymour wants to hit Russell when he hears him say things like that. Or the rest of his teammates, for that matter. I know I want to slap him in the head and ask why he doesn’t seem to care as much as a dude that lives in Ontario, Canada. Of course, he’d probably slap me back, knock me unconscious, and eat me.

Do you really think that he isn’t going to lose this team if he keeps it up? That’s assuming, and a big assumption at that, that he hasn’t lost them already. The defense played really well Sunday until INT No. 2. After that, after seeing what Russell had to offer in the way of leadership and poise, they gave up. Who can blame them?

As a major contrast, Mark Sanchez, with tears in his eyes after blowing it against Buffalo with five interceptions, straight up said that he lost the game for his team. No excuses. No “they ran poor routes” or “I didn’t have time in the pocket” or “I didn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

Nope. Simply poise, leadership, and accountability.

Three words that are nowhere near Russell’s vocabulary right now. Until you start earning your money and outplaying anyone on the roster, you have no right to point the finger at anyone but big No. 2 in the mirror. Grow up.

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The Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell Needs To Man Up Or Shut Up

I think I’m one of the few Oakland Raider fans that still has faith in JaMarcus Russell. The ranks have thinned, and rightly so.  

With so much invested and his physical gifts, I simply can’t write him off and stop hoping that one day the light will go on and he’ll start to show why we all thought so highly of him as recently as this offseason.

However, I’m not a stupid man, and his words and actions more than his play on the field are causing me to lose that hope not in tiny slivers, but in giant slabs.

It’s safe to say that after years of futility, I was willing to dial in some patience this season, and hope that the team would play well enough to retain the coaching staff and finally get a little organizational continuity. We all know that constant ch-ch-ch-changes have heavily contributed to our failings as a team.

The Cable-Hanson incident threatened that possibility, but has now faded to background noise and will not now play a factor into whether the Coach is retained after the season.

What will play a factor is this team’s utter inability to bring the pain each and every week. As prepared as they look when they play well, they are that unprepared and then leaps and bounds when they don’t play well.

But leadership on the field needs to come from the quarterback position. His statistics are horrendous, but where Russell has failed the most is as a leader of this football team.

Is it right to demonize a 24-year-old for not being able to show the maturity and poise required to lead a franchise? When he’s making more money than almost all his teammates combined, it certainly is.

When Matt Ryan has gone on record saying he’s going to work as hard as he can to be one of the best to play the game, it certainly is.

When Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and others as young or younger than Russell seem equal to the task and hold themselves accountable, you’re damned right it is.

Leaders get paid accordingly, because leaders are supposed to be the ones that step up, take responsibility for mistakes (whether their own or not), and motivate the team to move forward in a positive direction.

Leaders do not question why they are benched after effectively scoring more points for the other team than they have for their own in weeks.

Russell has shown his immaturity in myriad ways since he arrived in Oakland, from his holdout to his poor conditioning to coming in last and leaving first to avoiding the media to wearing ridiculously expensive gear while playing for a team in a bankrupt state, to now finally blaming everyone but himself for his own issues.

The thing is, when you play well, you can get away with a certain amount of criticism of your teammates and coaches. And Russell honestly seems to think he’s playing well, or at least passably. It frosts me to no end, and makes as much sense as him continually blaming everyone else for his mistakes. To wit:

FUMBLE : He didn’t fumble that ball; he didn’t have time to check down. Translation: not my fault, my O-Line sucks. Nice message.

INT No. 1: A defender crossed my face, so I threw it directly to a Jet when there was no Raider within five yards. Translation : I don’t even know WHAT to make of that other than : it’s not my fault, a defender distracted me. WTF is that?

INT No. 2: I threw it up for the receiver to make a play. Translation : not my fault, I put it right there and Watkins boned it up. Once again, nice message. Revis made a great play, and there is something to the fact that our receivers simply never, ever make plays even when they could at times, as Russell so consistently reminds us when he is questioned about his poor play.

I wonder how badly Richard Seymour wants to hit Russell when he hears him say things like that. Or the rest of his teammates, for that matter. I know I want to slap him in the head and ask why he doesn’t seem to care as much as a dude that lives in Ontario, Canada. Of course, he’d probably slap me back, knock me unconscious, and eat me.

Do you really think that he isn’t going to lose this team if he keeps it up? That’s assuming, and a big assumption at that, that he hasn’t lost them already. The defense played really well Sunday until INT No. 2. After that, after seeing what Russell had to offer in the way of leadership and poise, they gave up. Who can blame them?

As a major contrast, Mark Sanchez, with tears in his eyes after blowing it against Buffalo with five interceptions, straight up said that he lost the game for his team. No excuses. No “they ran poor routes” or “I didn’t have time in the pocket” or “I didn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

Nope. Simply poise, leadership, and accountability.

Three words that are nowhere near Russell’s vocabulary right now. Until you start earning your money and outplaying anyone on the roster, you have no right to point the finger at anyone but big No. 2 in the mirror. Grow up.

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The Oakland Raiders JaMarcus Russell Needs To Man Up Or Shut Up

I think I’m one of the few Oakland Raider fans that still has faith in JaMarcus Russell. The ranks have thinned, and rightly so.  

With so much invested and his physical gifts, I simply can’t write him off and stop hoping that one day the light will go on and he’ll start to show why we all thought so highly of him as recently as this offseason.

However, I’m not a stupid man, and his words and actions more than his play on the field are causing me to lose that hope not in tiny slivers, but in giant slabs.

It’s safe to say that after years of futility, I was willing to dial in some patience this season, and hope that the team would play well enough to retain the coaching staff and finally get a little organizational continuity. We all know that constant ch-ch-ch-changes have heavily contributed to our failings as a team.

The Cable-Hanson incident threatened that possibility, but has now faded to background noise and will not now play a factor into whether the Coach is retained after the season.

What will play a factor is this team’s utter inability to bring the pain each and every week. As prepared as they look when they play well, they are that unprepared and then leaps and bounds when they don’t play well.

But leadership on the field needs to come from the quarterback position. His statistics are horrendous, but where Russell has failed the most is as a leader of this football team.

Is it right to demonize a 24-year-old for not being able to show the maturity and poise required to lead a franchise? When he’s making more money than almost all his teammates combined, it certainly is.

When Matt Ryan has gone on record saying he’s going to work as hard as he can to be one of the best to play the game, it certainly is.

When Matthew Stafford, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and others as young or younger than Russell seem equal to the task and hold themselves accountable, you’re damned right it is.

Leaders get paid accordingly, because leaders are supposed to be the ones that step up, take responsibility for mistakes (whether their own or not), and motivate the team to move forward in a positive direction.

Leaders do not question why they are benched after effectively scoring more points for the other team than they have for their own in weeks.

Russell has shown his immaturity in myriad ways since he arrived in Oakland, from his holdout to his poor conditioning to coming in last and leaving first to avoiding the media to wearing ridiculously expensive gear while playing for a team in a bankrupt state, to now finally blaming everyone but himself for his own issues.

The thing is, when you play well, you can get away with a certain amount of criticism of your teammates and coaches. And Russell honestly seems to think he’s playing well, or at least passably. It frosts me to no end, and makes as much sense as him continually blaming everyone else for his mistakes. To wit:

FUMBLE : He didn’t fumble that ball; he didn’t have time to check down. Translation: not my fault, my O-Line sucks. Nice message.

INT No. 1: A defender crossed my face, so I threw it directly to a Jet when there was no Raider within five yards. Translation : I don’t even know WHAT to make of that other than : it’s not my fault, a defender distracted me. WTF is that?

INT No. 2: I threw it up for the receiver to make a play. Translation : not my fault, I put it right there and Watkins boned it up. Once again, nice message. Revis made a great play, and there is something to the fact that our receivers simply never, ever make plays even when they could at times, as Russell so consistently reminds us when he is questioned about his poor play.

I wonder how badly Richard Seymour wants to hit Russell when he hears him say things like that. Or the rest of his teammates, for that matter. I know I want to slap him in the head and ask why he doesn’t seem to care as much as a dude that lives in Ontario, Canada. Of course, he’d probably slap me back, knock me unconscious, and eat me.

Do you really think that he isn’t going to lose this team if he keeps it up? That’s assuming, and a big assumption at that, that he hasn’t lost them already. The defense played really well Sunday until INT No. 2. After that, after seeing what Russell had to offer in the way of leadership and poise, they gave up. Who can blame them?

As a major contrast, Mark Sanchez, with tears in his eyes after blowing it against Buffalo with five interceptions, straight up said that he lost the game for his team. No excuses. No “they ran poor routes” or “I didn’t have time in the pocket” or “I didn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

Nope. Simply poise, leadership, and accountability.

Three words that are nowhere near Russell’s vocabulary right now. Until you start earning your money and outplaying anyone on the roster, you have no right to point the finger at anyone but big No. 2 in the mirror. Grow up.

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The Oakland Raiders: The NFL’s Answer To Sybil

*SIGH*

After a solid performance against the Eagles in which JaMarcus Russell looked decent if unspectacular. A win at home against the reeling Jets, who were starting a struggling rookie quarterback and travelling across the country, seemed not only feasible, but realistic.

The worst home loss in franchise history has served to blow that theory clean out of the stratosphere.

This team cannot find an identity. When they play well, they beat up their opponents, dominate at the point of attack and swarm the ball. When they play well, they can hang with most teams in the NFL.

When they play poorly, they are the worst team in the league, hands down. And yes, I’m aware this is a historical year for very, very bad NFL teams. But, when Bad Raiders show up, they trump all the rest.

The Raider Nation is currently experiencing their seventh straight season of mountainous disappointment, with no end in sight.

Perhaps the worst time of all the seven years is right now. See, the reason for that is that we all know this team has talent. We know they have a solid defense, the potential for a great running game, and athletes on both sides of the ball that can make game-changing plays.

This is not a terrible roster. They just play that way 75 percent of the time.

The problem is, talent is not the only factor when it comes to winning in the NFL. Coaching and preparation is just as important, if not moreso, and it’s in that area that we seem to be sorely lacking.

Tom Cable is trying to be too clever, and he ends up outsmarting himself and his team. How else to explain throwing on the first play of the game when we’re backed up to our own 4 yard line?

It’s almost as if he says, “Our passing game is struggling mightily. Our running game is solid. They’re obviously going to try and stop the run. So let’s pass!”

Which would be a great strategy…if JaMarcus Russell and our receivers resembled anything close to dynamic NFL players right now, which they unfortunately do not.

I truly believe Richard Seymour was being genuine when he said this team was making the playoffs. Of course, he hasn’t been in Oakland long, so he doesn’t realize that this team follows inspired performances by taking the next week off. He hasn’t experienced the schizophrenic nature of this team.

We all know it all too well, and never has it been more prominent than this season.

Seymour’s getting it now. Another personal foul toward the end of the Jets game, his second during a blowout this season, spoke to that. As did his “we couldn’t beat a high school team today” comments after the game.

Disaster on Sunday could’ve been averted if Cable had simply called for a run on the first two or three plays of the game. Get 3-6 yards, get some breathing room, put J-Rock in a better, more manageable situation. Don’t put him in a position to have to make a big play on the first play of the game from his own four. He hasn’t shown anything this season which makes that a logical choice.

But nope. Instead, drop back to pass with a brand new right tackle and a mistake-prone QB from your own goalline. You know, because passing plays have worked so well from our end zone thus far. This is the fourth time I count Cable making a poor play call at the goalline and it either costing us the ball, or a safety.

Russell is certainly not absolved of blame. But for those saying Gradkowski was better; no, he was not. In fact, he looked worse than Russell throwing the ball; his legs were pretty dynamic though. As for Jeff Garcia: there’s a reason he’s still unemployed folks, despite the need for QB’s in various places around the league.

The most frustrating thing about JaMarcus Russell is his apathy toward his own performance. No matter the numbers he puts up, he’s always talking like he had a good game, and has never expressed disappointment or anger at his poor play. Nor has he owned up to it.

His personality, at least, is consistent. He can do no wrong and is just a “laid back” dude. Whatever. We’re tired of it, to a man. You’ve been terrible; man up, admit it, and go to work.

His work ethic is improving by all accounts, as he’s been the last player to leave the facilities quite a bit lately. This is confirmed by coaches and Eric Coleman’s twitter account, as well as Jerry McDonald’s blog.

That’s a step in the right direction, but the kid still knows it’s his job to lose. The benching seemed not to register with him at all. He’s got such a sense of entitlement that it really makes you sick as a fan.

This is a team at war with itself. It’s a team that should win with running and defense; instead, it’s a team that is handcuffed by a mandate to improve the passing game despite not really having the tools to do so.

The defense simply gave up on Sunday due to offensive ineptitude. Seriously. After we were down 7-0, the D pitched a three and out. After we were down 14-0, the team pitched another three and out. At one point in the first quarter the Jets had had four possessions, and had about two yards rushing and Sanchez was 2/5 for 16 yards.

Then, Russell threw his second interception when the team was marching down field to potentially get back in the game, and gave the Jets a short field for the third time.

The defense then said “see ya later,” and took the rest of the day off.

To improve the passing game we need a better offensive line, a quarterback who understands the NFL game better, and wide receivers that can get open and catch the ball when it’s thrown to them.

We currently have none of those things.

This is a team in search of an identity, and as such, shows many different personalities and many different faces; many of which are ugly.

This team needs to figure out whether they want to be the guys who show up inspired and want to win, or if they just want to go through the motions until the season ends and they can look forward to next year. We all prefer the latter, but really, just some constency one way or another.

Because we can’t take this Sybil act anymore.

 

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The Oakland Raiders: The NFL’s Answer To Sybil

*SIGH*

After a solid performance against the Eagles in which JaMarcus Russell looked decent if unspectacular. A win at home against the reeling Jets, who were starting a struggling rookie quarterback and travelling across the country, seemed not only feasible, but realistic.

The worst home loss in franchise history has served to blow that theory clean out of the stratosphere.

This team cannot find an identity. When they play well, they beat up their opponents, dominate at the point of attack and swarm the ball. When they play well, they can hang with most teams in the NFL.

When they play poorly, they are the worst team in the league, hands down. And yes, I’m aware this is a historical year for very, very bad NFL teams. But, when Bad Raiders show up, they trump all the rest.

The Raider Nation is currently experiencing their seventh straight season of mountainous disappointment, with no end in sight.

Perhaps the worst time of all the seven years is right now. See, the reason for that is that we all know this team has talent. We know they have a solid defense, the potential for a great running game, and athletes on both sides of the ball that can make game-changing plays.

This is not a terrible roster. They just play that way 75 percent of the time.

The problem is, talent is not the only factor when it comes to winning in the NFL. Coaching and preparation is just as important, if not moreso, and it’s in that area that we seem to be sorely lacking.

Tom Cable is trying to be too clever, and he ends up outsmarting himself and his team. How else to explain throwing on the first play of the game when we’re backed up to our own 4 yard line?

It’s almost as if he says, “Our passing game is struggling mightily. Our running game is solid. They’re obviously going to try and stop the run. So let’s pass!”

Which would be a great strategy…if JaMarcus Russell and our receivers resembled anything close to dynamic NFL players right now, which they unfortunately do not.

I truly believe Richard Seymour was being genuine when he said this team was making the playoffs. Of course, he hasn’t been in Oakland long, so he doesn’t realize that this team follows inspired performances by taking the next week off. He hasn’t experienced the schizophrenic nature of this team.

We all know it all too well, and never has it been more prominent than this season.

Seymour’s getting it now. Another personal foul toward the end of the Jets game, his second during a blowout this season, spoke to that. As did his “we couldn’t beat a high school team today” comments after the game.

Disaster on Sunday could’ve been averted if Cable had simply called for a run on the first two or three plays of the game. Get 3-6 yards, get some breathing room, put J-Rock in a better, more manageable situation. Don’t put him in a position to have to make a big play on the first play of the game from his own four. He hasn’t shown anything this season which makes that a logical choice.

But nope. Instead, drop back to pass with a brand new right tackle and a mistake-prone QB from your own goalline. You know, because passing plays have worked so well from our end zone thus far. This is the fourth time I count Cable making a poor play call at the goalline and it either costing us the ball, or a safety.

Russell is certainly not absolved of blame. But for those saying Gradkowski was better; no, he was not. In fact, he looked worse than Russell throwing the ball; his legs were pretty dynamic though. As for Jeff Garcia: there’s a reason he’s still unemployed folks, despite the need for QB’s in various places around the league.

The most frustrating thing about JaMarcus Russell is his apathy toward his own performance. No matter the numbers he puts up, he’s always talking like he had a good game, and has never expressed disappointment or anger at his poor play. Nor has he owned up to it.

His personality, at least, is consistent. He can do no wrong and is just a “laid back” dude. Whatever. We’re tired of it, to a man. You’ve been terrible; man up, admit it, and go to work.

His work ethic is improving by all accounts, as he’s been the last player to leave the facilities quite a bit lately. This is confirmed by coaches and Eric Coleman’s twitter account, as well as Jerry McDonald’s blog.

That’s a step in the right direction, but the kid still knows it’s his job to lose. The benching seemed not to register with him at all. He’s got such a sense of entitlement that it really makes you sick as a fan.

This is a team at war with itself. It’s a team that should win with running and defense; instead, it’s a team that is handcuffed by a mandate to improve the passing game despite not really having the tools to do so.

The defense simply gave up on Sunday due to offensive ineptitude. Seriously. After we were down 7-0, the D pitched a three and out. After we were down 14-0, the team pitched another three and out. At one point in the first quarter the Jets had had four possessions, and had about two yards rushing and Sanchez was 2/5 for 16 yards.

Then, Russell threw his second interception when the team was marching down field to potentially get back in the game, and gave the Jets a short field for the third time.

The defense then said “see ya later,” and took the rest of the day off.

To improve the passing game we need a better offensive line, a quarterback who understands the NFL game better, and wide receivers that can get open and catch the ball when it’s thrown to them.

We currently have none of those things.

This is a team in search of an identity, and as such, shows many different personalities and many different faces; many of which are ugly.

This team needs to figure out whether they want to be the guys who show up inspired and want to win, or if they just want to go through the motions until the season ends and they can look forward to next year. We all prefer the latter, but really, just some constency one way or another.

Because we can’t take this Sybil act anymore.

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Oakland Raiders Week Seven: Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns

Welcome to another addition of Pressures, Hurries, and Knockdowns as it applies to our beloved Silver & Black. Even though they played well last weekend and are coming off a big win, there are still concerns, obviously. Let’s get to it.

 

PRESSURES

JaMarcus Russell

The defense won the game for us last weekend, but Russell showed a lot of poise, leadership, and confidence when he was on the field.

He has been much maligned this season, and I myself have called him out for an apparent apathy toward succeeding. A decent game last weekend (although spectacular by his standards thus far this season) does not answer all of our questions.

But from the outset against the Eagles last week, he looked like a different player. He seemed to have regained his confidence. He was moving around in the pocket, feeling the rush, and getting rid of the ball.

He made excellent usage of his check-downs to Gary Russell, and would’ve had an even better game if it weren’t for the usual drops in the first quarter by our green and inconsistent wide receivers.

Now, Russell needs to show that this offense can put up more than one touchdown. Because the defense, stout as it is and I expect it to continue to be, cannot be expected to hold teams to under 14 points every game.

Russell needs to step it in insofar as making more consistent plays down the field. He took a step in the right direction last weekend, but this offense is one of the worst in the NFL, and Fargas’ running, coupled with the stellar defense, helped shield this reality against the Eagles.

JaMarcus Russell is under pressure to show that he can put points on the board and have a large hand in winning games.

The Raider Nation knows what we have in our defense, we expect the return game to get on track soon, and our running attack is believed to be great (although that’s been an unfortunate mirage thus far, Fargas excepted).

The only piece of the puzzle left is the play of Russell. Without him making more plays more consistently, great efforts by our defense could possibly be wasted. He’s already shown this season he can play well in the fourth quarter when it counts.

But the game against the Eagles, and the subsequent confidence and talk from the locker room, has raised the bar in Raider land, and Russell’s occasional flashes just won’t cut it for much longer. He can do this; just more often is what we need.

 

John Marshall

Once again, the bar has been raised on the defensive side of the ball, and the pressure is on the D-Coordinator to, well, keep the pressure on.

We all loved the snarling, pin-your-ears back attack we saw last weekend. It was refreshing, swarming, and deliciously vicious. It was a thing of beauty.

Granted, the Eagles abandoning the run and having a less than healthy offensive line made them the absolute perfect opponent to blitz, but suffice it to say, Raider Nation finally saw it. And we liked what we saw.

If Marshall goes back to straight man schemes and 4-man rushes, and it doesn’t work as well as last week’s mixed bag of defensive marbles, then there will be a lot of unhappy fans. And, I daresay, unhappy defensive players.

 

HURRIES

• Chaz Schilens suffered a setback in practice on Friday, and as of today was still questionable. I’ve been saying this for weeks, this might be the week, but we need him so badly.
• Been hearing talk of Langston Walker or Khalif Barnes at right tackle, but haven’t found anything around to substantiate it. Cable has indicated Walker’s conditioning has improved, and Barnes is healthy. It remains to be seen what’s going to be done with the RT spot, especially if “Turnstile” Green returns anytime soon.
• Regardless of who plays RT, Erik Pears did a pretty good job last weekend. In fact, for a patchwork line thrown together, they did a hell of a job to a man last weekend.
• I knew drafting Zach Miller in the ninth round of my fantasy league would pay dividends one of these weekends. Here’s hoping that he and J-Rock keep it going, and of course not just for fantasy purposes.
• Speaking of fantasy, I also drafted Darren McFadden in the seventh round. That one hasn’t worked out so well. It’s strange; with his lack of production earlier this season, and his subsequent disappearing act during his injury, he’s become somewhat of a forgotten man in Raider land at the moment.

 

KNOCKDOWNS

Cut Justin Fargas; NOW!

Nope. Huggy Jr. was back with a vengeance last weekend, running with that ol’ familiar demolition-derby style, chewing up clock and yardage, and even leaving some Eagles in his wake.

The blood-and-guts Justin Fargas we all know and love was on full display with hard running between the tackles, bone-crushing blitz pickups on linebackers and linemen alike, and even a catch out of the backfield.

Many Raider fans were calling for Fargas to be tossed aside altogether. I wanted him to play a reduced role, but knew the coaching staff loved him and he was essential for blitz pickups, so he wasn’t going anywhere.

After he injured his groin earlier in the year and missed time at the beginning of the season, it was apparent that he was falling further behind both Bush and McFadden, and that the team would most certainly phase him out in favour of the younger dynamic duo.

But Fargas, as always, kept quiet, went to work, hit people, ran hard, and got his chances last weekend, where he made the most of it.

A key factor for Raider success is playing excellent defense and ball-control offense, and Fargas gives the team the best option at the latter right now. His running style simply wears the other team down.

Welcome back, Huggy, and keep up the excellent work.

 

Cable Guy is Going to Jail

Raider Nation: Hello folks. Tonight’s special will be crow, served piping hot. Your waiter tonight will be Randy. Please don’t look at him directly in the eyes; he’s a little unstable and quite frankly we don’t know what he’s capable of. 

Let us know when you’re ready to order.

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Oakland Raiders-Philadelphia Eagles: Raiders Man Up, Show Pride and Passion

We should all wish that Antonio Pierce had something to say about the Raiders every week.

One week removed from a performance that was as lackluster and inspired as it was embarrassing, the Oakland Raiders looked themselves in the eyes and asked “Are we not men?”

The answer, at least for three-and-a-half hours on Sunday, was “Yes. Fierce men.”

After laying an egg against the Giants in a 44-7 thrashing that honestly could’ve been 51-0 or worse, the Raiders were called out by New York linebacker Antonio Pierce.

Breaking an unwritten rule of team sports that makes it taboo for an opponent to question another team’s heart, desire, passion, and professionalism, Pierce saw a team that was so far in shambles that his statement was more one of pity than it was of criticism.

It was on these players as men with pride in themselves and their craft to answer the bell and come out fired up, proving critics, fans, and a very disillusioned Raider Nation that they were professional football players. Not frauds. Not humps happy to pick up a paycheck.

I’m happy to say that they shut my mouth, that’s for sure.

I don’t know if it was Pierce’s comments, or inspiration drawn from a fearless, hardcore pigeon that kept excellent contain on one particular Raider kickoff, but this was a different Raider team.

The pigeon gets a game-ball from me; he just flew down that field looking to hit someone. He owned that field; the strut and attitudinal head bob he showed fit right in with the swagger of the resurgent Raiders defense.

I hear Al Davis has signed him to a 5-year, $60 million contract with $25 million guaranteed.

This team came out like a house on fire. On defense, coordinator John Marshall finally decided to ignore conventional Raider wisdom and use his ultra-fast players to blitz the hell out of Donovan McNabb. Although half-joking he’ll probably get in trouble for it, after the success the defense had getting in the grill of McNabb, he may be wrong.

When Eagles LT Jason Peters went out of the game in the first quarter, the Raider line began licking their chops. Richard Seymour, solid but unspectacular the last couple of games, made the trenches his own personal Ironman triathlon.

Despite being held, slapped in the head, double/triple teamed, and even blatantly tripped on one play, Seymour set up camp in the Eagles’ backfield and refused to give up real estate. I’m not one for complaining about the officiating, but it was distinctly one-sided in this game; perhaps the refs felt sorry for the Eagles’ O-line.

Seymour pressured McNabb constantly, knocked him down a half-dozen times, and recorded two official sacks. He would’ve had three had he not been taken down by replacement LT who, while prostrate after Seymour manhandled him yet again, executed a technically flawless scissor-kick that would’ve made the Fabulous Moolah proud.

Trevor Scott, Tommy Kelly, Kirk Morrison, and Thomas Howard were also gigantic pains in McNabb’s rear. Imagine if Ellis was fully healthy? Inspired line play and good gap discipline. The Raiders intensity and creativity on defense completely and utterly took the Eagles out of their gameplan, and left them looking lost and scared. It was beautiful.

On the offensive side of the ball, we finally got that big play we’ve all been waiting for. I don’t when I’ve seen a better effort from a wide receiver than Louis Murphy’s one-man accompaniment of Zach Miller’s 86-yard touchdown romp.

First, Murphy lines up safety Quintin Mikell and absolutely blows him up. I mean, he pasted the dude. Before he even hits the ground, he’s running down field, looking for someone else to block. The unselfish sacrifice of Murphy is something we haven’t seen much in Raider land, and it was as refreshing and inspiring as it was exciting. Even though he hasn’t caught a pass in a while, from what I’ve seen, I love this kid.

JaMarcus Russell, whom I have been very very hard on recently, vindicated himself with a performance that was more about confidence, intelligence, and leadership than stats. Oh, his line was pretty good with 18/27 and 224 yds, a TD and 2 INT’s (one which was a deflection) but his presence was much, much more impressive.

His pocket presence, non-existent against the Giants, was impressive against the Eagles. Although the Eagles didn’t get a ton of pressure (great job, O-Line), when they did, Russell calmly slid out of the pocket and completed passes either to FB Gary Russell, or to Zach Miller.

On one play, Russell was snagged and heading for a sack. Before he went down, he showed his impressive lower-body strength by holding himself up just long enough to complete a flick to Gary Russell. He wasn’t even close to making plays like that last week.

The best thing about Russell’s performance was that his poise and improvement show he’s been working harder. He really does care, something nobody could be sure of a couple weeks ago. It’s not the win or the performance that say that to me; it’s the way he carried himself all day.

This team showed what it’s capable of against San Diego when they bring the fire and passion necessary to play football. They should’ve won that game, but didn’t know how to finish. Yesterday, there were a few encouraging things that say to me this team is growing, and will continue to do so: 

After Routt’s pick-six was taken away (by a horrid call; the flag wasn’t thrown until he was in the END ZONE), your average Raider team would pack it in and say “well, obviously it’s not our day.” This team didn’t do that. They played even more inspired.

Impressive. Growth JaMarcus Russell stated during the week he knows he needs to improve his leadership, but he’s not a vocal guy. We saw a much more poised, much more confident player on the field, and he got in some grills and did a great job reading defenses and dictating the plays to his offense. He also called audibles a couple of times and showed much better field awareness.

Growth. The defense got gashed for a couple of big plays, though no HUGE ones, and came back stout and disciplined. The tackling all day was solid, and everyone did their job and kept their responsibilities. Growth.

Nnamdi Asomugha was injured early in the game, and Stanford Routt played so surprisingly well that nobody really noticed. A good nickel back on this defense would be dangerous. Potential growth, if Routt keeps it up. 

Tom Cable realized not only his, but the entire team’s, backs were against the wall. Instead of glad-handing and cliches as has been his MO, he printed Pierce’s quote, held players accountable, and challenged them to prove everyone wrong. He also coached a hell of a game. That play-call on fourth down was as ballsy as it was creative, and if Russell lifts it just a little, potential touchdown. Growth.

This team did what they wanted to do in the beginning. They ran the ball well, got a lead, played spectacular defense and wore the Eagles down late. They controlled this game on both lines, and did a great job of managing the clock in every situation. Once again, good coaching. Growth. 

This is the best I’ve seen them look in a long time. Because it comes on the heels of such poor play and adversity, this performance is much more impressive than opening night. Nobody thinks the Raiders played great and forced the Eagles to play poorly. But if you watched the game, that’s exactly what happened.

I’ve never questioned the talent of this edition of our Raiders. We have multiple potential Pro-Bowlers on both sides of the ball (potential being the key word for some of the young guys). The talent was never lacking.

I questioned their heart and professionalism. They didn’t answer the call for two weeks afterward, both of which were more deflating losses than the last. However, when their backs were against the wall and when they were called out by a peer, they responded ferociously.

If this team plays with the fire and desire they did on Sunday, they can compete with anybody and win a lot more games. As encouraged as I was on Sunday, I want to see that twice in a row. If they bring it and bring it hard against the Jets, I’m convinced the season is turned around.

If they come out flat, then my cynical side will come out and it will be “same old Raiders.” Consistency is the new buzzword.

Heart and desire every single game. Bring the fire. Keep it up, and good things will happen.

Don’t, and our winged friend just may peck your eyes out. He obviously won’t suffer a lack of effort with his intensity.

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