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2010 NFL First round draft order: 1. St. Louis Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma
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Raiders play waiting game with JaMarcus Russell The rumors have not come to pass, for the moment. The Oakland raiders still employ quarterback JaMarcus Russell who was on the practice field Friday on day one of Oakland's three day mini camp this weekend at the raiders practice facility in Alameda, Ca.
Jason Campbell was there as well, throwing passes with all the other quarterbacks in camp. With Bruce Gradkowski watching from the sidelines due to a left shoulder injury the job is now wide open. Former Baltimore Ravens number one draft pick Kyle Boller is also trying to win the starting quarterback job out in Oakland. One Raider thinks it is great that there is so much competition at the quarterback position. "I think it can make each player a better player. It is a good thing to have some competition in practice. It helps keep you sharp. If you do not have any comp behind you on the bench it can make you lazy and complacent." said Oakland All Pro cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha after practice. Oakland has until the end of training camp this summer to decide if they are going to keep Russell or let him go and get nothing in return for the number one draft pick of 2007. Russell has been paid more than $36 million since the Raiders drafted him first overall in 2007. He is guaranteed $3 million more and will have a salary of $9.45 million if he makes the team this season. There is one minor catch to all of this. If JaMarcus gets hurt at anytime during mini or training camp Oakland owes him the nine million so it was kind of a surprise that Russell was on the practice field with the rest of the team. Jason Campbell, the latest QB that has been brought into the Raiders fold is the odds on favorite to start under center once the season begins. Jason threw foe 3,618-yards, 20-touchdowns and 15-interceptions last season for Washington. Washington went out a out Donovan McNabb from the Eagles and Campbell was on his way to Oakland. The mini camp also introduced Oakland's 2010 crop of rookies to the bay area. Rolando McClain out of Alabama is the next great ball tackler to play for the Raiders, or that is what Al Davis is hoping for. Al has so much faith in McClain that he shipped out Oakland's leading tackler the past four years, Kirk Morrison, to Jacksonville last week after the draft. That leaves the starting middle linebacker spot for McClain to take if he can. He has the credentials coming out of college. That will be decided during the summer. Right now Oakland just wants to see where everybody is at. You know the rookies are in shape. They have been doing workouts trying to impress the scouts and gets draft for two months now. How are the vets doing. The only major no show from the mini camp was starting defensive end Richard Seymour.
Al wheels and deals at 2010 NFL Draft and he has the Raider Nation thinking he has his man The Raiders made some solid picks during the 2010 NFL Draft, picks some say might help the Raiders get back into the playoffs in the near future. Oakland reached out to Alabama's Rolando McClain, a middle linebacker that is known for wrecking havoc on offense's. Oakland kept with their run stopping theme by selecting defensive tackle Lamarr Houston out of Texas. The Raiders have given up their fare share of rushing yards during their recent slide and that has got to stop if Oakland wants to play for another Super Bowl in the near future. Oakland gave up 24-rushing touchdowns last year, which was tied for worst in the NFL while allowing opposing rushers to pile up 155-yards a game on the ground. That was bad enough for 29th place out of 32 teams. Few teams can make the playoffs with that kind of defense and head coach Tom Cable made it clear before the draft that shoring up the middle of the defensive front was priority number one. many people think he did that was the selection of McClain with the 8th pick of the draft. McClain started the last three season at inside linebacker for the Crimson Tide, collecting the Butkus Award as the nations top linebacker after the 2008 season when Alabama won the national championship. Oakland reached out, way out, for their third round pick when they made a dream come true for Jared Veldheer, an offensive tackle from division 11 Hillsdale University. Hillsdale is in Michigan and in Veldheer Oakland has a player that started since his freshmen year in college. Jared is 6'8" and never gave up a sack in his four years of playing college football. That is impressive on any level, but the NFL is the hardest one of all, but the Raiders like his toughness and Veldheer showed well in the pre draft workouts against higher profile players from bigger schools. Oakland traded their second round pick (#39)to Tampa Bay for the 42nd pick in this year's draft and the 2010 5th round pick (#153). The Raider's did not stop there. they dealt that #42 pick to New England for the 44th pick of the draft and a 2010 6th rounder (#190.) To put it in perspective, the 39th pick turn into the 44th pick plus a 5th and 6th round pick. When Al is good he can be great. After three years of stacking the offense with players that can stretch the defense the Raiders addressed their defense. That was a good thing because people had grown tired of watching it get stretched and broken the past eight years. Oakland showed Jamarcus Russell that the writing is on the wall by trading for Washington quarterback Jason Campbell. Oakland only had to give up a 4th round pick in the 2012 draft. Oakland starter Bruce Gradkowski tore a muscle in his chest last week and with his injury problems last year, Oakland does not know if Gradkowski can hold up for a full 16-game season. Campbell comes to Oakland after playing five seasons in DC throwing 55 career touchdowns to 38 interceptions. Washington parted ways with their 2005 first round draft choice after landing Donovan McNabb from Philly. While Campbell might not be the long term answer, he still has a lot of upside and maybe a chance of scenery will be the spark he needs to get to that next level and lead a team into the playoffs. Campbell should be able to do one thing better then Russell. Avoid the rush. Jamarcus looks light a sitting duck when he drops back to pass. He does not have that sense of when somebody is about to hit him and he fumbles way to much. Sure Russell has shown signs of being that gut with a few comeback wins last year and it is still early in his career, but things need to come together fast for JaMarcus if he is going to make his mark in Oakland.
Raiders falter, lose to Washington at home Oakland came back home after their thrilling win in Pittsburgh looking for their first two game winning streak of the season. The Raiders hung tough with Washington on a wet and rainy day until their starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury. Oakland's chance to win seemed to limp off the field with him. Back up JaMarcus Russell came into the game and the Raiders only went backwards the rest of the game.
With Russell under center it was like target practice. Washington sacked JaMarcus six times in the second half and finished with eight sacks in the game. At one point Russell bounced up off the ground and seemed to asked if anybody would block for him. It did not seem like anybody would. JaMarcus had only two or three steps before he had a defender in his face. Who can throw the ball under those circumstances. It is almost like the team has given up on Russell, but did JaMarcus have it coming. Just one month ago after a bad game Russell put a lot of the blame about his poor play on the rest of the team saying he did not think he did anything wrong. Oakland took a quick 3-0 lead in the first quarter and they led 10-7 after Justin Fargas (9-carries, 21-yards) dove in from a yard out at the beginning of the second quarter. Fargas made it 10-7 Oakland early in the second quarter, but Washington would answer back with 10pts of their own before the half was over. The Raiders were heading into the locker tied at ten when their punt team let them down. Shane Lechler got off a great punt, forcing a fair catch at the Washington 10. Great, with 1:48 left in the half, it looked like Washington would just run out the clock and head into the locker room happy with a tie on the road. They were just 3-9 coming into the contest. Oakland was called for two penalties on the play. The first an interference with opportunity to catch the punt and that was followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on coach John Fassel. Instead of first and ten from the 10-yard line it was first and ten from the forty. It took Washington only four plays to cover the 60-yards, scoring on a Jason Campbell to Fred Davis from 17-yards out 56-seconds left. A third quarter field goal by the Raiders Sebastian Janikowski made it a 17-13 Washington game midway through the third quarter and it stayed that way until Washington put the Raiders away with 17-fourth quarter points. This was a home coming of sorts for three Washington players. Defensive linemen Andre Carter (Oak Grove High School, San Jose) and Lorenzo Alexander (St. Mary's High School, Berkeley) both went to Cal-Berkeley and running back Quinton Ganther (Kennedy High School Richmond) were all playing in front of friends and family. All of the three gave the home town folks a show. Carter put on quite a show.The former San Francisco 49ers is used to playing in front of a home crowd. Seven tackles and two sacks later Andre showed he can still get it done. Quinton rushed for only 50-yards in the game, but he had a 42-yard pass reception down to the Raiders 26 that helped set up Washington's first first score. Quinton also ended any hopes of a Raiders comeback with two one yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter. Lorenzo was all over the place. The third year nose tackle got quite a workout. He played on all punt, field goal and kick off returns before taking over the nose guard duties for the fourth quarter. The Raiders must now figure out who will be under center for them the rest of the season. How bad is Gradkowski. He was walking around on the sidelines during the second half. It did not look like he even got hit on the play he was hurt. Bruce stepped up in the pocket to beat the rush during a pass play and threw the ball down field. That is how the Raiders are rolling right now. They find a quarterback that can make the offense work and he gets hurt without getting touched. JaMarcus led the Raiders to their only points of the second half, a 54-yard field goal by Janikowski. That put an end to Russell's best drive of the game, a nine play, 20-yard masterpiece. After that it was 8-plays, 8-yards and a punt. 1-play (interception), 3-plays (-4yards) punt, 4-plays (-6yards) punt. The interception came right after Quinton scored his first touchdown of the game, making it 24-13 Washington. Quinton scored four plays after the pick to make it 31-13 Washington. Game over. Raiders head coach Tom Cable might want to give his third stringer, Charlie Fry a chance to start. Russell showed he still needs some time to work on his game. Washington had to do everything they could to get to Gradkowski for a sack, but when JaMarcus came into the game it was like target practice. Russell has to learn that avoiding the rush is just as important as throwing the ball down field. Photo's click here
Home grown kid goes home and shines He was the next best thing to come out of the area. One of the best high school quarterback to ever grace the Western Pennsylvania football landscape, Bruce Gradkowski is a legend right up there with Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas.
For the fifth time in six losses the Steelers (6-6) couldn’t hold a fourth quarter lead. Pittsburgh blew leads of 10-6, 17-13 and 24-20 in the 4th and gave up 21-4th quarter points to a Raiders team that averages just over ten points a game. It took a little while for Gradkowski (20 of 33, 308-yards, 3-TDs) and the Raiders offense to heat up, but once it did the Steelers could do little to stop the Oakland machine from getting into end zone. Gradkowski played his best game since taking over under center and against Pittsburgh Sunday Gradkowski threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter in the win. Oakland, one of the leagues lowest scoring teams, had thrown only five touchdowns passes before Sundays game in Pittsburgh. Things begin to heat up in the fourth quarter and the Steelers in front 10-6. It took until the 8:17 minute if the fourth quarter for the Raiders to reach the end zone. Gradkowski hooked up with Chaz Schilens on a 17-yard touchdown pass to give Oakland their first lead of the game, 13-10. Each teams defense had been playing great up to that point, but for the rest of the game the offenses were on display. Pittsburgh regained the lead with a three yard run by Rashard Mendenhall that was set up by a Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes pass that went for 57-yards. Oakland came right back down the field and scored when Gradkowski and Murphy hooked up on a 75-yard pitch and catch touchdown that put Oakland up 20-17 with 5:16 left to play in the game. Pittsburgh answered back with a 80-yard drive that was finished off when Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward from 11-yards out to take a 20-17 lead with 1:56 left in the game. The Raiders had one more answer. Gradkowski. He is starting to look like one of the best late game quarterbacks in the NFL. He is 2-1 as a starter for the Raiders and both wins were capped by last second touchdown passes by Gradkowski. The Pittsburgh game was no different. The winning drive started at the Oakland 12 with 1:48 left in the game. It ended with nine seconds left with the ball in the hands of Murphy standing alone in the corner of the end zone. Gradkowski made the plays when he had to. He was just 5 of 10 during the last drive but all of his passes were at least 11-yards or more. Oakland had just one third down situation during the final drive. On 3rd and 10 from the Oakland 29, Gradkowski hit Todd Watkins for 12-yards and it was 1st or second down the rest of the way to the end zone. The Raiders are now 4-8 and looking to improve on that when Washington comes calling Dec. 13th. game time is 1:05pm.
Raiders slip up in 24-7 Turkey Day loss at Big D After three games in 12-days the Oakland Raiders welcomed their Sunday off. They were only able to win one of those games when they beat Cincinnati. They headed out to Dallas to play in the Cowboys brand spanking new mega stadium before a national television audience on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys gave thanks for a Raiders defense that gave up big play after big play in the loss. Oakland played just well enough to keep things from getting out of hand, but breakdowns and missed assignments cost them on the scoreboard. The Raiders allowed 386 yards on Dallas' 10 longest plays, while holding the Cowboys to 108 on the other 46 snaps. Overall, Oakland has yielded an NFL-worst 54 plays that have gone at least 20 yards, 15 on the ground and 39 through the air. Oakland gave up 494-yards of total offense which is the most a Raiders defense has given up since Tennessee gained 527 in 2004. Dallas did not have to work hard at all to get into the end zone. None of their touchdown drives were shorter then 52-yards and they did not need many plays to score. 59-yards in five plays, field goal. 89-yards in six plays taking only 2:21 off the clock, touchdown. 80-yards in just seven plays in only 3:57, touchdown. That last drive made it 17-0 Cowboys with :31 left on the clock and it effectively ended the game. Oakland has scored more then 17pts twice all season. They beat Cincinnati 20-17 last week and they lost 24-20 to San Diego the first game of the season. While Dallas was picking their spots to exploit Oakland's D, the Raiders could not get much of anything going on offense. Oakland has not Starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski passed for only 200-yards on 18 for 35 passing with one touchdown. Gradkowski did not throw an interception in the loss. 65 of those yards came on Oakland's final drive against a Dallas defense that was just trying to get the game over with. Bruce did a good job of keeping all of his receivers in the game. He spread his 18-completions around to eight different receiver's, but he could not hit anybody for a big gain to answer back when the Cowboy's hit a big one. and there were plenty of them. There was one defender who could hold his head up after the contest. That was new starting outside linebacker Trevor Scott. Scott got the start in front of Thomas Howard and he made the most of it collecting two sacks in the game. Oakland's running game was not much of a factor against Dallas. Justin Fargas led the team with 65-yards rushing on 12-carries, but the rest of the team could only muster up 31-yards between Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. There was one bright spot for the Raiders on offense. Darrius Heyward-Bey caught his first touchdown in the NFL, a four yard pitch and catch that got the Raiders on the board in the third quarter. Heyward-Bey finished the game with just two catches for 21-yards. Unlike the Cowboys Oakland had to earn their money. Heyward-Bey's touchdown finished off a 11-play 88-yard drive that took 7:16 off the clock. The Raider have another road game next week. This time Oakland hits the road to face their longtime rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Oakland could be going up against one of their own when they take the field against Pittsburgh. San Leandro High grad Dennis Dixon got the start for the Steelers in their overtime loss to Baltimore Sunday night due to Steelers starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffering a concussion. If Big ben can't go Sunday, look for Dixon to get the start. oakland returns home dec. 13th to face Washington.
Oakland dusts themselves off, beat Cincy 20-17 at home The Raider's fell into an early hole against Cincinnati before getting back into the game with a late first half touchdown. Oakland added just enough defense and special teams to come back and beat Cincinnati.
Bruce Gradkowski made his first start in an Oakland uniform and he came through with a game saving drive late in the fourth quarter. It was the second week in a row that Gradkowski has marched the Raiders down the field when Oakland needed a touchdown late in the game to win. Last week a pass from Gradkowski went right through the hands of Darrius Heyward-Bey at the Kansas City ten yard line that was intercepted, icing the game for K.C. Gradkowski found himself in the same situation Sunday against Cincy. Oakland was down seven (17-10) with 3:20 left in the game, first and ten at the Oakland 20. 11-plays later (ten passing) Gradkowski picked up single coverage on Louis Murphy deep by the goal line. Murphy caught the ball and fought his way into the end zone. Sebastian Janikowski hit the extra point and the game was tied at 17 with 33-second left in the game. Simply kick off, a couple of deep passes by the Bengals Carson Palmer and we were headed to over time. Oakland caught the break they have been looking for when Cincy kick returner Andre Caldwell lost the Bengal's fifth and last fumble on the kick return well within Janikowski's range. All that was left was a couple of quarterback dives straight into the line to make Cincy waste their last two timeouts. Janikowski did his thing with 15-seconds left, kicking a game winning 33-yard field goal. Palmer got his chance to go deep, but a last ditch pass was picked off inside the Raiders five. The Raiders played like they wanted to lose in the first quarter. They gave up a couple of 3rd and over twenty yard first down conversions as Cincinnati jumped out to a 14-0 lead. Oakland could not get out of their own way at first. The Bengal's fumbled five times, the first one Oakland recovered at the Cincy 35-yard line. The next play Gradkowski fumbled the snap right back to the Bengal's. Oakland began their comeback late in the first half. Gradkowski warmed up for his game tying drive with a nine play, 71-yard drive that started with 3:46 left in half and ended when Gradkowski hit tight end Zach Miller with a ten yard touchdown over the middle. The last minute touchdown drive was only part of the story. Oakland left only 49-seconds on the clock when they scored and the defense gave the team another chance when they forced Cincy to punt with 29-seconds left in the half. The Raiders could not do anything with the ball, but the tone was set and the Raiders only allowed a third quarter field goal after the Bengals early touchdowns. Cincinnati scored touchdowns one two of their first three drives. Their last eight drives Oakland's D forced four punts, a missed field goal, a fumble, an interception and a 25-yard Shayne Graham field goal. The Raiders running game rushed for 92-yards on 24-carries spread out between Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Gradkowski scrambles. Bruce was an effective 17 of 34 for 183-yards passing, two touchdowns and one pick. He did not get sacked and other then his fumbled snap did nothing to put the Raiders at a disadvantage. You can't say that about Jamarcus Russell, who is good, but needs some more seasoning. Russell has a hard time avoiding the rush and Sunday's game against the Bengal's showed the Raiders have a decent offensive line. No sacks in any NFL regular season game is great and Oakland needs to play like that against everybody. Oakland had not won since beating Philly four games ago.
Raiders stay close, lose at home to Kansas City The Oakland Raiders fought hard against their AFC Wrest rivals from Kansas City only to have their comeback attempt slip through their fingers. Well make that Darrius Heyward-Bey's fingers at the end of the game. Oakland was marching towards a possible go ahead score with just seconds left in the game, but a Bruce Gradkowski to Heyward-Bey pass hit Heyward-Bey right in the hands before hitting him in the helmet and bouncing up in the air. Kansas City's Mike Brown was johnny on the spot, plucking the ball out of the air at the Chiefs ten yard line to end all hope of a comeback. It was Browns second interception in as many drives. Oakland started out great. Their second play from scrimmage was a simple off tackle dive run that Michael Bush turned into a 60-yard gain. Just when it looked like Oakland would make a big statement, Bush was dragged down from behind at the four.
It stayed the same for a while before it got worse. After That 60-yard burst by Bush the Raiders never got into striking distance again and all they could muster was a 50-yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal late in the first quarter. Starting quarterback Jamarcus Russell was benched in favor of Gradkowski late in the third quarter. Russell could not move the team much at all after his hand off to Bush early in the first quarter. It was not all his fault. If he was not over throwing open wide receiver's they were dropping his passes. Russell was 8 of 23 (64-yards passing). It was the second home game in a row that Russell has been pulled. Oakland's defense was doing everything they could to keep the Raiders in the game. Kansas City and their new quarterback Matt Cassell were not marching up and down the field on Oakland. The Raiders did not give up the lead until midway through the third quarter. A Ryan Succop 25-yard field goal turned out to be the winning score and it up KC up 13-10. The Raiders then turned to Gradkowski to try and get back in front. Bruce was 4 of 8 for 46-yards and two interceptions. Not quite what head coach Tom Cable had in mind. Gradkowski was on point when it mattered the most, late in the fourth quarter with the Raiders down 16-10. Oakland got the ball back one last time with 1:45 left in the game at their own 20-yard line. Gradkowski had completions of 9 and 14-yards sandwiched around a nine yard scramble. oakland was on the move, first and ten from the Kansas City 48 Gradkowski hit Heyward-Bey on a 22-yard out route down to the Chiefs 26 with 30-seconds left in the game. Disaster struck on the next play when Gradkowski threw a perfect ball to Heyward-Bey who let it slip right through his fingers. Heyward-Bey does know to get open. He was open the last two times the got the ball thrown to him. He was also open in the second quarter when Russell went deep down field, hitting Heyward-Bey with a perfect strike at the Kansas City five yard line. The ball went right through Heyward-Bey's hands. Oakland's defense did make one mistake. On fourth and 1 from midfield early in the second quarter, the Chiefs decided to go for it. It was a good choice. New running back Jamaal Charles busted through the side of the line and went just about un touched into the end. Charles was on the team because Kansas City let go long time tailback Larry Johnson last week. It did not matter who was running the ball for KC. The Chiefs have won just five of their last 35-games. Three of those wins have come against the Raiders in Oakland. Just another chapter in one of the most heated rivalries in sports. The Raiders will tee it up against next week when they host the hot Cincinnati Bengals Nov. 22nd. game time is 1:05pm. Raiders v. Kansas City photo's click here
Oakland falls just short of San Diego, lose 24-16 down south San Diego , Ca. (11/1/09) It was right there for the taking. The Oakland Raiders, losers of 13 in a row to the San Diego Chargers, had a fourth and goal from the Chargers two yard line early in the fourth quarter down 21-13. Head coach Tom Cable brought out his field goal unit and they converted on a short, 28-yard field goal. The Raiders had battled back from a 21-7 hole with two quarters of good defense, they had the Chargers on the ropes. Instead the Raiders let off the gas, kicked the field goal and San Diego put together a long drive that put the game away. They showed up. they played well, staying close all game, but they also lost to San Diego for the 13th time in a row. This time Oakland was on the wrong end of a 24-16 score on the road in San Diego. San Diego hit Oakland early. Quarterback Phillip Rivers hit wide receiver Malcolm Floyd on a 53-yard pass play down to the six on the games first play. LaDainian Tomlinson scored from the wildcat formation a play later and the Raiders were in a quick 7-0 hole. The scored stayed the same until Oakland got on the board in the second quarter. The Raiders defense got them back in the game. A Rivers pass to wide out Vincent Jackson was picked off by Raiders corner back Chris Johnson who returned the ball to the Chargers 20-yard line. Oakland running back Justin Fargas (13-carries, 59-yards) finished off the short drive with a three yard touchdown. The Raiders defense had played well since San Diego's first drive of the game, but they could not hold down San Diego for long. The Chargers answered Oakland's score with two straight touchdown drives to go up 21-7 before the half. Rivers (16 of 25 for 249 yards) hit a wide open Jackson on an eight yard touchdown. The next time San Diego had the ball Tomlinson finished off a 8-play, 80-yard drive with a tem yard burst up the middle for a touchdown. The two TD's gave LT 28 against the Raiders, easily the most against any team in the NFL for LaDainian. One week after getting benched in a loss against the New York Jets starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell was 14 os 22 for 109-yards and an interception. Oakland gave their running a chance with 27-carries but they gained just 99-yards. Justin Fargas had 18-of those carries and 58-of the yards to lead Oakland. The Raiders passing game failed to show up against San Diego. Tight end Zach Miller led the team with five catches for 52-yards,but Oakland's wide receiver's combined for only four catches (23-yards). It is hard to win with numbers like that from your passing game, but somehow the Raiders were able to claw their way back into the game with the help of three Sebastian Janikowski field goals. The third one was from 28-yards out in the fourth quarter made it 21-16 San Diego with 12-minutes left in the game. Down 21-13 late in the third quarter, Oakland caught a break when Chargers return man Darren Sproles fumbled away the ball at Oakland's 47. Gary Russell pounced on the ball and the Raiders were in business. Oakland moved the ball down the field with the running game, but on third and 13 from San Diego's 21 Russell completed a 11-yard pass to Fargas. Fourth and two with almost a full quarter left to play head coach Tom Cable should have rolled the dice and went for it. At this point the Raiders do not have thing to lose. Sure, down by eight you have to score twice, but you have to show faith in your team to be able to come through. Oakland had control of the game at that point and a touchdown would have had the Chargers on their heels. San Diego answered back with a 15-play, 83-yard drive that took almost eight minutes off the clock. Nate Keading kicked a 28-yard field goal to end the scoring. Jets run over Raiders in 38-0 blowout Oakland, Ca. (10/24/09) - The Oakland Coliseum was a perfect background for the New York Jets to turn-around a 3-game skid. The Jets (4-3) shutout the Oakland Raiders 38-0 with a fearless ground attack in front of 39,354 discontented fans. Many fans became "boo" birds as the Raiders (2-4) started off on the wrong foot from the outset. JaMarcus Russell had a fumble and two interceptions in the first quarter. Two of his turnover led to Jets touchdowns. "I don't think we can afford to go out and get behind early." Coach Tom Cable assessed. "We need to keep it a nose to nose game, or get ahead if we can. The three turnovers that led to 14 points hurt." On the opening play of the game Russell dropped back to pass and was hit by Jets linebacker Calvin Pace. He fumbled and the Jets recovered the ball on Oakland's 4 yard-line. Four plays later running back Thomas Jones scampered in for a 1 yard touchdown less than two minutes into the game. That was just the beginning of the landslide. New York controlled the ground attack for the remainder of the game, rushing for 316 yards. New York cleared 300-yards on the ground in their loss last week and they became the first team to rush for 300-yards in back to back games since O.J. Simpson helped the Buffalo Bills do it way back in 1976.
He galloped for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 carries, easily the best game of his young career. Before playing the Raiders, he rushed a total of 7 times for 30 yards over the entire season. "I just tried to do what I can," the 5'11 running back from Iowa surmised. "I followed the offensive line today. They did a great job sustaining blocks. I credit them with all the hard work and giving me lanes to run through." When asked about his first career touchdown, he responded, "It was a great feeling. I was not content. I know I would have to go out there and get some more work in." Green ended up with a lot of reps after Leon Washington went down with a compound fracture of his right leg with 9:53 left in the first half. Oakland was simply horrible on offense in the first half. It did not get much better in the second half. Oakland finished with just 263-yards of total offense, the Jets had 447-yards. New York ran 70-plays to the Raiders 52 and the Jets held onto the ball for over 35-minutes. The Raiders offensive woes forced head coach Tom Cable to replace Russell (6-of-11 for 61 yards) in the second quarter with fourth year quarterback Bruce Gradkowski from Toledo University. "After the second interception, I talked to (him) and let him know I was going to make a change," Cable said. "Right now JaMarcus is still the starting quarterback." Gradkowski entered the game with relief applause from the fans. His presence seemed to ignite Oakland as he came in and the Raiders began moving the ball. He completed 10-of-19 attempts for 97 yards, but he had a fumble of his own in the third quarter that stopped a Raiders drive deep into Jets territory, ending the Raiders best chance to score. "We knew what we needed to do today," Gradkowski said. "The Jets weren't stopping us. We were strong ourselves. We can't turn the ball over like that. I fumbled one where we had a real nice drive going. We could have put points up on that drive." Cable was happy with the effort of his backup QB but not with the result. "Bruce came in and moved us around the field," Cable stated. "At the end of the day we need to get the ball in the end zone." They also need to stop their opponents from finding the end zone so easily. Last week the Raiders defense stymied Donovan McNabb and the Philadelphia Eagles. They would have expected it an easier job to controlling rookie Mark Sanchez, who has been having a slump of his own. Last week Sanchez committed 5 interceptions in a loss to Buffalo. This time the Jets followed their game-plan perfectly and ran 54 times averaging almost 6 yards a carry and reduced their passing attempts to 15. Oakland defensive end Richard Seymour, who guaranteed a Raider playoff birth in an interview last week, said, "We didn't create any turnovers. We didn't stop the run. I don't think we could have beaten an Oakland high school team today." The problem is -- he might be right.
Oakland steps up to the plate, beat Philly 13-9 The Oakland Raiders came into their game against the high flying Eagles looking to get back on track in the 2009 NFL regular season. At 1-3 the Raiders were desperate for a win. The Eagles came into Oakland on a roll at 3-1 and starting quarterback Donovan McNabb back under center. McNabb missed two weeks with broken ribs before returning last week to throw three touchdowns in a 33-14 Eagles win over Tampa Bay. The Raiders played their best game of the season, constantly pressuring McNabb and keeping the Eagles out of the end zone in the win. Oakland looked nothing like the team that fell flat on their faces in a 44-7 loss to the New York Giants last week. Oakland came out from the get go, playing strong defense. The Eagles took a 3-0 lead, their last of the game in the first quarter. Oakland would take the lead for good when quarterback JaMarcus Russell hit tight end Zach Miller with a simply looking pass over the middle. Miller caught the ball in full stride, shook two players and out ran the rest for a 87-yard touchdown. Miller had help on the way. Wide receiver Louis Murphy made three blocks on the play. The first one came on the Raiders 40 and the last two 80-yards down the field near the ten that allowed Miller to reach pay dirt. The teams would trade field goals the rest of the game as each defense took turns controlling the game. As much was expected of an Eagles defense going up against a Raiders team that is next to last in the NFL in yards gained and points scored. Oakland was three points above their 10pts a game average and their defense made it hold up. They did by holding the Eagles to 67-yards rushing and sacking McNabb six times. Can Oakland play this way the rest of the season. Their defense has shown signs this year, but Oakland needs to play good hard noise defense game in and game out. Oakland got great efforts from all levels of their defense. From Richard Seymour on the defensive line, Thomas Howard roaming around at linebacker or cornerback Chris Johnson, the Raiders D came ready to play.
Defensive tackle Richard Seymour un-leased himself on the Eagles offense, collecting two sacks and creating a fumble. He was doing the best he could not to get blocked. Howard (4-tackles, one sack) was all over the field, covering backs and tight ends on pass routes and helping to stuff Philly's running game. Johnson has been picked on all season, but against the Eagles he held his own, with two pass deflections and four tackles. When Oakland had the ball they were able to control the clock and keep McNabb off the field with their running game. Justin Fargas carried the ball 23-times for 87-yards. Fargas, starting because of injuries to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, seemed to get stronger as the game went on. JaMarcus Russell had a decent day under center for Oakland. He finished the game 17 of 28 for 224-yards, one touchdown but two interceptions. Russell hit on 60% of his passes and he had a big completion on 3rd down to help Oakland run out the clock at the end of the game. Third down is where you make your money in the NFL and the Raiders have been one of the leagues worst the past couple of years. So there they were, up 13-9 with 2:02 left in the game and Oakland was looking at 3rd and 10 from their 44-yard line. The Eagles had just used their last time out to put a little more pressure on the Raiders. No problem. Russell took the snap and calmly stayed out of the way of an Eagles all out blitz and hit split end Greg Russell on a little swing pass for a 13-yard gain. Game over. Oakland ran a out of plays like that for Russell and it worked. Russell looked comfortable in the pocket and he was making better choices about where he went with the ball. Things are now looking up for Oakland. The New York Jets is next up for the Raiders in Oakland. After starting the season 3-0, th the Jets and their rookie starting quarterback have hit hard times. The Jets have lost three straight, the latest, a 16-13 set back to Buffalo in which Mark Sanchez threw five interceptions. This seems like a game Oakland should win, if they can play like they did against the Eagles. The game was never more then one play away from the lead changing hands, yet Oakland never really let the eagles have a chance. There were no blown coverage's at the end of the game,no easy second and long or easy third down conversions for the Eagles offense and the fans loved it. It took a little while, there were a smattering of boo's directed towards the Raiders offense until Russell hooked with with Miller on their little pitch and catch that went for a 87-yard TD. After that two Sebastian Janikowski field goals and a whole lotta defense was all the Raiders would need to win.
Oakland fail's to show up in NYC Oakland hit the Big Apple Sunday to take on the New York Giants trying to stop their two game slide. They will have to look else where after New York put a 44-7 beat down on the Silver & Black. This one was a ugly as the score looked. New York out gained the Raiders 483-yards to 124 and they held the ball for more then 36-minutes of the game. JaMarcus Russell has had better days. He was sacked six times and he fumbled three times, losing all three. Russell was 8 of 13 for 100-yards passing. The only Raider score came from the legs of running back Michael Bush (12-carries, 37-yards) who scampered in from five yards out to make it a 28-7 Giants lead two minutes before the half. Oakland's defense could do nothing right trying to stop the Giants. The Raiders defense gave up drives of 77, 79 and 94-yards the first three times they were on the field. It might be time to sit down JaMarcus and let him soak up some more game for a couple of weeks. His play has slipped each week and Oakland is not scoring any points. Of course that is not all his fault. The Raiders offensive line is not getting off the ball with any kind of a push. The running game has all but vanished and the six sacks given up kept Russell gun shy all game. At 1-4 it does not get any easier for the Raiders. They have two games at home up next. First the Eagles come to town before the New York Jets come calling. Philly welcomed back starting quarterback Donovan McNabb back into the starting line up last week against Tampa Bay. McNabb, out since week one with broken ribs, passed for 264-yards and three touchdowns in the Eagles 33-14 win Tampa Bay.
Oakland Raiders fall 23-3 to the Denver Bronco's The Oakland Raiders hosted their AFC rivals, the Denver Bronco's Sunday looking to grab a share of the AFC West lead. It was not to be as the Bronco's manhandled Oakland's offense on their way to a 3-0 start of their own. The Raiders could not get anything going. Starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell passed for only 61-yards and Oakland's running game failed to produce 100-yards total. Oakland knew coming into their game against the Bronco's that Denver has had one of the best defense so far this season. the Bronco's showed them why Sunday as never let the Raiders anywhere near the end zone. It took a play by the Raiders defense to get Oakland into the red zone. Down 20-3, the Raiders forced Denver's first turnover all season when Correll Buckhalter fumbled at his own 11-yard line. A fumble by tailback Darren McFadden at the Denver two yard line a couple of plays later put an end to any hope of an Oakland comeback. This was the second game out of three that Denver has kept their opponent out of the end zone and they have given up just 16pts total in their first three games of the 2009 season. All of this coming from a team that had their hands around each other's throat during the past off season. First long time head coach Mike Shannon was fired and replaced by the fresh faced Josh McDaniels. The Raiders could never get any of their running backs off. McFadden (45-yards on 12-carries) led the way for a rushing attack that gained just 95-yards total in the game. Oakland's passing game was even worse. Louis Murphy topped the list with 25-yards receiving. It is hard to beat anybody when your lead receiver gets only 25-yards. Oakland's defense played better then the stats looked. Sure they gave up 215-yards rushing (that is never good) but they kept the team in the game despite the two first quarter interception Russell threw. Twice Oakland stopped the Bronco's offense when they drove inside the five. Once they kept Denver out of the end zone on 4th and 1 when former Raider Lamont Jordan was stopped short of the goal line. A couple of plays later Russell threw his first pick of the game and the bronco's converted it into a Kyle Orton to Brandon Marshall touchdown pass. Next up for Oakland is a trip Houston to play the Texans in a game that is like a playoff game to the team. A win and they are 2-3, but still within striking distance of the top of the AFC West. A loss and they will hit rock bottom with the playoffs just about out of the question. It would give them a 1-3 AFC record and Oakland would trail in just about every tie breaking situation that could up at the end of the season when it comes to making the playoffs. Sebastian Janikowski provided the only raiders points of the game when he nailed a 48-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 Denver lead with six minutes left in the first half.
Oakland gets first win, beat KC 13-10 This was a game Oakland has lost in the past.The Raiders, fresh off their last minute defeat at the hands of San Diego, picked themselves off the ground and came back to beat Kansas City 13-10 at Arrowhead Stadium. The win was sealed when tailback Darren McFadden took a pitch and scooted in from five yards out with 1:07 left in the game. That capped off a nine play, 69-yard drive. The winning drive answered a KC score, 29 yard pass from Chief's starting quarterback Matt Hassell to Dwanye Bowe with just over two minutes left in the game. Up to that point Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell was having a game to forget. He finished the game just 7 of 24 passing (109-yards), but he did not turn the ball over and he was good when Oakland needed him the most. Russell was 4 0f 7 passing for 67-yards. He had more then half his completions and half his yards in the game winning drive. JaMarcus showed he can be a big time quarterback in this league, but he also has to improve on his passing. Russell was off the mark all game, missing open receiver's until late in the fourth quarter. KC will look back on this game and wonder why they lost. Kansas City gained 409-yards of offense, but they hurt themselves with two interceptions and nine penalties. Oakland is the team that usually makes those mistakes. The biggest penalty came on the Raiders game winning drive. On 1 and 15 from the Raiders 40, defensive tackle Wallace Gilberry committed a person foul when he landed on a downed Russell. First and ten and the Raiders were on their way. The game was a 6-3 snoozer until the last half of the fourth quarter. Sebastian Janikowski hit field goals of 48 and 54-yards in the game. Safety Michael Huff continued his strong play with two more interceptions. Next up is a date with the Denver Bronco's at home Sept. 27th. Denver is off to a 2-0 start and they split with the Raiders last year winning 41-10 and losing 31-10. Oakland (1-1) has a chance to get into a first place tie if they can get past the Bronco's. oakland did have some bad news in the win at KC. Starting offensive lineman Robert Gallery broke his tibula and will be out six to eight weeks.
Oakland shows signs of coming around in loss to San Diego It was right there for Oakland. They had just converted on 4th and 15 late in the 4th quarter, taking the lead when quarterback JaMarcus Russell hit rookie wide receiver Louis Murphy on a 57-yards touchdown strike to give the Raiders a 20-17 lead with just 2:34 left in the game.
The Oakland Coliseum was alive and rocking for the first time in a while. Could the Raiders beat San Diego for the first time in years. It was not to be. San Diego closed out the Raiders with a 89-yard drive that was finished off by a 5-yard run by scat back Darren Sproles with just 18-seconds left in the game. Heartbreaking to say the least, but it showed how far Oakland has come in a year. Or does it? Some look at the game and say the glass is half full and then there are the one's who will claim it is as half empty as ever. To the Raiders credit, they came out and took the game to San Diego. The first time Oakland had the ball they ran it down the Chargers throat. Michael Bush started with Darren McFadden coming off the bench. Justin Fargas was deactivated with a sore hamstring. Bush and Mcfadden had things rolling in the first quarter. Oakland drove deep into San Diego territory the first time they had the ball, but a JaMarcus Russell interception at the Chargers 5 kept the Raiders from getting on the board early. The Raiders took a 7-0 lead when Michael Bush powered in from four yards out. That capped off a 84-yard drive and it looked like the Raiders plan of a balanced offense was going to work. Bush and McFadden combined for 41-yards rushing while Russell threw for 47-yards in the drive. Oakland was moving the ball with one of the youngest group of skill players in the league. The Raiders started two rookie wide receivers, Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey. McFadden and Bush have yet to see there 4th year in the league. The Raiders hurt them selves with turnovers early. McFadden fumbled the third time the Raiders had the ball to stop a promising drive into Chargers territory. Two turnovers the first three times they had the ball. at least they happened on the Chargers side of the field, which is somewhat of a change and it shows they could move the ball. The Raiders welcomed defensive lineman Richard Seymour into the fold and he made an instant impact recording two sacks in the first half of the game. You could tell the difference on the defensive line with Seymour in the line up. He was attacking the Chargers backfield and he made everybody else on the defensive line play better. Even Tommy Kelly was getting pressure on the quarterback and stuffing the run. Great players tend to have that kind of affect and the double teams Seymour was drawing helped as well. Seymour stopped the Chargers the first they had the ball. He sacked San Diego QB Phillip Rivers for a five yard loss and then came right back the next play and stopped LaDainian Tomlinson for no gain. The Raiders were able to hold LT to just 55-yards on 13-carries. Gone were the open fields LT used to see in the Raiders defense over the years. He had to earn every yard he got. LT did score, but he did not finish the game leaving with a hurt ankle in the second half. That let back up Darren Sproles shine. Sproles was all over the place for San Diego. Before he got a chance to run the ball Darren was returning kicks, Sproles carried nine times for 23 yards, caught five passes for 43 yards, returned three punts for 10 yards and five kickoffs for 170 yards. That's 246-yards of total offense, the last five gave the Chargers the win. The Raiders looked like they were going to take a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when JaMarcus hooked up with Murphy with what looked like a touchdown pass with under a minute left in the first half. Murphy caught the ball in the air, came down with both feet hitting the ground before landing on his rear end. He rolled over with the ball still in his hands before it hit the ground when he was on his stomach. The view from the replay both made the ref think Murphy dropped the ball, no TD. The Raiders were forced settle for a 37-yard, Sebastian Janikowski field goal. Nobody knew at the time but the last forty seconds of the first half were a sign of things to come. The Chargers were able to drive down the field and answer back with a game tying field goal of their own on the last play of the first half. They were just getting warmed up.
Raiders add Richard Seymour to the mix In a surprise move the oakland Raiders took a step towards fixing their defense with a trade with the New England Patriots for All Pro defensive lineman Richard Seymour on the eve of the 2009 NFL season.
The Raiders gave up a 2011 first round pick for Seymour who has yet to report to the Oakland facilities in Alameda to take his physical. Oakland does not know when they will see their new defensive tackle. If he does make it out to the west coast Oakland could sure use his skill on their defensive line. The 29-year-old Seymour was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall in 2001, and started 105 of 111 games over eight seasons. He made 460 tackles and 39 sacks, and in 2002 was selected to the first of five consecutive Pro Bowls. The Raiders have not been able to stop the run at all this pre season, but adding a player that does not want to be here, no matter how good, might not be the answer. Sure Seymour should act like a pro and play out the final year of his contract. Oakland is still the NFL and in the weak AFC West Oakland actually has a chance if they play like they did closing out the 2008 season. Remember Oakland did go into Tampa bay and end the Buc's season when Tampa needed a win to get into the playoffs. JaMarcus Russell looked like he had figured something out and the Raiders looked like a real team. Richard held out against New England a couple of years ago and I am sure that had a little bit to do with the team accepting the Raiders offer. The Raiders named Kirk Morrison the starting middle linebacker for the Monday night affair against San Diego to open the season. Morrison had been in a so called battle with Ricky Brown during this pre season. Morrison was the NFL's fifth leading tackler in 2008 so Brown had to play well to beat Kirk out. Morrison hurt is shoulder in the teams second pre season game against San Francisco. Brown had the chance to really show what he had with Morrison out. Ricky showed he was not ready to start in the middle of Oakland's defense. He got beat through the hole by the running backs all pre season and he was in chase mode the whole time he was in the game. The Raider's were giving away rushing yards like it was candy at Halloween. That is why the Seymour trade makes sense. The Raiders needs him on the D-line, but how good will he be if he does not want to be here. If Seymour continues to hold out then the Raiders can void the contract and get their first round pick back. Oakland does not want to do that but they may have to if he is not in town by Thursday. I am sure they wanted him to start Monday night against San Diego. You do not need as much practice on the defensive line as you do on offense so players can be plugged in a little quicker. You can't get plugged in if you do not show up. The Raiders released defensive tackle William Joseph to make room for Seymour. It does not look like the Raiders will be able to sign him past the year he has left on his contract.
Oakland plays the game of addition by subtraction to get their roster down to 53-players The Oakland Raiders made their roster cuts last weekend to get down to the player limit to the NFL standard of 53-players after a pre season filled with position battles at several spots on the team.
The biggest surprise was the releasing of quarterback Jeff Garcia. Garcia was brought in to push starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell to become a better pro. Could Russell play with confidence with Garcia looming in the back ground. Oakland did not think so. Jeff wants to start and he has made it clear from day one. They are too close in ability to keep them. Jeff could win with this team, but so did Jamarcus at the end of last year. That may be why Garcia was let go. Oakland wants Russell to know they are behind him 100% and that he is there man to lead them out of the abyss of the past seven years. The play of now back up Brad Gradkowski was also a factor. Gradkowski has shown a lively arm and he can throw the deep ball, but he is not the threat to beat out JaMarcus for the starting position that Garcia was. Garcia's chances were put to the test early when he hurt his left calf and he missed two weeks of training camp. Garcia got one last chance to show what he could do, but his 3 of six passing for 12-yards against Seattle in the teams final pre season game did not do much for his chances. Oakland also cut loose defensive tackle Terdell Sands in a move many saw coming. Sands has not been the run stopping force they had hoped he would be when he was signed a couple of years ago. Oakland released a few other players who were looking to make the team. Kick returner Justin Miller, safety Jerome Boyd; cornerback Derrick Brown; defensive end Greyson Gunheim; wide receiver Jonathan Holland; offensive tackles Seth Wand and James Marten; linebackers Slade Norris, David Nixon, Morlon Greenwood and Chris O'Neill were a few the players let go. LB Slade Norris, LB David Nixon, S Jerome Boyd, DE Greyson Gunheim, FB Marcel Reece and WR Jonathan Holland were all added to the Raiders practice squad.
Oakland needs to re group after loss to Saints Oakland's defense had no chance against New Orleans first, second or third team offense. Drew Brees carved up Oakland through the air (14 of 17-passing), leading the Saints to three touchdown drives in a row to start the game.
To make matters worse Oakland's best player, Nnamdi Asomugha, suffered a chip fracture in his left wrist during the game. It is not known how much time, if any, he will miss. The Raiders have had one of the worst training camps you can have. They have been going on like it was business as usually, but when the news came out that head coach Tom Cable cold cocked one of his assistant coaches things have been going down hill ever since. Oakland's defense has played worse and worse since beating Dallas 31-10 in the first game of the year. The Raiders still can't tackle. They do not play good pass defense and their run defense looks like it has got worse then a year ago when they finished next to last in the league in rushing defense. New Orleans started their third string running backs against the Raiders first team defense and they combined to carry the ball 28-times for 178-yards rushing. On offense the Raiders actually moved the ball a couple of times. Tailback Darren McFadden broke off a couple of nice runs and JaMarcus had some completions that would have went for first downs if it were not for Oakland turnovers and penalties. Oakland hardly looked ready to start the season. Russell could not get into any kind of a rhythm after he fumbled in the first quarter. It was not all his fault. He had three passes dropped and a 38-yard reception lost to a fumble by Louis Murphy at the end of the play. Oakland has a Thursday night game at Seattle before they have to cut their roster down to 53-players on Saturday. They have 80 right now, few of which seemed ready to play against New Orleans.
Licking his Chops The Oakland Raiders will play host to the New Orleans Saints Saturday in the third pre season game for both. The Saints will bring with them quarterback Drew Brees and the NFL's top passing game from last season.
For the Raiders all pro Nnamdi Asomugha it must put a smile on his face since it represents a rare chance to get some work in. The timing of the game could not be anymore perfect for Nnamdi. Starters play past half time in the third pre season game and the fact that Oakland got the Saints in this one, Asomugha will get to play against a quarterback that does not seem to care who is playing defense against him. Brees is going to throw to who ever is open which means he will do something most quarterback's do not think about. Look towards Asomugha's side to see if his man is open. Asomugha was rarely thrown at the past two years as quarterbacks routinely picked on the rotating set of cornerback's that manned the position on the other side of the defense from Nnamdi. It seems like you could count the number of times a pass was completed on Nnamdi last season with just one hand. That can led to a little rust with nothing to do for large stretches of not only games, but seasons. When QB's did test Asomugha they found out he was ready for action. He led Oakland with nine pass deflections in 2008. Nnamdi knows he will get some action against the Saints and Drew Brees with the multiple options he has to throw to. Brees led the NFL with 5,069-yards passing in 2008. Only Dan Marino had a better season passing then Brees did last season. Drew missed out on the record for passing yards in a season by just 18-yards. All of this is good news for Asomugha who has not seen much action ever since he showed how good he is with a career high eight interceptions in 2006. Teams have steered away from Asomugha from that point on.
Raiders need to get grounded on D to win this year Oakland found out a little more about themselves Saturday in their 21-20 loss to San Francisco at Candlestick Park. After watching San Francisco's back up running backs roll for 268-yards against them it would seem like their defense against the run needs some more work.
Third round pick Glen Coffee gashed the Raiders defense to the tune of 129-yards in just over a quarter of action. Coffee ran simple of tackle plays for big yardage and it seemed like the Raiders could nothing to stop it. Oakland has an on going battle for the middle linebacker position during training camp. Kirk Morrison has manned the position since being drafted a couple of years ago. Ricky Brown has been given a chance to start. Morrison hurt his shoulder in the first quarter of the game against San Francisco and he will miss a couple of weeks. Brown got his chance to shine, but after failing to keep any of the 49ers running backs in check, Brown needs to work on his game. He never met Coffee at the point of attack. Brown did get his hands on a tipped ball which he returned 46-yards down to the 49ers 13-yard line before getting taken down by 49ers QB Alex Smith. Other then that he was terrible against the run. Brown will get a chance to prove himself chasing Reggie Bush around next week in Oakland when New Orleans comes calling. It is the third pre season game and the most important for all who are in the starting line up. With Morrison on the self, Brown has the job all to himself. He needs to react better to the run. He was never the first defender to make contact with the running back. As a middle linebacker that is your job. You are supposed to be the best tackler on the field. Offense go out of their way to neutralize you. Morrison was all over the last year finishing fifth in the NFL in tackles. Oakland got a chance to get new quarterback Jeff garcia some reps. Garcia returned to the place were his NFL career started in 1999. Jeff was up to old jump passing ways but he was just 3 of 6 for 18-yards and a pick. Garcia also scrambled once for nine yards. Jeff showed good mobility and that is what the coaches wanted to see with Jeff missing the past week with a calf injury. He will get a lot more playing time in the next two games. Starter JaMarcus Russell had a slow start, but he warmed up as the game went on, but he struggled when the Raiders were in the red zone. Red zone scoring has been a sore spot for Oakland in recent years. Russell was under center seven times in the the 49ers red zone but none of the plays resulted in a touchdown.
Oakland moving right along in 2009 training camp No news is usually good news and there has been little coming from the Napa headquarters of the Oakland Raiders training camp. Everybody seems to be healthy and for the most part starting positions have been determined.
At the start of camp people wanted to see how third year quarterback JaMarcus Russell would handle the pressure of veteran QB Jeff Garcia breathing down his back. After one week of camp and just days before the teams first pre season game JaMarcus has locked down the starting spot with his play. Russell has assumed a much stronger leadership role with the offense and he seems ready to be a leader that he needs to be if he is the future of the franchise. The real test will come when guys with different color jersey's start harassing him when Dallas comes calling August 13th. Of course Russell will only play a few snaps, but he wants to come out and move the offense down the field. Scoring would be nice, but I am sure the raiders coaching staff wants to see JaMarcus call the right plays and make the right reads in the heat of the action. One thing JaMarcus has to do is develop a rhythm with his young group of receivers during camp. Jovan walker has been a bust, but Johnnie Lee Higgins was a pleasant surprise last season. Oakland's 2009 first round pick, Darrius Heyward-Bey, has had his ups and downs so far in camp. To start things off he injured his hamstring after the draft. That slowed him down, but he bounced back to return to practice. He now has to get used to catching the ball in the NFL. He has dropped his share of passes in camp, but a lot of rookies drop passes. His hands were a question mark going into the draft. Many people wondered why Al Davis did not take Michael Crabtree out of Texas Tech instead of Hayward-Bey, but at least Hayward-Bey is signed and in camp working on his game. Oakland needs him to get deep down the field so holes can open up for the running game. Head coach Tom Cable is a former offensive linemen in the NFL and he knows the best way to win is to have a solid running game. Oakland went out and added what could be the missing link to a productive ground game. A big time fullback. It is amazing the difference a good blocking fullback can make to a team running game. The Raiders added Lorenzo Neal, a Hall of Fame fullback, to lead the way for Justin Fargas and the speedy Darren McFadden. Neal paved the way for some of the best season by a tailback in NFL history. Neal was at his best when he played for the hated San Diego Chargers where Lorenzo teamed up with LaDainian Tomlinson to run through just about every defense that came their way. Now Neal is in Oakland trying to breath life into the Raiders ground game. The 17-year vet has paved the way for several 1,000-yard seasons and he is durable, playing in all sixteen games last year for the Baltimore Ravens. Throwing the ball, running with it and catching it are only half the story. Stopping other teams from doing that against the Raiders is being worked on as well. Stopping the run has been a problem for Oakland during their recent slide. If they want to get back to the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl they will have to do a better job against the run. That will lead to better pass coverage and more wins. Up front Tommy Kelly will need to bounce back from a sub par year. Gerald Warren, Jay Richardson, Greg Ellis and Derrick Burgess, a pass rushing end, will be looked upon to make plays. There is a change in the linebacking group as incumbent middle linebacker Kirk Morrison now finds himself on the outside with Ricky Brown playing the middle. This will add more speed to the outside linebacker spot, helping Oakland cover the tight ends and running backs out of the back field. The Raiders are hoping that Brown can be the tackle machine every team needs in the middle. How well the secondary plays is very important. Everybody knows what's going on with All Pro corner Nnamdi Asomugha. It is all the other positions that are up in the air. At the other corner spot it would seem as Chris Johnson, a fifth year player out of Louisville might get to start opening night against San Diego. Stanford Routt played his way out of the starting lineup last season, but he remains in the mix as the nickel back. Oakland went out and drafted a safety for the second time in four years. Michael Huff, who Oakland drafted in the first round out of Texas two years ago is trying to hold onto his job. Rookie Mike Mitchell is waiting in the wings if Huff does not cut it. Hiram Eugene and Tyrone Branch are competing for the free safety position. What ever the make up of the defense,one thing is for sure, The Raiders defense needs to put some points on the board. Oakland did not score a defensive touchdown last year and they were ranked in the bottom half of the defensive statistic's last year. Only the 0-16 Detroit Lions (172) gave up more rushing yards per game then the Raiders (159) last season. They were much better against the pass, checking out at number ten. Some of that was due to the limited options Asomugha gave teams by locking down one side of the field, but a lot of it was because teams did not have to throw the ball to win games.
Raiders add third threat to offensive game plan Yes Al davis still loves speed. Big and fast is even better and that is what new Oakland raider split end Darrius Heyward-Bey is. Oakland has taken three big time offensive players in the last three drafts and now the pieces should be in place for a struggling offense to be able to score more points. People have questioned Oakland's choice to not take Michael Crabtree out of Texas Tech. Mr. Davis might not have trusted the injury to Crabtree's foot. Hayward-Bey is healthy and he is fast. Darren McFadden is fast. Oakland now has the tools to stretch the field. It is now up to the coaching staff to run the right offense. You have to know how to get the ball to players so they can use their abilities to their fullest. All three players are very young and is will be a steep learning curve for them. Oakland went with two wide receivers a tight end on offense and a safety, two defensive ends and a line backer with the rest of their picks.. They did not choose an offensive lineman in the draft. That is still a sore spot for the Raiders and JaMarcus will not be able to distribute the ball if he being chased around by defenders. The Raiders played well the last month of the season and that was without much of a passing game. Johnnie Lee Higgins started to show some skills during Oakland's late season surge. For complete 2009 Oakland Raiders draft results click here
Oakland lays another egg on national TV The Raiders lost for the second time in less than a week when they fell 34-7 to a desperate San Diego Chargers team that is clinging to slim playoff hopes. Oakland was down 10-0 before most people got home from work and it did not get any better for the Silver & Black the rest of the way. Once again the offense was unable to move the football. Oakland gained just 163-yards of offense against San Diego. 59 of those came running the football and Raiders quarterbacks threw three interceptions against the Chargers. It was the second week in a row that the offense did not show up and after starting the season with a few close losses, the Raiders have gone backwards and they seldom look ready to play. Oakland's only points came by way of a 92-yard kick off return for a touchdown by Justin Miller in the second quarter. That made the score 27-7 with ten second left in the first half. Things went from bad to worse when starting quarter back jaMarcus Russell had to leave the game with an ankle injury late in the first half. Russell will have ten days to rest before the Raiders host the New England Patriots Dec. 14th. His status for that game is unclear. If he can't go Andrew Walters will start in his place. Walter's was unable to move the ball in his two quarters of action. He was 8 of 17 with one interception and 61-yards passing.
Oakland gets offensive in Denver Maybe it was the thin up up in the Mile High City. The Oakland Raiders went up to Denver and did something they have not done in 15 quarters. Score an offensive touchdown. They scored three in an 18-minute span on their way to a convincing 31-10 victory. When Darren McFadden took it from a yard out for a touchdown that made it 17-1o Raiders it broke a string of 208-offensive plays without scoring a TD. Oakland did not stop there. The Raiders did something they have not done in 16-quarters. Win. The Raider's scored as many points against Denver, 31, as they had in during their four game losing streak, also 31. McFadden would only rush for 38-yards in the game, but he scored twice. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell had his best day as a pro. He was a near perfect 10 of 11 passing good for 152-yards and one TD. Russell ran the offense like a veteran. He hooked up with former Bronco Ashley Lelie on a four yard TD pitch and catch that made it 24-10 Oakland a minute into the 4th quarter that put the game away. Oakland's defense took over from there. Linebacker Thomas Howard made an over the shoulder interception of Jay Cutler at midfield that led to McFadden's final touchdown, a one yard run that closed out the scoring with nine minutes left in the game. The loss prevented the Bronco's from taking complete command of the AFC West. Denver, 6-5, is the only team over .500 in their division. San Diego is in second place at 4-7 with the 3-8 Raiders right behind them. The win was the second for interim head coach Tom cable. He must like playing the good teams. Cable's two wins have come against the first place New York Jets and Denver Bronco's.
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JaMarcus looks slimmer then he did last year, a sign that he takes his job serious and he is trying to be the starting quarterback when the Raiders open the season in September.
Gradkowski got another chance to start in the city he grew up near and for the first time in three tries Bruce came away a winner, well he and the Oakland Raiders, who beat Pittsburgh 27-24.
The move came as a shock to Seymour who was looking forward to making another run at a Super Bowl with Tom Brady back in the fold in New England. 
That would make most defensive backs toss and turn in their sleep thinking about trying to stop one of the best quarterback's in the game.
