On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 5:18 PM, Dario Mobley aka The Realist wrote:
AB,
There are a couple things that stood out to me in this game. The first thing was how the Raiders ran the ball. They seemed like they had a real identity. Sometimes teams commit to the run and do not run the ball effectively but 32 carries for 148 yards and 4.6 yards a carry is effective. Also, it was a very physical,downhill running game that gets real results. Oakland has two decent backs in Bush and McFadden it is a good idea to use those to horses to run the ball. Secondly, it seems like Russell can make plays when called on. The throw at the end of the half was a beauty but the Raiders got the short end of the stick again with the "weird" ruling. Also, Murphy impressed me too. I have to figure out if the Chargers defense is overrated or if the Raiders offense is underrated. They moved the ball pretty good in the first half. If Russell would not have thrown that interception on the initial possession and McFadden does not fumble, you are looking at 4 quality drives in one half. You have to like that.
Defensively, Seymour definitely made an impact rushing the passer with 2 sacks. Also, the defense "sort of" contained the #1 rating passer in the league. The Raiders look like they are going in the right direction. I really like the effort I saw. If they can get past beating themselves with penalties and turnovers, the Raiders will win 8 games. Yes, I said it. They can win eight games if they follow the system that Cable is trying to install.
Russell seems like a gamer also. Who knows?
Your thoughts?
On Wednesday, September 16, 2009 9:41 AM
Adam Burchett aka "AB" wrote:
I agree with pretty much everything you stated. However, I see some lingering things that have frustrated me for years. False starts, especially on Cornell Green, I have no idea why that guy is still playing on this team let alone STARTING. He also holds a lot at really crucial times (like on a 3rd and short, which turns into a 3rd and long which we never convert), and of course gets called for it.
Special teams coverage was simply awful. Those guys should be ashamed. Sproles isn't the easiest guy to take down, but it's kind of hard to tackle a guy when no one is within 10 yards of him. I was real disappointed when our Special Teams coordinator left last year because I actually felt we were strong on the Special Teams last year. Now I miss the guy even more.
The D is still too soft. I didn't see the type of pressure I wanted to see on Philip Rivers. Seymour was incredible, I love that guy. He's worth a first rounder, but he can't do it alone. Tommy Kelly didn't do much. Greg Ellis is pretty good at run stopping so I have hopes for him to be solid all year. No linebacker blitzes the whole game? We have some of the fastest linebackers in the league and we don't utilize them on blitzes. Our secondary is solid and I actually think Mike Huff will be decent in a nickle back role. But there's the problem, when you give a guy like Rivers time to throw, he'll find someone, no matter how great your secondary is.
I'm still on JaMarcus' bandwagon. I've always loved the guy, but he really needs to stop staring receivers down. Even if he looks the other way and pump fakes, then comes back to his target. Jeez, something, anything! His foot work is better, his mechanics are better. Sometimes he doesn't seem to throw the ball deliberately, if you know what I mean. Every single pass Brady or Manning throws is absolutely on purpose. Sometimes JaMarcus throws a ball and it's like... what? What was that all about? He threw it to no one yet there was an open receiver like 5 yards away. I'm sure it's just youth and he'll learn his way out of that, but I was scratching my head on some of his passes. I think being around Paul Hackett has helped him. I've always heard that Paul Hackett got guys prepared for every game and JaMarcus looked ready.
Sad to say, I'm actually higher up on Louis Murphy than I am Darrius Heyward-Bey. Murphy makes some mistakes sometimes, but that dude is going to be a great receiver some day. You can just see his effort on the field, he works hard. DHB... I don't know, the jury is still out on him. Zach Miller is the best tight end in the AFC. If we could scheme up some screen passes to McFadden or DHB with some of the down field action we have going on with Zach Miller and Louis Murphy, along with our running game? Dang man, it's exciting to think about the possibilities.
All of that being said, I am more optimistic about this team than I was before the Charger game. I was unsure about Cable and this new staff he brought in, unsure about free agents, unsure about the team rallying around each other. This is as unified as I've seen them since Gruden. Cable seems to be a decent play caller and game manager. The Chargers are a great team, with everyone back healthy, even though LT got dinged up during the game, still their defense has a ton of talent and their offense has gotten better. I thought we were going to get crushed, but that running game got us significant time of possession, and that will ultimately shift the balance toward us as the season plays out.
The Saints, what can I say? Is it superbowl time yet for you guys this year? Who can stop them? Who do you defend? Henderson? Shockey? Mike freakin Bell?!?! Unreal, the only way you guys lose is if you shoot yourselves in the feet, multiple times, LOL! They sure are fun to watch!
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