I'm considering having a weekly mailbag where I answer any questions regarding the Oakland Raiders from readers, if you're interested in having your questions or thoughts appear then please either leave them in the comments section (anyone can leave a comment, you don't have to be registered) or send me an email and I'll answer them in a new blog sometime in the next few days.
I'll see how the response goes before making it a permanent arrangement, thanks in advance to those of you who come up with any questions or thoughts!
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
Monday, 24 September 2007
First win for Coach Kiffin
Sunday brought the Oakland Raiders first win after a horrendous 11-game losing streak and was also Lane Kiffin's first win as the teams Head Coach. The Raiders dominated the game but after costly mistakes it still game down to the last play of the game, let's break it down:
- Kiffin obviously learned something last week in the heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos, as the Cleveland Browns were set to attempt a game winning 40-yard field goal he used the same strategy as Mike Shanahan did in the last game when he called a timeout right before the snap.
The first field goal would have been good but due to the timeout it needed to be rekicked, the second attempt was blocked by DE/DT Tommy Kelly and won the game for the Raiders, the final score was 26-24.
- The Raiders were at one point 16-0 ahead but gave up 10 points right before halftime after Josh Cribbs returned a kickoff 99-yards for a TD and LaMont Jordan fumbled on the Raiders next possesion, which resulted in a Browns FG.
- LaMont Jordan had another huge game with 121-yards rushing which included a 1-yard run for a TD, he also had a brilliant 27-yard reception on a 3rd and 23 play in the fourth quarter, in which Culpepper dumped the ball off to him on a HB screen play.
In the post game interview it was refreshing to see Jordans current attitude, several times he commented about how well the offensive line played and gave them the credit for his performance, he also commented several times about how he left a lot of yards on the field and is going to work hard to keep improving.
At times it seemed as if it was Kiffin talking and not Jordan, which really shows these players are buying whatever Kiffin is selling, this is so important if a team is to be succesful and is a total turnaround from last season. Jordan admitted he didn't like Coach Tom Cables zone blocking scheme at first but has really bought in now he's seen how well it works.
- You may have noticed Culpepper mentioned earlier, he came in for 1 play near the end of the first half and played the entire second half after Josh McCown suffered another injury when a defensive lineman rolled over his ankle. He even came back for one series to play through three seperate injuries but at half time Kiffin decided Culpepper gave the team the best chance to win.
Cheers were heard from some Raiders fans when McCown went down with the injury, it is horrible to hear a Raider being booed by his own fans, especially one who gives his all for the team. McCown played with total heart and commitment and he actually had a pretty good game until he went out injured, the highlight being a 41-yard TD pass to Ron Curry.
- Robert Gallery has silenced all of his critics with superb play at his new LG position, if he keeps playing at this level he's heading for the Pro Bowl. He did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury but returned for the final series so it's hoped the injury is not too serious.
- Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard both had another fantastic showing with an interception each, Morrison now has 3 for the season and Howard has 2, one of which he returned for a touchdown last week against the Broncos.
In a post game interview with Morrison a reporter suggested a nickname for the two linebackers which he didn't seem to mind but had one better of his own; "The Pick Brothers". Well if the Pick Brothers keep putting in solid performances like that they're both absolute locks to go to the Pro Bowl.
- After poor play last week from DT Terdell Sands and CB Fabian Washington both started this game on the bench in favor of DT Gerrard Warren and CB Stanford Routt, both still played for much of the game but it remains unclear who Kiffin plans to start next week.
All things considered it was a fantastic day for Raider fans everywhere, bringing to a close the longest active losing streak in the NFL. Next week the Raiders are playing at the 0-3 Miami Dolphins before thier bye in week 5, as always thanks for reading!
- Kiffin obviously learned something last week in the heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos, as the Cleveland Browns were set to attempt a game winning 40-yard field goal he used the same strategy as Mike Shanahan did in the last game when he called a timeout right before the snap.
The first field goal would have been good but due to the timeout it needed to be rekicked, the second attempt was blocked by DE/DT Tommy Kelly and won the game for the Raiders, the final score was 26-24.
- The Raiders were at one point 16-0 ahead but gave up 10 points right before halftime after Josh Cribbs returned a kickoff 99-yards for a TD and LaMont Jordan fumbled on the Raiders next possesion, which resulted in a Browns FG.
- LaMont Jordan had another huge game with 121-yards rushing which included a 1-yard run for a TD, he also had a brilliant 27-yard reception on a 3rd and 23 play in the fourth quarter, in which Culpepper dumped the ball off to him on a HB screen play.
In the post game interview it was refreshing to see Jordans current attitude, several times he commented about how well the offensive line played and gave them the credit for his performance, he also commented several times about how he left a lot of yards on the field and is going to work hard to keep improving.
At times it seemed as if it was Kiffin talking and not Jordan, which really shows these players are buying whatever Kiffin is selling, this is so important if a team is to be succesful and is a total turnaround from last season. Jordan admitted he didn't like Coach Tom Cables zone blocking scheme at first but has really bought in now he's seen how well it works.
- You may have noticed Culpepper mentioned earlier, he came in for 1 play near the end of the first half and played the entire second half after Josh McCown suffered another injury when a defensive lineman rolled over his ankle. He even came back for one series to play through three seperate injuries but at half time Kiffin decided Culpepper gave the team the best chance to win.
Cheers were heard from some Raiders fans when McCown went down with the injury, it is horrible to hear a Raider being booed by his own fans, especially one who gives his all for the team. McCown played with total heart and commitment and he actually had a pretty good game until he went out injured, the highlight being a 41-yard TD pass to Ron Curry.
- Robert Gallery has silenced all of his critics with superb play at his new LG position, if he keeps playing at this level he's heading for the Pro Bowl. He did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury but returned for the final series so it's hoped the injury is not too serious.
- Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard both had another fantastic showing with an interception each, Morrison now has 3 for the season and Howard has 2, one of which he returned for a touchdown last week against the Broncos.
In a post game interview with Morrison a reporter suggested a nickname for the two linebackers which he didn't seem to mind but had one better of his own; "The Pick Brothers". Well if the Pick Brothers keep putting in solid performances like that they're both absolute locks to go to the Pro Bowl.
- After poor play last week from DT Terdell Sands and CB Fabian Washington both started this game on the bench in favor of DT Gerrard Warren and CB Stanford Routt, both still played for much of the game but it remains unclear who Kiffin plans to start next week.
All things considered it was a fantastic day for Raider fans everywhere, bringing to a close the longest active losing streak in the NFL. Next week the Raiders are playing at the 0-3 Miami Dolphins before thier bye in week 5, as always thanks for reading!
Friday, 21 September 2007
Catching up
Firstly I'd like to appologize for the lack of recent updates, this was due to unforseen technical difficulties which have now thankfully been fixed meaning that the blog will be updated much more regularly again, here goes with some notes to catch up on:
- The Raiders lost a brutally close 23-20 overtime game against the Broncos last Sunday in controversial fashion as the Broncos called a timeout as the Raiders kicked what would have been a winning field goal, only for them to retake and miss.
- Derrick Burgess picked up a calf injury late in the game and hasn't practiced all week, this could mean that Lane Kiffin is making sure he's fully rested for the Browns game this Sunday but judging by the type of injury it is doubtful that he will play, fifth round rookie draft pick Jay Richardson is the favorite to start in his place.
- LaMont Jordan has a slight back injury but is expected to be ready to play, Kiffin hinted that Adimchinobe Echemandu may be activated for the first time this season as insurance.
- Jeremy Newberry is reportedly close to full fitness after a hamstring injury and could see playing time against the Browns, Newberry would be a better matchup against ex-Raider NT Ted Washington as he has more power than Grove who has struggled in the past against bigger Defensive Tackles.
- With Burgess unlikely to play expect DE Chris Clemons to see a lot more action, Burgess and Clemons are the Raiders only 2 pass rush specialists on the roster after rookie third round pick Quentin Moses was surprisingly cut.
- Also expect more blitzes from Rob Ryan in this game with Morrison, Howard and Huff all likely to have thier numbers called to get to the QB, Ryan hasn't blitzed an awful lot so far this season but this will be the key to getting Browns QB Derek Anderson out of his rhythem.
- Poll results: 21% (8/37) of people voting in last weeks poll correctly predicted the Raiders would lose to the Broncos by 8 or less points.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the Broncos game to provide any in-depth analysis but I'll be watching this week against the Browns and will likely have another blog back up on Monday, as always thanks for reading!
- The Raiders lost a brutally close 23-20 overtime game against the Broncos last Sunday in controversial fashion as the Broncos called a timeout as the Raiders kicked what would have been a winning field goal, only for them to retake and miss.
- Derrick Burgess picked up a calf injury late in the game and hasn't practiced all week, this could mean that Lane Kiffin is making sure he's fully rested for the Browns game this Sunday but judging by the type of injury it is doubtful that he will play, fifth round rookie draft pick Jay Richardson is the favorite to start in his place.
- LaMont Jordan has a slight back injury but is expected to be ready to play, Kiffin hinted that Adimchinobe Echemandu may be activated for the first time this season as insurance.
- Jeremy Newberry is reportedly close to full fitness after a hamstring injury and could see playing time against the Browns, Newberry would be a better matchup against ex-Raider NT Ted Washington as he has more power than Grove who has struggled in the past against bigger Defensive Tackles.
- With Burgess unlikely to play expect DE Chris Clemons to see a lot more action, Burgess and Clemons are the Raiders only 2 pass rush specialists on the roster after rookie third round pick Quentin Moses was surprisingly cut.
- Also expect more blitzes from Rob Ryan in this game with Morrison, Howard and Huff all likely to have thier numbers called to get to the QB, Ryan hasn't blitzed an awful lot so far this season but this will be the key to getting Browns QB Derek Anderson out of his rhythem.
- Poll results: 21% (8/37) of people voting in last weeks poll correctly predicted the Raiders would lose to the Broncos by 8 or less points.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the Broncos game to provide any in-depth analysis but I'll be watching this week against the Browns and will likely have another blog back up on Monday, as always thanks for reading!
Monday, 10 September 2007
Accountability (Lions 36 @ 21 Raiders)
If you were told that Josh McCown passed for over 300 yards along with 2 TD's, that LaMont Jordan rushed for a TD and had 4.66 yards per carry and that the Oakland defense had 2 interceptions, you'd probably think the Raiders won the game. Well the problem with stats is they can look pretty but they don't win you games, since Lane Kiffin has been the coach of the Oakland Raiders he has stressed accountability, so let's take a look at it:
- The Raiders opened the game on offense in a 5-WR set which ended up with a completed pass to Ron Curry, after this the play calling was not as imaginative with passes usually being thrown short to Curry or being checked down to a Running back or Tight End.
- The biggest problem with the Raiders offense was an inability to stretch the defense, if a deep pass was called for by Kiffin then McCown usually looked deep, pump faked and then checked down to a back or threw it away. McCown only threw a deep pass once and that was 44-yard completion to Curry.
- So much for playing to your WR's strengths, Johnnie Lee Higgins is the teams best deep threat but wasn't thrown to during the game, Mike Williams is a 6-5, 240lbs huge mismatch problem for smaller cornerbacks and was thrown to only once for 11 yards and Jerry Porter is the Raiders best WR at gaining yards after the catch but was rarely thrown to on a quick pass, although he did drop a couple of passes in the game.
- The Raiders inability to really attack the Lions "no name" cornerbacks is the most mystifying thing in the game and brings up the question whether Daunte Culpepper would have been a better matchup, he gets the ball out much quicker than McCown and would be able to stretch the field a great deal more, opening up the running game for Jordan and the other backs.
- The 2 interceptions were both on McCown, the first one he had Curry wide open but pump faked before finally throwing after giving the defender time to close in for the pick, the second was a bone-headed mistake where he didn't even appear to look before he quickly threw the ball directly into coverage.
- What happened to the defense winning you games if the offense can get you 21 points? This loss is by no means all on the offense or McCown because the Raiders pass defense looked almost non-existant at times with Kitna picking them apart seemingly at will. Apart from interceptions by Morrison and Routt and some good pass rush from Chris Clemons and Warren Sapp, the defense didn't look close to living up to its #3 ranking from last season.
- The problem with being a top-10 pick in the draft these days is with the amount of money you earn and the media coverage you get, you're expected to be a top player at your position in the league. Well someone needs to tell Michael Huff he needs to work on his coverage skills if he's going to be a top safety, he looked good last season but good isn't good enough for the #7 overall pick and he needs to step up and start making some plays quickly.
- There were some good performances in the game, special mentions on offense go to Jordan who ran 15 times for 70-yards and a TD and also had 9 receptions for 89-yards and Curry who caught everything in sight and ended with 10 receptions for 133-yards and a TD. Defensive player of the game was without a doubt Kirk Morrison who was all over the field making plays for 9 tackles and an interception.
- Poll results: only 8.8% (11/125) of people thought Josh McCown would start the season at QB and even less predicted Chris Clemons would get the first sack of the season so well done to the 2.9% (3/104) of you who guessed correctly.
Next week the Raiders are playing at the Denver Broncos who bring a very different kind of threat which will mainly come on the ground, let's hope for better results and that the Raiders will be 1-1 this time next week, I'm still in!
- The Raiders opened the game on offense in a 5-WR set which ended up with a completed pass to Ron Curry, after this the play calling was not as imaginative with passes usually being thrown short to Curry or being checked down to a Running back or Tight End.
- The biggest problem with the Raiders offense was an inability to stretch the defense, if a deep pass was called for by Kiffin then McCown usually looked deep, pump faked and then checked down to a back or threw it away. McCown only threw a deep pass once and that was 44-yard completion to Curry.
- So much for playing to your WR's strengths, Johnnie Lee Higgins is the teams best deep threat but wasn't thrown to during the game, Mike Williams is a 6-5, 240lbs huge mismatch problem for smaller cornerbacks and was thrown to only once for 11 yards and Jerry Porter is the Raiders best WR at gaining yards after the catch but was rarely thrown to on a quick pass, although he did drop a couple of passes in the game.
- The Raiders inability to really attack the Lions "no name" cornerbacks is the most mystifying thing in the game and brings up the question whether Daunte Culpepper would have been a better matchup, he gets the ball out much quicker than McCown and would be able to stretch the field a great deal more, opening up the running game for Jordan and the other backs.
- The 2 interceptions were both on McCown, the first one he had Curry wide open but pump faked before finally throwing after giving the defender time to close in for the pick, the second was a bone-headed mistake where he didn't even appear to look before he quickly threw the ball directly into coverage.
- What happened to the defense winning you games if the offense can get you 21 points? This loss is by no means all on the offense or McCown because the Raiders pass defense looked almost non-existant at times with Kitna picking them apart seemingly at will. Apart from interceptions by Morrison and Routt and some good pass rush from Chris Clemons and Warren Sapp, the defense didn't look close to living up to its #3 ranking from last season.
- The problem with being a top-10 pick in the draft these days is with the amount of money you earn and the media coverage you get, you're expected to be a top player at your position in the league. Well someone needs to tell Michael Huff he needs to work on his coverage skills if he's going to be a top safety, he looked good last season but good isn't good enough for the #7 overall pick and he needs to step up and start making some plays quickly.
- There were some good performances in the game, special mentions on offense go to Jordan who ran 15 times for 70-yards and a TD and also had 9 receptions for 89-yards and Curry who caught everything in sight and ended with 10 receptions for 133-yards and a TD. Defensive player of the game was without a doubt Kirk Morrison who was all over the field making plays for 9 tackles and an interception.
- Poll results: only 8.8% (11/125) of people thought Josh McCown would start the season at QB and even less predicted Chris Clemons would get the first sack of the season so well done to the 2.9% (3/104) of you who guessed correctly.
Next week the Raiders are playing at the Denver Broncos who bring a very different kind of threat which will mainly come on the ground, let's hope for better results and that the Raiders will be 1-1 this time next week, I'm still in!
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Final Roster Announced with Surprises
When Lane Kiffin first arrived at the Oakland Raiders he stressed that no players place on the roster was safe and that competition was paramount, everyone would have to earn their position and there would be no more scholarships... well with the roster cuts yesterday he was true to his word, lets take a look:
- Players cut to get the team down to the final 53 are; WR Alvis Whitted, OT Chad Slaughter, RB Zack Crockett, WR Carlos Francis, WR Chris McFoy, TE O.J. Santiago, TE James Adkisson, OT Mark Wilson, C Jesse Boone, DE Dave Tollefson, DT Josh Shaw, LB Kurt Campbell, CB Marquice Cole, S Donovin Darius, S Eric Frampton, K Tyler Fredrickson, DT Anttaj Hawthorne, DE Quentin Moses and G Kevin Boothe.
- The most surprising cut is Moses, who was taken with the first pick in the third round of this years draft and thought of as the future RE for the Raiders, Moses had a lot of pass-rushing ability but was sometimes considered a liability against the run and was outplayed by fellow rookie Jay Richardson and free agent signing Chris Clemons.
- Other notable cuts include Kevin Boothe, who was the teams best offensive lineman last season after starting 14 games at RG, but was not a system fit in Coach Tom Cables new zone blocking scheme. Donovin Darius was heralded as a fantastic signing earlier in the off-season but never lived up to the hype and struggled with injuries and Al Davis favorite Alvis Whitted is finally cut from the roster, proving that this truly is Lane Kiffin's team.
- There are 22 new players on the roster (in silver) brought in under Kiffin, not including younger players who only made the practice squad or were cut last year such as Adimchinobe Echemandu, Chris Morris and Hiram Eugene.
- QB (3): Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Andrew Walter.
- RB (3): LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Adimchinobe Echemandu.
- FB (2): Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal.
- WR(5): Jerry Porter, Ron Curry, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Mike Williams, Travis Taylor.
- TE(3): Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart.
- OL(9): Barry Sims, Robert Gallery, Jeremy Newberry, Cooper Carlisle, Cornell Green, Mario Henderson, Paul McQuistan, Jake Grove, Chris Morris.
- DL (8): Derrick Burgess, Terdell Sands, Warren Sapp, Tommy Kelly, Jay Richardson, Gerard Warren, Tyler Brayton, Chris Clemons.
- LB (6): Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Robert Thomas, Ricky Brown, Isaiah Ekejiuba.
- CB (7): Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Chris Carr, John Bowie, Chris Johnson, Duane Starks.
- S (4): Michael Huff, Stuart Schweigert, B.J. Ward, Hiram Eugene.
- ST(3): P Shane Lechler, K Sebastian Janikowski, LS Jon Condo.
~ RB Michael Bush: Reserve/Non-Football Injury (PUP)
~ RB Dominic Rhodes: Reserve/Suspended
~ QB JaMarcus Russell: Un-Signed
This isn't the end as more roster moves are likely before the season begins, players from other teams can be claimed off waivers and the Raiders have their 8-man practice squad to organize, then there's the whole Russell debacle, watch this space...
- Players cut to get the team down to the final 53 are; WR Alvis Whitted, OT Chad Slaughter, RB Zack Crockett, WR Carlos Francis, WR Chris McFoy, TE O.J. Santiago, TE James Adkisson, OT Mark Wilson, C Jesse Boone, DE Dave Tollefson, DT Josh Shaw, LB Kurt Campbell, CB Marquice Cole, S Donovin Darius, S Eric Frampton, K Tyler Fredrickson, DT Anttaj Hawthorne, DE Quentin Moses and G Kevin Boothe.
- The most surprising cut is Moses, who was taken with the first pick in the third round of this years draft and thought of as the future RE for the Raiders, Moses had a lot of pass-rushing ability but was sometimes considered a liability against the run and was outplayed by fellow rookie Jay Richardson and free agent signing Chris Clemons.
- Other notable cuts include Kevin Boothe, who was the teams best offensive lineman last season after starting 14 games at RG, but was not a system fit in Coach Tom Cables new zone blocking scheme. Donovin Darius was heralded as a fantastic signing earlier in the off-season but never lived up to the hype and struggled with injuries and Al Davis favorite Alvis Whitted is finally cut from the roster, proving that this truly is Lane Kiffin's team.
- There are 22 new players on the roster (in silver) brought in under Kiffin, not including younger players who only made the practice squad or were cut last year such as Adimchinobe Echemandu, Chris Morris and Hiram Eugene.
- QB (3): Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Andrew Walter.
- RB (3): LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Adimchinobe Echemandu.
- FB (2): Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal.
- WR(5): Jerry Porter, Ron Curry, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Mike Williams, Travis Taylor.
- TE(3): Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart.
- OL(9): Barry Sims, Robert Gallery, Jeremy Newberry, Cooper Carlisle, Cornell Green, Mario Henderson, Paul McQuistan, Jake Grove, Chris Morris.
- DL (8): Derrick Burgess, Terdell Sands, Warren Sapp, Tommy Kelly, Jay Richardson, Gerard Warren, Tyler Brayton, Chris Clemons.
- LB (6): Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Robert Thomas, Ricky Brown, Isaiah Ekejiuba.
- CB (7): Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Chris Carr, John Bowie, Chris Johnson, Duane Starks.
- S (4): Michael Huff, Stuart Schweigert, B.J. Ward, Hiram Eugene.
- ST(3): P Shane Lechler, K Sebastian Janikowski, LS Jon Condo.
~ RB Michael Bush: Reserve/Non-Football Injury (PUP)
~ RB Dominic Rhodes: Reserve/Suspended
~ QB JaMarcus Russell: Un-Signed
This isn't the end as more roster moves are likely before the season begins, players from other teams can be claimed off waivers and the Raiders have their 8-man practice squad to organize, then there's the whole Russell debacle, watch this space...
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Making The Cut
Several players have already been cut this week to get the Raiders under the 75-player limit and more are on the way as Saturday is the deadline for teams to finalize their 53-man rosters. Tonights final pre-season game against the Seahawks is a last chance for some players on the bubble to stake their claim for a place in the team:
- Notable cuts this past week are QB Jeff Otis, DE Kevin Huntley, WR Johnnie Morant, WR Doug Gabriel, OT Albert Toeaina, SS Colin Branch, DT Jared Clauss, WR Lauren Williams, CB Levonne Rowan, WR Rich Parson and OT Torrin Tucker.
The most surprising is perhaps Kevin Huntley who started training camp as the first choice RE, but has been outplayed in training camp and pre-season by rookies Quentin Moses and Jay Richardson and has lost the starting spot to the versatile Tommy Kelly, who started at DT last season.
Here comes my predicted 53-man roster, with projected starters in bold and locks in italic:
- QB (3): Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Andrew Walter.
- RB (3): LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Adimchinobe Echemandu.
- FB (2): Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal.
- WR(5): Jerry Porter, Ron Curry, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Mike Williams, Travis Taylor.
- TE(3): Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart.
- OL(9): Barry Sims, Robert Gallery, Jeremy Newberry, Cooper Carlisle, Cornell Green, Mario Henderson, Paul McQuistan, Jake Grove, Kevin Boothe.
- DL (9): Derrick Burgess, Terdell Sands, Warren Sapp, Tommy Kelly, Quentin Moses, Jay Richardson, Gerard Warren, Anttaj Hawthorne, Chris Clemons.
- LB (5): Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Robert Thomas, Ricky Brown.
- CB (6): Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Chris Carr, John Bowie, Chris Johnson.
- S (5): Michael Huff, Stuart Schweigert, Donovin Darius, B.J. Ward, Eric Frampton.
- ST(3): P Shane Lechler, K Sebastian Janikowski, LS Jon Condo.
Notes:
- QB: JaMarcus Russell still hasn't signed his contract and there's been no news to suggest he will anytime soon but when he does it's likely that Andrew Walter will be traded or cut.
- RB: Dominic Rhodes will serve a 4-game suspension at the start of the season and won't count against the 53-man roster until week 5, Michael Bush will either start the season on PUP or IR and won't be activated to the roster until at least week 7, if at all.
- With so many players on the bubble it's difficult to project a roster without changing your mind a few times. I tried to allow for flexibility with the players chosen, for example only 5 LB's are in the roster but DE/LB Clemons can also play OLB and the Raiders will use the big nickel as one of their primary defenses so 3 safety's will be starting a lot of the time, hence having 5 on the roster.
Correction: In the last blog I said that Crockett started the first 3 pre-season games at FB, and although he was announced as the starter in the 49ers game, Justin Griffith actually started that one.
Thats all for now, thanks for reading and please leave comments with your thoughts on my projected roster and what changes you would make.
- Notable cuts this past week are QB Jeff Otis, DE Kevin Huntley, WR Johnnie Morant, WR Doug Gabriel, OT Albert Toeaina, SS Colin Branch, DT Jared Clauss, WR Lauren Williams, CB Levonne Rowan, WR Rich Parson and OT Torrin Tucker.
The most surprising is perhaps Kevin Huntley who started training camp as the first choice RE, but has been outplayed in training camp and pre-season by rookies Quentin Moses and Jay Richardson and has lost the starting spot to the versatile Tommy Kelly, who started at DT last season.
Here comes my predicted 53-man roster, with projected starters in bold and locks in italic:
- QB (3): Daunte Culpepper, Josh McCown, Andrew Walter.
- RB (3): LaMont Jordan, Justin Fargas, Adimchinobe Echemandu.
- FB (2): Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal.
- WR(5): Jerry Porter, Ron Curry, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Mike Williams, Travis Taylor.
- TE(3): Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart.
- OL(9): Barry Sims, Robert Gallery, Jeremy Newberry, Cooper Carlisle, Cornell Green, Mario Henderson, Paul McQuistan, Jake Grove, Kevin Boothe.
- DL (9): Derrick Burgess, Terdell Sands, Warren Sapp, Tommy Kelly, Quentin Moses, Jay Richardson, Gerard Warren, Anttaj Hawthorne, Chris Clemons.
- LB (5): Sam Williams, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Robert Thomas, Ricky Brown.
- CB (6): Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington, Stanford Routt, Chris Carr, John Bowie, Chris Johnson.
- S (5): Michael Huff, Stuart Schweigert, Donovin Darius, B.J. Ward, Eric Frampton.
- ST(3): P Shane Lechler, K Sebastian Janikowski, LS Jon Condo.
Notes:
- QB: JaMarcus Russell still hasn't signed his contract and there's been no news to suggest he will anytime soon but when he does it's likely that Andrew Walter will be traded or cut.
- RB: Dominic Rhodes will serve a 4-game suspension at the start of the season and won't count against the 53-man roster until week 5, Michael Bush will either start the season on PUP or IR and won't be activated to the roster until at least week 7, if at all.
- With so many players on the bubble it's difficult to project a roster without changing your mind a few times. I tried to allow for flexibility with the players chosen, for example only 5 LB's are in the roster but DE/LB Clemons can also play OLB and the Raiders will use the big nickel as one of their primary defenses so 3 safety's will be starting a lot of the time, hence having 5 on the roster.
Correction: In the last blog I said that Crockett started the first 3 pre-season games at FB, and although he was announced as the starter in the 49ers game, Justin Griffith actually started that one.
Thats all for now, thanks for reading and please leave comments with your thoughts on my projected roster and what changes you would make.
Saturday, 25 August 2007
Looking from Lane's Perspective
It's difficult to know how much to read into who's starting and running in the first team packages, if someone is playing with the 1's does that mean they're a lock to start, or even make the final roster? This is Lane Kiffin's first year as a Head Coach in the NFL so this can be difficult to judge, but it's sure worth a try:
- The Raiders beat the Rams 20-10 in a scoreline that flattered the Rams, it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for a LaMont Jordan fumble at the Rams 1-yard line, a 33-yard field goal miss by Sebastian Janikowski and a Chris Johnson penalty that negated an excellent 54-yard punt return TD by rookie WR Johnnie Lee Higgins.
- CB Chris Johnson was playing with the first team in some packages after Nnamdi Asomugha was rested early and also ran with the first team Special Teams coverage unit. The Rams appeared to pick on him and CB Fabian Washington when they were in, although Johnson made mistakes he also made some nice plays including a forced fumble on Rams QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Could Johnson make the roster? Or is he only playing because Asomugha was rested and Stanford Routt is injured? Locks at CB are Asomugha, Washington, Routt and Chris Carr while the last spot appears to be between Johnson and John Bowie. The favorite has to be Bowie due to his fourth round draft pick status and his awesome speed and upside, but then why was Johnson running with the first team...
- Justin Fargas still remains above Adimchinobe Echemandu on the depth chart and was running with the second team, despite Echemandu's excellent training camp and pre-season he could be the odd man out at RB if Michael Bush is removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list in time to start the season.
- Zack Crockett started at FB for the third pre-season game in a row and bizarrely it is still widely assumed he will be cut, Justin Griffith had some work with the first team but if he was to be the starter at FB this season then surely he would have started a pre-season game by now? With three solid FB's to chose from it is looking increasingly likely that Griffith or rookie Oren O'Neal will be cut.
- LB Ricky Brown was all over the field in the second half to continue his excellent pre-season, his speed also makes him an excellent special teams player giving him added value to the team. He almost had an interception but couldn't control the ball and bobbled it until he ran out of bounds, Thomas Howard also dropped an interception in the first half.
- Lane Kiffin likes to send players in motion on the offense, in particular TE Zach Miller seems to be in motion almost every play. This is to help the QB get an idea if the defense is playing man-to-man or zone coverage and can also create mismatches, which is a breathe of fresh air after last seasons unimaginative offense.
- It's still difficult who to predict will be the odd man out at QB between Josh McCown and Andrew Walter, McCown looked the better of the 2 last night, especially when moving outside the pocket. In this game Kiffin actually called some naked bootlegs when Walter was in but he didn't look comfortable on the move, at this point in time the edge goes to McCown.
Thats all for now, thanks for reading.
- The Raiders beat the Rams 20-10 in a scoreline that flattered the Rams, it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for a LaMont Jordan fumble at the Rams 1-yard line, a 33-yard field goal miss by Sebastian Janikowski and a Chris Johnson penalty that negated an excellent 54-yard punt return TD by rookie WR Johnnie Lee Higgins.
- CB Chris Johnson was playing with the first team in some packages after Nnamdi Asomugha was rested early and also ran with the first team Special Teams coverage unit. The Rams appeared to pick on him and CB Fabian Washington when they were in, although Johnson made mistakes he also made some nice plays including a forced fumble on Rams QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Could Johnson make the roster? Or is he only playing because Asomugha was rested and Stanford Routt is injured? Locks at CB are Asomugha, Washington, Routt and Chris Carr while the last spot appears to be between Johnson and John Bowie. The favorite has to be Bowie due to his fourth round draft pick status and his awesome speed and upside, but then why was Johnson running with the first team...
- Justin Fargas still remains above Adimchinobe Echemandu on the depth chart and was running with the second team, despite Echemandu's excellent training camp and pre-season he could be the odd man out at RB if Michael Bush is removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list in time to start the season.
- Zack Crockett started at FB for the third pre-season game in a row and bizarrely it is still widely assumed he will be cut, Justin Griffith had some work with the first team but if he was to be the starter at FB this season then surely he would have started a pre-season game by now? With three solid FB's to chose from it is looking increasingly likely that Griffith or rookie Oren O'Neal will be cut.
- LB Ricky Brown was all over the field in the second half to continue his excellent pre-season, his speed also makes him an excellent special teams player giving him added value to the team. He almost had an interception but couldn't control the ball and bobbled it until he ran out of bounds, Thomas Howard also dropped an interception in the first half.
- Lane Kiffin likes to send players in motion on the offense, in particular TE Zach Miller seems to be in motion almost every play. This is to help the QB get an idea if the defense is playing man-to-man or zone coverage and can also create mismatches, which is a breathe of fresh air after last seasons unimaginative offense.
- It's still difficult who to predict will be the odd man out at QB between Josh McCown and Andrew Walter, McCown looked the better of the 2 last night, especially when moving outside the pocket. In this game Kiffin actually called some naked bootlegs when Walter was in but he didn't look comfortable on the move, at this point in time the edge goes to McCown.
Thats all for now, thanks for reading.
Thursday, 23 August 2007
Midweek Thoughts
Thoughts on the upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams, followed by answers to any questions raised in the comments of the previous two blogs:
- Daunte Culpepper will start and is expected to play the entire first half and possibly the start of the second, barring an extremely poor performance he should be announced as the starter sometime after this game.
- Josh McCown and Andrew Walter will also get some reps in that order, at this point it's anyones guess as to who will get cut once JaMarcus Russell finally signs his contract as Lane Kiffin continues to split reps evenly, there have been rumors of a possible trade of McCown or Walter to Atlanta but nothing is likely to happen until Russell arrives in camp.
- The Rams defense will be a provide a much bigger test for the Raiders offensive line than the 49ers did, the 49ers had 3 starters on their defensive line injured for last weeks game, whereas the Rams have a very talented line and are expected to generate a lot more pressure.
- If LaMont Jordan has a similar game to last week where he rushed for 67-yards on 8 carries, it would provide further evidence that he is perfectly suited to the zone blocking scheme the Raiders have brought in this off-season and would indicate the running game could become a real strength, taking pressure off the Raider QB's.
Now my thoughts on questions raised by readers:
- The offensive line is already light years ahead of last seasons version, the feeling is that Jeremy Newberry would win the starting C spot if 100% healthy and probably will even if he's not quite there, Jake Grove is an adequate backup and will still get snaps even if Newberry does start in order to keep him healthy.
- The RT position appears to be the weakest on the offensive line at the moment, the current projected starter is Cornell Green who has an advantage over other Raiders linemen as he's played in the zone blocking scheme before. The feeling is that he's just keeping the position warm until Paul McQuistan or Mario Henderson have progressed enough to take over later in the season.
- The FB position is really difficult to predict at the moment as Lane Kiffin is giving nothing away, it's not known whether he'll carry 1 FB or 2. If he wants a solid lead blocker who can catch the ball out of the backfield then he'll keep Griffith, if he wants a good all-round FB who can also run the ball he'll keep Crockett. If he does carry 2 then I'd expect him to keep Oren O'Neill as a developmental FB who could be a quality starter in a year or two and would be very unlikely to clear waivers to go on the practice squad if released.
- Special Teams should be much improved this season, not only on KR and PR duties after the drafting of Johnnie Lee Higgins but also on kick coverage which already looks improved in pre-season after the hiring of new special teams coach Brian Schneider. It was well reported that last seasons coach Ted Daisher didn't have the respect of his players with regular outbursts and shouting matches with players on the sidelines, the players evidently didn't want to play for him with terrible kick coverage that often left P Shane Lechler or K Sebastian Janikowski to make the TD saving tackle.
- I think the Raiders are likely to carry 6 WR's this season, locks are Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry, Mike Williams and Johnnie Lee Higgins. I think Travis Taylor will get the 5th spot but there is competition for the final place between Doug Gabriel, Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant, Carlos Francis and Chris McFoy. Gabriel offers the most right now and McFoy could have the most upside long-term, but Whitted is well known to be an Al Davis favorite and may stick around another season, this one is too close to call.
- The Raiders completed a trade with fierce rivals Denver to acquire DT Gerard Warren for a conditional 5th round pick, this is a good move that should really improve the run defense and adds solid depth to the position. The move could also allow Tommy Kelly to occupy the RE position on run downs and slide across back to DT on passing downs.
Thats all for now, thanks and keep reading!
- Daunte Culpepper will start and is expected to play the entire first half and possibly the start of the second, barring an extremely poor performance he should be announced as the starter sometime after this game.
- Josh McCown and Andrew Walter will also get some reps in that order, at this point it's anyones guess as to who will get cut once JaMarcus Russell finally signs his contract as Lane Kiffin continues to split reps evenly, there have been rumors of a possible trade of McCown or Walter to Atlanta but nothing is likely to happen until Russell arrives in camp.
- The Rams defense will be a provide a much bigger test for the Raiders offensive line than the 49ers did, the 49ers had 3 starters on their defensive line injured for last weeks game, whereas the Rams have a very talented line and are expected to generate a lot more pressure.
- If LaMont Jordan has a similar game to last week where he rushed for 67-yards on 8 carries, it would provide further evidence that he is perfectly suited to the zone blocking scheme the Raiders have brought in this off-season and would indicate the running game could become a real strength, taking pressure off the Raider QB's.
Now my thoughts on questions raised by readers:
- The offensive line is already light years ahead of last seasons version, the feeling is that Jeremy Newberry would win the starting C spot if 100% healthy and probably will even if he's not quite there, Jake Grove is an adequate backup and will still get snaps even if Newberry does start in order to keep him healthy.
- The RT position appears to be the weakest on the offensive line at the moment, the current projected starter is Cornell Green who has an advantage over other Raiders linemen as he's played in the zone blocking scheme before. The feeling is that he's just keeping the position warm until Paul McQuistan or Mario Henderson have progressed enough to take over later in the season.
- The FB position is really difficult to predict at the moment as Lane Kiffin is giving nothing away, it's not known whether he'll carry 1 FB or 2. If he wants a solid lead blocker who can catch the ball out of the backfield then he'll keep Griffith, if he wants a good all-round FB who can also run the ball he'll keep Crockett. If he does carry 2 then I'd expect him to keep Oren O'Neill as a developmental FB who could be a quality starter in a year or two and would be very unlikely to clear waivers to go on the practice squad if released.
- Special Teams should be much improved this season, not only on KR and PR duties after the drafting of Johnnie Lee Higgins but also on kick coverage which already looks improved in pre-season after the hiring of new special teams coach Brian Schneider. It was well reported that last seasons coach Ted Daisher didn't have the respect of his players with regular outbursts and shouting matches with players on the sidelines, the players evidently didn't want to play for him with terrible kick coverage that often left P Shane Lechler or K Sebastian Janikowski to make the TD saving tackle.
- I think the Raiders are likely to carry 6 WR's this season, locks are Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry, Mike Williams and Johnnie Lee Higgins. I think Travis Taylor will get the 5th spot but there is competition for the final place between Doug Gabriel, Alvis Whitted, Johnnie Morant, Carlos Francis and Chris McFoy. Gabriel offers the most right now and McFoy could have the most upside long-term, but Whitted is well known to be an Al Davis favorite and may stick around another season, this one is too close to call.
- The Raiders completed a trade with fierce rivals Denver to acquire DT Gerard Warren for a conditional 5th round pick, this is a good move that should really improve the run defense and adds solid depth to the position. The move could also allow Tommy Kelly to occupy the RE position on run downs and slide across back to DT on passing downs.
Thats all for now, thanks and keep reading!
Sunday, 19 August 2007
Raiders lose Battle of the Bay
The Raiders lost against the 49ers 26-21 despite having more time of possession and more total yards, with turnovers and dropped passes proving costly:
- Daunte Culpepper now looks like the clear favorite to start the season opener against the Lions, he looks great on the move, makes good reads and throws crisp, accurate passes. He showed good chemistry with TE John Madsen, connecting on a 44-yard pass and a 5-yard TD pass moments later, he also threw a TD pass to FB Zack Crockett.
The main problem at this point in time is the fumbled snaps, as in the last game he fumbled the very first snap and fumbled another later in the game. It is very well known that Culpepper has small hands and this could be part of the problem, but also throughout training camp he has played with 3 different centers and the Raiders still don't know who their starting center will be, given time to work under one center these mistakes should happen much less often.
- Andrew Walter had plenty of time to throw but still showed he is prone to mistakes, he was throwing into the wind for the most part but fumbled a snap from the shotgun position right through his hands and made a bad read to throw an interception. He did recover well and made a nice drive down the field which ended in a TD run by Jordan, but it's this inconsistency that frustrates Raider fans and may lose him the starting QB spot.
- Josh McCown may be the odd man out at QB once JaMarcus Russell signs, the team is expected to only take 3 QB's on their final 53-man roster and Russell's place is guaranteed once he signs his contract.
- LaMont Jordan finally looked like the RB the Raiders hoped he would be when they signed him to a lucrative contract as a free agent 2 years ago, he ran for 67-yards on 8 carries which included a 32-yarder and a 3-yard TD run. If he can shake of his recent struggles with injuries he's a lock to start against the Lions, due to Dominic Rhodes 4-game suspension.
- Dropped passes proved costly, in the first quarter Travis Taylor was wide open and let the ball bounce off his hands for what would of been a big gain and a first down, instead the drive ended with a punt and a FG for the 49ers. The mostly costly drop was by Alvis Whitted in the end zone with seconds to go, if Whitted had caught the pass thrown by McCown the Raiders would have won the game.
These mistakes cannot happen in the regular season as they cost games, however it's only pre-season and when the big games come around expect Lane Kiffin to call plays to his money receivers such as WR Ronald Curry and TE Zach Miller.
- Speaking of Zach Miller, the TE position which was a huge weakness last season with numerous dropped passes, blown routes and bad pass blocking now appears to be a strength. Miller is a solid blocker and has caught everything thrown his way in training camp, Madsen is entering his second season at the position after bulking up in the off-season and has top-end speed for a TE and soft hands. Tony Stewart is a good 3rd choice TE, expect to see a lot of 2-TE sets this season.
- The FB position may not be a forgone conclusion yet, when the Raiders signed Justin Griffith in the off-season it was presumed he would start and Zack Crockett would likely be cut, however when the Raiders released their first depth chart before pre-season, Griffith and Crockett were both listed as the starter for the FB position.
Add in Kiffins glowing reference to rookie Oren O'Neal, "Yes, he has really been a star of the camp and he brings an unbelievable attitude to the game; the way he plays, how physical he plays." and you have a position battle that is far from settled. Crockett has started both pre-season games so far and this makes him the slight favorite to make the roster at this point in time.
- Derrick Burgess is a dominant force, he is so quick and strong and has a fantastic ability to get to the QB. Expect him to be rested for the majority of pre-season but when he sees the field in the regular season he will make the entire defense a lot better.
Thanks for reading, please leave comments and I'll try to answer any questions in a separate blog later in the week.
- Daunte Culpepper now looks like the clear favorite to start the season opener against the Lions, he looks great on the move, makes good reads and throws crisp, accurate passes. He showed good chemistry with TE John Madsen, connecting on a 44-yard pass and a 5-yard TD pass moments later, he also threw a TD pass to FB Zack Crockett.
The main problem at this point in time is the fumbled snaps, as in the last game he fumbled the very first snap and fumbled another later in the game. It is very well known that Culpepper has small hands and this could be part of the problem, but also throughout training camp he has played with 3 different centers and the Raiders still don't know who their starting center will be, given time to work under one center these mistakes should happen much less often.
- Andrew Walter had plenty of time to throw but still showed he is prone to mistakes, he was throwing into the wind for the most part but fumbled a snap from the shotgun position right through his hands and made a bad read to throw an interception. He did recover well and made a nice drive down the field which ended in a TD run by Jordan, but it's this inconsistency that frustrates Raider fans and may lose him the starting QB spot.
- Josh McCown may be the odd man out at QB once JaMarcus Russell signs, the team is expected to only take 3 QB's on their final 53-man roster and Russell's place is guaranteed once he signs his contract.
- LaMont Jordan finally looked like the RB the Raiders hoped he would be when they signed him to a lucrative contract as a free agent 2 years ago, he ran for 67-yards on 8 carries which included a 32-yarder and a 3-yard TD run. If he can shake of his recent struggles with injuries he's a lock to start against the Lions, due to Dominic Rhodes 4-game suspension.
- Dropped passes proved costly, in the first quarter Travis Taylor was wide open and let the ball bounce off his hands for what would of been a big gain and a first down, instead the drive ended with a punt and a FG for the 49ers. The mostly costly drop was by Alvis Whitted in the end zone with seconds to go, if Whitted had caught the pass thrown by McCown the Raiders would have won the game.
These mistakes cannot happen in the regular season as they cost games, however it's only pre-season and when the big games come around expect Lane Kiffin to call plays to his money receivers such as WR Ronald Curry and TE Zach Miller.
- Speaking of Zach Miller, the TE position which was a huge weakness last season with numerous dropped passes, blown routes and bad pass blocking now appears to be a strength. Miller is a solid blocker and has caught everything thrown his way in training camp, Madsen is entering his second season at the position after bulking up in the off-season and has top-end speed for a TE and soft hands. Tony Stewart is a good 3rd choice TE, expect to see a lot of 2-TE sets this season.
- The FB position may not be a forgone conclusion yet, when the Raiders signed Justin Griffith in the off-season it was presumed he would start and Zack Crockett would likely be cut, however when the Raiders released their first depth chart before pre-season, Griffith and Crockett were both listed as the starter for the FB position.
Add in Kiffins glowing reference to rookie Oren O'Neal, "Yes, he has really been a star of the camp and he brings an unbelievable attitude to the game; the way he plays, how physical he plays." and you have a position battle that is far from settled. Crockett has started both pre-season games so far and this makes him the slight favorite to make the roster at this point in time.
- Derrick Burgess is a dominant force, he is so quick and strong and has a fantastic ability to get to the QB. Expect him to be rested for the majority of pre-season but when he sees the field in the regular season he will make the entire defense a lot better.
Thanks for reading, please leave comments and I'll try to answer any questions in a separate blog later in the week.
Saturday, 18 August 2007
Thoughts From The Cardinals Game
Here we go with the first post, a week after the first pre-season game against the Cardinals and around 3 hours before the second game against the 49ers, here are a few thoughts after watching the last game:
- The zone blocking scheme will do wonders for our running game, there were times against the Cardinals that our offensive line were opening gaping holes for our running backs to make big gains, the system seems to especially suit Rhodes and Echemandu.
- Speaking of Echemandu, the guy is a real find and should make the roster and get significant carries this season, I was especially impressed on one play against the Cardinals when he showed great awareness in switching the ball from one hand to the other and stiff-arming a defender to the ground to gain an extra couple of yards.
Don't get carried away and expect him to start or split carries because he has tough competition in front of him, the number of carries he get will also depend on how well LaMont Jordan adapts to zone blocking which is something I'll be looking out for tonight. One thing I do recommend is you learn how to spell and say his name because we'll be seeing a lot more of him this season.
- Dominic Rhodes IS a Raider, I liked the signing at the time and I like it even more now. I love his style of running and would of expected him to win the battle for the starting RB spot had he not been suspended for the first 4 games. I also love his attitude and the way he really wanted to jump into the black hole after his first TD run, it won't be for the last time either!
- B.J. Ward sure knows how to hit, I really like this guy and the big hitting ability it brings. If you ask anyone who watched most of our games last season the one thing our defense truly lacked then most of them would say a big hitter.
We lost Darnell Bing for reasons that will probably be confirmed when we see him in action for the 49ers, which I presume is for his lack of coverage ability. We gained two big hitters in veteran leader Donovin Darius and out-of-nowhere man B.J. Ward, look for these guys to lay the wood and put fear into opposing offenses this year.
- The QB competition is most definitely still open but I expect Culpepper to win it if his development continues as hoped. The first couple of drives were undoubtedly poor and he didn't look totally comfortable in the pocket, but these issues could be put down to rust and working with the third team offense.
One thing I'm in no doubt of is he looked wonderful when rolling out and throwing on the move, none of our other QB's (that are at camp) have close to his overall ability.
- Walter possesses really good arm strength and looked very strong when throwing from the pocket, it must of been a relief for him to have time to throw for a change. However I think his inability to roll out and throw on the run effectively could see him lose the competition, take notice if Lane Kiffin calls any of these plays in tonights game when Walter is in because he didn't last week.
- Mario Henderson isn't ready to start, there's no doubt this kid has plenty of promise and I expect him to start either next season or the one after but he's not ready yet. This is why Cornell Green is the current RT and rookies rarely start on the offensive line unless they have elite talent or are forced to because of injuries. Although at times Henderson looked very good, at others he got schooled and made big mistakes, including allowing a sack.
- A lot has been said about Robert Gallery, in fact way too much has been said about Robert Gallery. One thing that must be said is he has worked really hard this off-season in an attempt to regain his confidence and ability that once made him a #2 overall draft pick and a can't miss prospect.
His hard work really showed against the Cardinals, I thought he had a solid game for the most part with a few small errors. One in particular where an opposing defender seemed to effortlessly breeze past him and into the backfield, but fortunately Rhodes sidestepped him and turned a 3 yard loss into a 13 yard gain.
On a positive note when he got a block on his man there was no way he was letting him go, he drove defenders forward with power and force which is exactly what he was brought here to do. It's early days in the zone blocking scheme and Gallery's days at guard so expect him to make the odd mistake but hopefully this guy can be a real talent for us and has finally found his position at LG.
- Johnnie Lee Higgins has real big-play ability and will be an excellent deep threat, helping keep the defense honest and giving the team the occasional big gain. Against the Cardinals he made some real nice moves on a punt return and had a brilliant 50-yard catch from Culpepper, I'm expecting big things from Higgins.
That's all for now, hope you enjoyed reading and comments are welcomed... I'm In!
- The zone blocking scheme will do wonders for our running game, there were times against the Cardinals that our offensive line were opening gaping holes for our running backs to make big gains, the system seems to especially suit Rhodes and Echemandu.
- Speaking of Echemandu, the guy is a real find and should make the roster and get significant carries this season, I was especially impressed on one play against the Cardinals when he showed great awareness in switching the ball from one hand to the other and stiff-arming a defender to the ground to gain an extra couple of yards.
Don't get carried away and expect him to start or split carries because he has tough competition in front of him, the number of carries he get will also depend on how well LaMont Jordan adapts to zone blocking which is something I'll be looking out for tonight. One thing I do recommend is you learn how to spell and say his name because we'll be seeing a lot more of him this season.
- Dominic Rhodes IS a Raider, I liked the signing at the time and I like it even more now. I love his style of running and would of expected him to win the battle for the starting RB spot had he not been suspended for the first 4 games. I also love his attitude and the way he really wanted to jump into the black hole after his first TD run, it won't be for the last time either!
- B.J. Ward sure knows how to hit, I really like this guy and the big hitting ability it brings. If you ask anyone who watched most of our games last season the one thing our defense truly lacked then most of them would say a big hitter.
We lost Darnell Bing for reasons that will probably be confirmed when we see him in action for the 49ers, which I presume is for his lack of coverage ability. We gained two big hitters in veteran leader Donovin Darius and out-of-nowhere man B.J. Ward, look for these guys to lay the wood and put fear into opposing offenses this year.
- The QB competition is most definitely still open but I expect Culpepper to win it if his development continues as hoped. The first couple of drives were undoubtedly poor and he didn't look totally comfortable in the pocket, but these issues could be put down to rust and working with the third team offense.
One thing I'm in no doubt of is he looked wonderful when rolling out and throwing on the move, none of our other QB's (that are at camp) have close to his overall ability.
- Walter possesses really good arm strength and looked very strong when throwing from the pocket, it must of been a relief for him to have time to throw for a change. However I think his inability to roll out and throw on the run effectively could see him lose the competition, take notice if Lane Kiffin calls any of these plays in tonights game when Walter is in because he didn't last week.
- Mario Henderson isn't ready to start, there's no doubt this kid has plenty of promise and I expect him to start either next season or the one after but he's not ready yet. This is why Cornell Green is the current RT and rookies rarely start on the offensive line unless they have elite talent or are forced to because of injuries. Although at times Henderson looked very good, at others he got schooled and made big mistakes, including allowing a sack.
- A lot has been said about Robert Gallery, in fact way too much has been said about Robert Gallery. One thing that must be said is he has worked really hard this off-season in an attempt to regain his confidence and ability that once made him a #2 overall draft pick and a can't miss prospect.
His hard work really showed against the Cardinals, I thought he had a solid game for the most part with a few small errors. One in particular where an opposing defender seemed to effortlessly breeze past him and into the backfield, but fortunately Rhodes sidestepped him and turned a 3 yard loss into a 13 yard gain.
On a positive note when he got a block on his man there was no way he was letting him go, he drove defenders forward with power and force which is exactly what he was brought here to do. It's early days in the zone blocking scheme and Gallery's days at guard so expect him to make the odd mistake but hopefully this guy can be a real talent for us and has finally found his position at LG.
- Johnnie Lee Higgins has real big-play ability and will be an excellent deep threat, helping keep the defense honest and giving the team the occasional big gain. Against the Cardinals he made some real nice moves on a punt return and had a brilliant 50-yard catch from Culpepper, I'm expecting big things from Higgins.
That's all for now, hope you enjoyed reading and comments are welcomed... I'm In!
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