I'd just like to share some random scattered thoughts so i apologize if this article doesn't look as official as my others usually do. Also I may ramble on and on so get used to that throughout.

-Russell this season-

    Russell has not had a great season, but it's not bad by any means. With an O-Line closely resembling that of the year 2006 and receivers that struggle to get open or catch, Russell's had to BE the offense (of course there's the backs but let's focus on Russell) Russell started out pretty sloppy. Often throwing the ball away and taking a bunch of sacks. But he never threw interceptions like Walter did when under the same circumstances. Russell has now grown into a very good looking QB. If he started out the season playing like he is now, ESPN might be talking more about him than Cassel. Russell still has great mobility in the pocket and can very easily roll out. He has great zip on his passes and has developed a rapport with Miller. As the season's developed, he's taken more shots downfield and Cable's starting to mix thing up on offense with play action. But more on that later. I give Russell a solid B on his season thus far. He's far from a bust.

-Cable's newfound offense-

    Cable's offense started out horrid at best. Flat out sucking on third down and in short yardage. Passing the football was out of the question and Fargas was only getting 1 yard a carry. But now his offense looks much better than it did in the Saints game when he took over. It looks like Kiffin's the coach again. Maybe that's because Knapp isn't calling the plays, maybe it's because McFadden's back, or maybe it's because Javon Walker's out and Curry's in. Who knows, but whatever it is, it's working. Harris isn't making AS MANY mistakes, and even if he does, Henderson's more than capable of stepping in. He's finally realized that running the football on Carlisle and Green's side works. McFadden's return also helps the run game. Two TD's last week is very good for Darren. If only he hadn't gotten turf toe, we would've seen more of that (damn Cable and Kiffin for running him so much despite the injury)

    Cable's also mixing it up on offense now. Quick tosses to the outside to McFadden, running it up the middle then bouncing outside with Run DMC, play-action passing, halfback option passes, and whatever he decides to try out next week. Last week was the most productive and balanced this offense has been all season. And with the chiefs coming up next week, it can only get better.

-The Resurgent Defense-

    The story of the season will be the Raider's defense. This is THE best it's been since 06. We've been getting pressure with and without Burgess. Warren and Kelly are beasts in the middle. Scott has played effectively as a 6th. round rookie and Richardson is arguably better than he was last year. Edwards is playing even better than Clemons did last year. The D-Line was our biggest worry this year, now it's one of our strengths. Whoever plays at OLB opposite Howard is effective. Whether it be Thomas, Brown, Williams, or, shockingly, Alston. Morrison and Howard have both struggled this year but I think it's a fluke. Though they definitely need to work on their tackling come next year. The secondary has been very good this year with the exception of Huff, who can't cover TE's to save his life. I give him one more year, if you put him at nickel/dime corner in place of Routt who plays either nickel/dime depending on which one of huff plays. Hall sucked, and now Chris Johnson has his old job as starter. And Johnson, who was once the dime corner, is now outplaying the former Hall. Let's hope he can play like that next week when he'll be covering Bowe.

    Now you might be thinking, if our defense is supposedly so good, then why is it not reflected in the rankings? We give up to many big plays underneath. Tackling is still an issue from last year that's hanging over from last year. This time it's not Stu missing tackles, it's Morrison and Howard. True they are pass defense specialists, but when it comes to tackling a receiver they flat out suck. We also give up big plays due to Ryan's porous prevent defense. If we even lead by a field goal, it's off to using prevent. Ryan, it doesn't work. Go back to what was working so well the first four weeks, blitz the LB. If Howard and Morrison aren't contributing in the pass game, send them in to blitz. It worked very well against KC, Buffalo, and San Diego; why not use it again? But with two safeties, 24 sacks (tied for 10th), and 12 INT (8th.), I'm not complaining too much.

-Consistency-

    The Raiders have been inconsistent. You don't know what Raiders team is going to show up to each game. You might see the Raiders that beat the AFC's hottest team in the Jets. Or the Raiders that rolled over and died at the feet of the Falcons. This team needs to stay consistent instead of being on and off between barely losing, being blown out, or blowing out the opponent. When the Raiders become consistent, they'll become successful. Teams like Pittsburgh, New England, Indianapolis, and more have been so successful from being consistent. And consistency begins with the coaches and the gameplan. And those two things have been consistent over the years. Consistently inconsistent. Once Davis realizes that giving a coach more than a year and a half actually makes your team better, we'll be better. Though I wouldn't hold my breath.

There ya go folks, can't wait for the KC game. We blew them out in Arrowhead, now let's give our home crowd a great game. See ya on the blog.