Let's Do This Oakland!!! The Oakland Raiders Bright Spots For 9-26-10
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Sep 28, 2010 6:05 PM PDT
in Sprint Game Ball of the Week
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You know, I'd taken this week's loss as hard as I've taken any over the last few years. Even though the Niners were 0-3, I was still let down and didn't feel like talking smack to my co-workers. I was swearing, internally and externally, about Sebastian Janikowski, Tom Cable and even Bruce Gradkowski.
There is no doubt that the entire Raider Nation was stung by seeing the game in Arizona slip by the Goal Post to the left.
Then, this morning, I was talking to my morning coffee guy, who is also a Raider fan, about replacing Bruce Gradkowski, and it was as clear as day that there is no way that you replace a guy who has his team in position to win every game, except for Dallas, that he has started. Period
Bruce drove the field and put the Raiders in position to win! Again! He converted a 4th Down on 4th and 10 and had the ball on the AZ 17 with over a minute and a half to go before Cable decided to lay up for the chip shot.
Bruce's over-exuberance was on full display on Sunday and he should be calmer this week. I expect the touch to return to the passes and the proper calls to be made...Especially Time Out...(Cough Cough Cough)
Then, I started thinking about how well Louis Murphy did, and, the fact that Darren McFadden went off again and Zach Miller went for his first TD of the season.
The Raider front seven had the best game I've seen them have this season and Rolando McClain lived in the AZ backfield.
The creme de la creme of Sunday was Nnamdi reasserting himself as the #1 cornerback in football. He absolutely dominated Larry Fitzgerald.
With better play calling, game management and kicking that game in AZ is a blow-out for the Raiders.
I know that losses don't usually warrant game balls, but, I have to give Nnamdi a game ball for rising back to the top. There is no doubt that Nnamdi is the best cover corner in the NFL BAR NONE.
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Is it Sunday yet?
aka GOLDENBOYWARRIOR
by gogomaplata on Sep 28, 2010 6:30 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
I know...Right?
4 more long days until Sunday
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Sep 28, 2010 6:43 PM PDT up reply actions
My sentiments exactly
However, the Cable guy blew this one by listening to the kicker to tell him what to do! The offensive line is still weak! If our running game was so improved why could the line not propel our team into the endzone during the five times we were in the Red Zone! The o-line stinks! The o-line Stinks! The o-line stinks! (ok, I ‘got it off my chest’ again.) Not to mention the porous pass blocking (it hurts to visualize what our o-line constantly display!) …Winning a game takes a will (that is totally opposite from “setting up” for a cope-out field goal. … ..Winning involves: WIN! THE MFing game and get it over with and without a doubt!!!!!!! Each time our team plays that bullshit of trying not to lose or just get in position to kick the damn ball, it has proven this is not the Oakland way and we lose most of the time with that suck-butt crap! This was a terrible loss and the coaches and the passive offensive line are to blame for killing the drive, each time.
I see that I picked a scab there:
Same scab here…obviously. But, I have faith in this team to continue to improve every week and I look forward to seeing how they perform at home on Sunday.
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Sep 28, 2010 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions
actually that oline lead the way for dmc's first rushing td of the season from the 5.
so they were not 0 for 5 inside the 20, more like 1 for 4. lol
by rodeosnake12 on Sep 28, 2010 8:18 PM PDT up reply actions
Saint this team is now playing to win, I don't see them giving up and Grad is fighting to win every game.
Are they ready to contend for a title yet, well No, however, errors were made, Coaching, Kicking, Blocking and execution…Ok, we lose, but we lose in a position to win. Let’s take the high road on this season, remember we are coming from last season. This years Raiders will improve but we must support our team. They have made changes that are clearly preparing the Raiders for the future…We will be a factor again very soon and it may be sooner than later. Keep the faith Raiders…See you at the game!!!! Saint I looked for you at the Rams game, I was at the Blackhole tailgate, maybe this Sunday, I will be tailgating again, where will you guys be?
by Rodney Sacramento on Sep 28, 2010 9:19 PM PDT up reply actions
We will be at the Grill Iron Gang Usual Hang Out:
It is nearest the freeway, in the first row facing the VIP entrance on the North Lot
It is all about coming together as a team. At the end of the day, the team is all we have. - T. Branch 10-14-09
by Raymond St. Martin (Saint) on Sep 29, 2010 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
No Surprise
Although I am disappointed that we lost, I was not surprised and expected it because it has been a very long time since we had back-to-back wins. Every big game we have won, we end up loosing the next one thining they would love the feeling of winning and ride the momentum even if that next game is at home. The only difference this time is that we did not get bown out. Houston is next and they had a tough lost at home. I will not be surprised that we get blown out at home because our coaches are too soft and should be getting in the players ass. Tom Cable"s press conference are the same with him saying the same thing over and over again. Bill Callahan said it best the last year he coached the Raiders.
by Archangel25 on Sep 28, 2010 7:27 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
no more negative threads
I like the positivity of this thread. We’ve all done our bitching and this is our time to discuss the positives in the game… and there are a good number of them.
here's some positive's comparing last year to this year through the first 3 games
we’ve scored 16 more points, have gained 385 more total yards on O, have given up 316 less yards on D(2nd in the league in YPG) 2 more sacks, and 26 more first downs.
just a few positives that we can build on! now its time to fix the points differential and not look back!
by rodeosnake12 on Sep 28, 2010 8:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Grateful for those stats, rodeosnake.
Our D Captain is establishing an identify for the entire D and he’s getting tougher and smarter with each passing week. The Electron-man at QB lifts everyone (almost). With improved leadership – coming from the players if not the coaches – we are definitely on our way to a better season.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Sep 28, 2010 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions
you bet sons. i truly believe we are on our way to a better season!
each week we’ve gotten better, so like they say, grow from the positives and learn from the negatives.
by rodeosnake12 on Sep 28, 2010 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Pinpointing our negatives is a bright spot that helps us get even better.
I agree with Archangel25’s opinion about Cable being soft. He has the opposite of a killer instinct. The Raiders aren’t college players!!! Why do we have a coach with the mentality of a counselor or caregiver or hospice manager? We need direction, input, ideas, decisions, correction – during the game, not mealy vague platitudes and clitche’s every week – “we’re a step away” We lead the league in penalty yardage – we are (and have always been under Cable) a very undisciplined team that gives opponents a huge handicap each week. The team has several distracted children whose permissive father never corrects them and withholds their medicine.
So Saint, it’s a bright spot to know what’s wrong so we can fix it, move forward and be better.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Sep 28, 2010 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Cable's Action's( or lack of )
This is a good team, minus a couple of key area’s !!!
1: OFFENSIVE LINE
2: Coaching
I listed the OL first, because their on the field, making some bone head mistakes. One in paticular seems to make more than others!!! This is about preperation, unless this person just can’t remember a DAMN snap count for more than 10 seconds. Cable’s unwavering devotion for this “FIXABLE” problem the line has been having is troubling. As stated bt S-O-B, the excuses are getting old, and tired, and we’re only 3 games into the season. Can’t get calls in on time ? Singletary was having the same problem, don’t know if he fixed it, but he made DAMN sure who’s was accountable!!! Who’s being accountable for the mistakes being made. Game time adjustments, who’s accountable ? Play Calling at critical points in the game, ie; Going to the zone on the goaline ??!! These are BRAINFARTS, By the Coaches !!!! Is it gonna take all season to find out who’s accountable, and we’ll know when they’re fired, and another loosing season on the books!!!
8 years of losing
Raidernation what it do everbody. Is call for the cable men head and for what we can get another lame duck hc let’s get to the real deal starting with dhb he was draft with the 7 pick and he should have been pick that high the secound pick mr mitchell could get him with your last pick in the draft let’s start with the cable guy he has no business being a hc period what have hep done in his career to be a hc this is way out of his hands
by memphis t on Sep 29, 2010 10:23 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
8 years of losing part 2
It all start with the owner he hires these guys he draft the se guys nation 8 years of bs if he can’t run things right in 8 years what hope do we have he is going to turn this team to a winner kc is back and the raiders are wroking on a high draft pick all that’s right its going to new England the raiders need new life and Mr Davis lost his balls long ago yea fire the cable guy for another coach to be fired in two years cause no way in hell a good coach will come here so yes a season lost before it being al Davis is the reason why the raiders are the raiders and the main reason why they are a bad team its not going to chage to he is gone
by memphis t on Sep 29, 2010 10:40 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Maybe
That’s why so many college coaches coming to the pros fail so often. Maybe it’s just plain too intense for most of them, they being used to beating schools like the University of Goatsville 72-0 without much effort.
Execution is the name of the game.
I just found out Oakland is tied for third in the league in red zone attempts. That’s a far cry from the circus with a pop warner quarterback of last year. It’s also surprising how we have struggled considering we have a great pass-catching tight end and the league’s third-ranked running game. Let’s get after them on Sunday early and often. Sunday was last week. It’s a home game in the Black Hole this week!!! Raider fan bring your A-game!!!
Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Julius Caesar
I don't know about you guys
But I’m excited about how this team will bounce back this week. Do step up or ate we going to fold? No matter how we lose it’s a loss and no matter how we win, it’s a win. So I’m really looking forward to Sunday and see what this team is made of.
aka GOLDENBOYWARRIOR
by gogomaplata on Sep 28, 2010 9:19 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
*do we step up or are we going to fold?
aka GOLDENBOYWARRIOR
by gogomaplata on Sep 28, 2010 9:20 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Yep
One of those surprises like we had against Pittsburgh or Cincinnati last year would be great just about now.
Don't forget...
Philly and Denver… I won’t add KC cause I am not sold on that 3-0 record. Denver went 6-0. So it don’t mean jack to me.
aka GOLDENBOYWARRIOR
by gogomaplata on Sep 28, 2010 10:24 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
doubt it.
win this game and maybe a sell out for the s.d. game.
by rodeosnake12 on Sep 28, 2010 10:27 PM PDT up reply actions
The game ............
was pretty good except for some crappy pass interference calls that cost our team by giving AZ more downs and field position to work with. Also Jano has to do good on the pressure field goals we need this guy to be on the money the rest of the year. Alot of the games will be decided by 4 points or less. The O-line did well all things considered . Grad had some ups and downs but poverall played with heart and poise.
Mcfadden is a beast! Our whole D is pretty damn good too!
I still see this team going 8-8 or 9-7 with a legit chance at a plat-off spot .
GO RAIDERS!!!!!
Bongsmoke
Cable continually points out the problems causing the losses...
for what it’s worth, I’m not sure. Most of all I’m disappointed in the lack of discipline in fixing penalties and execution errors. I definitely think the killer instinct in times when we’re driving late in the game is missing; we could’ve made tthat the pivotal point in the season when we progressed to that team that’s playing to kick the guy’s asses across from them more often than not, and not willing to settle for the seemingly “go-ahead”, ftw—but never a given—field goals.
Should’ve used all the downs and some creativity and faith in our weapons to get in the end zone. Zach Miller PA. Marcel Reese? Murphy slant? FB fake trap HB toss to McFadden? I can do that shit all day long against the freakin Ravens playing all Madden with Darren. Why aren’t we?
Oh yeah. Positive. DMac is a beast! Hue will unleash him in ways we have yet to see, that coordinators won’t have answers for, but I’m getting a little impatient.
All the posters who’ve said we’re not lining up gun and dropping shallow and getting it out quicker are dead on. We have to play like we know Henderson is a ghost most of the time, and the rest of the guys are shaky at best. Bruce knows it. God keep him healthy, please, and maybe Hue, too? How ‘bout some calls that don’t hang him out to dry? please. Breathing deeply.
Go DHB! Murph will light it up in fantasy this week. Schaub will have his worst week in a long time because though he’ll throw TDs, we’ll get some picks on the young lad. 4 this time around. Nnamdi with one. Lamarr Houston with one on a deflection. Stanford Routt, that’s right, Routt, with a pick six, and Tyvon will be Johnny on the spot with his own pick six when Houston has it on their own 20.
Not gonna predict the score or outcome, just those details… Superstitious.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
Too bad Hugh can't be two places at once. He's on the sidelines making play calls, when D's in he's talking with players
but if he were in the box he’d have advantage w/play selection and adjustments. During games, at least, Cable is a non-entity a wasted field-pass.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Sep 29, 2010 6:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I saw Cable clapping after Arizona returned the opening kick and I was like, what the fuck? You don’t applaud your players for missing assignments, you chew their ass out. I wish he had more of a Tom Caughlin mentality about it.
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
I agree completely.
He makes some good decisions on his depth chart hence why Stevie Brown is back but as a game manager he is lacking. I want to see him get on somebody and not play cheerleader every time. Every player needs to be coached constantly until it gets through to them. I guess this explains Mario Henderson.
Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Julius Caesar
Again Al doesn't go after defensive coaches.
He prefers OCs to become the head coach. Its the same reason he turned down Bill Belichek years ago and why Rob Ryan wasn’t even in the running to take over after he fired Kiffin. It came down to Greg Knapp and Cable. He doesn’t like a defensive mind to come in and run their own defense no matter how much better it may suit the personell we have.
Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Julius Caesar
I know but we are a defensives team.
we have failed with everyone else. we should try to at least win off turnovers. Fox will run the ball and play defense. That’s all we can do right now we can’t throw because of our line. we just need to play small ball until we get the oline fixed.
Since when does Al make decisions based on personell?
He wants the team to be power run with guards pulling and seven step drops with the hope of completing a 30+ yard pass play at least four times a game. He also hopes we can score more points than the other team so he doesn’t give defense much of a thought other having one good cover corner that never leaves one side of the field for some reason. For some reason he believes we can do that with our players we have now and if we can’t than the coach wasn’t able to communicate that to the team so they would be in position to execute said plays. Also if John Fox was to come here he would want to be paid and also have last word on personell decisions. Good luck with that.
Cowards die many times before their deaths
The valiant never taste of death but once.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Julius Caesar
I saw that inappropriate act by our HC and seethed.
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Sep 29, 2010 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions
i think that terd applauded because inside he was saying
“just right boys, we almost tackled him! alright he only went for 102 yards, i thought it was 103, good job.” this is how dumb this guy is! JAKE, glad i wasn’t the only one fighting made after witnessing his applaud!
by rodeosnake12 on Sep 29, 2010 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
It was just one of those "C'mon guys, don't let it get to ya, wake up" claps.
It’s not like Cable was like “yeah, they scored a nice touchdown” clap. If he says nothing usually our guys morale dips to oblivious levels which I hate. Our team has the tendency to do that, which needs to change.
The RaiderLaker
The Raiders as a whole are usually mentally weak regarding when the opponent scores-
they lose morale. Usually because they know our offense sucks, but Grads will change that, and they know it. (The D)
The RaiderLaker
If the team relies on Cable's ridiculous and stained forms to motivate then we are all to be pitied
S-O-B: ITS HOW I ROLL, DEAL WITH IT.
by Sons-of-Blanda on Sep 30, 2010 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions
They’re grown men. If they lose all morale ‘cause Tom chewed them out, then they don’t deserve to wear Silver&Black.
When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.
I'm not saying it worked, but at least he tried.
Last year I noticed this dip in morale and it was pathetic, now I do notice a change, they may believe in something now. Enough with the “blow everything up” comments towards change.
The RaiderLaker
Let's wait 'till the end of the season to decide to fire certain coaches or players.
(the only change I would welcome is a trade of some sort and us getting a D playmaker or good O-lineman) Suggesting we start all over in the middle of the season is not the way to go about things. “Hey, lets fire Cable and Hue, and Marshall” …no, man…no
The RaiderLaker
Great post Saint!
I’m kind of new to SBnation and all. I would just read everyone’s posts till I cam across a few that were just so pessimistic and negative, and that made me join so I could maybe bring a lil balance. I’m all for the positivity, in all aspects of life, and to me that means: Raiders Lakers, my Music and Life.
Now I understand the observation about our mistakes and what we ‘could’ have done better. Just like I’m sure all the players and coaches discussed about after. But just like them, we got gotta take it in, learn from the mistakes, strengthen those weaknesses, and lock down the game plan for the next game. I’m just not one to dwell on the past, cuz the future is right now. And right now, we got a chance to get back to even-steven .500. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves either. One game at a time, and this weekend we got to protect and use our home-field advantage. Get to 2-2, and win more than lose the rest of the games and we could be talkin playoffs. Our priority should be to win of course, but to win convincingly and build some momentum going into the SD game, and finally get those two W’s in a row. WE CAN DO IT!!!
Go RAIDERS!!!
by RaiderDevastate1 on Sep 29, 2010 4:02 PM PDT reply actions
Welcome RD1, and thanks for the positivity and balance...
although I dare say, stick around, and you’ll jump in on the rants soon enough!
Look: We all want to focus on positives, but they don’t mean shit, without the deodorant of winning. It’s all about the W’s.
Remember the all familiar, “just win, baby”? Hasn’t meant a heckuvalot for almost a decade now.
"If your only ambition in life, is to be a better person; well, that's just the best ambition you can have..." Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew
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