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10-26-2005, 11:28 PM
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Moss in Road Rage Incident and Misses Game, Raiders Lose to Atlanta
Oakland (8-5) 17 - Atlanta (5-7-1) 32 Atlanta, GA (Week 14, 2005) – One hour before game-time, the unimaginable happened to the Oakland Raiders’ star wide receiver Randy Moss: he was brought into an Atlanta police station for questioning regarding an incident of road rage that took place a half hour earlier.  Given permission by the team, Moss rented a 2005 Black Hummer to visit some friends before the game. After the visit, Moss headed back to join his team-mates at the stadium and prepare for their game. During that return trip, Moss was involved in a minor accident which turned ugly as tempers flared. The details of the incident are sketchy, as all of the involved parties gave statements to the police that were contradictory. As such, the parties were brought down to a police station where further questioning ensued and the Raiders-Falcons game took place.According to the statement given by Moss, he was cut off by another driver in a 1992 Toyota Corolla, and Moss hit the Corolla from behind. Upon getting out of their respective cars, the other driver, identified as Jarred Klusky, started to yell and scream obscenities at Moss for the accident. Moss attempted to calm Mr. Klusky down, but Mr. Klusky became even more agitated and started to attempt to punch Moss. Moss then punched Mr. Klusky in the chest, knocking him down into the street. It was at this moment when Atlanta police arrived on the scene. Mr. Klusky’s statement disputes some details, as he reports that Moss rammed his car into Mr. Klusky’s Corolla at a light when there was ample time to stop. Upon getting out of their vehicles, Mr. Klusky reports that Moss yelled at him, saying that he was late for the game now, and it was all Mr. Klusky’s fault. Moss yelled some obscenities, then punched Mr. Klusky, knocking him down. After four hours at the police station, enough witnesses had corroborated Moss’ original statement, and Moss was released. Unfortunately, it was too late for Moss to get into the line-up for the Raiders game, and they felt his loss, as the Atlanta Falcons controlled the majority of the game.  The Raiders’ offence could not get into a rhythm early, while their defence took a step back in the play that they have exhibited over the past few weeks. Falcons QB Michael Vick looked good passing and running, giving the Oakland defence a tough time. Vick finished the day going 19 for 28, with 257 yards and a touchdown, as well as another 68 yards on the ground. The DVD running game was in full effect, as Dunn pitched in 53 yards rushing and a touchdown, while Duckett had another 68 yards and a touchdown. Young wide receiver Michael Jenkins was the Falcons top receiver, with 87 yards and a touchdown.It was the inability to establish the run game that hurt the Raiders most. RB Lamont Jordan only managed 44 yards on 13 carries, while Collins could not keep the Falcons defence honest with the passing game, going 13 for 24, with 223 yards. He did throw two touchdown passes, however. WR Jerry Porter did his best to make up for the loss of Moss, gaining 117 yards, though he did not find the endzone. “We have no excuses for this game,” said Collins. “Sure, it hurt without Randy in the line-up, but we cannot be a team that is reliant on one person. We have a lot of talent here, and we should be able to win games like these without Randy. I just wasn’t very sharp tonight, and I didn’t push hard enough to make something happen. We are in a fight to win the division, and every single game counts. If we can’t overcome performances like this, we have no chance to make it to the Super Bowl.” The Raiders also suffered another blow to their defensive line, as DE Derrick Burgess once again went down with an injury. He could miss the rest of the regular season, though it will depend on how well things heal. Oakland now looks to what should be a tough match-up against the 8-5 Tennessee Titans next week, back in Oakland. Box Score Attendance: 62,200 (71,100).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-26-2005, 11:30 PM
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#52 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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I walked into my office, coming from a short scrum with reporters, and I saw John Mackey sitting in a chair opposite my desk. I nodded, threw some papers on the desk, and grabbed a bottle of water.
“Hey, Bear. Fun conversation?” I opened the water and took a big drink. “Oh yah, a lot of fun. I hate talking to reporters. I am just not a good public relations guy. Speaking of which, where the Hell is our public relations guy?” Mack laughed. “I think he is out at some charity golf tournament.” “Figures. Anyway, this Moss thing is the talk of the town. Maybe the entire NFL. It seems that enough witnesses have come forward, and he is off the hook, and I guess the guy he punched isn’t going to press charges, but it was attention we didn’t need anyway.” “Well, that is not all bad. Look at the bright side. Regardless of what the official word is, there will be some speculation, and Moss is not known as the most stand-up guy around, so that helps us out when we get rid of him. Secondly, it kept him out of a game and put him further away from that record. Lastly, we lost the game he missed. Sounds like a good situation to me.” I looked at Mack, trying to keep the suspicion out of my expression. He couldn’t have anything to do with this, could he? Am I being paranoid? “True. I guess there are some good things to come out of this. But there are still three games left in the season, and we are still one of the leading teams in the division, so there are many things that can still go wrong. Tennessee will hopefully put up a fight, but I am really hoping things go our way in the game against KC two weeks from now. That may determine the division champion, and it is in KC, so it should be a tough one to win.” Mack nodded. “Yep. That game is definitely critical. We need to make sure they lose…” I interrupted Mack at that point. “Mack. We need to lay off. We are almost there, and things are still looking up, judging by the public support we have seen when we put out an impromptu poll on getting a new stadium. So long as we do not screw up too much, we should be in the clear.” Mack was about to argue, then sat silent for a moment. Finally, he spoke again. “Alright, Bear, let’s see how the rest of the season plays out. We can decided after that if anything needs to be done.” “Good. Alright, well, let’s hope that they can choke in the games that count.”
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-27-2005, 11:05 AM
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#53 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Mr Klusky, we salute you!
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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10-28-2005, 11:05 AM
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#54 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Oakland Takes Advantage of Uninspired and Sloppy Titans
Tennessee (8-6) 3 - Oakland (9-5) 20 Oakland, CA (Week 15, 2005) – Every game is an important one as the NFL nears the post-season, and the Oakland Raiders took that to heart. The Tennessee Titans, on the other hand, did not. In a game that was hyped and nationally televised on ESPN Sunday night, it did not live up to its billing as the Titans looked uninspired and ineffective.  Tennessee looked bad early as RB Chris Brown fumbled the ball on their first offensive possession, which Oakland recovered. Two plays later, QB Kerry Collins hooked up with TE Courtney Anderson for a 6 yard touchdown pass, and Oakland did not look back from there. Oakland controlled the flow of the game with solid offence, and kept the Titans down with decent defence and a poor performance by the Titans’ QB Steve McNair and Chris Brown. McNair had problems all night long in his attempts to get the passing game going. He did not look comfortable in finding receivers, and was faced with pressure on many occasions. He ended up going 17 for 39, with 171 yards and one interception. “What can I say? That was pathetic,” said McNair. “I am a leader on this team, one of the players that the team should be able to count on in a big game, and I was awful. Plain awful. I have no excuses. They played a good game, but we did this to ourselves.” The Raiders did give Tennessee a number of opportunities to get going, as they took twelve penalties on the evening. Discipline seems to be a problem that has plagued the Raiders all season. That aside, the Raiders stepped up with some solid numbers. WR Randy Moss, who missed the last game in a bizarre road rage incident, was back and caught a solid 80 yards, though he did not find the end zone. WR Jerry Porter also had a good game, bringing in another 81 yards. Collins, the man slinging the passes, was strong and efficient again, going 23 for 36, with 257 yards and two touchdowns. However, it was RB Lamont Jordan who was the workhorse again, picking up 64 yards on 19 carries, as well as another 7 receptions for 74 yards.  “People talk about Randy Moss all the time, and rightfully so, as he is maybe the best receiver in the game,” said Collins. “But it is Lamont who is our go-to guy. He just does so much for this team. He is easily one of the best backs in the league, and he can pound out the tough yards, or break the huge runs. But in the last few weeks, he has shown that he can be a dangerous receiver too. That is something that only some great backs can do, like Tomlinson in San Diego.”The Raiders defence was very good in containing the Titans’ offence, holding them to 221 total yards during the game. It wasn’t one or two players who dominated, but the entire unit, which was able to confuse McNair and blanket Brown when called upon. “They were just great tonight,” said Raiders Defensive Coordinator Louie Sutter. “The group had been criticized a lot this season, but they have shown some flashes of brilliance, and tonight was one of those games. They gave the Titans the impression that they [the defence] were one step ahead, and that is when you can control a team. You don’t always need a lot of turnovers, sometimes it is all about mind games.” The win is a huge one for the Raiders, as they are in a three-way tie for the AFC West division with Kansas City and San Diego. This sets up a big game next week as the Raiders travel to Kansas City. “Two games left,” said Collins. “But in our mind, there is only next week’s game. It is going to be a fight next week against the Chiefs, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.” Box Score Attendance: 56,600 (62,500).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-28-2005, 11:11 AM
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#55 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Turnovers, Holmes Too Much for Raiders
Oakland (9-6) 21 - Kansas City (9-6) 34 Kansas City, MO (Week 16, 2005) – With two weeks left in the NFL regular season, and a three-way tie for the AFC West divisional lead, the game pitting the Oakland Raiders against the Kansas City Chiefs was the biggest game of the season for those involved. The Raiders, coming off a strong performance over the Tennessee Titans last week, proved to be overmatched by their divisional rivals.  Oakland looked like they came to play early, as they stormed out of the gate with a six play drive that ended with a twelve yard touchdown pass from QB Kerry Collins to WR Randy Moss. The Raiders defence could not keep the momentum going, however, as the Chiefs offence came back with a four play series of their own, tying the game on a 23 yard touchdown pass from QB Trent Green to TE Tony Gonzalez. Oakland looked to respond again with a score, but the Chiefs defence forced a three-and-out, which included a sack by DT Junior Siavii. Then, Raiders P Shane Lechler had his punt blocked by DE Eric Hicks, which CB Patrick Surtain recovered on the Oakland 15 yard line. The game was over at that point. Kansas City proceeded to score all of their 34 points from the 8:35 mark of the first quarter to the 8:20 mark of the third quarter, as Oakland’s defence had no answer to the Chiefs’ attack, led by RB Priest Holmes. Holmes finished the day with 140 yards rushing and two touchdowns, while picking up another touchdown and 16 yards receiving. “That is what Priest can give you, and why he is one of the most feared backs in the league,” said Raiders Coach Jorge Shank. “He beat the Hell out of us today. If he wasn’t spinning by one of our players, he was running through them. We knew coming in that he would be a major part of their offence, and we still could not stop him.”  Lamont Jordan played well, rushing for 75 yards on 12 carries, but the Raiders did not stay committed to the run, which was a surprise. They were also plagued by turnovers all game long. Their offensive drives, after their first touchdown, and before the first touchdown scored in the fourth quarter, ended with four punts, two interceptions, a fumble, and the half-time break. They came to life briefly in the fourth quarter and scored two touchdowns, and even though they were down by 13 with two minutes left in the game, they attempted an onside kick which Kansas City recovered.“I don’t know what this says about the team,” said Shank. “This was a very important game with direct playoff implications, and we had the majority of our players healthy. What happens? We lose big. There is no sugar coating it, we lost big and ugly. We only have one game left before the post season, and we are not helping ourselves out at all.” Oakland looks to finish the regular season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and will be looking to win if they hope to take the AFC West. They will have to do so without starters Guard Ron Stone and Cornerback Denard Walker, who suffered injuries in the game. Both are expected to be out for a period up to three weeks. “This is it,” said Jordan. “No more excuses. We have one game left in the season and it is time to put up or shut up. If we do not come to play, we are not doing ourselves any favors. Time for every guy to look into himself and put it all on the field.” Box Score Attendance: 78,200 (79,400).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-28-2005, 03:32 PM
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#56 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Raiders Surrender 27 Straight Points in Horrendous Loss to Jaguars
Jacksonville (7-8-1) 27 – Oakland (9-7) 14 Oakland, CA (Week 17, 2005) – Things were looking up for the Raiders. Last game of the regular season, with a chance to win the AFC West division, against a Jaguars team that has underperformed all season long, and with the game taking place in Oakland.  The Raiders loss last week to the Chiefs hurt, and Oakland came out for the game looking hungry. On their first offensive possession, they strung together an eight play drive that ended with a one yard touchdown pass from QB Kerry Collins to WR Randy Moss. The Raiders defence followed up with an interception by LB Sam Williams on the Jaguars QB Byron Leftwich. The Raiders followed that up with one play, a 45 yard touchdown pass to WR Jerry Porter, and just like that the Raiders were up 14-0. It all went downhill from there.Jacksonville, criticized all season long for their inconsistency, brought it all together after the second (and last) Oakland touchdown. Using a good balance of passing plays and running plays, the Jaguars proceeded to take advantage of a tiring Raiders defence, and started to grind them down. The Jacksonville defence also started to attack the Oakland passing game, and stopped the run when required, despite a strong game by Raiders RB Lamont Jordan, who finished the game with 152 yards rushing. “The key to the game for us was keeping them [the Raiders] out of the end zone,” said S Donovin Darius. “They came out hard and got up on us 14-0, but we had nothing to lose today, and we played like it. They were pushing hard on us, but all we had to do was keep them out of the end zone, and the offence took care of everything else. It sucks that our season is over, but it was nice to end it this way.”  Jacksonville got a fantastic performance out of RB Fred Taylor, who ate the Raiders defence up for 157 yards rushing and two touchdowns, as well as another 43 yards receiving. Leftwich also had a solid game, going 22 for 33 with one touchdown and one interception. The entire Jaguars offensive line were magnificent, particularly the play of C Brad Meester and T Mike Pearson, allowing Taylor to have such a great night and keeping Leftwich sack-free.Other than Jordan, the only other strong Raider performance was by Porter, who finished the game with 122 yards and a touchdown. Porter had to step up and be a contributor, as Randy Moss was a non-factor in the game, collecting only 10 yards receiving, though he did have a touchdown. Moss’ game is disappointing, as he was chasing the single-season receiving yards record for most of the season, and his contributions have fallen off as the season hit the stretch run, including missing a game with a road rage incident. The loss allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West, which means the Raiders will play in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in Pittsburgh next week. “We screwed ourselves,” said Raiders Coach Jorge Shank. “We have looked bad here the past few weeks, and now we have to head into Pittsburgh and try to win the game there. I don’t know if it is a lack of focus or if the players are getting tired, or what. Whatever it is, we have to get it sorted out now, because there are no more second chances. If we come out like this next week, we will be going home for a long off-season.” Box Score Attendance: 55,900 (62,500).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-28-2005, 03:35 PM
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#57 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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I was sitting at the conference table, eating a sandwich, when John Mackey finally walked in. He tossed his jacket onto an empty chair, then sat down in the chair opposite me.
“Hey Bear. Good couple weeks, eh?” I allowed a small smile to creep onto my face. “Yah, it was about the best we could hope for at that point in the season. And the best part was, the top players were all on the field. It was legitimately the team that lost those games. I am not sure what it is, but it almost looks like the players are worn out. That is not a good sign for the future, but hopefully we can start to replace those players and bring in guys who play an entire season, not just part of one.” “Moss especially. That guy looks like he has totally given up.” I opened my notes and nodded. “He certainly has. He finished the season with a lot of yards, second most in the league, and number one in touchdowns, but for a guy who was looking to obliterate the single season receiving yards record, he certainly fell off in a hurry. It didn’t help his cause, though, to miss those two games.” Mack just nodded, but avoided my look. “We still had some good season performances from some other players, too. Collins finished first in the league in passing yards, tied for first in touchdown passes, and second in the league in quarterback rating. I am still not a big fan of his, but he may give us time to bring in a younger quarterback and develop him for a bit.” “Well, we will have to see what kind of numbers he can put up without Moss,” Mack said. “I think it is easy for a lot of quarterbacks to look good by just throwing the ball deep and letting a guy like Moss do all the work to get to it.” “Agreed.” I looked at my notes again. “Lamont Jordan ended up with a strong year. He finished fourth in the league in rushing yards, and was the go-to guy in a lot of our games. He has also shown some good ability as a receiver. While he is still not my ideal type of back, he is valuable, and I wouldn’t mind keeping him around, if it is affordable.” “Yah, I can agree to that. He hasn’t done anything to hurt the team, on or off the field.” “Our only defensive standout all year has been Danny Clark. He finished tied for sixth in the league in tackles, and finished fourth in assists. At times, he seemed to be the only guy willing to play hard out there. Should be a keeper, for now anyway. I really want to overhaul the rest of our defence, though.” Mack laughed. “You always were a defensive guy, weren’t you?” I just nodded. “As a team, there were some issues. We finished twentieth overall in rushing yards, which is surprising considering Jordan’s year, but we finished third in yards per carry. As such, you can see that we finished twenty-ninth overall in total rushes, but in general we did not run as many offensive plays as a lot of other teams in the league. We did finish first in passing yards, but again we were twenty-first or tied for twenty-first in passing attempts and completions. All in all, though, our offence was quite solid.” I shook my head as I flipped my paper. “Defence, on the other hand, left something to be desired. We finished twenty-fourth in the league in rushing yards against, and allowed 4.28 yards per carry. We also finished twenty-fifth in passing yards against. These numbers break my heart, and that is why I want to overhaul the defence. Of course, I am not as choked up about it as I should be, since it has helped our cause this year.” “Yes, Bear, yes it did. The stadium proposal is going well, and hopefully a quick exit from the playoffs will set the table for it.” “Good to hear, Mack. Oh, here is an interesting stat. We averaged 22.2 points a game, and allowed an average of 22.0 points per game. It is no wonder we are only one game over .500. And we are getting worse in the penalty department, as we finished the year with the second most penalties in the league, only one lower than the top team. I am hoping that this all bodes well as we go up against Pittsburgh next week. We are definitely losing momentum.” Mack looked at a newspaper that I had tossed on the table earlier in the day. “Hmmm, Pittsburgh finished 10-6, huh? What do you think of our chances?” I thought for a moment, taking another bite of my sandwich. “Well, they have a strong team, though Roethlisberger had a tougher season this year than he did last year. We have to play them in Pittsburgh, and we have been playing like garbage. So, all signs point to us losing. That said, this team has surprised the Hell out of me this season, and they can explode at any time, so it could be a flip of the coin. Plus, we did beat Pittsburgh earlier this season, not that that means a whole lot now.” Mack tossed the newspaper back down. “Well, let’s hope that we have one more crap game in us, and we are in the clear!” Mack turned and walked out as I muttered, “Let’s hope.”
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-31-2005, 09:21 PM
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#58 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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Enjoying this one immensely.
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10-31-2005, 10:52 PM
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#59 | |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Quote:
Thanks! I have been caught up in Civ IV lately, but I did get some more games done, so posts are forthcoming...
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-31-2005, 10:55 PM
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#60 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Roethlisberger, Steelers Defence cost Pittsburgh Playoff Game Against Raiders
Oakland (10-7) 27 – Pittsburgh (10-7) 20 Pittsburgh, PA (Wild Card Week) – All season long, the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to win games thanks to their defence and their running game. Against the Oakland Raiders in the opening round of the playoffs, it was their defence, and QB Ben Roethlisberger, that cost them the game and ended their season.  The game was largely a see-saw battle, as both teams took turns trading scores. Pittsburgh was able to establish the run game that was so effective for them during the regular season, as they were led by RB Duce Staley, who finished the game with 154 yards on only 23 carries. He also contributed a touchdown. The Raiders also were able to establish their running game, as RB Lamont Jordan collected 111 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. “It was a grinding game, for sure,” said Jordan. “Typically, I don’t mind that kind of game, keeps me involved. But we were worried about it today, because that is exactly the type of game Pittsburgh likes to play. But we showed that we can play the same way and not back down.” Both teams kept things close, as the game was tied at 20 with 4:34 left in the game. The Pittsburgh defence was able to hold off the Raiders from getting any points on their next possession, forcing a punt. Roethlisberger stepped out onto the field, hoping to get the Steelers into field goal range, and instead threw an interception to LB Sam Williams, who took the ball down to the Steelers 10-yard line. Three plays later, QB Kerry Collins found WR Jerry Porter in the end-zone for a 3 yard TD pass, and the Raiders were up by seven with 1:29 left to play. Roethlisberger tried to lead his team back, but they were unable to get a first down, turning the ball over on fourth down, giving the Raiders the win and putting the Steelers out of the playoffs. “It is heartbreaking,” said Roethlisberger. “To have a real shot at the end to kill off enough clock and get into position to win the game, but to instead turn the ball over and give the other team the win, it is just heartbreaking. It is going to be a long off-season, knowing that my mistake cost us the chance to move on.”  Throughout the game, the Steelers defence was not as strong as it had been all season, as they surrendered 132 yards rushing, allowing Oakland to string together a number of key drives, keeping the game close. The Raiders defence was not much better, as they allowed Pittsburgh to gain 400 total yards. The Raiders defence has been a concern all season, and they are looking to have even more difficulty, as cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Denard Walker both went down during the game. Walker will miss next week’s game, and Washington is lost for the rest of the playoffs with a torn quadriceps muscle. After the game, Oakland GM Barrett Blade signed CB Eric Warfield to a one year contract worth $700,000 to try and fill the hole left in the secondary.The Raiders offence looked good, though, as they were led by another efficient outing by Kerry Collins, who went 20 for 32, with 237 yards and two touchdowns. Receivers Randy Moss and Jerry Porter had good games, collecting five catches each, with Moss gathering 73 yards and Porter gathering 88 yards. Both had a touchdown. Oakland’s offensive line had a great game, allowing only one sack. “There are a lot of great things to build on for next week,” said Raiders coach Jorge Shank. “The offence looked very good, which they have been all season long, but the offensive line is gelling awesomely right now. That is going to be huge for us. We need to work on our defence, but I am not overly worried about the yards we are giving up. So long as we can keep the other team off the scoreboard, or at least limit the damage to field goals, we should be alright.” The Raiders advance now to the AFC semi-finals, where they will travel to Indianapolis, a team favored to win the Super Bowl. They did face each other earlier in the season, during Week 5, where the Raiders beat the Colts 30-24. Box Score Attendance: 64,200 (64,500).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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10-31-2005, 10:57 PM
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#61 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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It had been very difficult. Being the GM of the Raiders, I had to be at the playoff game, for appearances sake. As did Mackey. So there we were, sitting in a skybox, watching the game, jumping up and cheering for every Raiders’ score, though we were cringing internally.
Then came that last interception. I don’t think I have ever cursed as much as I did at one person, internally of course, but if looks could kill, Ben Roethlisberger would have dropped dead at that moment. Then came the touchdown. Mackey and I jumped up, cheered, but exchanged a look that we both understood. Crap. After the game, we went down to the locker room, congratulated the team, then left for the private air-strip where Mackey’s jet was waiting. We boarded the jet and took off for Oakland. Sitting in seats across from each other, we started to discuss what this meant for our plans. “Are we cursed, or is the team just damn lucky, Bear?” I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know. I am going with lucky for the moment. But Pittsburgh did not step up their play for the playoffs, and we took advantage. And Roethlisberger killed any chances with that stupid interception…” I had to stop and calm down. I am sure my face was quite red, though Mackey seemed not to notice. “Ok, so what do we do now? We need to make sure that we do not win the next game. If we make it to the AFC Championship game, fan support could shoot through the roof!” I took a deep breath before speaking. “Mack, I think we still need to stay out of it. Being in the playoffs, we are going to be under a lot of scrutiny, and we don’t want any outward appearances of not being a part of this team and the goal of the Super Bowl. Besides, look at who we are playing. The Colts, a damn good team, and we are without our two starting cornerbacks. That looks good for us losing.” Mackey shook his head. “We beat them earlier this season.” “But Manning went down when it counted. It was easy to win with him out of the game. Really, let’s just hold up. I think that things will work out.” Mackey looked at me, a bit of a cold look in his eye that unnerved me somewhat. “Alright, Bear, but if we pull out a win, it will not be good for us. At all.” I only nodded and prayed that I would be right.
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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11-01-2005, 10:23 AM
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#62 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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Bah, stupid Roth!
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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11-02-2005, 11:02 PM
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#63 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Christie Misses Field Goal, Vanderjagt Doesn’t, as Raiders Ousted From Playoffs
Oakland (10-8) 27 – Indianapolis (13-4) 30 Indianapolis, IN (AFC Divisional Semi-Finals) – The Indianapolis Colts have been favored to win the Super Bowl since the start of the season, but their hopes were nearly dashed as they met the upstart Oakland Raiders for the AFC Divisional Semi-Finals. It was a game that the Colts should have controlled, but mistakes kept the Raiders in the game until the very last play. The game started off with the Colts’ star receiver, Marvin Harrison, returning the opening kickoff 63 yards to set up the Colts offence on the Oakland 27-yard line. Indianapolis then opened the scoring with a 35-yard field goal. It seemed that the Colts would be in control of the game as their defence forced the Raiders to punt as the Oakland offence could not get anything going, but that changed in a hurry as Colts’ QB Peyton Manning threw an interception to CB Renaldo Hill, which Hill returned 29 yards for the touchdown to give the Raiders the lead.  The Colts were able to get things back with a long 17-play drive, but Raiders defence held in their own red zone, forcing Colts’ K Mike Vanderjagt to settle for another field goal, this one from 24 yards out. Oakland continued to take it to the Colts with a long drive of their own, ending in a five yard touchdown run for RB Lamont Jordan, pushing the Raiders’ lead to 14-6. The Raiders momentum continued as their defence forced a Colts’ punt, which WR Jerry Porter took for a 58-yard punt return touchdown, and the Raiders were surprisingly ahead 21-6. “We were in tough early,” said Manning after the game. “We thought we came out strong, but we made some early mistakes which got our team down. We were trying to remain positive on the sidelines, but it is tough when you spot the other team a 15 point lead early.” Despite the dejection creeping in on the Colts’ sideline, Manning and the rest of their offence came out for the next series, hoping to spark the team again. They were able to do so by stringing together a strong nine-play drive which ended on a big 35-yard touchdown pass from Manning to WR Reggie Wayne, closing the Raiders’ lead to 21-13. Afraid of a momentum shift, the Raiders came back with another drive which ended in a 40-yard field goal by K Steve Christie, which allowed Oakland to take a 24-13 lead into the dressing room at halftime. “We knew we had played them well in the first half,” said Porter. “We had them on the ropes, and we had done so by playing smart and getting the big plays when we needed to. But we knew that they would be coming out for the second half all fired up, and it seems that we were not ready for that.” As the second half opened, the Raiders did what they could to continue to control the ball with an eleven-play drive, capped off by a 24-yard field goal. That was when Indianapolis came to life. Not wasting any time, Manning started to use his arm to find holes in the Raiders defence, and RB Edgerrin James came on to pound the ball on the ground. They quickly found the end-zone on a 6-yard touchdown run by James to close the score to 27-20 for Oakland. Oakland was unable to get any offence going after that, as the Indianapolis defence was dominant in stuffing the Raiders’ running game, not allowing them to maintain ball possession. As the fourth quarter got underway, Indianapolis was able to tie the game at 27 on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Harrison. The teams then traded turns with the ball, before Oakland was able to get into field goal position with 3:39 left in the game. Christie attempted the 54-yard FG, but missed it short, giving the ball back to the Colts. Manning and the rest of the Colts offence were able to string together a drive that killed the clock, giving the Colts a chance to win the game with 4 seconds left. Vanderjagt hit the 32 yard field goal, and the Colts won as the clock ran out, sending the Colts to the AFC Championship, and the Raiders home.  The Raiders were not able to control the game using the run, as Lamont Jordan only collected 55 yards rushing, though he did add a touchdown and another 47 yards receiving. WR Randy Moss was virtually invisible, gathering in 42 yards. His production has fallen off for the Raiders over the last few weeks of the season, and it was Jerry Porter who tried to pick up the slack with 102 yards receiving. Defensively, the Raiders got good performances out of LB Danny Clark, with 13 tackles and 3 assists, and CB Renaldo Hill, with two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. Despite that, the defence as a whole still gave up 415 total yards, including 169 on the ground.“The team played hard, and we came so close,” said Raiders coach Jorge Shank. “We were not expected to make it this far, so it is a testament to the team and their play that we did so well. That said, this is a bitter pill to swallow. We are going home, and there is we will not be preparing for any games next week. I am not sure if it has sunk in for some of the guys, but it will next Sunday. All we can do is get ourselves ready for next year.” The Raiders did indeed perform better than many experts expected, but now they are faced with more questions. The new ownership and management of the team made some bold moves before the season started, and it is expected that more will be forthcoming, as they seek to bring in some pieces to complete the team. “We will have to evaluate things now that the season is over for us,” said Raiders GM Barrett Blade. “We know that we are not a Super Bowl contender yet, as we have some glaring weaknesses, and there will need to be changes. Our performance this year is heartening, but we are not there yet. We will get there, though.” Box Score Attendance: 57,200 (60,300).
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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11-02-2005, 11:05 PM
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#64 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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I finally had a smile on my face as John Mackey walked into my office for our meeting. He was similarly smiling as he climbed into the chair on the other side of my desk.
“We are damn lucky, Bear. Last second of the game to lose that damn thing, and that was with our kicker missing that field goal a few minutes earlier.” My smile grew a little wider. “I know it. There is no way we should have hung with them for that long. But it is over, and now we can concentrate on the off-season. Quite a Super Bowl, though, huh? Indy beating the Eagles 30-24. Was a pretty good game, and fun to be at.” “Yah, I saw it. I wanted to go, but, well, you know…obligations to my company and such.” Mackey pulled a folder out of his briefcase and tossed it on my desk. “Here is our balance sheet for the year. Not bad, Bear. We pulled in a $47,400,000 profit. Not too shabby at all.” I nodded. “Good to hear. Definitely better than losing money, anyway. Especially with the ticket revenue being lower than it could have been. Oh well, that is one of the things in our favor anyway, and why we are in position to be able to look at moving the team.” “Yah, my team is going hard core into the stadium proposal. We will have a nice presentation ready when the time comes. So, now that the season is over, it is your time to shine again. Getting ready to make some moves?” The smile left my face as I thought about all of the work that needed to be done. “Yes, I am. There are a ton of evaluations I am going to have to make, starting with our staff. I have to see what is available for scouts out there, and I still haven’t made up my mind on our coaching staff. They did well, all things considered, but I am not sure if they are the type of guys we want on board.” “Well, I trust your judgement, Bear. Going to be shopping some players around too?” “Yah. I am hoping we can find some more takers, now. Moss’ stock may have dropped somewhat with his play at the end, but that may help our cause with the fans against any backlash they may dish out. But the cleaning will really start now. We may not have a very competitive team next year, depending on what moves I have to make, but if we can get a framework in place, I will be happy. Plus, I am excited for the draft. A real chance to bring in some players that we like. It will be a fun time, that is for sure.” Mackey nodded. “Good. Well, I will leave you to it. We have some big things happening shortly, and it will solidify our future for this team. Oh, and Bear? All in all, great start this year.” He held out his hand and I shook it. “Thanks, Mack. This is just the beginning.” Team Summary: 2005 Summary for Oakland Raiders Season Awards: 2005 Awards List Balance Sheet: Television Contract: $34,200,000 Ticket Revenue: $46,010,000 Suite Revenue: $23,020,000 Concessions: $3,970,000 Parking: $2,400,000 Advertising: $14,590,000 Total Revenues: $124,190,000 Player Salaries: $42,310,000 Player Bonuses: $4,780,000 Training: $6,540,000 Coaching: $13,140,000 Scouting: $4,800,000 Maintenance: $5,220,000 Stadium Payments: $0 Total Costs: $76,790,000 Profit: $47,400,000
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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11-02-2005, 11:06 PM
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#65 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Hi all,
Now that I have the first season done, I would like to ask for feedback again. What can I do better, what should I stop doing, anything else you want to see, and other general feedback? Let me have it, and thanks for reading!
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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11-03-2005, 08:59 AM
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#66 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Texas
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I think you're doing a great job with this dynasty Blade. I like the mix of game reports and owner/gm reactions.
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XBox360 GamerTag - Tonyr76 Former HTer |
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11-03-2005, 09:39 AM
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#67 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: The Town of Flower Mound
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All I ask is that you keep up th good work, Blade...
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UTEP Miners!!! I solemnly swear to never cheer for TO |
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11-03-2005, 03:01 PM
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#68 |
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Mascot
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Rural Western NY
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I concur. Good style. Keep it going.
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11-03-2005, 03:28 PM
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#69 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Sep 2004
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I frankly think it's fantastic the way it is.
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2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) |
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11-04-2005, 12:06 PM
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#70 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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Nicely done!
In fact, a few players later and Oakland could win the SB.  |
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11-04-2005, 06:48 PM
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#71 |
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College Prospect
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
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Thanks for the comments guys!
I have started the Season Two thread here: FOF2K4: A Team of Our Very Own - Season Two
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Just trying to get by unnoticed... Loyal fan of the Edmonton Oilers and Philadelphia Eagles. |
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