Back in Black: A Raiders Story

[packabacka19]

Also, I've always wondered - how do you get pics like that from Madden?

[PocketSizeSun]

Quote: Originally Posted by packabacka19

Wow. Those graphics are really, really good. Congrats on the win. I'm definitely going to be following. BTW I loved that dagger reference. Also, too bad about San Diego State haha...

Yeah, that's the Wayne Larrivee running through me, haha.

Quote: Originally Posted by mnwildgophers

Man, these updates are just beautiful, are you going to post scores from around the league too I assume? The first graphic is phenomenal, I'll be following. Presentation looks great.

Thanks! I was going to post updates from around the league every few weeks as opposed to every week, but I can post all the scores if that's something you'd like to see!

Quote: Originally Posted by packabacka19

Also, I've always wondered - how do you get pics like that from Madden?

I'm not sure how others do it, but I just take pictures of my TV with the camera on my phone, then upload them directly to my photobucket account since my phone has an app for it. The pictures aren't super clear, but good enough!

[PocketSizeSun]

Raiders Make Switch to 3-4 Defense

The Raiders and defensive coordinator John Marshall have announced an official switch to the 3-4 defense today. There are compelling reasons to go back to a 3-4 defensive front seven, considering Oakland used the 3-4 set successfully from 1976 through 1989, winning 62% of the games. By contrast, since converting to a 4-3 Defensive (2 DTs, 2DEs, 2 OLBs and 1 MLB) we have won only 52% of our games. Incidentally, in all three SB Championship victories and the seasons leading up to those Super Bowls, Oakland used the 3-4 defense.

While no one will attribute the successes or failures solely to the configuration of the front 7, the use of current talent is a major factor to the results in the win/loss column. Therefore, after considering the current player strengths and weaknesses and the inherent advantages of the 3-4 Defense scheme, the benefits of reinstalling the 3-4 should be clear.

Consider the strength at DE: Matt Shaughnessy, Jay Richardson and Rich Seymour. Richardson and Seymour are prototype DEs in the 3-4 scheme, stalwart and quick.

Consider the DT weakness: the sometimes terrific Gerard Warren lacks consistency and Tommy Kelly can't be described any better. These DTs are quick but not huge and have been pushed around in the interior on too many occasions, but they might work out as DEs in a 3-4 set.

Now consider the LB strength and weakness: Thomas Howard and Trevor Scott on the outside are doing a great job; MLB Kirk Morrison is a sure but soft tackler who isn't a true MLB (can't intimidate or direct play), and may find himself left out of the mix.

The Oakland Press caught up with D.C. John Marshall at his official press conference today.

O.P: It's our understanding that you helped install the 3-4 in San Francisco, but why did you see fit to do this with our current roster?

J.M.: Truth be told, there are different forms of 3-4 defenses, fairly radically different too. There will likely be as many sub packages (non-3-4 looks) as 3-4 looks.

O.P.: Any concerns that your current roster lacks the athletes to properly implement this scheme?

J.M.: No matter what way you line up out there, good defense comes down to proper execution. Regardless, I'm not going to pigeonhole guys into situations in which they cannot successfully play in.

O.P.: As we know, the nose tackle is the most important piece of a 3-4 defense. It's very hard to find ones that aren't too tall, but are big enough to stand their ground even if they get double teamed. Do you feel we have one on this roster?

J.M.: I believe we have what it takes to make it happen.

O.P.: Who will that player be?

J.M.: There will be competition. It's too early to tell.

O.P.: In recent years, the defense has ran the same basic 4-3, man-to-man scheme. Can we expect more exotic looks? Do you plan to move Nnamdi around? Will he be used like Revis in New York?

J.M.: Well, we'll have plenty of different packages and plenty of personnel running through. Exotic? That's debatable. Revis is Revis, but I'm very excited to plug Nnamdi in. They're both great players.

O.P.: Can you guarantee improvement even with our current roster that seems to lack the players needed for success?

J.M.: Look, the 3-4 is a very specialized defense, but it's just a scheme. We aren't the only ones running it in the NFL, and it's not a best kept secret. I'm fully aware that each position requires something quite different from both a technique and physical skill-set point of view. Either way, we look forward to getting on the field and making it happen.

Time will tell if Oakland made a positive change, but at least they're attempting to change. All things considered, if we were to install the 3-4 today it would look much like this:

RDE - M. Shaughnessy
LDE - R. Seymour
NT - T.Kelly

ROLB - K. Wimbley
LOLB - T. Howard
RILB - R. Brown
LILB - R. McClain

SS - T.Branch
FS - M. Huff
RCB - N. Asomugha
LCB - C. Johnson

A 3-4 will require a stud Nose Tackle by way of the draft next year or free agency. Most likely, an upgrade at Linebacker would help as well. Either way, things are either on their way up in Oakland, or about to come crashing down.

-------

*NOTE* (I meant to post this BEFORE the season started but I forgot. I didn't make a mid-season change to the 3-4, but I started this way in preseason.) *NOTE*

[PocketSizeSun]

Oakland, CA -- The Oakland Raiders picked up their 2nd victory of the season behind the strong running of emerging running back Darren McFadden. The St. Louis Rams had no answer all day for the Raider rushing attack, letting up over 200 yards on the ground.

On the defensive side, the Raiders bended often, but never broke. Rookie QB Sam Bradford was under pressure all day, taking numerous hits while being sacked 6 times, including 3 from rookie Rolando McClain.

Jason Campbell picked up his play, managing the game and staying mistake free, but one has to wonder about an upgrade at the position. If the Raiders can continue to run wild and play solid D, the sky is the limit for this young team.

[PocketSizeSun]

(Is it safe to say Darren will get the game ball?)

Well, *chuckles*, he and the five guys paving the road in front of him all deserve a little something after that performance. I felt like we dominated the point of attack, which is always a point of emphasis in practice. It was a good performance, we'll continue to build on it.

(The defense gave up a few big plays, but stayed solid in the red zone. Was this something you worked on?)

Of course, it's something we go through every practice. We don't mind giving up the yards if we can keep the points off the board.

(After Jason Campbell's performance last week, did you place an extra emphasis on the rushing attack this week?)

We felt that our running game matched up well against the St. Louis defense. Really nothing more to it than that. I know what I have with Campbell, and I think he's more than a game manager. It just so happened that he didn't have to do too much today to get the win. I doubt you'll hear him complain.

(Any news on the Tyvon Branch and Tommy Kelly injuries?)

Unfortunately, it didn't look too good for either. Both were taken to the locker room. I don't have a timetable for them, but I'll have a better idea once I talk to the staff.

[PocketSizeSun]

[PocketSizeSun]

Oakland, CA -- Despite extremely sloppy play, the Oakland Raiders earned their 3rd victory of the season taking out the lowly Cardinals who started rookie QB John Skelton and almost pulled out the victory.

The Raiders could get nothing going after Darren McFadden left for the locker room early in the 2nd quarter with what is now being reported as broken ribs. All-pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha kept star WR Larry Fitzgerald in check all game, but Skelton carved up the rest of this young Raider defense.

Jason Campbell seems unable to find his accuracy, but was able to get something going late to put the Raiders up 17-13 with just over 2 minutes to go in the 4th. On the ensuing drive, Arizona's Skelton tried to force a pass to Larry Fitzgerald, which was picked off by Asomugha to save the day.

Still, the question remains, how long can this Raider team stay lucky? Eventually, this sloppy play will get to them, and Campbell seems unable to win a game without a running game. With tough tests coming up against Houston and San Diego, we'll see how this team can perform without the services of McFadden.

Sep 26, 2010 - OAK at ARZ
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Raiders (3-0)	0	10	0	7	17
Cardinals (1-2)	3	0	7	3	13

Team Stats Comparison
OAK		ARZ
264	Total Offense	291
87	Rushing Yards	31
177	Passing Yards	260
9	First Downs	17
13	Punt Return Yards	14
68	Kick Return Yards	89
345	Total Yards	394
2	Turnovers	3
2-13	3rd Down Converstion	2-11
0-1	4th Down Conversion	0-2
0-0	2-Point Conversion	0-0
2/1	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/2
4-45	Penalties	0-0
16:31	Posession Time	23:29

Raiders Boxscore
PASSING	RATING	C/ATT	YDS	TD/INT	AVG
J. Campbell	79.9	9/23	190	2/1	39%
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
M. Bush	16	40	2.5	0
D. McFadden	6	29	4.8	0
J. Campbell	3	6	2.0	0
L. Murphy	1	12	12.0	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
D. Heyward-Bey	3	42	14.0	2
D. McFadden	1	14	14.0	0
J. Ford	1	64	64.0	0
Z. Miller	1	41	41.0	0
M. Bennett	1	12	12.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	PDEF	TD
T. Howard	6	2	0	1
T. Scott	5	3	0	1
R. Seymour	5	1	0	0
R. McClain	4	0	0	1
N. Asomugha	3	0	1	2
C. Johnson	2	0	1	1

Cardinals Boxscore
PASSING	RATING	C/ATT	YDS	TD/INT	AVG
J. Skelton	74.2	27/42	307	1/2	64%
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
T. Hightower	13	23	1.7	0
J. Skelton	2	8	4.0	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
E. Doucet	9	75	8.3	0
S. Breaston	6	69	11.5	1
L. Fitzgerald	4	51	12.7	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	PDEF	TD
J. Porter	7	1	0	0
K. Rhodes	5	0	0	0
G. Toler	4	0	0	0
G. Hayes	4	0	1	0
C. Campbell	3	2	0	0

[PocketSizeSun]

Oakland, CA -- Well, the sloppy play finally caught up to the Oakland Raiders, who suffered their first loss of the season after Neil Rackers connected on a late field goal as time expired to give the Texans the 35-34 victory.

The Raiders output their worst defensive total of the season, allowing Arian Foster to run for over 200 yards. After losing CB Chris Johnson to a dislocated elbow and MLB Roland McClain to a knee sprain, the defense went downhill and the Raiders found themselves in a hole before they could catch their breath.

Jason Campbell stepped up in the absence of a run game, but still made a costly error, throwing a pick 6 late in the 4th when the Raiders were rallying. The absence of Darren McFadden was felt, as Michael Bush could not hit the holes in the Texans defense fast enough.

After a furious rally, the Raiders could once again not stop the Texan rushing attack from driving into field goal range and kicking the game winner as time expired.

With the Raiders losing two more starters for a few weeks, can we expect this sloppy play to continue? Next week will be a huge showdown with division rival San Diego coming to town.

Oct 3, 2010 - HOU at OAK
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Texans (2-2)	3	14	6	12	35
Raiders (3-1)	3	10	0	21	34

Team Stats Comparison
HOU		OAK
478	Total Offense	362
261	Rushing Yards	67
217	Passing Yards	295
16	First Downs	14
42	Punt Return Yards	1
169	Kick Return Yards	106
689	Total Yards	469
5	Turnovers	3
1-7	3rd Down Converstion	5-15
0-0	4th Down Conversion	2-2
0-1	2-Point Conversion	0-0
0/3	Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/2
1-5	Penalties	5-40
17:59	Posession Time	22:01

Texans Boxscore
PASSING	RATING	C/ATT	YDS	TD/INT	AVG
M. Schaub	84.8	17/22	217	1/2	77%
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
A. Foster	21	242	11.5	1
D. Ward	6	19	3.1	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
O. Daniels	5	65	13.0	0
J. Jones	3	31	10.3	0
K. Walter	2	29	14.5	0
A. Johnson	2.	31	15.5	1
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	PDEF	TD
A. Okoye	6	0	0	0	0
K. Bentley	6	0	0	0	0
B. Cushing	5	0	0	1	0
A. Smith	4	1	0	0	0
B. McCain	3	0	1	1	1
J. Allen	2	1	0	1	0

Raiders Boxscore
PASSING	RATING	C/ATT	YDS	TD/INT	AVG
J. Campbell	98.4	20/37	316	3/1	54%
RUSHING	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
M. Bush	18	66	3.6	1
R.Cartwright	6	1	0.1	0
RECEIVING	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Z. Miller	7	93	13.2	2
M. Bush	5	35	7.0	0
D. Heyward-Bey	4	94	23.5	1
C. Schilens	2	28	14.0	0
J. Ford	2	66	33.0	0
DEFENSE	TACK	SACK	INT	PDEF	TD
M. Mitchell	6	0	0	0	0
K. Wimbley	6	0	0	0	0
T. Howard	5	0	0	0	0
S. Routt	0	0	0	0	0
R. McClain	4	0	1	0	0
N. Asomugha	2	0	1	0	0