Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

No Magic This Time
Defense Fails, Offense Stumbles,
Raiders Lose 27-14

The Raiders just seemed to lack emotion in this game. Hardly anything worked well or consistently, and it showed on the scoreboard. The run defense continues to get manhandled as this time Doug Martin ran over the Raiders with ease. Rolando McClain is the only one consistently making any kind of plays.

The pass rush is not getting anything done either. Andre Carter has severely cooled from his hot start and it's showing up. Michael Huff managed a sack on a safety blitz, and it is apparent that the Raiders are going to have to dial up blitzes from here on out and hope they are effective. The lack of good zone coverage defenders doesn't help as the team can only do some much to mix coverages. This was evident on one play where Ron Bartell got completely lost. If Freeman could have made a better throw, that would have been a TD instead of "just" a 53-yard completion.

The only half decent thing that happened defensively was McClain. He forced another fumble and racked up over 10 tackles again. He's trying his best to keep the defense solvent, but he's still young and can only do so much.

Offensively, Pryor was off the mark again, perhaps cooling back down to where his level of ability really lies. Still, he didn't throw an interception and did manage a TD to Darren McFadden in garbage time. Heyward-Bey showed up again, but Denarius Moore was merely mortal in this one.

The run game continues to struggle. The offensive line gets little push and the TE are terrible at blocking. When they do block well, most of the time it's because they held. Sam Baker is also disappointing at RT, and Cooper Carlisle just looks overmatched against any decent defensive tackle.

"It's frustrating, but games like this show us we have much work to do, " Coach Lyle spoke, "It identifies our weakness. Our job is to learn from the experience."

One thing has happened is that the Raiders are starting to turn their attention to the offensive line in scouting, looking for prospect to identify for their potential draft board. The team may also make some roster moves to try to find some answers in free agency.

The loss puts the Raiders at 4-4 on the season. The team has lost 4 of 6 since starting 2-0. The slumping run defense now has Ray Rice and the capable running game of the Ravens on the schedule - not exactly a confidence-boosting match up. The game as at Baltimore as well.

Box Score:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)	7	14	0	6	27
Oakland Raiders (4-3)	0	7	0	7	14

Team Stats Comparison
	TAM	OAK
Total Offense	452	362
Rushing Yards	187	75
Passing Yards	265	287
First Downs	20	14
Punt Return Yards	1	15
Kick Return Yards	0	120
Total Yards	453	497
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Converstion	7-14 (50%)	7-16 (43%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	2-3
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3/1 (80%)	1/0 (50%)
Penalties	3-35	6-55
Posession Time	31:57	27:42

Tampa Bay Buccaneers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Terrelle Pryor 20/39 (51%) 294 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 22 66 3.0 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 6 60 10.0 0 Darren McFadden 5 84 16.8 1 Darrius Heyward-Bey 4 58 14.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain (1 FF) 13 0 0 0 Michael Huff 9 1 0 0 Mike Mitchell 8 0 0 0 Demorrio Williams 5 0 0 0 Ron Bartell 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 0/1 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 4 182 45.5 1

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Josh Freeman 25/35 (71%) 271 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Doug Martin 25 168 6.7 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Vincent Jackson 7 121 17.3 1 Arrelious Benn 6 55 9.2 0 Dallas Clark 5 33 6.6 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Mason Foster 8 0 0 0 Adam Hayward 5 0 0 0 Michael Bennett 5 0 0 0 Lavonte David 4 0 0 0 Eric Wright 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Connor Barth 2/3 45 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Michael Koenen 3 119 39.7 1

Injury Report:
The Raiders put cornerback Shawntae Spencer on injured reserve for a broken collarbone. The team signed CB Terrance Newman to take spot on the roster.

[WarriorKing0]

Pryor is getting it done! hope he keeps it up. following. Whats your plans for the future if Pryor keeps playing well?

[KBLover]

I'm grooming him with the EXP he gets to be the starter if he keeps performing. I've stopped scouting QBs because of this. If he falters, I'll start scouting again, but I think he's the starter the rest of the year regardless.

Been working on his awareness and accuracy to keep helping him out. Also am sitting on like 16K EXP on Moore - trying to decide what to do with it.

[Roncatto]

Quote: Originally Posted by KBLover

I'm grooming him with the EXP he gets to be the starter if he keeps performing. I've stopped scouting QBs because of this. If he falters, I'll start scouting again, but I think he's the starter the rest of the year regardless. Been working on his awareness and accuracy to keep helping him out. Also am sitting on like 16K EXP on Moore - trying to decide what to do with it.

Moore prehaps Route Running to make him a complete receiver? Hes got speed and catching already

[KBLover]

Raiders Lose Heartbreaker
Ravens Win 23-20 on Last Second Kick

The Raiders knew they were in for a hard-hitting fight, and that's what was delivered. Unfortunately, the Raiders also made a few more mistakes, and that cost them the game.

This time, leaning on Pryor's arm was not effective as the young QB suffered his first poor showing of the season. He threw 2 INTs and no TDs in this one. The offensive line didn't help, giving up sacks and pressure for much of the game, and the running game continues to falter and contribute little.

Defensively, the team was solid. Even the run defense had positive moments. Take away the one long run Rice broke, he put up 84 yards on 22 carries, just a 3.8 yards per carry average. McClain knocked Rice out of the game, which also forced his second fumble of the day. Tim Hightower came in relief, and was contained...except for one key run...

The Raiders got out to a 10-0 lead. Ron Bartell picked off a Flacco pass, and McClain hit Flacco to get a strip sack which newcomer Terrance Newman took to the house. Newman also got a sack on the corner blitz.

However, the Raiders offense could do nothing on it's own. Pryor got little protection and no help from his receivers. Heyward-Bey dropped some would be 1st downs and Webb was covering up Moore pretty well. The running game was useless as well - leading to no points for the next two quarters.

The Ravens were moving, though it was an effort for them as well. One positive for the defense is that they held the Ravens to one 3rd down conversion in 10 attempts. That did a lot to keep the Raiders in the game.

Still, the Ravens led 20-10 in the 4th quarter. The Raider offense found some room and drove down the field. McFadden finished the drive with an 11-yd run for a TD. Later, the offense got into Janikowski range, and he delivered on a 55-yd FG to tie.

The game looked like it would go to overtime. Pryor had thrown his second INT, trying to hit Heyward-Bey, who had an awful game, as Pollard attacked the ball and Bey did not.

Looked like that would do no harm in the end, but Hightower managed his best run to get the Ravens in FG range with just 0:05 left. The kick went through, and the Ravens won the game.

"This one was my fault. I made that terrible throw, trying to get a big play to spark the team, but I forced it and shouldn't have done it. The defense was playing its heart out and I stabbed them in the back, " Pryor spoke.

Pryor may feel the game is his fault, but in the locker room, Lyle called for a meeting with just the offensive linemen, letting the rest of the team go home. Lyle ripped into his linemen and the jist was that there may well be some changes if the play doesn't pick up. "It can't be any worse than what most of you are doing" is part of what was said...at least what was printable.

The loss puts the Raiders under .500 at 4-5 and the team has just not looked right at all. For all the complaining about Palmer, Pryor is 2-3 as a starter, although the offense does have more spark under Pryor's command. The defense is the real problem. The defensive line can't stop anyone, the pass rush has disappeared, and the linebackers are having to blitz too often, and even then, that's only marginally effective. McClain continue to be the only LB really being consistent. Bartell is making plays mostly because he's being picked on continuously by QBs. Tyvon Branch is rarely attacked since moving to corner.

Oakland Raiders at Baltimore Ravens
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (4-4)	10	0	0	10	20
Baltimore Ravens (3-5)	0	10	10	3	23

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	BAL
Total Offense	287	382
Rushing Yards	73	182
Passing Yards	214	200
First Downs	13	15
Punt Return Yards	33	9
Kick Return Yards	71	62
Total Yards	391	453
Turnovers	3	2
3rd Down Converstion	6-15 (40%)	1-10 (10%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/0 (100%)	1/2 (75%)
Penalties	7-61	7-52
Posession Time	31:12	28:48

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Terrelle Pryor 21/37 (56%) 230 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 23 62 2.7 1 Larod Stephens-Howling 1 10 10.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 8 113 14.1 0 Darren McFadden 4 38 9.5 0 Darrius Heyward-Bey 3 31 10.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain (2 FF) 9 1 0 0 Mike Mitchell 7 0 0 0 Ron Bartell 6 0 1 0 Greg Jones 5 0 0 0 Terrance Newman 1 1 0 1 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 2/2 55 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 6 271 45.2 3

Baltimore Ravens PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Joe Flacco 17/25 (68%) 215 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ray Rice 23 149 6.5 0 Tim Hightower 9 33 3.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Dennis Pitta 6 87 14.5 0 Anquan Boldin 2 34 17.0 1 Ray Rice 2 33 16.5 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jameel McClain 7 0 1 0 Ray Lewis 6 0 0 0 Bernard Pollard 6 0 1 0 Ladarius Webb 6 0 0 0 Ed Reed 5 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Ryan Longwell 3/3 43 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Sam Koch 7 295 42.1 2

Injury Report:
WR Jacoby Ford is out again, this time for 3 weeks due to a shoulder tear.

Notes:
Terrance Newman won defensive player of the week in the AFC...he is also rewarded with a starting role in the upcoming game against the Saints...Raiders cut LB Keelin Brooks and signed G C.J. Willson. Wilson will be given the starting job at RG this week...

[KBLover]

Quote: Originally Posted by Roncatto

Moore prehaps Route Running to make him a complete receiver? Hes got speed and catching already

Have been working on that through the season - he's up to 84 now. I spent a little (he had nearly 20K after last game) on +1 AWR and +1 RLS to get both of those to 80.

Here's his non-physical ratings (like you said, his Phys. ratings are sweet already):
86 CTH
80 CIT
95 SPC
84 RTE
80 RLS
80 AWR

[KBLover]

Pryor-to-Moore Strikes Again
Raiders Win Game Punctuated by Big Plays,
Turnovers and Big Hits, 52-26

Where to begin with this wild, wacky, totally messed up game? The 10 combined turnovers? The Pryor-to-Moore connection that's elevating both players up the ranks? Or the pass defense containing Drew Brees sorta-kinda-maybe-somewhat?

Terrelle Pryor threw another 4 TD game, hooking up with Denarius Moore 3 times for scores. One came on perhaps the best ball this young QB has thrown yet. A perfect strike to Moore in stride for a 80-yd TD.

Denarius has much to smile about this season.
He has over 1,200 yards receiving and 10 TD in 10 games

Another nice play came when the corner blitz flushed Pryor out of the pocket. Heyward-Bey had a clue and sprinted towards some open field as he extended what was supposed to be a short slant route. Pryor got enough space to set his feet and deliver the ball towards the open space. Bey actually caught it, and then his speed took over from there, carrying him into the end zone. He put up his first 100-yd day on the season.

The running game (sorta) contributed even. McFadden had 109 yards, albeit on 29 carries, and 2 scores. Sproles was more effective, 103 yards but on just 20 carries. Brees ended up with over 400 yards passing. He aired it out 49 times as he tried to bring the Saints back.

The Raiders defense must have been mad after the loss to the Ravens. Either that or they learned a few things watching a real defense go to work. Sproles fumbled the ball three times thanks to some solid tackling, and they managed 3 INTs off Brees for six takeaways. Tyvon Branch picked off 2 passes as he finally saw some action. Ron Bartell picked off a pass, despite not starting. "I guess he just has a nose for the football. We might have to go nickle more just to get him out there roaming the field, "Coach Lyle spoke.

McFadden put the ball on the ground twice himself and Pryor threw 2 INTs, both to LB David Hawthorne.

Brees did throw 2 TDs as Sproles and Moore both had 100 yards receiving (Sproles had 150, and 250 yards from scrimmage total). Colston racked up 90 yards of his own.

Moore had 173 yards and 3 TDs (on 5 receptions). Bey picked up 121 yards. Pryor completed just 53% of his passes - a number he seems to be settling around as the Raiders become more aggressive with the passing attack. Lamar Houston picked up 2 sacks in his second game as starter, replacing the disappointing Evertte Brown at DE. Richard Seymour had no tackles, but he recovered a fumble for a TD.

The win gets the Raiders back to .500 at 5-5 on the season. The entire AFC West is 5-5, in fact. The Chiefs are the hottest team in the division, winning their last 3 games.

Of course, the real questions are: Can the Raiders put some wins together? Can they put together a few good games in a row? Can the defense actually stop someone without relying on turnovers? Can Terrelle Pryor avoid mistakes and continue to make plays?

New Orleans Saints at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New Orleans Saints (4-5)	3	14	3	6	26
Oakland Raiders (4-5)	7	24	14	10	52

Team Stats Comparison
	NOR	OAK
Total Offense	493	506
Rushing Yards	103	109
Passing Yards	390	397
First Downs	21	12
Punt Return Yards	15	22
Kick Return Yards	94	69
Total Yards	602	597
Turnovers	6	4
3rd Down Converstion	5-13 (38%)	7-13 (53%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-1	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/2 (80%)	3/0 (100%)
Penalties	4-35	4-45
Posession Time	30:20	29:40

New Orleans Saints PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Drew Brees 28/49 (57%) 405 2 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren Sproles 20 103 5.2 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Darren Sproles 7 151 21.6 1 Lance Moore 7 100 14.3 1 Marquis Colston 7 90 12.9 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Curtis Lofton 9 0 0 0 Shaun Ellis 7 0 0 0 Roman Harper 5 0 0 0 David Hawthorne 4 0 2 0 Scott Shanle 4 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Garrett Hartley 2/3 27 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Thomas Morstead 5 201 40.2 1

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Terrelle Pryor 17/32 (53%) 403 4 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 29 109 3.8 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 5 173 34.6 3 Darius Heyward-Bey 4 121 30.3 1 Brandon Meyers 4 66 16.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain (3 FF) 10 0 0 0 Michael Huff 8 0 0 0 Terrance Newman 7 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 3 0 2 0 Lamar Houston 2 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 1/1 38 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 5 188 37.6 1

Notes: Denarius Moore expressed no disappointment about not being named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, saying, "That stuff doesn't matter. I helped the team win and excited the fans...That's good enough for me..." LB Philip Weaver is set to return next week...could create some 'interesting' situations in the linebacker depth when he does...

[KBLover]

I guess the real Raiders can't stop the run either LOL.

BJGE with 7.1 y/c...Palmer sucks in real life too. They should put Pryor in!