Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Efficient Was Good Enough
Nothing Great on Either Side of the Ball,
But it was Enough for 24-10 Victory.

If the Raiders fans were bored with this game, they had reason to be. Nothing exciting seemed to happen, yet the Raiders scored three offensive touchdowns and the defense did enough to hold down the opposing Patriots.

"This was one of those games you look back and wonder how they won by 2 scores. No takeaways, no big huge plays, not stifling defense, but they won by two touchdowns, " a local sportswriter commented.

So it was. The Raiders did turn to the run game and that means Caulder, and he did well. He pounded out the team's first touchdown of the day, fighting in from a couple yards out.

Then it was Wade Schumacher showing one positive thing. Actually, two things. One, he spread the ball around. That helps everyone think it's not Denarius-or-bust in the passing game. Rice can make place. Blackmon can make plays. Favors can contribute. Kruger is becoming a main target. Two, another effective, patient day from the young QB. Nothing gaudy, but no interceptions and a couple touchdowns.

It helped that the offensive line held up in protections today. Schumacher took just one sack - Brandon Spikes got through on a middle blitz and no one was able to get free in time so Schumacher just ate the ball. Other than that, he had a clean pocket and no need to try to move around and buy time.

Karl Kruger, though, might be starting to emerge as Schumacher's favorite target. He didn't pick up any touchdowns, but he again led the receiving yardage for the Raiders.

"I have to keep telling Denarius that I haven't forgotten about him. It's just that if the linebackers are going to come after me or if I can hold them with a play fake, he's usually the one open over the middle, " Schumacher spoke.

Moore had one of the least productive days in which he played a full game, just 2 catches for 20 yards. He's not upset, though.

"Eventually, it will benefit me, too. They just can't lock in on me and come after Wade. He'll find someone else, " Moore commented.

Schumacher's TD passes went to Rice and Favors.

Defensively, it was good enough. The run defense still let up 100 yards, this time to Peyton Hillis, and a touchdown on the ground, but there were no huge runs or breakaways that really gashed the team, unlike last week.

The tackling, though, has gone south and that's going to be a concern. The defense is really missing McClain in that department if nothing else. It shows the team needs to still address the linebacker position in terms of consistent physical threats against the run. Olsen is a coverage linebacker, Wright is anything but consistent, same applies to Ash, and Bullock is a rookie.

Also of some concern is the lack of lockdown pass defense. The team isn't giving up much in the way of yardage - holding Schaub to just a hair under 200 yards on the day, but they aren't generating takeaways or causing the opposing pass game to struggle making completions. Schaub completed 65% of his passes on the day.

Still - it was a win, and on the score sheet, it's just 10 points allowed.


Box Score:

New England Patriots at
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 F NWE (2-2) 0 3 0 7 10 (2-1-1) 7 3 7 7 24 Top Performers PASS: QB Wade Schumacher (OAK) - 14/21, 180 yds, 2 TD, 125 QBR RUSH: HB Peyton Hills (NE) - 26 att, 132 yds, 1 TD REC: TE Karl Kruger (OAK) - 6 rec, 81 yds	Team Stats Comparison NWE First Downs 18 20 3rd Down Efficiency 3-12 (25%) 7-12 (58%) 4th Down Efficiency 1-2 0-0 Total Yards 435 397 Passing Yards 187 175 Rushing Yards 138 176 Penalties-Penalty Yards 4-35 1-3 Turnovers 0 0 Time of Possession 30:20 29:03
New England Patriots PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Matt Schaub 19/29 (66%) 199 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Peyton Hillis 26 132 5.1 1 Damion Young 3 6 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Peyton Hills 6 26 4.3 0 Rob Gronkowski 4 49 12.3 0 Wes Welker 3 61 20.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Brandon Spikes 9 1 0 0 Hussain Abdullah (1 FF) 9 0 0 0 Jarod Mayo 7 0 0 0 Brodney Pool 5 0 0 0 Angelo Likely 5 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Stephen Gotskowski 1/1 21 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Zoltan Mesko 5 226 45.2 1 PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Wade Schumacher 14/21 (66%) 180 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 30 145 4.8 1 Charles Johnson 4 16 4.0 0 Takuei Griggs 4 13 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Karl Kruger 6 81 13.5 0 Sidney Rice 3 28 9.3 1 Denarius Moore 2 20 10.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jake Olsen 6 0 0 0 Brandon Madison (1 FF) 6 0 0 0 K.J. Wright 6 0 0 0 Immanuel Dawn 5 1 0 0 Paris Cooper 5 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Sebastian Janikowski 1/1 56 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Shane Lechler 4 165 41.3 1

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 6 - Midweek News


No new NCAA Football news. Been quiet with the storylines so far.


NFL News:

LB Stephen Tulloch extends with the Lions for 4 years and $28.2 M.

Larry Fitzgerald reaches 6th on the all-time receptions list.

Eli Manning is now 9th on the all-time passing yards list.

Andre Johnson is now 8th on the all-time receiving yards list.


Raiders News

NFL Standings - Updated: Week 6
AFC WEST	W	L	T
Raiders	3	1	1
Chiefs	3	2	0
Broncos	3	2	0
Chargers	2	2	1

AFC West starting to look like the dogfight it usually is. Raiders keep the pace with Chiefs and Broncos also winning. Those two teams are on 2-game win streaks.

Elsewhere, the Jaguars and Vikings remain unbeaten at 5-0 and 4-0, respectively.

Next Game: Seahawks (3-2) @ Raiders (3-1-1)


Injury Report:

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LE	Lamarr Houston	Out 3 weeks (bicep)
MLB	Rolando McClain	Out 2 weeks (thumb)
RE	Keiwone Walters	Out 1 week (shoulder)
C	Sergey Wainwright	IR (fibula)
WR	Sidney Rice	Out 5 weeks (elbow)
WR	Jacoby Ford	Out 4 weeks (abs)

Injuries continue to strike - this time taking out starting WR Sidney Rice and PR Jacoby Ford (again).


Transactions:

CB Paris Cooper agreed to a 5-year, $30 M contract extension.

CB Shaquille Carillon agreed to a 4-year, $10 M contract extension.

QB Colt McCoy is now interested in an extension. No word on if the team will talk extension with him.


Roster News:

The revolving door at linebacker continues as the team tries to find something that can work consistently for the next two weeks - that's how long until McClain returns.

Bobby Wagner takes a turn at middle linebacker while Olsen moves to the left and Bullock replaces Ash on the right. Meanwhile, Ash will play RE in place of Matt Shaughnessy.

At running back, Chris Johnson will be the #2 back this week. With the offensive line playing more solidly, the team wants to see if that was the reason why Johnson was unimpressive earlier in the year.

At wide receiver, Blackmon and Favors move up a spot on the depth chart and #4 WR will be occupied by HB Steven Grant.

Fred Marshall will take over punt return duties and Patrick Peterson will get his wish - he will start running back kickoffs in place of the injured Ford while Bryan Mills joins him.


Scouting:

MLB Dontae Brown (Arkansas P.B.) might be a candidate for the team to draft as he seems to have solid tackling foundation and intimidates ball carriers with his power. However, his speed might be lacking for what the team wants. That said, he is projected to go in the 6th round, so he might be worth a look there.

LT Kris Scavone (Navy) got more looks this week to get a beginning assessment of his blocking skills. He looks decent overall, able to do most of the basic things required of the position and should not be a liability, especially combined with what seems to be exceptional strength. The one concern that keeps cropping up is his (in)ability to make blocks down field and in space.

The team also took a look at the outside linebackers, finding few, if any, that would interest the team further. Asa Davidson (UCLA), might be the lone exception, but he's projected as a top 10 selection, and the team would not likely go get him at that level...and he's unlikely to fall to the team with that lofty a projection.


Notable Progression:

RG Cale Welch
IBL: 86 to 87

HB Julio Caulder
BCV: 87 to 88

RG Aaryn DePriest
RBK: 87 to 88

LB Jake Olsen
PUR: 83 to 84

DT Immanuel Dawn
PRC: 81 to 82

CB Patrick Peterson
PRC: 80 to 81

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Defense Comes Alive
Takeaways Assist Offense in Piling on
the Points. Raiders Win 39-20.

This is more like how the Raiders defense is expected to play. All game long, they were aggressive and hard-hitting. They harassed young Eric Rancour and Schumacher was again efficient and took advantage of the field position his defense gave.

The physical nature showed in the injury toll taking by both teams. The Seahawks had two of their halfbacks knocked out while Moore was lost to the Raiders.

The Raiders were able to cause fumbles for one of the few times this season. The team recovered three of them, two on kick off returns, which really set up the offense for scores. Both of those fumble recoveries led to touchdowns. One score came from Chris Johnson breaking a run off a counter play and the other was a play action strike to Karl Kruger, who got behind the linebackers for the touchdown.

Earlier in the game, Patrick Peterson made his presence felt with an interception and Jake Olsen forced a fumble. Those turnovers led to 10 points, a Moore touchdown and a long FG by Janikowski. In all, 24 of the team's 39 points game off turnovers.

While the defense was flying around and hitting hard, they still let up big plays in the run game. That remains the biggest difference in the defensive play, but this time they were at least able to get takeaways to offset the damage.

Otherwise, the Seahawks' young trio of running backs did their damage. Tyrell Kenon, a rookie, ran for 84 yards on just 10 carries, scoring 2 touchdowns. David Wilson, the "oldest" of the three had 66 yards on 12 carries.

Eric Rancour didn't play terribly, especially before the score got out of hand. Immanuel Dawn was just all over him for much of the game. Dawn picked up 3 sacks.

The Raiders' run game was solid. Chris Johnson showed well overall, though most of his 47 yards came on his 19 yard run while Caulder produced 111 yards on 23 carries, along with a touchdown.


Box score:

Seattle Seahawks at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 F SEA (3-2) 6 0 7 7 20 OAK (3-1-1) 0 13 6 20 39 Top Performers PASS: QB Wade Schumacher (OAK) - 22/32, 238 yds, 2 TD, 111.1 QBR RUSH: HB Tyrell Kenon (SEA) - 10 att, 84 yds, 2 TD REC: TE Greg Olsen (SEA) - 6 rec, 58 yds	Team Stats Comparison SEA OAK First Downs 15 19 3rd Down Efficiency 7-13 (53%) 7-16 (43%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-1 0-0 Total Yards 470 467 Passing Yards 171 222 Rushing Yards 169 156 Penalties-Penalty Yards 1-10 1-5 Turnovers 4 0 Time of Possession 25:39 34:21
Seattle Seahawks PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Eric Rancour 17/29 (58%) 197 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD David Wilson 12 66 5.5 0 Tyrell Kenon 10 84 8.4 2 Austin Stewart 6 19 3.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Greg Olsen 6 58 9.7 0 Tyrell Kenon 4 35 8.8 0 Rueben Randle 2 23 19.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Steven Bradley 13 0 0 0 Earl Thomas 8 0 0 0 LeRoy Hill 7 0 0 0 Nolen Scarr 5 0 0 0 Haloti Ngata 4 2 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Graham Gano 2/2 46 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Jon Ryan 3 134 44.7 0 Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Wade Schumacher 22/32 (68%) 238 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 23 111 4.8 1 Chris Johnson 11 47 4.3 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Karl Kruger 5 65 13.0 1 Justin Blackmon 5 54 10.8 0 Denarius Moore 4 39 9.8 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Bobby Wagner (1 FF) 9 0 0 0 Jake Olsen (1 FF) 7 0 0 0 Steven Barker 6 0 0 0 Davarius Bullock (1 FR) 6 0 0 0 Patrick Peterson 5 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Sebastian Janikowski 4/5 56 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Shane Lechler 3 125 41.7 1

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 7 - Midweek News


NCAA Football News:

Idaho DE Kooper Cosbert was a pro westler, but now has turned to football at age 26.


NFL News:

The Jaguars and Vikings remain undefeated, and the pressure to remain unbeaten will continue to mount as these teams continue to pile up wins.

HB Maurice Jones-Drew picked up 2 TDs as his Jaguars beat the Bengals 36-18.

HB Steven Jackson is now 3rd on the all-time rushing list.


Raiders News:

NFL Standings - Updated: Week 7,
AFC WEST	W	L	T
Raiders	4	1	1
Broncos	4	2	0
Chiefs	3	3	0
Chargers	2	3	1

Broncos and Raiders look to take the inside track towards making this a 2-team divisional race.

Raiders Next Game: Raiders (4-1-1) @ Chargers (2-3-1)

Teams met in a tie last time out on Opening Week. Chargers need a win and would love to get it against one of their arch rivals.


Injury News:

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LE	Lamarr Houston	Out 2 weeks (bicep)
MLB	Rolando McClain	Out 1 weeks (thumb)
WR	Denarius Moore	Out 4 weeks (back)
C	Sergey Wainwright	IR (fibula)
WR	Sidney Rice	Out 4 weeks (elbow)
WR	Jacoby Ford	Out 3 weeks (abs)

The Raiders swap DE Keiwone Walters with WR Denarius Moore on the injury list. Both starting WR are now out and three total when counting Ford. At least McClain will be back after the bye, as will Lamaar Houston.


Roster News:

The offense will have 4 weeks to prove that it is indeed no longer Denarius-or-bust in the passing game. Blackmon and Favors become the starting WR. C.J. Gortman, not the most durable of players himself, moves up to #3 WR.

Chris Johnson will get another shot at #2 HB this week.

Keiwone Walters will take the RE spot, moving Dawn back inside next to Suh. When Lamarr Houston returns, it will be interesting to see what happens with Ash, who has no business doing anything except rushing the passer. Perhaps if the team returns to the 3-4 once McClain returns (and assuming no other LB injuries occur this week), Ash will survive as a starter.


Scouting:

OLB Bryan Jacko (Army) is an odd mix of abilities. He has really high agility for a linebacker and hits very hard it seems. But his tackling is questionable and does a terrible job with the mental aspects of the game. However, he's not totally lost in space in coverage. Hard to know what to consider him or make of his prospects.

MLB Earl Williams (Ohio State) might be one for the team to consider if it wants to go the "put a middle linebacker outside" route. He looks like he's got well-rounded abilities and plenty of power behind his tackles. Like many MLBs, he's got some ability in zone coverage.

The team checked into WR Akia Green's injury history and found little of note - which is a good thing. Green also has a reputation for having sound hands that secure the ball. While he'll need some development, he sounds like he'll be one of the team's top targets on draft day.


Notable Progression:

DT Immanuel Dawn
High Motor: No to Yes
PRC: 82 to 83

FB Marcel Reece
RBK: 87 to 88

TE Karl Kruger
RBK: 65 to 66
AWR: 70 to 71

CB Paris Cooper
PRS: 77 to 78

LB Davarius Bullock
AWR: 80 to 81

CB Brandon Madison
AWR: 68 to 69

CB Patrick Peterson
TAK: 52 to 53

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Wounded Raiders Flattened
Team Appeared Tired and Exhausted,
Chargers Waltz to Victory 26-3.

On top of the loss, Keiwone Walters, one of the few players that showed energy, is again out of what might be a serious injury.

The defense initially tried to play hard. In fact, they got after Rivers with ferocity in the first half and even in the second half. Walters had 3 sacks before leaving the game with his injury, and Wagner got in for a couple sacks of his own.

Rivers, though, didn't flinch and kept moving the ball through the air. He got the aid of a solid run game as the Raiders again looked confused in run defense. Dezrick Johnson had a strong day on the ground, picking up over 150 yards.

Defensively, the Chargers were as fired up as the Raiders defense, and they were able to stay fresher because the offense was indeed "Denarius-or-bust". Caulder tried to make plays, but with the Chargers able to just focus on the run, he had tough sledding ahead.

Schumacher avoided the interception, but only completed 40% of his passes. Everything looked terrible - receivers looked slow, the protection wasn't there, twice Schumacher left with injuries (he returned each time), and it was all around bad.

The bye week couldn't come at a better time, but the real question is - what can be expected to change? Is this all really just because of McClain being out, or is there something deeper happening to the defense? Even if it is all just McClain, that doesn't help the offense one bit and an offensive line that has struggled frequently during the first half of the season.

The team can take solace in being 4-2-1 entering the second half of the season, but also be concerned about the how things have gone so far.


Box Score:

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 F OAK (4-1-1) 0 3 0 0 3 SDG (2-3-1) 7 6 10 3 26 Top Performers PASS: QB Philip Rivers (SD) - 24/41, 271 yds, 2 TD RUSH: HB Dezrick Johnson (SD) - 31 att, 153 yds REC: WR Earl Bennett (SD) - 7 rec, 85 yds, 1 TD	Team Stats Comparison OAK SDG First Downs 8 20 3rd Down Efficiency 4-17 (23%) 6-17 (35%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-0 Total Yards 311 475 Passing Yards 109 227 Rushing Yards 76 153 Penalties-Penalty Yards 6-50 4-30 Turnovers 1 0 Time of Possession 18:47 41:13
Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Wade Schumacher 12/30 (40%) 139 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 18 64 3.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Justin Blackmon 5 66 13.2 0 Fabian Favors 3 32 107. 0 Karl Kruger 2 31 15.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Jake Olsen (1 FF) 7 0 0 0 Bobby Wagner 7 2 0 0 Steven Barker 6 0 0 0 Brandon Madison 6 0 0 0 Keiwone Walters 5 3 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Sebastian Janikowski 1/1 42 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Shane Lechler 10 478 47.8 2 San Diego Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Philip Rivers 24/41 (58%) 271 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Dezrick Johnson 31 153 4.9 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Earl Bennett 7 85 12.1 1 Santonio Holmes 6 98 16.3 0 Alex Givens 4 48 12.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Donald Butler 8 1 0 0 Zach Brown 5 2 0 0 Brandon Siler 4 0 0 0 Larry McNeil 4 0 0 0 Antwaan Barnes 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Mike Nugent 4/5 46 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Mike Scifres 4 215 53.8 1

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 8 - Midweek News


NCAA Football News:

Nevada QB Austin Duncan is now being called the next RGIII as he continues on a record-setting pace this season.


NFL News:

HB Ray Rice ran for 176 yards to help the Ravens win a shootout over the Bucs.

The 49ers played a thrilling game against the Redskins and pulled out the win, 27-26.

The Jaguars fall from the ranks of the unbeaten, getting nipped by the Steelers 34-31. The Vikings remain undefeated at 6-0.


Raiders News:

NFL Standings - Updated: Week 8,
AFC WEST	W	L	T
Broncos	4	2	0
Raiders	4	2	1
Chiefs	4	3	0
Chargers	3	3	1

The Raiders were the only team to lose in the division this week, putting everyone right back into the thick of the division chase. The Broncos are on a 3-game winning streak, and that is the next opponent for the Raiders after the bye this week.

Next Raiders Game: None - Bye Week


Injury Report:

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LE	Lamarr Houston	Out 1 weeks (bicep)
RE	Keiwone Walters	Out 3 weeks (shoulder)
WR	Denarius Moore	Out 3 weeks (back)
C	Sergey Wainwright	IR (fibula)
WR	Sidney Rice	Out 3 weeks (elbow)
WR	Jacoby Ford	Out 2 weeks (abs)

The injury to Walters could have been much worse. As it is, the team will miss having him for the next two games.

Rolando McClain is back, and Lamarr Houston is on schedule to return next week for an important game against the Broncos.


Roster News:

Lamarr Houston is penciled in at left end for his return.

Only other change is McClain going back to his middle spot. This caused Olsen to come to the middle in 3-4 looks, as the team is going back to the hybrid style of defense, and Olsen will likely come in on nickle as well since he's the best coverage linebacker. Bullock goes to the left outside spot and Wagner stays on the field and will give being the right outside linebacker a go. K.J. Wright is ready should Wagner falter or suffer injury.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 9 - Midweek News


NCAA Football News:

CB Arik Casher (Texas) outdueled Oklahoma CB Rodney Maye in a battle of top cornerbacks. This has scouts predicting that Casher will be higher on the draft boards after this game.


NFL News:

Pro Bowl voting has begun around the league.

Jaguars lose Brandon Mebane for what seems to be a significant amount of time.

WR Larry Fitzgerald passes Isaac Bruce on the all-time receiving yards list.

HB Xavier Slaughter (Chargers) is ready to go after recovering from his injury.

Vikings remain unbeaten as the squeezed past the Falcons 28-21.


Raiders News:

NFL Standings - Updated: Week 9
AFC WEST	W	L	T
Raiders	4	2	1
Broncos	4	3	0
Chiefs	4	3	0
Chargers	4	3	1

The Broncos losing has thrown the division into complete chaos. All teams have 4 wins and either 2 or 3 losses. The Raiders need a win crawl above the chaos, but the Broncos will be looking for the same thing in order to re-establish their claim as division leader.

Next Raiders Game: Raiders (4-2-1) @ Broncos (4-3)


Scouting:

CB Arik Casher (Texas) got looked at by Raiders' scouts after his standout performance this week. He looks like he's worth the hype...to some degree. He's not bad at anything, but does seem to lack true shutdown corner potential at the next level.

CB Rodney Maye (Oklahoma) also got a look, and the team definitely likes Casher better at this point. Maye has better body control and agility, but lacks the ability to read the receiver. That's something Casher does significantly better. Maye does have excellent hands for a defensive back, however.

Speaking of excellent DB hands, CB Julian Brown from Iowa State showed of his hands in his last game. Scouts rate him as 'above average' so far, which is a strong grade on a defensive player. Not much else is known about him at this point, other than the fact he's more comfortable in zone coverage.

Taking another look at QB Austin Duncan - unless we're way off, there's no way he's much like Robert Griffin III. He lacks the raw mobility if nothing else.


Notable Progression:

C Stefen Wisniewski
PBK: 83 to 84

FS Steven Barker
ZCV: 79 to 80

LB Tevin Ash
PUR: 78 to 79

[tdawg3782]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

NCAA Football News:

Nevada QB Austin Duncan is now being called the next RGIII as he continues on a record-setting pace this season.

Hahahaha!! RGIII? Maybe the throwing part but he might as well be a rock as far as mobility.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Hahahaha!! RGIII? Maybe the throwing part but he might as well be a rock as far as mobility.

Tell me about it, I was like...wait...D SPD? I mean, I don't have the number unlocked, but still...

[JHeyBraves]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Your division is crazy right now. Wow.

Hopefully McClain's return will be the spark the Raiders need.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Your division is crazy right now. Wow.

Hopefully McClain's return will be the spark the Raiders need.

You and me both.

And for all the valid talk about how bad the CPU runs teams - it seems everyone is running well in the division.

Hopefully, we're also catching the Broncos on a downswing after losing their winning streak - though it's been like year 1...can't win on the road so far.

[JHeyBraves]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

You and me both.

And for all the valid talk about how bad the CPU runs teams - it seems everyone is running well in the division.

Hopefully, we're also catching the Broncos on a downswing after losing their winning streak - though it's been like year 1...can't win on the road so far.

Haha, it's funny you mention that. I'm having the same problem. 7-0 at home, 1-4 on the road. Weird.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Offense Sharp and Defense Attacks
Raiders Play Well, Defense Looks Better.
Raiders Win Amid More Injuries, 37-19.

The Raiders offense was the most impressive part of the team this week. Schumacher looked much calmer, even without perfect protection and the receivers did a much better job of proving they can make plays.

Justin Blackmon got things started in the first quarter by breaking a Brent Grimes tackle and going the distance for a touchdown. He would add on some more catches throughout the game for a 100-yard day.

Fabian Favors got into the game more in the second half, but he also looked solid, making some tough catches and running solid routes. He actually ended up with the most catches (6) on the team.

C.J. Gortman found the end zone nearly the goal line as he found room against some linebackers and stuck it in for a touchdown. He also made a good catch, again using his speed to zip through a zone coverage. Schumacher found him and made a strong throw on target to convert.

It added up to 299 yards, 2 TD and 63% completion percentage.

On the ground, Caulder was more able to do his thing, picking up 100 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Chris Johnson also did a solid job in general, though a few runs didn't work so well. The team is trying to find ways to get Johnson more involved.

Defensively, it wasn't a lock down performance, but overall, it was a better effort, especially against the run. McClain led in tackles, but with just 7, perhaps partly from the 3-4 usage. K.J. Wright played more than expected, and did well. Jake Olsen picked up a sack, but left with an injury, which was a story on defense. Brandon Madison also left the game and Paris Cooper was not nearly is good. Cooper clearly does not seem able to adjust to the man coverage scheme the Raiders run. The team also had Fred Marshall leave the game.

Still, the run defense looked much more stout, holding Pierre Thomas to 61 yards on 25 carries. Thomas did score 2 TDs to make the fantasy owners happy, but he didn't do much of the work. Josh Freeman was throwing a solid game until the fourth quarter, and Torrey Smith was the recipient with 140 yards on the day.

The team hit hard in this one, forcing four fumbles, but able to just recover one, Tyvon Branch, for all his issues, continues to have a knack for being involved in turnovers. He recovered a fumble to end the Broncos' slim hopes.

"They might have to suck it up and pay the man. He does make plays. He is just frustrating sometimes with his consistency or with some of the mistakes he makes, " one analyst spoke.


Box Score:

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 F OAK (4-2-1) 14 10 0 13 37 DEN (4-3) 3 10 6 0 19 Top Performers PASS: QB Wade Schumacher (OAK) - 21/33, 299 yds, 2 TD, 113 QBR RUSH: HB Julio Caulder (OAK) - 21 att, 104 yds, 2 TD REC: WR Torrey Smith (DEN) - 7 rec, 140 yds	Team Stats Comparison OAK DEN First Downs 18 12 3rd Down Efficiency 4-13 (30%) 3-12 (25%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-1 0-1 Total Yards 540 386 Passing Yards 277 241 Rushing Yards 126 61 Penalties-Penalty Yards 1-10 9-105 Turnovers 1 1 Time of Possession 35:26 24:34
Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Wade Schumacher 21/33 (63%) 299 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 21 104 5.0 2 Chris Johnson 8 26 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Fabian Favors 6 84 14.0 0 Justin Blackmon 5 105 21.0 1 C.J. Gortman 4 46 11.5 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain 7 0 0 0 K.J. Wright (1 FF) 6 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch (1 FR) 5 0 0 0 Jake Olsen (1 FF) 4 1 0 0 Shaquille Carillon 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Sebastian Janikowski 3/4 40 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Shane Lechler 2 76 38.0 0 Denver Broncos PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Josh Freeman 17/29 (58%) 263 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Pierre Thomas 25 61 2.4 2 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Torrey Smith 7 140 20.0 0 Mario Manningham 6 80 13.3 0 Marcedes Lewis 2 9 4.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Quinton Carter 10 0 0 0 Mason Foster 9 0 0 0 Armond Jones 8 0 0 0 Tracy Porter 7 1 0 0 Von Miller 6 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Matt Prater 2/2 47 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Britton Colquitt 7 299 42.7 1

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 10 - Midweek News

No new NCAA Football news.

NFL News:

HB Adrian Peterson suffered a significant injury this week.

The Vikings lost their unbeaten status - and in convincing fashion. The Panthers whipped them 43-22.


Raiders News:

NFL Standings - Updated: Week 10
AFC WEST	W	L	T
Raiders	5	2	1
Chargers	4	3	1
Chiefs	4	4	0
Broncos	4	4	0

The Raiders helped themselves nicely with a win, especially after seeing the Chargers also win. A loss by the Raiders would have kept things completely up in the air. As it is, the Raiders still can't feel comfortable.

Next Raiders Game: Bills (3-5) @ Raiders (5-2-1)


Injury Report:

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
CB	Brandon Madison	Out 2 weeks (abs)
RE	Keiwone Walters	Out 1 weeks (shoulder)
WR	Denarius Moore	Out 1 weeks (back)
C	Sergey Wainwright	IR (fibula)
WR	Sidney Rice	Out 1 weeks (elbow)
LB	Jake Olsen	Out 3 weeks (knee)

The nicks and cuts continue to plague the roster, but fortunately, they continue to be relatively minor. Jacoby Ford returns, but the team will miss Brandon Madison for a couple weeks and Jake Olsen goes down for three weeks.

Fred Marshall's injury was not severe enough to keep him out of this week's game, and he is expected to play as normal.


Roster News:

Jake Olsen's departure might signal a return to 3 starting linebackers. That trio is expected to be, from right to left, Bullock, McClain and Wright. Wagner will move to the middle again - and would play if the team does show a 3-4 front in the game.

Ford's return puts him on kick return duty with Peterson and as back up should Fred Marshall be hurt on punt returns, but not in the WR mix just yet. The team will give Bryan Mills a try and Gortman remains in play at #4 WR for the team's spread looks.

Paris Cooper will not start at cornerback this week. The team will give nickle corner to Casey Hayward and move Shaquille Carillon to starter across from Patrick Peterson. Hayward looks similar to Paris Cooper, but the team will see if he can adjust better than Cooper can. Cooper will not be at safety, at least not to start, either.

"He might have played his way into the dog house...and perhaps off the team come the offseason, despite signing that extension. Could end up being a "sign-and-trade" type deal, " an analyst commented.


Scouting:

The team went searching for cornerbacks in the scouting this week, but found little else in new talent to watch so far. There were two names of interest to this point.

Jimmie Patterson (Michigan St.) that is somewhat intriguing. He seems to have excellent speed and quick acceleration to his top speed, but he would need work on his ability to read plays and receivers.

The other is Lorenzo Hopkins (USC). The standout thing about him is that he combines his speed with great footwork and a strong leg drive that gets him up to top speed quickly, allowing him to run with the WR seen on tape. He also seems to anticipate what the receiver is about to do pretty well, though he could get better at reading the quarterback's eyes and locating the ball.


Notable Progression:

LB Rolando McClain
MCV: 71 to 73

RG Cale Welch
PBK: 87 to 88

LT Jared Veldheer
PBK: 85 to 86

QB Wade Schumacher
DAC: 83 to 84

FS Steven Barker
ZCV: 73 to 74

LB Jake Olsen
STR: 82 to 83

WR Justin Blackmon
RTE: 74 to 75

DT Immanuel Dawn
POW: 66 to 67

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Offensive Duel Ends With Defensive Force
A Pair of Crushing Blows by Davarius Bullock
Allow Raiders to Rally and Win 37-34 in OT.

Rolando McClain littered the stat sheet with his tackles - 14 of them, but he was quick to praise his rookie partner for his play.

"Davarius won this game, man. Ya'll should be talking to him. We would have been won this if we just took advantage of the pain he was dealing earlier. Fortunately, we got our heads out our ***** in time to finally do it, " McClain spoke in the locker room.

Davarius Bullock has been fighting to make a name for himself on a defensive roster centered around McClain. Today, he showed why the team snapped him up in the draft. His power.

The rookie made just seven tackles, but forced 3 fumbles.

But before he gets his due - there was an offensive slugfest going on. Both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Wade Schumacher were able to sling the football around. Fitzpatrick ended up with the touchdowns as the Raiders handed off to Caulder in close to the goal line, but Schumacher ended up with the yards. 369 of them.

Early on, it seemed like a normal sort of game. Caulder did a lot of work and Schumacher seemed to be on point. Raiders took the opening possession and scored 7. The defense held and the Raiders couldn't score. Typical 7-0 game.

Then the QBs showed out. Ryan Fitzpatrick fired the first shot as Stevie Johnson would haunt Patrick Peterson all day long.

"He was mine all game. Like a puppet on a string. Too bad we couldn't win it," Johnson spoke.

That would be the first touchdown of the quarter.

Then it was Schumacher's turn. He was determined to trust his primary receivers in this one. Fabian Favors continued to show his (surprisingly) good hands. Mixed in with some runs with both Caulder and Johnson, and even a few Griggs totes, Favors got in for the touchdown on a 34-yard strike.

Fitzpatrick came back, abusing Peterson with Stevie Johnson and picking apart the coverage with a rotation of his secondary targets as well. The Raiders had no answers at all, and it would be the backup running back, Sylvester Sanders, who punched the ball across for a rushing TD.

Halftime came the Raiders up 20-14. The third quarter started and the defenses seemed like they were waking up. Neither team really got the ball moving consistently, and each team picked up just a field goal.

The defenses did wake up - well the Bills did first. The Bills forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter. First was Fabian Favors' lone mistake, getting the ball knocked out to start the momentum going to for the Bills. Fitzpatrick burned Peterson for another touchdown after Stevie Johnson broke another Peterson tackle that led to a score.

Then Karl Kruger gave up the ball on another hit by SS William Moore, who had 13 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. That lead to another score, a Fitzpatrick strike to WR Travis Benjamin.

The Bills would add on a FG. The Raiders were in trouble. The score swung from a 23-17 lead to a 34-23 deficit as the Bills scored 17 unanswered points, all on turnovers.

However, Davarius Bullock had seen enough. He stopped Fitzpatrick the only way that seems possible. He took the QB out of the game. Still, time was running out. Keon Wilson, a second-year QB, came into the game. The Bills were trying to deceive the defense with read option plays, but Lyle had his guys simply firing out straight ahead. The options plays failed without the time to set up the blocks, and it lead to Bullock introducing himself to Wilson, one young player to another. Bullock whacked the young QB and knocked the ball out. The hit was so hard, both players were slow to react to the fact the ball was out, but Bullock secured it first - causing the fumble and then recovering himself.

Schumacher patted Bullock on the butt and lead the offense on the field. Fired up, Schumacher threw lasers to both Blackmon and Favors, and mixed in Bryan Mills and Julio Caulder as well. The big blow was a 61-yard pass the Blackmon that set the team up in scoring range. From inside the 5, the Raiders caught the Bills' defense by surprise by calling a run to Caulder, who walked in for his second score.

The team ran another run, a draw to Chris Johnson, on the two-point conversion. The Bills were more ready for this run, but CJ found a crease behind big Cale Welch and poked the ball in for the conversion.

That made the score 34-31. Lyle got daring and tried for the onside kick. The attempt failed, but with all three timeouts, the Raiders could get the ball back with a 3-and-out.

That's what the Raiders got. McClain stuffed the hole on 1st and 2nd down, and then Branch made a stop out of the 46 on an off-tackle run on 3rd down.

Raiders got the ball back with no time outs and 39 second on the clock. That's what Schumacher had to work with.

No problem. At least that's what Schumacher's play said to the nervous Raiders fans. The QB started with a pass the Blackmon for 20 and out of bounds. He then hit Favors for another long gain. Then Blackmon again to get into long field goal range. Janikowski delivered on the 48 yard kick and the game was going to overtime.

In OT, the Bills had first possession, but still without Fitzpatrick. The difference was striking. Wilson didn't play poorly, but he wasn't anywhere as sharp and the Raiders got a 3-and-out.

The Raiders' possession, however, didn't go much better. They were set up to punt. Looked like a routine play.

Then Bullock struck.

Eddie Royal was looking to make something happen on the return, but Bullock delivered every bit of his weight in a direct hit against Royal, knocking him flat, literally. The ball easily came out and who else but the toasted and burned all day Patrick Peterson secured the ball.

Bullock's devastating hit dislodges the football. Royal would need the
help of the trainers to leave the field.

"I wanted to go find Stevie Johnson so bad, hold the ball up in his face and then just drop it at his feet like 'Here, you can have this now. We'll take the win, thank you come again.', " Peterson joked.

Lyle didn't want to waste any time and sent Janikowski out for the 41-yd FG. Of course, this game wouldn't be what it was without a heart stopping moment. The kick nearly glanced off the upright, but it sailed through without issue to give the Raiders the win.

Bullock wasn't the only one throwing his weight around. Ndamukong Suh had just 2 tackles, but one of the took out DeAngelo Williams, the starting HB. He speared Williams, delivering solid helmet-to-helmet contact. Williams left the game with a concussion, and the hit is under review by the league.


Box Score:

Buffalo Bills at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1, 1 2 3 4 OT F BUF (3-5) 0 14 3 17 0 34 OAK (5-2-1) 7 13 3 11 3 37 Top Performers PASS: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (BUF) - 24/31, 301 yds, 3 TD, 139.3 QBR RUSH: HB Sylvester Sanders (BUF) - 23 att, 104 yds, 1 TD REC: WR Stevie Johnson (BUF) - 9 rec, 159 yds, 2 TD	Team Stats Comparison BUF OAK First Downs 20 20 3rd Down Efficiency 7-15 (46%) 9-15 (60%) 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-0 Total Yards 510 657 Passing Yards 304 377 Rushing Yards 125 113 Penalties-Penalty Yards 2-20 3-30 Turnovers 2 3 Time of Possession 30:09 33:06
Buffalo Bills PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ryan Fitzpatrick 24/31 (77%) 301 3 0 Keon Howard 2/3 (66%) 17 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Sylvester Sanders 23 104 4.5 1 DeAngelo Williams 5 22 4.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Stevie Johnson 9 156 17.3 2 Eddie Royal 6 82 13.7 0 Jordan Cates 5 36 7.2 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD William Moore (2 FF) 13 0 0 0 Paul Kruger (1 FF) 6 0 0 0 Dan Dugan 5 0 0 0 Aaron Williams 5 0 0 0 A.J. Jefferson (1 FR) 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Ben Marske 2/2 57 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Jason Baker 4 155 38.8 0 Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Wade Schumacher 25/38 (65%) 369 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Julio Caulder 23 84 3.7 2 Charles Johnson 5 20 4.0 0 Takuei Griggs 4 9 2.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Justin Blackmon 9 168 18.7 0 Fabian Favors 7 135 19.3 1 Karl Kruger 4 16 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Rolando McClain 14 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 7 1 0 0 Davarius Bullock (3 FF, 1 FR) 7 2 0 0 Shaquille Carillon 5 0 0 0 Patrick Peterson (1 FR) 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Sebastian Janikowski 5/5 48 PUNTING TOT YDS AVG -20 Shane Lechler 4 167 41.8 0