Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[JHeyBraves]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

With a name like that, how could anyone not love Big Papa?

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Chiefs Offense Smoked
J.J. Smoke Debuts With 2 INTs and a Sack as
Raiders Win 23-6

The Raiders offense looked okay, although Griggs didn't seem like his normal self, and eventually that did slow down the team. However, Martens was sharp and the offense avoided the turnover.

That was good enough as the Raiders defense completely clamped down on the Chiefs' attack. Leading the way was rookie phenom J.J. Smoke, who gave the Chiefs fans a show.

On the first pass challenging him in his NFL career, he picked it off. Giles thought he had Bowe with a step and tried a touch pass, but Smoke tracked the ball then watched his man to see when to turn for the interception - he did it perfectly.

First play for the rookie? An interception.

This led to Martens hooking up with Denarius Moore for a 7-0 Raiders lead.

Moore only had 3 catches, one of them this effort
in the 1st quarter.

That would do it for the first quarter scoring. In the second quarter, the Raiders defense continued to keep Giles and company in check. Maeweather got off to a slowish start, but started then piling on the hits. He helped keep Jamaal Charles in control, which helped the whole defense stay sharp despite the Chiefs trying to wear them down.

The Chiefs put a drive together as a result. Charles was finding a bit more room and Giles was beginning to decipher the Raiders defense. Until he challenged Smoke again.

On a similar route as the first interception, Smoke was in Bowe's hip pocket and took the football away for his second INT. At the time, Giles had just 2 incomplete passes - both of Smoke's interceptions.

Smoke's second interception denied the Chiefs a
red zone trip.

Martens' next possession ended with a big play to Karl Kruger on a 35-yard strike between the safeties to give the Raiders a 14-0 lead. The Raiders tacked on 3 more, and the team took a 17-point lead into the locker room.

Then the Chiefs made some adjustments on defense and started getting physical with the Raiders receivers and running backs. The team tried to work all three backs into the offense in various ways, but the Chiefs were having none of it. The pass rush picked up as well, forcing Martens to hurry throws.

This improved defense made many of the Raiders' possessions on the shorter side, further playing into the Chiefs' attempt to tire out the Raiders defense.

The Raiders were standing strong, however. Giles started trying to make some things happen with his legs, seeing his receivers blanketed. That is when Maeweather notched his first sack after Bullock whiffed on the attempt. Maeweather saw Giles in trouble and came in to join the attack, and he picked up the sack.

Maeweather claims his first career victim. The first of hopefully
many.

The Chiefs did manage a field goal, thanks largely to a successful scramble by Giles that seemed to show fatigue starting to set in on the Raiders defense.

Giles breaks free to help set up a FG.

Both teams managed just 3 points in the quarter, making the score 20-3 heading into the final period.

Offensively, the Raiders tried to get something going on the ground. Griggs was making a little headway, but it was still tough going. The passing attack continued to wilt under the pass rush, but Martens did convert some plays and at least pick up some first downs.

But no successful drives were forthcoming. Mostly, the team played field position and the defense continued it's relentless physical attack. The Chiefs again started making some headway against a tiring defense that was continued to be urged on aggressively. While some more passive defense were called to try to pace the attack, it was then that Giles found a little more room to throw. The couple catches Smoke did let up came with him in zone coverage, but even when the passes were complete, and Giles completed plenty, they were short plays with little-to-nothing after the catch.

However, the methodical march continued and the Raiders then suffered an injury as Keiwone Walters succumbed to the fatigue and punishing play being dealt on both sides. He had to be carted off and, of course, did not return.

Once again, J.J. Smoke showed up to help. Giles was about to take off again when Patrick Gjere let the elusive QB slip from his grasp. Giles regained his balance and looked to follow his linemen downfield, but both Wagner and Smoke knifed in to undercut the blocking. Smoke found Giles and used poor Gjere like a fulcrum to leverage Giles to the ground.

Smoke follows his two picks with his first sack to again stop a
Chiefs' march into scoring position.

The sack forced a long field goal attempt, which was missed.

At this point, the Raiders played pure field position, twice penning the Chiefs deep into their own territory. The second of those coming just outside the two-minute warning. The Chiefs did punch their way out, getting one of the few significant runs out of Charles in the process. However, they would find themselves in a 4th down situation, and Lamel Seawood came up with an interception as Giles forced it deep and Seawood was just playing centerfield. The pick would lead to the Raiders running out the clock to seal the win.

"That felt good!" Smoke spoke after the game, "Man, I had fun out there today. Got a couple picks, and sack. Come see me next week for a repeat performance!"

Overlooked in the deserved hype over Smoke's performance was the efficiency of Martens and the Raiders offense overall. The Raiders had the ball just 25 minutes and produced 23 points. Martens completed 64% of his passes on the day, including starting the game 9-for-9, and generated two touchdowns. The yardage total doesn't look impressive, just 184 yards, but he had a 112 quarterback rating on the day.

Akia Green didn't score, but he led with 95 yards receiving. Ramonn Majors caught a couple passes in his debut.

Aside from Smoke, Maeweather put together a strong day with 11 tackles (led team) and 2 sacks. Bobby Wagner picked up 7 tackles and a sack. Davarius Bullock forced a fumble and Giles picked up it just before Smoke could make a diving attempt on the loose ball.


Box Score:

Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (0-0)	7	10	3	3	23
Kansas City Chiefs (0-0)	0	0	3	3	6

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	KAN
Total Offense	262	178
Rushing Yards	98	96
Passing Yards	164	82
First Downs	11	11
Punt Return Yards	10	38
Kick Return Yards	38	58
Total Yards	310	274
Turnovers	0	3
3rd Down Converstion	4-13 (30%)	5-13 (38%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/1 (100%)	0/2 (100%)
Penalties	5-40	3-20
Posession Time	25:02	34:58

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Danny Martens 16/25 (64%) 184 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bull Griggs 18 59 3.3 0 Danny Martens 2 22 11.0 0 C.J. Spiller 5 10 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Akia Green 5 95 19.0 0 Denarius Moore 3 33 11.0 1 Ramonn Majors 2 14 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kendle Maeweather 11 2 0 0 Tyvon Branch 8 0 0 0 Bobby Wagner 7 1 0 0 Davarius Bullock (1 FF) 5 0 0 0 J.J. Smoke 2 1 2 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 3/3 55 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Je-Marc Gibbs 6 243 40.5 2

Kansas City Chiefs PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Blane Giles 17/23 (73%) 102 0 3 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jamaal Charles 17 50 2.9 0 Blane Giles 7 46 6.6 0 Lex Hillard 3 4 1.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Jamaal Charles 5 3 0.6 0 Max Simpson 4 45 11.3 0 Dennis Pitta 3 13 4.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Justin Houston 7 0 0 0 Kavell Conner 5 1 0 0 Eric Berry 4 0 0 0 Tamba Hali 4 1 0 0 Brandon Flowers 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Ryan Succop 2/3 38 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 T.J. Conley 3 118 39.3 0

[Yubbed]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Martens starts hot this is a good thing for the folks in Baltimore!!!

[daniel77733]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Martens starts hot this is a good thing for the folks in Baltimore!!!

Why's that?

[Yubbed]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Lol!!!!!!! I was talking to a friend about Baltimore and I guess my mind was on the subject when I wrote this.

*Oakland

[daniel77733]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Oh...okay.

[Gronk4M13]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Wow, good game JJ Smoke.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 2 - Midweek News

NCAA Football News

Idaho CB Mark Fightmaster is looking like he will be a high-round draft pick.

FSU WR DeVontry Wilson displays blazing speed and should be one of the most feared punt returners in the nation.

Falcons LB Sean Witherspoon rejected an offer.
Redskins sign LB Brian Orakpo for 5 years at $50 M.
Defensive lineman Calais Campbell has rejected the Cardinals' offer.
Colts S Antoine Bethea is refusing to sign the last extension offered to him.
WR Jeremy Maclin and the Vikings were unable to come to terms.
Ravens ink QB Joe Flacco to a 4-year, $58.4 M extension.
Ravens and HB Ray Rice failed to reach an extension agreement.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers posted a perfect passer rating last week.
Cowboys WR Eddie Royal ran back two punts for TD in a 36-20 win.
Bills HB Jonathon Stewart rushed for two TDs.
QB Been Rothlisberger is 6th all-time in passing TDs.
...or at least he was until Aaron Rodgers took it.

Broncos HB Reggie Bush is sidelined with an injury.


Raiders News

The Raiders started off strong on the road to move to 1-0. J.J. Smoke has done nothing but further elevate the hype and expectations around him. The defense as a whole played a strong game and the offense was effective.

Otto Freese continues to receive treatment for his depression, and he's had some better days of late. Still, he's being closely monitored and teammates check on him to make sure he's okay. The impact of this disorder on his football career is still impossible to predict.

Despite the strong effort, Smoke was not named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. "Haters gonna hate" was the extent of the young star's response.

Raiders' Next Game: Raiders (1-0) @ Texans (0-1)

Raiders Injury Report
Pos	Player	Injury Note
LT	Jared Veldheer	Out 2 weeks (dislocated hip)
RE	Keiwone Walters	Out 6 weeks (ruptured disk)

The team is going keep Walters on the active roster, given how early in the season the injury occurred.


Roster News:

Walters' injury will allow Keithen Lett to show what he can do. Patrick Seaver's debut was not very impressive and neither was Otto Freese's. Seaver will move to Center this week while it looks like another rookie, Chuck Christenson, will start at RT this week.

Contract extension talks have started with K Sebastian Janikowski. Reports are that he wants a $3.6 M extension, but the Raiders are not likely to want to pay that much and have submitted a lower number.

The agent representing DE Keiwone Walters has recently said he would like to have his client and the team start talks. Walters is rumored to be seeking a 5-year contract at about $7 M per year.


Notable Progression:

FS Lamel Seawood
Big Hitter: No to Yes

LB Bobby Wagner
MCV: 59 to 62

WR Denarius Moore
STR: 57 to 58

CB J.J. Smoke
AWR: 79 to 80
PRS: 55 to 58

LB Jake Olsen
STR: 83 to 84

LT Otto Freese
RBK: 86 to 87

HB Julio Caulder
BCV: 84 to 86

LB Kendle Maeweather
PUR: 83 to 84


Scouting News:

Vanderbilt SS Mohammad Mata is more like an extra linebacker than a safety. He has high-quality tackling form for a defensive back and hits like a ton of bricks. His speed seems okay enough to get around the field, but he would need a lot of work with his pass coverage skills. He's considered a top-4th round pick at this point.

The Raiders are keeping an eye on DeVontry Wilson out of Florida State. His reputed speed shows up on tape, and he does seem to have an innate calmness back there returning punts and kicks. As a receiver, his hands are workable, but some scouts wonder about his courage when asked to make a play in traffic. His ball awareness and routes would need work at the next level. He's placed as a late-1st pick at this point.

It's not often that you can say "the only thing good about him is his hands" when talking about a wideout, but Terrance Alexander from Ohio State fits that bill at this point. Consistent hands that don't lose focus when working in close quarters and good ball skills. And that's it. Speed is okay, but not stellar and his route running is just stiff and unnatural. A late-2nd might be a stretch for him.

Big, strong and raw - that's how team scouts feel about Jeff Ross, RT out of Manitoba. He's 6'7" and is not afraid to use that body to push defenders around, but his technique needs significant work. His footwork is also difficult at best and borderline clumsy when things aren't going his way. If he fell to late in the draft, the team might take a flyer on him, but if he's targeted at the current late-3rd the consensus has him as - no chance.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

No Sacks, No Picks, No Rhythm
Defense Couldn't Force Mistakes and Offense
Can't Stay on the Field. Texans Win 28-14.

Two stats stand out from this game: no takeaways by the defense and the Texans with over 40 minutes of possession.

Those were the main problems in this game. Foster didn't have a big day, but he consistently picked up yards, and Skelton was lights out throwing the ball to pick up what Foster couldn't.

It was another game where the opposing QB threw for over 70% completion percentage, something that might be a result of Madison not being on the field. Smoke didn't make a huge impact on the score sheet, but he did keep his man under some control.

"I think some forget he [Smoke] is still a rookie and still has things to learn about the NFL. He faced a receiver as athletic as him [Dez Bryant], and he won't get the chance for 2 picks every game, " a local analyst commented.

The Texans front seven also reminded Raiders fans of the struggles a rookie can face. Both Freese and Christensen had their hands full dealing with the defensive line and talent linebackers the Texans have. J.J. Watt nearly had a pick on a screen and his partner on the other end, Charles Johnson, did get a pick as Watt hit Martens just as he threw and the ball fluttered right into Johnson's hands.

Bull Griggs didn't get to do much as the team tried to be aggressive and not play into the strength of the Texans. Martens made one "real" mistake, a pass to Akia Green sailed and was picked off by Courtney Greene.

However, Martens also threw a strike to Akia Green, a 44-yard pass that at the time drew the Raiders to within one possession at 20-14. Martens found Ramonn Majors for his first career TD reception as well. Moore had 93 yards on 6 receptions.

Skelton put the game out of reach by burning the Raiders on a blitz to Owen Daniels for a TD and a 2-pt conversion.

The Raiders also suffered a couple injuries. One was to Patrick Peterson and the other victimized Davarius Bullock, which didn't help matters any. The hybrid style of defense does not work without Bullock's versatile skills, and it showed.

The game was very physical all day, and while the Raiders didn't flinch, they did wear down facing an equally physical offense. With Texans also mixing it up and harassing Martens all day, it slowly but steadily got away from the Raiders in this one.

The loss puts the team at 1-1.

Box Score:

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (1-0)	7	0	7	0	14
Houston Texans (0-1)	3	17	0	8	28

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	HOU
Total Offense	342	361
Rushing Yards	60	102
Passing Yards	282	259
First Downs	13	18
Punt Return Yards	6	50
Kick Return Yards	94	26
Total Yards	442	437
Turnovers	2	0
3rd Down Converstion	4-11 (36%)	8-16 (50%)
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/0 (33%)	2/1 (60%)
Penalties	6-45	5-55
Posession Time	17:59	42:01

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Danny Martens 18/32 (56%) 289 2 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bull Griggs 12 50 4.2 0 C.J. Spiller 5 9 1.8 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 6 93 15.5 0 Ramonn Majors 5 74 14.8 1 Akia Green 3 82 27.3 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kendle Maeweather 13 0 0 0 Bobby Wagner 9 0 0 0 Tyvon Branch 8 0 0 0 J.J. Smoke 6 0 0 0 Jake Olsen 6 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 0/0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Je-Marc Gibbs 5 182 36.4 40

Houston Texans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT John Skelton 25/32 (78%) 259 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Arian Foster 34 107 3.1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Owen Daniels 9 108 12.0 1 Johnny Knox 4 40 10.0 1 Devin Hester 3 37 12.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Demetric Dawson 6 0 0 0 Brian Cushing 6 0 0 0 Quinton Carter 4 0 0 0 Connor Barwin 4 1 0 0 J.J. Watt 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dave Reyner 2/3 44 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Donnie Jones 5 186 37.2 3

[Yubbed]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Ouch tough loss, no defense that's rare.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Yeah - it's like it was a let-down game after the Chiefs game.

You don't want too much emotion, but it's like they didn't have enough to match the fired up Texans.

They didn't make too many mistakes, but no real aggression.

Gotta get 'em next week.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Week 3 - Midweek News

NCAA Football News

Florida's De Ray Ray (What a name) wants to start at HB, but for now, he is making a name for himself on special teams.

FSU K Kevin Kinslow is demonstrating a big leg with laser accuracy - perhaps he'll go high...for a kicker.

Alabama LB Marvin Krunch is showing excellent capability as a pass defender thus far.


NFL News:

49ers get HB B.J. Graves back from injury.

Bengals get LB Geno Atkins back from injury.

Browns and LaRon Landry are deadlocked in contract talks.

Redskins HC Brian Billick won his 100th game.

Bills successfully extended QB Tony Romo. Terms not disclosed.


Raiders News:

Last week's loss puts the Raiders in an early 3-way tie at 1-1, all trailing the 2-0 Broncos. The disturbing play of the defense last week has cast some doubts on the effectiveness of the hybrid defense, and the offense is still showing a lack of consistency.

So far, the newbies are mixed. Smoke didn't have a great game last week, but he's still one to count on. Kendle Maeweather has also showing capable skills. On the downside, the tackles are not very impressive. Otto Freese has made mistakes and not been sharp while Chuck Christenson has also struggled in pass protection.

Raiders' Next Game: Chargers (1-1) @ Raiders (1-1)

Pos	Player	Injury Note
LT	Jared Veldheer	Out 1 week (dislocated hip)
CB	Patrick Peterson	Out 2 weeks (abdominal tear)
RE	Keiwone Walters	Out 5 weeks (ruptured disk)
LB	Davarius Bullock	Out 2 weeks (abdominal tear)

The injuries to Peterson and Bullock could have been worse, but they will be disruptive as they are. Thankfully, Veldheer is set to return next week. Perhaps that will help stabilize the offensive line.


Transaction News:

K Sebastian Janikowski rejected the Raiders' initial offer. No word on when, or if, talks will resume. With a power kicker projected to come from the draft, the Raiders could go in that direction.

Roster News:

With Bullock down, the linebackers will shift around a bit. Ash will get to try his hand at being an inside linebacker while Olsen moves to the strong side. Wagner and Maeweather stay as they are.

Keithen Lett will move to RE in 4-man fronts with Suh coming in during any 3-man fronts. Julian Shade will make his debut at LE.

Smoke and Madison will be the starting corners. Everyone else just moves up a slot. Less dime may be called, though Carillon is not a terrible corner and would be the dime back.

J.J. Smoke will get his wish and return kicks. Bryan Mills will take the punt return duties.


Notable Progression:

SS Tyvon Branch
CON: 0 to 1
MCV: 88 to 89

LG Aaryn DePriest
PBK: 86 to 87

HB Bull Griggs
AWR: 85 to 86

DT Immanuel Dawn
FMV: 49 to 51

CB Lorenzo Hopkins
ZCV: 68 to 70

LB Kendle Maeweather
AWR: 80 to 81


Scouting News:

Scouts took a look at HB DeRay Ray and noted that his speed and vision seem to work well together. His eyes allow him to focus down the field into running lanes, helping his kick return efforts. He also seems to secure the ball well, important since special teams plays often result in hard collisions from unexpected directions. A big problem? His conditioning. He isn't a starter for a reason - he uses a lot of energy on returns and doesn't look like he could handle a workload. Right now, we don't think he's worth the consensus second round pick unless he gets work at HB and shows he can handle it.

K Jason Kinslow also got some looks from scouts. The distance on his kicks seems to be for real. He generates a lot of touchbacks and rarely misses a field goal due to distance. His accuracy, however, seems on the overhyped side. Not bad by any means, but not as perfect as made out to be. He might be worth the consensus slot of a 3rd round pick. Maybe.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

Martens, Defense Come Through in Clutch
Martens Game-Winning TD, Defensive Adjustments Offsets Otherwise Poor Day. Raiders Win 33-30.

The first half of this game looked absolutely abysmal for the Raiders. Aside from Maeweather notching his first career defensive touchdown and one solid offensive drive, the Raiders looked like they were still out of sorts from last week's beating. Martens threw three first-half interceptions, all of which leading to touchdowns in a hellish second quarter.

The Chargers were on fire, getting a ground game due to Xavier Slaughter and the passing game from QB Ken Marshall. The pass rush continued to be nonexistent and the starting trio of LBs looked to be the only ones making plays.

In fact, this showed up on the tackles stats. Maeweather had another 13 while Olsen had 6 and Wagner had 7. No one else more than 4. Not even Tyvon Branch.

The linebackers also accounted for most of the takeaways. Jake Olsen should his pass coverage ability by snagging an interception. Wagner forced a fumble. The only other takeaway was on a Tyvon Branch forced fumble recovered by Seawood. The linebackers also forced a safety by getting the Chargers to commit a holding foul in the end zone.

Smoke found himself matched up against another star wide receiver, this time Santonio Holmes. It didn't go so well for J.J. in this game, as Holmes picked up 6 catches for 61 yards. Pierre Garcon's route running also was giving Brandon Madison fits, picking up 107 yards, and Lorenzo Hopkins couldn't do much against Brian Harline, allowing 6 for 108 yards and a TD.

Despite being totally outplayed, the Raiders were down just 8 after the first half.

The second half saw the defense settle into a 4-3 defense and the guys performed much better. The third quarter saw the Chargers manage just 3 points. Martens continued to fire his cannon arm despite first-half numbers of a 44% completion percentage and 1 TD with 3 INTs, finding Ramonn Majors for a touchdown as, so far, the rookie is proving to be a bit of a match-up problem for opposing nickle corners and man coverage safeties.

The attempted two-point conversion failed. The team would tack on a FG before the end of the third quarter and trailed 27-25.

Still the pass rush of the Chargers was very fierce, forcing Martens into his 4th INT in the fourth quarter. He took several hits and often had too little time to throw.

But the defense looked more like itself as well. Xavier Slaugher found less room and Maeweather picked up another couple firsts - first concussion delivered and first player knocked out from his hit. TE Marcus Harper headed to the Chargers sideline and it was confirmed he had a concussion.

However, the Raiders still found themselves trailing, still in the hole from the horrible second quarter. Both defenses stiffened in the final quarter. The Chargers looking to stop the tenacious attempt at a rally by the Raiders, and the Silver and Black trying to keep the game to a one-possession affair.

Two-minute warning arrives and the Raiders are down 30-25. Martens takes possession after a Chargers field goal and has a long field, starting from his own 22.

Given his struggles, the team tries to do a little more working the ball down the field and using timeouts, right? Wrong. Lyle continued his trust in his 2nd-year QB and called for another deep throw. Akia Green got a step on the coverage and Martens stood in and waited as long as he could. He got the ball out just before a big hit from LB Antwan Barnes, who had a sack already. It wasn't a perfect throw, but Green used his speed to reach the pass and have it settle into his hands in stride. Weddle was eying a potential game-ending interception, but Green had the ball and darted past before the all-pro safety could adjust. He was gone for a go-ahead 78-yd touchdown play.

The two-point conversion succeeded this time, Ramonn Majors making

While the Raiders celebrated the great play, the defense knew the game wasn't over yet. They had to find one more stop and cap the adjustments in the second half off with the football equivalent of a one-run save in 9th inning.

Chargers QB Ken Marshall calmly bounced onto the field. He found Hartline for a gain of 16 and then Holmes made one of his catches for another first down. However, the defense started making plays and getting some pass rush going. Tevin Ash, who was brought in to play defensive end, picked up a crucial sack to force the Chargers into a terrible down-and-distance situation.

Forced to air it out, the defensive backs made plays. Brandon Madison and Lamel Seawood twice coveraged to stop a deep throw and on one play, Lorenzo Hopkins nearly had an interception off the deflection. On fourth down, Marshall went to Holmes - and right at J.J. Smoke. The rookie corner nearly had the interception, but the important thing was that he stopped the pass and the Chargers' threat.

Bull Griggs and C.J. Spiller combined to pick up one more first down to seal the hard-fought win.

"We just kept after it and the coaches kept believing in us to get it down. On offense, we stuck to our plan for the most part and kept attacking. That's what we constantly have drilled in us, that if we keep fighting a way to victory will open up. This time it did and we got it done, " Martens spoke after the game.

When asked how he felt playing such an ugly game, Martens spoke, "It's ugly only when you lose. Obviously, I don't like making those mistakes. I was off-target early, balls were sailing on me today. I can make those throws, and I should have made those throws. Mistakes like that can make you lose and last week they did, but today, they didn't and for today that's what's important."

J.J. Smoke was asked if he considers his last two games a sign that he might be overwhelmed and even the b-word [bust] emerged. He replied, "My career is three weeks old and you already have the 'bust' word coming out. I know you all are just waiting for me to fail because that's good TV or whatever, but it ain't about me and if you're going to make me some kind of distraction, man I ain't having it. My boys got my back and that's what matters. I don't have to talk to ya'll for nothing."

Smoke left after that and coach Lyle took the podium, "If you're going to attack my players, especially my rookies who have enough to acclimate to, this press conference is over. Attack me if you must, but don't mess with my players, especially my young ones."

"Come guys, we're done here, " Lyle led his players out of the press room.

In the locker room, coach Lyle did the usual postgame that coaches do every week, but then after dismissing everyone for the day, he called his rookies over.

"I'm not going to let those vultures try to get in your heads. You just focus on football and the team. I believe in you and your teammates believe in you, and all of you have families and friends are just excited to see you dress and take the field. Remember those people, not the vultures from the press. Good game, take care and see you at practice."


Box Score:

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
San Diego Chargers (1-1)	3	21	3	3	30
Oakland Raiders (1-1)	7	9	9	8	33

Team Stats Comparison
	SDG	OAK
Total Offense	454	411
Rushing Yards	120	121
Passing Yards	334	290
First Downs	20	17
Punt Return Yards	4	15
Kick Return Yards	116	131
Total Yards	574	557
Turnovers	3	4
3rd Down Converstion	6-15 (40%)	3-14 (21%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1	2-2
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-2
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/3 (100%)	2/1 (75%)
Penalties	3-12	4-41
Posession Time	32:00	28:00

San Diego Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ken Marshall 25/46 (54%) 342 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Xavier Slaughter 28 120 4.3 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Santonio Holmes 6 61 10.2 0 Brian Hartline 6 108 18.0 1 Pierre Garcon 5 107 21.4 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Carson Crosby 8 0 0 0 Alvaro McClain 7 1 0 0 Zach Brown 6 0 1 1 Brandon Siler 6 0 0 0 Antwan Barnes 5 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Mike Nugent 3/4 29 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Mike Scifres 4 183 45.8 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Danny Martens 18/38 (47%) 305 3 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Bull Griggs 22 94 4.3 0 C.J. Spiller 7 24 3.4 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Akia Green 7 139 19.9 2 Denarius Moore 6 96 16.0 0 Ramonn Majors 3 45 15.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kendle Maeweather (1 FR) 13 0 0 1 Jake Olsen 7 0 1 0 Bobby Wagner (1 FF) 6 0 0 0 J.J. Smoke 4 0 0 0 Lamel Seawood (1 FR) 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 1/1 33 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Je-Marc Gibbs 7 261 37.3 2

[Yubbed]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

What a comeback win for the silver n black!

Martens composure level is great doesn't get rattled at all.

[KBLover]

Re: Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

What a comeback win for the silver n black!

Martens composure level is great doesn't get rattled at all.

Agreed, unlike he-who-shall-not-be-named-because-he-might-be-the-worst-pick-I-made-in-this-CCM.