Strong week of practice essential for a Raiders win

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, September 27, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

Oakland Raiders
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While members of the notorious "Black Hole" would almost certainly place Coach Norv Turner on the electric chair at this point in the season, Turner is fortunate enough to only be sitting on the hot seat right now. Jumping to a disappointing 0-3 start, the Black Hole now has the luxury of cheering for a team looking to dig themselves out of their own deep hole. To do so, Norv Turner and Oakland Raiders staff must first look to the old cliché: "Practice makes perfect."

Following a disappointing 2003 outing featuring a 4-12 record, Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis looked to re-staff his club with a veteran head coach and a defensive coordinator whose football genetics were equivalent to George W. Bush's presidential genetics. Yet, with Norv Turner as head coach and the son of Buddy Ryan, Rob Ryan, at defensive coordinator, the Raiders improved by only one win. At this point in the 2005 season, staring at an 0-3 record, both Turner and Ryan are facing an uphill battle to retain their jobs.

Where to start? Practice. The team's training sessions may provide the only realistic circumstance in which Norv Turner and staff will truly be able to control their team. Perhaps teaching punt returner Chris Carr when to call a fair catch and when to back away from the ball would have saved a touchdown in the Raiders week two loss against division rival Kansas City. The Chiefs touchdown that followed this inexcusable turnover added seven points to the Kansas City score; ironically, the Raiders lost by six. Special Teams coach Joe Avezzano may also want to pay attention to Sebastian Janikowski, whose 42.9 percent kicking accuracy just barely edges out the Eagles team percentage of 40. Note: The Eagles have had multiple kicks attempted by 245-pound linebacker Mark Simoneau.

Granted, Oakland has already faced both of last year's Super Bowl participants on their own turf in just three weeks - marking the first time this has ever occurred in NFL history. But when it comes to excuses, long-time owner Al Davis shows little sympathy for losers - right now the Oakland Raiders are losers, all excuses aside.
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365†team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal...
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