Raiders check off RF365 checklist, win game

By Os Davis  |   Sunday, November 23, 2008  |  Comments( 62 )

Oakland Raiders
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Well, that’ll blow away a little of the tension surrounding the Oakland Raiders. Guess we won’t be seeing any more of Al Davis’ drastic cuts just yet: It’s amazing what a win (especially against the Broncos. Especially in Denver) can do for the morale of players and fans.

Even better about the 31-10 win over Denver on Sunday? Proof that Tom Cable is reading his RealFootball365.com. The Oakland head coach’s game plan was a virtual checklist of strategy previously touted here by Anthony Carroll and/or yours truly – not that we’re especially unique or anything, as many a would-be pundit has noticed the flaws in the Raider game. But just take a look at some of those keys to victory.

• Exploitation of turnovers. Against the Broncos and their (now) minus-12 turnover margin, you knew the fumbles and interceptions (but mostly fumbles) were coming. While the red-zone fumble on the handoff in the first did not lead to an Oakland score – arguments along lines of “with certain All-Pro punter Shane Lechler, who needs field position?” aside – Denver’s momentum was sucked away with Gibril Wilson’s nice heads-up play in snagging the fallen ball.

Bookending the defensive highlight reel (and the game’s, just about) was the quashing by Thomas Howard with the interception on Denver’s last gasp in the team’s opening drive of the fourth quarter; the Raiders and Darren McFadden would ice the game four minutes later.

And as a bonus, the Oakland offense turned the ball over exactly zero times against a predictably slack Enver team (“Enver” ‘cause they rarely have ‘D’).

• Innovation is good. So the "Wildcat" formation wasn’t brilliant for the Raiders – or as Dick Stockton presciently referred to it when McFadden occupied the quarterback spot, “The Wildhog” – on Sunday. The trick play which had lefty Michael Bush chucking it to Zach Miller worked well enough to earn a much-needed first down, and the refreshing lack of three-and-outs based on the Fargas run-Fargas run-incomplete sequence kept the Broncos guessing throughout.

It feels good to open up the playbook a bit, doesn’t it, Mr. Cable?

• Reliance on special teams. Wow, is Johnnie Lee Higgins the 2008 Raider MVP? Coupled with solid contributions by Justin Miller (2008 Raiders acquisition of the year; potential 2009 Raiders defensive MVP, the way this dude already fits), Oakland unexpectedly boasts a deadly special-teams game. Suddenly, teams will become unwilling to punt or kick off to either Raider returner, and who would’ve figured that for this team at season’s beginning when cynicism on Higgins was high and Miller was a New York Jet?

• Everyone in the football universe outside of the greater Denver area had plaintively called for the minor miracle of a little scoring on offense, as shameful stat after shameful stat was accumulated by one of the lowest-watt offenses in recent memory (hey, even the Detroit Lions and their revolving-door QBs have scored points on the ‘O’ in 2008) and all that potential talent was just wasting away in oblivion.

Behold, so was the glory on Sunday. Seriously: Ashley Lelie actually got his long-awaited revenge on Denver? Incredible. JaMarcus Russell really managed a second-half game plan properly? Unbelievable. McFadden became the first Raider to score two offensive TDs in a game this year, and then later became the first Raider to score three offensive TDs? Finally.

• Helping the Os Holes in Week 12. Yes, this one’s far from the Raider Nation priority list; but the truth is that, unlike the Raiders, my fantasy team is still in the running for a playoff spot. Rookie McFadden this week became a contributor to the team’s success and don’t you wish you were reading this sorta stuff in reality, Oaklanders?

Enjoy the victory, Raider Nation, and relax for a few days. Next up are the lowly Kansas City Chiefs, an imminently winnable game for the silver and black.

Which in 2008 means very little, really.
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's ...
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