Three disappointments, standouts in Oakland’s debut

By Anthony Carroll  |   Monday, August 07, 2006  |  Comments( 36 )

Oakland Raiders
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With an extra preseason effort scheduled, the Oakland Raiders were set to debut with a new head coach, a new quarterback and an old-school philosophy on Sunday evening. However, following a three-and-out opening drive that failed to gain a positive yard, the old-school philosophy received its first test, failing. Nevertheless, after settling down, Oakland's defense began to tighten, while the offense set the kicking game up for nine points. In the end, Oakland won its first matchup of 2006, coming out on top, 16-10.

With the first of the team's five exhibition games complete, let's take a look at the early disappointments and standouts of the '06 preseason

Disappointments:

LaMont Jordan - Much of Jordan's struggles came in conjunction with a poor offensive line push. Nevertheless, it was often Jordan's inability to make a quick decision that resulted in a short gain or loss. Right off the bat, three running plays were handed off to No. 34; the result was a loss of two yards. On the day, the 230-pound Jordan finished with a substantial amount of preseason work under his belt. Unfortunately, though, the production was less than substantial, finishing with 27 yards on nine carries. Subtracting a 14-yard yard scamper to end the opening quarter, Jordan averaged just 1.6 yards on the ground. Luckily for Oakland, the first game of the preseason is no time to panic.

Robert Gallery - Three opening-drive runs resulted in a loss of seven yards and a punt for the Silver and Black. In his first action at left tackle, Gallery jumped offside early on the second play of the drive. In the meantime, Gallery's left side of the line struggled mightily, continually pushed behind the line of scrimmage. Following a nine-play, 61-yard drive resulting in six points for Philadelphia, Gallery returned to the line, allowing a sack in yet another three-and-out failure.

Aaron Brooks - Brooks attempted just three passes during his short stint with the first team. One-third of his passes resulted in six points, while the other two resulted in an incompletion and interception. Brooks' solitary completion came from the Eagles' 12-yard-line, following an interception and long return by his teammate, 23-year-old Fabian Washington. The six-point pass was delivered to a blanketed 6-foot-6 Courtney Anderson, who made the pass look even better than it was. Just over 11 minutes into the first quarter, however, Brooks showcased his 2005 New Orleans form. On just his second pass attempt, Brooks badly underthrew wide receiver Alvis Whitted, who was streaking the sidelines in single coverage. Although the play calling allowed Brooks just three passes, it was No. 2's inability to extend an early drive that ranks him as an early preseason disappointment.

Standouts:

Fabian Washington - Washington ended an opponent's drive via an interception--something that happened just five times in 16 regular season games last season. Washington returned Jeff Garcia's late-first quarter interception to the Philadelphia 23. The result was six points for the offense--a true rare occurrence in Oakland, making Washington's performance a bright spot in Oakland's debut.

Grant Irons - If he was in the game, he was part of the play. Irons--not even listed on Oakland's early preseason depth chart--played hard to earn a spot in the starting rotation. Irons saw time in both the first and second halves, finishing with three tackles and a sack that resulted in a drive-ending fumble. No. 96 was seemingly all over the defensive front, tackling running back Bruce Perry five yards deep in the backfield to jumpstart his game.

Sebastian Janikowski - Last season, the 6-2, 250-pound kicker went 0-3 on kicks 50 yards and beyond. On Sunday, Janikowski was dead on from angles of 50, 51 and 24. Following a kicking-campaign that featured 10 misses on 30 attempts, seeing Janikowski kick a perfect game is an early reassurance for Oakland.

Notable Standouts:

Will Buchanon, WR - Four receptions, 50 yards
Timi Wusu, LB - Four tackles, FF

Be a part of Friday's article: Visit RaidersLive.com to enter Anthony Carroll's Friday Raiders mailbag - Get more on the Oakland Raiders at Realfootball365.com

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
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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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CommentsComments: 36  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
CHRIS PETRICONE		07:31 AM
08/07/2006
Now I'm a dedicated raiders fan and last nights game was pathetic. If these guys want to win they better get their @#$% together....
No.2
iheartraiders		09:04 AM
08/07/2006
not even "notable standout" status for ryan riddle who only had two tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery?...
No.3
raiderjf		11:28 AM
08/07/2006
Need to add McQuistan and Grove to the disappointments list. McNasty did a nice Brad Badger impersonation with all the time he...
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