Raiders give Chargers all they can handle but fall 24-20 in the end

By Jon McClanahan aka Raider Jon  |   Tuesday, September 15, 2009  |  Comments( 38 )

 Oakland Raiders
No one expected the game the Raiders would give the Chargers. NFL analysts had the Chargers picked to shread the Oakland Raider's defense and in not so many words - "It'd be in the Raiders best interest to not show up." The stage was set - Tom Cable making his Head Coacking debut in the regular season without the interim tag, Jamarcus Russell...
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CommentsComments: 38
 No.1
jcmotifs		 10:13 AM
09/15/2009
Raider Malaise: I appreciate the sugar-coated exercise of an article that you wrote but let's really focus on the utter failure of the defense in the fourth quarter. Moreover, I really lay most of the blame on the defensive coaching staff. Anyone watching the game saw the repeated use of dump passes and short crossing routes being used because the linebackers were dropping back to far in coverage. At one point I honestly thought I was watching a high school defense on the field. At no point did Cable et al decde to add a dback to mirror Sproles, which may have provided some porosity downfield but a more immediate emergency existed within the first ten yards each play downfield. SD marched down twice and Oakland had no legitimate defensive response. On a positive note Richard Seymour is a true gem of a player and the stuttering and stumbling offense appears to be at least at a college level. My expectations for the Raiders are 5-11. Last night shows why.
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 No.2
jer		 10:57 AM
09/15/2009
What a bullsh!t call. I just KNEW we would get hosed. So when a player catches a pass in the end zone, gets two feet down, then drops the ball to celebrate, is that a f*cking incomplete pass too? What the f*ck is the difference? Excuse me, but this really sticks in my craw. This ref should get fined like Hocculi did.

Okay, that made me feel a bit better. Our D played better than I thought after that New Orleans debacle in the preseason. Seymour is a great addition and just might be worth a first round pick if he can play like this for another 3+ years. Our offense looks better than it has in a long time. I was right about Heyward-Bey and Murphy when I said Murphy is the better wideout right now. It will take Darrius some time. In the meantime, we should think about starting Walker or Higgins. I hope Schilens will replace Heyward-Bey and not Murphy, but I don't know if Uncle Al will allow Cable to sit is his new fast toy.

Looks like we'll be respectible this year.
 No.3
vigorjoe		 11:40 AM
09/15/2009
That call was insane. I couldn't believe it!

I am super impressed with the Raiders i saw last night. Made me proud to be a fan again. Yes there are some weak points that need tweaked and tuned, but my God, give the team a little bit of credit. We actually had an O Line last night!

Russell needs to get his accuracy down. The defense needs to work on their red zone and pass coverage. Get those under control and we will be VERY respectable this year.
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