(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
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As the final seconds in the game against the Seattle Seahawks clicked down, the Oakland Raiders preseason expired. The next time the Raiders take the field it will be for real. On September 14th the San Diego Chargers come to town to kick off the regular season.
Training camp started with Tom Cable conducting "teaching practices" where the Raiders would only conduct partial plays which were designed to get their minds right, so they could get their fundamentals down pat.
Training camp gave way to the slate of four preseason games. The games started well with the Raiders looking especially strong in defeating the Dallas Cowboys. However, in what would become a familiar refrain through the preseason, the Cowboys had significant success running the ball right at the Raiders.
As the next losses piled up, the Raiders added an inability to slow down the opposing pass. In the third preseason game, which was a complete domination at the hands of the New Orleans Saints, the Raiders were completely ineffective.
With the final roster cut down happening on Saturday at 3 pm pacific time, several of the players who have been on the field for the past few weeks will be on the unemployment line. However, even with the cuts, there are strong concerns as the season opener approaches.
Often, it is easy to dismiss a poor performance as "just a preseason game," but the loss to the Saints in week three is a brilliant signal flare that there are serious problems with the Raiders. It is crystal clear that the Raiders can not stop the run. Against San Francisco Glen Coffee (8.1 ypc) and Michael Robinson (6.9 ypc) turned the Raiders into road kill. Against the Saints Lynnell Hamilton (5.9 ypc) and PJ Hill (6.9 ypc) continued the trend. The two games that saw the most action from the starters were pathetic defensive performances.
Now, eyes turn away from the preseason, as these games are expunged fro the records. The performance against the San Diego Chargers will be the yardstick by which the rest of the season can be measured. The Chargers have had the Raiders number for the past half decade, and LaDainian Tomlinson's career highlight reel will feature the Raiders as his personal answer to the Washington Generals. If the Raiders can stop Tomlinson and the Chargers, then this preseason will be proven to be meaningless. However, if the Raiders are once again destroyed, the preseason can be seen as the warning signal it was.
You can also find Patrick Patterson on Thoughts from the Dark Side.
Thank you to Cal Bears Examiner, Rob Calonge, for his excellent team coverage of Training Camp.
Comments
I think Cable looked at the preseason as a way to guage players in game situations.... I don't think he even cared about the win / loss record in preseason...( I hope).. I think the offense will be fine once Russell, the o- line, the backs and recievers jell.... The defense is where I have most of my questions about this team... But I also want to keep in mind that it's gonna take some time to get to where we need to be... We need d-line help...We need our injured to heal and most of all this team needs to believe it can win.... Don't expect shutouts , and were gonna be taking small steps till we get the run defense straightened out... Don't get frustrated.. This team is building... We may even lose Cable for a while due to a suspension but I wish some of our players had his passion and desire ... When I first heard that he punched Hanson I thought , how stupid can he be.. But he really wants to win badly and I don't think Cables gonna let anyone stand in his way...
HELP ME UNDERSTAND? WHAT IS MISSING FROM THE RAIDERS FORMULA THEY HAD THAT GREAT RUN FROM 1999-2002 THAT NOW THEY ARE A LAUGHING STOCK IN THE NFL FROM 2003 TO PRESENT... I'M OPEN TO ALL SUGGESTIONS...I'M OUT
Bfrancis... Stability... Until we can get a good coach with a good plan were gonna always be in flux... I believe if Al Davis will let Cable do his thing the Raiders will keep improving...Als bickering with coaches, players and his lawsuits keep setting our team back.... I believe Al finally sees that moving the Oakland Raiders to LA was a huge mistake .... I was embarressed just watching Als news conference when he fired Kiffen.... Al hired him so whatever Kiffen did is Als responsibility ... Anyawy , that's what I believe... We need Stability.. Don't get me wrong, I'm an Al Davis fan.. But all these problems have been of his making... He's the one calling the shots so this is his responsibility... Keep the faith pal... This team will keep improving...the defense is way behind the offense I'm my opinion.. And after watching the preseason we've got a ways to go...! But I'm confident we,ll get back to our Raiders ways.... Al, leave the coaches alone ....
Scott is not an every down DE. What is he like, 230 lbs. Plus the fact that he will not be as effective as a pass rusher if he is playing every down. Richardson still can not get off his blocks, even when he is not blocked by a lineman (embarassing). Ellis, how much is left? Are we counting on Shaunessey? Check the waiver wire for a base DE, we are in trouble. Any shot at moving Bryant to DE, his college position? As it stands now, our pass 'D' will also be in trouble as our pass rush doesn't seem to be there. We are going to need some creative blitz packages to create some pressure. You can't blame the players when they give 100%, you need to look at the personnel dept. With Scott and Burgess coming off the bench on passing downs, we would have had a respectable pass rush, not now. The front seven was almost completely ignored this off season. By that, I mean bringing some proven talent or higher picks in the draft. How much do you think Marshall can do without the players?
This is an age old statement "you win when you control the line of scrimmage". It's been the rule since the beginning of football. We need to get back to this. If you can dominate at the line, YOU WILL WIN. What in the world has happened? Get some freakin lineman already. You will never, ever ever ever win until you do. A LB who can actually hit would also be a thought. You have to laugh when Morrison says he models his game after Ray Lewis. I think Morrison is a good LB but their number is the only thing they have in common. He needs to put on a few pounds, get an attitude and start hurting people like a true MLB should.
So far I've seen nothing outta Morrison that reminds me of Ray Lewis...
Al you need to leave the coaching up to the coaches thats what you pay them for and until u start acting like an owner and not a coach the oakland raiders are going to stay one of the NFL's worst playing franchizes.......
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