Somewhere, Lane Kiffin is smiling. The Oakland Raiders were listless in their obliteration by the New Orleans Saints 34-3. The Raiders defense offered no resistance as Drew Brees put on a passing clinic and moved the Saints down the field at will. Meanwhile, the Raiders offense could do little despite getting good filed position for much of the first half.
The Oakland Raiders defense forced a three and out on the first drive, but were unable to force the Saints to punt until the game was well out of hand late in the fourth quarter. The Raiders defense without Derrick Burgess were unable to get much of any pressure on Brees who took full advantage as he moved the Saints down the field with ease.
Offensively, the Raiders could not get firing on all cylanders, as they made good on Al Davis's promise to "Cut JaMarcus loose" and throw the ball. The problem is that Russell's accuracy was inconsistant and the receivers hands seemed to be made of stone. The Raiders sniffed the endzone only once, but settled for a 27 yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski. Sebastian Janikowski missed two field goals from distances of 57 and 59. Both of those attempts were after the Raiders fizzled after starting with good field position.
The Raiders normally strong running game never got going garnering 85 yards on 22 carries. The Radiers' strength thus far in 2008 had been their running game, but in the first game offensive coordinator Greg Knapp seemed to get away from calling running plays. The game was not out of hand on the scoreboard until the mid third quarter, so there is no excuse for not utulizing the strength of the team more. JaMarcus Russell was 13-35 for only 149 yards and a pick. He overthrew a wide open Chaz Schelins on a 4th down play late in the game that would have put a touchdown on the board.
The Raiders team looked like one that lacked energy or urgency, and it showed across the board. This performance was an epic disaster on the scale of the opening night massacre against the Broncos. This is going to be a long season for the Raider Nation.
Three years ago, the Raider Nation thought it witnessed the worst possible offense in the history of their franchise, as Art Shell tapped Tom Walsh to …
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Raiders turn in lackluster performance in New Orleans
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Oakland 3, 
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