I'll try and do this every week to see if we can map the progress/regression of the team throughout the entire year.So we beat the Chiefs... we're in elite company. Only one other team in the NFL has beaten the Chiefs this season. True story. But the big story - our rookie came to play, his backup didn't miss a beat, and we now have an ex-starting RB in Fargas who's on a cap friendly deal. Consider this the acid test of whether or not the Raiders front office is run by smart football guys or a 90 yr old skeleton fueled by Metamucil... off we go..
QB: Its officially time to worry about JaMarcus Russell. The KC defense did not apply much pressure, yet Russell still posted a dismal 6-17. Obviously, his WR corps needs to get better, but there was a lot more to it than that. He still is very inaccurate, he doesn't set himself in the pocket, and he's not good at reading defenses. For right now, he's simply another cannon armed QB, in the Leftwich/Ramsey/Culpepper mold. For him to be successful, he really needs to be paired with an elite WR with speed and jumping ability. If only we had the #7 pick, we could trade for one..
RB: It was everything we could have hoped for. McFadden made it look easy out there once Fargas went down. And Bush made it look even better. Consider this - Bush was a lock for the 1st round before his injury, much like Gore in SF. McFadden and Bush, IMO, are 2 1st round picks when healthy. We saw a glimpse of the Raiders' future on Sunday, and it was these two guys. I expect Fargas to be traded, as its the no-brainer move. What would teams like HOU, SEA, or CIN would give up to get him?
FB: Griffith had another excellent game, and although I rarely focus on him, he doesnt make many mistakes, and thats all you can ask from a FB.
WR: Our most obvious position of need. The formerly sure-handed Ronald Curry has dropped numerous passes, and players like Lelie and Higgins can't run routes, period. Javon Walker provided nothing. I know Drew Carter was supposed to be our deep threat, but losing him didn't cause this. Not inking a guy like Bernard Berrian? A speedy guy who could spread the field and connect for long gains with Russell is exactly what we need. We should be harassing the Cardinals on the hour about Anquan Boldin's status.
TE: Miller had a couple catches, no big deal. But what he did on the blocking end was outstanding this past week. He was excellent at getting downfield and setting big blocks on safeties and OLBs.. I take back what I said before. This kid is a keeper and I think will evolve into a Scheffler-like player, if Russell improves his accuracy.
OL: Henderson played well enough in his 1st starting game, and I think his play is compeltely overshadowed by McFadden's breakout and the Kiffin/Davis feud. Gallery has proved that he belonged in the draft (not the #2 pick, but now I believe he's proven he should have been drafted) the past couple seasons, as he was strong with some blocks too.
DL: Played much better as a whole unit. Richardson again was exceptional, Warren often times commanded double teams. Kelly was solid, yet unspectacular, and I still wonder why we paid him what we did. Burgess got a sack along with Warren and Kalimba Edwards, but overall, they need to put more pressure on the QB w/o blitzing. Burgess might be at the point in his career where he's only in for a limited amount of snaps in passing downs only, as he was handled pretty well by 2 defenses in a row.
LB: Morrison and Thomas both had a sack, Kirk had an INT, and that new bum (Brown) was invisible as usual. They did a great job of stifling Larry Johnson and reacted very well to the Hagans at QB tricks the Chiefs tried.
CB: Hall definitely stepped up his game here, but definitely is not worth the investment still. A few times, Bowe was wide open and the Chiefs 3rd string QB wasn't aware. AwesomeWah was just as impressive as he always is. I have no idea how we didn't pay him... he is a shutdown corner and might be in the elite echelon of the NFL, along with Champ Bailey and Nate Clements (and the new ones, like Finnegan, A.Samuel, T. McGee, etc).
Special Teams: Props to Jano for booting a 56 yarder. He always looks good in games we are easily winning... Lechler continues to be the strongest boot in the NFL, possibly in NFL history.
Coach: Lane just wanted us to run the ball down their throats and thats what we did. I'd love to say it was an excellent game plan, but I mean - it worked, right? I can see why this win wouldnt save his job, but he sure didn't lose it either. He did the right thing - stuck to his main gun, McFadden - and it got us 23 points.
Defensive Coordinator: This is where the credit belongs. Stop the run and force them to beat us on the pass. We double teamed Gonzalez a lot, and let Bowe and Herm pick whether or not he wanted to line up against AwesomeWah or Hall... he chose Hall most of the time. Go figure? Oh well... props to Rob Ryan, the coaching MVP of the day
Letsee if he remembers to blitz next week.Al Davis: Firing Kiffin would be the worst thing for this team. You have impressionable rookies and a franchise to think about. Let Kiffin do what he does - remember, this is your fault old man. You were to cheap to can him before the season, so you damn sure better let him ride it out and give him his shot at doing things his way. If Ronald Curry could catch to save his life, or we weren't signing injury cases, degenerate WRs, or loudmouth/little work CBs, Kiffin might have enough to actually turn this franchise that you've massacred, around.
Moving on to Buffalo... they have stifled RBs, though none of our caliber yet. MJD + Taylor were working with a patchwork O-Line, and the Seahawks, well, they suck. So how good is their run D? We don't know. What we do know is that Trent Edwards is an accurate, weak armed QB who likes the middle of the field and needs good route runners to do well. Lynch is stoppable - I think our defense can handle him. Can our DBs handle Edwards/Lee Evans? Can out DL provide enough of a pass rush to help our DBs at all?
We're playing in Buffalo. Here's hoping it's a rainy day where we can run all over them
Also on a side note... Marshawn Lynch, Cal alum (sorry bud, have to say it), looks like a ghetto version of the Geico caveman.
Here's hoping for 2 - 1
