Preseason Finale: Sand Raiders

[Danny Darko]

VS.



Game thread sponsored by: Hypotheticals- if the Chargers moved up to the new stadium in LA and the Raiders went to San Diego... would that make them Sand Raiders?


Injury update:



Seahawks-

Some lingering what-not, but interestingly Carpenter is not on the PUP meaning he might be the left guard sometime soon.


Raiders

Zombie Al Davis just suffered a severed head after trying to bite Tom Cable's face off.

Things to Watch:

1. Wilson
Love fest is in full swing... but can he keep looking as invincible? If he has a letdown game does everyone immediately point fingers at a controversy again?

2. Turbinator
Looked like a breakout game last game and is slated to start again.

3. WR- the cuts
Who's gonna find themselves with jobs on the fringe. I'm pulling for Obomanu, but I like Lockette a lot. Who do you like?

4. Bruuuuuuuce
So far all of his sacks have come from the grocery store.

5. inju...
I'm not even going to say it.

Predictions-
Aaron Curry scores a TD for us after running the wrong direction on a fumble recovery.

[Sweezo]

I don't expect much out of Wilson, as in I don't expect he will be in the game that long as a starting QB. I think Flynn and Portis will get a majority of the snaps, but then again that's the conventional way of managing the 4th preseason game so maybe I should expect the unexpected.

As for the WR, I'd like to see Braylon Edwards do more than make a catch along the sidelines in tight coverage. Some separation and maybe some other routes would be nice. I also want to see more of Tate in the slot since Baldwin's hamstring concerns me.

I don't expect to see Lockette. At all. I think there's a reason he's been invisible this pre-season. After all the talk of how well he was running routes at the beginning of training camp, he began to blend into the background when Edwards and Owens came on board. I expect the Seahawks to keep hiding him, cut him when the rosters are trimmed again, and then try to stash him on the practice squad.

[Bulltalk]

Well we're back to what preseason is all about for the fans, getting it over with and moving on to the real thing. This is really about keeping your starters healthy, and helping the coaching staff and management make decisions on those last players on the bubble about making the 53 man roster or not.

I could see RW playing a quarter, and then enter Flynn, and perhaps Portis sometime in the 4th quarter.

College football takes center stage this weekend till the spotlight returns to the NFL next weekend.

I must say, however, it sure was an intriguing preseason this year.

[Sweezo]

Watching the game on DVR: If you want to feel better about our young draft picks who hadn't shown much, this is the game for you. Irvin's speed was in full force and he was extremely active. Jaye Howard was routinely abusing the middle of the Raiders' backup offensive line. Jeremy Lane and Byron Maxwell both looked really good from their corner positions.

There's going to be some tough choices to make in order to get down to the roster limit.

[wiff]

I missed the game. I was in a hotel which wasn't carrying the game so I watched the Cougs lay an egg instead.

Looked like Flynn had another efficient line.

[Sweezo]

I got around to watching the 3rd quarter tonight. There was a stretch there in the 3rd quarter where Bruce Irvin just could not be blocked. He got a half sack on Pryor, then strip sacked him [unfortunately the refs called it an incomplete pass and PC had already blown his challenges...good to see you in midseason form, Pete!], and kept collapsing the pocket and forcing Pryor to run for his life.

While Flynn certainly looked better, Wilson looks more comfortable in the pocket. And Flynn tends to throw a wobbly deep ball as well.

[wiff]

I said this before but it's a real nice feeling to have confidence in the back up QB. I don't think it's happened for myself since Zorn and Kreig.

I liked watching Wallace play but I had no faith he could put the team on his back and win a ball game for you.

I actually have faith that if Wilson gets dinged up Flynn can come in and keep the chains moving.

It's going to be really interesting this year if Alex Smith struggles this year the hawks might actually sneak out as the division winner.

[Sweezo]

Pretty much the same way I feel about it. In past years many fans conned themselves into believing things might be better if the backup QB comes in. And we're rarely right--those of us that wanted Whitehurst to get a shot last year went less than rewarded when his turn came. Those that thought Portis was the QB were probably the same that ended up calling for him to be cut after the Raiders game [where he looked just terrible].

But this year? If Wilson complete faceplants, I'm comfortable with Flynn. I'm comfortable with only having two QBs on the roster.

This was also an interesting cut down to the 53 man roster. The team had to cut some players they clearly didn't want to, but flashes of potential during preseason aren't enough to make this team right now. We look fairly deep, and I have been really impressed with how strong the 2nd teamers looked during preseason. Boy I cannot wait for the season to start.

[Bulltalk]

Kellen Winslow released. Caught me by surprise. I guess (per Danny O'Neil) the Hawks wanted him to take a pay cut from his 3.3 million dollar salary. He didn't, so they released him.

The Hawks will give a player a chance, but they also don't mess around if such a player either doesn't perform well enough given the chance, or overly taxes their salary structure. Gone.

Well, it's Anthony McCoy in his stead, along with Zach Miller, of course, for our top two TE's.

[Sweezo]

Kellen Winslow released. Caught me by surprise. I guess (per Danny O'Neil) the Hawks wanted him to take a pay cut from his 3.3 million dollar salary. He didn't, so they released him.

The Hawks will give a player a chance, but they also don't mess around if such a player either doesn't perform well enough given the chance, or overly taxes their salary structure. Gone.

Well, it's Anthony McCoy in his stead, along with Zach Miller, of course, for our top two TE's.

I too was shocked. But figured there must be a plan. Winslow may have gimpy knees and a high salary but to release him right before the start of the season and just carry two TEs didn't seem plausible. And then about a half hour later, the team announced it had signed Evan Moore [who was cut by Cleveland due to salary concerns].

Winslow can catch. Moore can catch. I think it's a decent move; Moore's younger and doesn't quite have the health issues Winslow does.

[Bulltalk]

Kellen Winslow released. Caught me by surprise. I guess (per Danny O'Neil) the Hawks wanted him to take a pay cut from his 3.3 million dollar salary. He didn't, so they released him.

The Hawks will give a player a chance, but they also don't mess around if such a player either doesn't perform well enough given the chance, or overly taxes their salary structure. Gone.

Well, it's Anthony McCoy in his stead, along with Zach Miller, of course, for our top two TE's.

I too was shocked. But figured there must be a plan. Winslow may have gimpy knees and a high salary but to release him right before the start of the season and just carry two TEs didn't seem plausible. And then about a half hour later, the team announced it had signed Evan Moore [who was cut by Cleveland due to salary concerns].

Winslow can catch. Moore can catch. I think it's a decent move; Moore's younger and doesn't quite have the health issues Winslow does.

We'll see how it works out. I don't remember much at all of Moore. Winslow just gave you more of that star power, that threat of a receiver teams would really have to pay attention to. At least that was my hope when they dealt for him. I was thinking our TE's could be a strong suit for us till the WR position fell more into place.