Ed Wood
Footballguy
Somebody in Jerry Mac's chat today brought up Butch Johnson's "TD catch" in Super Bowl XII. If Murphy's wasn't a TD, Johnson's wasn't even close.Terrible, terrible, terrible.
Somebody in Jerry Mac's chat today brought up Butch Johnson's "TD catch" in Super Bowl XII. If Murphy's wasn't a TD, Johnson's wasn't even close.Terrible, terrible, terrible.
Seconded. The team has a really good foundation on the offensive and defensive lines, and the receivers are improving day by day. I think JeMarcus is a bust, just like Michael Huff is a bust. Not a moral victory type of guy, but I was proud of the Beloved Silver and Black's effort last night.i agree. i just don't think it includes russellBottom line: I think we have a bright future. I haven't felt that way in several years. And I love The Cable Guy.
1. Ok2. I really do not understand this. When Russell was picked it was obvious that he was raw and that the pick was made because of his upside. He came into camp very late in his rookie season. Ended up playing very little that year. Last year was basically his rookie year. So, even though this is his "3rd" year, it is much more like his 2nd in terms of experience. Again, keeping in mind that he was raw when we picked him. Then, watching the game last night, I saw some development from him. I also saw a lot of dropped balls that should have been caught. Sure, there were some blatantly bad throws but there were alot of balls that were not caught but should have been. His two starting WR's are rookies and not just rookies but guys that both are universally seen as being raw as well. This 'bust' talk is an over reaction. No way Russell would have come in and been a Flacco or Ryan... he was never that prepared for the NFL. He needs more time.1. It's not an official thread unless you have asterisks around the thread title.![]()
2. Jamarcus Russell is a bust. The guy is terrible and will never be an NFL quarterback.
3. The rest of the team seems like it's coming around nicely.
4. The Raiders have been playing that same useless prevent defense for 25 years and it pisses me off no end.
For the record, the "complete the act of the catch" rules were nowhere near as strict back then, but BJ's TD was still a complete joke.Somebody in Jerry Mac's chat today brought up Butch Johnson's "TD catch" in Super Bowl XII. If Murphy's wasn't a TD, Johnson's wasn't even close.Terrible, terrible, terrible.
For fantasy, Atlanta and Indy are better options. They both have strong offenses. When a team can build a good lead, the defense can pin back their ears and just go after the QB, causing turnovers and sacks. That's where fantasy points are scored. Also remember San Diego is a division rival. Those are always tough and physical games regardless of how each team does against the rest of the NFL.Question from a fantasy perspective:We held San Diego's high-powered O to 10 points thru 3 quarters. You guys think our D is for real? They are on the waiver wire, and I would have to think they might be an upgrade over one of the defenses I have now in Atlanta and Indy. Pretty standard scoring.
The looked great to me. I don't know how much of that was opening night juice, but Semour had an immediate impact.Consider they still get to play the Chiefs and Broncos twice and I think they're a good D to have. I'd rather have them than the Colts.Question from a fantasy perspective:We held San Diego's high-powered O to 10 points thru 3 quarters. You guys think our D is for real? They are on the waiver wire, and I would have to think they might be an upgrade over one of the defenses I have now in Atlanta and Indy. Pretty standard scoring.
this was a pretty good summation imho
No and I think the Raiders win, but Russel looked really bad. Half the time he had no idea where to throw the ball and even when he knew where to throw the ball, a lot of the times he couldn't throw it accurately enough to complete it. Basically if they give him a play action or roll out pass with only 1 option and a maybe a dump off he can complete it if it's there. That was what happened on the 2 big completions he hit to Zach Miller. Basically those were play action and it was Miller all the way - no reads of any kind. Also the rollout play where he got picked was the same. Rollout and then one WR and he is either open or not, and the same was the case for both TD passes (including the one that got called back) to Lewis Murphy. He had a play action post throw twice. Once he stared it down over the weak side and the LB almost picked it. The other was to the strong side and he squeezed it in there. Occasionally they were giving him 2 man reads like a smash corner route, but he did not have the accuracy to hit those deep corner routes. He missed one on the strong side and 2 on the weak side. Other than than he had some dumpoff/quick hitches and screen passes to McFadden and that was it.With Garcia or Gradkowski they might have won that game because both of them can actually read defenses and Russel is not even close to being able to do that. It's not really that hard if you have a good teacher, which is probably why Mr. I never started a game before last year Matt Cassel is a starter and JaMarcus is entering his 3rd NFL season and has no idea how to make a full field read.Also Russell's mechanics were bad. He threw so many passes off his back foot and people always say, mechanics, who cares? But mechanics give you consistency of technique which for a QB results in accuracy. In other words, if Russel would improve his mechanics, especially his footwork, he would throw the ball the same way every time and this would allow him to start learning how it feels to throw passes of different lengths and types. This would dramatically improve his accuracy.One final thing because I could wear Russell out on that game is him staring down receivers and throwing late. Both are things QBs routinely do in college which drives me crazy BTW and which is also the reason why so many "good" college QBs suck in the NFL. In college you can stare down your primary receiver and still complete it to him, and you can also wait for him to come open. In the NFL you must use your eyes to look off safeties and you also must anticipate most throws, especially timing patterns. I am thinking of that post play weak especially. He stared down his WR the whole way AND threw the pass late and it just happened to bounce off the Chargers LB's hands or it would have been an easy pick. That stuff flies in college but not the NFL and seeing as this is NFL quarterbacking 101 I cannot fathom how a vet entering his 3rd season as a starting QB doesn't know better than that.
I'm starting them this week.Question from a fantasy perspective:We held San Diego's high-powered O to 10 points thru 3 quarters. You guys think our D is for real? They are on the waiver wire, and I would have to think they might be an upgrade over one of the defenses I have now in Atlanta and Indy. Pretty standard scoring.
This. He's STILL making throws no second-year NFL QB should make when he's not under duress and he was under no duress in the first half (don't think he got his jersey dirty). Just picking a name out of thin air, I don't think Kevin Kolb would make as many poor throws.At this point, I'm hoping Russell will be the next Jake Delhomme. Not this year's version, of course, but the Super Bowl version. That would be a tremendous upgrade right now. When they drafted him, I thought he'd be the next Culpepper...the GOOD Culpepper.Sure, there were some blatantly bad throws...
Without looking it up, I think it's spelled with 1 'L' lol.Agree with your thoughts though.Reports that we may sign Chris McAllister today (think I spelled that wrong).
I would love yet another vet presence out there at CB, hopefully Bowie gets cut.
Adding Seymour, Ellis, and this guy can only help the kids.
I'm a little wary that McAlister's knees can hold up. He missed, what, 18 games over the last 2 seasons? I know BAL felt they had other options in Fabian Washington to take his place when they released him, but there is risk here.That said, totally agree that he would bring yet another level of experience to a D that seems to be legit.Reports that we may sign Chris McAllister today (think I spelled that wrong).I would love yet another vet presence out there at CB, hopefully Bowie gets cut.Adding Seymour, Ellis, and this guy can only help the kids.
He's a guy I can definately see Al signing.Reports that we may sign Chris McAllister today (think I spelled that wrong).I would love yet another vet presence out there at CB, hopefully Bowie gets cut.Adding Seymour, Ellis, and this guy can only help the kids.
I agree. At this point, I would rather see them lose a game by blitzing a QB and getting beat on hot reads than just standing back and let a team make easy short passes in open space. I am interested to see Marshall's input/response/plan to this problem. I am willing to give him a chance to address it.4. The Raiders have been playing that same useless prevent defense for 25 years and it pisses me off no end.
I agree he has a presence on the field and I really like the idea of rotating him around the DLine. I like the idea of all 5 guys on an opponents OLine going into a game worrying about Seymour in their face.as also encouraged by the D-line. Seymour definitely makes a difference. Guy is straight out intimidating on the field, and we battered the Charger's O-line.
I'm still dying to see a little wildcat with DMC at the controls. Even just 4 or 5 snaps a game.Little surprised KC is a 3 point favorite. I guess that's fair given the battle they gave Baltimore for 3.5 quarters.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
I think a lot of that has to do with the short turnaround for Oakland also. I am really worried about the short week after such a big game against SD and traveling for a road game. If Oakland can play the same game they did Monday night they will stomp the Chiefs; I am just hoping they can swing that same bat again after a tough loss and a short week.I'm still dying to see a little wildcat with DMC at the controls. Even just 4 or 5 snaps a game.Little surprised KC is a 3 point favorite. I guess that's fair given the battle they gave Baltimore for 3.5 quarters.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
Is JLH a NFL skill level WR like Bush? Who is going to get more attention from LB, nickel DB?McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
I'm not sure if you're asking this sarcastically or not, but Bush is a DYNAMITE receiver. People always said Marshall Faulk could have been a full-time WR in the NFL if need be. I'm not so sure Bush isn't cut in that exact mold.Is JLH a NFL skill level WR like Bush?McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
Higgins isnt as good as Bush, but he's better than McFadden as a WR. McFadden is more dangerous after he has the ball, but you have to realize he doesnt spend as much time running routes and catching balls as the WRs do. To answer the question, I dont think the defense would put any special coverage on either player. Whoever lines up in the slot is simply going to be covered normally. Now what makes it special to put a RB out there is that you can move him in motion from the backfield to the slot. That changes what the defense has to be prepared to deal with.Is JLH a NFL skill level WR like Bush? Who is going to get more attention from LB, nickel DB?McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
That was meant with heavy sarcasm.My point was JLH is average at best in the slot right now. He has big play ability, but if they have 1 or 2 safeties deep on the coverage he isn't a huge concern. I think putting McFadden in the slot with Bush in the backfield presents more of a challenge for a defense. As a DC, I would be more worried about McFadden catching the ball in space than JLH. I just don't see McFadden as a downgrade over JLH and I think he creates more uncertainty within the the defense.I see the upside of McFadden in the slot over JLH, but I don't see the downside...I'm not sure if you're asking this sarcastically or not, but Bush is a DYNAMITE receiver. People always said Marshall Faulk could have been a full-time WR in the NFL if need be. I'm not so sure Bush isn't cut in that exact mold.Is JLH a NFL skill level WR like Bush?McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
The downside is that he isnt in the backfield of course.That was meant with heavy sarcasm.My point was JLH is average at best in the slot right now. He has big play ability, but if they have 1 or 2 safeties deep on the coverage he isn't a huge concern. I think putting McFadden in the slot with Bush in the backfield presents more of a challenge for a defense. As a DC, I would be more worried about McFadden catching the ball in space than JLH. I just don't see McFadden as a downgrade over JLH and I think he creates more uncertainty within the the defense.I see the upside of McFadden in the slot over JLH, but I don't see the downside...I'm not sure if you're asking this sarcastically or not, but Bush is a DYNAMITE receiver. People always said Marshall Faulk could have been a full-time WR in the NFL if need be. I'm not so sure Bush isn't cut in that exact mold.Is JLH a NFL skill level WR like Bush?McFadden is not an NFL skill level WR like Reggie Bush is. He's dangerous as a receiver yes, but dont confuse him with Bush. I imagine they'll simply activate Walker this week. Higgins is a merely average WR3 so its not like he's that hard to replace.With JLH being hurt, I really hope to see more offensive formations with McFadden in the slot and Bush in the backfield this week.
I guess it comes down to...Oakland is going to run a set number of offensive plays every game with Bush at HB. Do they benefit more from putting McFadden in the slot in those plays (assuming 3 WR) or resting him and going with JLH?McFadden in the backfield is obviously Oakland's base set.The downside is that he isnt in the backfield of course.That was meant with heavy sarcasm.My point was JLH is average at best in the slot right now. He has big play ability, but if they have 1 or 2 safeties deep on the coverage he isn't a huge concern. I think putting McFadden in the slot with Bush in the backfield presents more of a challenge for a defense. As a DC, I would be more worried about McFadden catching the ball in space than JLH. I just don't see McFadden as a downgrade over JLH and I think he creates more uncertainty within the the defense.I see the upside of McFadden in the slot over JLH, but I don't see the downside...
In a 3WR set, its better to have McFadden in than Bush. Speed excels when the defense has to give more room. They can then also put McFadden in motion and move him around even out wide basicly moving from 3WR TO 4WR at the line and making the defense adjust on the fly. Bush is more of a bulldozer. He's fast enough and can catch. I'm not saying he's bad in that situation but you really want McFadden in there. Sure Bush will see time in 3WR sets and some of them with McFadden, but I dont consider McFadden better than putting in another reciever. You asked if its better to rest McFadden. You dont want to wear him out so you have to apply a limit also. They have that factored into how much they use him there. Putting two tailbacks in together doesnt give much benefit unless you get fullback/TE like blocking from one of them. Both these guys block well, but the fullback is better. When they are together, its just gadgetry. In the NFL gadgets will keep a defense guessing and honest, but the defenses are disciplined to deal with them. So you only want to use it so often. Its the basics that keep a team competative. The modern teams that were able to use two backs together effectively all the time generally had one who usually lined up like a fullback would. Think Alstott/Dunn. I loved watching Russell block on that reverse last week. He's huge. Its fun to watch a team with a 300 pound QB blocking and a tailback lineing up wide. That doesnt make us an elite offense.I guess it comes down to...Oakland is going to run a set number of offensive plays every game with Bush at HB. Do they benefit more from putting McFadden in the slot in those plays (assuming 3 WR) or resting him and going with JLH?McFadden in the backfield is obviously Oakland's base set.The downside is that he isnt in the backfield of course.That was meant with heavy sarcasm.My point was JLH is average at best in the slot right now. He has big play ability, but if they have 1 or 2 safeties deep on the coverage he isn't a huge concern. I think putting McFadden in the slot with Bush in the backfield presents more of a challenge for a defense. As a DC, I would be more worried about McFadden catching the ball in space than JLH. I just don't see McFadden as a downgrade over JLH and I think he creates more uncertainty within the the defense.I see the upside of McFadden in the slot over JLH, but I don't see the downside...
I'm MR. AnonymousHey Coach, I've read enough of your quality posts to know you actually are/were a coach at some level. Care to share your background?
Are you Art Shell?I'm MR. AnonymousHey Coach, I've read enough of your quality posts to know you actually are/were a coach at some level. Care to share your background?
I get it now.In a 3WR set, its better to have McFadden in than Bush. Speed excels when the defense has to give more room. They can then also put McFadden in motion and move him around even out wide basicly moving from 3WR TO 4WR at the line and making the defense adjust on the fly. Bush is more of a bulldozer. He's fast enough and can catch. I'm not saying he's bad in that situation but you really want McFadden in there. Sure Bush will see time in 3WR sets and some of them with McFadden, but I dont consider McFadden better than putting in another reciever. You asked if its better to rest McFadden. You dont want to wear him out so you have to apply a limit also. They have that factored into how much they use him there. Putting two tailbacks in together doesnt give much benefit unless you get fullback/TE like blocking from one of them. Both these guys block well, but the fullback is better. When they are together, its just gadgetry. In the NFL gadgets will keep a defense guessing and honest, but the defenses are disciplined to deal with them. So you only want to use it so often. Its the basics that keep a team competative. The modern teams that were able to use two backs together effectively all the time generally had one who usually lined up like a fullback would. Think Alstott/Dunn. I loved watching Russell block on that reverse last week. He's huge. Its fun to watch a team with a 300 pound QB blocking and a tailback lineing up wide. That doesnt make us an elite offense.I guess it comes down to...Oakland is going to run a set number of offensive plays every game with Bush at HB. Do they benefit more from putting McFadden in the slot in those plays (assuming 3 WR) or resting him and going with JLH?McFadden in the backfield is obviously Oakland's base set.The downside is that he isnt in the backfield of course.That was meant with heavy sarcasm.My point was JLH is average at best in the slot right now. He has big play ability, but if they have 1 or 2 safeties deep on the coverage he isn't a huge concern. I think putting McFadden in the slot with Bush in the backfield presents more of a challenge for a defense. As a DC, I would be more worried about McFadden catching the ball in space than JLH. I just don't see McFadden as a downgrade over JLH and I think he creates more uncertainty within the the defense.I see the upside of McFadden in the slot over JLH, but I don't see the downside...

A lot of ugly plays, but this is a team that is learning how to win. Bowe's touchdown would have been the nail in the coffin for the Raiders in previous years.
Yep.Completely random, but does the play at 1:38 look familiar?
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2008112310/2...s@broncos/watch

Love the graphic after the play -- "1st Offensive TD in 15 Quarters"Hopefully we can keep raising the level of our commitment to excellence this year.Yep.Completely random, but does the play at 1:38 look familiar?
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2008112310/2...s@broncos/watch![]()
fixed.Raiders left guard Robert Gallery had surgery Monday to repair a broken left fibula sustained in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
:(
we've got a real shot at another win this week season. GO RAIDERS
ps: please run the #### out of it. tia
I thought that same thing, but then I considered that Oakland could just as likely be 0-2 after the week 2 offensive performance.I really do think they should be able to beat Denver though.You know, if it wasn't for that heartbreaker, this could have been an incredibly surprising matchup of 2-0 teams.Just saying.
Definitely a great read.Gannon on Russell from Jerry Mac's blog.
He pretty well nails it.
"First and foremost, he’s had a number of different coaches, a number of different play-callers, a number of different coordinators, different QB coaches, in just his three short years in the league. That, I think, has had an impact on him, a negative impact.
"...a lot of times he falls away from throws. He seems to bail. I think a rush up inside bothers him.
"I think sometimes he predetermines where he’s going to go with the ball. You can see that he makes up his mind very early in his drop."
http://www.ibabuzz.com/oaklandraiders/2009...ess-inaccuracy/
how about 19/54.....7/24 Really?