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☹ Official 2020 Las Vegas Raiders thread ☹ (2 Viewers)

Next up Falcons. Then the Jets. We should win both. Then we play the Colts which will be our next big tough game. 
This the key, the Raiders can't have any slip ups the rest of the way. The path is there for 10-6 or 11-5. This year they have shown the mental fortitude to go on the road and put teams down that they should beat. 

 
FWiW, watching Ruggs last night, IMO its feels like he doesn't have Carr's trust yet. The only time Ruggs saw any action was on plays specifically designed for him to get the ball. Renfrow and Waller on 3rd down or when they need a clutch play and Nellie deep lately. Nice to see Edwards get a shot in the endzone and he would have caught the ball if it weren't for the blatant PI that wasn't called. 
Watching the game, not sure it was a trust thing. I am wondering if it's a development thing. 

They don't use Ruggs on quick slants a lot which was the bread to the long-bomb butter in his college game -- getting him the ball in open space lets him use his feet to create.

The problem in the NFL is that these plays line you up for more big time hits than you would face in college. Ruggs was decleated in a hit on the sidelines by what looked to be an LB coming over from zone coverage to make the play. Just wondering if they are using Ruggs in a way that will spare him some hits his first year and let him learn and build confidence -- and possibly time to bulk up for year two. 

Just a theory -- either way we can definitely use Ruggs more than we have. Agholor has stepped up for sure, but he has shown his entire career that he will have a drop here and there. Ruggs seems to have more reliable hands -- time we start testing them more.

 
This the key, the Raiders can't have any slip ups the rest of the way. The path is there for 10-6 or 11-5. This year they have shown the mental fortitude to go on the road and put teams down that they should beat. 
100%. Atlanta isn't a joke, and we still have the Colts and Dolphins, two teams we also need to beat to keep in the playoff running. And we all have seen what happens when we overlook the Jets.

Despite setbacks through the week we fought a hard battle that we nearly won had it not been for literally a handful of plays. We lost but absolutely showed we have the potential to unseat the best the league has to offer, and teams who thought we were just paper tigers.

NFL should be on alert -- the worm has turned. Hope the team uses this loss as something that fires them up for revenge all through the end of the season and into the playoffs. We need to get there first and -- to your point, @SDJohnny, have the fortitude to get it done -- but we are going to be a cold-sweat nightmare for teams in the postseason if we get there.

 
Watching the game, not sure it was a trust thing. I am wondering if it's a development thing. 

They don't use Ruggs on quick slants a lot which was the bread to the long-bomb butter in his college game -- getting him the ball in open space lets him use his feet to create.

The problem in the NFL is that these plays line you up for more big time hits than you would face in college. Ruggs was decleated in a hit on the sidelines by what looked to be an LB coming over from zone coverage to make the play. Just wondering if they are using Ruggs in a way that will spare him some hits his first year and let him learn and build confidence -- and possibly time to bulk up for year two. 

Just a theory -- either way we can definitely use Ruggs more than we have. Agholor has stepped up for sure, but he has shown his entire career that he will have a drop here and there. Ruggs seems to have more reliable hands -- time we start testing them more.
I kept waiting for a at least one deep shot to him that never came last night.  There were a couple balls that Agholor dropped (they were not easy) that probably should have been Ruggs on the other end of.  One in particular in the fourth quarter with the Raiders up 3 on third down deep down the right sideline really stood out.  And Ruggs only got the ball on one jet sweep and it went for 12 yards.  My only real criticism of the offense is that Ruggs should be and needs to be used more.

 
First off, props to everyone on the board for ignoring he who shall remain nameless. A whiner when his team loses and classless when his team wins. Enough said.

A few thots:

* Carr--I think the 2020 model IS better than the 2016 model. If anybody started up a school for quarterbacking, Carr's performance last night is what class 101 would be built around. I saw some Rich Gannon and I saw some Aaron Rodgers. Was 23 of 31. Shoulda been 25 of 31 and coulda been 27 of 31 had it not been for a few drops. Carr outplayed Mahomes in both games this year...I will not argue about this. The problem was this was the Triple A-rated never been better version of Derek Carr. Game 1 Mahomes was harassed and didn't play well. Last night Reid adjusted the game plan as Doc mentioned and Mahomes was great--but Carr was a little better. Those who thot Mahomes was better I think are mistaking flash for superiority. That's Mahomes--often superior and always flashy.

* ChiefD mentioned the Raiders as a team who scared him come playoff time. I agree. I think there are 30 teams they'd rather play. I think they got on the bus after the game and said to themselves, "Forget the victory lap...let's just get the hell out of here and hope we don't see these guys again this year. And let's talk to the commissioner about moving to another division--or better yet the other conference." And Frank Clark might be the most afraid of a third meeting. Kolton Miller just chewed him up to the tune of 0 tackles and 1 assist. The gap between these two teams used to be this                                                                       big. Now it's this big. Last night was a great example. You got the feeling when the first quarter ended the team that had the ball last would win and that's what happened. If Carr had 1:28 left instead of :28, the headlines probably would have been "Raiders sweep Chiefs."

* Just a sensational game to watch. Two heavyweights throwing haymakers when it used to be one heavyweight and one flyweight in a mismatch. Looks like those days are in the past.

 
Some roster updates...

Las Vegas Raiders offensive guard Richie Incognito will undergo foot surgery and is out for the season, coach Jon Gruden told reporters. The Raiders claimed defensive end Takkarist McKinley off waivers and signed linebacker Vic Beasley to the practice squad. McKinley, who was released by the Falcons on Nov. 9, was signed and subsequently waived by the Bengals and 49ers in recent weeks due to a failed phsycial. Defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was added to the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The team also released defensive tackle Datone Jones from the practice squad; defensive end David Irving, offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith, defensive end Chris Smith and linebacker Javin White were reverted to the practice squad.

 
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Some roster updates...

Las Vegas Raiders offensive guard Richie Incognito will undergo foot surgery and is out for the season, coach Jon Gruden told reporters. The Raiders claimed defensive end Takkarist McKinley off waivers and signed linebacker Vic Beasley to the practice squad. McKinley, who was released by the Falcons on Nov. 9, was signed and subsequently waived by the Bengals and 49ers in recent weeks due to a failed phsycial. Defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was added to the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Sad to have read that about Incognito -- really wonder if he is able to come back next year given age and mileage.

Love that we brought in Beasley, that's solid and needed depth. Similar with Takkarist - both these guys are first round talents and have flashed. 

Hope this doesn't mean Cle is out for a while.

 
Sad to have read that about Incognito -- really wonder if he is able to come back next year given age and mileage.

Love that we brought in Beasley, that's solid and needed depth. Similar with Takkarist - both these guys are first round talents and have flashed. 

Hope this doesn't mean Cle is out for a while.
I am wondering if that is it for him or not. I think he is costing us about $7 million. Good has played very well and Incognito is getting way up there in age. It sucks but Good has played so well in place of him that it isn't horrible for us. 

Beasley and Takkarist have the talent. Not sure what the heck happened with both in their previous teams to be let go (I mean, other than not producing obviously) so that is always a concern but you never know when a talent just needs a new team. I really don't think that has anything to do with Ferrell. I think they just really want to invest in getting some players with the ability to rush the QB to rotate in and with the rules this year on the practice squad and COVID etc, why not bring these guys in as well as guys like Irving etc and see if we can get a steal. I mean, we basically did that WR too (think Agholor and Jones with Agholor really paying off and Jones good depth). 

 
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -- Raiders owner Mark Davis is delivering on a promise he made to the crews who built the team's Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

According to FOX5's Vince Sapienza, for three years, Davis promised crews working on Allegiant Stadium that if they completed the stadium safely and on time, he would treat them to a steak dinner.

And the crews did just that.

As a thank you, Davis sent $100 gift cards to over 12,000 people who worked on the project.

Throughout the construction of the project, Davis held quarterly lunches as a way to thank crews for their hard work. Due to the pandemic, they're unable to gather together for the meal so he fulfilled his steak dinner promise by providing crews with a gift card.

The gift cards were sent to crew members in the form of a Raiders "MVP Reward" box, which included a thank you message from Davis and instructions on how they can redeem their gift card.

 
Arnette going toe to toe on one play with Hill and coming out denying Hill the play was nice to see. I believe the big knock on him was speed coming out of the draft... if he has enough speed to keep on Hill on a go route then I think he has enough speed.
Arnette played really well imo. Did I miss it or did the announcers not mention his club-for-a-hand a single time last night? That dude's thumb is still broken, right? And he still hung with players like Hill and Kelce. Love this kid.

 
Arnette played really well imo. Did I miss it or did the announcers not mention his club-for-a-hand a single time last night? That dude's thumb is still broken, right? And he still hung with players like Hill and Kelce. Love this kid.
I personally was impressed with Arnette last night. I can't remember the last time I saw a Raider CB run step for step with Hill and actually defend the pass and not get penalized. And he likes to tackle. Dare I say Mayock finally got us a great CB tandem in Mullen and Arnette? It's a little early to tell, but I'm calling it now. 

 
Ok so Chiefs and Steelers are going to be in the playoffs.  Then you have:

Bills 7-3

Titans 7-3

Colts 7-3

Browns 7-3

Raiders 6-4

Dolphins 6-4

Ravens 6-4

Two of these teams are not getting in.  Next two games at Atlanta and at the Jets are critical.  Good teams win the games they are supposed to win and the next two will tell us what the Raiders are I think.

 
Ok so Chiefs and Steelers are going to be in the playoffs.  Then you have:

Bills 7-3

Titans 7-3

Colts 7-3

Browns 7-3

Raiders 6-4

Dolphins 6-4

Ravens 6-4

Two of these teams are not getting in.  Next two games at Atlanta and at the Jets are critical.  Good teams win the games they are supposed to win and the next two will tell us what the Raiders are I think.
If we don't win the against the bad teams we don't deserve to be at the dance.

 
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ICON211 said:
Ok so Chiefs and Steelers are going to be in the playoffs.  Then you have:

Bills 7-3

Titans 7-3

Colts 7-3

Browns 7-3

Raiders 6-4

Dolphins 6-4

Ravens 6-4

Two of these teams are not getting in.  Next two games at Atlanta and at the Jets are critical.  Good teams win the games they are supposed to win and the next two will tell us what the Raiders are I think. 
Great point, and actually even more important because Bills/Dolphins and Colts/Titans are guaranteed two of the spots.

Could take 11 wins.

 
Rewatching the game right now. 

Another thing I noticed... Isaiah Johnson made a couple of plays. It seems our young CB's are developing. If that continues- Arnette, Mullen and Johnson could make a difference. It would great to see more Amik Robertson develop too. 

If our defense gets just a little better it will really turn our team into a powerhouse. A real threat to KC to take the division any given year and able to beat any other team in the league and do so more times than not. 

 
Rewatching the game right now. 

Another thing I noticed... Isaiah Johnson made a couple of plays. It seems our young CB's are developing. If that continues- Arnette, Mullen and Johnson could make a difference. It would great to see more Amik Robertson develop too. 

If our defense gets just a little better it will really turn our team into a powerhouse. A real threat to KC to take the division any given year and able to beat any other team in the league and do so more times than not. 
CBs have come along well.  Safety is OK.   Pass rush is weakest link.   

 
CBs have come along well.  Safety is OK.   Pass rush is weakest link.   
I know everyone seems to love Abrams and the intensity he brings but I think, right now at least, he's a bit of a liability. Every game there’s a personal foul on him for doing something boneheaded after the play or out of bounds. Gotta focus that intensity for between the whistles and stop with the other crap. We've been lucky that his penalties haven’t cost us a game (that I can remember). I imagine I’m in the minority on this one.  

 
I know everyone seems to love Abrams and the intensity he brings but I think, right now at least, he's a bit of a liability. Every game there’s a personal foul on him for doing something boneheaded after the play or out of bounds. Gotta focus that intensity for between the whistles and stop with the other crap. We've been lucky that his penalties haven’t cost us a game (that I can remember). I imagine I’m in the minority on this one.  
No, he needs to have more discipline and not cost us more than he helps us. I think that comes down to his decision making rather than his playing style.

I don't want his playing style to change one bit. He is putting credibility into our backfield, and there is nothing wrong with having a mad-dog safety roaming out there that can deliver bone-crushing hits and making receivers think about the hit that's coming as they are catching the ball. It has been a looooong time since we were able to instill a little fear out there.

Abram also gets under players' skins. I am not a huge favor of outright trash talkers, but Abram does more than just yap. He's a constant ball hawk, he likes to be there on every play, and he makes you know it. He is the type of player who can help draw flags as players get annoyed with his brash style. It's been a looooong time since we had a player who got into opposing teams' heads.

He does need to improve his decision making on the field. The issue of recklessly throwing his body into hits has only hurt himself so far -- he doesn't play dirty, but obviously needs to protect himself as we need his presence out there. He needs some additional patience and experience to hold his zone a beat to ensure he knows where plays are committed and not leave gaps in coverage for the sake of making a hit.

But he should not be changing his style one bit. We need it.

 
CBs have come along well.  Safety is OK.   Pass rush is weakest link.   
Yes it is. Very disappointed that Collins hasn't provided a push in the middle. Ferrell does a ton of disruption but just doesn't get home. We have Maxx but we need more. Hence the recent moves to add guys like Irving, Beasley and McKinley. Mayock and Gruden know they need more pass rush. 

 
I know everyone seems to love Abrams and the intensity he brings but I think, right now at least, he's a bit of a liability. Every game there’s a personal foul on him for doing something boneheaded after the play or out of bounds. Gotta focus that intensity for between the whistles and stop with the other crap. We've been lucky that his penalties haven’t cost us a game (that I can remember). I imagine I’m in the minority on this one.  
Remember, this is basically his rookie year in as much as actual playing time. I am giving him the rookie grace still on growing pains. I think he is a bit immature but wants it and I think he will grow into it more. 

 
No, he needs to have more discipline and not cost us more than he helps us. I think that comes down to his decision making rather than his playing style.

I don't want his playing style to change one bit. He is putting credibility into our backfield, and there is nothing wrong with having a mad-dog safety roaming out there that can deliver bone-crushing hits and making receivers think about the hit that's coming as they are catching the ball. It has been a looooong time since we were able to instill a little fear out there.

Abram also gets under players' skins. I am not a huge favor of outright trash talkers, but Abram does more than just yap. He's a constant ball hawk, he likes to be there on every play, and he makes you know it. He is the type of player who can help draw flags as players get annoyed with his brash style. It's been a looooong time since we had a player who got into opposing teams' heads.

He does need to improve his decision making on the field. The issue of recklessly throwing his body into hits has only hurt himself so far -- he doesn't play dirty, but obviously needs to protect himself as we need his presence out there. He needs some additional patience and experience to hold his zone a beat to ensure he knows where plays are committed and not leave gaps in coverage for the sake of making a hit.

But he should not be changing his style one bit. We need it.
I agree 100%. 

He is the heart of the D for sure and looks like he is becoming the leader of the D as well. His passion, his energy, his desire helps feed the unit- I have no doubt about that. His style of hard hitting also is beneficial just as STC says here. 

I want him to mature, I want him to grow and I want him to make some better decisions but I don't want him to change who he is. He is adding to this defensive unit and there is no doubt in my mind about that. 

 
Abram has been a total liability in coverage. And he throws his body around in a completely reckless fashion. There's room for at least a little change, or he won't be long for this league IMO.
I don't think that is true really. I mean, it certainly was on the last defensive play of the last game and it hurt us badly but other than that I don't remember him getting burned on coverage or being a liability otherwise. 

 
Abram has been a total liability in coverage. And he throws his body around in a completely reckless fashion. There's room for at least a little change, or he won't be long for this league IMO.
I think we can all agree that he has room to improve in coverage and needs to be more careful with the reckless hits.  He does us no good on the sidelines due to injury.   

 
As a football fan it is fun to see the Raiders having success this year. I was rolling my eyes when they signed Chucky to a 39 year contract but it sure seems to be working out with him and Mayock. Good core of players playing good ball. Congrats from a Lion’s fan who never has anything to look forward to but the excitement of a new regime.

 
Let’s hope.  I wish Carr was a little grumpier.  It worked for Gannon.  Can’t complain about Carr’s play as of late so I will find something else to complain about.  
Like the Pitt Balt game getting moved back but not the raiders. With TBs night game performances it no wonder that game was moved forward

 
The Falcons game is going to show us a lot about the defense. Right now its difficult to gauge how well the unit is coming along. Rewind to the Cleveland game, they smothered one of the best running teams in the league and then Denver comes to town and they completely demolished them, even though there were times when receivers were getting wide open. 

Then COVID hits, and the whole defense can't practice for the most dangerous QB in the league. We all saw what happened. The D as whole took a step back but there were some positives to be built on from the game. I think Arnette and Mullen played well enough and held their own. Morrow again came up with a big pass deflection that no one is talking about that saved them from a huge play. The defense is growing, not without its pains, but its growing. They're competitive, that's something we haven't seen on a consistent basis in decades. Fix the mistakes and blown assignments and I believe the talent is there. It will be interesting to see what the addition of Beasley and Takk will do for them. I think Beasley has more upside but I'd like to see them unleash Takk on his former team Sunday. I'm hoping he has a gigantic chip on his shoulder. 

 
No, he needs to have more discipline and not cost us more than he helps us. I think that comes down to his decision making rather than his playing style.

I don't want his playing style to change one bit. He is putting credibility into our backfield, and there is nothing wrong with having a mad-dog safety roaming out there that can deliver bone-crushing hits and making receivers think about the hit that's coming as they are catching the ball. It has been a looooong time since we were able to instill a little fear out there.

Abram also gets under players' skins. I am not a huge favor of outright trash talkers, but Abram does more than just yap. He's a constant ball hawk, he likes to be there on every play, and he makes you know it. He is the type of player who can help draw flags as players get annoyed with his brash style. It's been a looooong time since we had a player who got into opposing teams' heads.

He does need to improve his decision making on the field. The issue of recklessly throwing his body into hits has only hurt himself so far -- he doesn't play dirty, but obviously needs to protect himself as we need his presence out there. He needs some additional patience and experience to hold his zone a beat to ensure he knows where plays are committed and not leave gaps in coverage for the sake of making a hit.

But he should not be changing his style one bit. We need it.


Abram has been a total liability in coverage. And he throws his body around in a completely reckless fashion. There's room for at least a little change, or he won't be long for this league IMO.


Remember, this is basically his rookie year in as much as actual playing time. I am giving him the rookie grace still on growing pains. I think he is a bit immature but wants it and I think he will grow into it more. 


I agree 100%. 

He is the heart of the D for sure and looks like he is becoming the leader of the D as well. His passion, his energy, his desire helps feed the unit- I have no doubt about that. His style of hard hitting also is beneficial just as STC says here. 

I want him to mature, I want him to grow and I want him to make some better decisions but I don't want him to change who he is. He is adding to this defensive unit and there is no doubt in my mind about that. 


I don't think that is true really. I mean, it certainly was on the last defensive play of the last game and it hurt us badly but other than that I don't remember him getting burned on coverage or being a liability otherwise. 


I think we can all agree that he has room to improve in coverage and needs to be more careful with the reckless hits.  He does us no good on the sidelines due to injury.   
that was a great conversation starter ;)  

and I learned a lot. Thanks for the replies, everyone. 

not bad for a bunch of dumb Raiders fans ;)  

 
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Abram has been a total liability in coverage. And he throws his body around in a completely reckless fashion. There's room for at least a little change, or he won't be long for this league IMO.
Guy is literally leading the team in tackles. He's everywhere.

He is way far from perfect, but let's not get too far over the skis with hyperbole. He's a really big part of why we aren't this anymore.

The Falcons game is going to show us a lot about the defense. Right now its difficult to gauge how well the unit is coming along. Rewind to the Cleveland game, they smothered one of the best running teams in the league and then Denver comes to town and they completely demolished them, even though there were times when receivers were getting wide open. 

Then COVID hits, and the whole defense can't practice for the most dangerous QB in the league. We all saw what happened. The D as whole took a step back but there were some positives to be built on from the game. I think Arnette and Mullen played well enough and held their own. Morrow again came up with a big pass deflection that no one is talking about that saved them from a huge play. The defense is growing, not without its pains, but its growing. They're competitive, that's something we haven't seen on a consistent basis in decades. Fix the mistakes and blown assignments and I believe the talent is there. It will be interesting to see what the addition of Beasley and Takk will do for them. I think Beasley has more upside but I'd like to see them unleash Takk on his former team Sunday. I'm hoping he has a gigantic chip on his shoulder. 
No game is a given and this reminds me of the Tampa game -- a team that can heat up offensively and put points on us. Their D, like Tampa, can be really stout against the run which is what we need to get our offense jumpstarted. 

I would love to see Vic and Takk out there -- I highly doubt Beasley is called up from the PS this soon after signing. And Takk failing physicals for both the Falcons and the 9ers makes me wary that he can simply be plugged in ASAP. We'll have both our LBs back with the activation of Littleton -- who I imagine will be playing for his job with guys like Beasley waiting in the wings.

 
Abrams did make 2 great tackles that stood out to me. One was a controlled open field tackle and another where he tackled through one of his own players under control to make a tackle for a loss I think.

at the start of the game they had the pff ranking for each starter. Abrams was pretty low

 
Sarlakticacid said:
Abrams did make 2 great tackles that stood out to me. One was a controlled open field tackle and another where he tackled through one of his own players under control to make a tackle for a loss I think.

at the start of the game they had the pff ranking for each starter. Abrams was pretty low
Abram's (not Abrams, though he plays like a tank he isn't) best part of his game is his tackling part and not coverage for sure. He certainly has room to grow in coverage ability but I think to say he is a liability is a stretch.  Coverage for a rookie safety is the hardest part to get up to speed on. He isn't a rookie in years but missing all of last year put him back in growth for sure.

 
Takk McKinley (groin) sticking with Raiders on injured reserve

Published: Nov 27, 2020 at 04:42 PM

Nick Shook

Around The NFL Writer

After weeks of floating in the abyss of the waiver wire, Takkarist McKinley finally has a home.

The defensive end is not being waived as he was twice previously, instead landing on injured reserve with the Raiders and thus, sticking with a team, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

"Takk McKinley will not be on the trip this week, but he is a big part of our plans for the future," Raiders coach Jon Gruden said Friday, via the Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald. "I just don't know how far in the immediate future that is."

McKinley was released by the Atlanta Falcons as a result of his multi-week effort to get out of Atlanta. He was claimed via waivers first by Cincinnati Bengals, but failed his physical due to his lingering groin injury, then repeated the process with the San Francisco 49ers.

This time, it appears the former first-round pick will get a chance with a new team, albeit with a minimum of three weeks spent off the field to heal. How soon he'll take the field in silver and black remains to be seen.

 
Bad first half.  Raiders not playing well at all and way too many penalties.

Jacobs called for another personal foul for lowering his helmet to initiate contact.  That's the second time this year he has been given a personal foul penalty for that.  I'd be ok with it if that was called consistently across the NFL.  I have not seen another player called for that this year.  Maybe it's happened, but I haven't seen it and I watch a ton of games.

Also, HORRIBLE roughing the kicker call on Atlanta missed field goal.  What a joke.

 
What a disaster.  Very similar to the Jet game last year except Carr has to take more of the blame this year than the Jet loss last year.  

Penalties and a putrid offensive performance are the storyline here.

 
this one gonna leave a mark....hate to revisit old posts....but while there was some optimism after a "nice" win in week 5....Raiders a .500 club since....and one game above .500 overall....just not quite there yet......give you guys some props....you called it.....gotta take care of business and no slip ups.....Jets next week and a chance to get back on track....

 
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Is it a case of as Carr goes so does the team. As soon as he had one fumble could feel another on the cards
Didn’t watch the game and don’t understand what happened.   How could Carr be so bad after looking so good against KC?   Is the KC D that bad?   Atlanta D has been horrible all season.    Did Carr’s dog die Saturday?   Goodness.   Every player has a bad game but Carr has too many bad games each season.  

 

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