Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 14, 2012
The Raiders travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins on Sunday with both teams looking for their first win of the 2012 regular season. Oakland is coming off a Monday night game in which special team miscues contributed to a 22-14 loss against AFC West rivals San Diego Chargers, while the Dolphins are coming off their 30-10 loss to the Houston Texans. The good news for the Raiders is that they have seen a similar offense to theirs successful against the Dolphins as the Texans tacked 30 points against the Miami defense. The bad news is it was just last week and the Dolphins will likely be making adjustments to try and put their defense in a spot to succeed. The Raiders will need to limit their mistakes in Miami to help give them a chance at giving head coach Dennis Allen his first head coaching regular season victory. Despite only putting up two field goals and one touchdown last week, the Raiders offense was able to move the ball but was unable to finish the drive on numerous occasions. In order to mend their long-snapping debacle suffered last week when Jon Condo left with a concussion, the Raiders held a tryout among five long snappers and signed Nick Guess to their practice squad should Condo not be ready to return. Quarterback Carson Palmer will also need to get the ball to someone other than star running back Darren McFadden for the offense to be successful. McFadden hauled in 13 of Palmer's 32 completions last week. Though Jacoby Ford is expected to miss the year, it appears that Palmer gets back his play-making wide receiver Denarius Moore who has been out since mid-training camp with a hamstring injury. It remains to be seen how limited Moore will be, but when healthy, Moore proved to be a play maker and have a good repertoire with Palmer last season. Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's offense has typically relied on a solid run game in the past, something the Raiders were unable to establish last week. The Chargers held McFadden to just 32 yards on 15 carries, something the Raiders hope to improve on while in Miami. There's no doubt that the Raiders defense will have an easier task this week. The Dolphins are starting a rookie quarterback in Ryan Tannehill with a less-than-stellar wide receiving corps. Expect defensive coordinator Jason Tarver to bring a game plan of lots of blitz packages and apply pressure on Tannehill in hopes of forcing a turnover. With starting cornerback Ron Bartell out with a broken shoulder blade, it will be Pat Lee getting the start opposite of Shawntae Spencer. Lee and Spencer have an easier task this week against a wide receiving corps that features Legadu Naanee and Bay Area-native Devone Bess as their starters, Neither of which have broken the 1,000-yards receiving plateau in their career. On paper, the Dolphins' biggest offensive weapon lies in running back Reggie Bush, former USC teammate of Raiders backup quarterback Matt Leinart. Bush had a breakout season last year, rushing for a career-high 1,086 yards and six rushing touchdowns. But as Leinart and the Raiders know, Bush is also a valuable target in the passing game having averaged almost four catches a game for his career. The Raiders showed a defense with improved linebacker play and the ability to stop the run. Oakland only allowed the Chargers to rush for just 32 yards on 19 carries. The Raiders will need to defend the run as well as not turnover the ball to come home with a victory in Miami, something the Raiders have been unable to do since 2007 while under head coach Lane Kiffin. Injury report as of Friday goes as follows: Dolphins OUT: DE Tony McDaniel (knee), RB Daniel Thomas (concussion) DOUBTFUL: WR Anthony Armstrong (hamstring) PROBABLE: LB Jonathan Freeny (thumb), DE Randy Starks (groin) Raiders OUT: CB Ron Bartell (shoulder), WR Jacoby Ford (foot) QUESTIONABLE: LS Jon Condo (concussion), WR Juron Criner (ankle), RB Taiwan Jones (ribs), LB Rolando McClain (ankle), C Alex Parsons (shoulder) PROBABLE: TE David Ausberry (shoulder), K Sebastian Janikowski (left groin), S Michael Mitchell (ribs), WR Denarius Moore (hamstring), TE Brandon Myers (shoulder), DT Richard Seymour (knee)
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Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 11, 2012 Head coach Dennis Allen suffered his first regular season loss as AFC West rivals San Diego Chargers came into Oakland and defeated the Raiders 22-14. The Raiders biggest problem came from their special teams unit after they lost their two-time Pro Bowl long snapper went down early in the second quarter with a head injury. This left back up middle linebacker Travis Goethel to handle the long-snapping duties. Goethel was less than what head coach Dennis Allen hoped to see, one-hopping his first snap of the Oakland Athletics' infield dirt to punter Shane Lechler, causing him to hold the ball and be tackled for a turnover on downs. This would prove to be a consistent pattern throughout the game. Goethel's next snap was slowly arced to Lechler and with little blocking from offensive line, the Chargers came up the middle to block Lechler's punt, the first time one of his punts has been blocked since Oct. 8, 2006. But Goethel's yips would appear again when he rolled a snap like a bowling ball back to Lechler, causing Lechler to attempt to pick the ball up but it was recovered by the Chargers. Of the four long snaps by Goethel, Lechler was only able to get one punt off - a 52-yard punt that was also almost blocked by the Chargers. Coach Allen had a difficult time with watching Goethel's woes. "It was hard. It was hard because you didn't know what you were going to get from one play to the next," Allen said. "We're going to have a plan for that going forward and we have to make sure we don't let that happen again." The Raiders special teams woes allowed the Chargers short fields for the Chargers offense, leading to five field goals from kicker Nate Kaeding. The fact that the Raiders were able to hold the Chargers to just field goals on those five possessions shows that the Raiders defense played well, with the exception to just one drive. Oakland's defense gave up its lone touchdown drive in the second quarter. The Raiders gave up three first downs due to penalties, including two offsides penalties on defensive tackle Tommy Kelly. The Chargers were able to take advantage of the first downs given to them with a 13-play, 90-yard drive that concluded with a touchdown pass from quarterback Phillip Rivers on 3rd and goal from the six-yard line to Malcolm Floyd with Raiders defensive end Dave Tollefson around his ankles. There's no question that the star for the game for the Raiders was running back Darren McFadden. McFadden was playing his first regular season game with quarterback Carson Palmer, and quickly became a favorite target of Palmer's. McFadden caught the second most passes by a player in franchise history with 13 receptions. McFadden comes in second to only Tim Brown, who hauled in 14 receptions on Dec. 21, 1997. The Raiders were taking what the defense gave them, according to Palmer. "They were staying in base defense and we liked our match-ups with our running backs underneath and also we have beaten them in the past over the top and they were just getting a ton of depth," Palmer said. "They were not going to give up big plays. Their corners pressed the line of scrimmage a lot and just turning and running for the hills. Their safeties played extremely deep and then the linebackers underneath the safeties stayed pretty deep and gave the us some underneath throws and Darren (McFadden) did a great job when he had the ball." McFadden finished with 86 receiving yards, but was held in check in the rushing game with 15 carries for just 32 yards. Palmer and the Raiders offense appeared to have good rhythm in the first half but struggled after a fumble from rookie Rod Streater and a dropped pitch from Taiwan Jones on a botched reverse. "We stopped ourselves -- especially in the first half. We had the fumble and then the drop on the reverse that we lost a lot of yardage on," Palmer said following the game. "Just kind of silly things that really slowed us down that put us in third and long situations, and 30-something yards. You can't do that." The Raiders looked to be on their way to a touchdown at the end of the first half but McFadden was tackled just short of a first down, bringing the Raiders a fourth and one on the two-yard line with just seven seconds remaining. Down just 10-3, Allen chose to take the field goal points instead of going for it. "I wanted to get points on the board right there at the end of the half," Allen said on his decision making. "We used our last timeout right there at the end and so we wanted to make sure that we were able to get three points on the board." Sebastian Janikowski, coming off a groin injury, made both of his field goal attempts. Palmer was able to avoid the interception that had worried fans from the preseason, but still was unable to get into the end zone until the final minute of the game. Palmer found Streater for his first touchdown on a short three yard pass, followed by a completed two-point conversion to bring the Raiders deficit to 22-14. But it was too little too late, as the Raiders failed the onside kick attempt and the Raiders were able to run the clock out, handing the Raiders an 0-1 record. The Raiders head on the road to take on the Miami Dolphins on Sunday looking to get Allen his first head coaching victory in the regular season. Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 8, 2012 Well Raider fans, the time is finally upcoming. After seeing the hiring of a new general manager, another coaching overhaul, a relatively mild draft with few high picks, implementation of new schemes and personnel change, the first game is almost upon us. All of these events, and more, have occurred since the Raiders fell to the San Diego Chargers 38-26 last New Year's Day in Oakland, causing the Silver & Black to miss the playoffs. The Raiders have a chance at redemption as they take on the Chargers on Monday Night at O.Co Coliseum to begin the season. But the Raiders aren't the only AFC West team in California to experience much change in the offseason. The Chargers saw some change to their team as well. Starting quarterback Phillip Rivers is left without wide receiver Vincent Jackson who became a big play receiver and a favorite of Rivers. The Chargers signed former Saints wideout Robert Meachem to replace Jackson, who signed with the Buccaneers during the free agency period. Meachem has appeared to be out of sync with Rivers during preseason, hauling in just one reception for seven yards in four preseason games started. Monday's game provides the first real look at the Raiders new defensive unit that has two new starting cornerbacks, two new starting linebackers, and a healthy Matt Shaughnessy. Cornerbacks Ron Bartell and Shawntae Spencer will have their hands full with Rivers and the wide receivers, but the Raiders safeties will have to keep tight end Antonio Gates in check. Gates, a former basketball player, appears to be healthy again and sure to be a favorite target of Rivers again, especially with the departure of Jackson. Expect defensive coordinator Jason Tarver to attack the Chargers left tackle position, where they are expected to start an un-drafted rookie Mike Harris with Jared Gaither out to recurring back problems. Defensively, the Raiders will benefit by facing a depleted Chargers rushing attack with an injured Ryan Mathews limited for the game, and the departure of fullback/running back Mike Tolbert to free agency. The 30-year-old Ronnie Brown will likely get the start in the place of Mathews. The Raiders have yet to see a complete offensive unit this preseason but finally get wide receiver Denarius Moore back to the field after missing the preseason with a hamstring injury. Moore played arguably his best two games last season against the Chargers, hauling in a total of eight receptions for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Starting quarterback Carson Palmer will need to keep his decision making on point as the Raiders can't afford to give Rivers and the Chargers offense extra possessions. The regular season also marks the chance for offensive coordinator Greg Knapp to unleash his star weapon Darren McFadden. McFadden has remained limited in the preseason with his touches as the Raiders didn't want to risk injury. Even while limited, Run DMC has showed his explosiveness both in the rushing attack and receiving the ball. McFadden will surely be the focal point of the Raiders offense, especially against a Chargers team that ranked in the middle of the pack when it came to defending the rush last season, giving up 116.5 yards per game last season The Raiders offensive line will need to remain cohesive against a Chargers defense that features a strong linebacker corps and a strong pass rusher in rookie Melvin Ingram. The offensive line showed some struggle adjusting to their new zone-blocking scheme in the preseason and will need to play improved to give Palmer enough time and open up holes for McFadden. Oakland has not fared well against the Chargers on Monday Night Football, losing their last two contests on Monday Night against San Diego. The game has been announced a sell out, allowing local media to air the game. Fans are encouraged to get into the stadium early as the Raiders have lined up a live performance by self-proclaimed "Raider Nation President" Ice Cube, along with a couple of other surprises for their fans. Oakland hopes to begin the season 1-0 just as they did last season when they defeated the Denver Broncos on Monday Night in Denver. Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 6, 2012 The Oakland Raiders announced the signing of veteran wide receiver Derek Hagan on Thursday. The signing marks the return of Hagan, who was originally on the Raiders last season but was cut to make room for T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Hagan had a solid camp while with the Raiders in 2011 and proved he can be a solid possession receiver in the regular season, hauling in 11 receptions for 114 yards. Hagan was not utilized much by last year's regime after his solid training camp. When healthy, Hagan provides quarterback Carson Palmer with another solid possession guy that showed a knack for getting open on the field. Hagan signed with the Buffalo Bills after being cut last season and appeared in four games, starting one, before being cut by the Bills last Friday. In total, the six-year veteran has appeared in 69 games (eight starts, and hauled in 109 receptions for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns. Hagan was drafted in the third round by the Miami Dolphins in 2006 after becoming PAC-10's all-time leading receiver with 258 receptions during his career at Arizona State. Hagan's presence gives the Raiders added insurance at a position decimated with injury at the moment. Jacoby Ford, Denarius Moore, and now Juron Criner are facing injuries and attempting to be ready in time for the season opener against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football. He also brings a veteran presence to a locker room filled by young athletes, especially at the wide receiver position. Derrius Heyward-Bey, entering his fourth season, was the eldest and most experienced wide receiver prior to Hagan signing with the Raiders. The Raiders also announced that they have waived return man and cornerback Coye Francies to make room for Hagan on the roster. Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 3, 2012
Reports have surfaced that the Raiders have signed veteran cornerback Joselio Hanson and released second-year cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke in order to make room for the signing. Van Dyke was a third-round pick by the late Al Davis and showed promise in the early beginnings of training camp but was unable to bring the same type of play to the field during preseason games. Hanson has played with the Philadelphia Eagles for the past six years after playing across the bay with the San Francisco 49er's his rookie season as an un-drafted free agent. Hanson was released byt he Eagles this week to help the team get down to the 53-man roster. Hanson provides the Raiders with a slot cornerback with plenty of experience and allows the team to have more flexibility in their coverage schemes. Van Dyke's release comes just a couple days after the release of fellow second-year defensive back Chimdi Chekwa. Chekwa is now on the Raiders practice squad. The release/signing is another example of an Al Davis draft pick not fitting new general manager Reggie McKenzie's plan and shows that there are no "scholarships" on this team. Hanson brings quality experience from his seven-year career, appearing in 104 games with 19 starts. Hanson started six games in 2010, the most of his career thus far. Originally published on SBReport.net on Sept. 1, 2012
Just a day after the Raiders cut their team down to the required 53-man roster, general manager Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders front office made six more roster moves. The Raiders announced on Saturday the signings of defensive back Phillip Adams, linebacker Keenan Clayton and offensive tackle Willie Smith. The Raiders also waived cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and Bryan McCann, and also waived/injured defensive tackle Jamie Cumbie. Adams was San Francisco's seventh-round selection in the 2010 draft and has played in 22 games in two seasons with San Francisco, New England and Seattle. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound defensive back attended South Carolina State. Clayton is a 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker that has played in 21 games, while starting one, with the Philadelphia Eagles after being drafted in the fourth-round of the draft out of the University of Oklahoma in 2010. Clayton was used as an outside linebacker with the Eagles after being fourth on the Sooners team with 75 tackles during his Senior year at Oklahoma. He originally was slotted as a strong safety his freshman year at Oklahoma, but moved to the linebacker position in 2008. Smith signed with the Washington Redskins last season as an un-drafted free agent and found himself appearing in four games and starting three for the squad. Smith will provide solid depth for a relatively thin offensive line in Oakland. There is no surprise that McKenzie was looking for lineman, cornerbacks and linebackers that may improve his team as they are three of the thinnest positions on the field. Chekwa was originally on the bubble to make the roster after showing little development after the late Al Davis drafted him in the fourth round last year. McCann had a solid last preseason game in an effort to make the team but had little impact on the team besides as a return man. The retaining of Coye Francies made his release easier. Cumbie had a solid preseason game against the Detroit Lions but missed time in camp due to injury. Fellow defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi beat him out and earned the spot. The Raiders also announced that they have signed linebackers Kaelin Burnett and Nathan Stupar, wide receivers Travionte Session and Brandon Carswell to their practice squad for this season. Teams are allowed to have eight players on their practice squads. |
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