Is It In You?

Friday....... Early AM........ Plane ride to the Donkey City to face off with one of the most hated rivals in the Division.......... so I ask...... Do you have it in you?

Huffy, do you have it in you to play more press coverage? To make the solid tackle? To not get caught in the pick route? To play with passion and intensity for 60 minutes? To make a difference? Is it in you?

Seymour, is it in you to be the leader you were brought here to be? To pressure the shit out of Peyton Manning? To put him on his ass? To be an effective team mate and guide that D-Line to victory? Is it in you?

Kelly, is it in you to play your ass off on every down and stay the fuck onside? To protect your defensive backfield by containing the run? Is it in you?

Rolando, is it in you to play smart and be the king of the second level as you were brought here to be? To play from sideline to sideline and to stay in your fits? To put the hurt on the Denver running game and any wide outs that come accross the middle? Is it in you?

O-Line, is it in you to OWN the line of scrimmage? To make holes big enough for a mack truck to drive through and allow your running game to be explosive? To keep Palmer on his feet and not allow any sacks? To play with the same heart and intensity you did against the Steelers?

Palmer, is it in you to play with poise and stand in the pocket and deliver the ball on time to your receivers? Is it in you to play with heart and passion and make good sound decisions? To play effective football for 60 minutes? To protect the ball in our possession for the duration of the game? Is it in you?

D-MAC, is it in you to put your foot in the ground and run North and South with thundering power and no regard for your opponent? To pound that bullshit Donkey defense into submission? To slash and gash that secondary on your way to a 150 yard game? To put that rock in the end zone and show who we are? Do you have it in you?

Coaching staff, do you have it in you to call a smart game? A game plan to puts us in the best position to succeed, but not so vanilla that you take any momentum out of the players? To allow our skilled players to get the ball with enough time to make big plays? To call a smart mix of plays on offense and a strong relentless game on defense with hidden blitz packages and good solid rotation on the line?

I'll make this simple.... we are going up against one of the best. He got there because he understands how to break a teams will. He is relentless. He is dominant. He is smart and poised. He knows that he is not to let his foot off of the gas until the final bell rings. He will tear you apart and keep his foot on your throat as you bleed to death. Going into this bye week, I and the Raider Nation will accept nothing less than 2-2. Just because we beat a good team in the Steelers does not mean that everything is fine. That's bullshit to think that. We expect greatness every week. Not one week on and one week off. EVERY WEEK!  That's what it takes to be champions. That's what it takes to be great.

DO YOU HAVE IT IN YOU TO BE GREAT?

Do something about it! Whoop that ass on Sunday! Prove the Raider Nation right! 

Chaotic View

Heart......

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am impressed. On a day that boys became men, our team pulled out an improbable win against one of the best teams in the NFL. We beat the Steelers.

Carson Palmer showed why all of the pundits who say the trade was not worth it  can stick their foot in their mouth and shut the fuck up. How about 23-33 for 209 and 3 TD's you bunch of haters? Kiss his ass and move on to Tim Tebow. Carson showed why his leadership will take this team to the promise land.

How about McFadden? 18 for 113 and a 64 yard TD! He ran hard. He ran tough. He ran with authority. He ran with a purpose. Great job learning on the fly.

The biggest key, the O-Line. They kept Palmer on his feet against a tough scheme from the Steelers. You know Dick Lebeau was going to mix it up on the blitz scheme, but our players moved together and held strong to control the line of scrimmage.

There was a somber moment when an illegal helmet to helmet hit to DHB in the chin brought out the stretcher and took the wind out of our sails for a moment. Please Nation, pray for him and send him a tweet to show him you are thinking of him ......  https://twitter.com/theDHB85



















A special moment pre game for Al Davis and the Nation, Marcus Allen officially ended the feud. Thank you Marcus. Always a Raider!

And just as Al would always hope, Jano, his prized possession, did what Al brought him to Oakland to do..... Put it between the cross bars!

Thank you to the players for answering my call. Thank you for answering the call of the Raider Nation! You came out and fought to come back down 10 into the 4th quarter and never took your eyes off the prize.

It was a war but you made plays. You got the ball on turnovers. You showed the Heart of a Champion. I and the Raider Nation are proud of you!


On to Denver!

Chaotic View

The Morning After Pill..................

I am at a loss for words.

I found myself sitting through the pain of what I saw last night like someone waiting in front of a firing squad awaiting their death. It was slow, agonizing and terrifying to think this is what we have become.

But you know what, I am not going to give our competition the benefit of the doubt to think that we as the Raider Nation will not go out without getting in our punches. I am not going to lay down and go down without a fight. Its time to come out swinging. We know what we have to fix.

I am not sure if the majority of you saw what I saw, but in the 4th quarter, even when the entire stadium was deflated and our team was on the brink of utterly abandoning ship, there was one bright spot that stung me like that asshole bee did last summer in my arm, this Killer Defense we have. Did you know that Phylis Rivers only threw for one touchdown? And he may have had a good night in way of completions, throwing 24/33 for 231 yards, but it was not a career night. We also held their offense to 32 yards rushing. If that doesn't make you optimistic, I don't know what will.

Grant it, that big loaf Kelly gave them the touchdown, single handedly, by giving them two first downs on that TD drive, but as I told you guys on Chaotic View, the Raiders have some new fire power backing up that line of ours in Miles Burris and Philip Wheeler. These two combined with Rolando McClain for 15 Solo Tackles and 7 assisted tackles. I think we have become something to be reckoned with, and what was really exciting for me is that they didn't give up. All the way through the last snaps of the game, they kept the pressure on the Chokers and forced Phylis to throw the ball.

To the bad, I had a hunch before the game the something was going to happen top Jon Condo. I have been telling my inner circle for a while now that the guy plays with reckless abandon on all of the special team plays. He is normally the first Raider on the ball down field, and he likes to go low on the blockers to get through to attack the ball. Last night was something that you don't see happen too often, where he was hit in the head by a fellow team mate with the knee, but it goes to show that there are critical positions that need to be addressed every year and as a back up (Goethel) you have to be ready to come in and do your job, which he did not.




Now, I am not going to put it all on Goethel, because he was not completely responsible for the bullshit we saw on special teams. That unit sucks all together and I think that we need to light a fire under the ass of Steve Hoffman, the Special Teams Coach. It is not too early to send his ass packing if something doesn't happen and soon. 

Offensively, we did not throw any interceptions. That's a good thing. Streater had a good game, aside from the fumble he gave up trying to do too much. We moved the ball up and down the field, but missed passes and some missed routes were the glaring issue I saw that can be fixed with time.



Overall, we need some serious work with the trip into Miami. Having the chance to win the game with 54 seconds to go was a positive, as bad as we did play, but it still counts as a loss none the less.

My Game grades-

Offense - B
Defense - B+
Special Teams - F

Your thoughts?

Chaotic View

Thats Better......

I have to admit, I was starting to second guess our team going into the Official Dress rehearsal, Game 3, against the Lions. But I have to say, I have seen the light and it speaks of a great season. Let me explain.

Defense, defense defense. What can I say? The Lions may suck at running back, but they are an NFL team and those players get paid to play, regardless of draft position.  65 rushing yards allowed people. Only 65. Against any team, that's good. But so you know it is not a fluke, we rank 3rd in the Pre-Season in Team Defense, 4th against the rush with 82 yards per game allowed, 3rd in Total yards allowed and 5th in pass yards allowed at 153 per game.

I mean this is the Lions. They are a team on the up and up with star players on their team in Stafford and Megatron. Yet Stafford only went 8/10 for 68 yards and Johnson only caught one ball for 7 yards. Not to mention that the Lions only had 14 first downs, 1 by rushing and 13 by passing.

I am putting my money down in Vegas. Mark my words people......... Top 5 Defense this year.

Some of the key players to watch:

Miles Burris - He runs sideline to sideline and looks like a 3 down backer. He has good strength and plays with a very low pad position which will show in his tackle numbers.

Lamar Houston - He is beginning to play more D-Tackle at times and looks like he is going to be a severe challenge for any Guard. He is in the backfield disrupting plays and forcing runners back into his help. If he can play consistent, he will have a career year. 8 sacks min.

Mike Mitchell- He has been playing later in the game in backup for Branch and Huff. I know, you think well that's lower on the totem pole so why worry about him? Well, he will be coming in to rest these guys out and he has been showing that he has slowed down in his pursuit on the ball and is making better decisions on his angles. I like what this staff has done for him thus far, if he can pull it together, he can be the next Jack Tatum. Come over the middle punk asses, I dare you!

Philip Wheeler- This guy has to be the Pre-Season Co-MVP along with Darren. He hustles to the ball, is a sure tackler and has been playing dominant football.

On Offense, I am going against the grain and popular opinion. I think Palmer had a great game. He was on time with most of his throws, made great decisions with the ball and moved the ball up and down the field. The two turnovers were the responsibility of the wide outs who have not played very consistent all pre-season.
He only went 17/26 for 187 yards. I think with a few more games under his belt, our scoring is going to go out of the roof.

Prior finally solidified his spot on the teams depth chart as the 3rd QB. He is quick, has finally shown his touch on the ball, but he is hanging on by the hair on his chinny, chin chin.

Players to watch for:

Rod Streater - Talk about someone fighting for a position. He may have just won himself the 3rd receiver spot. Ford continuously rides the pine with one injury or another, Denerius Moore can't seem to stay healthy either, so I see this guy as the starter on the opposing side of DHB. I think Palmer likes him and I see at least 65-75 catches and 600-700 yards for this guy. Consider him the TJ Houshmenzadeh to Chad Johnson combo Palmer used to throw to in Cincy.

Taiwan Jones - Mr. Freshlegs may be exactly what we have been looking for. He is in his sophomore season and in his first game back showed some flashes of brilliance. If he can pick up 600 yards in a back up role, I would be stoked.

DHB - I think you can finally remove the veil of question on this Al Davis choice. He is starting to pay dividends. Love the acrobatics on the deep ball reaching over the former Raider Justin Miller. He is showing that mentality that he is going to go after the ball, and it is something we have not seen since Tim Brown. 

Criner - He is the red zone answer. Bottom line!

Special Teams-

I will leave it at this, something needs to happen in the next few weeks to get this aspect of the team together. They have played like crap and someone needs to be accountable to staying in their gaps and making tackles. We can't put the defense in the situations they have had to play in. Always backed up to our end zone.  Its bullshit and needs to be fixed PRONTO!

The last game against the Sea Chickens will be a fight for those last few players that will make the 2nd and 3rd stringers and the practice squad. See you Friday. Check back for updates and post game video.

Chaotic View

Pre-Season Game 2...... Cards Vs. Raiders

Wonder what just happened? Don't. Want to know why? Its pre-season and you can only learn so much with players who put in 80% effort because they do not want to get injured and those who have secured a starting role on the team and do not feel the need to go the extra mile in games that don't matter.

I do not put much weight on these games, and my thought is that neither should you. But, for s*its and giggles, I think I should touch on what I saw and give my two cents.

Offense-

Better, but still not where it needs to be. I saw a lot of the vintage Texans offense on display.  A few bootlegs, some misdirection and even cut backs. Inconsistencies reside at the Wide Receiver level and Offensive line, but for the most part the team was able to move the ball with some level of purpose.


Carson was able to avoid some pressure and get the ball on the hands of his wideout's, but as I mentioned, there are a lot of inconsistencies there. DHB dropped a sure touchdown in the end zone and a few other balls that should have been caught.














 Mike Goodson has his debut and subsequently failed miserably. 2 fumbles lost by him alone and looking like he had absolutely no ball control skills. Scary to think this cat could be our back up to McFadden. Not really a chance I think we should take if this keeps up.

Streater looked good at Receiver. 7 for 43 yards and could potentially be our starter opposite DHB should Ford and Moore be out for substantial time. No different than last year, early injuries derailing our hopes of having a great tandem running the sidelines.








Defense-

"That boy is scared" was something you could read from the lips of Tommy Kelly after the sack on Kevin Kolb in the end zone for a safety. That was for the most part the way the game went. The defense (1st team) stood their ground and just about put Kolb on his ass every other play. Aside from poor starting field position, thanks to our special teams and offensiv

e fumbles, the defense held their own forcing 4 turnovers, 3 by way of fumbles and 4 sacks.










Special Teams-
Sucked a big one and this could get bad. A blocked punt, huge return and some other missed responsibilities could spell disaster should this not get taken care of quickly.

What does it all mean? Work, work and more work...........Post game Vids coming soon.

Chaotic View

Post Game Recap.... Preseason Cowboys Vs. Raiders

Great to be back. First and foremost. It was a long offseason and I finished the long list of Sunday honey-do's......

So I went back and watched the tape after it was all said and done last night and I have some particular topics I would love to touch on.

Offense-

1. Mc Fadden is what he is. A Beast! I know we only showed a few things we would be doing (Vanilla Offense), but I was not really paying attention to the play calling
   or scheme. I watched the intangibles. Mc Fadden displayed the burst of speed through the hole, the patience to allow his gaps to open and the ability to break tackles. Overall if this guy stays healthy, we could have the NFL's leading rusher in our backfield.
2. Palmer is still learning the offense. There were a few pass attempts that I think he held the ball for too long as he went through his progressions, but overall, he got first downs and had to deal with an atrocious performance of Jacoby Ford.
3. I'm not going to harp on it too much but Jacoby Ford was a drive killer last night. I think he just had a bad game. He broke his route in the deep interception play, he got alligator arms on two plays, one slant that could have been a nice gain and gotten us beyond the 50 in our second possession and again on an in route that would have given us a first down in our last First Team possession. He also muffed a punt and didn't display the confidence of yester year. I hope this is just because it is the preseason and not because he is getting soft on us.
4. Terrell Pryor is not ready for the NFL. He looked like a deer in the headlights last night. We made some first downs, but his balls were thrown like a QB who was trying to make sure he didn't make any mistakes, rather then the Terrell Pryor I remember at Ohio State with the cannon arm. I would be surprised if he made the team. If so, he needs to be in the Wild Cat formation or as a tight end.

Defense

1. I was not surprised at our performance. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday, the Defense needed to establish dominance and that they did. I was surprised that Seymour was not on the field, but that's ok. He has nothing else to prove in the preseason. That line though. Tremendous. We held Tony Romo  to 3 for 6 and 30 yards and 1 sack with one narrowly being missed by Lamar Houston.. It was refreshing to get it done on the line.
2. D-Backs need more work. Bartell allowed a long pass completion and on a few zone plays, the tight end came out into the flat and was able to convert for first downs. Still preseason, but its the little things that count. Get off the field on 3rd downs!

One last stat......... only 5 penalties for 37 yards compared to 12 for 97 on the Cowboys. I would say that is a victory in itself!

Overall, not bad for the first game.  Still much to do and only a few weeks to work the bugs out, but I think with discipline and a good work ethic, this team can be a playoff contender.

Chaotic View

Common Sense......Time To Come Up...... Free Agency

After the hiring of Dennis Allen, I figured there is enough talk about who he is and what he has done so far in his coaching career and decided to stay away from telling you yet again the same Wiki information you have read about a hundred times already.

What I will do is talk to you all about what the Raiders need to do going into the next year to improve this team at the positions I feel we are the weakest at.

Here are the current Raider Free Agents:

KEY

UFA: Unrestricted free agent; a player who has completed four or more accrued seasons and whose contract has expired.

RFA: Restricted free agent; a player who has completed three accrued seasons and whose contract has expired.

OFFENSE

• Jason Campbell QB – UFA
• Khalif Barnes T – UFA
• Kyle Boller QB – UFA
• Michael Bush RB – UFA
• Rock Cartwright RB – UFA
• Stephon Heyer OL – UFA
• T.J. Houshmanzadeh WR – UFA
• Marcel Reece FB — UFA
• Samson Satele C – UFA
• Chaz Schilens WR – UFA

DEFENSE

• Darryl Blackstock LB – UFA
• Desmond Bryant DL – RFA
• Tyvon Branch SS – UFA
• Matt Giordano – UFA
• Quentin Groves LB – UFA
• Jarvis Moss DE – UFA
• Trevor Scott DE – UFA
• Lito Sheppard – UFA

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Jon Condo LS – UFA
• Bryan McCann – UFA

In previous blogs, here and here, I posted my comments on certain players and who balled out and who simply busted out. Well, because of the fact that the Raiders have a large amount of free agents and limited draft picks, I thought I would fill in the gaps on our glaring needs from the waiver/free agency wire.

Carl Nicks - Guard - Cooper Carslie is getting old and needs to be replaced. This guy is going to be a hot commodity this offseason. Hopefully courted by us.

Cortland Finnegan - CB - Standford Routt is not a top flight CB, but with the youth at that position, I would say we need to get rid of his 54 million contract and spend it on a guy who is tough and only commits penalties when he is punching someone in the face.

Calais Campbell - DE - Going to the 3-4...... we need some speed on the outside. Hybrid DE that can rush the end well. Has 21 career sacks at the age of 25.

Dwayne Bowe - WR - Chaz "Glass Chin" Schillins, and Louis "Cancer" Murphy are way beyond their time. We need those roster spots for people who actually want to play.

Brodrick Bunkley - DT - Going 3-4? Want a familiar face? Bring in one of your tools Allen.... No better place to start then your former team.

Reggie Wayne - WR - Wow, talk about a retread that could be had at a discount. I would love for this guy to provide a presence on this team that would help DHB and Jacoby Ford become a better squad. Paired with Dwayne Bowe, this may be too lethal of a team to have even your best day as a defensive backfield and not expect Carson Palmer to light it up.

Jon Condo - LS - Just sign him. He is a Raider for life.

Matt Giordiano - FS - Played well enough to earn and keep a starting job. He can only get better.

Tyvonn Branch - SS - Hard hitter, good blitzer and proven team member. Resign for sure.

Marcel Reece - FB - Need I say anymore? Just the name is synonymous with success. Pay him!

Michael Bush - RB - A quality backup to Darren McFadden who is often hurt. If we do not keep McFadden and trade him and make a run at Arian Foster (Who is a life long Raider Fan by the way)  in my opinion, we don't skip a beat in the backfield.

Rock Cartwright - RB - Perennial special teams player who is always around the ball and does what he needs to to finish his career with the Raiders. He is a fan favorite and one of the old goats that the team looks to for leadership!

It is yet to be seen as to whether or not Jason Campbell will stick it out with the team. Just him being in the locker room last year polarized the WR group into who their loyalty was finishing out the season. I think if he is going to stay, then Carson has to go, but if not, he can not be in the Raiders locker room next to Palmer and cause a huge separation through the rest of the offense. Guys pick their guy. Carson was Hue's guy and came in and played great ball for the limited time he was exposed to the offense. Our productivity increased and our average yards per game in the air increased. Like I said though, Jason Campbell was the QB who began the success and guys don't forget that. I would be surprised if he stayed with the team and didn't bicker about not being named the starter.

Speaking of the QB position, can we just release Kyle Boller now please? I heard TO was looking for a new QB. We should look for someone to play and compete with Terrell Pryor for the 2nd spot.

Anyhow, that's what I think we should do to get this team better. Some you may agree with, some you may not, but I would love to hear why...... Speak now, or forever hold your peace.

Chaotic View

Keys to Victory Against The Pack......

I know you have all heard the term, "Any Given Sunday" right?

If you have lived under a rock for a while, that means that any team can beat any team on Sunday when you are playing between the sidelines and end zones.

People, like myself, will always point to stats and other things that have happened in the past that can potentially lead us to the type of game plan that the Raiders can use to actually pull out a improbable win against an almost unbeatable team. But are they really unbeatable?

I think the Giants exposed them last week. So I will tell you what the Raiders are going to do that will contain these guys.

1. Contain Jordy Nelson. This guy is on par for a Pro Bowl year and he isn't slowing down. The objective with this guy is to let him know that if he thinks he is going to have easy receptions over the middle of the field, Rolando McClain, Aaron Curry and the rest of the defensive backfield is going to impose some punishment that will make him think twice the next time.

2. Control, not shut down Greg Jennings. He is the leading receiver this year with 65 receptions for 969 yards. Limit him in his touches and zone in on him when he does catch it. Everyone has to attack this guy when he gets the ball. That includes Defensive linemen hustling to make tackles down field. Play Championship defense!

3. GET PRESSURE ON AARON RODGERS! You have to remember, Rodgers was sacked 50 times in 2009, 31 times in 2010 and 29 in 2011 and didn't have nearly as much success as he is now. This will be key to defeating Green Bay this weekend. Hit him and hit him often. Wimbley, Seymour and Desmond Bryant should have big games

4. Re-Establish the Run. Bush needs to have a minimum of 100 yards and dominate the line of scrimmage. The problem I saw last week was that Miami had more corner speed and because McFadden and Jones are hurt, the defense knew that Bush was going to be running between the tackles. Green Bay is soft up the middle, so even if they stack the box, our line has to make room for Bush to get to the second level and smash these linebackers.

5. Use a minimum if 4 trick plays through the game. Whether it be a reverse, halfback option, fake punt or whatever. Jackson has to keep these guys on their toes and not allow the defense to key in on what we are doing. Lets get back to being unpredictable and score points. These plays will open it up for Bush to run and for Palmer to complete normally impossible throws.

6. CONVERT 3rd downs. We have sucked in 3rd down territory. This year, the Raiders are  54 for 153 or 35%. This has impacted our Offensive time of possession with an average of 29 minutes a game and also opens the flood gates for teams to rip apart our often exposed defense. We need to limit the Offensive opportunities of Green Bay via the time of possession.

7. CONTAIN GREEN BAYS SPECIAL TEAMS!!!!! We need to dominate field position in this game. Force deep 3 and outs and get our offense the ball back.

All in all, this is going to have to be the most flawless game we play. We can't get frustrated if they get up on us. We have to dig deep and stay in tune with the game and force the momentum back to our side of the ball. Whether that's scoring touchdowns on offense, getting turnovers on defense or just running the ball, find the momentum and maintain the game. No mistake football.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY!

Photo Courtesy of Bob Carr - Raidersfans.net

Let me know what you think.... 

Chaotic View

Nuggets for Raiders Vs. Vikings

These are just stats of things that could weigh into the game.....

The Raiders lead NFL with 54 plays of at least 20 yards. League average is 36. Big Play Vertical offense opens up so many different options, including check downs on screens and just audible into a run set.

Carson Palmer has 17 completions of at least 20 yards in 76 attempts. Jason Campbell had 17 in 165. Goes show that with Carson, Hue Jackson may trust him to send the ball more down the field and is not looking for a game manager. Could also be that the running game is forcing more one on one coverage on the edges and Carson is finding that mismatch. Our speed vs a one on one coverage..... I take our speed all day!

Palmer is 7-for-16 for 237 yds, 3 TDs and 1 INT for 104.2 rating on passes 21+ yards in air. I think Al Davis would be so in love if he was still around.

9 of Denarius Moore's 23 receptions have gone for at least 20 yards. Remember, he missed quite a few in the game against the Broncos, where he could have had the same type of game as he did against the Chokers. Says a lot for the confidence Carson has in him as well as his skill set. Being able to get separation an using his speed to get down the field in a hurry.

  

The Raiders offense is fourth in rushing yards per game, Vikings fifth. Vikings tied for second per carry (5.2), Raiders tied for fourth (5.0).

The Raiders have 17 runs of at least 20 yards this season, most in NFL and more than 2X league average of 7. This stat is important to note because we have not really had a healthy offensive line all year, not to mention that there was a lot of speculation going into the season of the rotation on O-Line. Hue Jackson told everyone that our O-Line was going to be good. I don't think anyone in the Raider Nation doubted that, but all of those on the outside thought otherwise. Losing Cable was not such a big loss after all.

The Vikings defense sixth against the run at an average of 93.9 yards per game. They are fifth in terms of per carry at an average of 3.7. I don't think this stat shows well, because they have played teams that are poor at the run. Teams like San Diego, Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Detroit and Arizona have a league average of 26, 26, 27, 22 and 24 carries per game respectively. The Raiders present a whole different approach to the running game and I don't think they will be able to stop our run game. 

Darren McFadden is ninth in rushing (614 yards). Michael Bush is 29th (490). They are averaging 5 yards a pop.This says one of two things, either the Raiders have stuck to the Run first option of game play and that is our identity, or the rest of the league is so pass happy that our stats are blown up because of it. Look for things to change as McFadden sits and Bush gets more of the load. He will work his way up the ranks quickly. When McFadden comes back, we are going to be explosive and more runs like the one he had on the edge against the Jets will happen, especially because of Carson Palmer.

Michael Bush held to negative yards on 6.4% of rushes, lowest of any back with 100+ carries. Matt Forte highest at 15.7%. I think that this stat says a lot of Bush's running style. He runs North and South, not side to side. n between the tackles will keep this average low in comparison to someone lie Matt Forte and even Darren McFadden for that matter.

Defense-

Kamerion Wimbley tied for 7th in league with 21 QB knockdowns/hurries to go with his 6 sacks. He is playing like a beast on the edge as a down linemen. His impact needs to be consistent though from the edge, to allow those interior linemen to clog up the running lanes, close the passing lanes and create more interior pressures leading to more INT's. Look for a big game against the Vikings, Miami and Kansas City with a more traditional pocket passing offense. 

Seymour 18 QB knockdowns, hurries and sacks, 1 behind Bears Henry Melton for most among DTs. Just goes to show that the edge rush can help these interior guys out. Not to mention that Seymour is just a beast.

The Raiders defense is 25th against the run at an average of 132.4 yards per game, tied for 31st (last) at an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Hopefully this trend can be contained better as I don't believe we have seen those types of teams that like to run the ball except for Denver. This stat is misleading, but our defense has been our Achilles heel this entire season and needs o get better for our playoff run.

Game 9 coverage stats: Routt 3-5 69 yards TD; Sheppard 3-7 28 yards. Against the Chokers, I would say that is pretty good. Vincent Jackson is averaging yards per game. If Stanford and DVD will learn to attack the ball when it is passed against them, that stat would be even better. The touchdown the Chokers threw against Stanford clearly showed that he used bad technique and didn't attack the ball, thus allowing the receiver to get the ball at the highest point and control it on the way down.

Overall, I think we are doing good in some spots and others need work. If we can play consistently and more players do their job and trust each other, I think the sky is the limit for this team going forward.

Leave me your thoughts below in the comment section.

Chaotic View

Not Dwelling.....

                      So much is being made of the loss to the Denver Broncos and rightfully so. I mean the Raiders were expected to hand Denver a loss as sure as the sun was going to rise in the morning. Well, as they say, any given Sunday.....It happened..... Moving On.

I am not here to dwell too much on the negative that came out of the game with Denver, but I am here to talk about what we did right.... as small as the right was.....

Carson Palmer - Sure, he threw 3 interceptions, but did everyone forget he went 19/35 for 332 yards? Did everyone forget to look at the fact that he is gaining trust from his wide receiver core? Jacoby Ford with a TD, Marcel Reece with a TD and Michael Bush with a TD. Carson completed to 8 different receivers in the Denver game. He had 14 passing first downs. He made good throws and had the zip on the ball that so many said he didn't have anymore after his elbow injury a few years ago. Sky is the limit with this guy, and I see his stock going higher and higher and may soon even be close in comparison to the Rich Gannon era of offense. Sorry Jason Campbell, as good as you did in managing the offense, I can't remember the last 300 yard passing day you had.

  

Michael Bush - Oh how big of a task it is to fill in the shoes of Darren McFadden this year. For the most part, what I have always noticed about Michael Bush when he would go in to give Darren a break during a long drive, he would always run into the back of his offensive lineman and wouldnt get his downhill speed going, constantly going down on first contact. In addition to that, he never lowered the shoulder to finish out runs like McFadden has become so notorious for in recent past. Well this week was a night and day difference for Michael. He was able to get through the line of scrimmage to the second level consistently and ran for a total of 96 yards on 19 carries. It may not seem like a lot to some, because we are so used to being spoiled by Darren, but 96 yards for Michael Bush is a big deal to me because it is not only the distance that he ran for, but the punishment that he handed out when finishing the runs that is making the diifference for me. If he can get the same thing going against a Charger defense that is hanging on from multiple injuries to their defensive line, then we will have the ball control that we need to control the clock and keep Philip Rivers off the field and win the game.

Now, I am not going to act as if there are not any negative things that we need to do a better job at, but talking about them just reminds me of the bad feelings I get when watching the games and does not do any good, nor does it make you want to read more. But, just for s*its and giggles, they are:

• Aggressive play calling. Play to win, not to lose.
• Better pass protection. Give Carson more time to make his progressions is going to be key to not turning the ball over.
• Improved special teams gap assignment play.
• Improved linebacker and defensive line play. CONTROL THE RUN!

All in all, if we can continue building this bully and playing smart controled football, success will go our way again.

Dont forget, we are tied for first place still in the Division and determine our own future going forward.

FYI. Exciting news coming to Chaotic View soon. We are bulding our affiliations and will be making this blog more interactive for you. More to come.

Chaotic View

Chiefs @ Raiders 1st Qtr Recap

 

Defense

 

The Chiefs get the ball to begin the game and as expected, they start out sloppy. Coupled with great pass defense and sloppy play by the Chiefs, like 12 men in the huddle and false start penalties, this game is already going our way.

The Chiefs second possession starts on the 20 yard line with a run, and as has been the case lately, the Raiders stuff the offensive line back 3 yards into the backfield and stop that one in its tracks. Another zone blitz scheme forces a quick throw and an incompletion. They do convert on 3rd down though, with Curry just missing the throw to deflect it. He did however come back on the following 1st down and had a great solo tackle in the flat. After another incompletion and a 8 yard completion to Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs are forced to punt. 

Weird deflection on the Chiefs 1st play of the 3rd possession. A little "trickeration".....ended in a not so much. Loss of 4.  Loose coverageon 3rd down allows Bowe to get a first, extending the drive into the Raiders side of the field. Another first down to Steve Breston on the ensuing play, with the Raiders playing 6 yards off the receivers. Screen gets gobbled up by Stanford Routt, bringing in a 3rd and 7. More loose coverage and a whiff in the open field allows Breston to get the the 15 yard line. The Chiefs keep their momentum going with a pass to Bowe, outstretching the ball over the goal line through the tackle of Routt but was called down by contact on the 6 inch line. Aaron Curry forces the strip on 1st down into the end zone, with the ball being fumbled into the end zone and picked up by an offensive lineman. Chiefs taking a big lead 14-0.

 

Offense

To begin, the Raiders come out with a naked boot and Boller used his legs to get the first 8 yards of the day. The Raiders implement a interesting set, snapping the ball on a quick snap count but Pryor snapped the ball too quick. That was the first time for me to see that. Interesting. Bad throw by Boller putting us at a disadvantage with only 2 minutes off the clock down 0-7, telegraphing his pass the entire way. He can not force throws like that this game, as there is no respect being shown by Kansas City with tight coverage of our receivers ability to get by them. Not to mention that it was double coverage.

Second possession begins with us trying to establish the run. You can see the Chiefs are dedicating an additional 2 defenders in the box. 2nd play on the check down to Darren was to slow down the rush. Boller then tries to scramble on 3rd down and was able to get 2 yards before getting clobbered.

The Raiders get the ball with 8:12 to go on the 1. Michael Bush bowls down some Chiefs and gets the first down. Another run for 2 quick yards and then almost like a punt, Boller throws his second pick of the day.

The Raiders finally start to get some forward progress on offense with the last possession of the quarter, with Taiwan Jones, DHB, and Michael Bush getting into the mix. Looks like Jackson must have lit a fire under someone's ass. Hope we can score on this possession and get back into this game. Time to settle down.

Special Teams

Love the hits I saw on the first punt of the game. Groves came in and laid the wood on a Chief, showing them that we are coming in to knock em out.

After a shaky few possessions, a huge blow to the offense with  Moore allowing a punt to go over his head, not blocking the gunner and the Chiefs down the ball at the 1 yard line.

Ending Score after 1

Raiders 0 Chiefs 14

 

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Back To Football...... Week 7 Scouting Report Chiefs @ Raiders

Scouting

With so many stories being made over the last week, from the singing of Carson Palmer, to Matt Shaunessey being placed on IR, to the unforgettable plays on Special Teams from Lechler to Boss to the 101 yard return by Jacoby Ford, the hype has gotten away from the Raider Nation and we have lost focus on the fact that its

CHIEFS WEEK!

SERIES HISTORY:

102nd regular-season meeting. Chiefs lead series, 52-47-2. The teams, original members of the American Football League, have met twice every year between 1960 and 2010, with the exception of the strike-shortened 1982 season, when they met only once.

Now, I know a lot of you are probably saying, yeah so what? The Chiefs are 2-3 and in third place in the AFC West. What difference does it make? Well, that's why I wrote this little blog to let you know.

THIS GAME IS HUGE!!!!!!!

Kansas Shitty is coming off of a 2 game winning streak. Now, the teams they beat are not exactly something to write home about, beating Minnesota by five points and Indianapolis by four points, (Mom unless you are reading this), but they do play in the NFL the last time I checked. And they do get a pay check the last time I checked. So I do not discount them coming into our house and trying to steal any of our thunder right before the bye week, trying to send us home with a 4-3 record and one game further back from the Super Chokers.

I know, you don't wanna hear this, but here come the stats:

After losing three very important contributors, running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Tony Moeaki and strong safety Eric Berry, they started the season reeling, trying to find their equilibrium without their offensive engine in Charles and defensive leader in Berry. Things were ugly in the first two games, as the Chiefs were outscored 89-10 in the worst back-to-back beatings in franchise history

QB Matt Cassel has a 2-3 record against the Raiders as a starter. One of those victories came while he was filling in for Tom Brady with the Patriots during the 2008 season. Overall, he's completed 53.8 percent of his passes against Oakland for 1,006 yards and just 5.9 yards per attempt. He's thrown seven TD passes against seven INTs and has been sacked 15 times.

RB Thomas Jones has played against the Raiders five times over his career, running for 365 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries. His best performance came in October 2008, when he ran for 159 yards on 24 carries in Oakland. He also ran for 121 yards on 26 carries in 2009.

WR Dwayne Bowe has played eight games against the Raiders since joining the league in 2007, catching 36 passes for 542 yards and two touchdowns. He's averaged 15.1 yards per catch. His best performance came in November 2009, when he caught six passes for 91 yards.

Tamba Hali has a streak of three consecutive games against the Raiders with at least part of a sack. Last year in two games, he had 3.5 sacks, and in a November 2009 game, he shared a sack. In 10 career games against Oakland, Hali has 35 total tackles and six sacks.

After reading these stats, it is easy to see why the games we have had against these guys have always been played so tightly, with the exception of last years season ender, where the Raiders Spanked the Quiefs 31-10. Simply put, we will have our way with their defense, so long as Palmer gets the protection he needs and can get the play book down. I dare the Chiefs to line up 8 in the box. Seriously. In addition to that, on defense, I need to see more blitzing, but manage it throughout the game from the 2nd to the 4th quarter. Hit Cassel early in the game, back off and manage the run defense and then hit him hard before the end of the half and at the end of the game to take his will. These guys will turn the ball over. They will play sloppy and the game may get a little testy at times. The key on our end is to control our tempers, minimize penalities that sustain their offensive drives,  whoop their asses at the point of attack and go home for the bye week uninjured and with a 5-2 record.

Here are the current Season stats, Team Averages & NFL Ranks :

TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	KAN	304.0
	OAK	373.0
Yards Passing	KAN	176.2
	OAK	212.8
Yards Rushing	KAN	127.4
	OAK	160.0
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	KAN	369.2
	OAK	396.7
Pass Yds Allowed	KAN	249.6
	OAK	283.5
Rush Yds Allowed	KAN	119.6
	OAK	113.2

Let me know what you think. I would love the feedback!

Chaotic View



Week 6..... What To Expect

Vs.

Game time 1PM PST

Here is my Analysis of the Game, based strictly on stats and film I have seen:

Offense -

AP Photo

The Raiders have a 60 yard per game average advantage. Being that the Browns are currently 4th in the NFL in defending the pass, I look to see Darren McFadden running circles on these guys. Look for Darren to set the tempo and Michael Bush to pound the rock down their throats. I am looking for minimum of 150-175 yards on the ground, based on Cleveland's commitment to contain the run. We do have close to 100 yard advantage based on season averages, with the Raiders averaging 161.8 vs Cleveland's average of 85.8. Based on this, it could be a long day for the Browns. The Raiders need to stay committed to it though, regardless of the down and distance and the timing of the game. We have been getting away from our run more and more over the last 2 weeks, and it is critical that we re-establish our dominance.



AP Photo



Passing yards are pretty similar, with the Browns averaging 235 and the Raiders 219. I don't see the passing game being something that we will push this week, because you can tell that that aspect of our offense has not gotten completely on the same page as far as timing and Jason Campbell has overthrown a lot of the routes to Moore and Ford. Putting the ball in his hands also opens us up for interceptions and I believe that Campbell is better off just managing the game, rather then having it in his hands to win it for us.

Defense-

AP PHOTO

There are way too many similarities in this game with regards to defensive match ups. Its our big boys up front against the struggling line of the Browns, who have yet to establish any sense of continuity that will make all the difference. The Browns are banged up with Joe Haden missing the weeks practice sessions, and not likely to be involved in the game, and really they have lost one of their two games to a poor team in Indy and barely eeked out a win in Miami against the Fins, who are not exactly a contender at 1-4.

So what are the keys to this game outside of stats? Well let me break it down for you.

AP PHOTO

Tommy Kelly, Richard Seymour and John Henderson.

These three must keep Peyton Hillis to his season average of 50 yards. Bottom line. They must also run some disguise blitz packages against Colt McCoy in obvious passing downs. Last week, if you noticed, the Raiders ran more blitz packages and zone blitz schemes, getting burned on a few, but pressuring Schaub enough to force some throws that I am sure he wanted back. Schaub was obviously shaken in the final 2 quarters, as many of his throws ended up on the floor in front of the receivers, or hurried for fear of being sacked and minimal gains. This is obviously not the same defensive scheme that Al Davis would have preferred, but I think that now that he is no longer at the helm, Hue Jackson and Chuck Bresnehan can mix things up and start to run some unique looks that will make opposing teams think twice around staying pass happy. You should start to see our average of 299 yards in the air go down progressively over the next few weeks. Don't forget that Bresnehan established a good quality team in Cincinnati of late, and his defense was ranked in the low teens for quite some time. I see the same happening here with a little bit of freedom to call his game. The key to victory is getting off the field on 3rd down, keeping the Browns out of manageable third down situations where they have a 37% average for the season, and putting the hits on McCoy and Hillis.

This is a winnable game for us, and not so much of a let down scenario as many have been saying, but we have to stay aggressive and become the bully that Hue has been talking about, riding the wave of emotion of Al's passing.

AP PHOTO

Now is our time!

Raiders 35 Cleveland 10

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