Why You Gotta Bring Up Old Sh*t?

The Pittsburgh Steelers' rivalry with the Raiders was legendary during the 1970s, which unfortunately for me was before my time. The Steelers knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs in three of four consecutive seasons in the early 1970s, the first of them being the Immaculate Reception game. This should really piss you off........

That is until the Raiders finally beat the Steelers in the 1976 AFC Championship and went on to win Super Bowl XI.

During the 1975 AFC Championship game, Raiders strong safety George Atkinson delivered a hit on Pittsburgh wide receiver Lynn Swann that gave him a concussion.When the two teams met in the 1976 season opener, Atkinson hit Swann again and gave him another concussion. After the second incident, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll referred to Atkinson as part of the "criminal element" in the NFL. Atkinson subsequently filed a $2 million defamation lawsuit against Noll and the Steelers, which he lost.

Catch @1:42 and @2:25...... HAHAHAHAHA LYNN SWANN...... SOFT!!!!!!!

But that being the past, we now live in a different era of NFL Football. Last year, as most of you remember, the Raiders beat these girls 27-24 in Pittsburgh on December 6, 2009. Most will remember the fight in the team to drive down the field and win with 9 seconds remaining. Some will remember Mike Tomlin's comment "We are going to unleash hell." which was his battle cry after the Steelers lost three straight games to the Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens. Again, in the past but relevant.

Here is the recent warning from the Squeelers QB to our boy Nnamdi...."I would send this warning to him," Roethlisberger said Wednesday. "Be careful with our field, because it's terrible." So whats your point?

If I was you Mr. Roethlisberger........ I would be more concerned with your offensive line protecting your ass from Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly, then your field and Nnamdi. Turns out, its easier for the field crew to scrape your sorry ass off of the turf when its nice and soft, so we prefer it that way......

This is our opportunity to win our 4th straight, a feat not yet accomplished since 2002. Did you know that this is the first meeting between these two teams since 1995 with both having winning records? You think there is just a little riding on this game?

Well, just like all of the National Media,  Jamie Dukes of the NFL Network says we do not have a good enough quarterback to win the game. Even Rod Woodson says that we will not win the game because we can not run the ball against this Steeler Defense, who has not allowed a 100 Yard rusher in the last 43 games. Well, last I checked we have played some pretty damn good defenses this year and when Darren McFadden is in the game, I think we put up a Hundy-Burger on em. Bring on this Steeler Defense and Troy Palamalu. Meet Mr. Bush, McFadden and oh yeah on the goalline, that would be Mr. Lamar Houston running that fullback dive.

I am geeked to renew this supposed rivalry. Although after we beat these chumps, I will have to say the rivalry goes away because we would have beat them 2 straight. Turns out for it to be a rivalry, the other team needs to show up and win every now and then.

Just Sayin.....

As Always, Just A

Chaotic View

The Return

Ever get that feeling after a vacation and some long needed rest and relaxation of, man this sucks to be back? For most, this happens because they have to go back to work or somewhere they are not comfortable being. For others, if they enjoy where they are going and used this as a time to get healthy and come back with a new sense of vigor, we may just see the change and fourth gear kick into this team and propel us into the playoffs.

Check out this interview with Grads I found yesterday..........

Do you see that smile on his face? Does that look say to you that he is excited about the remainder of the year or does it say to you that he has to get ready to go back to work this next week to prepare for the offseason and possibly another year with the Raiders.

Well, coming off this bye week, I think the enthusiasm is peaking for me as much as I know it is for the team. I'm sure they are coming back today with smiles and new stories to share, as well as a new sense of enthusiasm that they have the remainder of the season to finish. Keep in mind though, they are riding a 3 game win streak that has propelled them back to a level of accomplishment and accountability, and I truly believe a better sense of who they are as a team. Becoming a playoff contender.

Our upcoming challenge this week is the Pittsburgh Steelers. After the game last night, which I am sure a majority of the players caught, it is easy to see that they had better show up with their "A" game this Sunday. This is going to be I am going to punch you in the mouth game against an elite team in the NFL.



Created by Raider Grafix



So what are the keys to victory that the Cheatriots taught us last night?

1. Throw to the Tight End!

Rob Gronkowski hauled in 5 receptions for 72 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's win.

2. Throw the ball period.

Tom Brady accounted for four touchdowns and went 30-43 for 350 yards in the win.The Steelers have given up 11 passing touchdowns this season.

3. Protect against the pass.

 Ben Roethlisberger finished 30-49 for 387 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Over 300 of Roethlisberger’s 387 yards came in the second half and so did all three of his touchdowns.

Steelers’ wide receiver Mike Wallace also had a big day with eight catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

4. Attack their weaknesses and injured positions.

Pittsburgh finished the game on Sunday without their left tackle (Max Starks), left guard (Chris Kemoeatu), top wide receiver (Hines Ward), starting defensive ends (Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel) and top inside linebacker (Lawrence Timmons). Starks is done for the season by the way.

Just In case you needed a refresher on last year......

Here is a stat we need to be aware of...The Raiders have not won after the bye week since the 2002 season when they beat the Tennessee Titans 52-25. Since then we have lost 7 straight.

2003 13-23 @ the 1-6 Detroit Lions

2004 17-23 to the 6-3 San Diego Chargers

2005 14-27 to the 2-3 San Diego Chargers

2006 21-24 to the 0-3 Cleveland Browns

2007 14-28 @ the 2-3 San Diego Chargers

2008 3-34 @ the 2-3 New Orleans Saints

2009 10-16 to the 1-7 Kansas City Chiefs

After looking at these stats, what was the most common denominator between each of these seasons? We had nothing to play for. Times are different this year, as you can see from the quotes below:

"It is exciting as a coach to know that you're going to get a tight end back and a cornerback back," Raiders head coach Tom Cable said, "and a defensive tackle that is going to help us where we're already improving in the run-defense area. But I think it will help Tommy (Kelly) and Richard (Seymour) in terms of taking a few snaps off. They're both playing very well, but they're both playing a lot."

"I feel pretty beat-up," safety Mike Mitchell said. "So it's good that we have some days off to rest and recover, and that's going to be big for us. Because now, people are going to see a 100 percent healthy Raider team, not a beat-up team that we had out there (in the last game)."

Do you feel the energy? Do you feel the difference? I do! Its gone from more of a pessimistic viewpoint of what we should be doing and what we do wrong, to what we are doing right and how we can continue to get better.

The tides are turning and we are on the right path.

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