Silver and Black Report

The Oakland Raiders (2-5) will try to pull off an upset on Sunday and avoid a 13^th straight loss at the hands of the San Diego Chargers (3-3) before they hit the bye week. It will be the 100^th meeting between both clubs, with the Silver & Black holding a 54-43-2 advantage since they began play in 1960. Both teams faced in the season opener and San Diego pulled off a 24-20 victory with a late rally on Monday Night Football.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

Some things have changed; others have not for Oakland since their last meeting with the Chargers. The Silver & Black ran for 148-yards that evening while manhandling the front-seven of the San Diego defense. Oakland has not been able to duplicate that feat since, as the offensive line has gone through some changes and Justin Fargas is now the starting rusher.

Robert Gallery will not return until after the bye week, Darren McFadden may begin to start running next week and Chaz Schilens, who missed practice on Thursday, is listed as doubtful and not likely to play, making his new target date for seeing action in two weeks.

Oakland’s best receiver in 2009 has been Louis Murphy. And against the Chargers, the rookie had 4-catches for 87-yards and a score. But he couldn’t finish practice on Thursday with a sore hip and he won’t be at full strength for Sunday when he plays.

What to Expect:

San Diego has allowed 137.7 rushing yards per game (28^th in the NFL) so far in 2009. But can Oakland mimic their performance from week-one when they ran the ball down the Chargers’ throats? Tom Cable will go with Mario Henderson (LT), Chris Morris (LG), Samson Satele (C), Cooper Carlisle (RG) and Khalif Barnes (RT) for a second straight week. That group will not intimidate the Chargers nor will they push around a defense that is steadily improving. Fargas is tough and will grind out yardage, but it won’t be enough to carry an offense that ranks last in the NFL in total yards per game and last in passing productivity.

On Defense:

After allowing 316 rushing yards to the Jets, the Chargers will try to take advantage of a Raider run defense that is currently allowing 169.7 ground yards per game. “Just keep your butt in that chair, and everything will be fine,” stated Tom Cable, explaining that his defensive has not been disciplined in their responsibilities. “It’s up to each man to do that, and we didn’t do a very good job of it.”

“It is such a basic thing and, obviously, we need to do a better job in practice,” commented defensive lineman Richard Seymour. “Maybe we make practice live (tackling).”

In the season opener, Oakland held the Chargers to 77 yards rushing (21 in the first half), with physical play, disciplined gap control and linebackers and safeties that jolted through San Diego’s blocking schemes.

What to Expect:

San Diego is ranked 31^st in the league rushing the football. But they have a player known to have career games against the Silver & Black and a shifty rusher that can add to the tackling woes of the lackluster defense. The Raiders need to keep that San Diego tandem at running back controlled. If not, it will be another blowout defeat.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

On Offense:

The Chargers have had a tough time running the football. But the cure for their running woes may be the Silver & Black. LaDainian Tomlinson has made a career of torturing the Raiders and is a week removed from having his best outing of the season, when he tallied season high 23-carries for 71-yards against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Meanwhile, the San Diego passing attack is one of the best in the league. Led by Philip Rivers (1,787 passing yards, 59.2 completion %, 96.1 QB rating, 10 TD and only 3 INT), the Chargers are moving the ball at will via the pass and have a wide array of targets to his disposal.

Vincent Jackson (29 rec. 561 yards 4 TD), Antonio Gates (34 rec. 474 yards 2 TD), Darren Sproles (19 rec. 259 yards 2 TD) and Malcom Floyd (9 rec. 187 yards 1 TD) can all break games open along with veteran Chris Chambers.

What to Expect:

San Diego will get their 100+-yards against the Raiders on the ground. But they’ll also mix it up and take advantage of Chris Johnson’s struggles. The Raider cornerback gives up a lot of big plays and has been the weak link in the secondary. The safeties also can be exposed, and when you have one of the best tight ends in the league, its safe to say that getting targets open in the secondary will be an easy task for the Chargers.

On Defense:

San Diego ranks 21^st in points allowed per game (23.8), 28^th in rushing yards allowed (137.7) and 11^th in passing yards allowed per contest (194.7).

The secondary has been re-shuffled in recent weeks and after a solid performance against the Chiefs, defensive coordinator Ron Rivera seems to be happy in the direction they are going. “I think it is a little more physical than it used to be,” Rivera said of the defensive backfield. “There’s a different presence when you have a physical safety. Kevin Ellison is an aggressive, physical guy who brings something extra to what we want to do defensively.”

And what’s the key the rest of the year for this unit?

“Pressure on the quarterback,” cornerback Quentin Jammer said. “We’ve always been a pressure team, and getting back to that has allowed us to play better as a secondary. We got pressure last week and covered well. One game doesn’t mean much on its own, but it is something to build on.”

What to Expect:

The Chargers have looked at what the Jets did to the Raiders and will try to bring the heat with their front-seven. There is no fear of the inaccurate JaMarcus Russell hitting his un-productive targets. So letting Shaun Phillips run wild (2-sacks last week) and un-leashing Shawne Merriman will be on the agenda for the Chargers.

GAME NOTES

• “We know we let one slip away the first game and we don’t want that to happen again,” Zach Miller said of their Monday night match-up week-one “I think we were so physical up front, we were able to get the push on the offensive line and open up holes and then that opened up the play-action game. Once we were hitting the play-action they were complementing each other really well. I think that was a key part.”
• Phillips has 9.5 career sacks versus Oakland.
• Shane Lechler’s 45.0 net punting average is way above his NFL record for a season (41.2). His 52.2 average is currently higher than the league record for a year set in 1940 by Sammy Baugh (51.4)

KEY MATCH-UPS

Which team is able to run the football more consistently?

If the Raiders can, they’ll stay in this game. If they can’t, it will be another blowout defeat. San Diego may not need a strong ground game to win this contest. But if they rush for over 100-yards, chances are, this won’t be a close game going into the 4^th quarter.

Michael Huff and Tyvon Branch vs. Gates

The San Diego offense is at its best when they have the best tight end in the league producing at a high level. Oakland has athletes that can stay with him, but can they slow him down enough to ground a powerful aerial attack?

Which unit is Special?

Sproles can be a dynamic return man. Oakland has missed all the productivity that Johnnie Lee Higgins provided last season. Which one can give their respective team great field position, or points off returns?

PREDICTION

Chargers 27 – Raiders 10

TV & RADIO

The game will be televised on CBS with Dick Enberg providing play-by-play and former NFL player and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts handling color analysis. The game will air in the Bay Area on KPIX Channel 5. The game will also air in Sacramento on KOVR Channel 13 as well as on KHSL in Chico, KION in Monterey and KJEO in Fresno. The game will air on Raiders Radio originating on KSFO 560 AM, the Silver and Black’s Flagship for the multi-state Radio Network. Greg Papa and former Raiders player, assistant and head coach Tom Flores will man the booth for the 12th straight year. The radio pregame show and postgame show will feature Raider Legends George Atkinson and David Humm along with KSFO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information cited from the official Oakland Raiders web site)

GAME INFO

Sunday, November 1, 2009, 1:05 p.m. PT | Qualcomm Stadium, SD, CA

Road Team: Oakland Raiders (2-5) Home: 1-3 Road: 1-2

Home Team: San Diego Chargers (3-3) Home: 1-2 Road: 2-1

Point Spread: Oakland 16 point underdogs

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable addressed the media this morning and updated the status of a few players. He stated that, “ Nick Miller is making some progress….”

He also mentioned receiver Chaz Schilens, who was expected to play against the Jets but suffered a late setback. “Schilens, we’ll see, he’s still pretty sore today,” stated Cable.

Cable informed the media that running back Darren McFadden and offensive linemen Robert Gallery and Cornell Green are improving and that he’ll know Wednesday or Thursday at the latest for their status next weekend against the San Diego Chargers.

In a look back at yesterday’s loss, Cable stated, “We had a number of errors, misalignments on defense. Fifteen missed tackles on defense. Offensively, we turned the ball over three times early in the football game and I thought two out of the three, we really could’ve done something about it, and didn’t.”

When asked whether he felt sure that JaMarcus Russell gave the team the best chance to win versus the Chargers, Cable answered, “Sure I am.”

“He is a strong young man, and I applaud him for that. You want to keep him that way,” Cable commented about the benching on Sunday. “I think he’s trying to bear it, and be strong with it.”

“He’ll learn form this and he’ll grow.”

Cable stated towards the end of the session that, “There’s a lot of football left. I still know that this team is going to succeed this year. To what degree, that will be decided in the next 9 weeks, 10 weeks.” He continued, “the biggest issue for us right now is making sure we take care of each other and this football team.”

Oakland Raiders’ quarterback JaMarcus Russell was pulled in the 2^nd quarter yesterday after committing three turnovers in five possessions. The home crowd booed the erratic passer again, as the Raider Nation got sick of seeing him tally his 13^th turnover of the season and add on to a dreadful 46% pass completion rate.

Russell needed that time out. The Jets attacking defense was overwhelming him. And at this point of his career, he looks like a player weighed down by the burden of carrying this football team.

“I’ve never been in that situation,” Russell said. “It was kind of shocking to me at first.”

The good thing is, Tom Cable still sees him as the starter; as he should.

“I thought he was really out of sorts early in the game,” Cable commented. “I just did not feel like at that point he gave us the best chance to have the success we needed to have offensively and made the move. JaMarcus will continue to be our starter. There is no issue there.”

Oakland pinned all their hopes of rejuvenating this organization on Russell’s strong arm. They paid a hefty price to get him in uniform and now they have to live with the good, and the bad. There has been little good, and many times, just signs of a passer that may never be accurate, that will never lead or show the growth and maturity needed to be a franchise passer. But the Raiders and Cable cannot come to that conclusion now.

Neither Bruce Gradkowski nor Charlie Frye should keep Russell off the field. Regardless of how bad it gets, Oakland has to stick to their former number one overall pick.

This is the risk you take when you select a passer that high in the draft. And ultimately, Russell will likely see another head coach come and go in Oakland before they finally decide to pull the plug on his career. That’s life in the NFL. Especially when Al Davis handpicks you to be the guy and forks over a large sum of money for you to lead his club.

One things for sure though early in this season; Russell is no Mark Sanchez.

“Sanchez was great,” Rex Ryan said of his pupil passer. “He was just smart with the football. I think sometimes he could have put the ball on a receiver, but he was making sure the ball wasn’t intercepted. It was great to see him respond.”

Unlike Russell, Sanchez is accurate, decisive, and cool under pressure, a bookworm and openly expresses his desire to lead a football team. Playing in New York makes life tough for a quarterback, as he saw first hand being the toast of the town after three wins, but getting ripped after every loss during their three-game slide. But he has shown bounce back ability and pride at his craft; all attributes that Russell has not.

Oakland has to endure through Russell’s struggles. They committed to him, now they must find a way to get the most out of him before the word bust is used to describe him.

One thing was clear yesterday though, one young passer seems to have his act together and a organization that is providing a stable environment for him to develop, the other is going through the toughest time of his football career with a club that continues to have no direction and just more losing in their horizon.

JETS RUN FOR 316 YARDS

Through seven games, the Raiders are allowing 169.7 rushing yards per game (30^th in the league). The Jets pounded on the Oakland defense all afternoon, which led to the most lopsided loss in the 50-year history of the franchise. It was the only the fifth time Oakland has been shut out at home, in front of a miniscule crowd of 39, 354 fans, the smallest crowd ever since the team returned in 1995.

“We’ve got to stop the run and we didn’t do that today,” starting middle linebacker Kirk Morrison said.

Oakland has been saying that since 2003, as they have ranked as one of the worst run defending squads consistently during that span.

“When a team runs for 300-plus, it’s everybody,” Cable stated about his entire defense.

The Raiders came out flat, were not inspired and that falls directly on the shoulders of the head coach.

New York came into the game wanting to do one thing; run the football. And the Raiders could not even find a way to slow them down. The Jets lost one of their key rushers – Leon Washington – early in the game, so John Marshall’s squad could have taken advantage of a key loss. But rookie Shonn Greene, who had 30-yards total coming into the game, danced through the defensive line consistently and tallied 144 yards and two scores.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

OAKLAND, CA — Oakland Raiders tackle Khalif Barnes talks about his play versus the New York Jets.

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OAKLAND, CA — Running back Justin Fargas and wide receiver Louis Murphy talk to the media after the Raiders 38-0 defeat at the hands of the New York Jets.

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OAKLAND, CA — Bruce Gradkowski, who replaced JaMarcus Russell this afternoon during their 38-0 defeat against the New York Jets, talked to the media and SBReport.net was there to capture what he had to say.

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OAKLAND — Oakland Raiders’ quarterback JaMarcus Russell talks to the media after the 38-0 home loss to the New York Jets. Russell was benched in the second quarter in favor of back-up Bruce Gradkowski.
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QUARTERBACKS: F

The loudest cheers during this lowly contest were of fans happy to see Bruce Gradkowski in at quarterback for the ineffective JaMarcus Russell. Oakland pulled their pricey young passer after he went 6-for-11 for 61 yards with 2 interceptions and a lost fumble. Russell had three turnovers in four possessions and after the fifth drive, the coaching staff and crowd had seen enough. The former number one overall pick was sacked on the opening play of the game and lost the football, giving the Jets a start at the Oakland 4-yard line. Russell again showed poor pocket presence, was oblivious to the incoming pressure, locked down the field to his target and victimized the offense with his lack of awareness. On a 2^nd and 8 a few drives later, he was blitzed, panicked and lofted a pass into Jim Leonhard’s hands that was returned 44-yards to the Oakland 4-yard line. Russell has accounted for 13 turnovers and completed only 46% of his passes. Gradkowski finished 10-of-19 for 97 yards. He attempted to go long on his first pass to Louis Murphy, but Darrelle Revis broke up the toss. In his first drive of the second half, Gradkowski eluded blitzing defenders and ran for a 20-yard gain. But a few plays later Calvin Pace stripped him while scrambling on 3^rd and 5.

RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS: B

This grade is solely based on Justin Fargas’ constant professionalism. He ran 8 times for 67-yards and added 3 receptions for 23-yards. Fargas was one of the few Raiders who showed up ready to play and did not give up when the game was out of reach. Michael Bush had another non-eventful performance, carrying the football 8 times for 25-yards. After a solid outing last week, Gary Russell was silent as a ball carriers and pass catcher.

WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS: F

Louis Murphy had 4 grabs for 58-yards, but most of those stats were compiled during garbage time. The rookie out of Florida hurt the Raiders on offense on their second drive, dropping a catch able pass on 3^rd and 3. He tried to take out a Jets defender at the end of Tony Stewart’s 19-yard reception on a 3^rd and 10 in the first quarter, but got shook up after the huge impact. Darrius Heyward-Bey had 2 receptions for 28-yards, but again was a non-threat. His 24-yard grab in the first quarter was probably the best executed pass play of the afternoon, as the Jets blitzed and Russell was able to sit in the pocket and fire a dart to the rookie. Heyward-Bey had his hands on a fade pattern late in the 4^th quarter that he should have come down with in the end zone. Zach Miller had only 2 receptions and Todd Watkins again had drops, and was no help to Russell on a pass that Revis made a spectacular play on to haul in the interception.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F

The Jets came into the game allowing 148 rushing yards per during their three-game slide. And with no Kris Jenkins, the Raiders offensive line was not able to establish themselves for any sustained drives. They allowed 3 sacks and were confused at times when Rex Ryan attacked with his blitzing 3-4 fronts. The Jets also played without Shaun Ellis, who left the game in the 1^st quarter with an ankle injury.

DEFENSIVE LINE: F

Oakland let the Jets run wild for 316 yards on the ground. Thomas Jones followed up his career outing last week with 121 yards and a score. Rookie Shonn Greene tallied his first 2 touchdowns of his career and 144 yards rushing. Greene came on when New York’s multi-dimensional rusher Leon Washington was lost with a broken leg earlier in the contest. The Jets’ offensive line dominated from the start. Richard Seymour was flagged for a personal foul on a 3^rd and 5 after the Raiders held and forced an incompletion out of Mark Sanchez.

LINEBACKERS: F

This group missed tackles, was out of position and when John Marshall sold out to stop the run with this corps, it just put them in bad configurations all afternoon. Kirk Morrison almost got an interception in the 4^th quarter; one of the few times he dropped back into zone and the front-four applied pressure. It seemed like every time the Raiders run blitzed, the Jets took advantage of missing defenders on the second level.

SECONDARY: D

Chris Johnson was bad again. David Clowney torched him on the 35-yard touchdown reception and on a 19-yard grab on 3^rd and 6. The Jets were hurt at wide receiver this week, playing without Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith. In the 2^nd quarter, Stanford Routt was flagged for defensive holding on a 3^rd and 5 that was not converted. Michael Huff saved a few big plays as the last line of defender on many runs. Unfortunately for Oakland, many of those times, the Jets already had ripped through the defense for big chunks.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

The Jets toyed with the Raiders punt coverage team in the first quarter with a fake punt. Steven Weatherford ran for 16-yards before Isaiah Ekejiuba could make the stop, with the majority of the coverage team with their backs to the punter. Jonathan Holland has been futile on kickoff returns. He puts no fear on opposing coverage teams and the blocking on kickoffs has been dreadful.

COACHING: F

With a second home game after a solid performance last week in front of the ‘Black Hole’, Tom Cable’s bunch missed a great opportunity to send a message to their fan base and the rest of the NFL that they were in fact turning the corner. The Raiders came out flat, were not inspired and played a horrendous game at home against a team that had a struggling rookie passer, many of their best players inactive, a first year coach trying to steer his team away from a fourth straight loss while traveling across country for their lone west coast visit. Cable takes a big hit for this performance. Now he has to play psychologist in dealing with Russell and his benching.

GAME NOTES

• Former Raiders head coach Bill Callahan – who was at the helm during Oakland’s last winning season in 2002 – now the assistant head coach/offensive line coach for the Jets, was showered after the game with a Gatorade bath. Callahan’s team in 2002 led the NFL in passing and set new team records for total offensive yards (6,237), first downs (366), first downs passing (226), passes attempted (619), passes completed (418), passing yards (4,689) and highest completion percentage (67.5).
• TV cameras caught Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the sidelines. “I want to apologize for that,” he said. “I wasn’t feeling very good and didn’t eat much before the game, so I was feeling a little queasy. Toward the end of the game, I probably should have eaten one of those bars or something, but someone offered [a hot dog], so I grabbed it and tried to be discreet about it, but obviously not discreet enough. So I shouldn’t have done that, and it won’t happen again.”
• Seymour, who talked earlier in the week about the Raiders making the playoffs stated after the loss, “I don’t think we could have beaten an Oakland high school team today.”
• Cable stated about his quarterback situation, “I thought [Russell] was really out of sorts early in the game. I just did not feel like at that point he gave us the best chance to have the success we needed to have offensively and made the move. JaMarcus will continue to be our starter. There is no issue there.”

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Sunday October 25, 2009

DeMarcus Davis, Staff Writer SBREPORT.NET, Raiderfans.net

Oakland, CA – How would the Raiders look the week following their stunning win against the high flying Philadelphia Eagles? Would they come out on defense and give the young rookie QB Mark Sanchez multiple looks and bring the pressure? Or would this be the run stuffing defense that almost silenced the San Diego Chargers in the season opener? The answer would be neither. The offense took four steps backwards from anemia and the defense predictably looked…well..predictable (again).

The Raiders elected to receive the ball after winning the coin toss and had to start with bad field position inside their own 10 yard line. Things would go horribly worng from that initial snap on through the rest of the game.

JaMarcus Russell’s lack of pocket awareness once again cropped it ugly head when the Oakland Raiders elected to receive the ball first and chose to pass the ball from it’s own 10-yard line. By the time Russell dropped back to pass, a defender from the right side of the line (non-blind side), stripped the ball to cause a fumble inside the Raiders’ 5 yard line. The Jets would go for it on 4th down after getting the run stuffed on three consecutive downs. The Jets would score a 4th down touchdown with another run to strike first 7-0.

The Raiders second bite of the apple would prove to be fruitless as well as they go 3-and-out; a seemingly all too frequent occurrence in Raiderland. At least the Oakland defense, on the Jets’ next offensive drive, showed some pride by forcing New York to punt. All would be rendered moot because after having temporarily sustaining a drive on catches from WR Todd Watkins and DHB (which brought on a loud chorus of cheers from the home crowd), Russell would throw an interception directly to a Jet defender while pressure was being brought down on him. The pass looked to have been intended for TE Tony Stewart, who was approx. 7-10 yards behind the defender. The ball would then be returned bak to inside the Raiders’ 5 yard line…AGAIN. This time, New York’s fanchise rookie QB Mark Sanchez ran the ball into the endzone to put his Jets up 14-0.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for Russell…after his offense marched up the field for multiple and sizable yardage runs, Russell elected to go for all the marbles by throwing to WR Todd Watkins in the endzone against single coverage with their stud cornerback Darrelle Revis. This pass too would be intercepted, (by Revis), for a touchback. After a strong defensive stand by Oakland, the Jets would draw up a fake punt for a 16 yard run by their punter to add insult to injury. Thankfully, the Jets could do nothing with the extended drive and would eventually be forced to punt.

Raider running back Justin Fargas would rip off a 35 yard run; about the only thing going right for the Raiders at this point in the game. Russell’s arm again would become a liability as he nearly threw another interception to an open defender on a scramble play on a crucial 3rd down play and would be forced to punt.

Fast forward to mid-way into the 2nd quarter with the Jets in possession; the Raider defense now showing signs of a slight breakdown with either tackling too high or not getting pressure on the QB. Of course, just as I type that, the Raiders bring the heat on Sanchez. But, (and you knew there would be a but), the Raiders would be called with a defensive holding on DB Stanford Routt to extend the Jets’ drive. New York would later score on a touchdown run to widen their lead to 21-0.

At about the 5:45 mark in the 2nd quarter, the Raider crowd would erupt in boisterous cheer and applause as QB Bruce Gradkowski entered the game in place of the long time struggling JaMarcus Russell. Gradkowski immediately threw the ball deep to WR Louis Murphy, but was broken up by the Jets’ Revis; a play in which should have had an illegal contact penalty against Revis for hitting Murphy’s facemask before the ball arrived. Gradkowski would later hit TE Zach Miller on 3rd down, but was short of the 1st down marker. In any event, he drive didn’t end with a turnover nor did the QB look flustered, lost, or exhibit a lack of football I.Q. and pocket awareness.

The 1st half would end shortly after a New York field goal to push the score to 24-0.

Gradkowski would man the helm for the Raider offense for their opening drive of the 3rd quarter and would become an instant sensation as he scrambled for 20 yards after having surveyed the field and opting to run it instead. In fact, Gradkowski’s quarterback play early on was perhaps the most positive QB play the Raiders have seen thus far this season. That sliver of optimism would come to a halt when Gradkowski would get the ball knocked away for a fumble when a weak-side defender hit Gradkowski from behind on a scramble play. he Jets would recover the ball. New York would then later strike paydirt on a deep pass for a touchdown with CB Chris Johnson on the man coverage to make the score 31-0. As a matter of fact, man coverage was back in effect for most of the game; a game plan that has been a disaster for the majority of the season.

The situation in Oakland regarding non-aggressive man coverage defense and blitzing from multiple looks is almost exactly what happened last season when the then defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was heavily criticized from not blitzing (5 times all game) against the Denver Broncos in Oakland. That night, the Raiders were embarrassed by Denver with a score of 41-14. QB Jay Cutler had al day to pick the man coverage apart. Following the game, former Raider Head Coach Lane Kiffin stated, “…Rob Ryan runs the defense and consults with owner Al Davis on how to do the job.” Ryan then responded, “That’s all on me. I put the game plan in, I run the defense, and it’s all on me. I just want to set it straight because I’ve been here five years and I don’t think people necessarily have the right story. I’m disappointed, but I just wanted to tell my side of the story for once because there’s so many other things that come out where I have to read it and take it and I just want the truth as I know the truth ….. I meet with Mr. Davis in the offseason. I don’t meet with him on game plans or come up with all this. It’s amazing when things like this come out when we have a bad week. Put it on me, that’s where it belongs. I’m the man that runs the defense.” (quote courtesy of espn.com)

Amazingly, the Raiders game out strong the next game and gave the Kansas City Chiefs hell by blitzing and showing multiple looks and won that game in an impressive fashion 23-8. But the defense went right back to man coverage the following week and lost in Buffalo.

Last week, the Oakland Raiders stunned the Eagles by pounding QB Donovan McNabb with blitzes and zone coverages that confused the #2 rated offensive team in the NFL following heavy criticism of Al Davis and the lack of any willingness to blitz heavy and often. The win seemed to sooth most critics for the week. But history repeated itself when the Jets came into town. The Raiders went back to man coverage and got 31 points put on them. (Whoops…spoke too soon. The Jets just ran right through the teeth of the defense to score another touchdown. It’s now 38-0 at this point)

The common theme is to play man coverage on defense until enough criticism gets dolled out. Then let he coaches run with their game plan. The team wins big with a winning gameplan, but then abandons it the next game with a rookie quarterback as an opponent who has looked like a rookie in his last few games.

The Oakland Raiders (2-4) will face the New York Jets (3-3) this Sunday at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for the second straight season. The Silver & Black hold a 20-14-2 advantage over the Jets in regular season contests, with the Raiders winning 16-13 in overtime last season when Sebastian Janikowski booted a franchise record 57-yard field goal.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

Ok, so Chaz Schilens may not be ready for this week’s match-up against the Jets. It appeared that the second year wide receiver would make his debut this season on Sunday, but soreness in his left foot prevented him from finishing practice on Friday. “It’s really more soreness than anything else,” Raiders coach Tom Cable commented. “So we shut him down to not push it too far.”

Cable planned to split time between Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy and Schilens. And a slight boost in the passing attack was expected with a guy who the team feels is the best receiver on the roster.

What to Expect:

Regardless of whether he plays or not, Oakland has to run the football consistently with Justin Fargas. His rugged style of running gave the Raiders a boost last weekend in their win, and at this point, he is their best option at running back with Darren McFadden sidelined and not producing and Michael Bush not making the most of his chances when he is in there. “I have a fondness for him in that he plays the game the way you’re supposed to,” Cable said about Fargas. “He’s just all out and really doesn’t worry about his body. He just goes at the defense a thousand miles per hour. Let the smoke clear and do it again. I like that. Our team needs that.”

If Oakland can move the chains on the ground against a Jets team that has allowed 148 rushing yards per game during their three-game slide, they will be able to notch their second consecutive victory.

On Defense:

Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis are both suffering through ailments that cut curtail their effectiveness this week. Seymour did not practice due to stomach-flu like symptoms and Ellis went through another week of knee problems.

The obvious difference defensively for the Raiders last weekend was the amount of blitzes they attacked the Eagles with. Defensive coordinator John Marshall stated there could have been more, but the scenarios presented prevented more of what was an onslaught of defenders attacking Donovan McNabb, “What happened sometimes is you call a pressure but because of formation or something you get checked out of it. I think what they remember are how may huddle calls were pressure oriented. Because of formations or whatever might be happening offensively you might be checking out of it. So you don’t really run how many you call during the game.”

What to Expect:

Mark Sanchez is struggling, and even though the Raiders defensive coordinator stated that their blitzing is based on the strength of the opponent’s offensive line, Oakland should keep the intense pressure on this weekend. The Jets have a formidable line protecting Sanchez, but the rookie is playing so poorly right now, its in the Raiders best interest to try to rattle him and force him into miscues with early pressure.

NEW YORK JETS

On Offense:

“This is where good players either figure it out or they don’t,” said Sanchez. “This is a good test for me. As difficult as it is, I want to ace it.”

Sanchez has committed at least one turnover in five of his games, with nine in the last three. So Brian Schottenheimer has scaled back the offense this week in hope of getting the player that made headlines in the big city by opening the campaign with a perfect 3-0 start.

Jerricho Cotchery will not play for a second straight contest. “I don’t want to be out there for five games just half speed,” said Cotchery, New York’s leading receiver with 24 catches for 360 yards and a touchdown. “I just want to be out there ready to go full speed and be able to help the offense and not hinder the offense. That’s the focus to get back to full speed so I can get out there and be who I want to be.”

What to Expect:

Thomas Jones rushed for a career high 210 yards last week versus Buffalo. The offensive line is in tact, and head coach Rex Ryan wants to get back to basics with his young passer. When he does drop back; look for Braylon Edwards to be his main target and tight end Dustin Keller, who also has disappeared in recent weeks.

On Defense:

How much of an impact will Kris Jenkins loss be? Sione Pouha, Howard Green, Marques Douglas, Mike DeVito and Ropati Pitoitua are just some of the names the Jets will have to utilize to try to replace the former All-Pro defensive tackle, who will miss the remainder of the season with a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

“We’re going to roll that whole group,” Ryan said. “I feel confident with this group, I really do. Obviously, you don’t have the huge bell cow in Kris Jenkins, but we’re certainly going to be good enough with this group of guys.”

What to Expect:

The Jets will continue mixing up their defensive fronts, going to a 4-3 look to confuse opponents, who generally prepare for their 3-4 schemes. The Jets have dropped to the bottom of the league in sacks. So pressure will be applied this week to Oakland’s re-schuffled offensive line. Ryan will put JaMarcus Russell’s decision making to the test.

GAME NOTES

• Tom Cable was relieved to hear this week that the Napa District Attorney’s office decided not to charge him with assault in the alleged altercation with Randy Hanson. He stated: “Ok, the whole experience was interesting to me, humbling to me. I’m obviously very thankful that the authorities did the the throughness that they did in terms of getting the facts and all that. Other than that, really, my family and friends really supported me through it. Never let it become a distraction because as I mentioned many times, I just had a lot of faith. I knew what happened, and it’s just amazing what happens. Like I always tell you guys, I respect what you have to do, but it certainly got made out to be more than it needed to be. But it’s done, and now the focus is even more so on the next opponent, which is the Jets.”
• Raiders that will be out for Sunday are: LG Robert Gallery (broken fibula), RB Darren McFadden (knee), T Cornell Green (calf) and LB Ricky Brown (ankle).

KEY MATCH-UPS

Can Oakland take advantage of Jenkins’ absence?

He was the Jets anchor. And they struggled to stop the run the last three-weeks with him in the line-up. Now, without Jenkins, can the Jets slow down a tough running Fargas and force Oakland to drop back Russell more than they want?

Find Leon, and stop him!

The Jets all-purpose threat has accounted for 842 yards on offense and special teams. Oakland has to be aware of his presence as a rusher, pass catcher and return man.

Russell vs. Ryan

Ryan likes to bring the kitchen sink. And Russell has not proven to be a decisive decision maker. Russell can lock in on targets, so that can make it easy on the Jets when blitzing to play tight on receivers and come up with big momentum swinging plays.

PREDICTION

Raiders 17 – Jets 16

TV & RADIO

The game will be televised on CBS with Greg Gumbel providing play-by-play and former NFL player and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf handling color analysis. If sold out per NFL blackout rules, the game will air in the Bay Area on KPIX Channel 5. The game will also air in Sacramento on KOVR Channel 13 as well as on KHSL in Chico, KION in Monterey and KJEO in Fresno. The game will air on Raiders Radio originating on KSFO 560 AM, the Silver and Black’s Flagship for the multi-state Radio Network. Greg Papa and former Raiders player, assistant and head coach Tom Flores will man the booth for the 12th straight year. The radio pregame show and postgame show will feature Raider Legends George Atkinson and David Humm along with KSFO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information cited from the official Oakland Raiders web site)

GAME INFO

Sunday, October 25, 2009, 1:05 p.m. PT | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, OAK

Home Team: Oakland Raiders (2-4) Home: 1-2 Road: 1-2

Road Team: New York Jets (3-3) Home: 2-1 Road: 1-2

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist