Down 17 points, Oakland erased the deficit early in the 4^th quarter when Josh McCown led an eight-play, 70-yard drive, which ended in a scoring pass to fullback Justin Griffith. The home-opening crowd was electric and a new found enthusiasm was generated with the 21-20 lead, especially after Kiffin huddled his team after that score and urged his players to get stops.

That didn’t happen, as Jon Kitna quickly replied with a seven-play drive on the ensuing possession that finished with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Shaun McDonald.

McCown was intercepted on his following drive, Jason Hanson kicked a 23-yard field goal and after another turnover immediately after going up 29-21, the Lions put the game away with a Tatum Bell 14-yard score.

“In the fourth quarter, when it got loud, we didn’t blink,” Kitna said. “We kept executing and doing what we needed to do.”

“It just makes me sick,” McCown stated about his performance. “I dwell more on the negatives right now, the turnovers and the things like that. Those are the things that I go over and over in my mind.”

The starter for Oakland ended 30-of-40 for 313-yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Fans shouted for back-up Daunte Culpepper, but Kiffin was steadfast on who his quarterback was. “Fans have the right to their opinions,” Kiffin said. “After the third touchdown in a row they weren’t chanting for Daunte anymore.”

Sebastian Janikowski missed three field goals and Oakland had eight penalties. “We’re not finishing our drives and it’s something happening here or there,” Kiffin said. “Whether it’s a false start here or a missed assignment there, just something little.”

Calvin Johnson tallied four catches for 70-yards and a score in his NFL debut.

Ronald Curry had a touchdown and 10 receptions for 133-yards.

“We’re looking better,” running back LaMont Jordan commented. “You always want to look better than you did last year because we looked awful last year. Taking the next step is becoming a winning team, and we obviously didn’t do that.”

“It was in our hands,” outside linebacker Sam Williams stated after the 36-21 defeat. “We didn’t finish.”

Here are exclusive images from our game coverage from that afternoon:

Rookie Calvin Johnson exploited the Raiders secondary.

LaMont Jordan compiled 70-yards on 15-carries, as well as 89-yards receiving. In the above picture, he celebrated a third quarter score which cut the Lions lead to 17-14.

Jerry Porter had 2 catches for 26-yards.

Defensive lineman Tommy Kelly (#93) working against Jeff Backus.

During pre-game, Michael Huff, Nnamdi Asomugha and Stuart Schweigert got themselves amped-up. ”We want the game in our hands, and it was at the end,” Schweigert said after the loss. “We just didn’t stop them. That’s disappointing.”

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The faithful at Lambeau were treated to a 38-7 victory and the end of a two-year playoff draught. Ryan Grant rushed for a career high 156-yards on 29-carries with a score. “I can’t say enough about Ryan Grant,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said at the time. “I think he’s really coming into his own.”

Brett Favre went 15-of-23 for 266 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Greg Jennings had an 80-yard scoring reception in the third quarter and Will Blackmon had a fumble recovery in the end zone during the rout.

Blackmon earlier in the game returned a punt 57-yards for a score, giving the Packers a 14-0 lead. The return was the first to hit paydirt since the Raiders had drafted Shane Lechler.

“I don’t think Shane has ever had a punt return for a TD, and the dude stepped out of bounds on that one,” said Warren Sapp after the game. “Everybody was against us today; that’s why we got 38 points put up on us.”

Josh McCown was under center for the Silver & Black, ending 7-of-15 for 110-yards, one score and two interceptions, before Andrew Walter came in and posted 38-yards on 5-of-8 completions.

The starter was ill that weekend with a stomach virus and was overwhelmed throughout the contest. “I battled as much as I could,” McCown commented. “It is what it is. It’s unfortunate.”

The Raiders were 3-13 on third downs, had nine penalties for 62-yards and had three turnovers. Green Bay amassed 445-yards of offense –179 on the ground – while playing in chilly conditions.

“I don’t think the cold didn’t tackle today,” then coach Lane Kiffin said. “I don’t think the cold threw incompletions today. I don’t think the cold had nine penalties. We did.”

Here’s a look at that game via images from our game archives:

Jerry Porter scored on a 25-yard pass in the 2nd quarter to cut into the Green Bay lead, 14-7.

Justin Fargas ran for 57-yards, but left the game with bruised ribs. ”You expect to win every game. But we didn’t play well today as a team and they were the better team today,” he stated after the game.

Thomas Howard (#53) kept his eyes on Brett Favre (#4) prior to a snap.

One of the few thrills on defense for the fans was when Warren Sapp (#99) slammed running back Vernand Morency (#34).

Tight end Tony Stewart (#86) and Justin Fargas (#25) share a post-game prayer with their opponents.

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As Adrian Peterson watched from the sideline – due to injury – Chester Taylor tallied 202-total yards of offense and three scores, in a 29-22 Minnesota win.

The Vikings tried their best to keep Oakland in the game with four first half turnovers, which led to four of Sebastian Janikowski’s five field goals.

A banged up Josh McCown could not start, giving away to Daunte Culpepper, who had his best years as pro with the Vikings. “You can’t predict emotions,” Culpepper before his appearance at the Metrodome. “When you go to a place that you played before, obviously emotion is going to be part of it.”

Facing one of the league’s worst pass defenses, Culpepper ended 23/39 for 344-yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“I thought Daunte was a warrior today,” then Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said. “I thought he played really well.”

Some of the shinning moments for the Raiders included highlight reel receptions by receiver Ronald Curry. At the start of the 2nd quarter, he was able to jump between two-defenders and snare a bomb from Daunte Culpepper for a 49-yard gain. In the process of coming down with the football, Curry lost his helmet and controlled the reception as he hit the turf.

Oakland’s run defense was abysmal that season and at the end of the afternoon, it was their seventh time in twelve weeks that the Silver & Black allowed a rusher to break the 100-yard mark.

During post-game interviews, Warren Sapp took exception of Tim Dwight’s mental error at the end of the game. Dwight had a false start, which led to a 10-second run off and cost the Raiders a chance at a scoring chance.

“I’m going to be where I’m supposed to be when I’m supposed to be there,” Sapp said. “I’m going to know the snap count. I’m not going to jump offside on a spike play. Where the hell are you going? That makes no sense. Just when you think you’ve seen it all in 13 years, here’s something else.”

Warren Sapp (#99) and Thomas Howard (#53) didn’t have much to celebrate after the Vikings compiled 228-rushing yards and 478 total yards of offense on November 18, 2007.

Ronald Curry enjoyed his stunning 49-yard grab, after losing his helmet. He ended with 4-catches for 120-yards.

Here’s a link to the Monday Morning Musings’ article for this contest.

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The then 32-year old learned a week earlier from Mike Shanahan, who called a time-out right before Sebastian Janikowski’s potential game winner against the Broncos. The Raider kicker nailed the first field goal, which was blown dead, but missed the ensuing attempt.

Browns kicker Phil Dawson was lining up for a final kick, but his initial attempt, which split the uprights, was disallowed after Kiffin called a late-second time out.

“The rookie coach learned something from the veteran last week,” commented wide receiver Ronald Curry.

Tommy Kelly blocked the final kick and Oakland snapped an 11-game losing streak with a thrilling 26-24 victory.

“I told [the official] I was going to call it, and he gave me the ‘You’re going to have to give me the signal,’” Kiffin detailed. “I guess I don’t have as many years in the league as Mike. I got it in a second later than I wanted, but it worked out.”

Derek Anderson drove the Browns from their own 9-yard line to the Raiders 23 in the final 1:04 without a time out. “I actually didn’t hear the timeout or the whistle,” Dawson said at the end of the contest. “I thought we had won the game. They did a good job of waiting until the last second to call the timeout.”

Here are some shots from the game from SBReport.net’s archive:

Kirk Morrison (#52) tallied his third interception of the season early in that contest.

Ronald Curry scored on a 41-yard pass from Josh McCown in the 2nd quarter and ended with 3-receptions for 62-yards.

LaMont Jordan (#34) had 29-carries for 121-yards and a touchdown. Facing a 3rd and 23 in the 4th quarter, Oakland moved the chains with a screen to Jordan that went for 27-yards, leading to a key Janikowski field goal. ”It feels good. It’s a good start,” Jordan said. “My name will be the one in the headlines, but I’m happy for my offensive linemen.”

Warren Sapp (#99) gobbles up Jamal Lewis. Cleveland’s leading rusher ended the game with 56-yards on 15-carries. ”They don’t ask you how you get them done, they just ask did you,” commented Sapp. ”We’re a ballclub that is trying to learn how to win. Last week, we took a step closer and this week we got over the hump.”

Michael Huff (#24), Stuart Schweigert (#30) and Gerard Warren (#61) swamp Joe Thomas on the game’s final play – a blocked field goal.

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Stay logged on to SBReport.net for exclusive coverage of tomorrow’s game between the Browns and the Raiders. SBReport will be there live to bring you images from the O.co Coliseum.

The Oakland Raiders introduced Hue Jackson as their next head coach, but most of that took a backseat to the other juice topics that were bantered about by the aging owner who had not given a state of the union address in quite some time.

Here are some of the highlights of the press conference, along with my analysis of the happenings:

Al Davis on Shane Lechler’s emotional outburst after Tom Cable was not retained:

“My first reaction was three years ago, if you get out your newspaper, Shane said publicly he wasn’t coming back, he didn’t like it here,’’ Davis commented. “A month later, he was coming back because I gave him the highest paid contract of a specialist in pro football.’’

ANALYSIS:

Davis pretty much said to his punter, ‘shut it up,  you are getting paid heavily for what you do and your two-cents have no bearing on what I will do with my club.’

Davis on Nnamdi Asomugha & Richard Seymour:

The owner stated that with the money remaining on the cornerback’s deal, “that 17 million dollars can bring you two or three players that can help you win.’’

He also talked to Asomugha about possible trade rumors, and he got this response from him: “’No. I want to stay. I don’t want to go.’”

“You may not think it was a good trade [with New England]. I thought it was a great trade. Still do.’’

ANALYSIS:

Asomugha is respected in the community, is a vital part to the Raiders future success and a player you want to keep around. But the owner is right, not at that ridiculous price tag, especially for what he brings to the table. He’s not a ‘game altering’ cornerback in the mold of a Deion Sanders or Rod Woodson, so being heavily paid is expected, but not obscenely over-paid. Oh, and Davis is right, the Seymour trade has been a good one for Oakland. They don’t have a 1^st rounder in the 2011 draft, but Seymour’s leadership and presence will pay dividends with the many young defenders they have on that unit.

Davis on Darrius Heyward-Bey:

“He’s going to be good. [Has] explosion. He can catch, he’s getting better, and he’s a good guy. He’s going to be good.’’

ANALYSIS:

If he becomes ‘good,’ that still won’t justify the money given and how high Oakland drafted him. Especially when they passed up other more productive options that have become legitimate weapons in the league. Davis knows he screwed that one up, but there’s no way he’s going to say that today, or ever.

Davis on Tom Cable’s lawsuits (Randy Hanson and Marie Lutz):

“That lawsuit created a tremendous amount of work, stress and turmoil,” Davis said. “Tom had been told earlier in his career that he could have been fired without pay for the wrath he brought on the Raider organization.”

“We had been in turmoil for about a year or two after the initial stuff came out and so I just didn’t think we needed another uproar at this particular time,” Davis stated. “Two roads. You can choose Road A or Road B, either way.”

ANALYSIS:

Davis lived with all this for far too long. If he was really that annoyed by the issues Cable brought upon the organization, he shouldve just axed him as soon as the stress became evident. Through all of this, I will say, more power to Cable, who had to deal with a sour owner, a team in disarray and the looming losing culture in the locker room.

On the Randy Hanson saga:

“Can’t get the story,” Davis said. “You know, it’s like Gitmo. Trying to find out, did they waterboard those guys or not? No, really. It’s hard to believe. How many guys went in? Four guys went into the room with a guy, the guys comes out with a broken jaw and no one saw it.”

ANALYSIS:

Davis stated he still does not know how Hanson’s jaw was broken. They should’ve had Benny Hill music playing in the background during this point of the press conference.

Davis on Free-Agent hits and misses and other moves:

“I have made mistakes. Yes, there’s no question about it, and you got to have great players. But you also, sometimes, have the players and don’t get it done. So, you’re saying, should I take some of the blame? I certainly do.”

ANALYSIS:

One never to shy away from the heat, Davis admitted many of moves have been the downfall of the organization. Self-realization is a tough thing, and harder on older prideful men that had a golden touch in their prime. Davis does deserve a lot of the blame, but he should also be given his rightful credit when things break right. Unfortunately, there have been more misses and his meddling ways along with over-bearing nature are one of the many reasons this organization has been and could remain in a rut.

On Cable’s Raiders not ‘losers’ anymore comment:

“If that’s not being a loser in our world, I don’t know what it is, come in .500. That’s never been my goal.”

ANALYSIS:

Davis has to be realistic. Yes, the goal for every team is to win the Super Bowl. But lets be real here, Oakland has been the laughingstock of the NFL for many years and Cable had to deal with a crotchety owner, an all-time bust at quarterback and a losing culture. Getting this team to 8-8 was an accomplishment, and whether the owner wants to admit it or not, a hell of a job. Yes, ‘Just Win, baby!’ and other mantras have been a part of the Raiders mystique. You don’t get that overnight and Cable was just saying the right thing at the right time about the players he worked hard for.

Davis on Lane Kiffin:

“I beat him because he lied. He’s a liar. He lied to you guys.”

ANALYSIS:

Beating a dead horse here…it has to bother Davis that Kiffin is at USC.

On new stadium:

“We don’t have the resources that other teams have, but, but, I think we’ve shown that we can compete. It’s a question now of winning, and doing better than them. But it depends on what happens in the collective bargaining agreement.”

ANALYSIS:

The coliseum is a dump. Plain and simple, it’s an archaic facility that has a lot of greta memories to some, but in the real world of dollars and cents, Oakland needs to get a new stadium with better amenities in hopes to generate more revenue. For an organization that prides itself in such history and having greatness in the future, it’s a shame they play in one of the worst facilities in all of sports.

Davis on 18-game schedule:

“There’s no question that the ownership wants it, and Roger seems to have a way of getting things done if he wants it. So I’d rather not say what I think but I think the business of injury is overplayed.”

ANALYSIS:

Cha-ching. Off course ownership wants it… $$$$$!

Davis bantering with Raiders beat reporter Paul Gutierrez:

“Your free-agent number is off… it’s ridiculous…”

ANALYSIS:

Tim Kawakami had some funny exchanges as well with Davis. Heck, the owner likes to keep the media on the edge of their seats. Comical, embarrassing, discomforting – who knows what is Davis’ intentions? One of the reasons why seeing a Davis presser was like watching Romper Room, and seeing the Magic Mirror, when we were children.

Davis on key games in 2010:

“We messed up the Miami game. We messed up the Jacksonville game.”

ANALYSIS:

He stated that the defense was disappointing, and one of the reasons why he was furious about how the team missed out on the playoffs. He has every right to, the Dolphins dismantled the Raiders, as the Silver & Black gave a horrid effort after Jacoby Ford’s opening kickoff, and they lost two 10-point second half leads in Jacksonville.

Hue Jackson on his goal:

“We are going to build a bully here.”

ANALYSIS:

First build a consistent winner. You are not going to bully anyone with an 8-8 record. Opponents will fear you when you win, and do it consistently.

Davis scolding a Raider PR staffer:

“you f*cked that up,”

ANALYSIS:

Ha – Davis was not done yapping when the first segment of the briefing was closed. He wanted to continue. Man, if that’s how he addresses employees in public, imagine behind the scenes? Screw Donald Trump, we need Davis to host ‘the Apprentice.’

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The story stated that $120,000 worth of fines were collected by the Oakland Raiders and in turn, the former head coach has filed a grievance with the NFL.

Roger Goodell will appoint an arbitrator that will handle the proceedings, then the Silver & Black and Cable will submit their arguments before the final ruling.

The league will investigate why the fines were imposed on the ex-coach.

This is not the first time Davis has been embroiled in legal matters with coaches.

Lane Kiffin field a grievance against the Raiders when he was fired for monetary reasons, but the arbitrator ruled in favor of Davis. Mike Shanahan coached the Raiders to a 8-12 record in 1988-89. After he was jettisoned, the coach claimed that Davis owed him $250,000 in severance from his service.

“I was a little disappointed, to be honest with you. When you take a look at it, I was there 582 days. Lane Kiffin was there 616 days. So, what it really means is that Al Davis liked Lane more than he liked me,” Shanahan joked during a press conference in October of 2008.

Reportedly, Davis was upset about losing two days of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in June 2010. Cable operated throughout the season with little signs of distress and lead the Raiders to their best record since the 2002 season, snapping a seven year stretch of losing campaigns.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Colts trailed 14-13 after Justin Fargas’ 2-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter. Fargas ran for 89-yards on 26-carries, while former Colt Dominic Rhodes added another 41-yards on the ground.

Peyton Manning, who connected with Anthony Gonzalez with 4:49 remaining, to give Indianapolis a 21-14 lead, eventually foiled Oakland. That drive, the hall of fame bound  passer completed all seven of his tosses, including a 3^rd and 3 conversion to Reggie Wayne, working against Nnamdi Asomugha, for 19-yards and orchestrated a 11-play 91-yard game winning drive. With Marvin Harrison out, Gonzalez tallied 86-yards receiving and Wayne had to pull off a stellar one-handed snag against Asomugha to keep the vital drive alive late in the contest.

Manning was 22/39 for 276-yards for one score and one interception. “It’s one of those drives that you just do at the right time,” Manning said. “Part of it kind of makes you wish we could have done that earlier in the game and not have to rely on that, but it’s always nice to know that you’re capable of doing it — starting on our own 9, backed up, and a hostile crowd. It feels good to be able to get that touchdown.”

The Raiders dropped to 4-10 in the season, their fifth straight losing campaign at that point. “We’re too far along to feel good because we played the world champs down on the 14-yard line to win the game,” then coach Lane Kiffin said. “Who cares? We lost. We got to start winning these games. Some day we’ll be that team that makes the plays and finishes people off like that.”

“They played a style of defense that we don’t always see – we like to see it – but they played man coverage and just teed off and rushed,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said of the Raiders. “The looks that they were giving us determined that we should throw the ball. They had a good rush, especially in the middle part of the game.”

Here are images from that contest from the SBReport.net archives:

Gerrard Warren (61) had 5-tackles and a sack versus the Colts.

Jerry Porter (84) making a move on Marlin Jackson.

Dominic Rhodes (33) ran tough versus his ex-mates.

Ronald Curry (89) got into the end-zone versus the Colts.

Both sides shared a post-game prayer.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Ronald Curry vs. Texans in 2007

The Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans have faced five-times since their first meeting in 2004. Houston leads the series 4-1.

In 2009, the Texans throttled the Raiders 29-6. Darren McFadden ended with 6 carries for -3 yards. Steve Slaton scored twice and Jacoby Jones returned a kickoff for a score, while the defense allowed 165-yards to the Raiders – the second fewest in team history. “We could not run the football and that really disrupted our offense,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “We are really killing ourselves — we’re shooting ourselves in the foot all over the place.”

During the 2008 season, the Raiders defeated the Texans 27-16. In one of the few games JaMarcus Russell actually looked like a potential franchise passer, the former number one overall choice connected on 18-of-25 passes for 236-yards and two scores. Johnnie Lee Higgins busted the game open late in the third quarter with an 80-yard punt return for a score.

“I feel like I’m explosive,” said Higgins. “You never know what can happen. You know, it looks like he’s tackled, it looks like he’s down. Oh, he’s gone. It looks like he can’t catch it, like he can’t do this. … There he goes. So I look at myself, I always look at myself as a playmaker.”

Sage Rosenfels led the Houston to a 24-17 victory in 2007 against the Silver & Black.

Josh McCown was propelled back into the starting role at that point for Oakland after missing four games with a broken toe and being replaced by Daunte Culpepper. McCown was booed throughout the contest, as he tossed 3 interceptions on 13-completions out of 28-attempts.

“As much they may hate me or anybody else they don’t understand how I feel,” McCown said. “Nobody in this room and none of the fans want to feel what I feel right now. Trust me. It’s a sick, hurting feeling you can’t describe.”

During the contest, Sebastian Janikowski attempted a 64-yard field goal at the end of the first half. The kick had plenty of distance but bounced off the right upright.

“It wasn’t going to be a distance issue. He felt great going that direction,” then head coach Lane Kiffin said. “It would have been a spark for us going into the locker room at halftime, but it hit the post.”

Justin Fargas ended that contest with 23-carries for 104-yards and a score.

In 2006, Oakland held the Texans to negative 5 passing yards in the game and still lost 23-14. “It’s the weirdest feeling I’ve ever had in a football game,” David Carr said.

Here are archived pictures from some of those contest snapped by SBReport.net and Raiderfans.net photographers:

Darren McFadden trying to break a tackle in 2008

Dunta Robinson in 2006 trying to block a Janikowski FG

WR Jerry Porter in action against Houston in 2007

Johnnie Lee Higgins sprinting to the end-zone

Warren Sapp chasing down David Carr

Terdell Sands after Sage Rosenfels

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Johnnie Lee Higgins participated in the 2007 Senior Bowl

The 60^th annual Senior Bowl will be played Saturday, January 30 at 4:00 pm ET at Mobile, Alabama.

More importantly, the practices begin January 25. And there is where hundreds of NFL coaches, personnel directors, scouts and many other staffers from professional clubs go to observe and evaluate potential draft picks and talent that will be available in the coming months.

In the past, Oakland Raider coaches have spearheaded the staffs in charge of the squads. Here is a list of those that donned Silver & Black that were at the helm of a sideline during the Senior Bowl:

2008 – Lane Kiffin

2005 – Norv Turner

1999 – Jon Gruden

1992 – Art Shell

What will be interesting is whether or not the Raiders will send a large contingent to Mobile for scouting?

One team – the New York Giants – have already reportedly decided not to send their coaches next week due to varying reasons such as the economy, the new stadium and pending labor situation states the NJ Star Ledger. But I guess that is not a crippling thing, since they didn’t either two years ago right before their Super Bowl winning season.

Oakland still has a staff in place, and Tom Cable is technically still the coach of the Raiders.

Al Davis has not announced his fate, but at this point, isn’t safe to say that Cable is still the head coach until further notice? If there’s even a need to make that publicly.

Mike Waufle has been hired, Hue Jackson has been bantered about and Cable is still on board.

With the Senior Bowl work-outs around the corner, maybe things will become clearer over the next couple of days.

Morrison briefly talked about how plays John Madden football on XBOX live and the host jokingly asked about JaMarcus Russell’s rating on the game. “I haven’t looked at that yet,” Morrison answered. He continued, “I run Wildcat.”

On the coaching situation with the Raiders:

I can’t worry about what happens within, who you bring in as coach or, what happens to the coach. Only thing I can control is my play on the football field.

On his pending free-agency:

Time is going to tell.

I’ve spent a lot of good time in Oakland. I played my heart out for that football team.

This is the NFL. This is a business. And people don’t see that side of it.

On Sebastian Janikowski:

I have to give my guy props too – Sebastian Janikowski. Who I felt should be in the Pro Bowl.

He’s just automatic.

Kirk Morrison talking to teammate Thomas Howard

On Lane Kiffin’s move to USC and his time with the Silver & Black:

No, it wasn’t a surprise at all. People are getting mad at Lane for what he did. I don’t fault the guy at all. At all.

We were a team that was rising. I think we started off 2-2 – his first year. And then we just kind of, went on a little slide. But we were still getting to learn Lane Kiffin. And then before you know it, a couple of games in, you know, he was let go.

Wherever he’s been, he’s brought an attitude, he’s brought a confidence, he’s brought a swagger and he just hasn’t had, let his plan fall all the way through.