Silver and Black Report

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

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