Silver and Black Report

Look, I’m not into ranting and raving about NFL conspiracies against the Oakland Raiders.

Nor do I like to play along like many Raider fans and act like there are ulterior motives behind every decision the NFL makes whether referees on the field or off the field by league officials.

Quite frankly, that shtick is old and tired.

I can even understand Nate Kaeding being selected to the Pro Bowl. It was deserving.

He led the league with 32 field goals made. The San Diego place-kicker missed only three all season (from 41, 43 and 55 yards out) and he was first in 2009 with 146 points.

That’s impressive and praiseworthy. I don’t care about the missed field goals against the New York Jets. The Pro Bowl is an award for regular season performances. He earned that merit.

We all found out later Kaeding is not clutch – so did Charger fans. But that’s a whole different story.

But when Kaeding went down with a groin injury and could not represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl, Sebastian Janikowski should have been the choice rather than the Miami Dolphins’ Dan Carpenter.

Carpenter was chosen to replace Kaeding for the NFL’s all-star game. A horrible decision by those that elevate alternates or select replacements.

Janikowski enjoyed his best season as a pro. He beat out Carpenter in field goals made (26-to-25) and even torched him in touchbacks (17-to-7), as the Dolphin kicker had 21 more chances to kickoff in 2009.

The former 1st round pick was highly efficient missing only one kick under 49-yards while showing off his powerful left leg going 6-of-8 from 50+ yards out. Janikowski even nailed a 61-yard kick in Cleveland.

Carpenter on the other hand missed 2 field goals under 49-yards and was a mere 1-of-2 from 50+ yards out. The only reason he ended with more total points than Janikowski was that his offense was far more productive, giving him a tally of 37-extra points as oppose to the 17 the Silver & Black kicker had this past season.

“I was real surprised,” Carpenter stated after finding out he was added to the Pro Bowl roster.

I was too!

It’s a sham that Carpenter was selected over Janikowski.

The better, more deserving kicker was screwed.

MIAMI, FL – Raiders running back Darren McFadden spoke to the media after the Raiders 17-15 defeat at Miami. Here are some of his comments after the game.

On halfback option play that lost yardage:

I held on to it too long.

It was a run pass option and I felt I held on to it too long. 

Health after the game:

I feel pretty good.

Struggling offense:

It’s very frustrating. I take part of it. I feel like, by me taking that loss of yards on the first play, I take part of it.

Losing yards on the halfback option play and his reaction:

It was just frustration. I felt like, by me knowing that I should’ve threw the ball away, it was just frustrating. I knew I lost yards.

Talking to coach about the play:

 He told me not to do it. I told him I apologize for it and letting my emotions get the best of me. 

MIAMI, FL – The Miami Dolphins drove into Oakland Raiders territory to start the 4^th quarter. Ricky Williams had a 12-yard run, and then Ronnie Brown had carries of 4 and 1 yard. But on the Oakland 34-yard line, on 4^th down, the Dolphins decided to punt instead of going for a long field goal, as it was unlikely that the Raiders would drive the length of the field for a score.

Oakland began their first drive of the final quarter at their own 8-yard line. And they were able to put together one of their better drives in weeks. The pass attack had a better rhythm, as evidenced by JaMarcus Russell’s two completions to Ronald Curry for a total of 32 yards. He was also able to hook-up with Zach Miller for 18 yards and Darren McFadden had a run for 5 yards before they settled for a Sebastian Janikowski 37 yard field goal that cut the lead to 14-8.

The Raiders defense thwarted the Dolphins on the ensuing drive after Greg Camarillo caught a 21-yard pass that was tipped by Chris Johnson on a 3^rd and 9. Oakland allowed 7 yards after that and forced Miami to punt.

Johnnie Lee Higgins provided the Raiders one of their best moments of the season when he took that return 93-yards for a touchdown o shock Dolphin stadium and give the Raiders their first lead of the game.

With the 15-14 advantage, Oakland’s defense allowed the Dolphins to drive the ball down the field as the 4th quarter expired. Pennington connected with Camarillo for 13 yards and then with Davone Bess for 27 and 4 yards to set up a 4th and 5 from the Oakland 35 yard line.

Ginn hauled in a 7 yard pass, his fourth of the day, giving Miami a first down on the Oakland 28 yard line.

Oakland was forced to use their time outs as Miami ran the ball and set up for the game winning field goal attempt.

The Dolphins called their 2nd timeout of the half with 0:43 left on the clock and marched out kicker Dan Carpenter for the game winining 38-yard field goal.

SCORE: Miami Dolphins 17 – Oakland Raiders 15 

MIAMI, FL – The Miami Dolphins opened the second half in their ‘wildcat’ formation with runs by Ricky Williams for 2 yards and Ronnie Brown for 5 yards before Chad Pennington lobbed a pass that should’ve been picked off into the hands of Gibril Wilson.

After the Dolphins punted, Oakland came out passing, as JaMarcus Russell hit Tony Stewart for 11 yards to start their possession. Vonnie Holliday sacked Russell for a loss of 6 two plays later and on 3^rd and 16, Ronald Curry hauled in a 8 yard pass, falling well short of the 1^st down marker.

Special teams played a big role in the Raiders cutting the Miami lead a few plays later. Shane Lechler placed a punt at the Miami 6-yard line and when Pennington dropped back to pass on the first play of the drive, Jay Richardson sacked the former Jet in the end zone to make it a 7-5 contest.

At that point, it appeared that the Raiders had grabbed the momentum and deflated the Miami crowd. With the free kick, the Raiders drove down the field on a Zach Miller reception for 6 yards, Justin Fargas runs of 12 and 6 yards, and a Tony Stewart grab for 6 yards. But a Sebastian Janikowski 46-yard field goal attempt bounced off the upright and the Dolphins took over on their own 36-yard line.

From there, the Dolphins marched 9 plays, covering 64 yards and put distance between themselves and the Raiders. Pennington found Ted Ginn on a 3rd and 7 for 12 yards and then Ronnie Brown took over.

Brown had carries of 8 and 19 yards before Patrick Cobbs scored on a run from 10 yards out to give Miami a 14-5 lead.

 

MIAMI, FL – The Miami Dolphins were driving deep into Oakland Raiders territory, as Chad Pennington connected with Ted Ginn on receptions of 9 and 23 yards on their first drive of the second quarter. Ronnie Brown had a run of 21 yards and it appeared that the Dolphins were ready to hit paydirt once again.

But Chris Johnson stripped Brown on a run out of the ‘Wildcat’ formation which was recovered by Gibril Wilson and gave the Raiders the ball at their own 26-yard line.

The Raiders blundered through their next possession, as Cornell Green was flagged to start the drive on a false start and quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo botched a handoff to Darren McFadden and lost 13 yards. On 3^rd and 20, Justin Fargas loss one yard and the Raiders punted.

Miami wasn’t able to move the ball either, as the Raiders picked up their defensive play during the drive. Tommy Kelly and Gibril Wilson combined on a sack and Thomas Howard cut-down Ricky Williams on a short reception that lost 5 yards.

Oakland was the beneficiary of a questionable penalty on their next drive. On 3^rd and 3, Jason Allen was flagged for pass interference when his feel got tangled with Ashley Lelie. The 41-yard penalty was Oakland’s biggest gain in the afternoon to that point, as they had only managed 29-yards of total offense prior to that play.

JaMarcus Russell hooked up with Zach Miller two plays later for 27 yards, setting up the Raiders with a 1^st and goal at the Miami 5-yard line.

But two false start penalties on Kwame Harris and a pitch to McFadden that loss 6 yards had the Raiders going backwards. Miller hauled in a 16-yard toss on 3rd and goal from the 20-yard line. Then Sebastian Janikowski booted a 21-yard field goal to cut the Dolphins lead to 7-3.

ANALYSIS

John Wade has had problems along the interior all afternoon. The starting center has been manhandled at times, which has contributed to ineffective run game. Kwame Harris almost single-handedly killed one Raider drive and Cornell Green has also continued his sub par play. If not for that 41-yard penalty, the Raiders would have not put up any points in the first half. Darren McFadden has not been utilized as expected, especially considering the woes of the offense and his inactivity the last few weeks.  Miami has out gained the Raiders 196-57. With their 7-penalties, it’s a surprise that the are only down 4-points at the half. 

MIAMI, FL – On the game’s opening drive, the Oakland Raiders in typical fashion looked out of sync, were non-threatening and went three and out. A Cooper Carlisle false start penalty on the first play put them in 1^st and 15 hole they could no dig themselves out of.

Then the Miami Dolphins drove 9 plays and 93 yards for a 7-0 lead.

On 3^rd and 7, the Raiders were flagged for a neutral zone infraction (Trevor Scott), which made the down a manageable 2-yard. On the ensuing play, Chad Pennington rushed for 7 yards and a 1^st down. Ultimately the drive was capped off by Ted Ginn’s first career rushing touchdown from 40-yards out.

Ronald Curry was the Raiders lone threat on their next drive, as he converted two first downs on receptions of 10-yards on the drive’s first play and a 9 yard grab on 2^nd and 8. But a deep toss to Curry, that was slightly under thrown by JaMarcus Russell, was broken up by cornerback Will Allen.

Allen blitzed on 3^rd and 8 a few plays later and got a sack, ending the Raiders drive.

Miami sputtered on their next drive. Tommy Kelly took down Pennington on 3^rd and 10 for his third sack of the season.

Johnnie Lee Higgins had a punt return of only 5-yards, as Jon Alston missed an assignment on the play.

Score: Miami 7 – Oakland 0

MIAMI, FL – The Oakland Raiders have designated CB Michael Waddell, FB Jason Davis, DE Derrick Burgess, LB Ricky Brown, C Jake Grove, T James Marten, WR Javon Walker and QB Andrew Walter (3^rd QB) as inactive players for today’s game versus the Miami Dolphins.

For the home team, WR Ernest Wilford, CB Joey Thomas, G Shawn Murphy, Lionel Dotson, T Nate Garner, TE Joey Haynos, DE Rodrique Wright and QB John Beck (3^rd QB) will be inactive.

Line up changes are the following:

• #87 Ashley Lelie will start at WR for the injured Walker.
• #71 John Wade will start at Center for Grove.
• #58 Kalimba Edwards will start again at DE for Burgess. Sam Williams will start for Brown.

 DB Justin Miller, picked up from waivers earlier in the week will wear #22. 

So much can change within a year. Unless you’re the Oakland Raiders (2-7), who are mired in awful play once again this season and are looking down the barrel of a sixth straight losing season. The Miami Dolphins (5-4) on the other hand are rebuilding and have direction under new management. And after a one-win season a year ago, the Tony Sparano led Dolphins will look to avenge a 35-17 loss at home to the Silver & Black in 2007.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

Oakland has gone nine straight quarters without scoring a touchdown. They are last in the NFL in points scored per game (12.6), total points scored (113), passing yards per game (139.2), percentage of 3^rd down conversions made (22%) and 31^st in 1^st downs per game (13.2). And now, interim head coach Tom Cable will take over the play calling duties, stripping Greg Knapp of those responsibilities after being outscored by opponents 117-35 since the firing of Lane Kiffin.

“I feel responsible for where we’re at offensively,” Cable said on Wednesday. “With that being the case and my nature and my personality I’ve got to find a way to do more and help where I can. I really haven’t been active in that role, obviously as the line coach, but I feel that responsibility now and want to shoulder that responsibility so I’m more involved.”

What to expect:

Miami is the 9^th best rush defense in the NFL, but you can expect Cable to keep it on the ground and try to establish the identify Oakland once had as a solid run offense. Since Kiffin’s departure, the one thing they did do well was abandoned due to the staff wanting to see more big plays down the field. Since, the offensive line has gotten worse and now, they cannot find a rhythm with the ground game. They’ll need Darren McFadden to play to get any production on offense. After missing a few games, Cable expects that his speedy rookie can be a factor on Sunday. “We’re not making any plays on offense in terms of a playmaker, an explosive-type play. We have to hopefully get [Derrick Burgess and McFadden] back as soon as possible and hopefully this is the week for Darren to be back.”

On Defense:

Derrick Burgess practiced this week for the first time since Oct. 6. He was limited, but it appears that he may be able to take the field on Sunday.

“We got to find a way to get Derrick Burgess back out [on the field]…” said Cable this week.

In their last seven games, the Silver & Black has allowed 175.2 yards rushing per game. With Ricky Williams topping the 100-yard barrier last week for the first time since 2005 and Ronnie Brown having a wonderful season, the Raiders defense could be in for another long day.

What to expect:

Oakland does not have a good run defense. And Sparano would love instill toughness onto his inspired club. They can start this week by bullying the Raiders. Oakland has to stack the line of scrimmage and play press coverage in order to force mistakes out of the weak armed Chad Pennington. If they can take away the short routes by playing the Dolphins’ wide receivers tight, force deeper tosses out of Pennington and load up with the front seven in order to slow down the run, that will be their only shot at keeping this game close into the 4^th quarter.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

On offense:

Chad Pennington’s decision-making and steady play has helped this Miami offense. But the resurgence of Ricky Williams and the versatility of Ronnie Brown has helped pace them to their first winning record since ending the 2005 season at 9-7.

Greg Camarillo (47 rec. 504 yards 1 TD) and Ted Ginn Jr. (34 rec. 457 yards 1 TD) are their go to guys at wide receiver. But when they are near the goal line, Pennington looks for tight end Anthony Fasano, who leads the club with three scoring receptions.

What to expect:

The offensive line, especially the left side; featuring rookie Jake Long and Justin Smiley, is what keeps this offense from sputtering. If Burgess doesn’t play, the Raiders may not be able to generate enough pressure to bother Pennington. And if the Dolphins control the trenches, then Pennington, who is one the leagues best play action passers, will fiddle with the Raiders secondary.

On defense:

Joey Porter is enjoying one of his finest seasons as a pro, as he leads the NFL in sacks (12) in leading this 18^th overall ranked defense.

The three down linemen on this 3-4 alignment; Vonnie Holliday, Jason Ferguson and Kendall Langford have played admirably in stopping the run. And the secondary has compiled four interceptions over the last three games. The defensive backfield has been susceptible to big yards, but players like Yeremiah Bell have been able to come up with big plays when they need them in crunch time.

What to expect:

John Abraham and Julius Peppers have victimized Cornell Green and Kwame Harris in back-to-back weeks. The Dolphins don’t feature a threatening defensive end, but they’ll scheme ways to get pressure at the tackle spots in order to disrupt any passing game the Raiders try to install. As long as they play the run well, and keep Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and McFadden from big games, then they shouldn’t have much of a problem defending the rest of the Raiders attack.

GAME NOTES

 

• Newly signed cornerback/kick returner Justin Miller was observed wearing no. 22 on Thursday. The speedster will boost an already good return teams that has punt/kick returner Johnnie Lee Higgins. Miller was a second round draft choice of the New York Jets in 2005 and enjoyed All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections in 2006.
• JaMarcus Russell, Andrew Walter and McFadden all took snaps on Thursday. Jake Grove remained out with his calf injury and linebacker Ricky Brown as well with his groin.
• Javon Walker remains a mystery for Sunday. He is listed as doubtful and an inactive designation for this weekend seems likely.
• The Dolphins have won six of the last seven contests against the Raiders, but Oakland leads the all-time series 16-11-1.
• Last year, Justin Fargas emerged as Oakland’s leading rusher against the Dolphins when he posted a career high 179 yards after LaMont Jordan was lost to an injury. A win this weekend will give the Raiders their first back-to-back victories against Miami since 1986.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Will Oakland play aggressive and stack the line of scrimmage?

If they don’t, Miami will run the football effectively and Pennington will use his ball fakes to manipulate the Raiders defensive backfield. Nnamdi Asomugha and the rest of the Raider secondary should press and get physical with the Dolphin receivers. They must jam and disrupt them at the snap and not allow Pennington to get in sync with his short tosses.

Porter vs. Oakland’s pass protection

The Dolphins linebacker is having a huge year. And with game film of the Silver & Black’s struggles in recent weeks in pass protection, expect the former Steeler to attack the inconsistent edges along the Raider offensive line.

PREDICTION

Dolphins 26 – Raiders 16

TV & RADIO

The game will be televised on CBS with Ian Eagle providing play-by-play and former NFL performer Solomon Wilcots handling color analysis. The game will air locally 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 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 KGO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information cited from official Raiders web site)

Home Team: Oakland Raiders (2-7) Home: 1-4 Road: 1-3

Road Team: Miami Dolphins (5-4) Home: 3-2 Road: 2-2

When and Where: Sunday, November 16, 2008, 10:00 a.m. PT | Dolphin Stadium, Miami, FL