Silver and Black Report

Tommy Kelly and co. should be happy with Mike Waufle

Several media outlets on Friday reported that the Oakland Raiders have hired Mike Waufle to coach the defensive line.

Waufle was the Silver & Black’s defensive line coach from 1998-to-2003 and was in that same capacity the last six campaigns. The Giants fired him earlier in the year.

Waufle was one of the more beloved coaches on the Giants staff for some time. His teaching techniques were applauded by standouts such as Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora – players who strived and were very productive linemen within his schemes.

Tom Coughlin admired his style – tough work ethic – as the former Marine was methodical in his approach with his players.

“I am extremely saddened by it,” Umenyiora reported to The Associated Press in an e-mail after his firing. “He is a great coach and we have a special relationship. I’m sure he will be OK though because there should be very high demand for a coach of his caliber.”

Waufle, 55, will inherit a unit with a lot of young talent.

But the biggest key will be the return of Richard Seymour. If Seymour is back in Oakland and Matt Shaughnessy and Desmond Bryant can continue to develop into competent contributors, this bunch could be very good.

Veterans like Greg Ellis, Gerard Warren and Tommy Kelly should benefit from Waufle’s arrival.

But the keys here is how he will improve their discipline, gap control and make them a better run stuffing unit.

The Raiders have had one of the worst run defenses since 2003:

2009 – 29^th in the NFL – 155.5 yds/g

2008 – 31^st in the NFL – 159.7 yds/g

2007 – 31^st in the NFL – 145.9 yds/g

2006 – 25^th in the NFL – 134.0 yds/g

2005 – 25^th in the NFL – 128.1 yds/g

2004 – 22^nd in the NFL – 125.8 yds/g

2003 – 32^nd in the NFL – 156.9 yds/g

Dwaine Board was the Raiders defensive line coach last season.

So far this off-season, Oakland has done a great job adding good coaching to their sideline. But this is just one move – hiring Waufle. There are many to go, and one of utmost importance that we have awaited for weeks.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Here are some quotes from JaMarcus Russell after the Oakland Raiders 44-7 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants:

About the team’s effort:

Ah, we was kind of behind the eight ball once again. But, I think we kept fighting till the end. We played against a great football team today. And it showed, especially when we was not moving the football like we should and you have to strike some sort of way against a team that, goes out, good defense, offense is moving the ball. Our offense, we just have to show up.

I asked him about the frustration, every week the offense not producing and going up against a tough Giants’ defense:

It really can’t be explained man. We say we are not far on certain plays, but not far is not going to get us where we need to be.

We need to be there, much closer than what we are.

Talking to Gerard Warren during the game:

Telling me just to keep fighting, stick in there…

He does that a lot. He just tells me that he was going to go out there and keep fighting just to get us the ball back so we can move forward as an offense.

I then asked if he felt the pressure today applied by the Giants and if he felt comfortable behind the offensive line:

At the time man, you don’t really pay attention of who’s in. When a guy is out, it’s a better situation for the guy coming in, to show what he could do to help. And I expect that out of each and every one of the guys that came in the game. So, I don’t really pay much attention to it, I just continue to do what I can do and control what I can control.

We played against a good group today.

On locking in on receivers and whether he can feel the pressure:

Locked in, you know, Most of the time you feel it and you kind of get away from it.

[Giants] were just making plays today…

What possible good can come out of this game?

The good things we did today. That’s always a plus. It may not seem like it at the time, but there is always a plus to look from it. Hopefully, we can gain a lot from it and keep fighting. It’s got to be a brighter day. At the end of that tunnel, there has to be a brighter light.

What would be some of the good things to focus on?

On certain plays when you can tell the guy is making the right step on a block or anything positive you can pull out of what we did today.

About being fined, being overweight:

That was sort of the first day that I came to practice [back in camp]. Yeah, that’s over with.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The following are some highlights from Tom Cable’s post-game press conference, regarding the Oakland Raiders 44-7 defeat at the hands of the New York Giants.

Tom Cable:

Really, other than our effort on special teams, we just got outplayed on both sides of the ball. We are trying to just keep on pushing through. At some point, we have to get it stopped, so we can move forward as a football team.

Effort I felt like it wasn’t such a big deal. I felt like we were just getting beat on the line of scrimmage. IN terms of protection, we used a lot of 7 and 8 man protection, but lost individual match-ups.

I expected more out of us and we just did not deliver today.

When asked about the reshuffling of the offensive line:

It doesn’t help, that’s for sure, but who ever you put in there has to go in and be able to execute what you are trying to do. And certainly, the Giants have an excellent d-line.

Whether JaMarcus Russell was aware of the pressure:

Really, it was just a matter of moving around, and second effort by their guy, a second move really. It was just individual match-ups where we got beat.

What is your level of concern with Russell?

Well, I’m concern for this football team, not just JaMarcus.

I have so much faith in them, believe so strong in them, but you know, at some point, you got to draw the line in the sand, you have to put your foot down and say that is enough, so that you can move forward as a football team.

How do you do that? How do you say that [to the team]?

You stay the course. You don’t start making wholesale change. You just keep pushing and it just takes, you know a few plays here and there to get yourself on track if you will and once that happens, you can take off as a team.

What has happened to the defense?

Today, it looked like poor tackling to be quite honest with you.

About the Randy Hanson situation:

I don’t know why he would do that [talk publicly about his side of the story]. But, the process will take care of it.

For me, is just go to work every day and do your job…

About Hanson’s accusations:

I will not respond to any of that…

About the losses and keeping team from thinking its just another bad season:

Because its not. We are not them, and we just have to take care of us right now. We have a couple of home games coming up and a ability to get healthier at a coupe of other spots and see if we can move forward.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – David Carr opened the final quarter with completions to Hakeem Nicks of 17 and 14 yards. Nicks beat Chris Johnson on the opening play of the quarter and then a few plays later, he won the battle versus Nnamdi Asomugha, escaped his grasp and set the Giants up for another score.

Lawrence Tynes nailed his third field goal of the day from 37-yards out to extend New York’s lead to 44-7.

JaMarcus Russell opened the next Raider drive with a 29-yard toss to Zach Miller. But on the next play, Miller was flagged for holding and Oakland faced a 1^st and 20. Russell again found Miller, this time for 13-yards and after a unsuccessful Michael Bush run on 2^nd down, the Raiders faced a 3^rd and 11. Former Raider Dave Tollefson sacked Russell on third-down – the sixth in the afternoon for the Giants – ending the Oakland threat.

New York started running out the clock midway through the 4^th quarter with running back Gartrell Johnson and a Carr scramble of 11-yards on 3^rd and 11.

The Giants had piled up nearly 500-yards of total offense approaching the 2:00 warning.

Stay tuned for more coverage live from New York.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Oakland Raiders went three-and-out on the first drive of the second half. Oakland punted and the Giants got going on offense at their own 48-yard line after a personal foul penalty (horse collar tackle) on Trevor Scott.

On the Giants first play, Ahmad Bradshaw ripped a 24-yard run, giving him 106-yards for the game on 9 carries. A few plays later on 3^rd and 10, Oakland would force an incompletion, but Trevor Scott roughed up David Carr and a 15-yard infraction was called on the Raiders’ defensive end. Some time after that, Carr scampered into the end zone from 12-yards out for a commanding 38-7 New York lead.

On the ensuing drive, the Raiders faced a 2^nd and 8 when JaMarcus Russell scrambled and started his throwing motion, but the football was jarred loose on the sack by Mathias Kiwanuka and recovered by Antonio Pierce at the Oakland 22-yard line. Tom Cable challenged, but the official call was upheld.

The Giants were not able to get a first down, but the good field position set up a Lawrence Tynes 33-yard field goal that extended the Giants lead to 41-7.

Michael Bush got some of the workload on the next drive with runs of 6, 3 and 3 yards. But Oakland’s possession was thwarted when Justin Tuck recorded his second sack of the day, an 8-yard loss on 1^st and 10. Oakland eventually punted a few plays later after not converting a 3^rd and 14.

Score: Giants 41 – Raiders 7

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – On the first play of the second quarter, Eli Manning connected with Mario Manningham for a 30-yard score to cap a 5-play 94-yard drive. The Giants led 21-0 at that point and dominated the box score with 249-total yards of offense as oppose to the Raiders 18-total yards.

Oakland fell deeper into a black hole on their next drive when Terrell Thomas blitzed, sacking JaMarcus Russell and forcing a fumble that was recovered by Justin Tuck at the Raiders 13-yard line. Three plays later, Manning hit Hakeem Nicks on a 9-yard toss to give the Giants a dominating 28-0 lead. Manning at that point was 8-of-10 for 173 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Raiders were three and out again on their next drive. Russell scrambled on 3^rd and 3 but fell inched short of the 1^st down marker.

Oakland stopped the Giants from hitting paydirt on the ensuing drive. Brandon Jacobs bulldozed for 12-yards on the first play of the drive but was shutdown after that forcing the first punt of the game by Jeff Feagles.

Oakland then mounted their best drive when Russell hit Zach Miller for 21-yards to start. A few plays later, Michael Bush runs for 8-yards. On 3^rd and 2, Bush ran for no yards, Samson Satele was called for a hold, but the Giants opted to decline and force a 4^th down. The Raiders then went for it and converted the 4^th and 2 on a Russell 3-yard scamper. The drive ended near midfield when Russell was blindsided by Michael Johnson for a 6-yard sack on 3^rd and 6.

The Raiders were fortunate when Sinorice Moss muffed the ensuing punt and Jonathan Holland recovered the loose ball at the Giants 15-yard line. After a 9-yard pass interference penalty on CC Brown gave the ball near the goal line, Bush rumbled into the end zone from 5-yards out to put Oakland on the board, down 28-7.

Manning departed on the Giants next drive, giving away to back-up David Carr with a huge-lead and unscathed after a week where there was doubt whether or not he would play due to a foot injury.

Carr completed his first pass to Manningham for 6-yards. Ahmad Bradshaw then ripped a 19-yard run before Carr connected with Steve Smith for 19-yards. They would eventually punt after getting to midfield.

The Raiders started their possession with 0:43 left in the half. Russell and Luke Lawton connected for 14-yards, but on the next play, Justin Tuck sacked Oakland’s passer and Osi Umenyiora recovered at the 25-yard line.

Carr then hit Darcy Johnson for 10-yards and with 0:06 remianing, Lawrence Tynes hit a 25-yard field goal to extend the Giants lead to 31-7.

SCORE: Giants 31 – Raiders 7

First Half Stats:

First Downs: NY 18 – OAK 5

Total Yards: NY 340 – OAK 68

Passing Yards: NY 211 – OAK 25

Rushing Yards: NY 129 – OAK 43

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New York Giants took the game’s opening drive down the field and scored on the Oakland Raiders, with Eli Manning leading a 14 play drive that ate up 77-yards. On the possession, Manning opened the game with a 9-yard completion to Darcy Johnson for 9-yards. Facing a 3rd and 7, Gerard Warren jumped offsides and gave New York a manageable 3^rd and 2. On that play, Manning found a streaking Steve Smith for 8-yards with Stanford Routt trailing on the play. A few plays later, on 3^rd and 8, the Raiders were penalized again, this time Routt for pass interference in trying to cover Smith. The 11-yard penalty set-up the Giants deep in Raiders territory and a few plays later on 4^th and goal from the 1, Ahmad Bradshaw gave the Giants a 7-0 lead.

Oakland’s opening drive stalled after Michael Bush ran for 7 yards on the first play. Erik Pears was flagged for a false start and the Raiders were not able to recover after that.  On 3^rd and 6, JaMarcus Russell avoided a sack and was able to find a wide-open Todd Watkins near midfield, but the receiver was not able to hold on to the pass, which would have extended the Raiders’ drive.

The Giants quickly bolted down the field on their next drive. Manning connected with Smith for 43-yards on a perfect sideline toss with Chris Johnson and Hiram Eugene in coverage. Then, Bradshaw ripped a 17-yard gain before darting to the end zone from 19-yards out to give the Giants a 14-0 lead.

Manning at that point was 5-of-6 for 79 yards, this after being held out of practice most of the week with a foot injury.

Oakland had an uneventful second drive that ended with a Zach Miller reception for 5-yards on 3^rd and 6.

New York again attacked on their next possession, with Bradshaw ripping the Raider defense for a 23-yard gain and then closing the quarter with a 55-yard catch and run on 3^rd and 23.

SCORE: Giants 14 – Raiders 0

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Today’s inactive players for the Oakland Raiders include; running back Darren McFadden, wide receivers Nick Miller, Chaz Schilens, and Javon Walker, Charlie Frye, tackle Cornell Green guard Robert Gallery and fullback Oren O’Neal.

For the New York Giants; wide receiver Ramses Barden, running back Danny Ware, cornerback Aaron Ross, linebacker Michael Boley, tackle Adam koets, linebacker Bryan Kehl, tight end Kevin Boss and defensive lineman Chris Canty.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report.net Columnist

The Oakland Raiders (1-3) travel east to face the New York Giants (4-0) on Sunday. This will be the eleventh time they will meet during the regular season with Oakland having a 7-3 edge dating back to their first contest in 1973. In their last meeting, the Giants went into Oakland and beat the Silver & Black 30-21 on December 31, 2005.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

It’s time to rev up the running game if you are the Raiders. Currently, they rank 28^th in the league in rushing, a surprise considering that was the lone aspect of this club that any prognosticator expected to be productive prior to the season beginning being the only position on the roster with considerable depth. For the next few weeks they will be without Darren McFadden (meniscus), so Justin Fargas and Michael Bush will carry the load. But it must start from the trenches, and since their game versus San Diego, the Raiders have lost any toughness and chemistry on the offensive line.

“It can go two ways,” starting left tackle Mario Henderson said this week, looking ahead to the Giants. “We can go out there and embarrass ourselves or go out there and make a name for ourselves. It’s a good opportunity for us.”

Chris Morris, who may start at left guard state, “That’s how we will measure ourselves, going up against the best. If we can put up a good game like we plan on doing it will be good for us.”

What to Expect:

The Giants defensive line can bring the heat. And their rush defense is stout. With Oakland re-shuffling their line and trying to find a way to get back a respectable ground game, it spells trouble for Tom Cable’s bunch. JaMarcus Russell will face intense pressure and there won’t be many run lanes for Fargas and Bush. New York’s defense is a prideful bunch and with their offensive leader possibly sidelined, they will make sure Oakland’s offense continues their woes, as they’ve averaged 7.3 points per game in their last three contests.

On Defense:

Oakland’s front-seven must be primed to face a tough ground game. Tommy Kelly, Gerard Warren, Richard Seymour and Greg Ellis must hold their ground and improve on the 146.3 yards allowed rushing per game so far in 2009.

“You don’t get to see 270-pound backs running that fast, but I mean he’s human so if you hit him around his beak a couple of times, he’ll slow down,’’ Tommy Kelly stated about Brandon Jacobs.

What to Expect:

The Raiders will stack the line of scrimmage in trying to slow down the Giants running backs. But they cannot allow their receivers to exploit the secondary in man-to-man coverage, as Chris Johnson has given up big yardage opposite Nnamdi Asomugha and the Giants receivers are having a solid start to 2009. If they can slow down the duo at running back for the Giants, they must attack whoever is at quarterback with their four down linemen and get there with consistency to have any shot at staying close late.

On Special Teams:

The play of the coverage units has fallen dramatically since last season; and the team returned the same components to a steady group in 2008. Oakland ranks 29th in punt returns, 32nd in kick coverage and 31st in kick returns.

Justin Miller was cut again this week, replaced by running back Gary Russell due to the injury to McFadden. Russell may see time returning kickoffs, as the combination of Louis Rankin, Jonathan Holland and Miller has been non-threats to opponents.

NEW YORK GIANTS

On Offense:

Much of the talk this week surrounded the health of starting quarterback Eli Manning. On Thursday, head coach Tom Coughlin did not predict whether or not his starter would play on Sunday after sustaining a heel injury last week, while back-up David Carr has taken snaps with the first team leading up to the game.

“I am sure he wants to play really bad, probably as bad as I want to play,” Carr said of Manning. “It’s the same for every competitor, every guy who wants to be on the field. Everybody gets hurt. We’re down a lot of guys now and I think everyone on the side wants to be out there to help the team.”

What to Expect:

Whether Manning plays or not, it won’t change what the Giants want to accomplish on Sunday. Their personality on offense is based on a tough ground game, and this may be the game to get back to being a dominant rushing unit. The Giants are averaging 145.5 yards per game rushing, but Jacobs is averaging almost 2 yards less per carry from his stats a year ago. Jacobs (288 yards rushing) and Ahmad Bradshaw (265 yards rushing) could combine for 200 yards rushing this weekend.

On Defense:

The Giants rank 19^th in rush defense (117.3), 1^st in pass defense (115.0) and 6^th in points allowed per contest (16.0)

All those numbers don’t bode well for a Raiders offense that cannot move the chains consistently or put points on the boards. Russell is struggling and is the worst starting quarterback in the league statistically, and he’s facing a team that can bring pressure with their down linemen and has covered well so far in 2009.

Linemen Justin Tuck (2.5 sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (2.0 sacks) are a quarterbacks worst nightmare, and either can line up anywhere along the formation.

What to Expect:

Antonio Pierce is the leader on defense, and his ability to dissect what offenses are trying to do and help his teammates get in the right position are invaluable traits. Oakland does not run an elaborate offensive scheme, so the Giants can just line up and play physical football. That is not in Oakland’s personality, so it will be tough for the Raiders to match New York’s intensity or style of play.

GAME NOTES

• The Giants are coming off a three-game road trip and will play in front of their home crowd for the first time since week-one. They have not begun a season 5-0 since 1990.
• Michael Bush will start at running back. He stated this week, “You want to be that man.”
• Chaz Schilens did not practice and will most likely miss another week of action. Nick Miller will be inactive and won’t be ready for at least another two-weeks. Zach Miller missed practice on Thursday, but is expected to play. Hiram Eugene finished practice and is on schedule to be activated this week.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Steve Smith vs. Nnamdi Asomugha/Chris Johnson

Smith is leading the NFL in receptions (34), yards (411) and touchdowns (4). The 24-year old is establishing himself as New York’s ‘go to guy’ and if he goes up against the best cornerback in football, it could be the best match-up of the entire weekend anywhere. Against Johnson, Smith could wiggle his way for big gains as he is a precise route runner.

RT Kareem McKenzie, RG Chris Snee, C Shaun O’hara, LG Rich Seubert and LT David Diehl vs. The Raiders front seven

That Giants’ offensive line may be the best in the league. Add FB Madison Hedgecock to that load and Oakland’s defense may be facing the toughest bunch they’ll see all year.

Can JaMarcus Russell play mistake free and make a big play or two…or three?

If by some chance Oakland is close in the 4^th quarter, they will need their QB to play over his head. They will need big plays out of him to stay close and pull an upset.

PREDICTION

Giants 29 – Raiders 3

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. 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’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 Raiders web site)

GAME INFO

Sunday, October 11, 2009, 1 p.m. ET | Giants Stadium, NJ

Home Team: New York Giants (4-0) Home: 1-0 Road: 3-0

Road Team: Oakland Raiders (1-3) Home: 0-2 Road: 1-1

Point Spread: Raiders are 14.5 underdogs

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist