Silver and Black Report

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Richard Seymour and the Raiders need one more win and some help for a division crown.

It’s all come down to this for the Oakland Raiders (8-7)…

A victory versus the San Diego Chargers (7-8) and a loss for the Denver Broncos (8-7), and they’ll be AFC West champions.

The Kansas City Chiefs (6-9) will have to go on the road and notch their fourth win away from Arrowhead against Tim Tebow for Oakland to have their first division title since 2002.

Just weeks ago, Oakland was atop the division – sitting pretty. But a three-game losing streak and Tebow’s miraculous run catapulted the Broncos to first-place. Denver has lost two in a row and Oakland pulled out an overtime victory on Saturday to give them a shot at making the post-season.

Hue Jackson said after the game at Kansas City: “I keep telling you people that his team is not going to quit. We are not perfect, I understand that. But we are a group of men that will fight and keep playing and they’ll play it out to the end.”

They’ll have to continue to fight to extend their current three-game winning streak against the Chargers. Oakland swept Norv Turner’s team in 2010 and won at San Diego November 10, 24-17.

They’ve done it without Darren McFadden and Jacoby Ford. Denver’s late slide could open the door for a division crown. The defense has buckled that last few weeks when trying to put away games, but they remain alive.

Oakland can also win a wild card if they win and get help from the Baltimore Ravens, who face the Cincinnati Bengals on the last weekend of the regular season.

The Raiders could be a 4^th seed as division champs and face either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Ravens at the O.co Coliseum. It’s foreseeable that either road team could be favorites on the road, as neither is a favorable match-up for the Silver & Black.

If by chance Oakland gets the 6^th seed, they could face the Houston Texans, in a rematch of their week-five meeting. The Raiders defeated the Texans 25-20, on the weekend Al Davis passed away.

With their injuries, lack of post-season experience and Oakland’s late season scamper to get in, it may be the opportune time to pick them off. A loss against the Titans would give Houston a three-game losing streak going into the playoffs. And with a victory already at that site, Oakland could be more of a threat in that position than at home against a physical Ravens club with a shifty, dynamic rusher (Ray Rice) and a stout defense, or a veteran Steeler club that can win at any venue with their clutch quarterback and physical defense.

Oakland was hurt last year when they went 6-0 within their division and missed making the playoffs, needing a lot of help to get in and losing key games down the stretch.

“It’s just tough because all through training camp, we knew that we had a team that could win the (AFC) West, make the playoffs and compete,” Michael Huff said in December of 2010. “I guess we’re not going to get the chance.”

Not getting a shot this year would hurt twice as much due to squandering opportunities and getting a shot at it on the final week of the season. With Davis’ passing and the lofty and boisterous expectations of their head coach, an 8-8 finish this time around or no playoffs, even with the injuries they have withstood and happenings in 2011, would be a major disappointment.

It was Jackson who wanted to build a bully. It was Jackson who took over a team that already had reached .500 last season. It was Jackson who planted that seed in his player’s minds that they were playoff ready. Can they actually get in now?

They had a three-game home stretch versus the Browns, Chiefs and Broncos, with a bye sandwiched in, and failed to get separation. After losing their starting passer for the year with an injury, they picked up Carson Palmer to salvage the season and possibly carry them further. They would have been stuck with Kyle Boller otherwise, a move that really changed their season and that many other teams either wouldn’t be able to make, or wouldn’t pull off – a rarity in this league to pick-up a passer of that magnitude within a season.

Pick-ups like Aaron Curry and Bryan McCann have worked. Having depth at running back helped, as any other team that would’ve lost their most dynamic presence on offense, could’ve been crippled. But Oakland had a suitable back up at their area of strength.

They lost a very good edge rusher for the year, but again, at a unit where depth is not a concern.

People could point to Campbell’s injury, Davis’ death and other happenings as major reasons why they could’ve folded. But in fact, they have had just as many opportunities placed on their laps and been given second and third chances to get back into the post-season.

One week from now, they’ll either be kicking themselves for not taking making a stop at Buffalo, tanking it at home against the Chiefs, Broncos and on the road at Miami and squandering a late lead versus the Lions, or preparing for a wild-card playoff game, their first since January 12, 2002, when they defeated the Jets 38-24, before falling the following weekend during the infamous ‘Tuck Rule’ contest.
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It’s December, which means its put-up or shut-up time in the NFL. This is when the contenders make their move and the pretenders fall to the wayside. SBReport.net will take another look at the playoff contenders and pretenders in the AFC, until we hit the post-season.

LOCKED-IN

New England Patriots (9-3)

Only injuries could derail their run for a first-round bye. But, as I stated a few weeks ago, Bill Belichick’s defense may be too leaky to move on during the post-season.

Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)

In late November, I stated that this could be the most dangerous team in the AFC, regardless of venue and opponent they face. Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger and a gritty defense could beat anyone, anywhere.

Baltimore Ravens (9-3)

Their schedule is weak enough to help them end the season strong. If Pittsburgh slips a tad, John Harbaugh’s crew could take the division.

ON THE RISE

Denver Broncos (7-5)

Tim Tebow is the talk of the NFL. The Broncos lead the league in rushing, have taken the top spot in the AFC West and are in the midst of a five-game winning streak since the polarizing passer got under center.

QUIET THREAT

New York Jets (7-5)

They’ve won two in a row; have a home matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs this week, and appear to strike again late in the season. Rex Ryan’s team has a knack of making late season runs to sneak into the playoffs. Will it happen again?

OVERRATED

Houston Texans (9-3)

In my first installment of this playoff outlook, I believed the Texans were overrated. Andre Johnson still isn’t 100% and their quarterback situation did not get any better since. Gary Kubiak has done a nice job keeping this team together and should be considered for coach of the year, but I have little faith this team can make noise in January.

FLOUNDERING

Oakland Raiders (7-5)

Face Green Bay tomorrow, then the Detroit Lions in Ndamukong Suh’s return, before facing two rivals as the season winds down. If they win the West and make the playoffs, it would be hard earned. They need Darren McFadden and their receivers to get healthy as soon as possible.

Tennessee Titans (7-5)

Chris Johnson is starting to heat up, but it’s too little too late for a team that has been surprisingly competitive all campaign.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-5)

A victim of being in a tough AFC North, the Bengals have set themselves up for the future nicely. Seven wins was unexpected with a rookie passer – a playoff spot is just the cherry on top of the sundae.

Seedings if the playoffs were to begin today:

1. Pats; 2. Steelers; 3. Texans; 4. Broncos; 5. Ravens; 6. Bengals.

Here was my playoff outlook prior to week-12:

AFC Playoff picture heading into Week-12

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is pointing towards an AFC East title.

This weekend’s match-ups in the NFL will be the last for the month of November, as the league heads for its stretch run towards the playoffs. SBReport.net will take a weekly look at the playoff contenders and pretenders in the AFC until we hit the post-season.

LOCKED IN

New England Patriots (7-3)

They have an easy schedule, with games lined up against the Colts (0-10), at Washington (3-7), and at Denver (5-5), before closing at home versus the Dolphins (3-8) and Bills (5-5). They are destined for an opening week bye in the playoffs, but nothing is guaranteed after that with a shaky defense.

Baltimore Ravens (8-3)

They are unbeaten at home, so expect the Ravens to go hard to ensure a bye and home field advantage. Baltimore is a contender to come out of the AFC, but Joe Flacco has to step his game up a few notches.

ON THE RISE

Pittsburgh Steelers (7-3)

Mike Tomlin’s bunch is playoff tested and if they get in, regardless of venue, they’ll draw from that past success and Ben Roethlisberger’s clutch play to carry them through. With two games remaining against the Browns and a match-up against the Rams, it’s foreseeable they’ll be on the road on Wild-Card weekend with double digit wins.

QUIET THREAT

Oakland Raiders (6-4)

Carson Palmer is hitting his stride – and he hasn’t had Darren McFadden in the line-up since he took over as starter. Things broke right for the Silver & Black this week: facing a Jay Cutler-less Bears squad. The rest of the division is floundering and as long as Oakland takes care of business the final two weeks of the campaign, they’ll have a home playoff game for the first time since 2002.

OVERRATED

Houston Texans (7-3)

They lost Matt Schaub, so they’ll lean heavily on Arian Foster (740-rushing yards) and Ben Tate (686). Andre Johnson should be back soon, but will their defense show up in big spots? Will their rankings on defense  translate to playoff football?

FLOUNDERING

Cincinnati Bengals (6-4)

They could end up with a better record than the West winner and not make the playoffs. Still, this team is too young and not ready for primetime action – and it will show.

New York Jets (5-5)

They don’t ground and pound anymore, and regardless of what Rex Ryan and the staff says, questions are surrounding Mark Sanchez’s development and ability to carry a club. The defense has been broken in key spots, as this could be the weakest of Ryan’s units since he landed in New York.

Buffalo Bills (5-5)

Not the same team that was on a roll at the start of the season. Goes to show you in the NFL, is not whom you play, but when you play them.

Denver Broncos (5-5)

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow didn't stop winning after he left Oakland.

Yes, floundering, but on the prey with Tim Tebow. If Denver can covert a few more 3^rd downs and get more dynamic on offense the next few weeks, they have a solid enough defense to scare the Raiders atop the division. Heck, who am I to question Tebow? I don’t want to get struck by lightning.

Tennessee Titans (5-5)

Unless there is a collapse in Houston, the Titans will be on outside looking in. The Texans have taken advantage of a weak division and a soft schedule, winners of four in a row, to put distance between themselves and the Titans.

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Courtesy of the NFL

This one is for the historic books; the Green Bay Packers will play the Pittsburgh Steelers for all the marbles.

Super Bowl XLV will feature two of the most epic clubs in NFL history.

The Steelers are going for a league leading seventh Super Bowl victory after beating up the New York Jets for their eight conference championship win.

A model of consistency, the Black & Yellow have proven to be the league’s finest organization with 20-division championships, 26-playoff appearances and a cemented sideline that has featured only three coaches since 1969 (Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher & Mike Tomlin).

Looking to build a dynasty, the Steelers will try to win their third Vince Lombardi trophy since 2006.

Ben Roethlisberger is going for his third ring. Mike Tomlin is aiming at his second championship.

But to add to their legendary record book, they have to beat the Packers.

Green Bay, the second oldest franchise in the league, has nine NFL championships, three Super Bowl victories and 13 division championships.

They also have 26-playoff appearances as well, but the trophy they want to win is named after their legendary coach – Vince Lombardi.

In two weeks, the focus of the world will be in that new state of the art coliseum in Dallas…

A fitting venue, because this Super Bowl, which features two of the finest organizations in all of sports, could be one of epic proportions.

Super Bowl coverage on SBReport.net in the coming days…

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders (5-5) will try to get back on track this week in preparation for their match-up against the Miami Dolphins. Most of the players admitted that their loss to the Steelers was a bump on the road, and not a derailment.

The majority of the locker room reasoned that that was not the real Raiders that got pushed around in Pittsburgh. And more importantly, that the lost re-focused them during a true litmus test to gauge their ranking in the AFC.

“That wasn’t us. We didn’t play the way we normally play,’’ said Rock Cartwright. “Take it in stride, put it behind us, and go forward with the next game because you can’t beat a dead horse. We’ll go and watch the tape, go forward and get ready for Miami this week.’’

When they start picking up the pieces and get back to work, Oakland will be without the services of Trevor Scott. The DE/LB sustained a torn ACL on his left knee yesterday and will likely be out the season. Scott has been one of the steadiest members of the defense dating back to late last season, whether at end or at outside linebacker.

The story that gained the most notoriety out of the contest on Sunday was Richard Seymour’s ejection. Oakland’s defensive lineman was booted at the 1:23 mark in the 2^nd quarter for swinging at and connecting with Ben Roethlisberger.

The open-handed attack will land Seymour a hefty fine, but could it cost the Raiders one game without their anchor?

Seymour was fined $7,500 last season for an incident against a Denver lineman and $10,000 for contacting a Cleveland Brown during a dead ball. Because of the NFL’s strict guidelines with protecting passers and the nature of the play, its foreseeable to expect him to miss at least one game due to his actions.

Teammate Quentin Groves stated, “You get suspended for anything right now, but I don’t know. I’m going to let commissioner Goodell and the powers that be decide that. If he’s there he’s there, if he’s not we have to still get ready to go out and play Miami.”

Mike Tomlin took the high road yesterday, saying, “I got big-time respect for Richard Seymour as a football player. That guy’s got an 11-year resume that’s pretty impressive as a professional. I’m not going to let that play cloud my opinion on Richard Seymour. I think he’s an awesome football player and a professional. It just got away from us, all parties involved today.”

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PITTSBURGH, PA – Jason Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski  talked to reporters after the Oakland Raiders 35-3 defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here are some excerpts from their press briefings:

BRUCE GRADKOWSKI

On being back on the field:

“It definitely felt good to get back in there. Being out five weeks, it was awesome to get the feel of the game, get some throws in, get pushed around a little bit – so that part felt good. It was exciting. I felt great out there. I definitely feel like I’m ready to play now. So that’s what’s exciting.”

On being inserted in the game:

“You just never know, but not until that 3^rd quarter, you know, I kind of had a feeling and they just told me I was in after that. It wasn’t the best situation to be in. I’m always up for a challenge. That’s a good team we played, but it makes us look at where our intensity needs to be. That’s a playoff team we just played, a Super Bowl caliber team.”

“We know that wasn’t us out there today.”

JASON CAMPBELL

On being replaced:

“I took a couple of shots to my shoulder and they was bringing it. As a competitor, you want to stay in there and fight, but at the same time, it’s a long season. That’s what it was.”

On the Pittsburgh Steelers:

“Coming of the New England loss, we knew there were going to play hard. They talked about it the whole week – about their veterans stepping up on defense, making plays and today they were bringing a lot of different blitzes.”

About Tom Cable confirming he’ll start next week:

“It’s a question each and every week, you know it’s a tough question, but I fight and I compete. Today was just a tough day.”

On the aftermath:

“We’re still 5-5, you know still .500, ten games in and we still in the lead in our division. This is just a minor set back.”

Did the bye slow down the team’s momentum?

“It’s tough to come off a bye sometime.”

On the chewed up turf:

“It’s a rough field, it’s a rough field…but we can’t make any excuses. It was just a tough day all the way around.”

Putting loss behind you:

“We have to.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

PITTSBURGH, PA – Tom Cable talked to reporters after the Oakland Raiders 35-3 drubbing at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s some excerpts from his press briefing:

On players that did not finish the game:

“Chris Johnson strained a groin in the first half and Trevor Scott has a torn ACL in his left knee I believe.”

On the Pittsburgh Steelers and the flow of the game:

“They played very well and we didn’t. We didn’t seem to ever find any rhythm offensively. I though defensive we were playing hard and never really let it get out of hand.”

“Not a very good day for us. It wont be a game that defines us, we got to move forward from here and get ready to go next week versus Miami.”

“We’ve got to acknowledge the fact that we just got out tails whipped.”

On Jason Campbell being pulled:

“Just enough, they turned up the blitz a little bit more on him and I thought it started to get out of hand a little bit for him. He’ll be the starter next week, there’s no issue there. I just felt like a change was needed. As we all saw, it didn’t make a lot of difference.”

The bye week, and whether it affected their performance:

“I’ll like to think not. Obviously we were healthier coming into the game, really only missing [Nnamdi] Asomugha and [Darrius] Heyward-Bey, but getting [Louis] Murphy back, [John] Henderson, Zach Miller.”

“I felt that the intensity wasn’t where it needed to be today.”

On Trevor Scott injury:

“It looks to be an ACL injury, so if that’s the case, it will take some time.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

PITTSBURGH, PA – The Oakland Raiders lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers today, 35-3. Mike Mitchell tallied 3-solo tackles. Here’s audio of the safety in the locker room:

Click here for audio: MIKE MITCHELL PITT

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PITTSBURGH, PA – The Oakland Raiders lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers today, 35-3. Zach Miller had two receptions for 9-yards in his return after a one-game absence. Here’s audio of the tight end in the locker room:

Click here for the audio:  Zach Miller Pitt

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Steelers extended their lead to 28-3 at the start of the 4^th quarter with a Mike Wallace 52-yard touchdown reception.

Oakland attempted to get into rhythm with Bruce Gradkowski. Tosses to Darren McFadden for 6-yards and on 3^rd and 4 for 10-yards helped move the chains. But on 3^rd and 3 a few plays later, Gradkowski was unable to connect with Zach Miller on a short pass.

The Raiders punted and with 12:32 remaining, the Steelers took over at their own 14. A penalty again hurt the Steelers, even though the game is in hand, but a Ben Roethlisberger run for 31-yards was nullified by Hines Ward’s hold. Three plays later, Pittsburgh punted and Oakland took over at the 9:43 mark.

The woes continued on offense for the Raiders as they only two first downs on their next drive. Michael Bush ran for 3-yards on 2^nd and 1 and on 1^st and 10, Gradkowski scrambled for 12. But a sack by Bryant McFadden put a halt to the possession.

Pittsburgh went on the ground with Rashard Mendenhall to start the drive and on 3^rd and 3, Roethlisberger sprinted for 8-yards. Roethlisberger then hit Mike Wallace for 37-yards, who beat Michael Huff, but the drive would end there.

Mendenhall fumbled on the next play and Quentin Groves recovered.

Gradkowski completed passes to Brandon Myers for 5 and 7 yards. But later on that drive on 4^th and 3, Oakland’s passer could not hook up with the back-up tight end to extend the drive.

With 3:36 remaining, the Steelers took over at the Oakland 41-yard line.

They began to run the clock out with Isaac Redman through the 2:00 warning. Redman’s 16-yard touchdown reception capped the thrashing of the Silver & Black.

The Steelers, who racked up penalties all day, shut down the Raiders offense all afternoon and won the game convincingly.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist