Silver and Black Report

The Oakland Raiders gave linebacker Ricky Brown a second-round tender on Wednesday per reports.

The often-injured back-up ended the 2009 season on injured reserve due to a bum ankle. Brown wore a cast before opting for surgery which ended his campaign.

The un-drafted free-agent from Boston College challenged Kirk Morrison for most of the summer prior to the start of the 2009 season atop the depth chart. Since his arrival in 2006, Brown has been a key cog on special teams.

The second round tender will likely him in Oakland another season, fending off teams that may have been initially interested in the prospect, but now there will be very little if any chance of him departing with that hefty compensation attached.

Brown could earn more than his $1.545 million salary from last season with the tender offer.

The following Oakland Raiders will become restricted free agents. These players have four or five credited seasons and in an uncapped 2010 season, will be restricted. Info provided by NFLLabor.com.

• Kirk Morrison, LB
• Thomas Howard, LB
• Ricky Brown, LB
• Jon Alston, LB
• Charlie Frye, QB
• Khalif Barnes, OL
• Stanford Routt, CB
• JP Losman, QB

Analysis

Morrison and Howard have faults and neither is a lock to come back. Howard’s speed and play in coverage brings more to the table to the Raiders’ defense. Brown challenged Morrison early last summer for his spot, but injuries have kept him off the field far too often. Alston’s concussions this past season were far too serious to predict whether or not he’ll be able to play effectively next season. Frye is a perfect back up; works hard and is smart enough to understand his role. Barnes is not very good and Oakland needs to upgrade their offensive line, Losman came in late and won’t look to stick around and Routt has enough ability, which will keep him around as a Raider for another season.

Bruce Gradkowski’s performance on Sunday just earned him a shot at proving his case to why he should be leading the Oakland Raiders, and not JaMarcus Russell.

Realistically, we all know that the money and years invested on the LSU product will weigh heavily on their decision for the future. We all know that Al Davis – who has the final say on any and all decisions – will let his feelings be known about who should be under center. And that will be an uphill battle for Gradkowski. But for one weekend, he did what is asked of every quarterback in this league – and that’s to win.

Moreover, he led with passion, feistiness, playing within himself, evading key mistakes and performing when it mattered most. His numbers were not eye popping. But the outcome and how the team played while he was in the huddle and at the helm spoke volumes.

Sure, the back-up quarterback is generally a fan-base’s solution to everything. And we’ve seen many second stringers come into games, have short stints as a starter, play well enough to tease and then fizzle out quickly when they get propelled to the forefront.

In this case, what Gradkowski did and what was seen against the Cincinnati Bengals is an indictment on what Russell has not done or been able to accomplish.

Unlike Russell, Gradkowski has altered this offense in his first week of practice and debut as a starter into a confident group. Something a highly touted passer picked number one overall should do, don’t you think?

Last week, Zach Miller stated, “He’s obviously a pretty smart guy, reads things well, throws a real good ball. He’s a pro quarterback, so they’re all good. We feel like we’ll be able to throw it around better now.”

No, Oakland’s best offensive player was not talking about the prospective gun slinging big-armed passer they got in the draft.

The Raiders toughest talent on offense stated, “A love for the game that he shows in the way he plays, the way he calls plays. The way he works on details of plays with players, in between. He’s just uh, I think that’s the main thing I’m seeing with him. It’s just, he’s a get-after-it type of guy.”

Justin Fargas was not talking about the guy given a lot of money after he held out for all of his first camp and pre-season and that has been critiqued for his lack of passion for the game since.

Darren McFadden continued with the valuation of Gradkowski commenting, “He goes through all his reads. He’s been making the right decisions”

Russell has made a lot of bad decisions on and off the field; whether reading a defense, or not yearning or immersing himself into his craft; like a quarterback who was chosen to be the savior of an organization should.

And for those reasons, Gradkowski should finish 2009 as the starter in Oakland. If he bombs and does not perform well, Russell will get back in there – its not realistic to think at this point that the Silver & Black will part ways with the 24-year old. And even if he ends the campaign on a roll, all that will do is raise questions on who should be leading this team, while challenging Russell to elevate his game and give Oakland a nice quarterback controversy in 2010.

And boy, is this organization used to their share of controversy.

MURPHY PRAISING HIS QB

Rookie Louis Murphy hauled in the tying touchdown late in the 4^th quarter. After the game he stated about his quarterback: “It was a great approach. This week, he was full of energy,” Murphy said. “He commanded the huddle, and he was punctual, and he was ready for the Bengals . . . he said that we’re gonna continue to try to just move the ball and try to get first downs. Nothing too big, just move the chains. So that’s what we did.”

BRANCH PRAISED BY CABLE

Tom Cable praised starting SS Tyvon Branch on Monday when asked if the second year pro had one of his finest games yesterday, stating, “I don’t think there’s any question.”

He got a game ball after tallying 12-tackles, one-sack, a pass defended and a forced fumble.

NOTES

Yankees hurler CC Sabathia visited the Black Hole during Sunday's game vs. the Bengals

• New York Yankees ace CC Sabathia – a long time Raider fan – was in attendance on Sunday.
• Linebacker Ricky Brown was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The starting linebacker suffered an ankle injury earlier in the campaign. Oakland added LB David Nixon to the active roster.

Gary Russell, who led the Oakland Raiders in rushing during the pre-season (28 carries for 155 yards and 3 scores) will see action on Sunday versus the Philadelphia Eagles at fullback. Oren O’Neal was ineffective, fell into the doghouse, was waived when Langston Walker signed this week and Luke Lawton is doubtful to play with an ankle injury.

At first glance, Russell is not your typical looking fullback. At 5’11” and 215 pounds, the 23-year old will have to use his quickness to hit holes and pave lanes for Raider running backs. That may be a welcomed sight after seeing the slow trotting O’Neal have his difficulties all season. Oakland has to worry about his use on passing downs, and if they are smart, they will avoid using him as a key protector when JaMarcus Russell drops back to pass versus a blitz happy Eagles defense.

Rookie tight end Brandon Myers, who lined up at fullback in big packages during the summer, could see action back there as well.

Defensive end Greg Ellis missed practice again late in the week, which could cut into his time on the field on Sunday. The first year Raider had his knee drained on Monday and was very outspoken this week with the media stating, “The mood we’re going to be in or should be in, right now we’re kind of the laughingstock of the NFL,” on Thursday. “This isn’t anything new. Teams have been that way before. New England wasn’t always winning Super Bowls and Dallas wasn’t always the team they are. So, it goes in cycles. When you’re in that down cycle, you got to fight and claw to get back out of it and that’s what we’re doing here right now in Oakland.”

Ricky Brown will wear a cast on his right ankle for a few weeks before doctors decide whether or not they opt for surgery. If surgery is needed, Brown will be lost for the season.

Wide receiver Chaz Schilens is listed as questionable and will be a game time decision. Tom Cable stated that Javon Walker would be active. It will be the first time he sees game action since week-two.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders (1-4) will face the Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) on Sunday at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The Silver & Black are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and have been outscored 96-16 during that span. This game will mark the 11^th time both clubs have met in their history with the Eagles leading the regular season series 5-4, and the Raiders winning their lone playoff meeting, a 27-10 victory in Super Bowl XV.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

The Raiders just keep on getting worse by the week on offense. Tom Cable for weeks has said that they are working hard, getting better and trying to move in the right direction, but they have lost by 20, 23 and 37 in consecutive weeks. The team ranks 31^st in scoring (9.8 per game), 28^th in rushing (83.0 yards per game), 32^nd in passing (108.6 yards per game) and 31^st in 3^rd down conversion rates (25%). They are last in the league in time of possession as well, all signs of a grounded rush attack and a passing game that is non-existent.

With the offensive line also re-shuffled the last few games, Oakland must get back to basics versus the Eagles and run the ball with Michael Bush and Justin Fargas.

Oakland brought back Langston Walker on Wednesday after a few seasons away from the club. They re-signed him to try to sure up the right side of the line, but that may not happen this week. Ironically, Walker was on the 2006 Raiders; the worst scoring team in franchise history, but that team may be ousted from the top of the record books by this current crop.

“Hopefully I can come in and help this team at some point,” Walker said.

What to Expect:

So far, it appears that Chaz Schilens may be seeing action on Sunday. “He looked good in what he did so we’ll see,” Tom Cable stated on Wednesday after practice. His return alone will not be the cure for this offense. But at this point, any injection of energy will be welcomed to this gloomy bunch. Oakland will try to run often against the Eagles in hopes of loosening a unit that can bring the heat (13 sacks) and likes to put quarterbacks in third and long situations. JaMarcus Russell can’t carry this offense, his wide receivers are not very good and his tight end is their lone threat. So they need big games on the ground the rest of the year if they expect to win any games. If Schilens is on the field, the best they can hope is that he can make plays, push back the rookie targets down the depth chart to lesser roles and that his presence frees up Zach Miller for Russell to make plays.

On Defense:

Jon Alston will replace Ricky Brown in the starting line-up on Sunday after the starting strong side linebacker injured his ankle last week versus the Giants.

But that is the least of the Raiders worries right now, as their rush defense is allowing 185 yards per game during their three-game losing streak. After a promising week-one versus the Chargers, Oakland’s defense has gotten worse and looking like the team that has been poorest against the run since 2003. The addition of Richard Seymour was supposed to fix some of the issues they had along the trenches, but that has not been the case lately.

With losses piling up and the performances getting worse, its hard for some on this team not to go into panic or give up mood since they have seen this play out the same way for many years. “I think as a professional you have to be able to, whether a good play happened or a bad play, you have to move on to the next,” Seymour commented. “We can’t move forward looking to our rearview mirror. I think that’s going to help us being able to put things behind us and move forward.

What to Expect:

The Raiders just don’t have enough firepower on either side of the ball. And pride alone many not be enough when you face a team like the Eagles who can put up points in bunches. Oakland does not always play with pride, and this is why facing a team like the Eagles with players that are dynamic on offense could be too much to handle. Philadelphia is getting in a groove with their quarterback, a rookie wide receiver who made his mark last week, a multi-dimensional rusher and a back-up passer that has made a play or two in this league with his arm, and more dangerously, his feet.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

On Offense:

The Eagles got Donovan McNabb back last week and he threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns; demonstrating that all is well since hurting his ribs in the season opener.

Philadelphia will lean on running backs LeSean McCoy and Brian Westbrook this week, as both have combined for 296 yards rushing this season and two scores on the ground. The tandem has caught 8 passes each for 101 yards, displaying the diversity of this Eagles attack.

DeSean Jackson (13 receptions 260 yards 2 touchdowns), Jeremy Maclin (12 rec. 187 yards 2 TD) and Jason Avant (11 rec. 123 yards 1 TD) round out McNabb’s options at wide receiver. But the team’s leading target has been Brent Celek with 26 grabs for 303 yards and two scores.

What to Expect:

The offensive line, featuring tackles Winston Justice and Jason Peters, should manhandle the Raiders front four. The Eagles will be able to run the ball and confuse Oakland with their wide array of screens, misdirection plays and any trickery they have in their playbook. Jackson has 6 carries for 48 yards this season and Michael Vick, who saw action in the 4^th quarter last week, could be used in some plays to exploit an aggressive Raider defensive line.

On Defense:

Philadelphia’s pass defense currently ranks 4^th in the league allowing 171.5 yards per game. The vertically impaired Raiders will not challenge that facet of their defensive unit.

So their rush defense (ranked 13^th) should expect a heavy workload their way. Leading tacklers, linebackers Akeem Jordan and Omar Gaither and safety Quintin Mikell will try to blockade the Raiders rush attack.

Defensive end Trent Cole leads the team with 4-sacks, while his bookend Darren Howard has 2. Cole likes blowouts, and he stated this after last week’s win commenting, “I don’t ever want to have a close game.”

“That’s the worst, having a close game. We want to be on top all the time. We want to go out there and win and have no problems. We want to have a smooth, clean game, get on top and pull away as far as we can and don’t let up.”

What to Expect:

This team may have a shot at putting away this game early and enjoying another easy victory. The Eagles will stack the line of scrimmage, pressure Russell at any point they can and keep the Raiders in 3^rd and long situations. The secondary is not afraid of their wide receivers and their aggressiveness may pay off with turnovers.

GAME NOTES

• Although they never played together while at California, DeSean Jackson and Nnamdi Asomugha, good friends, will be matched-up several times on Sunday. “He’s a great player,” Jackson said this week. “I respect him, but I still have to do my job and go out there and get open as a wide receiver. I know him personally, so we’ll go out there and we’ll see how it goes.”  ”I know DeSean very well,” Asomugha said. “We’re both from the Los Angeles area. We keep in contact here and there and I’ve known him since Cal because I was out here. I’m very happy for him. I’m very impressed with the way he plays. He’s a playmaker.”Jackson is a threat on special teams, and the Raiders have been lackluster there too this season. The speedy Eagle has a touchdown already on a punt return, so Oakland will have to be at their best even though they have allowed the most punt return yards in the league so far in 2009.
• The Raiders waived fullback Oren O’Neal when they signed Walker this week. If he goes unclaimed, O’Neal will return to the Raiders on injured reserve.
• Oakland failed to sell out the game 72-hours prior to the contest, so the game will be blacked out. It’s the Raiders second consecutive blackout and 71^st since the team returned to Oakland in 1995.

KEY MATCH-UPS

How to contain DeSean Jackson?

The Eagles can line him up anywhere, use him as a ball carrier, a receiver and with Oakland most likely punting often again this weekend, his exploits as a returner will be on display.

Westbrook and McCoy vs. The Raiders Front-Seven

If the Eagles run for big yardage with that tandem, they’ll coast to an easy victory.

Fight or Flight?

Will Oakland fight till the end in front of their home crowd? Or will they play lackadaisical football again and fold if the Eagles jump out to an early lead? The Raiders must play from in front and get the crowd into the game.

PREDICTION

Eagles 27 – Raiders 10

TV & RADIO

The game will be televised on FOX with Sam Rosen providing play-by-play and former NFL player Tim Ryan handling color analysis. If sold out per NFL blackout rules, the game will air in the Bay Area on KTVU Channel 2. 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 Oakland Raiders official web site)

GAME INFO

Sunday, October 18, 2009, 1:05 p.m. PT | Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, OAK

Home Team: Oakland Raiders (1-4) Home: 0-2 Road: 1-2

Road Team: Philadelphia Eagles (3-1) Home: 2-1 Road: 1-0

Point Spread: Raiders are 14½-point underdogs

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

QUARTERBACK: D

The final stats were not horrific, but they still remain putrid. JaMarcus Russell again led a feeble pass attack that averaged 3.9 per completion, and he only converted on 12 of his 33 pass attempts. The first play of the game was a receiver screen to Louis Murphy, as Oakland attempted to get him in sync early. A few plays later, on a 3rd and 11, he scrambled and completed an 8-yard toss to Todd Watkins. That was a sign of things to come, as Russell had to face many 3rd and long situation due to an ineffective run game and poor play calling by Tom Cable. That does not excuse Russell’s poor performance nor does it make him exempt from critique. He had to make quick decisions this afternoon as evidenced on Oakland’s second possession when Amobi Okoye tallied a sack on a 2nd and 8 – again setting up an unworkable 3rd and long. It wasn’t until their third possession that Russell looked more at ease. He opened the drive with a 12-yard toss to Zach Miller, but his teammates killed the drive with a false start and his 1st round receiver dropped a make able reception. Russell’s cannon arm was on display on a 3rd and 13 completion for 16-yards that was negated by the officials and a 4th and 9 he hit Murphy for 19-yards. Yes his accuracy was off again, his leadership and fire was lacking and ultimately, the offense did nothing. But he tried to manage the game a lot better and with a defense primed to stop the run, he needed the accessories around him to play a lot better as well.

RUNNING BACKS: F

This unit was soft and lackluster all afternoon. Darren McFadden ended with 6 carries for -3 yards. He went down easily on sweeps, showed no fight on any of his runs and appeared like a deer caught in front of headlights against a struggling defense. Granted the offensive line did not get any push, but none of the Raiders young rushers came to play. Michael Bush had 3 carries for 10-yards andt fumbled after a screenplay that gave the Texans the ball at the Oakland 41-yard line in the 3rd quarter. Justin Fargas got the bulk of the carries as the half wound down and the second half began. The other two ball carriers may have more talent than Fargas, and he doesn’t have game-breaking ability, but the veteran runs with more ferociousness and has the type of attitude to get some life into this lifeless offense. Oren O’Neal looks slow, is not playing powerful football, and at this point, Luke Lawton looks to be the better option at fullback due to his versatility.

WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS: F

Russell kept the receivers busy, but they did not adjust on their routes and were lacking concentration with their continuous drops and drive killing attempts. Louis Murphy had the case of the dropsies and was robbed of a 16-yard reception in which it appeared that he dragged his second foot on a 3rd and 13, but the challenge was not in favor of Oakland. Darrius Heyward-Bey had his most active game as a Raider. He had one catch for 18-yards, and had a few others his way that he should’ve had, and others that were errant and could not be hauled in. His best play was an end-around in which he gained 20-yards. He touched the ball twice on that drive and Oakland capped that 13-play possession with a field goal. Todd Watkins an uneventful 2 receptions for 20 yards to the group. Zach Miller had a tough time getting open against a very good linebacker group and finished with 3 catches for 33 yards.

OFFENSE LINE: F

For a third straight game, this unit has not been able to win the battle of the trenches. They look slow at the point of attack, are playing soft and are hindering the only asset Oakland has in staying in games – the ground attack. Erik Pears struggled in his second start; getting flagged for a false start, infracted for a hold that was declined because Oakland did not convert on that 3rd down, getting manhandled when run blocking and allowing a sack in the second half. Chris Morris also had a false start; one of the back-to-back flags against a member of the line in the 1st quarter and Cornell Green had his weekly blunder, a false start on a 3rd and 7. At the start o the second half, they came out flat, as McFadden loss 3-yards on a sweep and on the next play, the Texans shot through the line to tackle Murphy on a reverse for a loss of 7. When the Raiders needed this line to assert themselves the most, the let the Texans plow across the line of scrimmage to tackle Fargas in the end zone for a safety that extended the deficit to 22-6. Oakland ran for only 45 yards against a team that came into the game the worst in the NFL against the run.

DEFENSE LINE: C-

They had their moments and fought to keep the Texans grounded. But an offense that can’t stay on the field and very good blocking and schemes by Houston were too much for the Raider front-four. Greg Ellis had a sack and provided pressure in spurts, Jay Richardson came on in the second half for a few reps and tallied his first sack of the season and Gerard Warren had a disruptive game in the interior versus the run and also pulling down Matt Schaub for a sack. But when Houston imposed their will, got on their assignments and put blockers on the defensive line, they moved the ball easily. Houston ran for 120-yards and at times gave a clinic on blocking. Tommy Kelly had his most active game of the season. Matt Shaughnessy recovered Steve Slaton’s 1st quarter fumble after Kelly got the push in the interior to force the miscue.

LINEBACKERS: C-

These groups got caught in traps, were blocked very well by the Texans on their big plays and were neutralized by Schaub’s play-action fakes on various occasions. On 3rd and goal in the 1st quarter, Ricky Brown broke on Schaub’s pass after reading his eyes and almost came up with an interception in the end zone. He cut underneath his assignment on another passing play forcing an incompletion in the 2nd half. On Slaton’s 32-yard score, Thomas Howard was blocked and Kirk Morrison was out of position. When Schaub hit his tight end for 44-yards, Morrison bit on the play action, and was not able to get enough depth in his zone after the cornerback released Owen Daniels into his zone. Brown had a dumb penalty at the end of a play, spearing a receiver when he was down, setting up the Texans at the Oakland 25 yard line after the 15-yard infraction.

SECONDARY: D

Chris Johnson had an up-and-down game. He was matched-up against Andre Johnson a lot of the day and he had his shinning moments, batting away a deep ball on the opening drive, jumping routes to prevent the completion and tackling well around the line of scrimmage. But there were breakdowns too as Kevin Walter beat him at the line of scrimmage after missing the jam and could not recover for a 41-yard gain, and Johnson beat him on a 62-yard toss. Michael Huff struggled versus screens and runs getting off blocks or getting good angles on the play, but almost came up with another pick. Johnson had an interception as time expired at the end of the first half, but he was flagged for excessive celebration, with the Raiders down 20-6.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F

Even the return of Justin Miller could not jolt the return teams. He had 6 returns for 106 yards, but none really scared the Texans. On the other hand, Jacoby Jones broke the game open with his 95-yard return for a score. That play gave the Texans a 29-6 lead; a play after the Houston defense recorded their safety.  Johnnie Lee Higgins booted a punt late that was recovered by Houston.

COACHING: F

Tom Cable’s play calling is hindered by Russell’s issues and the young wide-outs inexperience. But there isn’t enough in the playbook that will scare any opponent, and with the offensive line sleepwalking through games, it looks like this offense will struggle once again this season. This team has no come back ability due to their lack of pop. And if they can’t run, they won’t win any games. Cable has to find a way to get the trenches fixed on both sides of the ball if they want to avoid another double-digit loss season. When the Texans had their offense rolling, they got to all of their assignments and executed efficiently. The run defense was better this week, but not good enough to compete at a high level. Oakland can pressure with four down linemen; a key aspect to laying defense. And they got to Schaub today after only being sacked 2-times prior to this game. But they could not force him into enough mistakes to make this game interesting. Oakland had 8 penalties at the half. The schedule gets tough now for the Raiders, so it will be interesting to see if Cable can get them to play respectable football against quality opponents.

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Raider head coach Tom Cable addresed the media folowing the Raiders second practice this Monday afternoon to discuss the status of the Richard Seymour trade and the status of his curently rostered squad heading into the Monday Night Game against the visiting San Diego Chargers.

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On 2^nd and 3, the opening play of the 2^nd quarter was a run by Lynell Hamilton for 3 yards. Drew Brees then continued to dissect the Raiders’ secondary with a quick slant to Marques Colston for 15-yards. Brees then hits Lance Moore after a great ball fake for a 5-yard touchdown. The 11-play for 78 yards drive gave the Saints a dominating 21-0 lead. The Raider secondary is non-existent. There has been no pressure applied to Brees, as the Saints have changed the pace of the game going no-huddle and kept the Oakland defense off-balance with their mix of run and pass.

Nick Miller handles the ensuing kickoff to the 23-yard line. Up to this point, the Oakland offense has only ran six plays. Darren McFadden’s first carry of the game on the next play goes for 29-yards, but a holding penalty on Zach Miller negates the huge gainer. McFadden hauls in a dump off on the next play for 4-yards. Javon Walker enters the game for the first time, but Russell hits Miller on a 6-yard route towards the sideline. Russell on 3^rd and 7 hits Louis Murphy on a short crossing pattern, but the rookie could not handle the football as he juggled it attempting to secure it and making a move up the field.

Prior to the punt, Sam Williams was flagged on a false start. Ricky Schmitt punted and Gary Russell darted down the field for the nice tackle.

Mark Brunell enters the game and hands-off to Hamilton, as he gains three-yards running towards the right side. Brunell rolls out on the next play and throws incomplete to Robert Meachem. They tried to set-up a screen on the next, which fell incomplete, but Jay Richardson was there to stuff the play if it was completed.

Johnnie Lee Higgins fielded a 32-yard punt at the OAK 27-yard line.

McFadden on the draw runs hard for 3-yards right into linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Russell on the next play rolls away from the pressure on his backside and throws a wobbly pass to Louis Murphy, but the rookie had troubles securing the pass, as it was called an incomplete pass by the referees. On 3^rd and 7, Russell throws a bullet to Higgins on a quick out pattern that would have been a first down. Russell’s strong arm needed to be restrained on that short toss.

Linebacker David Nixon made a nice stop on punt coverage.

Brunell goes deep on the ensuing play to Meachem, but the pass errant and Stanford Routt was in coverage. The quarterback then steps into the pocket on the following play and hits Hamilton for 9-yards. Hamilton then darts across the gaping hole in the line of scrimmage and makes safety Hiram Eugene miss on the 19-yard run. Brunell then goes deep again, this time to Lance Moore, who almost makes the catch, but Stanford Routt was called for the pass interference (31-yards on the infraction). A few plays later, Routt gets flagged again giving the Saints an automatic 1^st down at the OAK 7-yard line. The run defense finally shows life near the goal line, as Ricky Brown and Desmond Bryant built a wall versus Hamilton. Jamar Nesbit was flagged for a hold on Gerard Warren on the next play, and the Saints faced a 3^rd and goal at the 16-yard line. Brunell connects on a touchdown pass, but for the second straight play a score was negated due to a flag. Now New Orleans faced a 3^rd and goal at the 22-yard line. Brunell hits Billy Miller, near the goal line, but the Saints shoot themselves in the foot again with another penalty. Now facing a 3^rd and goal from the 27-yard line, a hand-off to Hamilton goes for minimal yards, as Tommy Kelly and Ricky Brown were there for the stop.

John Carney nails a 35-yard field goal to extend the Saints’ lead to 24-0.

Russell from the shotgun dumps a short pass on the flat to McFadden, and the running back weaved for 11-yards. McFadden on the following play fumbles on the sweep and the Saints recovered the loose football and returned it near the Oakland goal line. Oren O’Neal was slow to get to the defenders and McFadden was mobbed behind the line of scrimmage as he ran towards the left side. Tom Cable challenges the fumble call on the field, but the play was not overruled.

The Saints took over at the 6-yard line with 4:22 remaining in the half. Trevor Scott applies pressure on the Saints’ first play after the turnover and forces Brunell to throw out of the end-zone. Scott again puts the heat on the Saints’ quarterback on the next play, and the forced throw lands right into the hands of Hiram Eugene. The safety gets the pick in the end zone and returns it 31-yards to the 30-yard line.

Russell was almost picked off on the ensuing play, on a slant intended for Heyward-Bey. On 3^rd and 5, Troy Evans blitzes and Russell has no shot to get away from the heat and gets sacked for a 12-yard loss.

David Nixon again plays the punt return very well; as he records his second tackle. (Play was negated due to a flag on the Saints)

Gary Russell and Jon Condo stuff the punt return on the next play.

PJ Hill is now carrying the football for the Saints. Warren on the tackle after a 4-yard gain. On the next play, Meachem gains 71-yards on the pass after Routt miss a tackle on the play. Chris Johnson runs down the WR before he hits paydirt. With the ball on the 2-yard line, Warren and Sam Williams keep Hill out of the end zone. Hill scores on the next play to give the Saints a 30-0 lead before the point after.

Up to this point, the Saints have 19 first downs; Oakland 3. Saints have racked up a total of 344 yards; Raiders 77. The Saints are 6-of-8 on 3^rd downs, the Raiders are 0-for-4.

After a Nick Miller 25-yard return, Russell rolls out, gets pressured and is not able to release the football cleanly on the toss, hit by a defender as he threw it. Robert Gallery was flagged on the play for holding. On 3^rd and 10 a few plays later, Russell gets sacked to end the Raiders horrid first half effort on offense.

Chris Johnson hauled in an interception as the half ended.

Score: Saints 31 – Raiders 0

NOTES

• TOTAL YARDS: New Orleans 351 Oakland 60
• PASSING YARDS: New Orleans 259 Oakland 59
• RUSHING YARDS: New Orleans 92 Oakland 1
• Time of Possession: New Orleans 20:27 Oakland 9:33
• 1st downs: New Orleans 19 Oakland 3

Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

• The Oakland Raiders brought back Napoleon Harris yesterday; the same linebacker that was traded for Randy Moss after the 2004 campaign. The former first round draft choice (23^rd overall) of the Silver & Black has made stops in Minnesota (2005-2006 & 2008) and Kansas City (2007-2008) before coming back to the bay area. Out of Northwestern, the once boisterous defender has tallied 481 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in his career. He’ll always be remembered for being traded to the Vikings in exchange for Moss. Oakland also sent the seventh overall pick in that draft and a seventh rounder to Minnesota. Harris wore number 96 in practice and worked with the second team. SB Report journalist DeMarcus Davis stated, “The one play I saw him make was a tackle on Michael Bush up the middle. Harris shed his blocker to make the tackle.”
• Javon Walker worked with the team for the first time on Monday and looked crisp running his route drills. The wide receiver is expected to play versus the Saints this week, but is not sure for how long. “The rehab part is the hard part,” Walker said. “The easy part is being out there practicing and catching balls now.”
• Oakland released CB Ricky Manning Jr to make room for Harris. Manning was signed on August 15 and played during the pre-season for the Silver & Black.
• JaMarcus Russell had another up-and-down day in practice. He zipped the ball a few times to Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey. The rookie out of Maryland was observed dropping another ball that was a perfect toss.
• Ricky Brown played MLB along with Jon Alston and Thomas Howard.
• Raiders that sat out of practice: Shane Lechler (groin), Justin Fargas (hamstring), Mike Mitchell (hamstring) & Hiram Eugene (flu).

Quarterback: B-

The numbers were fairly decent for JaMarcus Russell (7/11 for 76 yards and 1 TD), but most of his tosses were of the short variety and were safe. His 24-yard touchdown pass to Louis Murphy is what the team wants to see more of. On 3^rd and 22, hit got enough time to scan the field and then Russell was able to realize the break in the coverage and hit the rookie to give them a 7-0 lead. Russell was decisive and accurate on a 20-yard completion to TE Tony Stewart, releasing the ball above his OL and a defender plowing into him. Bruce Gradkowski looks to be way ahead in the fight for third in the depth chart. He was 3/5 for 44 yards, one touchdown and one interception. As soon as he came into the game in the 3^rd quarter, he showed off his mobility with a 9-yard scamper. A few plays later, he hooks up with the rookie tight end for a nice 36-yard pass before he connects with Brandon Myers again to cap the drive with a touchdown and a 14-3 lead. Jeff Garcia came on late in the 1^st half, immediately completed a 9-yard pass to Johnnie Lee Higgins, then ran for 9 yards, but as time expired and the Raiders in 49ers territory, he overthrew his target, and the pass was deflected into the hands of a defender. Garcia looked healthy and ready to continue work this week after his stint. Charlie Frye had his moments, but his interception led to the 49ers game-winning score. After Gradkowski’s pick, Carlos Thomas returned Frye’s first pass to the Raider 25 yard line. Frye was feisty at the end of the contest, scrambling and making plays with his feet.

Running Back: C

Much of the talk here is what they couldn’t do due to the weak play of the offensive line. Darren McFadden opened the game with Oren O’Neal. The fullback looked slow and not able to neither seal any lanes nor get into the second level of the defense. McFadden had to dance around bodies just to get to the line of scrimmage. On a 2^nd and goal in the 1^st quarter, Justin Fargas got the call, but the offensive line was mauled on the play. The running backs were at their best during screens and dump offs and little else. The best ground game Oakland had was with their shifty quarterbacks when they broke out of the pocket.

Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: B+

Brandon Myers was athletic, sure-handed and looked every part of being a tight end at the NFL level. His 4 receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown were very impressive. Murphy continues to show that he can be a contributor to this attack. He found the soft spot in the 49ers cover-2 on the touchdown and tallied 34 yards on the night. Zach Miller had 3 catches and was Russell’s safety blanket once again. On a 3^rd and 9 in the first quarter, it appeared that Darrius Heyward-Bey wiggled open on a out pattern, but Russell was not able to connect on his pass. Johnnie Lee Higgins was active and beat a CB so bad, he drew a pass interference penalty that netted the Raiders 22-yards.

Offensive Line: D-

This group was ineffective and looked sluggish all night. They were not able to open up any holes for the rushers, beaten at the point of attack on the majority of running plays the Raiders called. On a 2^nd and 13 in the 2^nd quarter in which Fargas got near the goal line on a screen pass, Center Samson Satele was flagged for a hold. James Marten could’ve had a costly penalty, as he was flagged before Frye’s touchdown run deep in SF territory. Cornell Green’s penalty in the 2^nd quarter also put the Raiders in a tough down and distance.

Defensive Line: F

The 49ers rushed for 275 yards and controlled the time of possession 38:44 to 21:16. Frank Gore got his feet wet early, but his back-up Glen Coffee plowed through the Raiders, amassing over 100 yards rushing in the 1^st half and 129 for the contest. Michael Robinson and Kory Sheets joined the party later; they totaled 148 yards. Gerard Warren and Tommy Kelly were a sieve. They got pushed around all night, and when Terdell Sands and William Joseph were in there, it did not get any better. The most noticeable trend from last night was how the edges of the defense were exposed. Trevor Scott, Greg Ellis and Jay Richardson all were manhandled on tosses, sweeps and any rush plays run at them. William Joseph did have some nice plays, batting a ball down on 4^th down to end a 49er drive and shutting down an end around for -6 yards. Ellis got pressure early on passing downs, but his rush was neutralized once San Francisco began to pound at John Marshall’s defense.

Linebackers: D

If not for a Ricky Brown interception and return for 46 yards that set Oakland up for points in 49er territory, this unit would have been given an ‘F’ as well. Oakland blitzed a lot with this group, but only managed one sack the whole night. Kirk Morrison was whipped away on a few rushes, Thomas Howard was active, but needed to make trailing tackles on rushers that broke free into the second level of the defense, and Jon Alston, who started at OLB was ineffective. Slade Norris missed some tackles and Morlon Greenwood could not a case for himself making the roster with poorest showing by the defense.

Secondary: C

The starters were solid, but not tested much since the 49ers had so much success on the ground. Starter Chris Johnson had his moments in the 1^st half; covering and tackling Vernon Davis for minimal gains. Hiram Eugene and Tyvon Branch appeared lost at times as well as Jerome Boyd. Ricky Manning Jr. played well, and recorded a big tackle on a 3^rd and 7 run to get the Raiders off the field.

Special Teams: B

Nick Miller did not put any fear into the 49er coverage units. His fumble late ended any hope the Raiders had of winning the game. Justin Miller had a 26-yard kickoff return and punter Ricky Schmitt did an admirable job averaging 48.0 yards a punt.

Coaching: B-

Tom Cable should had left Russell in the game to end the half. That was a perfect opportunity to let the young passer orchestrate a 2-minute drill. He did a good job challenging Frye’s touchdown. He stuck to the game plan, playing all the quarterbacks on the roster and giving them all a shot to get their feet wet last night. His team built a nice lead and appeared in control to start the 3^rd quarter, but there was no answer for the onslaught on the ground. Cable did a nice job taking a time-out in the 2^nd quarter when the 49ers got to the goal line. That got the Raiders a breather and thwarted a 13 play drive that could’ve ended in a touchdown, but instead the 49ers got a FG.

NOTES:

• When the 49ers took a 21-14 lead, they had scored 18-unanswered points on the strength of a powerful running game and 3 turnovers. San Francisco has also dominated the time of possession, 35:14 to 15:52 to that point in the final quarter.
• Kirk Morrison was seen leaving the game with his arm in sling. He will be out at least 2-weeks, and with Ricky Brown making plays and looking more intense out there, it appears that the product out of Oakland will have to deal with a bumpy road in 2009.