Fullback Chane Moline, offensive lineman Allen Smith, tight end Tony Stewart and wide receiver Paul Hubbard are no longer members of the Silver & Black. Oakland has to release another player by tomorrow.

The veteran Stewart was the only slight surprise. The nine-year veteran played three campaigns in Oakland, mostly in a special teams capacity, but while serving as the team’s NFLPA representative.

Tight ends Zach Miller and Brandon Myers round out the tight end unit, with Oakland possibly keeping the bulky John Owens for his blocking skills.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

Stanford Routt seen here sacking Carson Palmer, was fined by the NFL this week

Three Oakland Raiders were fined by the NFL for their actions last Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Tight end Tony Stewart got hit the hardest; penalized $25,000 for “making intentional physical contact with a game official.” Stewart claimed that linebacker Alex Hall punched him on a kickoff return and he was pleading his case to the officials after the play.

“I’d give them one percent chance that they couldn’t have seen the play, seen that happen. I was saying to the refs, ‘You didn’t see that? You didn’t see him punch me in the face? You’re not going to throw a flag?’ And the ref came up to me and put his hand on my chest and started pushing me,” Stewart said. “I just swiped his hand off my chest. Just a natural reaction.”

Richard Seymour, who was recently selected as a Pro Bowl alternate, was fined $10,000. He got flagged for a personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct against the Browns.

In total, Oakland was penalized 13 times for 126 yards last weekend. The game became volatile with scuffles and referees appeared to take control of the game by tossing flags around.

“That’s how I felt. I’ve never seen flags thrown like that,” Seymour said. “Obviously we have to understand how the game is being played and how the game is being called and play accordingly. We didn’t do a good job of that after we understood that they were going to throw it if you looked the wrong way.”

Stewart was ejected from that contest, along with cornerback Stanford Routt who was also docked $5,000 this week. He was booted off the field due to a head-butting an opponent.

“They said I head-butted him. That was it,” Routt said Thursday. “That happened four days ago. That might as well have happened four years ago, in my opinion. Know what I mean? What’s done is done.”

SECONDARY AILING

Cornerback Chris Johnson has been slowed this week in practice with a strained hamstring and starting strong safety Tyvon Branch in hindered by a ailing hip flexor.

We all know what has been Russell’s demise so far in his career. But after being bypassed for Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye, the young passer made the best of the opportunity presented to him on Sunday. And teammates were enthused to see a positive outcome for the besieged number one overall pick.

“I don’t think words can explain,” starting LT Mario Henderson stated. “He’s the No. 1 overall draft pick. He’s been hearing it from Day 1. For him to come in and do what he did today was amazing. One thing we did was step up behind him. We didn’t abandon him . . . the thing he showed us today is he was ready for the chance, he came back out strong and helped us when we needed it.”

Russell has been booed at home and the performance Gradkowski put forth in his stint had some wondering whether or not the former LSU star had any future in Oakland.

“I always say everybody is going to have their opinion. As long as my teammates have faith, and I have faith in those guys,” Russell said. `There’s always going to be tough times. It’s how you come up from behind and fight those tough times off.”

His 4^th down completion to Tony Stewart does not wash away a resume full of missed opportunities. The game winning score to Chaz Schilens does not change the consensus thought that he is still way too immature to lead this organization. And unless he changes his work habits and strives to make himself a better passer and director, we’ll continue seeing the same poor play that made all his fans turn on him.

Russell is not out of the woods yet, and Raider Nation needs to see more out of him before they can depend on him – and rightly so. “The man has been freaking dragged through the mud and people have been taking shots at him and the man has just been standing tall. He has a lot of growing up to do but when it came time he stepped up and did the job,” Stewart said.

That performance may have done one thing for Russell; it probably extended the leash Al Davis may have been tightening on him and gave the owner a sense of belief that his selection was the right one. Even though it was only a short appearance in a game in which Oakland was lights out on the ground and stout defensively, but Russell was at quarterback and made the throw to win the game.

And that may be enough to give Davis more ammo if he wants to keep this passer around or in the starting line-up in the foreseeable future.

BUSH-WHACKING – RUN DMC

“A game like this reminds me of last year,” Michael Bush commented last night. “In Tampa, the guys went down last year and I stepped in, same thing as today. Fargas went down a little bit and we needed someone else to pick up the slack. that is why you need a stable of backs like we have.”

Bush reminiscent of his 177 yard outing versus the Buccaneers almost a year ago, torched the Broncos for 133 yards, tallying his second 100 + yard performance of the season – the only two the Raiders have had in 2009.

Darren McFadden had a key fumble that led to the Denver go ahead score and Bush dropped a make able 3^rd down reception, but the duo really spearheaded an offense that was in need of a breakout rushing performance.

Justin Fargas was unable to play due to a knee ‘tweak’, but Oakland’s depth at running back finally paid off with their young ball carriers performing as many expected when they were first acquired.

BACK-TO-BACK…

The Raiders have been notoriously bad after wins since Cable took over. This season, they have stumbled versus the Broncos, Jets, Cowboys and Redskins after victories – and all of those losses had their lackluster and embarrassing moments. Next up is Cleveland, who are on a two game winning streak  and are coming off a 41-point effort against the Chiefs and a Jerome Harrison record breaking 286-yard outing, shattering Jim Brown’s single game club record.

OTHER NOTES

Erik Pears was stellar yesterday when Oakland used him as added bulk to their offensive line. Langston Walker also manhandled Denver linemen.

Cable stated after the game: “We’ll have to sort through the bodies on the way home and decide. Charlie was playing really well before he got knocked out. If he’s ready to go he’ll play. If not, we’ll go with JaMarcus but it’s too early to tell.” If Frye has any signs of concussions symptoms this week, Oakland cannot allow him on the field. The NFL will re-evaluate how teams handle concussions this off-season and it is of utmost importance that Frye’s health is the priority. That means JaMarcus Russell could see action against the Browns, as J.P Losman may not be ready enough due to his unfamiliarity with the playbook. And if Losman were to be pegged over Russell after this week, it would speak volumes on how the coaching staff feels about their pricey quarterback.

Charlie Frye: C

Oakland’s offense tallied 174-yards in the first half with Frye under center. In his second drive on 3^rd and 3, he inexcusably lofted a prayer to Johnnie Lee Higgins that was intercepted by Champ Bailey. That gave Denver the ball at the Raiders 41-yard line and five plays later, the Broncos went up 6-0 on Matt Prater’s 43-yard field goal. Frye ended the 1^st quarter with designed bootleg run after a fake to Darren McFadden, which netted 26-yards. A few plays later, he hit Higgins on 3^rd and 10 for a 12-yard gain and the Raiders ended that drive with a score. Frye had some tempo with the offense and he could’ve had a touchdown pass if Chaz Schilens would’ve hung on to a long toss in the 2^nd quarter that he could not come down with. At times, Frye had happy feet and bailed out on plays by using his legs to roll out due to pressure. Right before halftime, he had a chance to use his legs on a 3^rd and 3 and run for a first down, instead Frye tossed an incomplete pass and the Raiders settled on a field goal to extend their lead to 13-6. In the 4^th quarter, he took a big hit as he released a pass, the back of his head bounced off the turf and the way his body reacted on impact led you to believe that there was enough trauma there that he could not finish the contest.

JaMarcus Russell: B

Raider fans probably said, “Oh no, not again…,” as soon as he entered the game. Immediately, he faced a tough situation, a 3^rd and 12 that he was not able to convert when he bounced a deep out to Louis Murphy. On his second drive, he found an open Michael Bush on a 3^rd and 2 after scrambling, but the rusher was not able to convert on the catch-able pass. Russell did not feel the pressure early on that game-winning drive and disaster almost occurred when the fumbled on the first play. But he redeemed himself on 4^th and 10 – after missing the prior play due to injury – by hitting Tony Stewart with a 10-yard strike. On consecutive plays he hit Stewart again and Schilens for gains of 9 and 13 yards. He then slid in the pocket to avoid the Denver rush and hit Schilens for 4-yards on 2^nd and goal, but the Broncos were flagged for illegal contact and that gave the Silver & Black a new set of downs. A few plays later, Russell connected with Schilens for a 10-yard game-winning touchdown.

RUNNING BACKS & FULLBACKS: A

Even though Bush dropped a key pass on 3^rd and 2 late in the game, fumbled in the 2^nd quarter which was recovered by a teammate and Darren McFadden had a costly turnover that led the Broncos score that gave them a 16-13 lead, this group had a very productive afternoon. This is what Raider fans envisioned of this combo when they were drafted, as both combined for 207 yards on the ground. On Bush’s first touch of the contest, he rumbled for 23-yards and a score to give Oakland a 7-6 lead. On 3^rd and 9 in the 2^nd quarter, he ran for 13 yards and later that drive, he broke a Brian Dawkins tackle and weaved his way for 13 yards. Late in the 3^rd quarter he couldn’t punch it in near the goal line, but neither could McFadden who was thwarted by a stout Denver defensive stance on 4^th and goal, when he tried to cut his run back after initially taking the pitch and looking like he could get to the pylon. That drive got started with a bang when Bush gained 18 yards had a burst for another 40 and McFadden bolted for 28 yards on consecutive plays.

WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS: C

Tony Stewart was key with his 3 receptions for 37-yards. With Zach Miller out, he made vital receptions late in the game to keep a drive alive and to get them close to the winning score. Brandon Myers had only one catch for 6-yards, but his blocking was stellar. Schilens finished with 5 grabs for 37-yards and one touchdown. He caught the game winning score by breaking a tackle at the 3-yard line to hit paydirt. Louis Murphy gave good effort and his bets moment was when he beat Bailey for 14-yards on an out pattern.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B-

Oakland ran for 241-yards rushing. The offensive line was stellar when they asserted themselves and especially when Erik Pears was in as an extra blocker. Pears had key blocks on many of the Raiders big run plays as well as Langston Walker, who mauled the interior of the Denver defensive line on Bush’s score. Elvis Dumervil gave Mario Henderson many problems, but he did not add to his league leading sack total. Cooper Carlisle was flagged for being an ineligible man down the field to start a drive in the 2^nd quarter, but he won many matches in the trenches. Henderson was at the right spot at the right time when Bush fumbled right into his hands. You would’ve liked to see them get push near the goal line when Denver had their stand and not be so shaky late in the game when the Broncos were applying heat with only four-down linemen. But overall, they paved the way for a big day on the ground and kept Russell upright long enough to make plays as time expired. Cornell Green could’ve been a goat in the final drive with a false start from the 5-yard line with 45 seconds remaining.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A

At the half, the Broncos had 55 yards rushing. They only managed 25 the rest of the day on the strength of the defensive line of the Raiders. Matt Shaughnessy was outstanding versus the run and tallied another sack (4^th of the season) with a great bull rush. Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren were gobbling up Knowshon Moreno, who ended with 19 carries, for 42-yards (2.2 per carry). William Joseph was even very active up front, giving the Raiders a nice rotation without any weakening along the trenches. Desmond Bryant also played well and Greg Ellis compiled two more sacks; one on Denver’s first play of the final drive. This group disrupted Kyle Orton’s timing with his targets all day.

LINEBACKERS: B

Kirk Morrison probably had his best game of the season. He had 8-tackles, one for a loss and was solid working in space when in zone. Thomas Howard ended with 4 tackles and got better in pursuit as the game went on. Trevor Scott did not tally a sack today, but his run defense continues to be a spark on the front-seven.

SECONDARY: C-

Denver’s targets tallied 278 yards receiving. Stanford Routt was beaten badly in the slot by Brandon Stokley for 63-yards on a play that could have been a back-breaker for the visiting Raiders. On 3^rd and 12 on the opening drive, Chris Johnson was beat by Eddie Royal for 18-yards, Brandon Marshall also terrorized him fooling him on one route for 24-yards, but he defended Jabar Gaffney well on a fade route that ended a drive. Mike Mitchell was stout versus the run and had a key blitz on a 3^rd and 6 that forced Orton into an incompletion. Nnamdi Asomugha was at his best tackling around the line of scrimmage and Michael Huff jarred loose a potential big play by Marshall on 3^rd and 17 in the final seconds of the contest.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

In the thin air, this was a game of many touchbacks and of place kickers that had were on point with Sebastian Janikowski nailing field goal of 54 and 28 yards while Matt Prater connected on all four of his attempts. Shane Lechler averaged 54.8 per punt. Higgins had a nice punt return of 15-yards and Mitchell had a solid hit on the game’s final kickoff return.

COACHING: A

Tom Cable did a stellar job today. His play calling was rhythmic and precise. The bootleg when Frye was in the game for big yardage gave them life, the draw play on 3^rd down for a nice gain surprised the Denver defense and the run game kept them unbalanced. The offensive line was the facilitator, and he made the right choice playing Walker this weekend. When Russell was inserted, the game plan did not regress and they ran plays that kept Denver back peddling; which was vastly different from his approach against Washington once Russell entered. The again, he did not have the potent ground attack as he did today. Oakland’s defense kept the team alive. In the first half, they held the Broncos to 1/7 on 3^rd downs and Josh McDaniels’ offense only mustered up 3 more after that. The Raiders blitzed often, which affected the flow of Denver’s attack. Oakland was down 6-0 before battling back, And after a missed 4^th down opportunity with McFadden Stokley’ big play and losing his starter, Cable kept his team inspired and fighting on the road. Also, bringing Bush out of the doghouse helped, as the former Louisville star injected life to an offense that hadn’t run the ball well in recent weeks.

GAME NOTES

• Frye ended 9/17 for 68-yards and 1 interception. Russell tallied 5 completions on 11 attempts for 47-yards and a touchdown pass. J.P Losman entered the game for one play – a 3^rd and 10 in the 4^th quarter – before being replaced by Russell, who was healthy enough to complete the game after sustaining an injury. Losman was pressured on his lone play and tossed an incompletion to Murphy. Russell received the game ball after the game, but Cable stated to reporters that Frye will be the starter next week versus Cleveland if healthy.
• Bush had his best game of the year with season highs in carries (18) and yards (133). Justin Fargas “tweaked” his knee according to Cable after the game.
• Former Raider LaMont Jordan rushed for 27 yards on 5 carries.
• Tommy Kelly was injured, but finished the game.
• The game was delayed with 6:53 left when a fan was apparently shinning a laser onto the field.

Darren McFadden fighting for extra yardage against Washington last week

The Oakland Raiders (4-9) will face the Denver Broncos (8-5) on Sunday at Invesco Field. Denver has won six of the last eight meetings but still trail the overall series 56-42-2. In their first contest in late September, the Broncos rushed for 215 yards and dominated the time of possession 36:15 to Oakland’s 23:45.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

On Offense:

JaMarcus Russell will sit again this weekend, but this time Charlie Frye will start ahead of him, as this current Raider staff has all but given up on the former first round picks ability to lead this team. Oakland will tab the journeyman to get an offense going that was jolted by the insertion of Bruce Gradkowski a few weeks ago. “Yeah, me and Bruce come from the same mold as far as our past and what we’ve done to get where we’re at,” commented Frye this week.

He may be without tight end Zach Miller who sat out practice on Friday and has been dealt with cautiously after sustaining his second concussion of the season.

Also, Langston Walker will start at left guard for just the second time in his career in place of Chris Morris. “Just the play of what we got last week at left guard and trying to secure that a little bit,” said Tom Cable, about starting the mammoth Walker.

What to Expect:

With Frye in, the Raiders will look more like the team that Gradkowski led rather than the Russell directed bunch. Cable will be able to expand on the playbook, continue to use bootlegs to move around the quarterback and utilize his passing game to attack the Broncos 2^nd ranked pass defense. Without Miller, rookie Brandon Myers will have to play a big role as Tony Stewart is not mobile enough to scare the Denver secondary down the field.

On Defense:

Greg Ellis will be handled with care as the season winds down, as the wily veteran has had knee issues since getting it drained back in October. He participated in practice, but Oakland will try to limit any strenuous work in the week so he can play at end once Sundays roll around.

Matt Shaughnessy has had groin issues, but he is listed as probable. Michael Huff, who suffered a stinger last week, could play and was active on Friday during practice.

One player in secondary who will see more reps as the season winds down is safety Mike Mitchell. The Raiders have set-up new packages in recent weeks for thee week and last Sunday; he tallied his first career sack. In the red-zone he is a solid tackler and even though he has issues covering in space, Mitchell can be used as a blitzer when the Raiders go to their Nickel looks.

What to Expect:

Since week nine versus Pittsburgh, Brandon Marshall has been tearing up the league averaging 108.6 receiving yards per game, including 5 touchdowns and a NFL game record 21-grabs versus the Indianapolis Colts last week. Oakland’s secondary has allowed big plays all season and back in week-three versus the Silver & Black, Marshall hauled in his first score of the season. The Raiders need to find a way to get to Kyle Orton and make him move his feet in the pocket to disrupt his accuracy. If Orton is hitting his targets, Oakland gets blown out.

DENVER BRONCOS

Daniel Graham mocking the crowd in Oakland during their first match-up

On Offense:

“Knowshon is going to be a great player in this league. He’s still learning a lot of things as a rookie. There are still a lot of things he has not seen. But, all in all, he’s doing great,” said Correll Buckhalter.

Knowshon Moreno had 21-carries for 90-yards in his first meeting versus the Raiders and in the last five weeks, he has tallied an average of 82.8 yards on the ground. The rookie is finding his groove late in the campaign and impressing his teammates and coaches.

“Knowshon runs the ball pretty tough in short yardage,” stated his quarterback Kyle Orton.

What to Expect:

Denver will run the ball to eat clock, move the chains and set-up big passing plays to their targets. They dominated the Oakland front-seven in their first match-up with the tandem of Buckhalter and Moreno. So more of the same can be expected. Kyle Orton waxed poetically about his big play receiver stating, “His size and physical ability is what to me is the most impressive. But he’s a total football player. You’re not as good as he is without understanding the game and understanding defenses and what teams are trying to do.”

On Defense:

Josh McDaniels has pointed out all wee the importance of corralling running back Darren McFadden. Last week, the multi-purpose rusher tallied 3 receptions for 85-yards and the Raiders will need him to be a focal point versus Denver if Miller cannot play.

“They’re using him split out, away from the formation and seeing what kind of matchup they get,” McDaniels said, “though I’m not sure the guy covering him really matters, because they’ve thrown on corners, they’ve thrown on safeties, they’ve thrown on linebackers and he’s been very productive in each way, and he can also throw the ball.

“So we’re aware of all the skills he has and all the ways he can hurt us.”

Elvis Dumervil is continuing his pro-bowl push and now has 15.0 sacks to lead the NFL.

What to Expect:

The Broncos’ resurgence on defense this season has been the reason why they are in a position to make the playoffs as we enter the last quarter of the season. They’ll try to make life difficult for Frye who has not seen football action since October 12, 2008. If they rattle him, he’ll make a mistake or two. What the Broncos cannot allow is the Raiders to run the ball for big chunks.

GAME NOTES

• Linebacker Sam Williams (illness) is listed as questionable.
• Darrius Heyward-Bey will miss his third straight game with what Cable said was a ‘foot sprain.’ The rookie has 9 catches for 124 yards.
• Center Tim Mattran was inked to the practice squad this week.

KEY MATCH-UPS

Nnamdi Asomugha vs. Brandon Marshall

Asomugha won’t cover him all over the field, but when they do square off, it will be a treat for all observers. Marshall will get most of his yardage when facing Chris Johnson.

Frye, or Fried?

If Oakland can get a steady performance out of their new passer, then they make this a competitive game. The Raiders won 31-10 in 2008 last year in Denver with steady play from their quarterback.

PREDICTION

Broncos 29 – Raiders 16

TV & RADIO

The game will be televised on CBS with Gus Johnson providing play-by-play and former NFL performer Steve Tasker 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 man the booth for the 12th straight year. The radio pregame show and postgame show will feature Raider Legends George Atkinson and David Humm along with KSFO’s Rich Walcoff. (Broadcast information cited from the official Oakland Raiders web site)

GAME INFO

Sunday, December 20, 2009, 4:05 p.m. ET | Invesco Field at Mile High, CO

Home Team: Denver Broncos (8-5) Home: 4-2 Road: 4-3

Road Team: Oakland Raiders (4-9) Home: 2-5 Road: 2-4

LINE: Raiders are a 14-point underdog

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.

TONY STEWART

• TIGHT END
• No: 86
• Height: 6’5”
• Weight: 260
• Birth date: 08/09/1979
• College: Penn State
• Acquired: Signed as an unrestricted free agent on March 10, 2007

Tony Stewart signed a two-year contract with the Oakland Raiders prior to the 2007 season and most of his contributions occurred on special teams and as a back-up/reserve.

In his six-year career, Stewart has tallied 55-receptions for 464 yards and 3 touchdowns. He’s not known for his offensive prowess and because of this, Oakland will not likely utilize him in any capacity within Lane Kiffin’s attack due to his limitations.

If Stewart plans to stay on the team in 2008, his play on special teams must be stellar. And if he does get an opportunity to play on offense, providing an extra edge presence next to the left or right tackle will be of importance to separate himself from the other talents on the roster that are more in the mold of pass catchers rather than bulldozing blockers at tight end.