Pre Season Week 1: COWBOYS 10 RAIDERS 31

[Other Porter]

Yes, it's pre-season but the starters looked good.

JaMarcus kept a drive alive with an 18 yard scramble.

McFadden had 64 yards on 9 carries.

Louis Rankin and Gary Russell had rushing TDs.

Gradowski led the team on 3 scoring drives, with the second/third stringers.

DHB had one catch for nine yards and failed to catch two bombs from Russell.

All in all though, nice to see the Raiders back on the field and great to see a win. Regardless of it being pre-season.

 

[draft jedi]

Postgame wrap
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 12:02 am in Oakland Raiders.

News, notes and quotes from the Raiders’ 31-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys Thursday night at the Coliseum:

– Second-year receiver Chaz Schilens seconded the notion offered by JaMarcus Russell that much of Oakland’s struggles with the passing game during Tuesday’s practice had to do with familiarity.

“We just got in a funk,” Schilens said. “We’ve practicing against the same guys every day. They’re smart guys. They are going to pick up on what we’re doing. It came together today.”

– Assessments of Schilens, Russell and McFadden are included my my Web exclusive column.

– Coach Tom Cable, making it clear Russell’s reporting weight was an issue: “That’s between he and I and we’re working on that. He’s doing really good right now.”

– Rookie first-round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey had a modest 8-yard gain for his first reception, and missed a chance to come up with a big play on the third play from scrimmage. However, safety Ken Hamlin broke up the pass which was just underthrown from JaMarcus Russell.

“I knew the ball might be coming my way,” Heyward-Bey said. “Outside release, corner did a good job, safety got over and helped pretty fast. Tried to make a play, didn’t happen.”

– With the Raiders in a burn-the-clock mode late in the game, Gary Russell played the role Michael Bush will get during the season and finished with 11 carries for 44 yards.

– Three players did not finish the game. John Wade left with a stinger, Nnamdi Asomugha with a heel bruise and Isaiah Ekejiuba with a shoulder injury. Becasue of Wade’s injury, Samson Satele played much of the game at center.

– A whopping 18 diffeernt players were targeted for 37 passes by Gradkowski, Frye and Russell. Fifteen different players accounted for 22 receptions.

“We now have a talented group there,” Cable said. “It’s nice to see a bunch of guys catching balls and making plays. We need that if we’re going to grow offensively and become a good football team.”

– First a hip flexor, now a heel injury, hopefully it’s not one of those years for Nnamdi Asomugha, and Chris Johnson, battling a knee strain, needs to hold up as well.

Stanford Routt, who had a poor practice Tuesday, struggled against the Cowboys. And when the Raiders went late in the game to a secondary of John Bowie and Jason Horton and corner and Jerome Boyd and Darrick Brown at safeties, it was scary.

– Hard to know exactly what to expect from the defense with the first unit being on the field for such a short time.

The Cowboys scoring drive included an 8-yard gain by Marion Barber, a 14-yard run by Felix Jones and a 12-yard reverse by Patrick Crayton.

On the other hand, the Raiders were stout in forcing Dallas to a three-and-out on its first possession back at its own 7, with Asomugha dumping Barber for a yard loss.

“It was OK. It wasn’t great,” linebacker Thomas Howard said. “It’s early. We got out of our gaps and they creased is a little.”

– Shane Lechler is ready. Three punts, 45.0 yards gross, 44.3 net. One inside the 20.

– The Raiders outgained the Cowboys 456-274 and had 26 first downs _ 15 passing.

– Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye were relatively even in terms of stats, but there were a couple of short throws on sideline passes which will be a staple of the Raiders offense that Gradkowski has trouble throwing.

On one play, he came up short to Louis Murphy, who picked it off the grass for a catch, only to have it correctly overturned by replay.

It’s worth noting that throw is not a strength of Jeff Garcia, either.

Charlie Frye showed a good awareness in the pocket of surrounding defenders and was able to get off completions.

– Players have the day off Friday, with Tom Cable available to the media for a 5 p.m. conference call.

[Other Porter]

"Stanford Routt, who had a poor practice Tuesday, struggled against the Cowboys. And when the Raiders went late in the game to a secondary of John Bowie and Jason Horton and corner and Jerome Boyd and Darrick Brown at safeties, it was scary."


Routt got burned badly, twice, just in the 2 and a half minute highlight segment that I watched.

 

[Aeyjay]

I'm back from the dead with a broken record . Our run defence scares me!

[R8RMR]

We have a run defense? 

[the watchman]

Ummm looks like we could have some trouble against teams that have a decent run game.....

[Other Porter]

The Bronc-ho's are going to lean heavily on the run this year, San Diego... Kansas City we are in a run-first division and play NFC East teams this year in addition to the Steelers, Jets and Ravens.

We had better be able to stop the run!!!

 

[R8RMR]

Doesn't seem as though there may be a lot of faith in the "all we need is better coaching" theory!

[the watchman]

Nope - we needed some better DT's and I said that before the draft LAST year when we took McFadden

[MancSilverBlack]

Nope - we needed some better DT's and I said that before the draft LAST year when we took McFadden

I have to be honest, I wanted Dorsey last year  That just goes to show how much I know 

[R8RMR]

I have to be honest, I wanted Dorsey last year  That just goes to show how much I know 

I did too! But there have been some good prospects in later rounds of the last couple of drafts that may have fit the bill. Unfortunately, Al must have considered that we had other needs to fill.

[the watchman]

Nope - we needed some better DT's and I said that before the draft LAST year when we took McFadden

I have to be honest, I wanted Dorsey last year  That just goes to show how much I know 

That makes 3 of us. Still should have done something this year. If not in the draft there was always FA.