After the Raiders failed to show up on Thursday in the Chargers 34-7 demolition of the boys in black and white, I think a good idea is to sit in front of the television on Sunday and watch some real football.

I don’t know what it was the Raiders were playing on Thursday in San Diego, but it sure wasn’t NFL football.  The NFL’s most dis-functional franchise (maybe some in Detroit would argue with me on that) isn’t getting any better.  The offense is horrible.  The defense is horrible.  As a fan of the Arizona Cardinals, it was hard to imagine anyone giving them a run for their money on penalties, but I found them.  They play in Oakland.

You’ve got to buy a better backup quarterback than Andrew Walter.  The Raiders would be smart to draft a quarterback in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Anyway, in the meantime, the Raiders are getting everything they deserve right now.  It’s no fun being on the loser side, trust me I have plenty of experience in that.  Until the day Al Davis finally passes though (cause he will never get rid of the team as long as he lives), the Raiders will have a hard time contending in the NFL.

Scott Allen

AZScott

The battle of the worst of the AFC West this weekend in the Bay Area.  You really can’t look at this game any other way.  Kansas City comes in trying to turn things around after giving up 54 points at home to the Buffalo Bills. Oakland has other plans I’m sure.

The Raiders come home after playing their best game of the season last Sunday in a 31-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.  Oakland’s defense was up to the task in taking the division leaders down in front of their hometown fans.  Oakland has had a string of disappointing home games this season.  After squandering chances to beat San Diego and Carolina and then getting crushed by the Falcons, Oakland can add another home win to it’s record by just playing smart and coming in with a similar game plan that they applied last week.

I can’t see any reason why the Raiders won’t win this game.  I mean, it’s Kansas City!  Even Jamarcus Russell and company should be able to put yards and points on the board over KC’s inept defense.

It will be a huge disappointment if the Raiders don’t win this one, given KC is going to be missing Patrick Surtain and Donnie Edwards, two of their best defensive players. Oakland wins this one 37-12.

Scott Allen

AZScott

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving Raider fans!

My name is Scott Allen, lead blogger for the Arizona Cardinals fan site, Raising Zona. I am substituting this weekend and wanted to introduce myself.  Let me be honest by starting off saying, I’m definitely not a fan of the Raiders.  This franchise is in a state of disarray and I’ve seen corpses more alive than Al Davis.  I’ve never been a fan of how Al Davis runs things.  I think he did Lane Kiffin wrong.  I think he did wrong by Deangelo Hall, even though he certainly was not worth the money he was being paid.

I will say however, I like the fact the Raiders have not given up.  I was very impressed by the win in Denver this past Sunday.  The 31-10 demolition of the Broncos at Invesco Field really showed the Broncos are not ready to take their game to the next level.  I think Oakland rolls this weekend at home against Kansas City.  There may not be a worse team than Kansas City in the AFC, although, Oakland is close.  If only Oakland had an offense.  Hey, you have to like the defensive effort this season.  They held Carolina to 17 points and if Oakland had half an offense they would have easily won that game.  They’ve defeated the NY Jets and Denver.  Should have won in Buffalo too.

So, Oakland should be 4-8 by the end of the weekend.  Enjoy it.  You might even see Oakland score points again this week.  Just score baby!

Scott Allen

AZScott

There’s not a lot to report on yesterday’s 17-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers. As most of you know, it was blacked out to those of us in the Bay Area.

The Raiders defense gave a fantastic statistical performance. They held the Panthers to 219 total yards and forced 4 Jake Delhomme interceptions. The change in the defensive backfield had great initial success, as Carolina only managed 57 passing yards.

The offense was much better than the prior week. With Andrew Walter and Justin Fargas leading the charge, the Raiders actually outgained the Panthers, 259-219. But, this didn’t translate to success on the scoreboard.

So, another week, another loss. There’s no threat of blackout next week as Oakland travels to Miami. Miami is a surprising 5-4, with two easy wins already over the AFC West (Denver and San Diego). The uphill climb continues.

The Carolina Panthers, yet another tough NFC South opponent, come to Oakland this week. The Raiders are still smarting from last week’s 24-0 loss to Atlanta. It was complete domination by the Falcons. Do we expect anything different this week?

The Panthers bring in a balanced offensive attack. A solid running game led by DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart opens up a very good passing game (the Panthers may be without Stewart though as he’s suffering a heel injury). Jake Delhomme is a very efficient QB, with good wideouts in Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammed.  On the defensive side of the ball, they give up the 3^rd fewest points per game. They’re ranked 8^th best in total yardage allowed.

Carolina’s balance provides a huge challenge for the Raiders. They’ve had no luck slowing the run over the last few weeks, giving up over 190 yards in each of the last 3 contests. The pass defense will also likely experience some trouble, as the team tries to adjust to losing DeAngelo Hall. On offense, nothing has worked of late. Making matters worse, starting QB JaMarcus Russell is questionable with knee issues. Andrew Walter will probably start if Russell can’t go. One would think they have to do better than last week’s total of 77 yards.

On paper, this game is a complete mismatch. The Raiders are in a state of flux on both offense and defense. There’s little reason to believe the result will be much different than the last two weeks. My prediction – Carolina 35, Oakland 10.

The Oakland Raiders released starting cornerback DeAngelo Hall yesterday. This comes halfway through his first season with the Raiders. What makes the move so shocking is that he signed a 7 year, $70 million deal after his trade from Atlanta. He’s been less than stellar on the field lately, but is that enough reason to make such a drastic change?

Let’s hear some feedback. There have to be some strong opinions on a change of this magnitude.

There’s news out of Oakland tonight that Awful Al has asked his staff to make recommendations on players that can be released immediately. Both DeAngelo Hall and Javon Walker were mentioned as possibilities. If Hall is released, he will have been paid $8 million for playing in 8 games. As for Walker, he received an $11 million signing bonus earlier this year.

The silver lining is Awful Al is finally realizing some of his mistakes. It’s only a positive if he relinquishes some of his personnel decision-making power.

453-77…Atlanta’s total yardage versus Oakland’s.

201-10…Difference in total passing yardage.

252-67…Difference in total rushing yardage.

30-3…….Difference in first downs.

45:15-14:45.…Difference in time of possession.

Atlanta 24, Oakland 0. The Raiders are achieving new levels of ineptitude.

There’s not much else to say about the game. Other than the punting game, Atlanta completely dominated the Raiders. Of course, when an opponent gets 30 first downs, their punting game isn’t very necessary.

The loss drops the Raiders to 2-6. Even though Denver and San Diego continue to lose, it’s impossible to consider the Raiders an AFC West contender. The team has either quit or they’re simply awful. Either way, they’re taking embarrassment to a new extreme.

When last season ended, the Raiders and Falcons had something in common. Both teams were considered NFL bottom feeders, having just completed 4-12 seasons. Still reeling from the Michael Vick saga, the Falcons were thought to be years away from relevance. But, in the league that encourages absolute parity, things can change quickly.

Led by rookie QB Matt Ryan, the Falcons have shocked the NFL by starting 4-3. They’re still a long shot to make the playoffs (mainly due to being in the wrong division), but there is renewed hope. Atlanta has an impressive (albeit young) offense. As mentioned, Matt Ryan is the leader at QB. Michael Turner, one of the leagues’ most talented backs, powers a fantastic running game. They’re averaging an eye-popping 4.8 yards per carry. The receiving corps isn’t the best in the league, but Roddy White is a standout. He already has 43 catches (along with 5 TD’s). By comparison, the Raiders top receiver is Zach Miller with 20 catches (and 1 TD). All in all, the Falcons are a balanced, rapidly improving offense.

It’s a different story on defense. They rank in the bottom 3^rd of the league in yards allowed (pass and run defense are equally bad). But, there’s no advantage for the Raiders, as Oakland is actually ranked slightly lower than Atlanta (only by 1 yard per game). The Falcons D only gives up 22 points per game.  This is noteworthy because the Raiders give up 3.3 more points per game, despite giving up essentially the same yardage.

We know all the ills of our Raiders. On offense, the passing game continues to lack punch. The yardage totals are skewed as the bigger totals have come in blowouts (example, last week’s 228 yards in a 19-point loss at Baltimore). The running game hasn’t been healthy all year. The defense can’t stop the run, so the pass D suffers because they’re always in man-to-man coverage. Times are rough when the kicking game is the team’s highlight.

Despite what appears to be imbalance between the teams, this weekend’s game should be a good one. The Raiders seem to find an extra level at home.  Atlanta’s lack of a second receiver strongly benefits the Raiders, as Nnamdi Asomugha will slow Roddy White. If the Raiders can keep the Falcon running game somewhat in check, they can spring the upset.  

My prediction – Raiders 24, Falcons 21.

The Raiders fell to 2-5 with a 29-10 loss at Baltimore yesterday. The game went as expected, with Baltimore’s defense proving far too tough for the Raider offense to crack. In particular, the running game was virtually invisible. Without Darren McFadden, Oakland managed a mere 47 yards on the ground. JaMarcus Russell did throw for 228 yards, but most of those yards were gained in garbage time. Little-used Chaz Schilens was the offensive star. He caught three passes for 76 yards.

The defense wasn’t much help either. Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco was efficient when needed and spectacular when it was least expected. He threw for 140 yards (and a TD), caught a 43-yard pass, and rushed for 23 yards and a touchdown. The Ravens’ running game gained 192 yards. This led to a huge time of possession advantage, something the Raiders have to be worried about.

So, Tom Cable and crew will go back to the drawing board with the Atlanta Falcons coming to town. They are coming off a tough loss themselves (losing 27-14 in Philadelphia). Atlanta will bring in a very similar offense to what the Raiders just saw. The Falcons also have a rookie QB, strong running game, and a mediocre passing game. They don’t have the defense Baltimore does, so maybe this is the week? It’s hard to be hopeful, though.