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 [...]

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 [...]

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 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 [...]

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, [...]

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 [...]