Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

No need to rehash all the stereotypes that accompany the Oakland Raiders and fan violence. As if Oakland cornered the market on unruly behavior amongst fans it’s amazing how quick the public is to overlook the facts of individual situations.

One such situation that rekindled the discussion of Raider fans and violence occurred last year when ugly scenes unfolded at the now defunct Battle of the Bay. One year later the legal fallout has begun.

A man beaten unconscious and a friend that was shot while trying to help have filed suit against the 49ers, the NFL and Candlestick Park security. The suit, filed by two 49er fans, alleges that the team failed to “proactively create an environment that was free from fighting”.

We already know where this one is heading. The league would rather pay hush money than see this go to litigation. We also know the ultimate blame will fall in the laps of Raider Nation. Never mind the fact that some of the victims that day were Raider fans themselves and never mind the fact that this occurred in San Francisco where there is also a history of fan violence.

As recently as last week another parking lot shooting occurred after the Raiders-Cardinals game in Arizona. Everyone was quick to bust out the Jump to Conclusions Mat just knowing it was Raider Fan going Raider Fan. Of course once the facts came out and it was revealed that the victim was wearing silver and black the tone of the entire story changed as evident by PFT’s post on the news which has the attention grabbing headline of “Shooting Victim Was A Raiders Fan”.

When news emerged of a shooting outside the University of Phoenix stadium during the preseason game between the Raiders and Cardinals, many assumed that the shooter was a Raiders fan.

They assumed incorrectly.

As a lifelong Raider fan I know all too well that there are plenty of reasons to find some truth in the stereotypes that follow our beloved fan base. I also know that there is no shortage of similar incidents occurring all over the globe let alone the NFL. It just so happens that the Nation gets singled out most often.

So with a trial date set for a year from now it will be interesting to see how this process plays out. It has been all too easy for the NFL to scapegoat the Raiders for acts of violence, passing off incidents as isolated in one corner of the country. However if this does make it to trial there is no doubt even more incidents will be revealed showing just how poorly the league has passed the buck on fan violence.

Here is your snapshot of this game: At halftime the Raiders and 49ers combined for as many points as turnovers (3)

The Niners overcame a comedy of special teams errors to send Oakland to 0-2 in the preseason thanks to a listless 17-3 loss.

So far during Hue Jackson’s bully construction he seems to have forgotten about his tools to reconstruct last season’s offense. Injuries play a hand in how out of sync Oakland’s O’s is but that excuse along with preseason jitters is getting old already.

To be sure there were a few flashes from the up and coming Silver and Black talent that’s got to make Al Davis feel vindicated. But overall this team as a whole is still looking very listless with only two more tune-ups left.

Jobs are on the line. Time is running short. Injuries are becoming more troubling. Strap yourself in tight Nation, this is looking like a bumpy ride. Here are my game notes for take two of Coach Jackson’s directorial debut

- The Red Zone is still a dead zone for Oakland. Jason Campbell is the symbol of Oakland’s out of sync offense. At this point play-action is the only thing that works. His receivers (including Darrius Heyward-Bey) are bailing out his bad throws. Plus he’s still gun shy, doing the sensible yet maddening thing by playing it safe and not throwing across his body when Kevin Boss is more open than a Denny’s next to a bar at 2:00am on a Saturday morning.

- Campbell’s performance is not his only issue as JC went down late in the first half with what we hope is not a head or neck injury of the serious or mandatory inactivity variety.

- If JC is in danger of missing time Trent Edwards did himself no favors with his few token snaps in the first half. His what were you thinking INT was an underthrown toss into double coverage. Kyle Boller started after halftime and took every snap in the second half. At this point the QB position is pretty irrelevant. Just One TD in two games.
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Here are a few things to lookout for this evening.

- Hagan is in the middle of one of the most compelling battles coming out of Napa. Injuries in the receiving corps have created a potential roster spot. Shaun Bodiford, Chad Jackson and the aforementioned Hagan are all in the mix for a spot on the 53-man

- David Ausberry can be thankful the Raiders didn’t keep him at receiver. If he were still lining up out wide the former Trojan would be in the middle of the receiver scrum. Instead Ausberry is making a smooth transition to tight end and his chances of making the active roster are looking better by the day.

- If you want to learn a little more about the Niners before the opening kick then take a moment to read yesterday’s post in which I tossed a few questions at Eric Melendez of Niner Noise. For good measure I answered a few of his questions about the Raiders.
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