PRESSURES
Offensive Line – Redux
Mike Tice deserves a huge amount of credit. In fact, he got it from NFL.com when they named the Raiders the offensive line of the week for their ability to improve on already stellar play AFTER injuries forced players out of position.
Coming into the year, the Raiders line was considered one of the best in the league. Already stout in pass protection, they added Kelechi Osemele to shore up their run game.
Boy did he.
Osemele destroyed the Saints lineman as an appy, then moved to the second level to feast on LB’s as his main course. He cleared the way for Jalen Richard’s spectacular 75-yard TD run. He was the largest factor — literally and figuratively — in clearing the way for the Raiders to rush for an NFL-leading 167 yards in their first game.
It wasn’t just the running game that benefited. As I mentioned, Carr played a near-flawless game. That was helped in large part by his being hit only once, hurried only three times, and sacked not at all in 34 pass attempts.
The line is under pressure to continue to produce, as nobody at this point quite knows what it will look like. Austin Howard has returned from a preseason injury and may start at right tackle, with Watson and McCants still out.
Donald Penn, though he excelled at RT, didn’t see it that way and doesn’t want to do it again.
"“I’m not going to lie. I was a little worried playing over there. My feet were all jacked up. Try writing with the opposite hand. That’s what switching sides is like. Hopefully the injuries aren’t too serious, because I’m not about to play on the right again,” Penn said to Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area."
The Raiders finished the Saints game with five healthy lineman. Jon Feliciano deserves a boatload of credit for coming in and playing LG with the same fire and nastiness that Osemele brings. They will dress Vadal Alexander for this one, and though raw he showed ability in the preseason.
The Falcons pass rush is nothing to write home about, and their defensive line boasts no real stars. OLB Vic Beasley is an up-and-coming pass rusher, but they’ve lost most of the teeth from the front seven of the defense. The offensive line, no matter what the combination, should be able to build on a dominating week one performance and once again provide excellent “Carr Insurance” while opening up lanes for the Raiders stable of dangerous backs.
Next: HURRIES