Week 4: Time is Now For Oakland

Here comes week 4 of the season. Teams now have a good idea of the identity of their teams and the things that need to change for the rest of the season. Currently in the AFC West the Chiefs are in first at an impressive 3-0 followed by the Broncos, Chargers, and Raiders at 1-2.

In my opinion, this is the part of the schedule for Oakland that will define their season. It will not be an easy task for the Raiders. The next three games will make or break the Raiders, and Tom Cable's job likely hangs in the balance. The Raiders have home games against the Texans and Chargers, followed by a "road" game against the 49ers, so at least travel will not be a factor.

Houston is first up this weekend and it will be a challenging game for the Raiders. The bad news is that the Texans are looking really strong so far and many are picking them to reach the playoffs. After a great start to the season, Houston fell off a bit last week and were pretty thoroughly dominated by the disappointing Cowboys. However, they have the best run game and an explosive offense. The Raiders have had to go up against elite backs in every game this season, and it won't be any easier against the Texans. The run d needs to come up big again. Some good news is that Andre Johnson is nursing a hurt ankle and should be no problem for Asomugha to blanket all game. What worries me is Matt Schaub picking on Stanford Routte. He will be a key player if Oakland is to win this game. As far as the offense, they have looked a lot better with Gradkowski under center but they MUST put the ball in the endzone. The Raiders are tied for most red zone appearances in the league (with the Broncos and Chargers oddly enough) but are 30th in efficiency. They need to look for Zach Miller in the red zone this week. Also, they need to try and stick with the run as long as possible. They were running the ball great in the 1st half of the game last week but then went away from it for some reason. Run DMC has been a huge bright spot so far and as long as he has the hot hand, keep giving him the ball. Texans should be favored in this game, but Oakland has a good shot at an upset. They definitely benefit getting to play at home for this matchup.

Next up will be the Chargers at home. The Chargers have started off slow again but it will not matter when they come to Oakland. The Raiders are looking to finally snap the 6 year long losing streak to San Diego, and rivalry games are usually close no matter who the superior team may be. This one should be no different.

Finally, the Raiders must travel across the Bay to play San Francisco. Though the 49ers have started 0-3, I'm not sure many expect that to last. They have a nasty defense and some explosive weapons on offense. Tis one will be for bragging rights for the Bay Area and both teams will come to play.

I believe the Raiders must go 2-1 over these 3 games to have a shot at the playoffs. With all the offseason hype, Al Davis wont be patient with losing and if after these 3 games the Raiders record is 2-4 or 1-5, Tom Cable will assuredly be fired and Oakland will likely have another poor season. However, 2 wins, or dare I say 3, over this stretch will give the Raiders a ton of momentum and I will be bold enough to say they will finish the year above .500. So eliminate the penalties and get the ball in the end zone. Here we go Oakland, the time is NOW!

GROWING PAINS !

Offence is comming together under the leadership of B. Grad . Mcfadden seems to becoming everything Big AL thought / hoped . As i said Murphys gotoo and Chaz is going to have to stay healthy and be nothing short of elite to pry one or two lose ! dhb seems to be growing as well . our defence is hitting hard and starting to come together as a team ! Jonny Lee needs to step aside and let N . Miller handle return duties ( give this kid his shot already !!) . And in conclusion dont expect seabass to miss 30 yarders from here out , but that on hurt damnit !! week four , time for unity and smash mouth attitude to take effect !! GO NATION ! PEACE !!

A LEGENDARY HERO OF THE TURF PASSES !

Goerge Blanda leaves behind the scematic for what it takes to be a real iron man ! hard word and a no quit attitude earned this man 26 seasons in the nfl ! No other athelete played the iron man with such sucess , 2002 points ,335 field goals as well as 943 pats . Goerge also ran for 9 tds as well as tossing 236 ! Longevity and a get er done attitude was what this class act was all about ! An A.F.L. MVP 2 a.f.l. tittles and 4 pro bowls , earning him his hof induction in 1981 ! RIP GOERGE BLANDA ! YOU WERE A LEGEND A LEADER TO ALL WHO FOLLOWED !

MCFADDEN ANSWERS !!

I guess my Bush /Bennett theory looks silly now , well done Dmac . now stay healthy and prove me wrong ! its time too set Henderson down or move him to rt gaurd as i beleive hes too slow , passive , and just not tackle material ! let the young guys in ! Jcamp at times looked slow and lost but mostly had now time to set up . Now that Figures doesnt Figure in lets give the future stud at slot some reps on special reams , ie N. Miller ! he played as good if not better than any other wr during pre-season and i beleive has earned the shot . He wont dissapoint ! As far as the game no excuse we got our Asses handed to us ! however in my book i dont see anyone slowing down Johnson barring injury ! we need to stop the big plays however i see the begining of a good defence here ! In conclusion Mankins and Gaither are both out ther to be had on to the Rams ! PEACE TO ALL!

FRIDAY FUN: Who is going to be the worst team in 2010?

So far we've heard a lot about the teams the so-called experts are predicting to be Lombardi tycoons come February of next year. We've been subjected to the traditional ritual of sloppy championship predictions. I don't know about you, but I find it utterly boring.

But what about the team destined to be this year's doormat???

Will it be the Rams?
How 'bout the Lions again? They seem to have cellar-dwelling firmly on lock.
And what about those Browns? Will they bear fruit behind re-tread players such as Jake Delhomme?
And the Buccaneers? Are they going to be the 2011 NFL draft sweepstakes winners by securing the No.1 overall pick?

Personally, I think any one of those teams makes a fine candidate. But I'm leaning in the direction of the Bucs. They are severely lacking in several key areas of the game that are significant to winning: Quarterback, Offensive line, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Linebackers, Secondary, Coaching... I think if they secure anything more than 3 wins it will be an overachieving year.

But I want to know what you guys think. Which team are you picking to be the team everyone looks at as a second bye week???

Thanks!

DO IT , DO IT !! IT BEGINS !!

Jcamp needs to shine or he will be watching Gradkowski leads the silver n black ! Not kicking jcamp too the curb , its just obvious to me oakland has one of the best backup qb,s in the nfl ! bush/bennett than mcfadden may end up the rb pecking order for oakland as bennett stil looks to have gas in the tank . bush i stil predict 1200 - 10 on th season ! mcfadden , its go time . it might bode well for him if hes spread out in the passing game ! look at dhb using focas and skil too catch a pass on the sideline , not going to go all love happy for dhb just yet he stil has a ways too go ! z. miller , murphy , dhb , and chaz are going to do well as long as the youth movment on th o-line improves ! my player who deserves a shot a punt and kick return duties is nick miller hard working smart and fast enough to make things happen ! this is a workmans wr , further more needs to be worked into the passing game as i beleive there a welker like diamond here !! defence is going to be solid ! expect qb,s to be hit and wr,s to feel it also !! final tip for the o-line , DONT LET THEM GET TO THE QB !! TAKE THEM DOWN , RUTHLESS AGRESSION !! BETTER A PENALTY FOR HOLDING THAN FALSE START , ANYTIME !! not that i want penaties . 8-8- to 9-7 the bolts are the team to beat , so lets get er done !!!

Season Predictions Pt 2

It's that time. No more baseless arguments. No more "just wait and see". Now is the time. It's the NFL regular season. And as promised, here are my predictions.

San Diego Chargers: 10-6, AFC West Champions - The Good: The Chargers have a leader in Phillip Rivers. They have talented playmakers to catch the ball. And now it looks like they may have a legitimate running game. The Bad: The defense is still going to be the weak spot on this team. They look better, but how much better still remains to be seen. The Ugly: The Chargers need to utilize their star QB and the dangerous passing game. They need to jump out on teams early and keep their foot on the accelerator. I don't have much confidence in the defense to hold off solid teams in close games.

Oakland Raiders: 8-8, 2nd Place AFC West - The Good: The defense looks solid in Oakland. It's going to be hard to score on this team. The Bad: The O-line is going to be a source of constant frustration in Oakland. It will be hard for Campbell and the offense to get going when opposing defenses are in the backfield. The Ugly: If the defense can keep games close, then you can expect the Raiders to be the upset kings of the NFL this year. I see them moving in the right direction. Might be talking playoffs next year.

Kansas City Chiefs: 8-8, 3rd Place AFC West - The Good: The Chiefs are going to put on a run game clinic for the entire NFL to be in awe of. A pair of 1,000 yard backs is not out of the question. The Bad: There is no depth in KC. The starters have played well in the preseason, but you need guys that can rotate in and be effective. The Ugly: The Chiefs look to be much improved in all aspects of the game. The Chiefs could be the best of the bad teams in the NFL this year.

Denver Broncos: 6-10, 4th Place AFC West - The Good: The offensive and defensive passing game has been great. Orton and Bailey are clear cut leaders on this team. The Bad: Injuries are going to really cost the Broncos this year. There still remains some questions about whether or not the Broncos can stop the run. The Ugly: The Broncos haven't looked bad in preseason. I'm almost tempted to put them at 8-8 as well. But I think injuries are going to come back and haunt them. It's going to be tough for Clady and Harris to start the season cold coming off of injuries and manage to stay healthy. On defense it really comes down to one thing for me; Ayers is not Dumervil. That's three key players that are either out or uncertainties right now.

Early AFC West 2010 Awards Predictions

Most Valuable Player - Philip Rivers. Clearly the leader of the Chargers and if he leads the team to a top 2 seed without the holdouts, he could be the league's MVP as well. Runner up: J. Charles

Offensive Player of the Year - Jamaal Charles. Easily the most explosive skill player in the division. Runner up: P. Rivers.

Defensive Player of the Year - Richard Seymour. If the Raiders do go 8-8 or more it would largely have to do with improved play of the D-line and Seymour is the anchor of that. Runner up: N. Asomugha.

Offensive Rookie of the Year - Ryan Mathews. Simply the most touches a rookie will get out of every rookie in the AFC West. Runner up: E. Decker.

Defensive Rookie of the Year - Rolando McClain. This is an award dominated by LBs. Runner up: E. Berry.

Coach of the Year - Norv Turner. If the division does improve you can argue that Haley or Cable should be coach of the year, but if that holds true and the AFC West is no longer a cakewalk then Norv deserves the award if the Chargers win the division. Runner up: T. Haley.