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Oakland Raiders notebook: Defense takes its hits after another poor showing

bobsteam — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:30:36 +0000

A 38-26 loss on Sunday to the San Diego Chargers that knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs was in large part due to the kind of defensive failures that arose often in 2011 and probably will mean the demise of defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan’s job after one season.

“I think Chuck knows how I feel,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said while not commenting directly on Bresnahan’s status for next season. “I’m disappointed over there. I have been. It’s not like we haven’t had conversations. Chuck knows what I feel, and it’s not good enough.”

Oakland ended the season allowing 433 points, the second most in franchise history (the Raiders gave up 442 in 1997), an average of 27.1 points per game. Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers’ three touchdown passes brought the total to 31 against the Raiders this season, the most in club history.

Oakland also gave up 2,158 yards on 430 carries, an average of 5.1 yards per attempt.

Defensive collapses were conspicuous in Week 2, when Buffalo scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions in a come-from-behind win, against Denver, when the Raiders gave up 299 yards rushing and 38 points, and against Detroit on Dec. 18, with the Lions going 71 and 98 yards to win the game in the fourth quarter.

“What I saw today is what I saw at different times this year,” Jackson said. “When you play defense in the NFL, you’ve got to hunt. You can’t give up 28, 29 points and expect to win games.”

The

Raiders gave up an average of 31.8 points in their last five games, during which they went 1-4 and went from in control of their own destiny to out of the playoffs.

“I know some people are going to try to blame Chuck, some people are going to try and blame Hue, but at the end of the day, we’re the ones on the field,” free safety Michael Huff said. “Regardless of the defense that’s called, we’ve got to line up and play and execute.”

Bresnahan was originally hired as defensive assistant in the offseason and eventually was elevated to coordinator. Jackson was turned down by the New York Jets when he requested to interview Jets secondary coach Dennis Thurman for the position because Thurman was under contract.

It remains to be seen how the decision-making process will work and if the Raiders will hire a front-office executive with decision-making power. Jackson promised change.

“I’m going to take a stronger hand in this whole team, this whole organization,” Jackson said. “There ain’t no way I’m going to feel like I feel today a year from now. I promise you that. Defensively, offensively and special teams, I ain’t feeling like this no more. This is a joke.”

With eight penalties for 64 yards on Sunday, the Raiders finished the season with 163 penalties for 1,358 yards, eclipsing the previous records of 158 and 1,304 by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs.

“That’s not why we lost today, but that is a problem on this football team,” Jackson said. “There’s some work that has to be done.”

The Raiders went over the penalty-yardage mark in the first half on a personal foul by Matt Giordano, with Rock Cartwright getting a holding call on the second-half kickoff return to break the penalty record.

Oakland mismanaged the clock at the end of the first half and missed a chance at a 59-yard field-goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski. Quarterback Carson Palmer completed a 6-yard pass to Louis Murphy to the 38 with no timeouts, with the clock expiring before Palmer could spike the ball.

Palmer’s 417 yards passing was the third-highest figure in Raiders history, behind Jeff Hostetler’s 424 (Oct. 31, 1993 vs. San Diego) and Cotton Davidson’s 419 (Oct. 25, 1964 vs. Denver).

Running back Michael Bush rushed for 66 yards and finished with 977 yards rushing, and wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught a career-high nine passes for 130 yards and finished with 975 yards receiving on 64 receptions.

Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly has no plans to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos in the playoffs. “I ain’t watching no playoffs,” Kelly said. “I’m watching the History Channel and Fox Sports Soccer.”

Comment Below!.

New Year Brings Clear NFL Playoff Picture: Fan’s Perspective

BraisaliPap — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:27:00 +0000

We almost did it. The Oakland Raiders went into their final game of the season with the chance to win and move on to the playoffs, for the first time since 2002. The Silver and Black came into the January 1st game against the San Diego Chargers with their own destiny in their hands. At home, no less. But they failed in their mission and lost the game 38-26 and also lost their hopes of post-season play. Their loss, along with the other wins and losses on the last day of the regular season (and the first day of the new year), clarified the NFL playoff picture as to who’s in and who’s out.

An NFL football.
Wikimedia Commons

The Raiders’ loss was a boon to the Denver Broncos, who lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 7-3, but still won the division. The Broncos will now host Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs. With their loss, the Broncos created the opportunity for the Raiders to clinch the AFC West with their win, but the Raiders could not capitalize on the opportunity and the slot goes to Denver.

The NFL playoff picture includes returning and expected teams like the Green Bay Packers, the New England Patriots, the Baltimore Ravens, the New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons. I’m excited because there are also unexpected teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and, for the very first time, the Houston Texans. The New York Giants will be there too, after an amazing game that saw them beat the Dallas Cowboys on the strong performance of QB Eli Manning.

Another amazing performance on that last Sunday of the regular season was turned in by Green Bay’s QB. And it was not starter Aaron Rodgers, who was resting in anticipation of the playoffs, it was backup QB Matt Flynn. Flynn broke Packers’ teams records going for 480 yards passing for six touchdowns.

The first of January gave three losses to the four AFC playoff teams. The Bengals, Texans and Broncos all lost, only the Steelers won their last game. The playoffs will start off with Cincinnati against Houston early on Saturday, January 7, followed by Detroit at New Orleans. Sunday will bring the Giants against Atlanta. And while all that is going on, Raiders fans like me will be looking towards the 2012 season.

Although born and raised with Eagles fans in Philadelphia, Freddy Sherman has always been a citizen of Raider Nation at heart. Since his dad got him a signed George Blanda football as child, to meeting Lyle Alzado in the 1980s, he hasn’t looked back. Follow him on twitter @thefredsherman

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders’ Legend Fred Biletnikoff: Fan’s Perspective

Farmers Field Proposed Re-design is Too Expensive to Build: Fan’s Opinion

Top 5 Greatest Oakland Raiders Hall of Famers

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Feel free to leave your comments below.

Oakland Raiders miss playoffs after 38-26 loss to San Diego Chargers

cartivizitats — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 10:42:28 +0000

It was indistinguishable at first, rising to a crescendo as the home crowd attempted to pull something out of its team that the Raiders couldn’t manage to get out of themselves:

“Denver lost, Denver lost, Denver lost … “

By that time, with about five minutes to play, the Raiders already trailed by the final score of 38-26, having been proven utterly defenseless in terms of stopping Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers on Sunday at O.co Coliseum.

All that was left was for one final indignity as Jacoby Ford slipped and fell on an out route by the Raiders bench, with Antoine Cason getting a gift interception from quarterback Carson Palmer with 4:36 to play and the Chargers happily running out most of what remained on the clock.

The Broncos (8-8) backed into the AFC West title on tiebreaking procedures, despite three consecutive losses. Denver hosts Pittsburgh in the first round of the playoffs next Sunday.

The Raiders, 8-8 for the second straight season, won just one of their final five games.

San Diego was also in the 8-8 logjam, but it was eliminated last week, playing for nothing except pride and the joy of taking out a division rival Sunday.

“To say I’m pissed off is an understatement,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said, a term he used nine times during his postgame news conference. “It didn’t look like a football team that was hungry enough to go out and win the AFC West title.”

Rivers

and the San Diego offense looked nothing like the unit that was roughed up by the Raiders on Nov. 10, when Oakland registered six sacks and prevailed 24-17.

The Raiders barely laid a hand on Rivers, who completed 19 of 26 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and one interception against an Oakland secondary that put up only slightly more resistance than a group of cardboard cutouts.

Matt Giordano intercepted a deep Rivers heave on San Diego’s first possession, but the Raiders gave ground the rest of the day. The Chargers, who never punted, also rushed for 153 yards on 31 carries, including a 1-yard touchdown run by Mike Tolbert.

San Diego also had a 105-yard kickoff return by Richard Goodman, the first kick return touchdown surrendered by the Raiders in 28 games. That turned a 14-10 Chargers lead into 21-10 advantage and was a play Jackson thought gave a huge momentum boost to the Chargers.

The Raiders actually outgained the Chargers with 520 yards of offense led by Palmer’s 28-for-43, 417-yard performance that included TD passes of 3 yards to Darrius Heyward-Bey and 22 yards to Kevin Boss.

But twice in the red zone the Raiders stalled, with Sebastian Janikowski kicking field goals of 27 and 32 yards to go along with others of 52 and 43 yards.

In the end, the Raiders were left to ponder how they came up empty with their season on the line.

The Raiders chose not to disclose out-of-town scores on the scoreboard to the 58,721 fans, but strong safety Tyvon Branch said players learned of Denver’s loss from fans who began chanting of the Broncos’ defeat.

“Words can’t describe how disappointed we are,” Branch said. “We had everything set up for us. We had a roller-coaster season and a chance to get in the big tournament, and we blew it.”

If Goodman’s kickoff return served as a big surge of momentum, the Raiders defense let another a potential game-breaking sequence get away after Palmer’s touchdown pass to Boss got Oakland within 31-26 with 9:37 left.

Boss was hit in the back of the head by Steve Gregory, giving the tight end a concussion and the Chargers a personal foul. Janikowski, kicking off from midfield, lofted a pooch kick that was mishandled by Goodman, who then scrambled back into the end zone.

The Raiders nearly had a safety, with Goodman barely getting the ball to the half-yard line. A safety would have cut the deficit to 31-28, and San Diego would have been kicking off to the Raiders.

Instead, Rivers immediately got San Diego out of trouble with a 19-yard strike to Malcom Floyd (seven catches, 127 yards) and in less than three minutes had San Diego in the end zone on a 43-yard pass to Floyd — a 99-yard drive in four plays.

“If you can’t stop a team with everything on the line, you don’t deserve to be a playoff team,” defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. “And we didn’t get it done. So this one hurts.”

Jackson had talked up the Chargers as a formidable opponent all week, even if they were out of the playoff race. He was left wondering if his team had relaxed after the early Giordano interception and a 95-yard touchdown drive on the Raiders’ first possession.

“Maybe we thought it was going to be easy,” Jackson said. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

Said Chargers coach Norv Turner: “That makes it even more special, the fact that we finished and played well and beat a good team that was fighting to get into the playoffs.”

INSIDE

Trade for Carson Palmer doesn’t live up to the hype. PAGE 6

Defensive shortcomings could cost Chuck Bresnahan. PAGE 6

AFC West crown comes down to wire. PAGE 6

Leave your comments on the news below.

Oakland Raiders fan falls from bleachers after game

MangleZauSa — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:51:11 +0000

OAKLAND, Calif (Reuters) – A football fan fell from bleachers at an Oakland Raiders game on Sunday as he tried to attract the attention of players leaving the field after a game against the San Diego Chargers, the team said.

Juan Salceto, 17, was leaning over a railing on the first deck of seats at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum shortly after the game ended when he slipped and fell, according to a Raiders team representative who asked not to be named.

Salceto was trying to get the attention of Oakland players as they walked from the field to a tunnel leading to the team locker room, the representative said. His fall was partly broken by a tarp covering the walkway, and the ground was soft dirt, the representative said.

“He never lost consciousness and there was no apparent trauma,” the representative said. “We have been advised that the fan will be absolutely fine.”

Emergency responders were nearby when the fall occurred and transported the man to Highland Hospital, Captain Stephen Glatstein of Paramedics Plus said. Glatstein said the fan fell 15-20 feet. The team representative had put the distance fallen at around 10 feet.

The Oakland Raiders lost 38-26 to the San Diego Chargers.

(Reporting by Emmett Berg; Editing by Tim Gaynor and Cynthia Johnston)

Gotta run!.

Oakland Raiders Score Update: Playoff Hopes In Jeopardy, Trail 24-16 To Chargers

rermpriornoth — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 04:26:55 +0000

Read More: Carson Palmer (QB – OAK), Antonio Gates (TE – SDC), Philip Rivers (QB – SDC), Sebastian Janikowski (K – OAK), Mike Tolbert (FB – SDC), Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR – OAK), Louis Murphy (WR – OAK), Richard Goodman (WR – SDC), Curtis Brinkley (RB – SDC), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders had a great shot to get to the playoffs if they could get some help from the Kansas City Chargers. They’re getting that help, but they’re hardly helping themselves. After Oakland punted the football, Philip Rivers went right back to work, connected with Antonio Gates for 37 yards and Malcolm Floyd for 16 yards. Nice rushes by Curtis Brinkley helped set up a Mike Tolbert one yard touchdown rush to put San Diego up 14-7.

Oakland drove right back down the field with Carson Palmer connected with Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey to help set up a Sebastian Janikowski 52 yard field goal, but San Diego came right back with a Richard Goodman 105 yard kickoff return to put them up 21-10. The teams traded field goals to end the first half thanks to solid passing by both Palmer and Rivers, and another quick Oakland drive with a huge Palmer pass to start the second half helped put more points on the board thanks to Janikowski.

The Raiders would win the AFC West if they win and the Denver Broncos lose–which they are currently doing to the Kansas City Chiefs.

To discuss the game with Raiders fans, go to Silver and Black Pride. To check out the game with Chargers fans, head to Bolts from the Blue.

That’s all for today.

Countdown to Oakland Raiders Vs San Diego Chargers: Fan Preview

BigBoobsMan — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:38:00 +0000

The count down to the all-important game between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers is here.Today is the day that Raider fans will find out if the Silver and Black advance to the postseason and get their first opportunity in the playoffs since 2002.

Denarius Moore
Wikimedia Commons

The ball that will drop this afternoon in Oakland is a lot more important than the one that dropped at midnight last night, and the one that everyone in Raider Nation has been patiently, or rather impatiently, waiting for.

When the Raiders’ late owner, Al Davis, told head coach Hue Jackson, “We will win it in the end,” just before he passed away on October 8, 2011, was it a prophecy for this season, or an eventual outcome farther down the road? Or did it not really mean anything at all?

I have to believe, as Jackson does, that Davis was right about this one. Whether or not it comes true in the 2011 season remains to be seen, but I think that the Raiders’ faith in victory will have an important affect on the ultimate outcome.

Safety Tyvon Branch remarked after the game on Christmas Eve, “I don’t know what it is about us. We just seem to find a way to make it interesting. We overcame a lot. We all stuck together. We all kept believing.”

Oakland has defeated San Diego in their last three battles, if, and when, the Raiders win today it will be a two-year sweep. After their wild and crazy victory against the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, the team got their momentum and confidence back, and that may have been the missing ingredient during much of the month of December. They’ve got that fire going once again, and the time is now to show everyone what they’ve got.

Quarterback Carson Palmer has got two of his best offensive weapons back on the field in Oakland today, receivers Denarius Moore and Jacoby Ford. Running back Michael Bush may have slowed down a little over the last month, but he could be saving the best for last. How about a repeat performance of his outstanding efforts in San Diego on November 10? Bush had 30 carries for 157 yards and scored a touchdown.

The Chargers don’t have anything to gain by a win in Oakland, except possibly a little respect. Is it worth potentially injuring some of their best players and decreasing their chances for a healthy team next year?

There are so many reasons to believe the Raiders will win today, and a victory in front of the sold-out crowd at O.co Coliseum would be the best way to start out the New Year for everyone in the Raider Nation. After finding out that it was the team’s eighth consecutive sell out this season, Jackson said, ” My hat goes out to our fans for supporting us. What we have to do is give back to them as I’ve always said. And how we give back is by winning.”

That time is now. Just win baby!

K.C. Dermody grew up in the Bay Area of California, and has been an Oakland Raiders fan from the time she could walk. She has continued her loyalty to the team through its many ups and downs over the decades, and has been privileged to meet several of her favorite players, including famed quarterback, Jim Plunkett . Follow her at www.facebook.com/KCDermodyWriter, Twitter @kcdermody, or www.kcdermodywriter.com.

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders’ Injury List Much Improved for Chargers Game: Fan’s View

Oakland Raiders’ Michael Bush Will Have a Chance to Shine Against the Chargers: Fan’s Take

Five Reasons the Oakland Raiders Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Take

Oakland Raiders Win, Denver Broncos Loss May Be in the Cards: Fan’s Look

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That’s all the news for today.

Oakland Raiders’ Injury List Much Improved for Chargers Game: Fan’s View

immurikef — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:35:00 +0000

The injury report for the Oakland Raiders heading into the all important game against the San Diego Chargers may be the shortest list we’ve seen all year. That’s especially good news for the Silver and Black who have their postseason on the line with this final game of the regular season.

Jacoby Ford, Oakland Raiders
Wikimedia Commons

There are just three players who are definitely out, and that’s quarterback Jason Campbell, who wasn’t really expected to return after suffering a broken collar bone in week six, running back Darren McFadden, whose chances were already slim to none, and defensive tackle, Big John, John Henderson, out with a knee injury.

The players who are listed as questionable, are likely to see at least some time on the field, and receiver Jacoby Ford and safety Michael Huff have already been pretty adamant about getting in the game.

Ford commented, “It was definitely a positive week for me so I feel good going into the game. If I practiced this much this week and I’m not out there, I’d be mad.”

He could become a big factor in a victory for the Raiders. Ford and Palmer displayed a great rhythm together. In Palmer’s second outing with the team as they faced the Denver Broncos in Oakland, Ford made an incredible catch in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown. Just days later in San Diego, he somehow grabbed a 41-yarder, making it look easy.

Huff is the player who saved the game for the Raiders against the Texans when he interception Houston’s Matt Schaub in the end zone. A healthy Huff will bring much needed improvement to Oakland’s defense.

Running back Taiwan Jones is a little more questionable. He’s been battling a hamstring injury, but it’s likely he’ll see time on the field as well. Michael Bush, once again, will be given the opportunity to show what he’s made of.

The Chargers’ wide receiver Vincent Jackson was reportedly not likely to be in the game due to a groin injury, but it looks like that has changed, and he’s now listed as probable. Jackson is one of the Chargers star players, but against the Raiders he caught just one pass for 22 yards. In their recent game against Detroit he had just two catches for 41 yards. He may be trying to play through pain, and I don’t think he’ll be a big concern for the Raiders on Sunday. San Diego’s running back Ryan Mathews is still questionable, with running back Mike Tolbert as probable.

Just one day before we find out the fate of the Silver and Black, things continue to look brighter. As always, whoever is on, or off, the field, Just win baby!

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders’ Michael Bush Will Have a Chance to Shine Against the Chargers: Fan’s Take

Five Reasons the Oakland Raiders Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Take

Oakland Raiders Win, Denver Broncos Loss May Be in the Cards: Fan’s Look

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Gotta run!.

Oakland Raiders Sellout Every Home Game This Season: Fan’s View

suzanneberkley — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:29:00 +0000

And Sunday makes eight. Eight sellouts out of eight home games for the Oakland Raiders. The team announced the January 1 game against the San Diego Chargers is sold out, which makes 2011 the first season the team has gone without a television blackout since they returned to Oakland from Los Angeles in 1995.

Surface of an American football ball.
Wikimedia Commons

While I think eight sellouts is great, and shows the support the team has from local fans, the issue of the stadium remains. The Raiders play in the Oakland Coliseum, now known as the O.co Coliseum after the stadium’s website sponsor, Overstock.com (which now also goes by o.co). Opened in 1966, the stadium is almost 50 years old and even the last renovation was seventeen years ago in 1995. The cash-strapped city of Oakland has been unable to build a new stadium and the team has been unwilling to share a stadium with the San Francisco 49ers. As the 49ers stadium project is moving forward, perhaps after the passing of Raiders’ longtime owner Al Davis, the new Raiders’ ownership (led by Davis’ son) will have a different view. I think the shared stadium makes sense for the Raiders if they want to stay in Northern California.

I still wonder if the team will move back to Los Angeles to play in one of the two competing stadium projects, both vying for a team. AEG, the company behind the proposed Farmers Field project in downtown Los Angeles has already confirmed the Raiders were one of the five teams they’ve already met with about the move to L.A.

While the team sold out all eight home games they didn’t win all eight, of the seven played as I write this article, the team is 3-4 at home, while doing much better on the road (5-3). Raiders coach Hue Jackson confirmed the power of Raider Nation and how he thinks the team needs the fans this week, a must-win for the Silver and Black. Commenting about the fans, Coach Jackson said: “They’ll bring the noise and the passion. I expect them to be as loud as they’ve ever been, and we need a true 12th man this week.”

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders – Top 5 Reasons They’ll Be in Super Bowl XLVI

Farmers Field Proposed Re-design is Too Expensive to Build: Fan’s Opinion

Top 5 Greatest Oakland Raiders Hall of Famers

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Raiders Coach Hue Jackson Breaks it Down: Fan’s View

twesaubastill — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 13:41:00 +0000

I like Oakland Raiders’ head coach Hue Jackson. He tells it like it is and doesn’t waste words or pull any punches. He’s a humble guy who used to watch the Raiders play in the Los Angeles Coliseum when he worked there as a security guard in the 1980s.

An NFL football.
Wikimedia Commons

I think he has really built the Raider team into something great since taking the helm and is doing a admirable job at continuing the legacy of long-time owner Al Davis and his “Commitment to Excellence.” In Mr. Davis’ memory, I really do believe the team will make it to the Super Bowl. The on-field play is supported by the Raider Nation, the community of fans (including myself) around the world who support the Silver and Black.

Each Friday after the team practice, Coach Jackson speaks with the media and I think his interview is a great way to determine where the team is one day before the game. In this case the game is the must-win January 1 game against the San Diego Chargers to end the 2011 regular season and hopefully move into the playoffs. Here are some key highlights I took away from Coach Jackson’s Friday press conference on December 30:

Injuries are still an issue

Michael Huff and Jacoby Ford are still recovering but it looks like Coach Jackson will include them in the line-up. He doesn’t think Ford is quite back up to speed, but I think the Raiders need him in there returning kickoffs.

Chemistry is another issue

Not bad chemistry, but lack of it. I agree with the Coach’s assessment that the team just needs more time to really come together. They have great players but the late addition of Carson Palmer just takes some getting used to. I think the Raiders have shown great heart this season and will definitely have a strong 2012 season, regardless of their 2011 finish.

Still not watching the scoreboard

Coach Jackson makes it a policy to not look at the scoreboard during games and even though it’s a must win for the Raiders, he’ll concentrate on executing each play successfully and helping “this football team do everything it can to win.”

Palmer can play under pressure

In a must-win game like the San Diego game, I think it’s essential we have an experienced guy like Palmer in there. Coach Jackson agrees, saying “It’s very important. He’s not going to flinch. That’s what I love about him. We’ve had some things not go his way but one thing I know about him, he’s not sitting over there sulking about it, or worried about it, he’s on to the next play and that’s kind of the way I am.” I agree and think that’s the professional attitude that wins games and wins championships.

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders – Top 5 Reasons They’ll Be in Super Bowl XLVI

Farmers Field Proposed Re-design is Too Expensive to Build: Fan’s Opinion

Top 5 Greatest Oakland Raiders Hall of Famers

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Oakland Raiders’ Michael Bush Will Have a Chance to Shine Against Chargers: Fan’s Take

ysdngx22 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:44:00 +0000

The Oakland Raiders’ running back Michael Bush has done an exceptional job filling in for star running back Darren McFadden, who’s been out with a foot injury since he left in week seven in the game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Michael Bush, Raiders
Wikimedia Commons

It’s been Bush’s opportunity to shine as a starter, and he’s taking full advantage. This coming Sunday, Bush is being called on once again to steal the show against the San Diego Chargers, and he needs just 89 yards to surpass the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in his career.

Bush was signed by the Raiders as the first pick in the fourth round of the draft in 2007, but he’d been hobbled by a broken leg in college with the University of Louisville, and wasn’t able to get on the NFL field until 2008. In 2010, he rushed for 655 yards in 14 games and had eight touchdowns. Since filling in for McFadden this year, he’s got a total of 911 yards and seven touchdowns.

In Bush’s last game against San Diego, just after he came in for McFadden, he ran down the field 55 yards to set up a Raiders touchdown and by the end of the night, Bush was credited with a touchdown and 157 yards. In 2010, Bush played a significant part in the victory over the Chargers in the game at O.co Coliseum. In that match up, he had 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.

Bush is in a very good position in the NFL right now, and he could make it even better on New Year’s Day. He’s coming to the end of a one-year, $2.6 million contract. After this season he’s a free agent, and playing so impressively, he’ll have a lot of teams taking a good look at this great running back. There is nothing like being a part of the Silver and Black, however, and he says he likes the weather in Oakland, so we’ll see what happens at the end of the year. Much of his decision could be riding on Sunday’s game, and the team’s continuation into the playoffs.

There are so many things riding on the New Year’s Day game, it’s hard to think of anything else. Just believe. Just win baby!

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Five Reasons the Oakland Raiders Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Take

Oakland Raiders Win, Denver Broncos Loss May Be in the Cards: Fan’s Look

Three Oakland Raiders Selected to the Pro Bowl: Fan reaction

Oakland Raiders’ Janikowski Nominated for Never Say Never Moment: Fan’s Look

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Oakland Raiders Vs San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Look at Significant Moments in History

funCharles-213 — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:52:00 +0000

With just two days before the Oakland Raiders determine their fate in the playoffs, it’s hard for many fans to think of anything else. New Year’s Eve bash, who cares? We just want New Year’s Day to arrive so that we can (hopefully) watch the Raiders defeat the San Diego Chargers and ultimately take the AFC West title when the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, Kyle Orton, exacts his revenge on the Denver Broncos.

Sebastian Janikowski
Wikimedia Commons

In light of that fact, I thought it was time we looked at some of the significant moments and facts in the history between the Chargers and the Raiders.

The Raiders lead the series record over the Chargers, 58-44-2. Oakland has won their three most recent battles, but had lost the previous 13. Could they be on their way to a longer winning streak?

In their last match up on November 10, the Raiders defeated the Chargers by a score of 24-17. Several players had stand out performances on that Thursday evening, including the rookie receiver Denarius Moore. Moore somehow held on to a long pass by quarterback Carson Palmer for a 46-yard catch, and it was just one of five catches and two touchdowns by the end of the game. Linebacker Kamerion Wimbley was on fire, and had four of six sacks on the San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.

Running back Michael Bush ran down the field 55 yards to set up a Raiders touchdown and by the end of the game he’d been credited with a touchdown and had a total of 30 carries for 157 yards. Bush needs just 89 rushing yards this Sunday to surpass 1,000 for the first time in his career.

On October 10, 2010, the Chargers met the Raiders at home, and Oakland went on to defeat the team by a score of 35-27. In that match up, Bush had 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. The second time they met up last season was in December at Qualcomm Stadium. Running back Darren McFadden had 19 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown and Bush had 23 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Jacoby Ford scored a touchdown as well, and by the end of the game, the Raiders defeated the Chargers by a score of 28-13.

Punter Shane Lechler, arguably one of the best in the history of the NFL, remarked about the upcoming game, “I think everybody in the locker room wants to win and wants to win now. My situation is hopefully to get to see this thing go full circle. I had it great when I first got here with the AFC championship game my rookie year and then the snow game up in New England and then the Super Bowl, and then not much after that. To see it come all the way back full circle, last year 8-8, just to see it go full circle would be good.”

I agree. Sebastian Janikowski is in the same situation as Lechler, with both players starting in 2000. Finally getting into the postseason after all this time would be a welcome change, and very well deserved.

More from this contributor:

Five Reasons the Oakland Raiders Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Take

Oakland Raiders Win, Denver Broncos Loss May Be in the Cards: Fan’s Look

Three Oakland Raiders Selected to the Pro Bowl: Fan reaction

Oakland Raiders’ Janikowski Nominated for Never Say Never Moment: Fan’s Look

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

There is the quick update of the day.

Oakland Raiders notebook: Home finale with San Diego Chargers is a sellout

Phiniaoppor — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:50:48 +0000

The Raiders announced that Sunday’s game against the San Diego Chargers is sold out, marking the first time the club has gone an entire regular season without a television blackout since it returned to Oakland from Los Angeles in 1995.

“I know our fans and the way they’ve been for us all year. It’s going to be unbelievable,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said. “They’ll bring the noise and the passion. I expect them to be as loud as they’ve ever been, and we need a true 12th man this week.”

Jackson is hoping to reward the home fans, who haven’t always seen the Raiders at anything approaching their best this season.

Oakland is 3-4 at O.co Coliseum, with the most recent disappointment coming in a 28-27 loss to Detroit when the Lions marched 71 and 98 yards on their last two possessions.

“What we have to do is give back to them, and how we give back is by winning,” Jackson said. “We need to win at home. We’ve done OK on the road, but we haven’t done what we need to do at home.”

Free safety Michael Huff was in a good mood, and not just because Texas beat Cal in the Holiday Bowl, meaning he won a bet with teammate Kyle Boller.

Huff, who has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, took a lot of reps in practice, according to Jackson, and looks good to go against San Diego.

“I think Huff is back,” Jackson said. “I think he ran well, he’s out there with his defensive

teammates, he took quite a few reps over the last couple of days.”

Wide receiver Jacoby Ford practiced for the second straight day, buoying his chances to see action against the Chargers after missing the last six games with a foot sprain.

Defensive tackle Richard Seymour was limited in practice after missing the previous day with a virus. Running back Taiwan Jones (hamstring) was limited, but Jackson said the rookie has yet to “cut it loose” and been able to run full-out.

Defensive tackle John Henderson (knee) and running back Darren McFadden (foot) did not participate and will likely be ruled “out” Friday.

With both place-kicker Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler named to the Pro Bowl, it stands to reason that long-snapper Jon Condo would join them. The decision will be up to the AFC coach, which will be the loser of the conference championship game.

“I don’t have any pull, but I’m sure Shane will do something,” Janikowski said.

Wide receiver Vincent Jackson missed practice for the Chargers with a groin injury, and running back Mike Tolbert was out with a hamstring strain.

Leading rusher Ryan Mathews, who missed practice the previous day, was limited with a calf strain.

Leave your comments on the news below.

Five Reasons the Oakland Raiders Will Defeat the San Diego Chargers: Fan’s Take

PazolloKartz — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:20:00 +0000

As most of us know by now, the Oakland Raiders must win the game against the San Diego Chargers on New Year’s Day to have a chance at getting into the playoffs. That’s the most important part of the equation, and the only one the Silver and Black are focusing on.

Kamerion Wimbley
Wikimedia Commons

In order for the Raiders to win the AFC West, the Denver Broncos need to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs. If that doesn’t happen, and somehow Tebow has another miracle left under his helmet (unlikely), the Cincinnati Bengals will need to lose to the Baltimore Ravens, and the Ravens are favored in that matchup. They would also need either the Tennessee Titans to lose to the Houston Texans or the New York Jets to defeat the Miami Dolphins. Both the Titans and Dolphins are favored, but I’m going for the best case scenario, and that’s a Denver loss.

The key ingredient to all of this, is an Oakland win over San Diego on Sunday, and there are at least five reasons I believe they will.

Philip Rivers

The Chargers’ quarterback, Philip Rivers, may be going to the Pro Bowl, but if he was judged on his 2011 performance, he’d be unlikely to head to Hawaii. Rivers has thrown 24 interceptions this year and in their last game against the Raiders at home, Rivers was sacked six times. He’ll be going down quite a few times again this coming Sunday.

Injured players returning

The Raiders’ sophomore receiver, Jacoby Ford, should be back in the game. Ford has been known to make some big plays, and he’ll give Oakland’s offense a big boost. In addition, safety Michael Huff, has said he will be in this all-important game, after missing the last two with a hamstring injury. Head coach Hue Jackson commented that Huff’s return is very important and the veteran player is one of the better on the team.

Jackson also said that the pieces are coming back together just like he knew they would, and I agree, it couldn’t happen at a better time.

Raiders’ running game

Oakland has the sixth ranked rushing attack in the NFL, and the Chargers run defense gives up 123.5 yards a game, ranked 20th in the league . Although star running back Darren McFadden is unlikely to return for the final game of the regular season, Michael Bush stole the show when the Raiders’ faced the Chargers on November 10. In that game, Bush had 30 carries for 157 yards and scored a touchdown.

Charger injuries

The Chargers strongest wide receiver, Vincent Jackson, hasn’t been at practice all week after suffering a groin injury. He’s unlikely to be in the game Sunday. Their running backs, Ryan Matthews and Michael Tolbert have missed practice this week and though they might both get on the field in Oakland, they won’t be at 100%.

The Raiders want the win

This is a must win for the Raiders, while it doesn’t matter near as much to the Chargers. Their season is over and done on January 1 either way. The players on the Silver and Black have the heart, and the will, to fight a tough battle and win.

The O.co Coliseum is sold out again, making this the eighth sell out of eight games in Oakland this year. Jackson said, “My hat goes out to our fans for supporting us. What we have to do is give back to them as I’ve always said. And how we give back is by winning.”

More from this contributor:

Oakland Raiders Win, Denver Broncos Loss May Be in the Cards: Fan’s Look

Oakland Raiders’ Jacoby Ford Back at Practice: Who Will Return to Face the Chargers? Fan’s Look

Three Oakland Raiders Selected to the Pro Bowl: Fan reaction

Oakland Raiders’ Janikowski Nominated for Never Say Never Moment: Fan’s Look

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Despite fines, lots of yelling and officials at practice, Raiders close in on penalty record

SiffoPilm — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:58:28 +0000

“I don’t have the answer, obviously,” Jackson said. “I talk to the team about it all the time. I don’t just talk. I yell, I scream, I threaten. I’ve done everything. I get a bunch of letters of people telling me other things I should try, too. And please don’t send any new ones because those things don’t work.”

The Raiders (8-7) head into their must-win season finale against San Diego needing four penalties for 11 yards to break both records held by the 1998 Kansas City Chiefs.

Considering the Raiders have committed at least four penalties in 27 straight games and have had at least 11 yards in penalties in all but three games since moving back to Oakland in 1995, it seems like a safe bet those records will fall.

Jackson vowed at the start of training camp that he would fix a problem that has plagued the Raiders for most of their history. Oakland has committed at least 100 penalties for 12 straight seasons and have ranked in the top five in total penalties in the NFL for five straight seasons.

Jackson has had three officials at most practices in order to curb the problem and said they usually see about three or four infractions a day. That rises to more than 10 a game when it counts.

The players have also instituted a $100 fine system for committing penalties with a jar on defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan’s desk collecting the loot.

“Charity will love us at the end of the year,” Bresnahan said.

But the flags keep flying each week. The Raiders have hit double digits in four straight games, including a season-high tying 15 in last week’s overtime win at Kansas City that featured a delay of game that negated a fake field goal for a touchdown.

“I wish we knew what it was,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “It’s not a bunch of false starts. It’s not just holdings. It’s kind of all over the place. In special teams, on a touchdown a delay of game. It’s just been a weird year. There’s been some calls that you can’t find on film when you go back and watch them. It’s not one thing. It’s not a trend. As those flags get going in games I always have guys come up to me on the sideline saying, ‘This is what happens when you play for the Raiders.’”

There have been quite a variety of penalties with 58 being pre-snap calls, including 20 offsides calls and 19 false starts. There have also been a league-worst 29 personal fouls, and 39 holding calls.

The biggest problem has been on defense where the Raiders have committed a league-worst 78 penalties on defense — more than twice the league average of 35. They have 58 penalties on offense — tied for fourth most — and are tied for sixth with 19 on special teams.

“You want the penalties to hold down because they’re going to come back and bite you sooner or later,” said defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, who has been called for seven. “To me, just limit the 15-yarders, the big ones. We can deal with the 5-yarders. But the 15-yarders are the ones keeping the drives alive.”

There have been some costly ones as the Raiders have given opponents 54 first downs with penalties, including 20 drives that led to a score. Penalties aided Buffalo’s two fourth-quarter TD drives in a 38-35 Oakland loss in September and Detroit’s two fourth-quarter TD drives in the Raiders 28-27 loss earlier this month.

“I stay up late at night trying to figure this out, as much as I can,” Jackson said. “I’ve worked at that as hard as I’ve worked at anything. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen, but we’ll have a long discussion about penalties when this season is over. I promise you that.”

In all, 43 players have accounted for the penalties, including Terrelle Pryor, who committed a false start to negate his only play all season. Jackson also has a penalty for challenging a scoring play in Week 2 at Buffalo, which is against the rules.

Cornerback Stanford Routt has been the most penalized player in the league with 16 — one more than the entire Green Bay defense. Offensive linemen Khalif Barnes and Jared Veldheer are next with 10 apiece, followed by defensive tackle Richard Seymour with nine.

“Obviously, getting penalties is never a good thing, but you can’t let that get in your head, because if you do then you’re playing into the other team’s hands,” Routt said. “You don’t ever want to let the referees decide the game, and if you let them get in your head, you’re letting them decide the game.”

Thanks for reading! .