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Oakland Raiders believe they won’t miss a beat with Michael Bush in the lineup |
Michael Bush knows the drill. Playing the same position as Darren McFadden requires enough patience to take a back seat to one of the NFL’s most explosive running backs but enough talent to take over when injury leads to an inevitable starting assignment. “It’s not the first time I’ve been down this road,” Bush said Thursday after getting most of the reps with the first team as the Raiders prepared for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. “It’s bad Darren got hurt, and I wish he was out there playing with us, but the coach believes in me, and I just have to keep this offense rolling.” McFadden missed practice Thursday and hasn’t set foot on the field since suffering a right midfoot sprain Oct. 23 against Kansas City on his second carry. Bush took over as the lead ball carrier and finished with 99 yards on 17 carries. It’s a role he’ll likely assume Sunday with the Raiders hoping to get McFadden ready to play against the San Diego Chargers the following Thursday night. “He’s in a tough spot,” Raiders coach Hue Jackson said of Bush. “He plays behind one of the best running backs in this league. But Bush is a really, really good player himself. “It’s good when you have two of them in case one can’t go, you have one you can lean on.” Ideally, the Raiders will have enough success on the ground to lessen the pressure on Carson Palmer, making his first start at quarterback after being acquired Oct. 18. Denver is ranked 17th in the NFL in run defense, but only the Raiders in Week 1 (190 yards) and the Chargers in Week 5 (206 yards) have done any real damage. Bush has flourished in a handful of games that McFadden either didn’t start or left early because of injury. Starting against San Diego last season with McFadden out with a knee strain, Bush rushed for 104 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown in a 35-27 win. In the regular-season finale in Kansas City, with McFadden on the sideline, Bush had 137 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown in a 31-10 win. Five of Bush’s biggest yardage efforts have come in games where McFadden either didn’t play or left the game early because of injury. He has also had games as a closer of sorts for McFadden with the Raiders ahead, rushing for first downs and working with the clock. “You know when you play the Raiders you’re going to play a physical, up-front team that’s going to pound it at you running the ball,” Denver coach John Fox said by conference call. “That’s why they’re second in the league in rushing.” Starting allows Bush to break the stereotype of the heavy-legged power back, a label he has always resisted because he has had his fair share of breakaway runs and also is a skilled receiver. “Everybody calls him the big back, and we kind of make fun of him, but Mike is a ridiculous playmaker for this team,” fullback Marcel Reece said. “He can do everything — he can run between the tackles and he can hit it outside, and everybody has seen that. And if you haven’t, you’re about to see it.” Although Bush said he isn’t aware of any changes in play-calling when he is in the game, Jackson said he tailors offensive game plans based on the plays those in the skill positions like best. Offensive coordinator Al Saunders describes it as if he is fitting together pieces in a puzzle. “You try to do the same things because the offensive line is programmed to do what we’ve done since Day 1,” Saunders said. “The addition of Carson shifts some things, as it does with the running back. We’re personnel-oriented. We do a lot of things based on the personnel that we have available.” Two other pieces could figure prominently in the backfield if McFadden is out of action. Rookie fourth-round draft pick Taiwan Jones, who had a career-high three carries for 18 yards plus a 30-yard reception against the Chiefs, could be in line for more as the change-of-pace speed back. Jones is eager to show he can do more than attack the perimeter. “Coming in, a lot of people didn’t look at me like I could run between the tackles,” Jones said. “I like to run outside, but I like to run inside just as much.” Reece, out with a high ankle sprain since Week 3, is also on schedule to return, allowing Jackson and Saunders the ability to create matchups with a player who caught a 73-yard touchdown pass against the Broncos last year. Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in 1, Darren McFadden, Marcel Reece, raiders-news, San Diego Chargers | Comments Off
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Raiders sell out home opener |
On Thursday September 22, 2011, 3:48 pm EDT ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have sold out Sunday’s home opener against the New York Jets to avoid a local blackout for just the second time in the last 16 home games. The Raiders announced Thursday that the game had been sold out by the 72-hour deadline to avoid a blackout in a 75-mile radius. The Raiders sold out only one game in each of the past two seasons. They had 14 blackouts in their last 15 home games since the 2009 season opener against San Diego. Oakland also sold out a game against Kansas City last November. This will be the 46th of 129 regular-season home games televised since the Raiders moved back from Los Angeles for the 1995 season. Follow Yahoo! Finance on ; become a fan on Facebook. Thanks for reading! . |
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Injuries mounting for Raider receivers |
The Oakland Raiders look like they will be relying on some young depth at wide receiver when they visit Ralph Wilson Stadium to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Raiders’ No. 2 receiver, Jacoby Ford, sat out a second straight day of practice Thursday due to a sore hamstring he injured Monday at Denver. Raiders coach Hue Jackson said after the workout there was a possibility Ford could play in Buffalo. The Raiders’ No. 3 receiver, Louis Murphy, missed the Denver game with a groin injury and has missed two straight days of practice, as well. He’s expected to be out. The Raiders’ No. 1 receiver, Darrius Heyward-Bey, wasn’t able to finish Thursday’s practice after tweaking a knee. But he indicated to reporters it wasn’t serious. Oakland ranked No. 2 in rushing and No. 23 in passing last season. In Ford’s absence, it’s probable that Chaz Schilens would start with Heyward-Bey. Schilens, 6-foot-4 and 225, is a fourth-year player who caught 5 passes last season. Nick Miller saw some snaps with the starters Thursday. He’s a third-year player who was undrafted in 2009. Denarius Moore is the next wideout. He’s a rookie fifth-round draft choice. Raiders star defensive tackle Richard Seymour and starting free safety Michael Huff each missed practice for a second straight day. So did backup strong safety Michael Miller. Seymour, who had two of Oakland’s five sacks against Denver, has sore ribs. Jackson said he expected Seymour “back soon” and held out hope Huff might play. Huff’s replacement would be seventh-year man Matt Giordano, who was released on the final cutdown but picked back up. Raiders starting cornerback Chris Johnson practiced fully Thursday after being limited Wednesday. Both of Oakland’s backup cornerbacks are rookies — third-round pick DeMarcus Van Dyke and fourth-round pick Chimdi Chekwa. Raiders tight end Kevin Boss has been out since Aug. 20 with a knee injury but expects to play. The Bills are relatively healthy, besides cornerback Terrence McGee, out with a hamstring injury. Bills receiver Stevie Johnson sat out practice. Coach Chan Gailey said he was rested due to a sore groin. Johnson expects to practice today. “Stevie’s been having a nagging groin for a month, so we just gave him a rest today,” Gailey said after the team’s workout. Defensive tackle Torell Troup (sore back) was in uniform but was limited. Linebacker Arthur Moats (sore knee) was limited, too, Gailey said. On Troup, Gailey said: “He couldn’t go the full way, but he got better.” mgaughan@buffnews.comnull Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in 1, Chaz Schilens, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, Michael Huff, Oakland Raiders, raiders-news, Richard Seymour | Comments Off
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PFT: Raiders, 49ers discuss sharing stadium |
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The players’ decision not to vote on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement today doesn’t mean the owners won’t vote on a new CBA tomorrow. That’s the word from NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, who said he sees no reason not to think the owners can vote to approve a new deal to end the lockout at Thursday’s meeting. “It doesn’t impact it at all,” Pash said of the players not voting today. “We’re going to continue to work with the players. We’ll find out if there are issues that still need to be negotiated, and we’re going to work cooperatively with them through the evening and try to have something in place that both sides can vote on tomorrow morning.” If there are still issues that need to be negotiated tonight, it would seem difficult to vote by tomorrow morning. And NFL spokesman Greg Aiello interrupted Pash’s comments to the media to point out that the vote to approve the new CBA could come Thursday afternoon or Thursday evening. But there does seem to be a sense of optimism that it will come Thursday at some point. Pash described his level of optimism as “cautious, but I think we’re making progress.” “I think both sides are at the point where they can close, they should close, and we should be in a position to take votes,” Pash said. As for the possibility that one of the named plaintiffs in the players’ antitrust suit against the owners could cause a delay in ending the lockout, Pash didn’t seem concerned about that. Instead, he said he thinks the entire deal can get done very soon. “I think we’re going to have an agreement that all clubs will be a part of and all players will be a part of,” Pash said. “All the litigation goes away. I think that’s the healthy outcome, to have a complete, comprehensive, global agreement that settles all the disputes and puts us on a path where we’re going forward together.” That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow. |
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Oakland Raiders schedule analysis |
 Breakdown: For the fourth time since 2006, the Oakland Raiders will open the season on “Monday Night Football” in the back end of a doubleheader. The Raiders open at the Denver Broncos. The three previous times Oakland played in this doubleheader series, the games were at home and Oakland lost all three games.
The Raiders, who are tied for the 19th most difficult 2011 schedule and have the easiest AFC West schedule, play at the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. The Raiders get two road games out of the way early against two weak teams. Plus, these could have both been cold-weather games. Oakland’s season does toughen in its third and fourth games with home games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots. We should know a lot about the Raiders after the first quarter of the season. In addition to the season opener, Oakland plays a prime-time game at the San Diego Chargers in a Thursday game in November. Complaint department: Oakland’s first two games in December will be difficult. It plays at the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers in back-to-back games. That is a lot of travel down the stretch. Plus, playing at Green Bay on Dec. 11 is no treat. No opening night in Green Bay: There was a school of thought in Oakland that the Raiders would be chosen to play at Green Bay in the annual season-opening Thursday night game that has become a traditional celebration game for the defending Super Bowl champion. The Packers will instead play New Orleans in a battle of the past two Super Bowl champions. Raiders Regular-Season Schedule (All times Eastern)
Not much else going on in the NBA world today. Posted in 1, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, raiders-news, San Diego Chargers | Comments Off
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