Individual Matchups

[Freakshow]

Looking ahead to Sunday I thought I'd highlight a few key matchups I think may have significant influence the outcome of the game. Give me yours...

1. Jeremy Newberry vs. Jamall Williams. I love this one - two great, physical players in a battle of the trenches. If Newbs can neutralize Williams we can have a ton of success running it up the middle, which is a better option than trying to get around those speedy ends/backers.

2. Zach Miller vs. Shawn Phillips. My man Miller has shown serious cajones in the run-blocking dept. and I expect more of the same this week.

3. Justin Griffith vs. Shawn Merriman. Picking up the best pass-rusher in the game won't be easy but I think he's up to the test. This will be key to buy a couple seconds for our deeper drops.

4. Kirk Morrison vs. Lorenzo Neal. Power vs. power here. May the toughest man win. I like our chances but it's our best shot at slowing down LT.

5. Michael Huff vs. Antonio Gates. Advantage San Diego, but if Huff wants to prove his doubters wrong this is his chance. This matchup is huge.

[Raider Nation]

Rob Ryan vs. Norv Turner. It's not like Rob hasn't seen this offense before. Hopefully Burgess is 100% and ready to tear it up off the edge.

[massraider]

I'll add Chris Clemons vs. Marcus McNeill.

If we are to forget the potential that is Quentin Moses, we need to see some production from our designated pass rusher.

[Freakshow]

Rob Ryan vs. Norv Turner. It's not like Rob hasn't seen this offense before.

Great call Natty.

We've had two weeks to get ready for these a-holes and I trust that Ryan and Kiffin will have formulated a solid game plan. It's not like Norv & company are that difficult to figure out. LT left, LT right, Gates over the middle, Merriman coming off the edge...

[Madturk]

I'm not too concerned about Kiffin, it's Ryan I'm worried about. He's going to have to call the game of the year in order for us to have a chance to win this one.

[CrossBones]

I'm not too concerned about Kiffin, it's Ryan I'm worried about. He's going to have to call the game of the year in order for us to have a chance to win this one.BINGO!!!!!!

That's it in a nutshell. Ryan is starting to worry me a little (again).

[Rupert]

If we are to forget the potential that is Quentin Moses, we need to see some production from our designated pass rusher.

Careful, that's was, not is. I'd like to see us sneak Clemons on the field in place of Williams on a couple downs and delay blitz him from OLB depth.

[RaiderIVlife]

Careful, that's was, not is. I'd like to see us sneak Clemons on the field in place of Williams on a couple downs and delay blitz him from OLB depth.

Precisely why I advanced the notion of running some 3/4 Defense on occasion. I think we can pull this off with our personell.

I think Kelly & Richardson could easily play some DE in the 3/4 with Turdell Sands at NT.

Clemons could flip-flop with guys like Sam Williams & Robert Thomas. Clemons could probably drop into coverage better than Burgess.

When Burgess is in, I think we are pretty much locked into 4/3 since I don't think he's of much use at OLB at this stage in his career.

[CrossBones]

I really think we have the personnel now to run the 34 BUT not now grasshopper.

The BIGGEST game of the last 4 years is this Sunday. It's even bigger than the last big game against SD --- remember the Luxury Box game? --- and that better now happen this Sunday. We have to WIN this game. We can screw around with the 34 next year!

[Rupert]

But I was suggesting getting 5 guys after the passer, not running a 3-4.

[SoCalRaider]

I really think we have the personnel now to run the 34

I dunno... Considering both Burgess and Sapp would be useless in that scheme and we really only have 2 LBs that are worth their salt right now, I think we'd be exposed big time in a 34.

[Langlier]

I dunno... Considering both Burgess and Sapp would be useless in that scheme and we really only have 2 LBs that are worth their salt right now, I think we'd be exposed big time in a 34.

as i said earlier... people are baggin on sam williams and while i understand why... cat is doing his job and doing it well. Just because he hasn't made the big plays of Howard or Morrison doesn't make the cat bad... it just means like 80% of the rest of the linebackers in the league he's not a pro bowler. guys still been nails on what we've wanted him to do most of the time (eat a blocker, cover a back/TE)

[SoCalRaider]

I'm not sure I understand why people are suddenly giving Sam Williams credit right now. For all the credit people want to give him in pass coverage... sorry, but he comes out of the game on passing downs.

His primary role is to stop the run... last time I checked... we've got the worst run defense in the NFL, one LB wins NFL Defensive Player of the Month, our other LB actually outplays his teammate who was NFL Defensive Player of the Month... somethang just ain't adding up.

From what I've seen, all 3 of our LBs have been subpar against the run... but Sam Williams has been the biggest disappointment of the 3... and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Williams loses his starting job before the season is out.

[hawaiianboy]

I dunno... Considering both Burgess and Sapp would be useless in that scheme and we really only have 2 LBs that are worth their salt right now, I think we'd be exposed big time in a 34.


I don't think Burgess would be useless... Terrell Suggs, Jason Taylor and John Abraham all moved from 43 ends to 34 rush LB's with no problem... Demarcus Ware, Shaun Phillips, Merriman and Rosey Colvin all played with their hand on the ground before making the change as well... Burgess has past experience playing LB and maybe occasionally playing him as a rush LB may actually free him up from the double teams he's been seeing...

[Freakshow]

Along those lines, what the hell are the Chargers dropping Merriman into pass coverage for?? Take arguably the best pass rusher in the league and turn him into a zone defender? I'd send that freak on every down. Another classic blunder by San Diego...and I love it.

As for the 3-4 experiment, I don't think we've got the horses. You need 4 good linebackers and we've only got 2. I also think it would take a lot to persuade old Al to make that defense fly - he's been a big fan of the 4-3 for 50 years.

[CrossBones]

Along those lines, what the hell are the Chargers dropping Merriman into pass coverage for?? Take arguably the best pass rusher in the league and turn him into a zone defender? I'd send that freak on every down. Another classic blunder by San Diego...and I love it.Norv says "hi".

Norv and his new coaching staff decided to reinvent the wheel. Works for me. Let's hope it continues on Sunday!

[R4Life]

Norv vs. KK

This is the biggest match-up in my mind (and this includes the coordinators).

Norv wants to win sooooooooooooooo badly. He's had a rough go of it and last week felt sooooooooooooooooooo good, that I would expect to see a similar gameplan and a healthy dose of LT and Gates - more of a return to the 2006 operation. Sure, he'll mix in some sideline plays downfield, but I would expect them to want to grind it out on the ground and underneath to set it up.

KK also wants to win and he threw the ball all over the place in week 1 because the match-up was in the Raiders favor over the Lions secondary and we all know how that worked out. But KK's not as whipped as Norvell at this point and might try to air the ball out with his new old QB to exploit the match-up which favors the Raiders even more than it did in the Lions game. Traditional logic says KK will run the ball because we're #1 in rushing and it has worked to give us two W's in a row, but (as has been pointed out already) SD is not the same defense as Miami or Cleveland. To be successful in SD we'll have to run straight up the gut because they have too much speed on the perimeter and that means Newberry vs. Williams - Can't wait.

Let's just hope that this is a good omen:


Rating the new coaches, Monday night thoughts, and more
By Vic Carucci | NFL.com

Having moved past the quarter poll of the season, the time is as good as any to take a closer look at the NFL's seven new head-coaching situations.

This is how I rank the first-year head coaches based on performance and the prospect of what each will accomplish through the balance of the season:

1. MIKE TOMLIN, Pittsburgh
Tomlin has done a remarkable job of leading the Steelers to the upper-tier of the league, not too far behind New England and Indianapolis. His greatest achievement is quickly establishing his own identity on a team that for so long was defined by the chin and power-oriented philosophy of Bill Cowher. Tomlin has deftly blended the best of what Cowher left behind with some newer and fresher ideas, including a greater willingness to trust quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's throwing arm. Tomlin's best coaching effort came in Week 5, when he led a roster missing key starters on both sides of the ball to a 21-0 victory over Seattle. He should be able to lead this team deep into the postseason.

2. WADE PHILLIPS, Dallas
Phillips nearly slipped on the proverbial banana peel on Monday night against the Bills. His team looked as if it had given only the tiniest of glimpses to the Bills while keeping most of its pregame focus on the Week 6 showdown against New England. The fact the Cowboys still won despite a historically bad performance is a testament to ... well, luck, I suppose. There really is no other logical way to explain it. But Phillips still merits credit for getting this team to 5-0 and standing tall in the face of tremendous pressure brought on by lofty expectations from the team owner on down. In the mediocre NFC, he should be able to guide the Cowboys to a Super Bowl run -- provided quarterback Tony Romo doesn't have any more meltdowns as he did in Orchard Park.

3. KEN WHISENHUNT, Arizona
I've said all along that I didn't like Ken Whisenhunt's two-quarterback approach, even through it worked well enough to help the Cardinals get to 3-2. He flirted with damaging the development of Matt Leinart, in whom the Cardinals already made a hefty investment to be their franchise quarterback. With Leinart out for the season with a broken collarbone, the point has become moot. This is Kurt Warner's team, and I suspect Whisenhunt is more comfortable to have a proven veteran at the controls of his offense. Otherwise, Whisenhunt has done a good job of making the Cardinals more competitive than they were before he arrived. If Warner continues to rediscover his St. Louis magic, the Cards could challenge for a playoff berth.

4. LANE KIFFIN, Oakland
Kiffin has shown far greater command and wisdom than one has any right to expect from the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He did not allow a thorny quarterback situation to derail a club desperately trying to climb out of the league's basement. He picked the right man to lead the team at the start of the year, Josh McCown, and now has picked the right man to take over from here, Daunte Culpepper. Kiffin also has put together a top-10 offense with the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack. The Raiders might not be a playoff team, but their future is bright with Kiffin in charge.

5. NORV TURNER, San Diego
It's difficult to tell whether Turner has actually turned things around. Sure, the Chargers' mauling of Denver was impressive, but it was only one game against a highly-flawed opponent. It will take much more for Turner to even begin to quiet the steadily growing outrage that the Chargers messed up a good thing by firing Marty Schottenheimer. The key is Turner's ability to keep quarterback Philip Rivers playing at the high level he displayed for the first time this season against the Broncos. That is far from a sure thing.

6. CAM CAMERON, Miami
It's too soon to say whether Cameron is over his head. And, in the wake of quarterback Trent Green's concussion, it's difficult to fairly judge his ability to get this 0-5 team to anything approaching respectability.



7. BOBBY PETRINO, Atlanta
It might not be too soon to say that Petrino is in over his head with the 1-4 Falcons. The Michael Vick fiasco certainly didn't help, but Petrino's handling of the rest of his quarterback situation -- as well as his overall adjustment to the NFL game from the collegiate level -- has been less than stellar.

Anyway I think if the Raiders can get up on SD and make Norv think he has to coach them to victory, then we have a good chance at winning. I also think we must use the pass to set up the run, mixing in a lot of screen plays (DC actually looked good running a screen play - something I've not seen since Gannon) and draws to take advantage of their aggressive pass rush. Then go to a running game late to preserve the win.

[raiderfreak7]

Maybe Bobby Petrino turning us down was a good thing...

[R4Life]

and Cam Cameron and Sean Payton and Sarkisian...
I like who we got!

[BigTron]

Kiffin and Tomlin are the only two coaches who will stick.

[Rupert]

Maybe Bobby Petrino turning us down was a good thing...

That's Bernard Petrino. :shakehead:

[Raidermania12]

and Cam Cameron and Sean Payton and Sarkisian...
I like who we got!

Maybe we turned a couple of them down. :p Seriously I like the fact that Kiffin impressed Davis. No coach did that since Gruden. And he did it when he wasnt up for the job. I found that to be a good sign.