Aftermath...

[Angry Pope]

The season starts now

September 17th, 2006
By Jerry McDonald

The good news for the Oakland Raiders Sunday includes the performance of a quarterback who completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards, was intercepted three times, fumbled three times (losing one), was sacked in the end zone for a safety and had a miniscule quarterback rating of 18.4.

He represents an upgrade.

The Oakland Raiders lost 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. No surprise there.

Oakland’s best hope to get off the road to 2-14 lies in the next three weeks _ a bye week to heal bruises and a wounded psyche, and another to prepare for two winnable games against the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.

It will be in those two games where the Raiders discover if they simply ran into two superior defenses, or if their system and personnel is simply too dated and devoid of talent to have any chance of success.

Random observations concerning a team which has ended the month of September without scoring a touchdown.

– It should be Andrew Walter’s show come Oct. 1. Aaron Brooks suffered a sprained rotator cuff diving for his second fumbled center snap and will have an MRI Monday. Even if Brooks’ injury is relatively minor, this gives the Raiders a chance to make a switch.

The support Walter got from his teammates on the sidelines was telling, and perhaps going against the San Diego and Baltimore defenses in his first two games will serve as a weighted bat, allowing him to get in some good cuts against vastly inferior defenses in Cleveland and San Francisco.

Not that Walter looks like “the answer.'’ He seems to have a lot of Kerry Collins in him, although with a better touch.

Shell’s endorsement was less than overwhelming.

“He did some decent things. He did some things that were not so good,'’ Shell told reporters after the game.

— The Raiders had trouble getting in and out of the huddle with a play since Day 1 of training camp, and it is killing them two weeks into the regular season.

Trailing by double figures for most of the game, they still kept taking the play clock down to the last second before getting off a snap, rather than accelerating the tempo.

One of Walter’s fumbled snaps came, Shell said, because the play clock was winding down and he was too much in a hurry to get the ball. All the timeouts in confusion are signs of a poorly prepared offensive unit.

— As good as Walter looked on a handful of plays, the fact remains that Alvis Whitted is getting more throws in his direction than Randy Moss. Inexcusable.

– For the second consecutive game, not a single pass completion to a running back. Incredible.

— Speaking of wide receivers, Ronald Curry should be the second starter, assuming Jerry Porter will remain in isolation until he comes forth and apologizes _ which ought to happen around the time the Raiders win their 10th game of the season.

– Take away LaMont Jordan’s 15-yard run, and he gained 20 yards on 18 carries.

– Even with the meager production, weren’t you wondering what the Raiders were going to do when Jordan temporarily limped off the field? (He soon returned).

– I could swear I actually saw a reverse roll by Walter which resulted in a 16-yard strike to Courtney Anderson early in the second quarter _ a well-conceived play.

– Six more sacks surrenendered _ that’s 15 in two games. For those who who rejoiced in Robert Gallery’s absence, Terrell Suggs had two sacks and two quarterback hits against Chad Slaughter.

— There was an unconfirmed ESPN report that Gallery would be moved to guard upon his return. If that happens, then everything Shell ever said about Gallery’s talent was pure B.S., because you don’t make that move solely off of one bad game against Shawne Merriman. You make it because you’ve been thinking about it for awhile.

— The Raiders have 291 yards of total offense in two games.

On Oct. 6, 2002 in a road game against the Buffalo Bills, the Raiders had 291 yards at halftime.

– Only two minor quibbles with the Raiders defense. After valiantly holding the Ravens to three field goals while the offense was busy fumbling center snaps, they let Baltimore drive 65 yards in seven plays just before the half for a touchdown and a 16-3 lead.

Musa Smith circuled out of the backfield for a 30-yard reception _ which ought to serve notice to Tom Walsh and Co. that running backs are eligible receivers.

That sapped any momentum to be gained from Oakland’s first points of the year on a 34-yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski.

The other was tha the Raiders had just one takeaway _ Kirk Morrison’s interception and 31-yard return. They kept Baltimore’s running game pretty much in check until Mike Anderson’s 34-yard run when the game was already decided.

— With the Raiders offense in its current state, even accounting for improvement against Cleveland and San Francisco, defense and special teams play will have to be huge to win. That means more takeaways.

— A very nice sign that Warren Sapp still has something left _ two sacks, including one play in which he split Edwin Mulitalo and Jonathan Ogden to get to Steve McNair.

— The guy playing most of the downs alongside Sapp should be Terdell Sands. He’s had two very strong games in a row.

— Not a good sign _ a hamstring injury suffered by Fabian Washington. They’re already down one starting cornerback in Nnamdi Asomugha. Hamstrings need to be handled correctly, and Washington depends on his quick burst.

— Grant Irons was forced to leave the game with a lower back problem. Until then, he was making a case to supplant Sam Williams (ankle as the starting strongside linebacker.

 

[Angry Pope]

Tackle had a nose for being in right place at right time
BALTIMORE'S GREGG RECOVERED TWO OAKLAND FUMBLES

By Bill Soliday

BALTIMORE - The focus going into the game was on linebacker Ray Lewis, last week's AFC defensive player of the week. Instead, the glory went to little-known nose tackle Kelly Gregg.

Gregg recovered two of Oakland's three lost fumbles, and with an escort of teammates took the second one 59 yards to the Oakland 15 near the end of the third quarter. It led to a field goal to give the Baltimore Ravens a 21-3 lead en route to a 28-6 victory.

The 6-foot, 310-pound Gregg was virtually out of gas after finally being pushed out of bounds by Raiders tight end Courtney Anderson.

``I was trying to squeeze by, but I got knocked out of bounds,'' Gregg said. ``Hopefully next week I'll get a lot of room.''

Gregg got the glory for a sack made by end Terrell Suggs, who dumped Andrew Walter. It was Suggs' second sack, Gregg's second fumble recovery. The other came on a fumbled snap -- one of four by Oakland -- that he recovered in the first half. Each of his recoveries led to a field goal.

Other than the fumbles, Gregg said the Raiders ``did a good job. We just made plays. But we left a lot out there that we could still make and each week we're going to try to get better.''

But there was no doubt the Raiders' problem was the six turnovers and the six sacks the Ravens made against their struggling line.

``If they (Ravens) keep that ratio going, they're going to do good things,'' Baltimore Coach Brian Billick said. ``They haven't crossed (our) goal line yet. That's something for the defense to hold on to and continue to motivate themselves.''

In addition to Gregg and Suggs, linebackers Adalius Thomas and Lewis had big games. Thomas had two sacks among his seven tackles, intercepted a pass and defended another. Lewis had seven tackles, an interception, a quarterback hurry and a pass defended.

``We were somewhat consistent today,'' Suggs said. ``We didn't give up any touchdowns, but we gave up a couple of scores. We really thought we could have had the goose egg.

``I think (the Raiders) just mishandled the snaps, that's all. But if it happens, there's something wrong -- something you've got to correct. They were having some trouble early, but I think once they finally get it going, they'll be fine.''

As for the Ravens, they have a 9-1 takeaway-to-giveaway ratio and have held two opponents to an average of just 152 yards.

``Last year we had some trouble getting turnovers,'' Gregg said. ``This year they come in bunches. We have to keep working on it and, hopefully, next week we'll get seven.''The Ravens have a 9-1 takeaway-to- giveaway ratio and have held two opponents to an average of just 152 yards.

 

[Angry Pope]

Loss highlights need for a protection plan
RAIDERS' DEFENSE WAITING FOR OFFENSE TO GET UP TO SPEED

By Steve Corkran

BALTIMORE - Where do the Raiders go from here? The obvious answer is, into their bye week at 0-2 after losing 28-6 to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Logic says that up is the only direction the team from Camp Nadir in Alameda can go. Then again, up is a relative term when taken from the Raiders' viewpoint.

Fortunately for the Raiders, their next two games are against teams seemingly far inferior to their first two opponents -- the San Diego Chargers and the Ravens.

Yet the Cleveland Browns and the 49ers might view their upcoming games against the Raiders as breathers in the traditional grind of a 16-game season.

Why not? The Raiders have yet to score a touchdown, they already face a quarterback controversy, and punter Shane Lechler and kick returner Chris Carr are the leading candidates for team most valuable player.

``There's not a whole lot to say,'' Raiders Coach Art Shell said. ``We came in here expecting to play better. We had opportunities, but we just didn't take advantage of it.''

The advantage was all Ravens from the get-go. They put the Raiders in a hole by returning the opening kick 72 yards to the Raiders' 32-yard line. That set up Matt Stover's 25-yard field goal and the tone. Oakland quarterback Aaron Brooks dropped the snap from center Jake Grove on consecutive drives. Two plays. Two fumbles lost. Two Ravens drives that started deep in Raiders territory.

``The No. 1 job is to protect the football,'' Raiders backup Andrew Walter said of the five fumbles by the quarterbacks -- three of which were recovered by the Ravens. ``It's unacceptable. I can't do that. It kills drives and kills the team.''

Walter entered the game after Brooks sustained a strained right rotator cuff in the scrum that resulted from his second fumble. Walter completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards, with three interceptions.

The Ravens converted Brooks' fumbles into 33- and 37-yard field goals and led 9-0 late in the first quarter. The Raiders cut their deficit to 9-3 on Sebastian Janikowski's 34-yard field goal and trailed 18-3 entering the fourth quarter after Baltimore tight end Todd Heap caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Steve McNair with 46 seconds remaining in the first half and Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas sacked Walter in the end zone for a third-quarter safety.

Oakland's defense stymied Baltimore time and again, waiting, hoping, praying for its offensive counterparts to get in sync. That never happened. Janikowski's 51-yard field goal offset a 23-yarder by Stover, but the only other fourth-quarter score was a 34-yard run by the Ravens' Mike Anderson.

Two games. Twenty-six possessions. Six points. No touchdowns.

``Once again, it's the story of the defense playing well and the offense (not playing well),'' Raiders running back LaMont Jordan said.

The Raiders didn't complete a pass until the second quarter. They didn't get a first down until midway through the second quarter. They allowed six sacks.

Jordan amassed only 35 yards in 19 carries. Wide receiver Randy Moss caught only two passes for 32 yards. The offense averaged 2.7 yards per play and totaled fewer than 165 yards for the second consecutive game.

Things won't improve until the offense hits its stride and gives the quarterback time to execute the game plan, Shell said.

``It's not the receivers,'' he said. ``It's giving the quarterback enough time to throw the ball. We have receivers that can catch the ball, but we're not giving our quarterback enough time to throw it.''

To that end, the Raiders shied away from using the seven-step drop and employed a two-tight-end set to bolster the blocking.

``We've got to win one-on-one battles,'' Jordan said. ``Too many guys are getting beat on one-on-one battles, and we're not protecting our quarterback at all. Aaron Brooks got beat up last week. He didn't finish the game (Sunday). Andrew comes in, he's under pressure, and it's the same old story.''

Shell said he is frustrated but far from his wit's end.

``As I told the team, our heads might be bloodied, but they're unbowed,'' Shell said. ``We're trying to build a team here, and it's going to take every man in that room, every aspect of our football team to make that work as a team.''

 

[Angry Pope]

Killion: Six sacks, five fumbles render Raiders punchless

By Ann Killion


BALTIMORE - Can you see the bright side for the Raiders? Can you?

Neither can I. But LaMont Jordan can.

``The best thing about this season,'' the running back said, ``is that we don't have to play next week.''

Fantastic. Now if the Raiders could just arrange with the NFL for some more bye weeks. Like maybe 14.

Because it's going to take a lot longer than two weeks -- and a lot more than just Cleveland coming to town -- to clean up the Raiders' offensive mess.

They could use the extra time to get some better players. To get offensive coordinator Tom Walsh up to speed on those new-fangled defenses that teams are running in the 21st century. To figure out how to score a touchdown. To find something for Jerry Porter to do rather than fester on the sideline.

The Raiders got manhandled 28-6 by Baltimore on Sunday. And although their defense played well, the offense was virtually unwatchable.

Five fumbles. Three interceptions. One safety. Six sacks, bringing the season total to 15. Net yards Sunday: 162. Touchdowns this season: 0.

And so now the Raiders are officially a team in crisis. A 0-2 disaster that has been outscored 55-6. One half of the locker room is doing what it can to keep the team in the game, while the other half looks like it should be playing Division II ball.

You have a superstar who isn't involved -- Randy Moss had two receptions. And you have some players openly questioning -- in loud, profane ways -- why such an inept offense is working without one of its more talented players.

``Football is not personal,'' Jarrod Cooper said Friday, fuming that Porter was inactive again for Sunday's game. ``I looked at him on the sideline and wondered, `Why are you sitting there?' You need to put him on the field and let him do his job. We haven't scored one touchdown. That's the simple fact.''

Granted, this is coming from a special-teams player. And while Cooper was ranting, some of his teammates were sitting in their lockers muttering under their breath for him to shut up.

But Cooper's points are valid. Coach Art Shell says the problem is not the receivers -- and that's true. The biggest problem is the offensive line. But Porter is absolutely a problem and fast becoming a symbol of Shell's second regime. In fact, it's already looking a lot like his first go-round.

Benching a talented player out of vindictiveness on a team this horrible is just ridiculous. The Raiders have been there, done that, and it didn't work out too well the first time. Cut the man or play him. But don't fly him to Baltimore to have a close-up view of Ray Lewis doing his sack dance.

Right now the Raiders need all the offensive help they can get. And Porter might be a jerk (``He may act like an idiot, but he's not,'' Cooper said in an odd defense of No. 84), but he definitely has talent.

``Ray Charles can see that he can play,'' Warren Sapp said. ``But I can't worry about what I don't have.''

What Sapp doesn't have is any offensive support. It's like his old days at Tampa Bay. Four times, Baltimore was working with a short field, and four times the defense held the Ravens to a field goal. Some of that can be blamed on the Ravens' offense -- it has always been suspect. But there's no denying that the Raiders' defense played hard.

``We had awful field position,'' Sapp said. ``When they're in field-goal position when they start a drive it's pretty tough.''

But the defense's momentum never transferred to the offense. Aaron Brooks started and fumbled on the Raiders' third offensive play. The next time he got the ball, he fumbled it away again. Brooks left the game because of a sprained right rotator cuff.

So Raiders fans' latest hope, Andrew Walter, came in and did some good things. Probably good enough to expect that he will be the starter Oct. 1 against Cleveland.

But Walter mostly got beaten up by Lewis and his swarming cohorts. He also fumbled three snaps, losing one -- so the exchange problems must be partially blamed on center Jake Grove.

The Raiders' offensive line is a mess. Chad Slaughter replaced injured Robert Gallery, but the results were the same. The line can't pass-block, can't run-block, so it's going to require a damn innovative coach to make things work. But the Raiders don't seem to have one of those either.

The offensive game plan was full of bad ideas and lacked novelty. The Raiders attempted to run wide again and again -- a lousy concept against the Ravens' speed. No running back has caught a pass this season. Moss' best moment of the day came after a short pass -- 7 yards -- that he turned into a 16-yard gain.

But short passes aren't the Raiders. Creative offense isn't the Raiders.

But they better get some bright ideas. Fast. Because it's already a long, ugly season and it has only been two weeks.

 

[Angry Pope]

Time for Raider pride to kick in

By BOB PADECKY


BALTIMORE - This we can rule out today: Jerry Porter will not be on the sideline dancing with a bear or digging for buried treasure during the Ravens game. Anything else, it’s all possible as the team with a Commitment To Dysfunctionality faces what once was considered an impossibility, a sheer lunacy in fact.

The Raiders’ season is at a crossroads. In only their second game of the season. This, typically, is utter nonsense. It’s too early for significant trends, lasting skill judgments or whether to hit the panic button. The uniforms have barely been washed, for pity’s sakes. Ah, but the Raiders got everyone so twitchy after their opener Monday night, people wondered if Al Davis was going to bring Jeff George back. Just to give Porter a noogie.

The Raiders are poised to take a dive. If the offense gags again, if most of the players continue to stroll through the game, if coach Art Shell remains a monolith, his facial expression somewhere between befuddled and deadened, then we’ll know the opener wasn’t a fluke. The script will be written. The season will be going downhill faster than a dirt bike.

On pure adrenaline alone, the Raiders should be chewing through their facemasks to get to the Ravens, so eager to atone for the opener. Pride should kick in. The Raiders are supposed to specialize in it. Professionals, after having fallen on the dagger of national humiliation, rise up from the dead like Lazarus and astound and amaze. That is, those teams that believe in themselves.

Do they? Or is this another Raiders edition of Boys Behaving Badly? We are all too familiar with the drill, in which the players run the team, erode the coach; and Davis, who should know better, lets it happen.

Mike White was too indecisive. Bill Callahan was too authoritarian. Joe Bugel was a player’s coach, recommended to Davis by the players, then succeeded in losing the locker room faster than you can say three-and-out. Jon Gruden was way too demanding. Norv Turner wasn’t aggressive enough. A Raiders coach is like Goldilocks’ porridge. He’s never the right temperature for the players he guides. He’s either too hot or too cold.

For years, wide receiver Tim Brown was the ultimate clubhouse lawyer, the irritation under Davis’ saddle. To a large extent, Brown created the culture that still exists today, in which if you ain’t griping, you ain’t trying hard enough to be a Raider. Brown’s on-field accomplishments are legendary, Hall-of-Fame worthy, and yet when he retired, Davis refused to attend the press conference.

Exceptional talent has been given plenty of room by Davis, and so over the years, either by word or deed, Brown, defensive tackle Chester McGlockton, defensive tackle Darrell Russell, defensive back James Trapp and cornerback Charles Woodson were allowed to march to their own contrary drummer. Enough teammates went with them that, as a result, the Raiders have been largely out of step since they returned to Oakland in 1994.

Their only success came because two celebrated hard cases, quarterback Rich Gannon and Gruden, placed football first, drama second. Neither Gannon nor Gruden cared if the players liked them. The players shut their pie holes because the pair made them winners.

The latest edition of Whiners Like Us, Randy Moss and Porter, are targeting Shell. He’s too dictatorial. Shell may fail on his own merits. In the opener, his offense was outdated. So if he loses the locker room, it should be because he is not flexible and creative enough on offense. It shouldn’t be because Shell asks his players to come to work on time.

That’s why today’s Ravens game is so significant. If the Raiders lay down another zero without breaking a sweat, the season is over. Shell, odd as it seems, will be playing out the string, even if that string is still 14 more games. And the chirping? The locker room will be louder than the Black Hole.

 

[Angry Pope]

Raiders report card

Offense

September 18, 2006



No touchdowns, six turnovers. There were six sacks, and snapping the ball was a problem. Rookie Kevin Boothe replaced rookie Paul McQuistan at guard.


Defense

Held things together as long as it could. Forced three field goals when the Ravens had great field position.


Special teams

Allowed a 72-yard kickoff return to start the game but had a 45-yard kickoff return by Chris Carr. Sebastian Janikowski made two field goals.


Overall

The offense is hindering the Raiders. They can't get a decent grade until the offense carries its share of the load.

 

[Angry Pope]

It's too early to get down

By Jason Jones

BALTIMORE -- If anyone has reason to believe the Raiders can turn things around, it's defensive end Lance Johnstone.

After all, he did see a lot last season.

"I'm coming from Minnesota," Johnstone said. "You couldn't have had a worse start last year, and we ended up with a winning season."

The Vikings lost their first two games and were 1-4. They lost quarterback Daunte Culpepper to injury in their seventh game, another defeat that dropped them to 2-5.

And there was the boat sex scandal that made national headlines and embarrassed the franchise.

Minnesota rallied to finish 9-7 and challenge for the postseason.

Johnstone said it's too early to become preoccupied with the Raiders' struggling offense and whether the defense will have to carry the load.

"You've got to keep chipping away," Johnstone said, "and try not keep repeating the same stuff. ... It's not the way we wanted to start, but if we quit now, it's definitely going to be a long season."

Although the offense must find confidence, the defense made strides in Sunday's 28-6 loss to Baltimore.

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp sacked Steve McNair twice, and linebacker Kirk Morrison had an interception, both firsts for the Raiders this season.

McNair was 16 for 33 passing for 143 yards. The Ravens had 264 yards of total offense, 34 on a late touchdown run by Mike Anderson.

The Ravens started at the Raiders' 32, 35 and 29 in the first quarter, but Oakland held them to three field goals.

The Raiders managed 162 yards, up from 129 yards last week.

Raiders defenders said they will focus on clamping down more.

"It's just the way the game goes," Sapp said. "You're not going to be in rosy situations all the time."

Players on offense, however, feel burdened to help the defense.

"Once again, it's the story of the defense playing well and the offense just didn't play well at all," running back LaMont Jordan said.


Wounded Raiders

Quarterback Aaron Brooks (shoulder), linebacker Grant Irons (back) and cornerback Fabian Washington (hamstring) left the game early.

Linebacker Sam Williams (ankle), cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha (foot) and tackle Robert Gallery (calf) were starters who missed the game. Defensive end Kevin Huntley (foot) also sat out.

Irons started in place of Williams. It was Irons' first start since last year's season opener at New England. Veteran Tyrone Poole replaced Asomugha.

Chad Slaughter, filling in for Gallery, had his second career start. The first came in 2003 against San Diego.


Kicking points

Sebastian Janikowski finally had an opportunity to attempt a field goal and made two kicks.

His second was a 51-yarder, the first time he had made one of 50 yards or more since Dec. 12, 2004, a 52-yard kick in Atlanta.

Janikowski missed all three kicks of 50 yards or more last season. Janikowski said before the season that losing 16 pounds to get down to 249 had helped him.

Ravens kicker Matt Stover established a personal best with his 24th consecutive successful field goal, a 33-yarder in the first quarter that gave Baltimore a 6-0 lead.

He had made 23 in a row twice. Stover made four Sunday to extend his streak to 26.

 

[Angry Pope]

Raiders Silver, Black and blue
No TDs for erring Oakland in Baltimore beat-down

By Steve Corkran

BALTIMORE — Where do the Raiders go from here? The obvious answer is, into their bye week at 0-2 and reeling on the heels of a second consecutive defeat, 28-6 against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Logic says, up is the only option from Camp Nadir in Alameda. Then again, up is a relative term when taken from the Raiders' viewpoint.

Fortunately for the Raiders, their next two games are against teams seemingly with far less going for them than do their first two opponents, the San Diego Chargers and Ravens.

Yet, at this rate, the Cleveland Browns and 49ers might view their upcoming games against the Raiders as so-called breathers in the traditional grind of a 16-game regular season.

Why not? The Raiders have yet to score a touchdown. They already face a quarterback controversy. And punter Shane Lechler and kick returner Chris Carr are the leading candidates for team most valuable player.

"There's not a whole lot to say," Raiders coach Art Shell said. "We came in hereexpecting to play better. We had opportunities, but we just didn't take advantage of it."

The advantage was all Ravens from the get-go. Talk about your bad starts. This one ranks right up there with the Ford Edsel and "Heaven's Gate."

The Ravens put the Raiders in a hole from which they never extricated themselves by returning the opening kickoff 72 yards to the Raiders 32-yard line.

That set up a Matt Stover field goal and set the tone for the game.

Raiders quarterback Aaron Brooks dropped the snap from center Jake Grove on back-to-back drives. Two plays. Two fumbles lost. Two Ravens drives that started deep in Raiders territory. Of the Raiders' five fumbles overall, three were recovered by the Ravens.

"The No.1 job is to protect the football," Raiders backup quarterback Andrew Walter said. "It's unacceptable. I can't do that. It kills drives and kills the team."

Walter replaced Brooks after Brooks sustained a strained right rotator cuff in the scrum that resulted from his second fumble.

The Ravens converted the first two turnovers into field goals and led 9-0 late in the first quarter. The Raiders cut the deficit to 9-3 and trailed only 16-3 entering the fourth quarter.

The Raiders defense stymied Baltimore's offense time and again, waiting, hoping, praying for its offensive counterparts to get in sync. That never happened. Two games. Twenty-six possessions. Six points. No touchdowns.

"Once again, it's the story of the defense playing well and the offense (not playing well)," Raiders running back LaMont Jordan said.

The Raiders didn't complete a pass until the second quarter. They didn't get a first down until midway through the second quarter. Along with the three lost fumbles, the Raiders had three passes intercepted and allowed six sacks.

Jordan gained only 35 yards on 19 carries. Wide receiver Randy Moss caught only two passes for 32 yards. The offense averaged 2.7 yards a play and totaled fewer than 165 yards for the second straight game.

Shell said things won't improve until the offense hits its stride and gives the quarterback time to execute the game plan.

"It's not the receivers," Shell said. "It's giving the quarterback enough time to throw the ball. We have receivers that can catch the ball, but we're not giving our quarterback enough time to throw it."

To that end, the Raiders shied away from using the seven-step drop and employed a two-tight-end-set as a means of bolstering the blocking. Even then, Brooks and Walter were under siege on most passing downs and unable to scour the landscape for open receivers.

"We've got to win one-on-one battles," Jordan said. "Too many guys are getting beat on one-on-one battles, and we're not protecting our quarterback at all. Aaron Brooks got beat up last week. He didn't finish the game (Sunday). Andrew comes in, he's under pressure, and it's the same old story."

Grove, who said he saw improvement in the line's play this week, admitted that there's still a ways to go.

"Anything's better than last week," he said. "We've got to get better, no doubt about it."

Shell said he is frustrated but far from wit's end. His team has an extra week to prepare for its next game and find some answers to the myriad question marks that surfaced the first two games.

"As I told the team, our heads might be bloodied, but they're unbowed," Shell said. "We're trying to build a team here, and it's going to take every man in that room, every aspect of our football team to make that work as a team.

"While one group is playing well, the others have to pick it up and the group that's playing well has to continue to play well until we catch up. And we'll do that."

 

[Angry Pope]

Baltimore 28, Oakland 6
Unbeaten Ravens keep Raiders out of end zone

By Bill Soliday


BALTIMORE - The Oakland Raiders not only scored at last, they looked more alive than they did in their opening day loss to San Diego.
They even earned a taunting penalty against Jarrod Cooper in the fourth quarter _ unusual in that they were down 15 points at the time.

But the bottom line was that energy aside, they were also eminently more mistake prone and fell to the Baltimore Ravens 28-6 before 70,744, the largest crowd in M&T Bank history.

Oakland lost six turnovers, three of them fumbles _ all on center exchanges. They also were intercepted three times. Baltimore converted the turnovers into 11 points.

Added up, it made certain the Raiders (0-2) were never in contention.

Matt Stover was the difference for the Ravens, kicking four field goals to account for most of the scoring. Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas was the defensive star with two sacks, an interception and a safety after tackling Raider quarterback Andrew Walter in the end zone.

Walter entered the game in the first quarter for Aaron Brooks, who suffered an injury to his right (throwing) shoulder. Brooks fumbled and lost two consecutive exchanges before coming out of the game after his second possession.

The fumbles had nothing to do with Brooks' blocking but the fact was the Raiders were still struggling to protect the quarterback. Walter was sacked six times.

Monday night, Raiders' quarterbacks were sacked nine times. Brooks was not sacked but in the four plays he was in the game for, he never got off a pass _ handing off twice and fumbling twice.

Until the closing two minutes, the Ravens only managed one touchdown themselves, that coming on a 1-yard pass from Steve McNair to Todd Heap in the third quarter.Mike Anderson added a second in the closing moments.

The Ravens jumped off to a 16-3 halftime lead but the first nine of those points were pure gifts by the Raiders _ a long kickoff runback to start the game and two fumbled snaps the Ravens recovered in Raider territory.

The only positive was a 64-yard drive leading to a Raider field goal in the second quarter _ Oakland's first points of the season.

If the Raiders had hoped to get off to a fast start they were disappointed. On the opening kickoff, the Ravens B.J. Sams took a chance by fielding Sebastian Janikowski's kick four yards deep. It paid of handsomely. Sams brought it back 72 yards to the Raiders' 32.

The Ravens got as close as the Raiders 1 but a holding penalty and a delay of game took the ball back to the 16 and the Ravens had to settle for a 25-yard field goal.

When Aaron Brooks fumbled the center exchange on the Raiders' third offensive play, the Ravens were back in business at the Oakland 36. Five plays later Matt Stover's 33-yard field goal _ his 24th consecutive _ made it 6-0 Baltimore.

Oakland's next play was another fumbled exchange, this one recovered by nosetackle Kelly Gregg at the Raiders 29. Stover made it three for three with a 37-yard field goal and the Ravens led 9-0 with 3:45 left in the first quarter.

Matters didn't get appreciably better when Andrew Walter replaced Brooks _ who left with a right shoulder injury. By the end of the first quarter the Raiders not only did not have a first down, they had a net total offense total of minus one yard.

Oakland's long dry spell without a first down _ and without scoring a point _ came to an end midway through the second quarter when the Raiders drove 64 yards to Janikowski's 34-yard field goal.

The first first down of the game was Walter's 16-yard pass to Moss. One play later they got the second, a 13-yard pass to Alvis Whitted. On third-and-14, Walter connected with Courtney Anderson for 16 yards to the Baltimore 44 and Walter made it four big plays with a 22-yard completion to Ronald Curry.

The Ravens answered with a 65-yard touchdown drive sparked by Musa Smith's 30-yard catch and run around the Raider defense and Steve McNair's 1-yard lob pass to Todd Heap over Michael Huff for the touchdown.

Protection problems continued to tail the Raiders in the second half. The Colts got a safety out of it and an 18-3 lead when Adalius Thomas sacked Walter five yards deep in his own end zone - despite the fact the Raiders were holding on the play. The Ravens declined it, of course.

Another Raider blunder led to Stover's fourth field goal and made the score 21-3.

Terrell Suggs sped around left tackle Chad Slaughter to sack Walter, forcing a fumble that Gregg picked up and, with a Ravens convoy, chugged 59 yards to the Raiders' 15. The Raider defense held inside the 5 before Stover's kick.

Janikowski's 51-yard field goal with 10:02 to play made it 21-6 and then Mike Anderson scored on a 34-yard run with 1:51 to play to cap the scoring.

 

[Angry Pope]

Raiders' offense remains in shambles
Six sacks, 3 lost fumbles, 3 interceptions sum it up

Bruce Adams

Monday, September 18, 2006

(09-18) 04:00 PDT Baltimore -- At least the Raiders put points on the board this time. In fact, they almost scored a touchdown.

But it wasn't enough, not nearly enough.

The Baltimore Ravens won 28-6 Sunday before a record crowd of 70,744 at M&T Bank Stadium in a game that left little doubt about what's ailing the Raiders -- namely, its offense.

"Our defense is really playing well enough for us to win games, but we're not able to capitalize on it," coach Art Shell said.

It was the team's second straight game without a touchdown, following the season-opening 27-0 loss to the Chargers.

The defense improved, with the Ravens having to settle for field goals on four of their drives despite frequently enjoying great field position.

Baltimore quarterback Steve McNair was held to a workman-like 16-for-33 passing performance and running back Jamal Lewis was well short of the century mark with 70 yards on 19 carries.

That's the silver lining on the black cloud hanging over this team.

On offense, the Raiders gave up six sacks, fumbled the ball five times -- losing three -- and managed just 162 yards in total offense.

The team did avoid a second shutout, with Sebastian Janikowski kicking field goals from 34 and 51 yards.

"There's not a whole lot to say," Shell said.

Then he did find something to say, turning to the late British poet William Ernest Henley for inspiration.

"As I told the team, our heads may be bloody, but they're unbowed."

Though the Ravens began the game with back-to-back-to-back scoring drives that netted nine points, the Raiders were a study in futility.

On the first drive, starting quarterback Aaron Brooks and center Jake Grove bobbled the exchange -- the first of four such mishaps -- on third down, with Baltimore's Terrell Suggs recovering the ball.

On the next drive, Brooks fumbled the snap on first down and sprained the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder in the scramble for the ball, which was finally covered by the Ravens' Kelly Gregg.

On the third drive of the game, with Andrew Walter now at quarterback, it was your standard three-and-out, with Walter enduring his first sack of the game on third down -- an 8-yard loss at the hands of Adalius Thomas.

And so it went.

The Ravens finally scored a touchdown with 43 seconds remaining in the first half, with McNair hooking up with tight end Todd Heap on a 1-yard pass.

Walter, under pressure most of the way, completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards. He was intercepted three times.

He also was sacked six times, bringing the Raiders' sacks surrendered total to 15 in two games.

In the third quarter Thomas sacked Walter in the end zone for a safety. On another sack later in the period Walter's fumble resulted in a "Looney Tunes" highlight clip with the bowling ball-shaped 310-plus-pound Gregg picking up the ball and lumbering 59 yards down the right sideline -- finally collapsing flat on his back.

Walter refused to point fingers at his offensive line, taking a share of the blame himself.

"You look at the tape and you learn," he said. "That's all you can do."

Walter did appear to have the team in position to end its touchdown drought with just under six minutes left in the game when he had four chances from the Ravens' 19-yard line. He threw four consecutive incomplete passes.

The Ravens took over on downs and moved down the field, ending the scoring with Mike Anderson's 34-yard, up-the-middle, coup de grace touchdown.

Raiders running back LaMont Jordan, with 35 yards in 19 carries, said the offense was not winning "the one-on-one battles." He noted the beating endured by Brooks in the loss to the Chargers, adding when Walter had his turn Sunday it was "the same old story."

Jordan didn't single out the offensive line for blame. But he did say, "Each man has to look in the mirror and figure out why we're here and what we're playing for."

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who had two sacks, said improvements had to be team-wide.

"We're going to fight together, fight with our offense, fight with our defense," he said. "That's the only way we'll get it done."

The Raiders have a bye this week, returning to action Oct. 1 at home against the Cleveland Browns.

Shell, who said coaches fiddled with the protection schemes after the San Diego loss, acknowledged there was much to do.

"Execution is the bottom line," he said. And he made it clear he wasn't talking about the team's receivers who combined for just 10 catches for 162 yards.

"It's not the receivers," he said. "That's not the problem. It's giving the quarterback time to throw the ball."

And is it all taking its toll?

"I'm very frustrated," Shell said. "But not so frustrated that I don't still believe in this football team."

 

[Angry Pope]

High time to scrap the seven-step drop

Nancy Gay

Monday, September 18, 2006

(09-18) 04:00 PDT Baltimore -- A winless September for the Raiders seemed a given after a Week 1 shutout by San Diego, and it became abundantly clear that an NFL-wide bounty had been placed on anyone playing quarterback for them.

The great Silver and Bleak were headed to Baltimore to face the Ravens' No. 2-ranked defense, a rejuvenated group that forced three interceptions and blanked Tampa Bay in the season opener. Baltimore was appropriately fired up, filling M&T Bank Stadium to a franchise-record capacity.

So Sunday's 28-6 Ravens' victory is no surprise. Unlike FEMA, we all saw this disaster coming.

Next week's a bye, so the Raiders will have to wait until Oct. 1 and a home game against the 0-2 Cleveland Browns to live up to running back LaMont Jordan's postgame conclusion.

"I think we had a great game plan. I thought we had a good game plan last week. As players, we're out there to execute, and that's the big problem," said Jordan, who averaged 1.8 yards on 19 carries against Baltimore.

Give Jordan credit. He's a professional, and would never 1) mail it in, or 2) question the men who coach him. Especially Art Shell, a man with great conviction who has to be producing enough stomach acid right now to burn through an asbestos factory.

But when it comes to the 0-2 Raiders, you have to now ask: To what degree are they now the worst team in the NFL?

Sunday's tally: Six turnovers (three interceptions, three fumbles), six sacks, four fumbled snaps, one safety and a second consecutive week that the team's best possession receiver, Jerry Porter, watched in street clothes as a healthy game-day inactive.

That's 15 sacks in two games, which means there is a big, big problem with protection.

Could Porter -- who was seen along the sideline paying attention to the game this week -- have helped?

"It's not the receivers," said Shell, whose stoic poker face doesn't change, from each excruciating quarter to every bloody postgame dissection. "It's not giving the quarterback enough time to throw the ball. We have receivers that can catch the ball, but we're not giving our quarterback enough time to throw it."

Well, anyone who watched Alvis Whitted tip two balls Sunday, one of which landed in the grateful arms of Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas, might beg to differ.

Against San Diego, quarterback Aaron Brooks was sacked seven times and barely made it to the fourth quarter before Shell yanked him in an act of mercy.

This week, the eighth-year veteran fumbled and lost two snaps from center and departed the game with 3:37 left in the first quarter. Seems he injured his right rotator cuff diving for the second fumble.

As they say, the MRI exam will tell us more about that. Then again, maybe it won't.

In the official world of NFL stats, it's as if Brooks never played. No passing line at all. For that, he can be grateful.

So the call went out, rightfully so, to second-year quarterback Andrew Walter, who did the best he could with what he has -- an outdated game plan that demands he drop back deep in what is supposed to be a pocket, search the field deep for Randy Moss and await the crush of four or five defensive linemen, linebackers and safeties.

Occasionally, the offense works, when Walter does a quick drop and fires before the mob can get to him.

Or when Moss, who hasn't exactly been Mr. Sunshine lately, shows enough enthusiasm to stick his hand up in the end zone to haul in a jump ball, which he didn't do Sunday. Or run forward to grab a pass headed his way and beat the defensive back on a hot read, which he didn't do Sunday.

The whole Porter soap opera is tiresome. Regardless of how much he hacked off Al Davis or Shell, the Raiders are only hurting themselves by punitively benching the guy. He should be out there playing.

But remember, Shell said this isn't about the receivers.

The Raiders' game plan on offense doesn't work. Period.

In 1990, it might have been the bomb.

In 2006, with crafty zone blitzes and powerful attacking edge rushers such as Thomas -- who accounted for two sacks, including the third-quarter safety, and an interception -- the Raiders' scheme is a relic. And a league-wide joke.

The seven-step drop and pitch-outs to the running back on 3rd-and-short look as outdated as that SEGA video game put out by offensive coordinator Tom Walsh.

Raiders quarterbacks are being pounded into pulp.

Shell insisted there were some changes this week, and he's right. Walter, who's showing more athleticism than Brooks, rolled out of the pocket a few times, and in doing so found tight end Courtney Anderson on his first pass of the game.

Despite the pressure, Walter short-dropped and found Moss and Whitted on consecutive first-down completions in the second quarter. In the second half, the Raiders used two tight ends to help with protection.

At least there were adjustments, which is more than you can say for the first game.

"We tried to do some stuff (differently), yeah, toward the second half, later in the game," said Walter, who completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards and three interceptions. "We lengthened it out a little but, yeah, we did try to change it up a little bit.

"We are who we are. We're not a three-step team."

Why not? He's a big, strong guy, who is under siege because of a bad offensive line.

"As a player, I need to execute whatever is called," Walter said, summing it up.

Any Raiders progress at this point can be measured only by their players on defense, who held Baltimore to three field goals in the first quarter, despite each Ravens' drive starting inside the Raiders' 35-yard line.

The offense? There is only one positive, and that's the bye. And that means none of us has to watch it next week.

 

[Angry Pope]

Oakland defense simply can't offset poor offense

Monte Poole

BALTIMORE — With a pinch between his cheek and gum and another fruitless afternoon stuck in his gut, Warren Sapp sat before his cubicle trying to beat back the ghosts in his midst.

The Raiders defensive tackle is being haunted by the familiar. He is seeing in Oakland what he saw years ago, when he was in Tampa Bay, where he was the catalyst of a defense marvelous enough to bail out a consistently pathetic offense.

This, Sapp concluded, in the wake of Sunday's 28-6 loss to Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium, Oakland's second straight game without a touchdown, is not quite the same.

Seeing these Raiders open the season with consecutive games without scoring a touchdown, Sapp said, is worse.

"We didn't have weapons," he recalled of his first six years with the Buccaneers. "We had a fullback (Mike Alstott) catching the ball in the flat and a little bit of Warrick Dunn squirting around."

Sapp noted the superiority of the Tampa defense but is having trouble accepting the lackluster Oakland offense.

"You can see the talent," he said. "(In Tampa) we had no talent. We just used to say wehave to win 3-0. Or we have to win 2-0, get the safety."

Those Bucs had a championship defense for years before the offense caught up. The result was a 2002 championship.

Though these Raiders are playing admirable defense, they are not at championship level. The Oakland offense, however, figured to provide the Raiders with the kind of balance lacking at Tampa.

But no. It didn't happen last season, when the Raiders — despite adding wideout Randy Moss and running back LaMont Jordan — averaged barely two touchdowns per game. Al Davis replaced head coach Norv Turner with Art Shell, replaced offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye with Tom Walsh and replaced quarterback Kerry Collins with Aaron Brooks.

The early results reveal profound regression. The Raiders barely topped 100 yards in total offense last Monday night and managed only 162 against the Ravens and the equally stifling Maryland humidity.

This is Art Shell's worst nightmare. The man is lured from the comfort of a job in the league office, summoned to revive the franchise he loves, and his first two weeks are arguably the most atrocious in Raiders history.

There is the ongoing cold war between Davis/Shell and wideout Jerry Porter, certainly counterproductive. Then there is Moss and a few others clearly displeased with certain issues within the team. There is the inability to establish any semblance of offense, resulting in 15 sacks and zero touchdowns through two games.

"I'm very frustrated," Shell said, "but not to the point where I've given up on this team or the direction we're headed."

The last time the Raiders opened the season by going eight quarters without a touchdown was in 1961. They were terrible, losing 55-0 at Houston and 44-0 at San Diego. They finished 2-12. Thirteen months later, Al took charge and the Raiders become the Rayduhs, symbols of swashbuckling toughness.

Through the first two weeks, the defense has shown enough to be competitive, to keep the opposing offense from owning the field. But the Oakland offense has been downright unsightly.

"I take my hat off to the defense," Jordan said. "Those guys played well against a good offense. And we kept them on the field too much."

Whether Baltimore has a good offense is debatable. There's no arguing whether the Oakland's impotent offense made things difficult for its defense.

The first Ravens drive, following a 72-yard return of the opening kickoff, began at Oakland's 32. The next, after the recovery of a fumbled snap, began in Oakland's 35. The next, after another fumbled snap, began at Oakland's 29. Each time, the Raiders defense kept the damage to a field goal.

"When a team is kicking field goals," Sapp said, "you're definitely giving yourself a shot to win."

Can't win when the quarterback is on his back, whether it's Brooks or backup Andrew Walter. Walsh has not distinguished himself as a play-caller creative enough to conceal a hideous offensive line, and the line has shown no sign of being anything other than hideous.

"Anytime your quarterback drops back in a four-man rush and he's constantly under pressure, that's a problem," Jordan said. "That's a big problem. It's one of those problems that, if we don't hurry up and get it fixed, it's going to be a long season."

Too late. It's a long season when you're staring at a problem with no quick or apparent solution. It's a long season when one side of the ball is trying to bail out the other side.

Sapp acknowledges it worked, to some degree, in Tampa. But this is different. The offensive line is hazardous to a quarterback's health, and the defense is very much a work in progress.

"Just gotta keep plugging," Sapp said, spitting into the towel on the floor. "They'll catch up with us."

Perhaps. But what year?

 

[Angry Pope]

Oakland hikes to new low point
Two fumbled center snaps lead to an early deficit and an injury to Aaron Brooks.

By Jason Jones


BALTIMORE -- Not one to lean on stories from his playing days, coach Art Shell turned to poetry to inspire his team.

He told the Raiders their "heads might be bloody, but they're unbowed" after losing 28-6 Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

That line is from "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley.

But it will take more than words to turn around the Raiders, who can't master the simplest tasks.

Blocking already was an issue. Once the most basic of offensive tasks -- the center-quarterback exchange -- became a problem, it was obvious the offense would struggle again.

The Raiders had six turnovers, two on botched snaps. The second cost them their starting quarterback, Aaron Brooks, who fumbled two of his four snaps.

Brooks sprained his right shoulder trying to recover the second fumble and did not return to the game. Brooks' fumbles led to two field goals and helped Baltimore take an early 9-0 lead.

His replacement, Andrew Walter, also fumbled two snaps (but recovered both) and accounted for four turnovers.

The Raiders allowed six sacks, down from nine last week but still unacceptable.

The Raiders did manage two Sebastian Janikowski field goals after being shut out last week, but the offense couldn't capitalize on the defense's effort to keep the game close.

Brooks didn't attempt a pass, so it was Walter whom the Ravens repeatedly hit after Brooks took a pounding from the San Diego Chargers last week.

Add center Jake Grove and two quarterbacks having exchange problems, and there's not much the guys up front have done right in the first two games.

Of the two bad snaps involving Brooks, Shell said the first was Grove's fault. After making protection calls, he stayed in too deep a crouch for Brooks to get the ball.

Shell said Grove thought he'd gotten the ball to Brooks on the second bungled snap.

"I have to look at the film and see," Grove said. "I don't know who it was, me or the quarterback."

"I thank whatever gods may be/For my unconquerable soul."

Those "Invictus" lines will apply to the resolve the defense will need if the offense continues to squander good position set up by it and the special teams.

"Defense played their tails off until the end when they (the Ravens) finally broke through for a long run," Shell said. "While one group is playing well, others have to pick it up, and they have to continue to play well until we catch up."

Walter said he felt fine after being hit numerous times by the Ravens. He moved the offense at times but complained about his turnovers.

He also missed Randy Moss wide open in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Walter, a second-year pro, completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards in his first extensive regular-season playing time.

"Your No. 1 job is to protect the football," Walter said. "I didn't do that. ... It's unacceptable. I can't do that. It kills drives. It kills the team."

Shell said Brooks would have a magnetic resonance imaging test and, if healthy, start after the Raiders' bye week against Cleveland.

But if the Raiders can't block or snap the ball, either quarterback might find himself bloodied and bowed over in pain.

 

[Crossbones]

Shell claims we only used the seven step drop 2-3 times yesterday. I dunno. The QB's looked to me like thaey ahd zero time although I know Walter used the 3 step quite a bit.

 

[Angry Pope]

We did use the long drop only a couple of times. Until the offensive line improves enough to allow us a running game, Walter is going to feel the heat of the rush.

 

[Rupert]

Yep, we were 3-5-step dropping all day yesterday. Still scant protection. It was an improvement, but now we have to run block worth more than a porta-potty rinse.

 

[Angry Pope]

Oakland hikes to new low point
Two fumbled center snaps lead to an early deficit and an injury to Aaron Brooks.

Jason Jones


BALTIMORE -- Not one to lean on stories from his playing days, coach Art Shell turned to poetry to inspire his team.

He told the Raiders their "heads might be bloody, but they're unbowed" after losing 28-6 Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

That line is from "Invictus" by William Ernest Henley.

But it will take more than words to turn around the Raiders, who can't master the simplest tasks.

Blocking already was an issue. Once the most basic of offensive tasks -- the center-quarterback exchange -- became a problem, it was obvious the offense would struggle again.

The Raiders had six turnovers, two on botched snaps. The second cost them their starting quarterback, Aaron Brooks, who fumbled two of his four snaps.

Brooks sprained his right shoulder trying to recover the second fumble and did not return to the game. Brooks' fumbles led to two field goals and helped Baltimore take an early 9-0 lead.

His replacement, Andrew Walter, also fumbled two snaps (but recovered both) and accounted for four turnovers.

The Raiders allowed six sacks, down from nine last week but still unacceptable.

The Raiders did manage two Sebastian Janikowski field goals after being shut out last week, but the offense couldn't capitalize on the defense's effort to keep the game close.

Brooks didn't attempt a pass, so it was Walter whom the Ravens repeatedly hit after Brooks took a pounding from the San Diego Chargers last week.

Add center Jake Grove and two quarterbacks having exchange problems, and there's not much the guys up front have done right in the first two games.

Of the two bad snaps involving Brooks, Shell said the first was Grove's fault. After making protection calls, he stayed in too deep a crouch for Brooks to get the ball.

Shell said Grove thought he'd gotten the ball to Brooks on the second bungled snap.

"I have to look at the film and see," Grove said. "I don't know who it was, me or the quarterback."

"I thank whatever gods may be/For my unconquerable soul."

Those "Invictus" lines will apply to the resolve the defense will need if the offense continues to squander good position set up by it and the special teams.

"Defense played their tails off until the end when they (the Ravens) finally broke through for a long run," Shell said. "While one group is playing well, others have to pick it up, and they have to continue to play well until we catch up."

Walter said he felt fine after being hit numerous times by the Ravens. He moved the offense at times but complained about his turnovers.

He also missed Randy Moss wide open in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

Walter, a second-year pro, completed 10 of 27 passes for 162 yards in his first extensive regular-season playing time.

"Your No. 1 job is to protect the football," Walter said. "I didn't do that. ... It's unacceptable. I can't do that. It kills drives. It kills the team."

Shell said Brooks would have a magnetic resonance imaging test and, if healthy, start after the Raiders' bye week against Cleveland.

But if the Raiders can't block or snap the ball, either quarterback might find himself bloodied and bowed over in pain.

 

[Crossbones]

That was pitiful.

Looked like a Midget League team out there.

 

[Angry Pope]

Here is Art's press conference....

Hit it here...

 

[Angry Pope]

Snap judgments

So who was responsible for all those grounded snaps against the Ravens? Was it the center, Jake Grove, or the quarterbacks, Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter?

Coach Art Shell broke it down Monday, and there was blame enough for everybody.

"First one, just talking to both of them on the sideline, the center and quarterback, Jake, when he's making calls at the line of scrimmage, he's moving around, squatting and pointing out people," Shell said. "On the first one, his tail didn't come up. Aaron's pretty tall, (and) it stayed down. So Aaron couldn't get up under and get the ball. So that's what happened on that one. The next one, we felt the ball was there. Aaron said he should have gotten that one. And then the one with Andrew, he was pulling out too quick trying to beat the clock."

That's three. The Raiders actually had four blown snaps - perhaps some kind of modern-day record - and it looked to me like Grove snapped the fourth into his own butt cheek, giving Walter little chance of receiving it.

In any case, Shell wasn't forgiving the breakdowns.

"We've taken a thousand snaps up until this time, over a thousand," he said. "We have a 10-minute drill where we do quarterback-center exchanges every single practice before we get started. That was surprising those things occurred. That should never happen."