Inside Slant 09.19.2006

[Angry Pope]

Inside Slant

9/18/2006

The Raiders got good news on quarterback Aaron Brooks Monday, but at the same time will move forward in the immediate future with Andrew Walter at quarterback.

Brooks, who was announced as having a strained rotator cuff injury following Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, actually suffered a strained pectoral muscle.

While not as potentially serious as a rotator cuff injury, coach Art Shell said Brooks will miss at least one game — meaning Walter will draw the start when the Raiders resume play following the bye week against the Cleveland Browns on October 1.

So what happens if Walter leads the Raiders to victory? Shell seemed to be leaning toward reinstating Brooks.

"You don't lose a job (because of injury) unless something really goes out of whack," Shell said. "We've just got to go with what we have and see what happens down the road."

Walter absorbed six sacks, including a one in the end zone that resulted in safety. He refused to use that as an excuse for throwing three interceptions and fumbling three times, losing one.

"It was tough. I've got to play better," Walter said. "It doesn't really matter about the pass rush. I can get hit every play but I still have to complete the football."

In his brief appearance against San Diego and again against the Ravens, Walter had a few series where he moved the Raiders. But he failed to get into the end zone, on one play missing an open Randy Moss in the end zone.

"It's better than stalling out and not getting anything going, but at the end of the drive to miss Randy in the end zone, or have an interception or a fumble, those things kill you," Walter said.

Shell said any changes in the offense with Walter as the starter instead of as the backup will be subtle.

"With each quarterback you try to come up with a package that's good for them," Shell said. "When Andrew had to go into the game today we had to do the things that he does well. All the quarterbacks write down plays they like during the course of the week and give it to (offensive coordinator Tom Walsh). We try to utilize what they like."

What Walter would like is a little time to throw, although he is far too tactful to say it. He said he sees no lack of confidence among players on the offensive line.

"If they do, they should just try to look at the tape and learn," Walter said. "I mean, that's what I am going to do. That's all you can do. We have a bye week and 14 in a row. I don't see anybody losing confidence after two games."

NOTES, QUOTES

—It's only been worse once in franchise history. In 1961, the Oakland Raiders lost their first two games by a combined score if 99-0 (a 55-0 loss to the Houston Oilers, a 44-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers).

Until 2006, where the Raiders have been outscored 55-3 by San Diego and Baltimore, 1961 was the only time the Raiders had played two games and failed to score a touchdown.

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

—Shell stood behind offensive coordinator Tom Walsh, a controversial choice for offensive coordinator back in February being that he had been out of the NFL since 1994.

"I felt comfortable with him. He knows the kind of system I try to run. He's familiar with what we do," Shell said. "Were there other guys? Sure. If Tom didn't want to do it, I'd consider other people."

cont'd...

 

[Angry Pope]

cont'd....

—Safety Jarrod Cooper called for the Raiders to resolve their issues with exiled wide receiver Jerry Porter, but those pleas will likely fall on deaf ears.

"Whatever Coach and Jerry Porter got going on, they got to squash that," Cooper said. "(Defenses) have got nine guys on Randy Moss right now ... it just needs to be done. I don't care what it is. This is a business ... if they are not going to like each other, this team does not care about that. All this personal (stuff)? We need to get rid of that. We need Jerry Porter on the football field. That takes all 11 people off of Moss."

Shell's reply?

"Everybody has an opinion. They can voice their opinion," Shell said. "All they're asked to do is play. Take care of that part of it and everything will be fine. Those who are calling for players and stuff like that ... I learned a long time ago, players play and coaches coach. That's the way it is."

—RG Barry Sims suffered a hip injury which coach Art Shell said has the Raiders "concerned" and will have an MRI.

—LB Grant Irons, who started in place of Sam Williams against Baltimore, has a lower back strain and is expected to be ready to play when the Raiders resume Oct. 1.

—CB Fabian Washington suffered a hamstring strain but is expected to be ready to play.

—WR Ronald Curry will be the Raiders' No. 3 quarterback behind Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo when they resume play Oct. 1.

—T Robert Gallery, who was out with a calf strain and is questionable to face Cleveland on Oct. 1, will return at left tackle when healthy, contrary to reports he would be moved to guard.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

REPORT CARD VS. RAVENS

PASSING OFFENSE: D-minus — Andrew Walter, in relief of Aaron Brooks, was 10-for-27 for 162 yards, no TDs and three interceptions. A few nice throws helped set up field goals. Sieve-like offensive line surrendered six sacks. Randy Moss had 2 receptions for 32 yards and limited opportunities. The Raiders had no completions to running backs.

RUSHING OFFENSE: F — LaMont Jordan had 19 carries for 35 yards, and 15 of those came on one carry. Raiders finished with 39 yards on 26 carries. Just two rushing first downs. Justin Fargas, who was supposed to help Jordan carry the load, had one carry and a single yard.

PASS DEFENSE: B — Held Steve McNair to less than 50 percent passing (16 of 33). Warren Sapp led a solid pass rush with two sacks. Terdell Sands batted down two passes at the line of scrimmage. Middle linebacker Kirk Morrison had Raiders first interception. Tyrone Poole, starting in place of Nnamdi Asomugha, had three passes defensed but dropped a sure interception. Giving up a 30 yard completion to Musa Smith on a routine swing pass led to a touchdown at the end of first half.

RUSH DEFENSE: B — Tough going for Jamal Lewis, who had 70 yards on 19 carries and a long of 13 yards. The Ravens had just five first downs rushing. Raiders caved in late, with Mike Anderson breaking loose for 34 yards and a touchdown when the game was out of reach. LB Terdell Sands was solid against the run.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B — The lone blight was a 72-yard kickoff return to open the game by B.K. Sams. Otherwise, Shane Lechler averaged 53.3 yards on four punts, including one inside the 20. Sebastian Janikowski connected on field goal attempts of 34 and 51 yards. Chris Carr had two nice returns — a 45 yard kickoff return and a 22-yard punt return.

COACHING: D — The Raiders were more ready to play than in opener, which isn't saying much. The defensive plan was sound and effective against both run and pass, although Raiders went soft at end of first half and it cost them. The offense continues to be a disaster. The quarterbacks are not making enough attempts to Randy Moss, and the team is making no attempts at swinging the ball outside to beat defensive pressure. Overall, the tempo too slow. Even when the Raiders trailed by double digits, they often wound clock down to one or two seconds instead of picking up the pace. The Raiders also are still burning time outs at a rapid rate because of confusion.

 

[Angry Pope]

Disintegrating situation starts with a feeble line

BOB PADECKY


BALTIMORE - With 9:57 left in the game Sunday, the Raiders’ Jarrod Cooper was penalized for taunting a Ravens player. The action was stunning in scope. A player on a winless team that has yet to score a touchdown in 2006 is taunting, on his high horse, full of himself?

Whaaaaat? This is like finishing last in a 100-meter dash and posing for the camera after crossing the finish line.

What could Cooper have possibly said to B.J. Sams? “I lack common sense! So take THAT!”

After the game, Cooper, a special teams player and extra defensive back in pass coverage, said something a bit more mature. While many of his mates shrugged and spoke through cliches, Cooper couldn’t sit silently by and ignore his team’s 39 rushing yards, six sacks, six turnovers, four fumbled snaps from center and an offensive line that couldn’t block the Pillsbury Doughboy. He had to say something, and what he said, well, Cooper couldn’t have been the only Raider thinking this way.

“During the game, I looked at Jerry Porter and asked, ‘Why the bleep aren’t you in the game?’ ” Cooper said in a voice that could be heard throughout the locker room. “Put him on the field and let him do his job. This is a business. They (head coach Art Shell and Porter) don’t have to like each other. They don’t even have to look at each other. I don’t care (if teammates agree with him). Put him out there and let him do his job. Jerry Porter is not going to embarrass himself. He’s not an idiot. He may act like an idiot, but he’s not.”

So there you have it. The situation is so desperate now for the Raiders, one player is openly campaigning for someone who at least acts like an idiot. Then again, why not play Porter? He’s under contract. He’s not hurt. He can play when he decides not to go invisible. It’s not like the Raiders have anything to lose, like, um, respect.

“Ray Charles can see that he can play,” defensive tackle Warren Sapp said of Porter.

Truth be told, the way things are going with this team, Ray Charles could see that all idiots are now welcome in Oakland. The Raiders need idiots who are willing and capable of catching short and intermediate passes, idiots who weigh 300 pounds and can pass-block and run-block for the pass, and idiots who believe screen passes are a viable offensive play.

Desperate times demand a desperate lowering of standards, and this is one of those desperate times.

“We got manhandled for two weeks in a row,” running back LaMont Jordan said.

Therein lies the true nature of their anxiety. Being manhandled has nothing to do with Shell following his marching orders from Al Davis to throw deep. It has everything to do with the Raiders being physically incapable of winning the line of scrimmage. This is more than being tenacious. It is being skilled, quick, strong and agile.

Motivated? After last week, the Raiders’ offensive linemen were juiced for retribution Sunday. Their pride was on the line. Yet they were routinely cuffed about the ears. And it’s not as if they suddenly find more talent than what they have. So the answer, therefore, to the Raiders getting manhandled is not a comforting one.

Their offensive linemen simply aren’t good enough for the task.

“You got to get us some points,” Sapp said of the offense.

If the weeks go by and the points still trickle in through Sebastian Janikowski field goals, Cooper won’t be the only Raider calling for change at the top of his voice. He’ll just be the first. We can even imagine Cooper standing in front of an offensive lineman and taunting: “When are you going to start to block?” The answer may be quite unsettling.

“I can’t,” will be the feeble reply.

 

[Angry Pope]

Disintegrating situation starts with a feeble line

BOB PADECKY


BALTIMORE - With 9:57 left in the game Sunday, the Raiders’ Jarrod Cooper was penalized for taunting a Ravens player. The action was stunning in scope. A player on a winless team that has yet to score a touchdown in 2006 is taunting, on his high horse, full of himself?

Whaaaaat? This is like finishing last in a 100-meter dash and posing for the camera after crossing the finish line.

What could Cooper have possibly said to B.J. Sams? “I lack common sense! So take THAT!”

After the game, Cooper, a special teams player and extra defensive back in pass coverage, said something a bit more mature. While many of his mates shrugged and spoke through cliches, Cooper couldn’t sit silently by and ignore his team’s 39 rushing yards, six sacks, six turnovers, four fumbled snaps from center and an offensive line that couldn’t block the Pillsbury Doughboy. He had to say something, and what he said, well, Cooper couldn’t have been the only Raider thinking this way.

“During the game, I looked at Jerry Porter and asked, ‘Why the bleep aren’t you in the game?’ ” Cooper said in a voice that could be heard throughout the locker room. “Put him on the field and let him do his job. This is a business. They (head coach Art Shell and Porter) don’t have to like each other. They don’t even have to look at each other. I don’t care (if teammates agree with him). Put him out there and let him do his job. Jerry Porter is not going to embarrass himself. He’s not an idiot. He may act like an idiot, but he’s not.”

So there you have it. The situation is so desperate now for the Raiders, one player is openly campaigning for someone who at least acts like an idiot. Then again, why not play Porter? He’s under contract. He’s not hurt. He can play when he decides not to go invisible. It’s not like the Raiders have anything to lose, like, um, respect.

“Ray Charles can see that he can play,” defensive tackle Warren Sapp said of Porter.

Truth be told, the way things are going with this team, Ray Charles could see that all idiots are now welcome in Oakland. The Raiders need idiots who are willing and capable of catching short and intermediate passes, idiots who weigh 300 pounds and can pass-block and run-block for the pass, and idiots who believe screen passes are a viable offensive play.

Desperate times demand a desperate lowering of standards, and this is one of those desperate times.

“We got manhandled for two weeks in a row,” running back LaMont Jordan said.

Therein lies the true nature of their anxiety. Being manhandled has nothing to do with Shell following his marching orders from Al Davis to throw deep. It has everything to do with the Raiders being physically incapable of winning the line of scrimmage. This is more than being tenacious. It is being skilled, quick, strong and agile.

Motivated? After last week, the Raiders’ offensive linemen were juiced for retribution Sunday. Their pride was on the line. Yet they were routinely cuffed about the ears. And it’s not as if they suddenly find more talent than what they have. So the answer, therefore, to the Raiders getting manhandled is not a comforting one.

Their offensive linemen simply aren’t good enough for the task.

“You got to get us some points,” Sapp said of the offense.

If the weeks go by and the points still trickle in through Sebastian Janikowski field goals, Cooper won’t be the only Raider calling for change at the top of his voice. He’ll just be the first. We can even imagine Cooper standing in front of an offensive lineman and taunting: “When are you going to start to block?” The answer may be quite unsettling.

“I can’t,” will be the feeble reply.

 

[Angry Pope]

Reeling Raiders must regroup
Injured quarterback Aaron Brooks will miss at least a game.

By Jim Jenkins
September 19, 2006


It's back to the drawing board for the Raiders -- and if that sounds a little familiar, well, it should.

After all, didn't coach Art Shell say as much after a 27-0 loss in the season opener against San Diego?

Now, in the wake of Sunday's equally deflating 28-6 defeat in Baltimore, it's becoming more obvious this is an Oakland team in crisis.

It's a deepening crisis, too, with news from Shell during a Monday news conference that starting quarterback Aaron Brooks will be shelved two to four weeks with a chest muscle strain. That might mean only one missed game because Oakland has a bye this week.

But also of concern to Shell is a hip injury suffered by starting left guard Barry Sims, arguably the Raiders' best offensive lineman. He was to have a magnetic resonance imaging test. With players off Monday, the results should be known today.

There was speculation Brooks might have a rotator-cuff injury, but his MRI showed otherwise. Nevertheless, the discomfort he is experiencing will keep him sidelined at least through the Raiders' next game Oct. 1, when they host Cleveland.

Backup Andrew Walter, who relieved Brooks after two abbreviated series in the first quarter, will start against the Browns. Marques Tuiasosopo, third on the depth chart this year but the prime backup last year, moves up to No. 2.

Receiver Ronald Curry, a college quarterback, represents an extra reserve in an emergency, and Shell didn't rule out re-signing veteran Jeff George, who was brought in for the final week of preseason to acquaint himself with the offense.

Normally, coaches aren't eager to have an early bye, but given the Raiders' problems, it's a welcome reprieve.

"Very good time," Shell said. "The situation is good for us injury-wise and to take a hard look at how we're doing things."

Which is not well.

With Brooks at quarterback, the Raiders haven't scored a point, despite offseason optimism that someone with his mobility and deep-throwing ability could team with marquee receiver Randy Moss and produce big dividends.

After the Baltimore game, at least one frustrated player lobbied for malcontent Jerry Porter, the Raiders' 2005 leading receiver who has been benched by Shell, to be reinstated. Judging from Shell's response Monday, no one should hold their breath waiting for that.

Sacked seven times against San Diego, Brooks didn't so much as get off a pass in Baltimore. He left the game after only four plays, two of them fumbled snaps that led to his injury.

Walter, inactive during the regular season as a rookie last year, came in but led the Raiders to two field goals and was sacked six times behind an offensive line battered and unable to protect.

Has Shell, a Hall of Fame tackle as a player, been surprised by the spotty blocking?

"I expected better," he said. "Look, it's not like they aren't trying. They're good guys. They work hard and want to do well. Wanting and doing are not the same thing. We'll try to get better."

Shell was asked if he might have underestimated the challenges facing him in a return to head coaching after an 11-year absence. There also was some question about the preparedness of his offensive coordinator, Tom Walsh, last in the NFL in 1994 as a member of Shell's staff with the Raiders.

Several times Sunday, plays called appeared to be coming in late, limiting the time available to adjust to Baltimore's defensive tactics.

"Never once did I say this would be easy," Shell said. "This is a difficult league to play in. It's a difficult league to coach in."

 

[Angry Pope]

ERIC GILMORE

Bye week after pair of losses never felt better


BALTIMORE -- If you want to hear the only good news for the Raiders offense in the wake of Sunday's 28-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, you've come to the right place.

Let's let running back LaMont Jordan do the honors.

"I think the best thing about this season thus far is the fact we have a bye week," Jordan said. "We don't have to play next week. That's probably the best thing. We've got a lot of things to work on."

So there you have it. Most NFL teams hate taking a week off this early in the season. They like their bye weeks later, when there are more injured players who need time to heal.

The Raiders, especially those on offense, look at this Week 3 break as a gift from the football gods, as gridiron manna from heaven.

That tells you all you need to know about the state of a Raiders offense that's still searching for its first touchdown and still searching for answers after Sunday's debacle.

Ah, the sweet smell of silver and black panic.

The Raiders have played just two games, and they're already hoping and, most likely, praying that that an extra seven days of practice will fix their offense and save their season.

Their offensive to-do list this week is longer than their odds of going an entire game without giving up a sack.

It may not qualify as job No. 1, but Raiders coach Art Shell and his boss, Al Davis, might want to use this week to find a better game-day job for wide receiver Jerry Porter than roaming the sideline in shorts and silver bling.

They should either let Porter play or trade him before his feud with Shell tears the team apart.

Backup safety Jarrod Cooper went on a free-Jerry-Porter rant after Sunday's loss. Yes, Cooper's a bit player on this team. But if the losses mount, more prominent Raiders voices might chime in.

"All this personal stuff, we've got to get rid of that," Cooper said. "Jerry Porter, put him on the field and let him do his job. This is a business. This is Game 2. We ain't scored one touchdown.

"If Jerry Porter is on the football field, Jerry Porter's not going to embarrass himself. He's not an idiot. He may act like an idiot, but he's not."

Whether an idiot or not, Porter could certainly help the Raiders offense. But he's definitely no savior.

Porter isn't an offensive tackle, guard or center. He can't keep pass rushers away from quarterbacks Aaron Brooks and Andrew Walter or open holes for Jordan. And he can't throw himself or Randy Moss passes.

One week after allowing nine sacks in a season opening 27-0 loss to the San Diego Chargers, the Raiders gave up six more.

Brooks wasn't sacked Sunday. But that was only because he left the game after two series with a sprained right rotator cuff and never dropped back to pass.

Brooks lost two fumbled snaps -- center Jake Grove probably shares in the blame -- and was injured diving after the second loose ball. He'll undergo an MRI today and, according to Shell, will start Oct. 1 against the Cleveland Browns if healthy.

After taking over for Brooks, Walter was sacked six times and took a handful of other hellacious hits while passing. He fumbled three times -- losing one -- was sacked for a safety and was intercepted three times.

"It's not the receivers that's the problem," Shell said. "All you guys are looking at it and saying it's because Jerry Porter is not playing.

"The problem is giving the quarterback the time to throw the ball, and the problem is also, once you get the time, making the connection. The receivers are not the problem. We have guys that can catch the ball."

Shell and offensive coordinator Tom Walsh should use this week to adjust their old-school Raiders offense that has failed miserably so far. You can blame the problems on an antiquated scheme or on players not talented enough to pull it off. Whatever. Something has to change.

According to Shell, the Raiders tweaked their offensive game plan Sunday in an effort to help his offensive linemen help his quarterbacks. There were more three- and five-step drops and fewer seven-step sack-me plays.

Nothing seemed to work until the Raiders went to a steady diet of two tight-end offense. Working out of that set during one drive late in the third quarter, Jordan, who averaged 1.8 yards per carry, busted loose for 15 yards. Walter hit Moss for 15 yards and Alvis Whitted for 21.

Of course the drive ended when Terrell Suggs sacked Walter, forcing a fumble that nose tackle Kelly Gregg returned 59 yards to the Raiders' 15.

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

The Raiders defense, despite the final score, actually held up its end of the deal. The Raiders' special teams played well, too.

You can pin this loss squarely on a Raiders offense that has so many problems and so little time to fix them.

 

[Angry Pope]

Disintegrating situation starts with a feeble line

BOB PADECKY


BALTIMORE - With 9:57 left in the game Sunday, the Raiders’ Jarrod Cooper was penalized for taunting a Ravens player. The action was stunning in scope. A player on a winless team that has yet to score a touchdown in 2006 is taunting, on his high horse, full of himself?

Whaaaaat? This is like finishing last in a 100-meter dash and posing for the camera after crossing the finish line.

What could Cooper have possibly said to B.J. Sams? “I lack common sense! So take THAT!”

After the game, Cooper, a special teams player and extra defensive back in pass coverage, said something a bit more mature. While many of his mates shrugged and spoke through cliches, Cooper couldn’t sit silently by and ignore his team’s 39 rushing yards, six sacks, six turnovers, four fumbled snaps from center and an offensive line that couldn’t block the Pillsbury Doughboy. He had to say something, and what he said, well, Cooper couldn’t have been the only Raider thinking this way.

“During the game, I looked at Jerry Porter and asked, ‘Why the bleep aren’t you in the game?’ ” Cooper said in a voice that could be heard throughout the locker room. “Put him on the field and let him do his job. This is a business. They (head coach Art Shell and Porter) don’t have to like each other. They don’t even have to look at each other. I don’t care (if teammates agree with him). Put him out there and let him do his job. Jerry Porter is not going to embarrass himself. He’s not an idiot. He may act like an idiot, but he’s not.”

So there you have it. The situation is so desperate now for the Raiders, one player is openly campaigning for someone who at least acts like an idiot. Then again, why not play Porter? He’s under contract. He’s not hurt. He can play when he decides not to go invisible. It’s not like the Raiders have anything to lose, like, um, respect.

“Ray Charles can see that he can play,” defensive tackle Warren Sapp said of Porter.

Truth be told, the way things are going with this team, Ray Charles could see that all idiots are now welcome in Oakland. The Raiders need idiots who are willing and capable of catching short and intermediate passes, idiots who weigh 300 pounds and can pass-block and run-block for the pass, and idiots who believe screen passes are a viable offensive play.

Desperate times demand a desperate lowering of standards, and this is one of those desperate times.

“We got manhandled for two weeks in a row,” running back LaMont Jordan said.

Therein lies the true nature of their anxiety. Being manhandled has nothing to do with Shell following his marching orders from Al Davis to throw deep. It has everything to do with the Raiders being physically incapable of winning the line of scrimmage. This is more than being tenacious. It is being skilled, quick, strong and agile.

Motivated? After last week, the Raiders’ offensive linemen were juiced for retribution Sunday. Their pride was on the line. Yet they were routinely cuffed about the ears. And it’s not as if they suddenly find more talent than what they have. So the answer, therefore, to the Raiders getting manhandled is not a comforting one.

Their offensive linemen simply aren’t good enough for the task.

“You got to get us some points,” Sapp said of the offense.

If the weeks go by and the points still trickle in through Sebastian Janikowski field goals, Cooper won’t be the only Raider calling for change at the top of his voice. He’ll just be the first. We can even imagine Cooper standing in front of an offensive lineman and taunting: “When are you going to start to block?” The answer may be quite unsettling.

“I can’t,” will be the feeble reply.

 

[Angry Pope]

Sims, Gallery on field

September 19th, 2006

Left guard Barry Sims was able to make it through a light practice Tuesday with a sore hip, and Robert Gallery worked in individual drills as he rehabilitates from a torn calf muscle, giving hope the Raiders may return following the bye week with their offensive relatively intact.

“It’s a big relief,'’ coach Art Shell said regarding Sims. “We can’t afford to lose any more guys.'’

Gallery termed his chances at 50-50 of being ready to face Cleveland on Oct. 1.

While no one is coming out and saying it, the Raiders are eager to get a couple of weeks of work in and see how they fare against a defense that should not be as dominant as the San Diego and Baltimore units which them as a punching bag for the first two games.

While careful not to disrespect the Browns, and making it clear their own play up front was not acceptable, it’s clear listening to Raiders players they think the Chargers and Ravens are among the NFL’s elite defensively.

Whatever you may think of Gallery, Sims or any of the other starters up front, they were starters for a reason. Because they were better than the reserves. If the starters don’t get better, don’t look for the Chad Slaughters and Brad Badgers to come to the rescue.

The Raiders will practice Wednesday and Thursday and take the weekend off, returning Monday to begin preparation for Cleveland.