Pride, Desire Missing?

[Angry Pope]

Pride, desire missing from these Raiders

Monte Poole


ONE OF MY former colleagues used to say the surest way to lose the allegiance of employees, other than outright abuse, is by consistently insulting their intelligence.

Won't be long before their spirit withers, and the workplace becomes a breeding ground for low morale, followed by sloppy effort.

Many an organization has followed this script to commit suicide.

Which brings us to the Raiders, the egg they laid Monday night and the mammoth challenge of reinventing themselves on the fly.

That they lost every battle, most of them decisively, was profoundly evident. They couldn't block, couldn't tackle, couldn't pass, couldn't catch, couldn't run, couldn't cover when they needed to.

But that was just the veneer. The most distressing, discouraging aspect of the Massacre at McAfee Coliseum was the absence of internal desire.

Under conditions ripe for an energized effort — new season, loud crowd, new coach, national TV — the Raiders failed to respond emotionally. Coach Art Shell acknowledged it. So did running back LaMont Jordan. So did special teams ace Jarrod Cooper.

So, too, did San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman, who led a suffocating defensive effort, exposing the physicalinadequacies of Oakland's offensive line.

"I wouldn't say they're a weak line," he said. "They're in the NFL, and there's a reason they're in the NFL. They had (Robert) Gallery, they have one of the best running backs in the league, one of the best wide receivers in the league. They have talent. They had the people out there to get it done.

"But we just wanted it a little bit more, and it showed."

To see the Raiders stroll through opening night, eyelids at half-mast, is to see a team not feeling love for the club and, more to the point, to wonder why there would be anything different over the remaining 15 games.

Beginning Sunday, when the Raiders go to Baltimore, where Ray Lewis and the Ravens make a habit of exterminating even the most determined opponents.

Insofar as Oakland gets a bye in Week 3, it's conceivable the Raiders won't score a touchdown until October.

Not exactly a rousing response to the new and generally well-received marketing plan. The place was packed with Raiders fans, sauced and amped, who paid good money to watch their team take a nap.

"We didn't match (San Diego's) speed," Jordan said. "And we didn't match their intensity. And if we don't do that next week, we're going to be in for a long day. Because that defense next week, I think, is faster and a lot more physical than the defense we faced tonight."

The Ravens, coming off one of the NFL's more impressive Week 1 performances, going into Tampa and blanking the Buccaneers, will be on the prowl for another shutout. Steve McNair will be making his home debut. Lewis, caught up in the possibilities, is talking himself into a lather.

Suppose there is any chance of Baltimore's emotions going on vacation?

Randy Moss issued a "heads up" about the team's mind-set in the days leading to the opener. He should have everyone's attention now.

But that's one of the enduring problems with the Raiders. A problem yearning to be addressed can remain unaddressed for, like, years. Just because problems are obvious does not ensure an attempt for resolution. Too many petty feuds to feed. Too many weird agendas at hand.

Asked about Moss' comments, which suggested a lack of inspiration within the workplace, Jordan made an appeal to professionalism.

"Whatever happens during the course of the week DOES NOT MATTER once opening kickoff happens," Jordan said, his voice rising. "Once you line up against another team, it doesn't matter what you did during the course of the week. It doesn't matter what was said during the course of the week. You gotta go out there and play football. That's what we get paid to do. We get paid to go out there and play football on Sunday. Show up for practice during the week. But we're tested by what we do on Sunday. And Monday."

On the Monday last, the Raiders went about the evening as if their minds were in Vegas and their hearts set on being home for New Year's Day. Oh, some came to play — and did. Some tried to do well — but couldn't. Many simply showed up by request of their agents.

The idea, though, is to enjoy your job. Enjoy it, as players such as Merriman and Lewis seem to. Take pride in the product. Come to work with passion, determined to satisfy family, friends and fans — as well as self.

Then again, it's tough to buy in when you realize the honchos are playing mind games, when their motives smell funny.

 

[Angry Pope]

Raiders coaching staff must develop the talent it has

Nancy Gay

Wednesday, September 13, 2006


You only had to look at the disgusted, tense face of Raiders coach Art Shell on Monday night -- nervously drumming his fingers on the table before him, measuring his words carefully -- to understand that what he got from his team in a 27-0 opening night loss to the San Diego Chargers was incredibly disappointing for him.

It was not a Hall of Fame effort.

And that's a big part of the problem.

Shell was an eight-time Pro Bowler as a tackle -- one of the best to ever play that position -- and has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

One of his offensive line coaches, Jackie Slater, also is a Hall of Famer. Receivers coach Fred Biletnikoff is in the Hall of Fame. Willie Brown, the defensive backs coach and head of squad development, has a bust in Canton.

Raiders owner Al Davis has his spot in the Hall of Fame.

That lineup represents an extremely high level of talent and achievement.

But does it guarantee great coaching?

Let's not put all of this on Shell. By every account, save for Jerry Porter and the few unnamed players who apparently are bothering Randy Moss with complaints about bad food and strict rules, Shell has done exactly what he promised he'd do when he returned as head coach.

He came to Alameda, recognized he was taking on an undisciplined group of players, and instituted some pretty simple guidelines to ensure everyone would be a professional.

Show up to the office, and be on time. Don't eat a sandwich during a team meeting. Pay attention. Turn off your cell phone when a coach is talking.

Is that too much to ask? Not really. You and I are asked to abide by similar rules every day at work.

No, this is about coaching, pure and simple. Shell has demonstrated he can get 98 percent of that locker room behind him on the discipline issue.

But what about teaching technique? This is on the assistants, and this is where the 0-1 Raiders seem to have failed so far.

Who is showing left tackle Robert Gallery, who by now has to be considered a bust as a No. 2 overall pick, how to play the most important position on the offensive line? How to align his body correctly, how to leverage himself, how to read and react to a defensive end's moves as he rushes past Gallery's outside foot, the basics for protecting the quarterback.

This all may have been second nature to Slater when he played.

As everyone has seen, it doesn't come easily for Gallery. So you wonder: Is Slater -- a seven-time Pro Bowl player with absolutely no NFL coaching experience when he was hired by Shell -- the right guy to teach Gallery?

Hall of Fame credentials don't automatically make you a great coach.

Frank Robinson was Hall of Fame player who hit 586 home runs and who became the first black manager in Major League Baseball history. But early in his managerial career with the Indians and the Giants, he was not considered terribly successful, in part because he expected every player to work as hard as he did, and be as dedicated to the game as he was.

He didn't cajole or encourage. Robinson demanded. And many players balked.

Are the Raiders hearing their coaches' messages? Are they listening to Slater and to co-coach Irv Eatman?

The Raiders' offensive line is what it is, overwhelmed (Gallery), young (right guard Paul McQuistan), undersized (center Jake Grove), out of position (right tackle Langston Walker) or long in the tooth (left guard Barry Sims).

It's just not very good.

Starting quarterback Aaron Brooks barely took a three-step drop before the entire Chargers' front seven was on him, and as the seven sacks showed, he was utterly defenseless.

Sure, you can pin a lot of this on the Week 1 game plan installed by offensive coordinator Tom Walsh, who is not a Hall of Famer, and who left his post as mayor of Swan Valley, Idaho, to return to big-time coaching after more than a decade.

Walsh insists on downhill running, power off-tackle and throwing the ball downfield. That's Sid Gillman football. But when it was clear the Raiders' offensive line was being manhandled by the Chargers' zone blitz and simple rush, there was no adjustment. No bounces outside by running back LaMont Jordan. No screens, no rollouts, no hurry-up -- anything to take the heat off of Brooks.

"I'm always thinking about something I could have done better,'' said Brooks, who was yanked from the game for his own protection. "That's why a couple of times I tried to get out of the pocket a little early. But at the same time, you have to be careful of that -- you may have receivers wide open downfield.

"But none of that happened (Monday).''

The Raiders' Hall of Fame lineup of coaches looks awfully good on paper. But the team they've got right now has a sliver of their talent as players. The Raiders' staff must learn to translate their collective talent into effective coaching techniques. And fast.

"I still think we have a good coaching staff,'' Jordan said Monday night. "I just don't think, as players, we went out there and showed that.''

Shell and Co. need to hang onto that loyalty, that trust, and build on it. Teach off of it. Right now.

While it lasts.

 

[Angry Pope]

Shell: Attitude needs overhaul
In wake of embarrassing loss, coach says tougher mental approach needed

PHIL BARBER

ALAMEDA - The Raiders had everything to play for Monday night - a capacity crowd, sole possession of first place in the AFC West, revenge, Art Shell's reputation and national respect, to name a few. And somehow they showed up utterly tepid.

On Tuesday, after watching tape of the Chargers' 27-0 rout, Shell seemed disgusted by the performance.

"You have to come out prepared to play," he said. "The intensity of it, the speed, the tempo - it's so much higher than it is in the preseason and during practice. And our guys didn't understand that, for whatever reason. And we talked about it, preached it to 'em all week long. ... But our tempo was not there where it needed to be."

The Raiders often looked overpowered against San Diego. They were beaten to the punch, to the gap, to the ball on almost every play.

It looked as though the Raiders simply had no answer for guys like outside linebacker Shawne Merriman, who had three of the Chargers' nine sacks.

But Shell will not concede that his players aren't equal to the Chargers, or to any other. He believes a major attitude adjustment is all this team needs.

"It's not just getting in there and touching the guy and saying, 'OK, I'm done,'" Shell said. "You gotta finish the blocks. It's an attitude. You gotta have that. You gotta be mentally tough to play this game, and you gotta be physical to play this game. And our guys have to understand that."

The players came in for a 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday, but were not available to the media. In the postgame locker room Monday, many seemed to agree with Shell's assertion that the preparation and the talent were adequate, but that the Chargers seemed to play with more heart.

"We have a great coaching staff," said running back LaMont Jordan, held to 20 yards on 10 carries. "It's up to us to put on our helmets and put on our pads and go out and play this game the way it's supposed to be played: hard-nosed and physical for 60 minutes. And our quarterback running around and getting hurt the way he was tonight, that's unacceptable."

Shell intimated that he will not passively wait for his team - and especially his offensive line - to find its stride. He said he and coordinator Tom Walsh will "tweak" the offense to improve the pass protection. The Raiders threw few flares, screens and quick slants Monday night, allowing the Chargers to tee off on Aaron Brooks and his replacement, Andrew Walter, as the quarterbacks took deeper drops.

Shell also acknowledged that he will not hesitate to make a personnel change if that's what it takes to get his team into the "wins" column - or at least onto the scoreboard.

"You have to do what you think is best for your team to be successful, and I'm not averse to doing that," Shell said. "If I feel that we need to make a change, make a move, then we'll do that. That's why I said it's not etched in stone that a guy is going to stay where he is or stay in the starting lineup."

DID HE OR DIDN'T HE?

The San Francisco Chronicle reported on its Web site that wide receiver Jerry Porter laughed and pumped his fist after teammate Aaron Brooks was sacked for the seventh time Monday night. Porter, inactive for the game, was on the sideline in street clothes.

But speaking to ESPN on Tuesday, Porter denied the allegation. "The fist-pumping was in response to some fans that were talking to me when I was sitting on the sidelines," Porter said.

Shell said he had not heard about the gesture.

"That would be disappointing," he said. "And ... if he did that, then that's something he has to deal with, with his teammates as well as other people."



INJURIES

Brooks bruised his knee and was scheduled to undergo a precautionary MRI. Linebacker Sam Williams sprained his ankle, and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha sprained his foot. "That might be a concern," Shell said of Asomugha's injury.

 

[Angry Pope]

Time to lighten up

September 13th, 2006
By Jerry McDonald

Yes, the 27-0 loss by the Raiders to the San Diego Chargers was atrocious, horrendous, embarrassing and just about any other adjective you want to use, but facts are facts.

It’s one game. One of 16.

Let’s be serious here. You really thought the Raiders were going to the playoffs?

It’s time to let it go.

After being labeled a “hater'’ by more than a handful of e-mailers and message board posters across Raider Nation over the past three years, I find it amusing to point out that maybe _ just maybe _ it’s not all that bad.

A few reasons why Week 1 was not necessarily the end of the world as we know it:

– The San Diego Chargers are good. Real good. Maybe the best team in the AFC. They’ve got three outright superstars in LaDainian Tomlinson, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Gates.

They’ve got established systems of offense and defense. A coach that historically beats up on the Raiders. A new quarterback in Philip Rivers who _ mark my words _ will be better than the old one in Drew Brees.

Of course, Schottenheimer, as good as he is in the regular season, will probably screw it up in the playoffs, but that’s beside the point.

The Raiders got the hell kicked out of them by a better team.

– It’s the NFL. You think it’s impossible Oakland could beat Baltimore Sunday. Nothing is impossible. If the Raiders defy all logic, the Ravens stink on ice, turn the ball over on the 1 a time or two and someone important gets hurt, who knows?

Then all the people spewing hate and hopelessness for the past few days will be jump back on board. Either that, or hide out for a week or two while those who consider themselves among the faithful shout “I told you so'’ and make fun of all the Chicken Littles.

A football season is 16 games. A baseball season is 162. One loss in football is like a 10-game losing streak in baseball when it comes to panic level. Throw in the emotion of a sold-out home opener and anxiety over a 13-35 record over the last three years and all sense of proportion is distorted.

– Games can turn on one play. The Raiders kept the Chargers pinned deep in their own territory for much of the third quarter. Say what you want about Schottenheimer _ he played it perfectly by sitting on the ball, knowing his defense was in control.

If the Raiders had scored a defensive touchdown, the entire momentum of the game could have swung the other way. Schotteheimer did everything but kneel on the ball himself to make sure that didn’t happen.

– Robert Gallery’s a flop, a bum, Tony Mandarich, (fill in your insult here). He was beaten by a player I firmly believe is the best NFL defender since Lawrence Taylor. Would anyone be truly surprised if Merriman is not only the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, but the MVP?

That doesn’t mean Gallery will become Jonathan Ogden or Tony Boselli, but to throw him in the trash because he had a rough time against the NFL’s premiere defender is excessive.

Assuming his calf injury is not serious, he’ll get plenty of chances to become a solid pro, if not a Pro Bowler or Hall of Famer.

– The Shell Raiders give an awful first impression. Their opening days of training camp were unwatchable. Their first pre-season game against Philadelphia _ even though they won _ was terrible. They got better in training camp, and improved in the pre-season.

It’s not a stretch to think it might happen again.

Can you really just chuck an entire season on four quarters of play?

It’s not that there aren’t some valid criticisms worth making.

How can you make a 270-pound fullback, a former tight end no less, inactive when facing pass rushers the caliber of Merriman? John Paul Foschi is no doubt wondering the same thing.

How can Corey Hulsey go from starting center to inactive so quickly? He can’t be good enough to start at center one day, then not be good enough to back up at guard the next. It makes no sense.

In what universe does Michael Huff come out of the game in goal line situations? Rob Ryan used to do the same thing when Charles Woodson was healthy, and I never understood it. He takes his best tackler, the guy most likely to make a stop, strip the ball, maybe return it 100 yards the other way, and puts him on the bench.

Even worse against San Diego, Huff shadows Antonio Gates and holds him to one reception for 22 yards. He comes out on goal line, and Derrick Gibson takes over. Gates catches a 4-yard touchdown pass.

You put Gibson on Gates near the goal line, and you might as well add the six points to the scoreboard while you’re at it.

What was up with that game plan? Al Davis while extolling the virtues of Shell, also told us Tom Walsh is a bright guy. He also said there would be some rust, considering Shell hadn’t been a head coach since 1994 and Walsh hadn’t coached in the NFL since them.

Anyone got a case of WD-40? Or at least a few pages from an old playbook which detail some decent short pass patterns, swing passes and screen passes?

There’s a lot to work on, for players and coaches alike.

And 15 more weeks to spew the appropriate venom if history repeats itself over and over again to 2-14 or something along those lines.

Shell will say over and over there are no moral victories, but don’t believe that for a second. A close game in Baltimore would be one. Getting to seven wins would be cause for a parade.

I’ve got some doubts about not only the new coaching staff, but the organization as a whole. I’m just willing to let it play out a little longer and allow them to prove me wrong.

 

[Angry Pope]

Typical Raiders: Not 'MY' fault

Dave Del Grande

SEVERAL RAIDERS are falling back on the "we were flat" excuse in describing how an embarrassment such as Monday's could go down. Frankly, I'm not buying it.

"We were flat" is the lamest excuse in sports.

First off, "we" rarely means "we." It usually means "a bunch of my teammates." It's a way of pointing fingers without your teammates realizing exactly who's being blamed.

They, in turn, can say, "I agree. We were flat." And in doing so, they've passed the culpability even farther down the locker-room line.

The Raiders were not flat Monday night. They were demoralized. There's a difference.

Had ReShard Lee returned the opening kickoff 95 yards, nobody would be calling the Raiders "flat" today.

The same is true had LaMont Jordan gone 69 yards, rather than 4, the first time he touched the ball, or if Aaron Brooks had hooked up with Randy Moss for a 50-yard score rather than missing Roland Williams, prompting the club's first punt.

Soon thereafter, it became clear Robert Gallery couldn't block Shawne Merriman, Moss couldn't beat double- and triple-teaming, and the Raiders couldn't stop LaDainian Tomlinson. That had nothing to do with being flat.

Today, OK, the Raiders are flat. Having been punched in the gut big-time by a heavyweight, the Raiders likely have a feeling of hopelessness. They need the 49ers on the schedule, not the Ravens. They have little hope of competing Sunday.

So what's the solution? One thing is clear: Al Davis needs to have a sitdown with Art Shell and Jerry Porter and iron things out. The Raiders aren't going anywhere with a key member of their attack — someone who can give Moss some breathing room — yucking it up with the fans while his mates are getting their butts whipped.

The guy has to play and has to be happy enough to produce. If Shell quits over it, so be it. He's expendable. After all, he looked flat Monday night.

DATELINE: Rock bottom. Getting thumped by a pretty decent AFC team is one thing. Becoming the punch line in 49ers fans' jokes is something else.

I say it's time for the "Humiliation Nation" to strike back. I hereby suggest a new battle cry for 2006: "At Least We're Better Than The 49ers."

In the wake of Week 1, I'm not sure what's more prideless: 49ers faithful upbeat about a seven-point loss to Arizona, or these same bozos celebrating the Raiders' shellacking at the hands of the Chargers.

It was proven in a preseason game last month in Oakland, and it will be reiterated next month in San Francisco: The Raiders are a better team than the 49ers. Nothing that happened in the past four days has changed that.

The 49ers moved the ball well against a team that was last seen surrendering 30 points to the Texans late last season. They also got manhandled by a bad Arizona offensive line, allowing a substandard Cardinals running game to short-circuit San Francisco's desperation comeback bid.

Bottom line: You lost by a significant margin to a team that's going 5-11 this season even in the weakest division in football. If you're standing up and applauding that, you really need to find a Sunday hobby.

Watching the 49ers' loss had to have the Raiders asking: When do we get to play Arizona?

That'll be Oct.22, capping a five-week stretch in which the schedule-maker has airmailed the Raiders three "byes."

Yes, the Oct. 8 visit to San Francisco is one of them.

DATELINE: A new home. Stanford is the Raiders of college football. After a loss to San Jose State, the Cardinal is so low right now, it needs a telescope to see Oski's belly.

But that can all change Saturday with the opening of Stanford's new stadium. All is forgiven if the Cardinal can beat a formidable Navy squad.

The line of candidates to be 2007 Stanford football coach starts at the stadium's north exit should the Midshipmen prevail.

 

[Angry Pope]

Coach Shell should go out fighting

Scott Ostler

Thursday, September 14, 2006


Here's one vote for Art Eggshells, coach of the Oakland Raiders, to go down swinging, metaphorically, sparing neither rod nor child.

One way or the other, Eggshells is going to go down. He has been given a team of either classic underachievers or achievers who are classically undertalented.

It also seems to be a leaderless group not prone to deep thinking.

If Art Shell (his actual name) can somehow right this ship, wring the most out of his "talent" and start losing games by only one or two touchdowns, he might last the season. If Monday night is a trend, Shell could be fired as soon as Al Davis has Jerry Porter's car towed so Al can get to work.

Either way, it's hard to like Shell's chances of coaching the Raiders into the distant future. The hope here is that he kicks some butt and takes some names before he goes, and departs with the dignity he deserves.

If you put Shell's current problems on a pie chart, Randy Moss and Jerry Porter would be the two flies perched on the crust.

They are veteran wide receivers who are handsomely compensated and would, in an ideal Raiderworld, be expected to function somewhat as team leaders. Instead, they function as Two Stooges in search of a Moe.

Moss, who does not converse with the local media, gave two interviews last week to national outlets, Fox Sports Radio and ESPN radio. On Fox, Moss said "It's fishy around here, man, so actually, we're walking on eggshells around here, man."

Asked by the ESPN crew to explain, Moss said, in part, "I think that coach Art Shell just has a tight grasp on us, man ... It's funny, but at the same time, as a grown man, it messes with your manhood a little bit. Knowing that you're a man, you're a certain age, and this man is treating you like kids or a boy or whatnot."

I asked Shell Tuesday if he has strict team rules.

"Everybody's treated like a man," Shell said, "and there are certain rules and regulations that men have to abide by, and if that means being on time for things, if that's a strict rule, then it's a strict rule. If it means that cell phones are not allowed in the locker room or in meeting rooms, then that's a strict rule.

"If there's no (eating) in the meeting rooms, then that's a strict rule. There are things that we're gonna abide by. They're probably things that have not been in place, that they haven't had to deal with in the past."

So apparently there are some Raiders who feel they signed up for a manly football team and find themselves in Mr. Eggshells' Finishing School for Pirate Boys.

Me, I'm big on etiquette. If Art Shell is teaching his players that it's impolite to eat while you're talking on a cell phone, I've got his back, as the kids say.

Moss, in one of the interviews, indicated that some of his teammates asked him, in his role as a veteran leader, to go to Shell with their grievances. Who knows, maybe they want Shell to dial back on his anal insistence on players showing up for meetings.

Did Moss go to the coach? Like, you know, a man would do? No, since Moss deals only with national people and Shell is local, Randy took his case to a higher court, sports radio, to bash Shell with rambling and semi-coherent blather.

Shell defended Moss Tuesday, saying he has no problem with Moss' statements and that the quotes Shell has seen in print or heard on radio are misleading and out of context.

I beg to differ on both counts.

Moss claims to be a team-first guy, yet when he read disturbing quotes about him from quarterback Aaron Brooks, did Moss go to his new teammate to get straight? No, possibly because Brooks has no national network affiliation.

Incidentally, why couldn't the veteran Brooks, instead of sternly informing the media that, in effect, he wasn't going to be Moss' personal pizza-delivery guy, sit down and have a man-to-man with the Randster? Don't they dress in the same locker room?

Porter, meanwhile, having recently signed for a large bonus that makes him untradeable, is staging his own rebellion against Shell's tyranny. His high jinks have become so absurd that he was deactivated for last Monday's game.

It would be unfair to call Moss and Porter lunatics because that would give them an excuse.

But there's your veteran leadership in a nutshell, which is where it belongs and where it fits, with space left over.

If the Raider situation comes down to a vote between old-school vs. new fools, I'm punching my chad for the fuddy-duddy.

 

[Angry Pope]

Now, Raiders adding injuries to insult

By Bill Soliday


ALAMEDA — If the Raiders thought their home loss to San Diego, Monday hurt, they hadn't yet been introduced to the injury report.

In addition to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha and linebacker Sam Williams, two players who were unable to practice Wednesday, another pair had to leave the field with calf ailments — left tackle Robert Gallery and kick-return specialist Chris Carr.

"How that's going to be I'm not sure," coach Art Shell said of Gallery's ailment. "I've got to wait for (trainer) Rod (Martin) to explain to me what's going on with that."

If Gallery — who was sidelined at the start of training camp with a quad pull — is unable to play in Baltimore Sunday his place would be taken by Chad Slaughter.

Meanwhile, Tyrone Poole was fielding punts in Carr's absence. He also would replace Asomugha if he is sidelined. It is uncertain who would perform kickoff-return duties. ReShard Lee has been lining up next to Carr for several games.

The Raiders are taking an optimistic stance on the status of Asomugha and Williams. Asomugha was listed as questionable for the game with a foot sprain while Williams was declared probable with an ankle sprain. Both were on the field Wednesday but did not practice.

Quarterback Aaron Brooks (knee) did practice. Tight end John Madsen returned to practice.


COYOTES IN ALAMEDA: A stuffed coyote was propped up adjacent to the Raiders practice field Wednesday. Perhaps some arcane type of ploy involving this week's Baltimore Ravens.

Nope. It was a mystery Shell was happy to explain. It had to do with goose puckey.

"The geese come out here," Shell said. "They're out there messing up the field, and guys don't want to be practicing out there in the stuff. I haven't seen a goose all day. I saw some flying over, and they kept on going."

Not surprising. Wily coyote looked rather ravenous, forgive the pun. At any rate, the Raider brain trust seems to have just invented the world's — or at least the city of Alameda's — first scare-goose.



GETTING HIS MAD ON: A 27-0 waxing still on his mind, safety Jarrod Cooper says he was mad as hell and doesn't plan to take it anymore.

"Everybody in this locker room should be mad," Cooper said. "We've been here for six months doing all this stuff, talking all this 'Hey we're gonna do this,' and then we go out on Monday night and get our (rumps) whupped.

"I hope everybody in this locker room is mad, I hope these coaches are mad. I mean, I'm still mad. I can't go to the grocery store. I'm embarrassed."

"Everybody is a little mad and wish they'd played a lot better," right tackle Langston Walker said. "But this is such a great game (because) we can come back next weekend and show how well we can do it."


EXTRA POINTS: The Raiders injury report — CB Asomugha (foot), DE Kevin Huntley (foot) questionable; TE James Adkisson (knee), QB Brooks (knee), TE Madsen (ankle), LB Williams (ankle) probable ... Ravens' injury report — TE Todd Heap (back), RB Jamal Lewis (hip), S Ed Reed (thigh), K Matt Stover (back), RB P.J. Daniels (thigh), C Mike Flynn (ankle) DT Aubrayo Franlin (thigh), TE Daniel Wilcox (back) questionable ... The Raiders practiced with speakers emulating crowd noise at M&T Bank Stadium. Shell said the Raiders "turned it up a notch more than I've heard it before ... it comes pretty close."

 

[Angry Pope]

Raiders hopes on the line

David White

Thursday, September 14, 2006

So, now what?

The current offensive linemen aren't going anywhere. Raiders coach Art Shell won't consider position changes -- at least this week. And, Baltimore's mind-stifling defense is T-minus three days away.

Time to install some hurry-up changes up front, or a bruised knee will be the least of Aaron Brooks' medical concerns when the Raiders visit the Ravens on Sunday.

"As bad as it was, everything is fixable," center Jake Grove said. "Gotta be. Don't have a choice. It's done, it's over. No matter how bad we feel, it's not going to change anything.

"All we can do is go out and try to improve."

For those who missed it, he's referencing that nasty nine-sack, 27-0 loss to the Chargers in Monday night's season opener.

All five starting linemen were beaten for sacks. It was the team's worst showing since the 1998 opener at Kansas City, when Derrick Thomas and the Chiefs beat Jeff George with a 10-sack stick.

That Raiders team bounced back to finish 8-8 under first-year coach Jon Gruden. If new coach Art Shell wants a similar recovery rate, the blocking must improve or this team won't score a point until October.

"We've got a lot of work to do," Shell said.

Two practices between San Diego and Baltimore isn't enough time to effect drastic change. If anything, the Raiders took a step backward when left tackle Robert Gallery -- who wasn't having a picnic to begin with -- cut out of practice early Wednesday with a calf injury. His status is unknown for Sunday.

"You can't do a whole lot, because you can't cover it all," Shell said. "But, there's some things that can be done that we have to go to work on."

Shell isn't sharing intimate game-plan details, but here are two places they can start if preserving Brooks' wellness is a genuine concern:

-- Sweat the small stuff: The "Al Davis" offense is infatuated with the deep, vertical pass. That doesn't work when Brooks is on the lam before Randy Moss can get open downfield.

At risk of sounding West Coast offense-like, it can't hurt to throw in some short-range passes.

Running back LaMont Jordan had 70 catches last season, but didn't have a pass thrown his way Monday. Busy focusing on blitzers, he was directly responsible for one sack and could have prevented two others.

"You can't sit back there and hold the ball all day because they're going to get you," Shell said. "You've got to try to mix it in."

-- Keep Brooks moving: Brooks' mobility allows him to evade direct hits in the pocket, and he can still scramble for big gains.

You know this, because the pocket kept imploding on Brooks. As Shell explained, the tackles provide width in the pocket, the center and guards provide depth. Neither happened for long Monday.

One solution is to run designed rollouts for Brooks, the better to keep him from standing in the same X-marked spot.

"When they squeeze, then the quarterback has to step up and there's nothing to step up to and it becomes a big problem for you," Shell said. "You just have to do different things and we have to work on it."

That includes using a variety of quarterback drops. Look for Brooks to drop anywhere from three to seven steps into the pocket to keep teams guessing where he'll be come pivot-and-throw time.

Other fixer-uppers require more time than the Raiders have right now. Technique is learned behavior, attitude comes from not giving up nine sacks a night, aggressive blocking comes with confidence.

They don't have to make a Pro Bowl just yet. Start with stopping one pass rusher per snap.

"We have to block them," right tackle Langston Walker said. "No matter what they give us. If they run 12 guys out there, we've got to block."

 

[Angry Pope]

Gallery, Carr are hurting

David White

Thursday, September 14, 2006


Quarterback Aaron Brooks is expected to start Sunday's game at Baltimore, bruised knee and all. Other injured players aren't so sure.

Brooks practiced with the first-team offense Wednesday, two days after he was sacked seven times in a 27-0 loss to visiting San Diego in the season opener. He had a precautionary MRI on Tuesday that revealed no damage to his sore right knee.

"Aaron was fine," coach Art Shell said. "He moved pretty good. He said it was a little sore, but no problem."

Left tackle Robert Gallery left practice with a calf injury. So did return specialist Chris Carr, a backup safety.

Starting cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha did not practice after spraining his foot Monday, and he's listed as questionable. Strong-side linebacker Sam Williams (ankle) and backup defensive end Kevin Huntley (foot) also did not practice.

Tyrone Poole filled in at Asomugha's cornerback slot and fielded kicks.

Shell does not know which of the injured players will recover in time for Sunday's game.

Huff initiation: Top draft pick Michael Huff is just getting used to the NFL pace as a rookie strong safety.

Losing, well, that's a little tougher to get the hang of. At Texas, he won his final 20 college games, capped by a national championship in January's Rose Bowl.

"Winning all the games last year, then coming into this ... (is) a little different," Huff said. "But I think we'll bounce back and we'll be fine."

Adding to Huff's pain, his alma mater finally lost Saturday 24-7 to top-ranked Ohio State.

Walter sighting: Backup quarterback Andrew Walter also made his NFL debut in Monday's game, replacing Brooks with 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Walter, a second-year player from Arizona State, completed 2-of-5 passes for 28 yards. His 7-yard pass to tight end Randal Williams fell 4 yards short of a touchdown on the game's final play.

"It was good to get in a game (and) get a chance to make some plays," Walter said.

Practice squad: The Raiders signed wide receiver Leo Bookman to the eight-man practice squad Wednesday, and released former Cal receiver Burl Toler.

Bookman was a three-time NCAA champion in the 200 meters at Kansas. He spent training camp with the Packers before getting cut.

Briefly: The Ravens listed five starters as questionable with injuries: running back Jamal Lewis (hip), free safety Ed Reed (thigh), kicker Matt Stover (back), center Mike Flynn (ankle) and tight end Todd Heap (back). ... Other Raiders listed as probable are backup tight ends John Madsen (ankle) and James Adkisson (knee).