In the Oakland Raiders' 16-14 win over the St. Louis Rams Sunday, Darren McFadden looked great, Jason Campbell struggled, and Bruce Gradkowski came in and saved the day—again.It wasn't pretty, but it was effective.The Raiders' run defense looked pretty good against Steven Jackson, the secondary was solid, as usual, and the pass rush finally showed up.The only statistic that really matters is the win/loss column, but some interesting things took place in The Black Hole that need to be discussed.The Raiders still have some concerns moving forward, but this article is intended to point out only the positive.Let's have a ...
That's right ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Gradkowski, also known as Bruce Almighty, is back and he lead the Oakland Raiders to their first win of the season Sunday, beating the St. Louis Rams 16-14.
The home opener started in impressive fashion for the Raiders. Oakland's defense was swarming to the ball and dominating the line of scrimmage. On special teams, Johnny Lee-Higgins made Tom Cable look even more foolish for ever starting Yamon "Mr. Muff" Figurs when Higgins took his first punt return 53 yards to the St. Louis 25 yard line.
The Oakland offense did not start as impressive as the ...
We have all been waiting for this moment. Not only the Raiders first win of 2010, but the big play from Rolando McClain we wanted to see upon his draft selection.
In the fourth quarter, McClain grabbed the ball-carrier, picked him up from behind, lifted him over his head and slammed him backwards to draw a personal foul.
My initial reaction was "oh great, another flag" but after thinking about it, maybe it was good. Allow me to explain.
Raider football is known for being hard-hitting on defense. Remember George Atkinson's hits on Steelers' receiver Lynn Swann in 1975 and 1976? What about ...
The match between the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams was a nice display of former top ten picks, Darren McFadden, Darrius Heyward-Bey for the Raiders and Sam Bradford for the Rams.
I should start by saying that I know that the Raiders squeaked-out a win over a lowly team in the St. Louis Rams, 16-14, yet fans and media alike should take note of a few things.
Firstly, the Rams should be quite happy with its draft picks from recent years. Sam Bradford looks like a star of the future, while left tackle Rodger Saffold has allowed Jason Smith to play ...
It's Gameday! Kickoff in about 30 minutes, follow the Raiders if you didn't get a chance to make the game in Oakland!
Oakland comes into the game 0-1 after losing to the Titans, while the Rams come into the game, just losing to the Cards late. Both clubs look to break into the win column, as the Raiders have their first home game of the season.
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One Raider fan made reference to Jesus Christ in the comment strand. He did it, I suppose, because he wanted help to continue believing that the Oakland Raiders have a passion to win. I saw it as his battle cry!Today is a very special day in the Raider Nation. The substance of things hoped for is defined as "faith."The evidence of things not seen is the fact that the Oakland Raiders have not seen consecutive wins during the regular season, and today could be the beginning of attempting to get those consecutive string of wins.We have a battle cry for ...
Ok, Week 1 went as expected. A Week 1 loss occurred, predicted, by most fans. Hey, more than a few of us would have loved a Week 1 win, but odds were not exactly in our favor. However, a week two tilt against the Rams might be just what the Raiders need to get the season rolling, starting at home. Some people might think that this is a bit risky, considering that the Raiders looked pretty shell-shocked in the blowout loss, but those people also forget what Oakland was facing in Week 1: Chris Johnson, fresh off a 2,000-plus yard ...
Sometimes folks use slang that I have never heard. A term popped up today in the comment strand. It triggered the image of a "hustler." The trigger was the phrase "not stepping up in the game."
Here is a definition of hustle:
Hustle, to use a gambling technique in which a player hides his/her true skill. While betting on billiards games this is used to trick the opponent into significantly raising the stakes. At this point, he begins playing at full capability (or in a broader usage, engaging in a similar strategy when betting on other activities).
Street hustle: To act as a ...
For Raiders fans, there is only one name that can be considered as a offensive line anchor. That would be Robert Gallery, the first round bust that rebuilt himself into a quality guard on our line of ever-changing choices. Likewise, Gallery has had some good times when you don't hear about him, and times that make you cringe. Last year he was missed early and often and the results were painful. When he was in the game the team had a decent change to give the quarterback a chance to stay upright and alive. Whoever had to replace him seemed ...
Week two of the NFL is always one of the more difficult weeks. It's hard to tell who are the pretenders and who is actually real.
Last Week: 2-1
Overall: 2-1
Game #1: Rams at Raiders (-3.5)
St. Louis Rams rookie quarterback, Sam Bradford, makes his first trip away from home to face the Oakland Raiders in the Black Hole. The Raiders are coming off a huge beating from the Titans 38-13 and the Rams were just edged out by the Cardinals, 17-13.
The "Black Hole" is one of the most intimidating places I have ever been to. ...