Skip to content

ErinOak.org

Erin's Oakland Sport Picks

Archive

Archive for November, 2010
After watching the Pittsburgh-Oakland yesterday, two things stood out to me. One, the Raiders were just awful in all aspects of the game. And two, there were some terrible calls made against the Pittsburgh defense. These were not your usual offsides, holding or pass interference calls, these were roughing the passer calls. From memory, there were two calls that I can vividly remember that were absolutely terrible. One was on LaMarr Woodley following a “tackle” on Jason Campbell after he released the ball. This was merely a two hand touch to the chest that probably included some flopping on Campbell’s part ...
Some of us educators and counselors have worked with hardcore youth. Many of them have been in jail. When  we put our hearts into teaching and counseling, we often get concerned about the rate of falling back, the recidivism.  It is like a revolving door for some people. The definition used in this article is "someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior." Today's game reminded me of those who fell back into their habits and addictions. I wondered if these things happen because of a lack of a support group or system. I wonder is it because of our doubting ...
The game seemed to get out of hand quickly for the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Hoping to continue their streak of inspired play, they were bested in almost every way Sunday by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It may be why Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour was so on edge.  Ben Roethlisberger had just finished throwing a 22-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders. Still in his touchdown celebratory bliss, he went to Seymour and said something to rile the Raider. Seymour immediately slapped Big Ben with an open right hand. Roethlisberger did his best Vlade Divac impression and fell to the ground.  Seymour ...
The Raiders reverted to their mid-2000s form in a sloppy game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bruce Gradkowski replaced a struggling Jason Campbell only to throw an interception deep in Pittsburgh territory to none other then Troy Polamalu. Other than Oakland's first drive of the contest, the Raiders looked bottled up from the time ball was snapped. Campbell finished the day 7-19, with 70 yards and a pick. Perhaps the highlight of the game was Richard Seymour and his blatant throat punch on Big Ben. Fights were breaking out at the conclusion of almost every play, but after Roethlisberger connected on a touchdown to make it ...
The year 2005 was indeed an interesting year in the baseball world. The Chicago White Sox won their first World Series since 1917, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols were again having monster years and Jason Giambi and Ken Griffey Jr., again, rose to prominence. The 2005 season was also a breakout year for the former MVP and six-time All-Star, Jose Canseco. In 2005, Canseco rocked the baseball world by admitting to steroids, pointing the finger at many former and current players and releasing a tell-all book: Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big. Whether it was to again enter ...
One writer assumes that the frustration of the Pittsburgh Steelers losing the home game against the Patriots will be so forceful that they will overcome the Oakland Raiders. Au contraire, the Oakland Raiders are carrying a level of frustration to be transformed to having the "guts and wits" to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Granted, the Steelers do not want to lose two consecutive home games. On the other hand, the Oakland Raiders are in a state of mind that they don't want to turn back. Victory is the vision. The Hebrew root for "change" is heh-peh-kaf, which means "a time of grief and ...
As the Raiders get ready for the Steelers and figure out which way to attack their stingy defense, I wondered how much of the "Wild Hog" we'll see this week.  I began to wonder if Darrenn McFadden getting the snap directly from center is the best way for him to pick up positive yards against the Steelers' front seven.  In the victory over the Chiefs, Hue Jackson broke out the Raiders version of the Wild Cat, known as the "Wild Hog."  It was effective on some plays and picked up no yardage on others.  You know Jackson has been tinkering with this formation ...
Looking at what the Raiders have done and done well this season, the Steelers have probably broken down film to figure out what weapons to expect. Darren McFadden. Zach Miller. Insert any player who has hands. The picture for this season, for the Raiders, beyond the first two names, any week another player will perform well. Jacoby Ford, against the Chiefs had a field day. Darrius Heyward-Bey opened up on the Seahawks. Sometimes it also helps when the defense puts on a clinic, such as against Denver, that a team is literally overrun, by halftime. In the game against the Raiders, the Steelers will probably ...
The Raiders, at a mere 5-4 record, are taking the NFL by storm. If you asked who the hottest team in the NFL is, right now, the answer from most would be the Oakland Raiders. Why? Why are the Oakland Raiders in playoff contention in November? An increase in overall "belief" from players, perhaps. A healthy Darren McFadden. Competent quarterback play. But, improved coaching seems to top all. John Marshall is doing fantastic at defensive coordinator. Luckily, not fantastic enough to garner much head-coaching potential from other teams. Hue Jackson has done very well this season as offensive coordinator, turning around a ...
Dating back to the first matchup in 1970, the Oakland Raiders and the Pittsburgh Steelers were known for hard-hitting, punishing games. These two clubs faced each other so much during the 1970s that some might think that the two clubs were in the same division, with the Raiders facing the Steelers twice in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976 and 1984. Sometimes in the regular season, sometimes in the playoffs, both teams had a habit for either a close game decided late or a game with the outcome never in doubt. For the Raiders, several games stand out in the minds of the Raider Nation, ...