Retired_Member_001
09-01-2008, 10:15 AM
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Broncos @ Raiders Preview
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome back to Football Season.
The Broncos will face the Oakland Raiders, in Oakland, on MNF to kick off their campaign. It is very hard to accurately predict the first game of the season. Neither teams have played a proper regular season game yet, so there is no actual play to judge from. Both teams are in a position where they could play better then expected, or worse than expected. Especially on the Broncos side of things, things are unpredictable. How will the offensive line play? How will the defensive line play? How will Selvin Young do? These are a few questions amongst many more that need answering.
Most Broncos fans will be confident going into the game, but I will warn you , don’t be too confident. The Raiders will be up for this game. Why wouldn’t they? They’ve got their Franchise Quarterback and Running back as well as an improved Defense. It’s MNF, on their home field, against their rivals, as well as it being the first game of the season. What do they have to lose? The Raiders will put up a tougher fight than most expect. Do I think the Raiders will win? Dear god no, but they’ll put up a fight. At the end of the day, whoever wins this game has a huge advantage. If the Broncos lost this rivalry game, it could plunge them into low morale and a losing streak. After all, we play the Chargers the week after and that will be an even tougher game. It will be key to secure the win on the opening game.
Where this game will be won and lost is on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s face it, the Oakland Raiders offensive line and Wide receivers should all be playing the in Canadian League. Honestly, a Dumervil V Kwame Harris match up isn’t even fair. Even if Darren McFadden is as good as Raider fans say he is, he won’t be able to show off anything when he has no hole to run through. Whether it’s Justin Fargas or DMC, the Raiders running game is going nowhere. The Raiders passing attack isn’t going to be much better either. Let us not forget, this will be Russell’s second career start and it will be under fierce circumstances, he could easily fluster and choke. Even if he keeps a cool head though, who does he pass to? Javon Walker is his only decent target and Champ Bailey will negate Javon. Ronald Curry is the Raiders second option, don't expect much trouble out of him, Dre' Bly will shut him down. I’m predicting a good few INT’s from JaMarcus as well as a good few sacks for Elvis Dumervil. It will be a long day for JaMarcus Russell.
On the Broncos side of things, the passing game will be what seals the deal. The Broncos running game may struggle against a decent defensive line and some good linebackers, but the passing game will succeed, Brandon Marshall or not. In my opinion, Darrell Jackson will come out and shock some people with how good he actually is. In my opinion, Jackson and one of the Tight Ends will be Cutler's favourite target for this game. Shanahan will want to stick with safe passes in this game, with an occasional shot down deep to keep the Raiders on guard. Untill the main target, Brandon Marshall, gets back from his suspension, we won't be seeing too many aggressive play calls. With Cutler and Shanahan’s high Football IQ, the Raiders will be left baffled and bemused. As for the Raiders pass defense, Deangelo Hall is horribly overrated, the only good CB the Raiders have is Asomugha. Cutler and company will rise to victory. Going back to an earlier point, the only place the Broncos will struggle is the running game, and they may struggle quite badly. The offensive line won’t be 100% yet, whilst the Raiders Defensive Line and Linebackers will be ready. Getting rid of Montrae Holland depletes the offensive line of experience even more. I wasn't a fan of Holland, but experience is needed to mold things together. It may be a game of 2 yard gains for Selvin Young.
Anyway, here are my keys to Stopping the Raiders:
Don’t rely on the Running Game. The Raiders will shut it down, the passing game will be enough to win the game.
Don’t allow Clady or Harris to be put in tricky situations. The Raiders will exploit one of the two, have Graham block that side to help them out.
Field position is key! Eddie Royal needs to prove why he was worthy of being picked in the 2nd.
Bring an extra pass rusher on JaMarcus Russell, he will make mistakes under the pressure.
My Final Prediction is: Broncos 24-14 Raiders.
Trivia Question:
What is the all time record between Denver and Oakland when the games have been played in Oakland?
Whoever gets this question right, gets to come up with the question for next week. If multiple people get it right, then I'll just pick whoever comes up with the best question.
Enjoy the game! :salute:
@
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r258/nevadaffl/raiders_514x96.jpg?t=1178396797
Broncos @ Raiders Preview
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome back to Football Season.
The Broncos will face the Oakland Raiders, in Oakland, on MNF to kick off their campaign. It is very hard to accurately predict the first game of the season. Neither teams have played a proper regular season game yet, so there is no actual play to judge from. Both teams are in a position where they could play better then expected, or worse than expected. Especially on the Broncos side of things, things are unpredictable. How will the offensive line play? How will the defensive line play? How will Selvin Young do? These are a few questions amongst many more that need answering.
Most Broncos fans will be confident going into the game, but I will warn you , don’t be too confident. The Raiders will be up for this game. Why wouldn’t they? They’ve got their Franchise Quarterback and Running back as well as an improved Defense. It’s MNF, on their home field, against their rivals, as well as it being the first game of the season. What do they have to lose? The Raiders will put up a tougher fight than most expect. Do I think the Raiders will win? Dear god no, but they’ll put up a fight. At the end of the day, whoever wins this game has a huge advantage. If the Broncos lost this rivalry game, it could plunge them into low morale and a losing streak. After all, we play the Chargers the week after and that will be an even tougher game. It will be key to secure the win on the opening game.
Where this game will be won and lost is on the offensive side of the ball. Let’s face it, the Oakland Raiders offensive line and Wide receivers should all be playing the in Canadian League. Honestly, a Dumervil V Kwame Harris match up isn’t even fair. Even if Darren McFadden is as good as Raider fans say he is, he won’t be able to show off anything when he has no hole to run through. Whether it’s Justin Fargas or DMC, the Raiders running game is going nowhere. The Raiders passing attack isn’t going to be much better either. Let us not forget, this will be Russell’s second career start and it will be under fierce circumstances, he could easily fluster and choke. Even if he keeps a cool head though, who does he pass to? Javon Walker is his only decent target and Champ Bailey will negate Javon. Ronald Curry is the Raiders second option, don't expect much trouble out of him, Dre' Bly will shut him down. I’m predicting a good few INT’s from JaMarcus as well as a good few sacks for Elvis Dumervil. It will be a long day for JaMarcus Russell.
On the Broncos side of things, the passing game will be what seals the deal. The Broncos running game may struggle against a decent defensive line and some good linebackers, but the passing game will succeed, Brandon Marshall or not. In my opinion, Darrell Jackson will come out and shock some people with how good he actually is. In my opinion, Jackson and one of the Tight Ends will be Cutler's favourite target for this game. Shanahan will want to stick with safe passes in this game, with an occasional shot down deep to keep the Raiders on guard. Untill the main target, Brandon Marshall, gets back from his suspension, we won't be seeing too many aggressive play calls. With Cutler and Shanahan’s high Football IQ, the Raiders will be left baffled and bemused. As for the Raiders pass defense, Deangelo Hall is horribly overrated, the only good CB the Raiders have is Asomugha. Cutler and company will rise to victory. Going back to an earlier point, the only place the Broncos will struggle is the running game, and they may struggle quite badly. The offensive line won’t be 100% yet, whilst the Raiders Defensive Line and Linebackers will be ready. Getting rid of Montrae Holland depletes the offensive line of experience even more. I wasn't a fan of Holland, but experience is needed to mold things together. It may be a game of 2 yard gains for Selvin Young.
Anyway, here are my keys to Stopping the Raiders:
Don’t rely on the Running Game. The Raiders will shut it down, the passing game will be enough to win the game.
Don’t allow Clady or Harris to be put in tricky situations. The Raiders will exploit one of the two, have Graham block that side to help them out.
Field position is key! Eddie Royal needs to prove why he was worthy of being picked in the 2nd.
Bring an extra pass rusher on JaMarcus Russell, he will make mistakes under the pressure.
My Final Prediction is: Broncos 24-14 Raiders.
Trivia Question:
What is the all time record between Denver and Oakland when the games have been played in Oakland?
Whoever gets this question right, gets to come up with the question for next week. If multiple people get it right, then I'll just pick whoever comes up with the best question.
Enjoy the game! :salute: