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omac
09-06-2008, 01:00 AM
http://www.examiner.com/a-1570968~Raiders_weakness__Stopping_the_run.html


Raiders weakness: Stopping the run
Sep 4, 2008 7:11 PM (1 day ago) AP


ALAMEDA, Calif. (Map, News) - The Oakland Raiders didn't have much luck stopping the run last season and coach Lane Kiffin isn't convinced things have changed much this year.

Despite a lavish offseason spending spree by owner Al Davis, Oakland's defense remains a source of concern for Kiffin, as point he made while preparing for the Raiders' season opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday night.

"We're kind of right where we were last year. ... It's kind of the same old story," said Kiffin, the youngest head coach in the NFL. "On defense, (opponents) are running the ball on us, they're not passing it. Hopefully that will change."

Few teams struggled to stop the run as much as the Raiders did in 2007 when they ranked 31st out of the league's 32 teams. Ten different running backs gained 100 yards or more against Oakland and four reached at least 150.

Three of those, including NFL rushing leader LaDainian Tomlinson, finished the season with more than 1,000 yards on the ground. But it wasn't just the elite backs who gave the Raiders problems. Kansas City rookie Kolby Smith ran for 150 yards as a late fill-in for Larry Johnson in Week 12. Denver's Travis Henry had 122 yards against Oakland, more than 20 percent of his season total of 691.

To turn things around Davis opened his wallet like never before, making mega-deals for defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, cornerback DeAngelo Hall and safety Gibril Wilson. Surprisingly, most of it went to the secondary.

Davis doled out $50.5 million to keep Kelly even though the veteran defensive lineman was coming off a serious knee injury that cut short his 2007 season. The Raiders also traded for Hall and signed the two-time Pro Bowl defensive back to a $70 million, seven-year deal to go with the $39 million he dished out to Wilson and the $9.7 million it cost to keep franchised cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha for one year.

Davis expects a significant return on his investment. He sold a small percentage of the team to a group of investors late last year then spent most, if not all, of the proceeds dishing out more than $200 million in free agency.

"Obviously we spent a lot of money on the defensive side of the ball and we know that, we understand that, and that's our strength," Hall said. "We know we have to get out there, get turnovers, score as much as we can, get the ball back to (our offense) and be great on special teams."

The Raiders, who beat Denver in Week 13 for one of their four wins in 2007, should get an indication of where they stand when they host the Broncos on Monday. Oakland has not won consecutive games against a Mike Shanahan-coached team since 2002.

Historically, Denver has been one of the NFL's top rushing teams and the Broncos don't see much reason to alter their approach. Selvin Young, who ran for 729 yards as an undrafted rookie last year, starts, but Shanahan also has veteran Michael Pittman and second-year player Andre Hall to lean on.

"We're not going to get away from running the ball," Shanahan said. "You may write about it more when we're throwing the ball well, but we're still going to run the football and we're running it well. The great teams that usually win championships can run it."

And stop it.

Wilson, who signed with Oakland after helping the New York Giants capture the Super Bowl championship in 2007, acknowledged the key against Denver is forcing the Broncos to rely on quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler passed for nearly 3,500 yards and had 20 touchdowns last year, but had only one touchdown against the Raiders and threw four interceptions.

"That's the key to a lot of young quarterbacks," said Wilson, who has amassed more tackles than any other player since entering the NFL in 2004. "(Cutler's) a good player and they simplify it for him a lot, get him on the edge where he can do the stuff that he can do well. But if we can make him one-dimensional, if we can do that, it'll just be that much better for us."

The Raiders gave up 145.9 yards a game and a league-high 4.8 yards per carry, numbers that have to improve if Oakland has any hopes of ending its five-year playoff drought.

"That's the game, we have to stop the run," defensive tackle Gerard Warren said. "If we stop the run and get a team one-dimensional, there's going to be trouble. That's been our focus all of training camp. Throughout the season that's what the emphasis is going to be on defense: Stop the run."

Notes:@Wide receiver Javon Walker (hamstring) and defensive end Kalimba Edwards (groin) were held out of practice for a second straight day, though Kiffin said both should play against Denver.

Some notes on the article ....

Besides the Raiders' emphasis on stopping the run, they believe that if they can keep Cutler in the pocket and prevent him from going to the edge, they'll make us one dimensional.

I guess that's where we'll see if our new OL pays dividends immediately. Cutler was forced to move out of the pocket a lot last season, because of the weakness in the OL. Apparantly, the Raiders don't believe Cutler can throw in the pocket. We here believe he can, as long as he has just a little better protection than last season.

Can't wait to see how this turns out; I have a feeling the Raiders will be surprised. :beer:

lex
09-06-2008, 02:22 AM
This is something Ive remained keenly aware of over the summer. A colleague of mine is a Raiders fan and he drones on about how they didnt do anything about their run defense other than overpay a guy who was on the same defense last year...they really didnt add much...all they did is keep a guy and overpay. Not only that, but they are paying for Hall as well and if Oakland cant stop the run, its a waste of money because teams are going to try to run.

Watchthemiddle
09-06-2008, 02:36 AM
So.....IMO

Oakland Run D = F
Denver Run D = F
Oakland pass O = F
Denver pass O = B
Denver Run O = A
Oakland Run O = D

Edge = Broncos by 7

omac
09-06-2008, 07:57 AM
So.....IMO

Oakland Run D = F
Denver Run D = F
Oakland pass O = F
Denver pass O = B
Denver Run O = A
Oakland Run O = D

Edge = Broncos by 7

I think Denver Run D = C+ to B; Oakland Run O = A, Denver Run O = B+, but still, Edge = Broncos :beer:

Dreadnought
09-06-2008, 08:06 AM
I think Denver Run D = C+ to B; Oakland Run O = A, Denver Run O = B+, but still, Edge = Broncos :beer:

I'm not ready by any means to credit Oakland with a first rate running game until they prove it on the field. Maybe McFadden will make a huge difference...or maybe not. We'll see.

omac
09-06-2008, 08:18 AM
I'm not ready by any means to credit Oakland with a first rate running game until they prove it on the field. Maybe McFadden will make a huge difference...or maybe not. We'll see.

Well, last season, they were 6th or 7th in rushing yards in the NFL, and that was without McFadden and Bush. Coming into their 2nd season zone blocking, they should only get better.

Retired_Member_001
09-06-2008, 08:51 AM
Well, last season, they were 6th or 7th in rushing yards in the NFL, and that was without McFadden and Bush. Coming into their 2nd season zone blocking, they should only get better.

Their offensive line has arguably gotten worse. Remember, they didn't have Kwame Harris at LT last year. He is one major drawback for them. We should get 50-60 yards on false start penalties alone from him.

omac
09-06-2008, 10:53 AM
Their offensive line has arguably gotten worse. Remember, they didn't have Kwame Harris at LT last year. He is one major drawback for them. We should get 50-60 yards on false start penalties alone from him.

lol, 10 false starts ... I'll take it. :D