Finding Their Way?

Man I hope so, but we do have a long way to go. I really do believe the Raiders have found something in Bruce Gradkowksi. Tom Cable probably have just saved his job by naming Bruce Gradkowski the starter over JaMarcus Russell. There is no question, if JaMarcus Russell was still the Raiders QB, they would have never beaten the Bengals and Steelers.

I am a big Gradkowksi fan. What he has brought to this team is something not seen since Rich Gannon. Gradkowksi is a leader on the field and only 26, he has a long successful career ahead, hopefully in Oakland. After what I saw Bruce Gradkowski do in Pittsburgh, how can you not be a fan?

Many people say we won also because Darrius Heyward-Bey was inactive for this game. I do not believe that one. I like Darrius Heyward-Bey and believe that he has much more potential than JaMarcus Russell. But no question Louis Murphy has out played DHB and deserves to be the starter with Chaz Schilens.

Bruce Gradkowski is currently 2-1 as a Raiders starter and should move to 3-1 with the upcoming home game against the Redskins. The one loss was on a short week, Thanksgiving.  Gradkowksi, aka Doc B, has passed for 854 yards with 6 touchdowns and only 1 pick. In fact, in the fourth quarter in Pittsburgh, Gradkowski threw for more touchdowns, 3, than Russell did all year, 2. That should tell you right there Russell is a bust and not an NFL QB. But knowing Al Davis, he will give JaMarcus Russell a chance to be the starter next year. But I truly believe that Tom Cable will be here in 2010 and Tom Cable will not give Russell his job back.

What do you think on Tom Cable Raider Nation? Keep him or not? I hope he stays here, but I want him to hire a high quality offensive coordinator. But I must admit, Tom Cable is getting much better at calling plays, he is a rookie head coach and improving every week. I would love to see Houston fire head coach Gary Kubiak and Tom Cable grab him as offensive coordinator. He has done a great job in my opinion with the Texans. Charlie Weis is also a big possibility for Oakland as well as Brian Billick and former offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. Ted Tollner has nto done a great job in my opinion running this passing game but it is getting better each week.

The great part about this is that finding Bruce Gradkowski saves the Raiders from having to draft or hire a big name QB. Also, Trevor Scott has seemed to find his place at OLB aka elephant linebacker. So that saves another signing. Many Raider fans complain about Thomas Howard and Krik Morrison, somebody please explain that one to me? I love these kids. I love Tyvon Branch and Michael Huff as well. I hope we do pick up either a big run stuffing nose tackle in the draft or a high quality tackle.

So now were 4-8 and the rest of our schedule is pretty easy. Can we go 8-8? Can we finally have a non-losing season in Oakland? It is possible Nation. Let's look:

Week 14:
vs Washington
Week 15:
@ Denver
Week 16:
@ Cleveland
Week 17: 
vs. Baltimore

8-8 is possible! We should no question beat Washington and Cleveland. Denver is a rivalry game so throw the records out and Baltimore is not the stingy team they used to be known as. But many times the Raiders have come off impressive wins and then laded a complete egg. The Raiders when coming off wins have lost by a combined score of 85-10. That is a scary fact and needs to be fixed quickly. I think we are finding our way and the light at the end of the very long tunnel is getting closer Raider Nation!

Here is Tom Cable After Week 13:

Bruce Almighty Comes Home to Lead Raiders to 27-24 Win in Pittsburgh

EPSN: 
Herman Edwards- "Pittsburgh, don't worry about it, just play football and you got this one."

NFL NETWORK:
Joe Theismann- "The Raiders don't have any chance to win this one."

Inside the NFL:
Phil Simms- "The Raiders offense on the road in Pittsburgh, there is no way."
Warren Sapp- "Have you seen the O-Line for Oakland? HAHA"

Good call guys! HAHA! I'll be the one to say it, we found a QB. I am officially on the Bruce Gradkowski bandwagon. I have not seen a QB play like he did since 2002 and Rich Gannon. Against Pittsburgh, Gradkowski was 20 of 33 for 308 yards for 3 TD passes and no picks. When was the last time a Raider QB threw for more than 300 yards in a game? Really tell me when cause I can't remember. My guess would be Josh McCown week 1 of 2007 against the lions.

What is really cool for Gradkowski is that he got to come to his home town and play the way he did. He played in Pittsburgh for Tampa Bay and Cleveland, both games were ones to forget. In 2006, Tampa Bay lost in Pittsburgh 20-3 and Gradkowski was 20 of 34 for 175 yards, no TD's and 3 picks. And last year, the last week of the season, Gradkowski started for Cleveland in Pittsburgh and lost 31-0. Gradkowski in that game was 5 of 16 for 18 yards and 2 picks and a embarassing QB rating of only 1.0. I think it is safe to say this was his best career performance.

The Raider receivers, minus DHB, really came alive today. Louis Murphy especially. Murphy caught 4 balls for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns including a 75 yard bomb by Gradkowski. Murphy also caught the game winning touchdown at games end. Chaz Schilens also caught a touchdown and had 3 catches for 45 yards on the day. Johnnie Lee Higgins also had his best game in 2009 with 4 catches for 63 yards.

Justin Fargas started the game and played pretty solid all the way through with 15 carries for 63 yards. Averaging 4.2 yards per carry on the Steelers number 1 ranked run defense.

On Defense, new OLB Trevor Scott got another sack and Hiram Eugene grabbed an amazing INT in the endzone, stopping Pittsburgh from scoring. 

The Raiders no question are getting better. And I believe that Tom Cable and Bruce Gradkowski will be here in 2010, Gradkowski as the starter.

Next week, the Raiders will face the Washington Redskins at home. This should be a win for Oakland but we have been in this situation too many times before so I am not predicting anything yet. I think the Redksins are a solid football team with a good QB who has not played his best yet. The Redskins remind me a lot of the Raiders. A solid football team who has not yet shown the NFL what they can do. Teams like that are ones to watch out for. But the Redskins are now coming off a heart breaking 33-30 loss to the 12-0 New Orleans Saints so they should be due for a hangover. The Raiders have now won 2 of their last 3 games and look to be improving.

Overall, this victory shows the NFL what the Raiders are capable of. We can be an explosive offense if we just play 60 minutes like we did today. This by far is the best victory by the Raiders since 2002. We need to build on this and grow on this. We will see next week against the Redskins.

Watch the Full Game Here:

Raiders @ Steelers Preview

The Raiders will travel to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2004 this Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 EST and the weathers is calling for temperatures in the lower to middle 30's. So it will be a typical cold Pennsylvania afternoon.

Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger will play this week against a Raider Defense that has shown signs of great play but had been giving up to many "big plays." The Raiders are ranked 29th in total defense.

The Steelers are 6-5 and not looking anything like the Superbowl Champions they were a year ago. But one year can do a lot to an NFL team. Just ask Al Davis after 2002.

Speaking of Al Davis, the Raider Nation is doing its best to try and get Al to get their message by putting a big billboard in front of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

So what do you think of this Nation? I like the idea but not a fan of this billboard. I find it disrespectful. I do not like Al Davis right now but I do respect the man.  He is living history for the NFL. Does he need to step down? Maybe. He no question needs to hire a GM. I vote for Bruce Allen who is currently unemployed. This will ultimately have zero effect anyways.

Dont get me wrong, I LOVE Al Davis but I do realize that his time is up. So I hope he soons gives the team to his son like he has planned. Mark Davis is Al Davis's younger son. Hopefully he will be like what Al Davis was at his age. Al Davis was the master of the NFL in 70's and 80's. But not here in the 21st Century. 

So back to the Steeler game. I do feel good about this game. The Steelers are not in the right state of mind and I do really like Bruce Gradkowski leading this offense.  Can Bruce be the future of the Raiders? Absolutely! If he continues to work hard like he currently is, he can be something special.

Darrius Heyward-Bey seems to be coming around. Heyward-Bey is like Gradkowski and working very hard. Tom Cable and Sanjay Lal said Darrius has awesome work ethic and that will ultimately pay off for him. I hope Raider Nation gives the kid a chance. I believe he is going to be very good in this league. He reminds me of Cliff Branch a lot. Remember Cliff Branch's rookie season?  He could not catch a cold barefoot in Alaska. And now he is a semi-finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame.

One more note, Trevor Scott will take over a ROLB, replacing Thomas Howard who will start on the opposite side. I like this move because I am a Trevor Scott fan and I am glad to see him starting. This should bring more pressure for QB Ben Roethlisberger who will be playing with a concussion. Also, Greg Ellis is listed as doubtful for this game which means talented young DE Matt Shaughnessy will start. Plus, rookie Darrius Heyward-Bey is listed as questionable for this game and might not get the start which means Johnnie Lee Higgins will take his place because Tom Cable likes Louis Murphy playing slot receiver.

~Raiders Starting Lineup for Week 13~
OFFENSE
QB: Bruce Gradkowski
RB: Justin Fargas
FB: Luke Lawton
WR: Chaz Schilens
WR: Johnnie Lee Higgins
TE: Zach Miller
LT: Mario Henderson
LG: Robert Gallery
C: Samson Satele
RG: Cooper Carlisle
RT: Cornell Green
DEFENSE
RE: Richard Seymour
NT: Tommy Kelly
DT: Gerard Warren
LE: Matt Shaughnessy
ROLB: Trevor Scott
MLB: Krik Morrison
LOLB: Thomas Howard
RCB: Nnamdi Asomugha
LCB: Chris Johnson
SS: Tyvon Branch
FS: Michael Huff

~Steelers Starting Lineup for Week 13~
OFFENSE
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB: Rashard Mendenhall
WR: Hines Ward
WR: Santonio Holmes
TE: Heath Miller
TE: Matt Speath
LT: Max Starks
LG: Chris Kemoeatu
C: Justin Hartwig
RG: Trai Essex
RT: Willie Colon
DEFENSE
RE: Brett Keisel
NT: Casey Hampton
LE: Nick Eason
ROLB: James Harrison
ILB: James Farrior
ILB: Lawrence Timmons
LOLB: LaMarr Woodley
RCB: William Gay
LCB: Ike Taylor
SS: Tyrone Carter
FS: Ryan Clark

Keys to Victory for Oakland:
1. Run the Ball: Give the Steeler defense a heavy dose of Fargas, Bush and McFadden.
2. Stop the Run: The Steelers have a great running game, our defense needs to show up.
3. Blitz Big Ben: Big Ben is playing injured. Lets show him he made a bad choice by playing this week.

My Prediction: Raiders win an upset, 17-13.



Raiders Steelers Rivalry History:

Marc Trestman: Next Head Coach of the Raiders?

Very possible. The current rumors going around Oakland is that Al Davis has already planned to fire Tom Cable at seasons end and has already made a list of possible head coaches to interview. And one of the names on the list former offensive coordinator Marc Trestman. 


Marc Testman was with the Raiders from 2001-2003. He was the quarterbacks coach and helped Rich Gannon become the NFL MVP of 2002. Trestman was the quarterbacks coach in 2001 under Jon Gruden and the offensive coordinator/ QB coach in 2002 and 2003 under Bill Callahan. Marc Trestman was also named NFL Offensive Coordinator of the year in 2002. Callahan and Trestman were released after the 2003 4-12 season. So why were the Raiders so bad in 2003? Well if you remember, after the Raiders embarrassing 48-21 Superbowl XXXVII loss to Tampa Bay, head coach Bill Callahan decided the Raiders offensive playbook needed a overhaul which was the last thing it needed. After the 2003 season, Rich Gannon blamed the Raiders woes on Bill Callahan for having a bad offensive system. 


In 2002, the Raiders were owners of the NFL best offense with Rich Gannon, Charlie Garner, Tim Brown, and Jerry Rice leading the way. The Raiders were the AFC Champions. After the season, Rich Gannon and Jerry Rice never gave head coach Bill Callahan much credit for the offensive success, instead giving offensive coordinator Marc Trestman much praise. After all it was Marc Trestman who called the plays during the 2002-2003 season. Jerry Rice said, "Marc leaves no stone unturned. It is amazing how he can comprehend all of this stuff. He has to understand everything." It is no question the Raiders have not had a successful coordinator since Marc Trestman. And Rich Gannon credited Marc Trestman and only Marc Trestman for his MVP award. 


Rich Gannon was not the only successful QB on Marc Trestmans resume. Trestman had the pleasue of coaching players like Bernie Kosar in Cleveland, Scott Mitchell in Detroit whose best season came under Trestman, Steve Young in San Francisco, and Jake Plummer in Arizona.


So what is Marc up to now? Well he is in fact a Head Coach, but not in America, in Canada. That's right, and Marc Trestman in fact just led the Montreal Alouettes to a CFL Championship and a 14-3 record. The Alouettes were down 27-11 in the fourth quarter and came back and won on a last second field goal, 28-27. Marc was also named the CFL coach of the year in 2008. Here is the video of Marc Trestmans CFL Championship Victory:








Marc Trestman did say he plans to return to the CFL in 2010. But he did not guarantee anything. I think it is pretty safe to say Trestman would rather be a head coach in the NFL than the CFL. 


The Raiders are not the only NFL team interested in Marc Trestman. The Buffalo Bills have been rumored to show interest in Trestman for their soon to be vacant head coaching or offensive coordinator spot. But it seems like Mike Shanahan will soon be offered that job. 


So what would Marc Trestman bring to Oakland? He is a exciting head coach who will run the entire offense. He is a very smart offensive minded coach who knows how to put points on the scoreboard. Which would be a good hire since the Raiders have not scored more than 20 points in a game this season. Marc Trestman is a west coat offensive man which might back Al Davis off who is loves the vertical passing game. 


Marc Trestman was interviewed for the Raiders head coaching job in 2007 before Lane Kiffin was offered the job. When Lane was named Raiders Head Coach, Al Davis wanted Lane to hire Marc Trestman the offensive coordinator which he did not. That was the official start of the Kiffin Davis feud. 


Find out more about Marc and go to his website: CLICK HERE


Now on to make take: I would fully support this move because I was a Marc Trestman fan and still am. I have shown much support for Tom Cable and still do. I want Tom Cable to be here in 2010 whether as a Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line Coach, or just an assistant head coach. 


Other coaches Al Davis is rumored to be interested in are Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Harbaugh, Jeff Tedford, Steve Mariucci, Herman Edwards, and Charlie Weis of Notre Dame.

What To Do For 2010?

It looks like another Oakland Raiders streak will be coming to an end next season. The Raiders are the only NFL Franchise to have played in a Championship in the past four new decades.

In 1970, John Maddens Raiders were 8-4-2 and played the Baltimore Colts in Baltimore, the Raiders lost 27-17.

In 1980, the Raiders, under Tom Flores, the Raiders were expected to be one of the NFL's worse teams but surprised the NFL going 11-5 and winning the SuperBowl against the Eagles, 27-10. The Raiders got there by beating the San Diego Chargers in San Diego, 34-27.

In 1990 (My birth year) the Raiders were lead by former great tackle Art Shell. The Raiders were 12-4 and were one of the NFL's better teams. But they didn't look like it in the Championship Game in Buffalo, losing 51-3.

In 2000, the Raiders, under Jon Gruden, were one of the NFL's biggest surprises going 12-4 led by QB Rich Gannon. But as good as Oakland was, they could not score against the Ravens league leading defense in the Championship Game in Oakland, losing 16-3. The Ravens went on to win the Superbowl against the Giants 34-7. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens Defense was the best in NFL History in my opinion.

Now, it looks like the Raiders will never get back to the Championship Game due to their current state. Al Davis is trying to recreate the past and it clearly is not working. He is trying to recreate the vertical passing game with strong arm QB JaMarcus Russell hoping he can be another Jim Plunkett or Kenny Stabler. He is also trying to recreate Cliff Branch with Darrius Heyward-Bey. But I think Heyward-Bey will find his way in the NFL. He works hard and is a really good kid. I pray it works out for him!

So what do we do? Well for starters, we can't fire another head coach. I am a Tom Cable fan and truly believe he is the right guy for the job. We also need to find ourselves a true franchise QB. Not Tim Tebow or any other QB right out of college. I think after the JaMarcus Russell experience, we need to stay away form that. I hope is works out with Bruce Gradkowski, he is a hard worker and is showing good leadership skills on the field.

What we also need to do is hire a true offensive coordinator. I vote for Mike Martz. We need an offensive master mind to run the offense along with Tom Cable. We also need a real WR coach, our receivers are rookies and so is the WR coach.

I feel the Defense is there. I like John Marshall and his crew. Richard Seymour said he is willing and ready to sign a long term deal with the silver and black.

Lastly, Al Davis needs help! He needs a true GM. I don't mind Al Davis being the Raiders owner at all. But he can't turn this thing around on his own. Hopefully he gives Bruce Allen a call. He work with Al Davis form 1998-2003 and did one hell of a job in my opinion. Lets go back to what worked Mr. Davis! And Just Win Baby!

Go Raiders!