No organization is more ridiculously arrogant than the Oakland Raiders. They're celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and the 20th anniversary of Al Davis losing his sanity. Maybe it's the 30th. Anyway, no other franchise can suck and still act like they're a great team the way the Raiders do. They're like the short guy in your pickup basketball game who's still talking trash after trying to take the ball to the rim and getting it swatted back out to halfcourt. Sideline reporter John Tournour, who goes by his retarded sports radio name for the TV broadcast, too, informs us that Raider Nation can plan on doing a lot of cheering this year... because they won their last two games in 2008. A home win over an inexperienced Houston team and a road win over a Tampa team that had already been disintegrating for a month? I'm not sure how much that is to build on. Then again, the AFC West has the potential to be pretty abysmal...
For his own part, Jerry Jones is going to be at least as crazy as Davis someday, if not worse. He's got a $billion dollar stadium and the $29.99 Joker facelift, so he's already 3/4 of the way there. Before too long, he'll be living naked in his exclusive suite that he keeps air-conditioned at 50 degrees while seeing how long he can grow his toenails. Only a matter of time.
But, the game. Sebastian Janikowski kicks off and Isaiah Stanback is submarined at the 15 by Pro Bowler (really?) Isaiah Ekejiuba. Plus Tashard Choice held, so they'll start from their 7, inauspiciously at that. Cowboys try to throw on first down but Tony Romo's pass is deflected by former Cowboy Greg Ellis and nearly intercepted for a TD. Nnamdi Asomugha (which I once again spelled right the first time) cuts down Marion Barber for a 1-yard loss. Raiders blitz on 3rd down and Romo's deep sideline lop for Miles Austin is incomplete out of bounds. Mat McBriar bounces the punt past Johnnie Lee Higgins for 62 yards.
Raiders at their 32. Jamarcus Russell to Chaz Schilens for 11. Justin Fargas up the middle for 3. You think the Rams look thin at WR? Schilens is considered the #1 WR in Oakland, ahead of Javon Walker, the ridiculously overdrafted Darrius Heyward-Bey, Higgins, Samie Parker and others. DHB does get a step on Orlando Scandrick on a deep second-down sideline route, but Ken Hamlin got over to break it up. Ware chucks another deep ball for Schilens in double-coverage, and he draws a DPI from Gerald Sensabaugh trying to field the underthrow. To play-by-play announcer Greg Papa's credit, he calls the Raiders out for holding Demarcus Ware, who was close to sacking Russell. Raiders have the ball near the goal line instead. Russell guns to Schilens over the middle at the 2. Cooper Carlisle's called for holding on a failed dive by Fargas. 2nd-goal from the 12. Screen to Lorenzo Neal loses a couple thanks to Anthony Spencer. Russell hits Schilens at the 5. Chip by Janikowski puts Oakland ahead.
Oakland 3, Dallas 0.
Hey, I have to give the Raiders credit - they're doing it their way and getting downfield quickly.
Stanback return to the 29. Martellus Bennett takes a bootleg screen and bounces off a couple of Raiders for 7. Cowboys break the huddle quickly and Barber goes right up the middle for 7 more. Play action to Roy Williams coming back down the sideline for 12. Felix Jones gains 14 off left tackle as the Cowboys are really pushing Oakland around. Defensive holding on Stanford Routt puts Dallas on the Raider 25. 13 for Patrick Crayton on the end-around. Lots of Dallas fans in Oakland tonight. Bubble screen to Jones gains nearly 10 more. Stupendous drive for Dallas so far. From the 3, Barber apparently gains 2 yards, 2 feet and 11 inches. I can't believe he wasn't in. The Dallas o-line pushed all the Raiders into the end zone! Barber into the end zone easily, NO, holding on Kyle Kosier. 2nd-goal from the 11 now. Barber back up the middle for 3. Outstanding play by Romo on what should be third-and-goal (though everything in the stadium apparently has 2nd-and-goal). He pump fakes and hangs in the pocket long enough to find Jason Witten at the left goal line pylon for a TD. C'mon, Oakland, third-goal, you KNOW Romo's going to be looking for Witten this year, double-cover him!
Dallas 7, Oakland 3.
Until I see another Tampa game sponsored by Beef O'Brady's, the most awesome in-game sponsor so far this preseason is hot-dog stand chain Wienerschnitzel. Their slogan? "The world's most wanted wiener." Snicker.
David Buehler, Buehler, Buehler, anybody? Buehler? boots a very nice kickoff to the 4 that Justin Miller can only return to the 20. Dallas drafted Buehler, who out-benchpressed many of the top offensive line prospects at the NFL Combine, just to do kickoffs. RamView, of course, frowns deeply on this practice, but it paid off for Dallas here. Of course, free agent Joe Blow off the street could always kick it into the end zone, force a touchback and get the same result, but special teams coaches do not believe in doing that for some (stupid) reason.
That's a lot of talk about one freaking simple kickoff. I'd better tighten things up from here. Keith Brooking blitzes in untouched and sacks Russell for a huge loss. Classic blitz-the-formation (empty backfield) tactic there. Darren McFadden gets it back around right end for 13. Raiders sealed edge very nicely there. 3rd-8. Schilens pulls down a high pass on an out route for 13 and a first, beating Courtney Brown. Russell then burns a Cowboy blitz by scrambling for 17. Ball at the Dallas 43. Another deep attempt for DHB is thrown away beyond the double coverage. Raiders aren't fooling around with the deep game, are they? False start on Carlisle costs Oakland 5. His second penalty already. Jay Ratliff swats down the 2nd down pass. Bubble screen to McFadden gets about half the yardage needed. Shane Lechler's punt checks up beautifully in front of the goal line and Oakland deadens it at the 5.
Jon Kitna replaces Romo. A couple of Choice runs get them out to the 10. 3rd-down dumpoff to Bennett gains nothing as Tyvon Branch stuffs it. Summon the punter. A hold on the punt return, by Branch, moves Oakland back to their 38. Penalty cost Oakland a good 15 yards.
Hey, former Ram Bruce Gradkowski is behind center for Oakland. A guy who couldn't beat out Brock Berlin on the 2-14 Rams last season is their QB2? McFadden cuts back right and explodes through the middle for a 47-yard gain, though, as the first quarter runs out.
End of first quarter: Dallas 7, Oakland 3.
OK, so one quarter after calling the Oakland Raiders a bunch of arrogant morons, I can't deny I like what I see. A healthy McFadden can be a significant difference-maker for them this season. Russell does not look lost, and with all the big-play threats around him, I'm thinking of him as a FFL deep sleeper. Can't believe I'm agreeing with a radio hack with a stupid nickname, but this Oakland team does appear to have great potential.
AND we'll have to suspend this game account here so I can get home and work the Rams game.
...
OK, with RamView put to bed for this week and with about an hour to go before NFL Network's live preseason TRIPLEheader, let's do some warming up and try to get another quarter of Dallas-Oakland in...
Chaz Schilens starts the 2nd quarter by sliding for a poor Gradkowski rollout pass and jumping up and prancing down to the 6 with it for another first down. 2nd-and-goal from the 6, Gradkowski play-actions and finds NASCAR points leader Tony Stewart wide open in the back of the end zone.
Raiders 10, Cowboys 7.
Stanback return to the 29. Choice gets nowhere on first down and makes a poor blitz pickup on second down that helps get Kitna sacked by Ricky Brown all the way back at the 20. Raiders had a jailbreak on that play even if Brown hadn't gotten there. Dallas runs a we-surrender screen pass and punts.
Seriously, Tournour? If I were doing sideline reports for the Rams on TV, I would call myself by my real name. You wouldn't hear Martin Kilcoyne throwing it down to "RamView" on the sideline. For some reason I just find a reporter going by his nickname really annoying.
I mean, did Tom Brokaw throw it to "Scud Stud" during coverage of the first Gulf War, or did he throw it to Arthur Kent?
Oh, I am now on soda #7, including the 2 consumed during the Rams game last night.
Another poor Gradkowski throw incomplete in the near flat for rookie Louis Murphy. Holding call pushes Oakland back to the 12 anyway. 8 on a quick slant to DHB, so he can do more than just run deep. Cowboy offsides makes it 2nd-7. Raiders pick up the blitz but it's another poor throw outside by Gradkowski. Third down. Gradkowski steps up and fires a little high for Murphy, who drops would should have been a first down despite a big hit by Sensabaugh. That was a knock on Murphy coming out of Florida. Raiders shut down Willie Reid at the 30 on the punt return.
Cowboy drive starts with a brutal drop by Miles Austin on a deep slant that could have been a big play. Kitna responds by rolling right and hitting Sam Hurd for 21 at the Raider 49. William Joseph jumps to put Dallas at the 45. Kitna's deep throw for Hurd on 2nd down isn't very good and Michael Huff's able to come over from deep safety and steal it from Hurd at the 5-yard line for an INT. Looked like Kitna left the throw too far inside to me.
Gradkowski drops back into the end zone and hits Murphy over the middle at the 25 with a nice throw. Michael Bush pops a draw play outside for 13. No, it's a hold on Paul McQuistan. 1st-20 from the 15 now. Six penalties on Oakland already, in a quarter in a half, what else is new? Gradkowski sidearms another bad low pass outside. Ah, I forgot Jeff Garcia's slated to be Russell's backup. He's out due to a calf injury. So Gradkowski's playing for the QB3 job at best, which is about right. Physical run by Bush off left tackle for 7. Gradkowski overthrows Higgins on 3rd-and-long. Send in Lechler!
Deangelo Smith - can I call you Dean? - muffs Lechler's 55-yard punt out of bounds at the Dallas 23. Slant to Hurd for 12. Dallas has had that route any time they've wanted it tonight. Choice explodes up the middle on a draw and weaves for about 30 yards, but we've got a hold, on Hurd. The hold was downfield so it'll be like first-and-7. Kitna dumps off to Hurd over the middle for 4. Play action to Hurd running across the middle of the zone for 30. Sweet throw by Kitna to clear the LB. Cowboys fake a sweep again and Kitna finds Hurd yet again, down to the Oakland 12. Choice gets a couple up the middle as we hit the 2:00 warning.
Choice gains 4 on 2nd down, but Hurd can't come up with Kitna's pass in the end zone on 3rd-and-goal. Huff's called for DPI in the end zone, though, so Dallas takes back over first-and-goal at the one. Ekejuiba responds by dropping Choice hard in the hole for a loss. Cory Proctor follows that with a wild shotgun snap that Kitna is lucky to get to first back at the 18. He uses a timeout at 0:24. Raiders rush 3 on 3rd-and-18 but Stanback can't come down in the end zone with Kitna's pretty good throw. Nick Folk piles on Dallas' bad luck this drive by choking on the 36-yard FG attempt.
Bush rumbles for 11 over the left side on the last play of the half.
Halftime score: Oakland 10, Dallas 7.
Is NFL Network only picking one team's crew for this year's televised games? It looks like the Raiders crew is going to do both halves of this game. The Jets crew did both halves of last night's Rams-Jets game on NFL-N. All three of today's live games were broadcast by just one crew. C'mon, Goodell, variety is the spice of life!
Buehler mashes the kickoff deep into the end zone to open the second half with a touchback. Louis Rankin at tailback for Oakland. He gains 4 over the right side. We're going to get a challenge of another lousy throw by Gradkowski into the ground that Murphy nearly scooped for a completion. Watching him make all these lousy throws to the outside has been painful. Don't you have to be able to make those throws to be an NFL QB? Gradkowski pretty clearly can't! Gradkowski throws high and wild out of bounds on 3rd down. Hey, at least he didn't bounce it. Facemask on rookie DB Mike Mickens gives Oakland a first down anyway. 1st-10 from the 29. Murphy makes a nice grab on an out route for 21. After a first down deflection, Oakland beats a Cowboy blitz with a screen to Rankin for 20. Rankin next hits a big hole on the right side for 9. Play action here? You bet, and Gradkowski finds TE Brandon Myers wide open on the far sideline down to the 2. Rankin looks stopped originally on first and goal but bounces outside left and into the end zone. Fine drive for him. He showed running skills, receiving skills and did both with speed and power.
Oakland 17, Dallas 7.
Kevin Ogletree returns to the 32. Add 5 for an Oakland offsides on the kick. New QB is intriguing Texas A&M prospect Steven McGee. The possession starts with an unbelievable false start by the center Proctor. Huh? Play-action screen to Keon Lattimore gets 10. McGee tries to force a pass to Stanback on the sideline off a play-action bootleg but it's incomplete. DPI on Oakland makes it moot. First down at the Dallas 48. Lattimore up the middle for 7. Jay Richardson bats an attempted swing pass incomplete. 3rd-long 3. Dallas picks up the blitz and McGee fires another incompletion, but Jason Horton commits his second penalty of the drive, giving Dallas a first down for the second time. Lattimore bolts off right tackle for 13. 1st-10 from the Raider 28. Juggling catch by TE John Phillips in the flat, and he bounces up after going down initially to pick up 6. Lattimore gets a couple around left end. 3rd-and-2, McGee can't find his primary and takes off on a long backward sprint before throwing the pass away. Buehler hits from 37. I think the Raider DB Horton was Dallas' most potent weapon that drive.
Oakland 17, Dallas 10.
Raider drive starts with Dallas jumping offsides. 1st-5 at the 36. Gary Russell is the new tailback. Raiders give the penalty right back with an illegal shift. Russell left for a couple. Gradkowski steps up and hits Jonathan Holland on a slant at midfield. Play-action bomb to Nick Miller, who bobbles it once and then grabs it securely while diving to the ground at the 3-yard line. Catch of the week. He beat Courtney Brown on the play. Raiders use a timeout. Russell bangs in over right tackle on 2nd-and-goal from the 1 for the score. Two perfect long passes by Gradkowski on the drive.
Oakland 24, Dallas 10.
Ogletree makes a couple of nice cuts to return the kickoff to the Dallas 38. Scrambling as soon as he senses any pass rush, McGee rolls right for 2. A second-straight play-action scramble for 2. I'll have to admit the Dallas o-line looks like Swiss cheese right now. False start on Doug Free, 3rd-and-10. McGee's holding the ball too long, that's why the Raiders are getting to him. He does it again on third down and ends up chucking the ball out of bounds. Mike Carey very generously says he was out of the pocket when he threw. He wasn't. QB has to throw sometime, McGee.
Raiders at their 27. Now that Gradkowski has gotten hot, Oakland replaces him with Charlie Frye. Viva preseason! Frye's gone from Cleveland's starter to Seattle's QB3 to Oakland's QB-if-he's-lucky. Rankin's back in at tailback. After he gets a first down on a couple of runs, Frye steps up and hits Todd Watkins on the sideline for 25. Frye has come out looking very sharp. He hits Myers for another first down at the Dallas 20. The third quarter ends on yet another Raider penalty.
End of third quarter: Oakland 24, Dallas 10.
1st-and-20 from the Dallas 30. Just when I praise Frye, he overthrows Nick Miller, then nearly gets a soft toss picked off by Bobby Carpenter. He's blitzed into scrambling and throwing away on 3rd down.
Dallas starts at the 6 after the punt. Ryan Boschetti stuffs Lattimore for no gain, but he bounces back the next play for 6 up the middle. McGee gets forever to throw on 3rd down, and stays in the pocket this time, but fires a high fastball through Ogletree's hands. McBriar's really wishing at this point that Jerry Jones would have sprung for a camp leg.
Raiders at their 40. Frye guns to Samie Parker on the sideline for about 20. That momentum evaporates quickly, with Darrell Strong dropping a 3rd-and-8 pass. The Raiders may have as many drops tonight as they do penalties. Future ex-Cowboy Willie Reid blows the catch of the punt, though, and the Raiders are back in business at the 12. Mizzou alum Will Franklin gets in the scorebook with a 7-yard catch. Gary Russell up the middle for 2, then Franklin gets on the scoreboard, catching a fade pass for a 3-yard TD, beating double-coverage in the process. Dallas' pass coverage has been really terrible tonight, but that's not Oakland's fault, now, is it?
Oakland 31, Dallas 10.
Ogletree advances the kickoff out to the 42. After McGee loses a nice completion to an illegal man downfield, Lattimore bounces a run outside for 18 and a first down to the Raider 40. ANOTHER DPI PENALTY ON JASON HORTON moves the Cowboys inside the 10. The Raiders lock Dallas down from there. Sam Williams stuffs Lattimore on third-and-goal. McGee makes a good play to find Manuel Johnson in the back of the end zone on 4th-and-goal but overthrows him slightly.
Dallas is the first team to incur my eternal wrath this preseason by calling timeouts even though the game is an out-of-control blowout. Especially the timeout with 2:08 left. That was their last one, at least. Oakland has banged their way all the way back out to the 45 by the 2:00 warning.
Gary Russell salts the game away by running for a final first down at midfield. The Raiders kneel it out.
Final score: Oakland 31, Dallas 10.
MVP: You had to know this was coming: game ball goes to Bruce Gradkowski. He threw for 161 yards and had some beautiful passes, especially the bomb to Nick Miller, and he led the Raiders to three of their TDs.
What did we learn: Can't say there's been much to learn about Dallas yet. If they're looking for a WR2 to step up alongside Roy Williams, Sam Hurd looks like the guy right now. We saw too little of their starters to know where they really are. I'd be worried a lot about pass coverage if I were a Dallas fan from what I saw tonight. If cautious excitement is the reining mood in Raider Nation, I'd have to agree. Jamarcus Russell's definitely showing progress. McFadden adds a whole other dimension to their offense if he stays healthy. They're still doing it the Raider Way in Oakland with the vertical passing game, and it's by God working. Maybe the Silver and Black are the surprise team I've been looking for this season.
Up next: When I started this recap, the next game would have been Rams-Jets from Friday night. As I actually finished this on Sunday night, however, it's looking more like Redskins-Ravens.
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