His locker room the picture of agony, devoid of anything other than the
realization that a very real opportunity to make a point in front of a
national television audience had slipped away.
So Tom Cable made his way to the post-game podium following a 24-20 loss
to the San Diego Chargers and talked about how happy he was that his
team was so miserable.
"They're very hurt," Cable said. "I've been a Raider since 2007 and it
felt like that was the first time in the locker room after a loss where
it really got us in the gut, and that's a good thing.
"That's the way you're supposed to feel about this game. So I'm proud of
them. Very proud of them."
The bottom line says the beat goes on. The Raiders have lost 12
consecutive games to the Chargers, seven in a row on Monday night and
seven in a row to open the season.
But somewhere within the despair was realization that the Raiders had
carried the fight to the prohibitive division champion, a team many
believe could end up in the Super Bowl.
"I feel like a lot more guys cared and put their heart in to into it,"
tight end Zach Miller said. "I think everyone felt we should have won
that game. It wasn't, 'Oh, yeah, we were barely in it and we just didn't
come through in the end.' We felt like we had that game."
With good reason. The Raiders went into halftime tied 10-10 despite
outgaining the Chargers 216-74, in part because of two turnovers - an
interception by Quintin Jammer of JaMarcus Russell and a Darren McFadden
fumble.
The Raiders lost an apparent touchdown on an officals reversal late in
the first half, with rookie Louis Murphy catching a 15-yard pass from
Russell, getting both feet down, then having the ball slip out just as
he came to the ground.
Cable was gratified the Raiders kept battling, striking for a 57-yard
Russell-to-Murphy touchdown with 2:31 to play after the Chargers had
gone ahead 17-13.
It went for naught as Philip Rivers, who completed 10 of 12 passes for
144 yards and a touchdown on the last two drives, got San Diego in
position for a 5-yard Darren Sproles run with 18 seconds remaining.
"By and large I'm very excited about what this team has come to and
where we're headed," Cable said. "I can't wait to get back to work and
get ready for Kansas City. You've got to let this one go. It's tough,
but it's the NFL. A tough lesson, but a valuable one."
Notes, quotes
--Defensive end Richard Seymour paid immediate dividends with two sacks,
six tackles and pushing the pocket on plays when he didn't register
either. He played the majority of the game despite arriving Saturday and
doing no more having conversations with his new defensive teammates at a
walkthrough.
"I made some plays, but I also made some mistakes," Seymour said. "We
let a team drive down the field on us to win the game, and as a defense
we can't let that happen. But I'm encouraged with what I see."
--The Raiders continue to streak in the wrong direction. The Chargers
have beaten Oakland 12 consecutive times. Oakland has dropped their last
seven Monday night games and their last seven season openers.
The Chargers, having escaped with a win, weren't putting much stock in
the records.
"They aren't the same team," tight end Antonio Gates said. "They have
guys that want to win and play hard. I'll tell you what - it was a
battle. They played their hearts out."
--One moment, rookie Louis Murphy had a 15-yard touchdown reception,
then he went to the locker room because of cramps. Shortly after he
returned, the play had been overturned by officials.
Murphy caught the pass in the end zone, with one foot hitting the ground
and then the other. Then, as he fell, the ball popped out at the last
second.
"I had no idea I lost the ball, honestly," Murphy said. ``I came down,
and when I was pushing myself up, that was the only time I really felt
the ball come out, when I was getting up to celebrate. All my teammates
thought it was a touchdown. Both my feet and rear end land in the end zone.
Coach Tom Cable echoed the same comments, and even though he was told
the league now insists on players controlling the ball all the way to
the ground - regardless of both feet touching with control - he said, "I
don't believe that's the rule, but we'll see."
--The Raiders were left scratching their heads after holding the
Chargers to 151 yards into the third quarter and then giving up 166 and
two touchdowns on two drives.
"We were playing off, maybe a little bit too soft," Cable said. "Rivers
did a nice job using his backs. I think that was really the difference
in the last few drives."
Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha doesn't think the Raiders will play it any
differently the next time, although he expects better results.
"You don't want to play tight on them at the end because that's when
they're going to do those crossing routes and pick you. So we tried to
go into more of a zone effect," Asomugha said. "I think that's what any
team would do in that situation. You can't beat yourself over the head.
If we do it again, we'd probably be doing the calls similar to what we
just did."
Strategy and personnel
PLAYER NOTES
--WR Darrius Heyward-Bey had no catches and one drop with four passes
thrown to him. He had another drop nullified by penalty.
--RB Darren McFadden had 51 yards on eight carries in the first quarter
and only 17 yards on eight carries in the last three quarters.
--WR Johnnie Lee Higgins did not finish the game after taking a
ferocious hit by Eric Weddle in the fourth quarter.
--G Robert Gallery left for two series with a back injury but returned
to finish the game.
--RB Justin Fargas was inactive with a hamstring pull.
--SS Tyvon Branch had nine tackles, a tackle for loss and a pass
defensed in his starting debut.
REPORT CARD VS. CHARGERS
PASSING OFFENSE
C-minus -- JaMarcus Russell was only 12-for-30, although he did hit some
big plays, gaining 208 yards. He had two interceptions, one in the first
quarter and the other a desperation heave to end the game. Zach Miller
was the only consistent threat among the receivers. Louis Murphy had
four catches for 87 yards and a score in his debut.
RUSHING OFFENSE
C-plus -- The Raiders had 32 carries for 148 yards and a 4.6 average --
better than they usually do against the Chargers. But Darren McFadden
had 51 of those yards in the first quarter alone and it tailed off
considerably as the game wore on.
PASS DEFENSE
C-minus -- Very good for much of the game, cornerback Chris Johnson and
strong safety Tyvon Branch in particular. Helped by a good push from the
defensive line, led by newly acquired ends Greg Ellis and Richard
Seymour, who combined for three sacks. Then Rivers passes for 144 yards
in the last to drives to steal the game.
RUSH DEFENSE
B-plus -- Rare is the day the Raiders outrush the Chargers. They nearly
doubled their total because Oakland's defense held San Diego to 77 yards
on 23 carries, a 3.3 average. LaDainian Tomlinson, who had 1,906 yards
in 16 games against Oakland for his career, had just 55 yards on 13 carries.
SPECIAL TEAMS
D: Darren Sproles got loose for kickoff returns of 66 and 59 yards, the
latter setting up a Chargers field goal to close the half and make the
score 10-10. Shane Lechler averaged 41.3 yards per punt with a long of
55 and put two balls inside the 20. Sebastian Janikowski converted his
only field goal attempt from 34 yards.
COACHING
B -- The Raiders caught the Chargers by surprise immediately with
McFadden and Bush on the field at the same time, springing Bush for a
17-yard gain. They were clearly more ready to play and prepared for San
Diego. Miscues by players hurt more than strategic coaching decisions,
although Cable thought the defense late in the game may have been too
"soft."
