As the Raiders commemorate the 50th anniversary of the American Football
League, the glory days seem like a distant memory.
In the midst of a six-year 24-72 freefall with 11 or more losses in each
season, Oakland is at its low point as it opens with the second Monday
night game against its biggest tormentor during the bad stretch.
The San Diego Chargers, winners of three straight division titles, have
beaten Oakland 11 consecutive times -- the longest streak ever against a
Raiders team.
It's a huge game for the Raiders in that it is the first of three in a
row against AFC West teams, with both Kansas City and Denver looking
vulnerable in upcoming weeks.
Raiders coach Tom Cable deflected talk of the streak and doing their
best to put the past in the past.
"I think the most important things are, one, it's a divisional game and
those are big deals to us, and two, it's a chance for us to come out and
put who we are for the first time here in 2009 and show how far we've come."
Recent history has seen the Raiders open with embarrassing blowout
losses at home to AFC West teams that set the tone for seasons after
which neither head coach survived with his job.
In 2006, the Raiders gained 129 yards of offense in a 27-0 loss to San
Diego in Art Shell's debut, absorbing nine sacks in the process.
Two years later, the Raiders lost 41-14 to the Denver Broncos, with Jay
Cutler throwing for 300 yards, rookie Eddie Royal catching nine passes
for 146 yards and Oakland scoring all its points in the fourth quarter
of a blowout loss. Lane Kiffin was fired three games later.
As much as the Raiders attempt to put those games behind them, they
can't always forget.
In last season's San Diego games, the Raiders blew a 15-0 lead entering
the fourth quarter and lost 28-18 in Oakland, then were blown out 34-7
in San Diego.
"I've never walked off the field against San Diego with a win and that
just leaves a bitter taste in your mouth," strong-side linebacker Ricky
Brown said. "Those games last year. Those games last year stunk.
"We got our brains beat in but in the NFL it's week to week. You've got
another opponent to prepare for. That's how we're treating it."
Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard said there is no mystery about how the
Chargers will come at them, with a heavy dose of LaDainian Tomlinson and
Philip Rivers throwing to Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Darren
Sproles for good measure.
"We have a pretty good understanding of how they're trying to attack
us," Howard said. "It's all about aligning and assigning correctly and
making sure we're on top of it, we're reading the book as a defense,
seeing how they're trying to attack us, seeing when Sproles is flared
out a little bit. It's the little things."
Offensively, the Raiders have spent much of training camp upgrading the
NFL's worst passing game, with deeper pass routes and more options on
the routes.
How that plays out under the lights on Monday night remains to be see,
because third-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell will open the game with
two rookies at wide receiver -- first-round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey and
fourth-round selection Louis Murphy.
It happened because the Raiders' best player through much of training
camp, second-year wideout Chaz Schilens, suffered a broken fifth
metatarsal which will sideline him for at least the first two games of
the regular season.
Heyward-Bey has exhibited the speed the Raiders love but has also been
inconsistent catching the ball. Murphy has caught the ball fine but
occasionally was separated from it after the catch.
"I'm not fully into the rivalry, but I recognize it's big," Heyward-Bey
said. "We understand we're rookies. I remember when I played as a
freshman at Maryland, I had to play like a vet. That's what we have to do."
SERIES HISTORY
99th regular-season meeting. Raiders lead series 54-42-2. Chargers have
won the last 11 games and won last meeting in Oakland 28-18, overcoming
a 15-0 deficit as Tomlinson scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Notes, quotes
--WR Johnnie Lee Higgins led all Raiders receivers with 22 catches for
366 yards and three touchdowns last season after being inserted into the
starting lineup late in the season.
If being bypassed by two rookies in the starting lineup of Week 1 was a
blow to his confidence, it didn't show as he discussed what he plans on
doing in the opener.
"Can't nobody hold me down. I go out there and just say, `I am the best
thing,'" Higgins said. "And that's just how I feel. If I play one snap,
if I get the ball, I'll take it all the way to the house."
Cable said there should be opportunities for Higgins given how he
expects to deploy the Raiders' passing game.
"You really have to have three or four guys because of what we're doing
in terms of the concepts and everything," Cable said.
--After losing Jake Grove to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, the
Raiders acquired the man Grove replaced, Samson Satele, to be their center.
They also had John Wade, a veteran starter in both Seattle and Tampa Bay.
And the Raiders' starter is ... Chris Morris?
In his fourth season out of Michigan State, Morris will open against the
San Diego Chargers.
There were no announcements or seminal moments in his ascension.
"Last week I just started running with the first team," Morris said. "I
just started taking those reps. I don't think anyone said anything."
Morris has been a reserve at both guard spots as well as a center, the
position he played at Michigan State.
At his NFL rookie symposium, he won a life skills contest which won him
the use of a leased Hummer for two years, and Cable likes the way he thinks.
"He's a tremendously intelligent guy. Whatever limitations he has, he
overcomes them with his brain and knowing where to put his body, how to
get there. He just kind of plugs along and keeps grinding and trying to
perfect what he does."
--Second-round draft pick Mike Mitchell, who the Raiders hoped would
play a significant role on defense even if he didn't start right away,
will in all probability be relegated to special teams in the season opener.
Mitchell lost offseason time because his college class at Ohio
University graduated later than most schools, meaning he couldn't attend
some organized team activities, and because he twice aggravated a
hamstring injury originally sustained training for an NFL pro day.
"I'll get my opportunities when they come," Mitchell said. "It's
frustrating, but I'll get my chances."
Oakland will open with Tyvon Branch, a fourth-round pick last season, at
strong safety and Hiram Eugene at free safety. Chances are good, if
Mitchell develops as hoped, he will move in at strong safety with Branch
becoming the free safety, giving the Raiders a youth and physicality in
the deep secondary for years.
"I think (Mitchell's development) is coming along rapidly," Cable said.
"Even though he wasn't out here, he was studying and getting a lot of
film work in."
Mitchell says he's fine, but the Raiders will be crossing their fingers,
hoping the hamstring holds up on his first sprint down the field on
special teams. Mitchell, a big hitter in college who is an admirer of
Jack Tatum, can hardly wait.
He missed all four preseason games because of his hamstring pull.
"I never got a warm-up game. It's not going to be going up against the
(second team and third team) for three quarters. You're going up against
the best of the best and I'm eager to get out there and see what I can do."
--Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon says it pains him to say it,
but he says it anyway.
He hasn't been shy about criticizing the organization for which he was
the NFL's Most Valuable Player in 2002 and led to three consecutive
division titles.
"I wish they had a better product on the field and I want nothing more
than to see them do well; it's just hard for me to watch," Gannon said
on a Sacramento radio station.
He was sickened by the Raiders' 45-7 loss to New Orleans, and watched
with interest at stories of an alleged fight between coach Tom Cable and
assistant Randy Hanson that involves on ongoing police investigation.
"I can't honestly say that I'm surprised," Gannon said. "I can't look at
it and say, gee, that's a shocker to me. It's really not. I can't say
I'm surprised about anything that comes out of that place. They
certainly have the players, but you look at each level of the
organization, I just don't know if there's enough leadership there and I
think that's what holds them back."
BY THE NUMBERS
58 -- The number of Raiders' games in the regular season since they had
400 yards of total offense. Oakland gained 416 yards on Oct. 23, 2005 in
a 38-17 win over the Buffalo Bills.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I remember there was a fan, they like held the guy over the top of the
upper bowl. I just looked up like, `All right, welcome to Oakland.'" --
Linebacker Ricky Brown on the 2006 opener against San Diego as an
undrafted rookie.
PLAYER PERSONNEL NOTES
--LB Ricky Brown, who worked at both strong-side and middle linebacker
during training camp, will start at strong-side linebacker, replacing
Jon Alston.
--RB Justin Fargas is not likely to play a major role with Darren
McFadden and Michael Bush getting most of the work because he has been
slowed by a hamstring injury.
--CB Nnamdi Asomugha will play with a soft cast on his left wrist to
protect a chip fracture.
--SS Tyvon Branch makes his first start as a Raider, playing well in
pass coverage during training camp, and will get a big test immediately
in Chargers TE Antonio Gates.
--WR Nick Miller, an undrafted free agent from Southern Utah, will make
his debut returning kicks. He became the Raiders' primary kickoff return
specialist when Justin Miller (two TDs last season) was cut.
--DE Greg Ellis makes his Raiders' debut as the starting right defensive
end, replacing the departed Derrick Burgess. Ellis previously played as
an outside linebacker for Dallas in a 3-4 defense.
GAME PLAN
The Raiders have announced two rookies starting at wide receiver in
Heyward-Bey and Murphy, but instead they could go with two tight ends or
a dearth of single-back or empty-set backfields, giving them yet another
blocker in Oren O'Neal. The plan would be to run the ball with Darren
McFadden and Michael Bush, max protect Russell with a safe passing game,
hoping to spring McFadden on swings on the perimeter, and move the
chains with first-down passes to Zach Miller and/or Brandon Myers,
another impressive rookie. Defensively, the Raiders have historically
had trouble dealing with the Chargers' running game and their only hope
is to actually be more physical at the line of scrimmage, keep Philip
Rivers and Co. in front of them and hope for a turnover or two from
cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
Raiders LT Mario Henderson and RT Cornell Green vs. Chargers OLBs Shawne
Merriman and Shawn Phillips. Henderson finally started and flourished
when Cable pulled the plug on the ill-fated Kwame Harris experiment,
having solid games to close the season against Richard Seymour of New
England, Mario Williams of Houston and Gaines Adams of Tampa Bay,
committing no penalties and giving up no sacks. Any perceived
competition from free agent Khalif Barnes never materialized once Barnes
broke his ankle, and in fact Henderson had already been told the job was
his to lose. Green retained his job despite a shaky preseason when he
was prone to penalties and quick pass rushers. Merriman, who played in
only one game last season because of a knee injury, was a nightmare for
the Raiders in their last Monday night season-opening meeting with three
sacks; he has 6.5 sacks in his last three games against Oakland.
Phillips, more of a speed rusher while Merriman is a power/speed
combination, has 9.5 sacks against the Raiders -- the most against any team.
Raiders defensive line vs. Chargers offensive line. Tomlinson has now
played the equivalent of a regular season against the Raiders and has
rushed for 1,906 yards, with nine games of 100 yards or more. The worst
part for Oakland is that as good as Tomlinson is, he has often been
sprung into the second level by the Chargers' offensive front. The
Raiders traded for Richard Seymour, but there are no assurances he'll
play in Week 1 or whether he'll be in top form with new teammates. That
means new addition Greg Ellis, tackles Tommy Kelly and Gerard Warren,
and left end Trevor Scott will have to be stouter at the point of attack
than they've ever been before against San Diego.
INJURY IMPACT
--WR Chaz Schilens remains out recovering from a broken metatarsal and
will return for Week 2 at the earliest.
--OT Khalif Barnes is out of a cast and going through drills with the
defense but won't be ready to play until Week 2 at the earliest.
--RB Justin Fargas has missed more than a week of practice with a
hamstring strain and his status for the San Diego game is questionable.
--LB Isaiah Ekejiuba missed the last three preseason games with a
shoulder dislocation but is expected to play against San Diego.
