Saturday, August 27, 2005
Raider game re-cap
A very mixed emotion game. The redbirds are definately not ready for prime-time, but I have not been more excited for a season than I have this year. Let's start with the good stuff:
- Antrel Rolle - stud, led the team in tackles, was talking trash to Randy Moss (how cool is that), and is starting to prove to be the best corner for AZ since Aneaus Williams
- Both DE's Okeaker, and Berry. And Calvin Pace for that matter. These guys have too much speed and caused all kinds of trouble for Kerry Collins - I love seeing the forced fumbles. Season tickets are worth buying just to see these guys on the field together.
- Boldin is still our best player - go buy his jersey!
- Marcel Ship averaged over 8 yards per carry again - give him the ball!
- JJ Arrington started to find something of a rythm (slowly)
- Our linebackers are strong - starting too like Eric Johnson - not just because of the interception
- I like that we struck for the end zone right away after Berry recovered the fumble. Golliday was wide open and easily walked into the end zone because the Raiders were not expecting us to strike fast.
- The offensive line, even with all the new faces, has got to find a way to get it together. The failed 2-pt conversion and 2 other plays did not work for the same reason - no one blocked the Raider's right DE. Why would Leonard Davis and Reggie Wells both block the same guy and allow the DE to come in untouched? Is this Davis' fault because he was lost? or was someone else supposed to pick him up and the line calls were missed? I don't know, but they have one more week to fix it.
- Oliver Ross had a so-so outing. I saw him get worked on one play where the Cardinals were on the 3-yard line and third down we went for the end-zone. His man just pushed Ross into Kurt and Kurt had to throw it away.
- The Raider touchdown had nothing to do with Randy Moss, it was that our entire team fell for the play action - they bit hard and Moss just slipped through for 6 points
- Scott Player has been terrible this pre-season - I hope he shakes the slump
- John Navarre has not been very good, even for a 3rd string QB
- Need to establish the running game - even if it is boring and we lose the game big time for the pre-season, but I think we should just line up and run to fiigure this thing out. In the real season, we have to do what it takes to win, but for now - practice running
