Moderately competent quarterbacking leads to Raiders win

by | Nov 22, 2009 | NFL Random Thoughts

Bruce Gradkowski is far from a star. In fact, pick an adjective – well-traveled journeyman comes to mind – that means average and it probably can be applied to the Oakland Raiders quarterback.

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Toledo in the 6th round in 2006 draft and he promptly started 11 games that season, throwing nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. His efforts that season, by far the most he has played, produced a sub-70 quarterback rating.

The Bucs let him play in four games the following year before letting him go and he spent last year as a backup for the inept Cleveland Browns before joining Oakland this season.

That should provide some insight into just how bad JaMarcus Russell was playing when Tom Cable finally pulled the plug and benched the former first overall pick. And Gradkowski’s performance Sunday against Cincinnati – a perfectly average game during which he completed half of his 34 passes for 183 yards (for two touchdowns with a pick and a lost fumble) – should also lend some credence to a post I wrote after the first game this year when Oakland pushed San Diego to the limit before losing late.

The Raiders defense – though far from good – has shown signs at times of competence this season. And the team has a three-headed running attack loaded with potential. But Russell’s ineptitude for most of the season has with rare exception covered up any gains the team might have made.

And off-the-field issues have further provided reason to ridicule the once proud silver and black.

Gradkowski or not, I didn’t think the Raiders had a chance at all of upsetting a surprising Cincinnati Bengals team that still controls its own destiny as far as capturing the AFC North title this season. But thanks to the joys of NFL Sunday Ticket, I flipped on the game with about three minutes left and there was the old Toledo Rocket quarterback methodically taking the Raiders down for a game-tying touchdown.

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Thursday night game’s first six minutes delightfully quiet

by | Nov 12, 2009 | NFL Media

When I first tuned into the San Francisco-Chicago game on the NFL Network tonight something seemed different. I heard the crowd noise but the broadcast otherwise was devoid of noise.

I asked my wife, a non-football fan, if she noticed. It took her a minute – she guessed two or three times and couldn’t come up with it.

Then the NFL Network folks fixed whatever the problem was and the announcers and their constant babble were back. But the announcer-free six or seven minutes that started the game were among the most pleasant football viewing I’ve done in awhile. Not that all announcers are bad – but many of them do talk a lot more than they need to in order to make the game entertaining.

Maybe this is something they could learn from.

Packer fans should get (understandable) boos out of their systems

by | Nov 1, 2009 | NFL Random Thoughts

Green Bay Packers fans booed Brett Favre vociferously Sunday afternoon as soon as he entered Lambeau Field for pregame warm-ups.

The boos got even louder when Favre took the field for the Vikings first drive of the game. It was loud and angry.

And that’s fine and good. Favre is a Viking now playing for one of the Packers’ main rivals in the NFC North. And it’s okay if those boos continue for the one, two or maybe three games Favre plays at his former home in Green Bay.

Favre has been a prima donna at times, holding the Packers’ front office hostage during several offseasons and then demanding a trade after the organization stood behind his replacement, Aaron Rodgers, just a few months after Favre announced his (first) retirement.

Understandably the emotions toward Favre were less in 2008 when he went to play in New York. The Pack only sees the Jets every fourth season and they are in no way rivals.
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Fascination with Favre gets further out of hand

by | Oct 30, 2009 | NFL Media, NFL Random Thoughts

Fox and the NFL moved kickoff of the Minnesota-Green Bay game Sunday to 3:15 central time because it’s a big game and because it’s Brett Favre’s return to Lambeau Field. No problem – I get that.

Television’s fascination with Favre jumps to yet another level, however, as Fox has announced plans for a Favre-cam.

Yes, Fox will have one of its cameras set to do nothing but follow Favre’s every move from the time he exits the tunnel until the time he returns to the locker room – who knows, maybe they’ll even follow him to the shower. Whatever footage they get will be streamed live on NFL.com.

Really?

I get that it’s a big game and that Favre’s return to the stadium he called home for 16 years is a big deal. But isn’t this taking it a step too far?

There are 53 guys on each team. There’s going to be roughly half the game where Favre is either watching the Vikings’ defense or, more likely, dissecting coaching photos.

Unreal. I didn’t think television’s love affair with the aging quarterback could get any more ridiculous. Clearly I’m wrong.

Jets fly past Raiders on the ground

by | Oct 28, 2009 | NFL Random Thoughts

A week after the Philadelphia stubbornly passed their way to a bad loss in Oakland the New York Jets illustrated for the Eagles and the rest of the NFL what teams must do to defeat the Raiders.

The first time the Jets got the ball – admittedly following a JaMarcus Russell fumble inside the five yard line – they handed the ball to Thomas Jones four times straight. It took until the fourth try before he scored the touchdown but it was no accident that the opening drive, short as it was, included no passes.

The week before, Andy Reid gave his backs, Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy, just 11 carries combined. The Jets’ combo of backs matched that total two plays into the second quarter. Leon Washington goes out with a broken leg? No problem. Shonn Greene comes in and rushes 19 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns. For the game the team romped for 316 yards on 54 carries. Not a bad day.

What a luxury it must be having a guy like Greene as your third running back – I don’t expect many games like the one he had Sunday, but he’ll be a more than serviceable complement to Jones as the season wears on and the weather gets cold.

But the bigger picture here is this: How do you beat a bad team that can’t defend the run? You pound them on the ground. Even if you don’t have backs with the skills of Jones, Washington and Greene or McCoy and Westbrook, there’s no excuse for not attempting to beat one of the bottom three teams in the NFL at defending the run without making running the ball a major part of your game plan.

Rex Ryan may be a rookie head coach in the NFL. But Reid should take a step back and learn a lesson from Ryan and his staff on successful game planning. I think the Eagles have as much talent as any of their competitors in the NFC East. But that Raiders game is going to come back to haunt them. And the players can stick the blame for that one on the coaches.