Lessons from the Titans-Raiders game

I didn’t catch the first quarter of the Tennessee v Oakland game Friday night but it only took a quarter to learn two lessons.

First, Tony Siragusa is one of the worst sideline reporters in the history of football. He stands on the sideline making stupid wisecracks and adds nothing to the Fox broadcasts, just like two or three years ago when the only difference was that he did the same thing only louder.

Second, damn, Chris Johnson is fast. The Titans’ Lightning to Lendale White’s Thunder doesn’t appear to have the softest hands when it comes to catching the ball. But whether it’s running outside or busting up the middle the fastest rookie at the 2008 NFL Combine in Indianapolis (4.24 40-yard dash) translates that speed to the field well.

Johnson entered the game with Kerry Collins with about seven minutes left in the half and he immediately busted off back-to-back 15-yard runs before the Raiders defense held him to two yards on his next two carries. But then on the next drive he nearly busted a long touchdown, gaining 13 yards before a touchdown saving tackle took him down. He ended the half with 44 yards on six carries and continued to make it likely that White will be in a job-share.

Darren McFadden, the Raiders’ first-round running back, also looked good, busting off a 25-yard run at the end of the half, leading to a 56-yard Aaron Elling field goal. Michael Bush, the second-year player who sat out last season recovering from a broken leg his last year at Louisville, also had a nice run where he was originally hit at about two yards but kept his legs chopping and turned the play into a solid five-yard gain.

Combine that duo with Justin Fargas, a surprise 1,000-yard rusher from last season, and the Fox commentators weren’t conducting brain surgery when they predicted that the Raiders would not be a passing team this season.