MODS PLEASE LOCK | The Oakland Raiders 2015 Season Thread: Week 17 @ Kansas City / 7-8

[kayzeezay]

Definitely need Crabtree back next year (never would I thought I'd be saying that)

 

[khalilmack52]

Love the fight in this team

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

****, needed New England to win.

 

[oaklandca]

 

[njavier03]

Murray isn't bad. He's just hella inconsistent. We just need a better blocking scheme and mix up the pass and run more, so we're not so predictable. Good win though and poise by Carr shown in the game winning drive.

 

[kayzeezay]

Great game by Cooper as well, especially after the game he had last week

 

[oaklandca]

Why didn't the Titans call a timeout and establish cadence after the first down to Delanie Walker late in the fourth?

I feel like the no huddle worked great for us, but backfired for them on that drive.

They literally gift wrapped the game to us. 

 

[raider5]

Murray isn't bad. He's just hella inconsistent. We just need a better blocking scheme and mix up the pass and run more, so we're not so predictable. Good win though and poise by Carr shown in the game winning drive.

I'm not saying Murray is bad, I'm just saying he's not an every down back. We wanted him to be our version of Emmitt Smith (with Carr playing Aikman and Coop playing Irving). 

 

[khalilmack52]

Murray is 7th in the league in rushing though

 

[raider5]

Murray is 7th in the league in rushing though

Crazy. Maybe I'm trippin. Feels like Murray averages 60+yards a game tho

Edit: Even crazier that Thomas Rawls is in the top 10 and that boy only started like 3 games so far lol.

 

[khalilmack52]

Crazy. Maybe I'm trippin. Feels like Murray averages 60+yards a game tho

Edit: Even crazier that Thomas Rawls is in the top 10 and that boy only started like 3 games so far lol.

He's less than 300 away from 1,000 yards

 

[ciscokid]

I'm still pretty optimistic about Murray. Yall to quick ti pull the plug man

 

[khalilmack52]

this is Latavius' 1st full year starting im not ready to pull the plug

im ready to pull the plug on dj hayden

 

[njavier03]

agreed. i like murray. he has the size and speed to be a good back. he just needs some time. hes only like 24? i give up on hayden though. dude sucks. i was really hoping he was gonna be our shut down corner when we drafted him but then....

 

[Tigron]

I wouldn't say pull the plug on Murray either, but the OC needs to realize when he's not as effective as he should be, and move accordingly. We almost gave this game away on short passes run plays ranging from 1-3 yards. I'm happy we're adding another W to the record, but that just wasn't a good game at all offensively.

 

[raider5]

Spoiler: LM stats to date

REGULAR SEASON	GAMES	RUSHING	RECEIVING	FUMBLES
WK	Game Date	Opp	Result	G	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FUM	Lost
1	09/13	CIN	L   13-33	1	1	11	44	4.0	12	0	7	36	5.1	11	0	--	--
2	09/20	BAL	W   37-33	1	1	15	65	4.3	9	1	3	22	7.3	12	0	--	--
3	09/27	@ CLE	W   27-20	1	1	26	139	5.3	54	1	1	10	10.0	10	0	--	--
4	10/04	@ CHI	L   20-22	1	1	15	49	3.3	8	0	3	12	4.0	11	0	--	--
5	10/11	DEN	L   10-16	1	1	13	39	3.0	11	0	3	18	6.0	14	0	--	--
6	Bye		--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
7	10/25	@ SD	W   37-29	1	1	15	85	5.7	24	1	1	1	1.0	1	0	--	--
8	11/01	NYJ	W   34-20	1	1	20	113	5.6	26	0	1	6	6.0	6	0	--	--
9	11/08	@ PIT	L   35-38	1	1	17	96	5.6	44	0	2	-1	-0.5	3	0	2	1
10	11/15	MIN	L   14-30	1	1	12	48	4.0	14	0	5	29	5.8	8	0	--	--
11	11/22	@ DET	L   13-18	1	1	13	28	2.2	16	1	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
12	11/29	@ TEN	W   24-21	1	1	22	59	2.7	8	0	1	23	23.0	23	0	--	--
	TOTAL	11	11	179	765	4.3	54	4	27	156	5.8	23	0	2	1

I'm not saying pull the plug on him either but look at his last 3 games (granted, I know 1 is against MIN)...hate to bring it up again, but i wonder if that concussion Mike Mitchell laid on him is slowing him down. 2nd one in a 1 year span, he's a tall guy that runs real high..he's susceptible to those kinds of hits..

 

[khalilmack52]

He's been very inconsistent but he's shown flashes of being very good.

 

[laker4lifeman]

Hudson has also been injured don't forget that. Once he got injured OL has been shaky

 

[willie mcfly22]

Murray jus gotta learn how to run in traffic. He damn near standing straight up. I know he tall but he gotta learn how to get small when he in traffic. He takin them big hits, he not gonna last long in the league...

 

[kayzeezay]

Murray jus gotta learn how to run in traffic. He damn near standing straight up. I know he tall but he gotta learn how to get small when he in traffic. He takin them big hits, he not gonna last long in the league...

That standing up while running is what drives me crazy

 

[The_Isomotion31]

Would love to see a bruiser type RB to pair with Murray. First you get your ***** beat and just when you're glad to see that sub, you gotta go and try to catch Murray. lol.


Although if the Raiders keep airing it out, Murray will eventually just need to get past the D-lineman and he's in open space.

Teams will eventually go to more DB sets especially with Seth getting shine. I mean a Crab, Coop, Seth, Holmes formation ain't no way a Defense is gonna put a LB on one of those 4. Keep them in dime and one cut and run through the line. lol. and they damn well know they better have both safeties deep. Carr will throw a one- on- one.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Late Vic pieces coming down the pipeline now.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders keep hopes alive with win in Tennessee
By Vic Tafur November 29, 2015 Updated: November 29, 2015 5:20pm

View media item 1809538Raiders wide receiver Seth Roberts dives over the goal line to score on a 10-yard pass from Derek Carr on Sunday. The same duo connected against with a minute to play for the game-winning TD. Photo: Mark Zaleski, Associated Press
Photo: Mark Zaleski, Associated Press

NASHVILLE — Charles Woodson, the future Hall of Famer, was yelling at Seth Roberts, the former practice squader, at the top of his lungs as the reporters and cameramen moved closer Sunday afternoon.

“Tell ’em Seth!” Woodson said. “Tell ’em how you put the team on your back.”

Roberts’ 12-yard touchdown catch with 1:21 left saved the Raiders’ season, giving them a 24-21 win over the Titans. Oakland desperately needed a win after three straight losses and again can talk about the playoffs at 5-6.

Roberts, who had two touchdown catches in the game, had the same mind-set that he had when he was an undrafted free agent from West Alabama, and was cut by the Raiders last season and spent the year on the practice squad.

“My whole mentality was to stay alive,” Roberts said. “We are still in the position to make the playoffs. That’s big. … It was tough, but we got it done.”

And it was oh so close to being curtains for the Raiders at a deserted and soggy Nissan Stadium.

They were down 21-17, having given up 15 straight points, when on fourth down, Carr basically threw the ball up for grabs in the end zone against double coverage on Andre Holmes. It bounced to the ground, seemingly extinguishing Oakland’s chances, but Tennessee cornerback B.W. Webb was called for holding Amari Cooper on the other side of the field.

Two plays later, Carr found Roberts in the corner of the end zone for his career-high sixth catch (for 113 yards) of the day. Safety Nate Allen iced the win with an interception with 43 seconds left.

“I am really proud of the way the guys stayed in it,” Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said. “It was tough there. There was a reason to be discouraged. You’re in control of the game, and you fumble it. … They hung in there.”

The defense took bend-but-don’t-break as far as possible, with cornerback David Amerson turning in a stellar performance in his first start for the benched DJ Hayden. Amerson broke up six passes and had an interception when the Titans were in scoring territory.

The Raiders were up 17-14 when Carr fumbled the snap at the Oakland 42-yard line with 8:54 left. The Titans then scored the go-ahead touchdown, thanks to an unnecessary-roughness call on Khalil Mack and a pass-interference flag on Neiko Thorpe.

On the 1-yard line, quarterback Marcus Mariota faked the handoff, rolled right and found a wide open Jalston Fowler for the touchdown with 4:41 left.

That set up Carr for a 90-yard drive, the biggest chunk coming on a 31-yard pass to Roberts on 3rd-and-5.

“We just wanted to win,” Woodson said. “As ugly as it may have been, when you get a win, you feel good about it. … Today was huge for (Roberts) to go out and put together the type of game he put together. It saved us. We needed it.”

The Raiders needed a good-enough effort all around to beat the Titans (2-9).

Oakland got Cooper (seven catches, 115 yards) back in the offense and Carr threw three touchdown passes, including one to Michael Crabtree. Roberts’ game-winning catch was his second of the season (he had a 12-yard score late against Baltimore).

Del Rio gave Roberts the game ball, and after talking to reporters, the receiver carried it outside to show his 18 family members and friends from Tallahassee, Fla.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” he said. “Derek told me to be ready.”

The Raiders saw that they could get Roberts, lined up in the slot, open behind the linebackers.

“He’s so quick, so fast and adjusts to the ball so well,” Carr said. “A lot of those throws down the middle, if he doesn’t even get his hands on them, those are hitting the safety in the chest and people are booing me.”

The home fans should have booed Carr’s opposite, Mariota, after a couple of ugly interceptions with no receiver nearby. The first came with the Titans in scoring position and the second was to Allen, to seal the game. Those two plays — along with the away-from-the ball holding call that the Titans thought was horrible — were the difference.

“That play right there has been the last couple of weeks for us,” Carr said. This time, “we get another chance and we go win it. Finally, we won and it just feels good.”

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders’ Amari Cooper gets plenty of chances to catch passes
By Vic Tafur November 29, 2015 Updated: November 29, 2015 7:21pm

View media item 1809540Amari Cooper pulls down one of his game-high seven receptions. After haing only one catch a week ago, Cooper also collected a game-high 115 receiving yards. Photo: Wesley Hitt, Getty Images Photo: Wesley Hitt, Getty Images Amari Cooper pulls down one of his game-high seven receptions. After haing only one catch a week ago, Cooper also collected a game-high 115 receiving yards.

NASHVILLE — The first play went to Amari Cooper. He caught Derek Carr’s pass for 7 yards. The second play was also a throw to Cooper, but it fell incomplete.

The Raiders made clear they wanted to get their rookie receiver involved early and often, a week after he had only one catch at Detroit.

Check.

Cooper finished with seven receptions on 12 targets for a game-high 115 yards.

“It allows the playmakers to make some plays,” he said. “We all had our opportunities.”

Seth Roberts and Michael Crabtree made touchdown grabs, but Cooper broke a team record Sunday. He has 851 receiving yards, a rookie receiving mark; James Jett had 771 yards in 1993.

“It’s always good to break records,” Cooper said.

Cooper is more concerned with getting the win.

“This is the playoffs for us,” he said. “We are just trying to go 1-0 each week. Hopefully, we can get that done.”

Bad call? The Titans were unhappy with the late holding call on cornerback B.W. Webb, which gave the Raiders new life with 1:50 left.

“They were throwing left all the way,” Tennessee interim head coach Mike Mularkey said. “Somehow a call came from the right of where B.W. was. Where it came from I have no idea. … It changes the outcome of the game.”

No crowd: Titans players were shocked by the turnout Sunday. Though the paid attendance was listed as 58,075, there weren’t even close to half that many fans in attendance on a rainy day.

The loss was Tennessee’s 11th straight at home.

Cue the Benny Hill music: Roberts finished with 113 receiving yards and Carr said, “I feel like he could have had 200 yards if he didn’t run backward.”

Carr was referring to the last play of the first half when, with two second left, Roberts caught a pass and ran for 20 yards down the middle of the field before circling around to keep the play alive. He came back 15 yards before lateraling the ball to Cooper, who threw it to Carr.

Carr quickly slid down.

“I felt like the dad taking the ball and telling the kids to go inside when I kneed it,” he said.

Grounded air game: The Raiders really wanted to run the ball in the second half, giving Latavius Murray 11 carries for 28 yards in the first 19 minutes. The Titans didn’t budge, and Carr went back to the air to win the game late.

Briefly: On the Titans’ first touchdown drive, Marcus Mariota completed three passes to tight ends for 62 yards, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Craig Stevens. That was the 11th touchdown by a tight end against the Raiders this season. … The Raiders’ Denico Autry blocked an extra-point try and ran it back to the other end zone, but it was erased because of a forward lateral from cornerback TJ Carrie. … Carr took a shot to the ribs and was knocked out of the game for one play on the Raiders’ first series. Matt McGloin came into the game and threw an incomplete pass.

 

[Johnny_Cakes]

Raiders’ David Amerson delivers at cornerback
By Vic Tafur November 29, 2015 Updated: November 29, 2015 8:19pm

View media item 1809541David Amerson knocks the ball away from Kendall Wright. Amerson had six passes defensed and an interception in the game. Photo: Frederick Breedon, Getty Images Photo: Frederick Breedon, Getty Images David Amerson knocks the ball away from Kendall Wright. Amerson had six passes defensed and an interception in the game.
NASHVILLE — The Raiders’ coaches finally made what looked to be an obvious move Sunday, and were rewarded more than they could have imagined. Think about putting three quarters in a slot machine and hitting a jackpot.

Oakland benched struggling 2013 first-round pick DJ Hayden and started David Amerson at cornerback against the Titans. Amerson has been solid since he was claimed off waivers from Washington in September. On Sunday, he turned in the best performance by an Oakland cornerback in recent memory.

He broke up six passes, two in spectacular diving fashion, and had an interception — erasing Tennessee’s third-quarter scoring opportunity after Oakland kick returner Jeremy Ross fumbled.

Amerson “played great,” Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said. “He’s fought hard every day and every rep (in practice) and he’s very competitive, so he got the start today.”

Amerson, a second-round pick in 2013, admits that he carries a chip on his shoulder after being cut by Washington.

“I felt like I had something to prove,” Amerson said. “I definitely feel like I am a good corner in this league and I just want to prove that.”

At 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, Amerson has speed, a long reach and the dexterity to make plays on the ball when it approaches.

“He played well in what we call sticky coverage,” safety Charles Woodson said. “He was sticky out there. It was an outstanding performance.”

Amerson said the entire Oakland defense had something to prove.

“That we are a passionate defense, we go out there and compete,” he said. “We want to create turnovers and just be physical.”

As for Hayden, he didn’t play even on passing downs as an extra cornerback (Neiko Thorpe did and struggled, giving up a touchdown, a two-point conversion and committing a pass-interference call that led to another score.)

Hayden is 2 inches shorter than Amerson and does not have good ball skills. Opposing teams often had gone right at him to start games.

The coaching staff handles Hayden with kid gloves, and Del Rio said Hayden wasn’t necessarily benched.

“It’s not so much about DJ as about rewarding players that have been playing the best,” Del Rio said. “That’s what it was.”