A response to Cutler, Broncos shred hapless Raiders

Well folks, as promised I am here to take my licks. I think it is safe to say that at this point my optimism for the Raiders is a little misguided. I don't even know where to begin, but I will try.

Let's start with the good: The offense did NOT look helpless. The run game looked good and the O-line looked solid. The rush defense looked very much improved, though you couldn't tell late in the game once the defense had worn down. Denver had a hard time running in the first half, though. Higgins showed some promise as a kick returner and our special teams looked decent in general.

Now on to the bad, which is unfortunately the majority of this discussion. Kiffin did not try to get creative with the offense as often as I would have liked. The botched reverse was an attempt to throw Denver off, as was lining up McFadden at QB. However, I wanted to see Mcfadden lined up as a WR with Fargas AND Bush in the backfield. Russell showed many signs of being a young and inexperienced QB but he also showed some promise. Unfortunately the coaching staff didn't want to open up the offense until they were down by 17. At that point it's too late.

Our pass defense, which is supposed to be one of this team's biggest strengths, was horrendous! There was absolutely no sign of a pass rush. Even with the talent in the Raiders secondary Cutler was able to go through all his progressions and find every open receiver. Our D-Line and blitzers practically gave him enough time between the snap and release of the ball to monitor his insulin levels!  Rob Ryan needs to get more creative with his blitz packages and the LBs need to be included more often. With all the money and talent in the secondary we should be able to leave all the corners and safeties in man coverage on ANY play while rushing the house at the opposition.

Denver fans: I have to give it to you! I would knick-name this game the "Beat Down in Oaktown"! Cutler looked fantastic, as did the receiving corps. The running game looked a little slow, but that's never anything to worry about in a Shanahan offense. Your run defense still looks questionable, but it doesn't look like Cutler and company will have a hard time keeping you in any games this season! I really liked (hated, but I'm trying not to be biased) Shanahan's creativity in the playcalling. He really used Royal to his full potential and the trick plays kept Oakland defensively off balance all night.

 Spurs10 and Calirado21: MAN! You guys were right about Eddie Royal! This kid looks like the real deal. I saw him quite a bit at Virginia Tech, but was skeptical about his talents transferring to the next level. Boy was I wrong! I bet Denver fans are salivating just thinking about him and Marshall being lined up opposite of one another.

Congrats Denver fans. You deserve to hear that from a Raiders fan because you gave us an old fashioned beat down. I knew we would suffer some growing pains this year, but I didn't think they would hurt this bad!