Raiders- Saints Pre-Season Game 3

We knew that Nnamdi Asomugha would be missed, Kirk Morrison's absence is also felt and it  certainly didn't help that Richard Seymour couldn't play. We knew that rebuilding the D would have its growing pains, but damn... this is some scary shit.  Defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan needs to get his ducks in a row, we're at two weeks and counting before the season opener with the Donkeys of Mile High. 

For as long as we can remember the defense has shouldered the load while the offense contributed next to nothing. Now it appears that the roles have reversed and it's the offense that will have to save the day. That would be fine, if this was an explosive offense capable of generating twenty some points every game.  However, if the pre-season means anything this offensive unit will struggle to put up that many points every time out.

There were some bright spots in the New Orleans game. After falling behind 17-3 the Raiders roared back to take a 20-17 lead. The wheels came off after that with The Saints outscoring the Raiders 23-0 the rest of the game. The offense showed heart in coming back and Jason Campbell appears to have no ill effects from the knee to the head he took against the Niners. 

Drew Brees abused the Raider's defense and for the second year in a row The Saints poured 40+ points on them. The second half was a case of Raider-D comical missed tackles and a cluster fuck of missed assignments. When Chase Daniels marches down the field on you like he's fucking Aarron Rodgers you know something is wrong. 

Hue Jackson is not worried: “I think it’s easily fixed. I feel comfortable and confident that we’ll get them addressed and taken care of,”  yes! he's referring to the Raider's defense. A unit that has allowed opponents at least 400 yds. of offense in all its pre-season games. The Raider-D is last in total defense, last in yards allowed and next to last in third down conversions.

Your view of the Raider's chances in 2012 are contingent on whether you're a glass half empty or half full guy. The offense is coming along, Taiwan Jones could be a gem, Derek Hagan has been impressive and Sebastian is as strong as ever. On the other side of the ball, it looks bleak.

Cheer Up! Raider Nation, it's only pre-season or as Stanford Routt said with this beauty of a cliche, "We're 0-3 in the preseason, but we're 0-0 in the regular season. Got that right!

Random Notes: 

Terrelle Pryor did not suit up for the New Orleans game but is expected to play against the Seattle Seahawks in the pre-season finale.  The Raiders cut their roster down to 80, none of the players waived had been expected to make the team.  Veteran Corner Lito Sheppard has been signed to an unrestricted free agent contract in an attempt to shore up the sagging defense. Lito was with Minnesota last year and is now with his fourth team in four years.

Highlights: Jason Campbell 12-17 passing for a 150 yards, Sebastian Janikowski 57 yard field goal,

Taiwan Jones 13 rushes 81 yards and a td, Derek Hagan 6 receptions 121 yards and a td.

Lowlights: The Defense specifically DeMarcus Van Dyke and Bani Gbadyu

The Other Side: Joique Bell 2 receptions 92 yards, 6 rushes 50 yards and 1 td.  Drew Brees 15-23 passing for 189 yards, Chase Daniels 9 of 18 passing for 191 yards and 1 td.

Raider Nation Update

The Oakland Raiders selected Qb.Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State, in Round 3 of the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft. Last season for the Buckeyes, he threw for for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also ran the ball 135 times for 754 including four TDs. In 2009, Pryor completed 167 of 295 pass attempts for 2,094 yards with 18 TDs and led Ohio State in rushing with 779 yards. As a true freshman in 2008, Pryor was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year  after completing 100 of 165 pass attempts for 1,311 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he ran for 631 yards and six TDs.

The fallout continues from the shooting of two fans and the brutal beating of another at Candlestick during and after the preseason meeting between the 49'ers and Raiders. The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that the 49ers and Raiders game will not appear on next year's exhibition schedule. 

Meanwhile Jed York, Niners' President stated that there were increased security precautions taken at the game. He blamed the incidents on  "a handful of people who ruin the experience for everyone else."  York got together with Raiders CEO Amy Trask to answer questions about security issues at Bay Area NFL games. Trask pointed out that strict security measures are already in place for all Raider home games. Thus passing the hot potato back to needle dick York. 

When questioned about inadequate lighting in the parking lots of Candlestick, York sputtered "But you're going to have a lot of security out there. You're going to have a lot of SFPD." Which was an attempt to reassure fans that there won't be a replay of violence at the upcoming game with the Houston Texans. Of course not! who gets stoked for a game with the Texans? 

Apparently security has been an issue at Candlestick for some time. A fact that Jed York ignored as he fished around for a scapegoat "I think when you have a preseason game, when you don't have your regular-season ticket holders coming to the game, I think that plays a big factor into it" York would seem to be referring to the large number of Raider fans attending the game.  

Radio host Jim Rome, has long made references to "Raider Fan" singular. Insinuating that there is an arch-typical fan out there, who's behavior and appearance typifies all Raider fans. Tell anyone that you're a Raider fan and their most likely response will be "I Fucking Hate the Raiders" As a lifelong Raider fan I'm fully aware of how much abuse and ridicule gets tossed our way. Few other sport fans in this country get treated in this manner (Duke fans, maybe) 

Walking through a Walmart in Albuquerque while wearing my Raider pullover, I had a 10yr. old kid walk up to me and yell "The Raiders Suck." He then went back to Papa who gave him a high five while Momma beamed proudly at her little boy. Dad's smile turned to fear as I approached him, Mom pulled Junior close to her, but I just shook my head and walked past them.  You come to expect those things, Raider fans make the haters nervous, in one way or another we are everything that they fear.

  

UNM Lobo Football 2011

In all likelihood the departure of Stump Godfrey will derail any hope (slim as it was) of the Lobo football program turning the proverbial corner. With Godfrey under center during the last 5 games of of the 2010 season, the Lobos almost resembled a cohesive unit. Well... forget that, Stump Godfrey transferred out of UNM, leaving a biggoddamned question mark at Qb. 

Is UNM Head Coach Mike Locksley worried? Hell No! this man should've been fired after season one, he wasn't... he should've been fired after season two, he wasn't, worry? Mike Locksley doesn't worry he leads a charmed life. Now however his back really is against the wall and with B.R. (Better Run) Holbrook starting at Qb. the fire just got turned up on the frying pan.

The Lobo's cupboard is not completely bare, they do have a smattering of talent. Jr. tight end Lucas Reed and Sr. linebacker Carmen Messina, are all-conference caliber players. After that it's a crap shoot, when both your offense and defense are suspect... well the future can't bode well for the Wolfpack. Locksley, who would never be described as charismatic, bright or anything other than brutish and dull has this to say "Everybody wants to attack," he said. "If we just go out and play, our talent and experience is going to help us." 

Attack! what... a pizza?... talent & experience? maybe he's got us confused with Boise St., who by the way join the Mountain West this year.  Which brings me to my next point, the BYU zoobs and The Utah Utes are both gone. BYU miffed at being passed over by the west coast big boys, has stupidly chosen to go independent. While the Utes wisely accepted a bid from the then Pac-10 (now Pac-12) Conference slut TCU jumps over to The Big East with Nevada and Fresno St. joining the MWC in 2012. (since the break-up of the SWC, TCU has joined and left The WAC, Conference USA, The MWC and now The Big East)

What does this mean for the Lobos? well they won't lose to the Utes or BYU this year, other than that it signifies nothing.  The Lobos have won one game in each of Locksley's first two season, so the bar is set really low. The only conference teams UNM could hope to beat are Colorado St., Wyoming and UNLV. The Cowboys would be the best bet, although the season opener at home against the Rams could also be a win. As for non-conference games, Sam Houston St. and bitter instate rivals NMSU (whom Locksley has yet to beat) are their only realistic shots at victory. At the very best that's four possible wins, and that might be all Locksley needs to stick around until 2012.    

Coming Up!

Off to an 0-2 start in the exhibition season, The Raiders get a chance to right the ship against the New Orleans Saints at home.  The Saints are 1-1 and coming off a loss to the Houston Texans. Drew Brees and Chase Daniels split the Qb. duties for New Orleans, while Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram put up some solid rushing stats.  With Jason Campbell undergoing a concussion test, Kyle Boller will probably get the call. Which means that points will once again be at a premium and the defense will have to shoulder the load.

Go Raiders! 

Raiders- 49'ers Pre-Season Game- 2

Give no props to Al Davis, for we got nothing from the Raiders. Another pre-season, another ass-kickin' from the 49'ers. I saw nothing to convince me, that this is the year Raider Nation returns to glory (You can skip the glory hole jokes) The offense sputtered, Jason Campbell got hurt, the defense shouldered the load till they got tired... end of story. 

To quote Gertrude Stein: "but not there, there is no there there" yes she was talking about the city by the Yay, that's Oakland motherfuckers, not San Francisco. Although, she is right, there is no offense there, there is no spark there, there is no direction there. There is no quarterback there, Jason Campbell is as mediocre as they come, Kyle Boller is a career back-up and Trent Edwards is Trent Edwards no matter who he plays for.

Will this be another season of the defense staying out on the field until they're played out? Will we finally get those vital third down stops or pick up that 1 or 2 yards for a first down? Will Janokowski kick 'em true and straight? Will we finally step up against inferior teams and win some fucking games? Huh!... I asked those same questions at the start of last year and the year before.

Through a succession of head coaches, the Raiders have behaved like zombies, with vacant eyes and no fucking heart!. Hue Jackson is going to change all that, although he's yet to show us that he's an improvement over Tom Cable. Granted it's pre-season, and The Raiders have never been the type of team that you can judge based on how they do during the exhibition season. 

I'll toss a few cliches out there, the season is a marathon, not a sprint and they don't give Lombardi Trophies for winning pre-season games. Yes! all that is true, but losing to those grab-asstic assholes from across the bay is getting old. The Niners led by a pussy quarterback who is quickly becoming the new Joey Harrington, can still find a way to beat the Raiders. 

Raider Notes: 

Oakland Qb. Jason Campbell was knocked out of the Raiders’ exhibition game against the San Francisco 49ers, with a possible concussion after getting kneed in the helmet.  In a scenario that is all too common for Raider fans, Campbell dove to recover his own fumble and caught a knee to the head. On a more ominous note newly acquired tight end Kevin Boss left the game with an injured left knee after taking a helmet to the knee following a catch. “It’s nothing serious, that’s for sure,” Boss said. “Take a little time to heal up."

Two fans are also going to take some time to heal up. After the game two men were shot and wounded in the parking lot of Candlestick Park. The victims are a 24-year-old man, who was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, and a 20-year-old man, who was hospitalized and was expected to survive, their names have not been released. It could be a case of fraticide, although the man in critical condition was wearing a jersey that said "Fuck the 49'ers" the man arrested for the shooting was decked out in Raider gear.

The shootings occurred around 8 p.m. PT, shortly after the 49ers' 17-3 victory, The 20-year-old victim was discovered in the Candlestick lot, suffering from superficial wounds to the face, according to the newspaper. Police report that: "We are treating it as separate shootings, but we believe they are related," The two victims and the suspect had all attended the game. Police also reported that a third man, from San Rafael, Ca. was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after he was assaulted and knocked the fuck out in a restroom at Candlestick during the game. No word on what jersey he was wearing.

Highlights: Darrius Heyward-Bey caught two passes for 41 yards (the longest for 23 yds). Derek Hagan caught three passes for 32 yards. Highly touted rookie Denarius Moore caught two passes for 28 yards, but he did have a spectacular kick return for 48 yds. Michael Bush carried 6 times for 26 yards as the Raiders got little production from their rushers. Jason Campbell was 5-7 for 75 yds. passing and Boller added 56 yds. (6-11)

Lowlights: Trent Edwards sucked the life out of the offense, the stadium and the entire bay area while he was out there. 

The Other Side: Alex Smith did just enough to hold on to his job, but the more I see of Colin Kaepernick the more I like him. Kendall Hunter ran like an All-Pro picking up 105 yards on just 9 carries.

Left Nut Nation

Why Left Nut Sports? because like so many sports fans, I would give my left nut to see my teams win. The Left Nut will cover the NFL with an emphasis on The Raiders. 

That however is not what we're all about, college sports, primarily UNM Lobos and NMSU Aggies men's sports will be included. This doesn't mean that we'll shower them with unconditional love, harsh criticism will be meted out.
  
So stand by, fellow sophisticates, for raw sports from the Left Nut. If you're a Raider fan, declare your allegiance and have your name put on our Raider Nation roster.  If you have any Raider Hater stories drop me a line.