Raiders- Broncos Game 1

As I suspected the Raider defense was sandbagging during the entire pre-season. They came out ready and managed to stop Denver when it counted. With that said, the game was way closer than it should have been, 23-20. That old albatross: penalties, showed up early and stayed late. The Raiders committed 15 penalties, which kept Denver in the game.

Jason Campbell did what a Raider Qb. needs to do: help us win, don't help us lose. (I'm looking at ya' JaMarcus, you fucking oxygen thief.) Sebastian Janikowski kicked an NFL record-tying 63-yard field goal, three crucial points that turned out to be the difference in the game. There were breakdowns on both sides of the ball and there were penalty flags thrown, including one offensive series where The Raiders drew 3 straight flags. 

The refs spent a good part of the game breaking up scuffles throughout the chippy encounter. Rolando McClain narrowly escaped an ejection after throwing a sucker punch at a  hapless Bronco lineman. Which I attributed to the ongoing process of building a bully.  To help fix the penalty problem, The Raiders have brought in actual officials to officiate at practice this week. Hue's thoughts on the penalties? "Obviously, we committed them," Jackson said. "It's something we have to correct." I had my doubts about Jackson early on, but I'm starting to catch on to his way of thinking. 

Going into the game The Broncos had every reason to believe. Old school head coach, John Fox (a former Raider assistant) seemingly had injected them with some of that old "Anus of the Rockies" swagger. Meanwhile, the Raiders were 0-4 during the exhibition schedule and at times looked incapable of winning a single game this season.  Which once again proves that the pre-season is an indicator of absolutely nothing.  

Kyle Orton was ineffective and had trouble hooking up with any of his receivers other than Brandon Lloyd. In Orton's defense, he has no running game to support him and the offensive line was..... to say the least, offensive. His struggles led to Donkey fans booing loudly and chanting for Tim Tebow. For some Denver fans that wasn't enough, after the game a group of them announced that they would purchase space on billboards demanding that Tebow be anointed the starting Qb.  

As one despondent Denver fan put it: "We used to be a team that if we weren't in the Super Bowl hunt, it was a losing season." The fans had set aside $10,000 to use, if and when the Broncos made it to the Super Bowl. The fans reason that with Orton at the helm those chances are nil. So, they'll blow it on a couple of billboards, which is better than spending it on crack & whores. Kudos to Josh McHoodie, for stomping the Broncos into a mud puddle of mediocrity. Otherwise, we wouldn't have all this drama to keep us entertained.

Raider Notes:

It's the Buffalo Bills on the not yet frozen tundra of upstate New York next week. Consecutive road wins would be a nice way to start the season, Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Bills starting Qb. might be thinking otherwise.  A sloppy win over a bad team is still a win. The Raiders are now 8-0 over their last eight divisional games.  The Raider running game finally came to life in the form of Darren McFadden, while the pass attack was hit and miss. Punter Shane Lechler, added a 77-yard punt in the fourth quarter, tying a team record that has stood longer than many Raider fans have been alive.. 

The Raiders (1-0) won in Denver for the fourth straight season in coach Hue Jackson’s NFL head coaching debut. Handing the Broncos (0-1) their first loss in a home opener since 2000. After struggling in the pre-season, The Raider defensive unit showed some life. Tommy Kelly, Matt Giordano (who had been cut) Tyvon Branch and Quentin Groves forced the Denver offense into making a series of  comical errors. My quote of the week comes from Bronco stalwart Chump Bailey:  “It’s very disappointing because we talk about having to stop Darren McFadden, and we don’t do anything to stop him,”  

Highlights: Darren McFadden, 22 rushes for 150 yds. Sebastian Janokowski 63 yd. fg. Shane Lechler 77 yd. punt  Matt Giordano INT.   Donks: Eric Decker punt return 90yds for a td.

Lowlights: The Raider passing game (105 yds. total)  The Donks, Knowshon Moreno 8 carries for 22 yds. before finishing the game on the sidelines. 

The Other Side: Bronco fans need to drop the awe factor when it comes to Tebow, he is not their savior. What the Donks really need is fewer cats and more dogs. (Thank you! Dick Bennett & Teddy Brusci)