Semi-official Oakland Raiders 2015 regular season game thread

[Quake Griffin]

Torn MCL for Allen.

out for several weeks.

[benchmobbin02]

Happy with the Taylor Mays signing. Way more than if it would have been Young. Hope they call up McDonald before they sign him back. With the possibility that Wooc and Allen will be out for weeks I think they will have to get 2 other safeties on deck (one already being Mays).

[Neddy]

Torn MCL for Allen.

out for several weeks.

if he tore his MCL he is out for season. it would be foolish to bring him back prematurely on a team with no playoff chance and risk a career of a player whom we just signed to a multiyear deal. let him rest and see him next season.

[Neddy]

Happy with the Taylor Mays signing. Way more than if it would have been Young. Hope they call up McDonald before they sign him back. With the possibility that Wooc and Allen will be out for weeks I think they will have to get 2 other safeties on deck (one already being Mays).

Im glad to have him back too, but our season appears to be over before it ever got off the ground. all I am hoping for is to have an injury free season for Amari Cooper and Mack, and Aldon Smith stays trouble free and resign.

I really do not understand why I pay a small fortune to buy NFL Sunday Ticket package on DirecTV just to watch my team get their asses kicked every sunday anymore.

[benchmobbin02]

Just in case you didn't know, GipsySafety over on reddit is better than you, he is better than me. Better than everyone we know, haha.

His Game post from reddit -
https://np.reddit.com/r/nfl/comments/3kxafs/week_1_cin_oak_game_summary/

[Quake Griffin]

[Twinkie defense]

What is that from?

[Quake Griffin]

PFF grades spotted on another forum

[Twinkie defense]

I pretty much nailed it - see who needs stat geeks watching video and putting marks in their little checklists? Just watch the damn games.

[FNQ]

'Yeah! analytics are all well and good when it agrees with my eyeballs!'
- everyone who has ever disagreed with analytics, ever

Though I don't think it was particularly tough to see who had a decent game and who didn't. Tuck got a TON of credit for batting down a couple balls when the reason behind that was him getting stuffed at the line the entire game. I think Dan Williams had the best game on the team by a few miles.

[FNQ]

Torn MCL for Allen.

out for several weeks.

if he tore his MCL he is out for season. it would be foolish to bring him back prematurely on a team with no playoff chance and risk a career of a player whom we just signed to a multiyear deal. let him rest and see him next season.

MCL is far less severe than ACL, which is what I think you're thinking of. Or maybe PCL. But 2 months is enough time to rehab a torn MCL. And most importantly for the Raiders, it means that Allen doesn't have to go to year long IR, which would guarantee his money for next season. Him playing again this year is important because it gives us an idea of if the injury has affected him permanently, and if we should retain him next year. If not, we cut him without cap penalty in the offseason.

[Twinkie defense]

I don't think it was particularly tough to see who had a decent game and who didn't. Tuck got a TON of credit for batting down a couple balls when the reason behind that was him getting stuffed at the line the entire game. I think Dan Williams had the best game on the team by a few miles.

Williams was solid. Don't forget Tuck's blocked PAT as well...

[FNQ]

That's true but PFF has its own special rating system for special teams that usually doesn't get factored into their overall grade on the front page, which is what's shown above.

[Twinkie defense]

BTW I don't "disagree" with analytics, I just think they only work alongside more traditional analyses, not on their own. And I prefer something more akin to a coach doing a film cutup than just tracking numbers. Some of the more spatially-oriented analytics like those used in soccer, as well as the NBA's SportVU player tracking are very promising.

[Neddy]

Torn MCL for Allen.

out for several weeks.

if he tore his MCL he is out for season. it would be foolish to bring him back prematurely on a team with no playoff chance and risk a career of a player whom we just signed to a multiyear deal. let him rest and see him next season.

MCL is far less severe than ACL, which is what I think you're thinking of. Or maybe PCL. But 2 months is enough time to rehab a torn MCL. And most importantly for the Raiders, it means that Allen doesn't have to go to year long IR, which would guarantee his money for next season. Him playing again this year is important because it gives us an idea of if the injury has affected him permanently, and if we should retain him next year. If not, we cut him without cap penalty in the offseason.

ah, thanks for the clarification. Indeed I was thinking of ACL. good to know that the injury won't be a season ending kind. we can use a break here and there.

[benchmobbin02]

Good News!

[tweet]https://twitter.com/BairCSN/status/643956388847206400[/tweet]

[FNQ]

I'm not really pumped about this. I wouldnt be pumped even if Carr could practice all week, but its looking like he'll be limited going up against a top of the line D that can stuff our run game and force him to pass. I'm firing up BAL's D in fantasy this week, unfortunately.

But silver lining: good to know Carr's mistake doesn't take game time away from him. Hopefully he learns to slide, knowing that he's an important piece, and this doesnt happen again

[FNQ]

BTW I don't "disagree" with analytics, I just think they only work alongside more traditional analyses, not on their own. And I prefer something more akin to a coach doing a film cutup than just tracking numbers. Some of the more spatially-oriented analytics like those used in soccer, as well as the NBA's SportVU player tracking are very promising.

PFF is traditional analysis by former pro scouts that use a grading system. All they do is look at film in the same way that Synergy does. SportVU is a knockoff of Synergy, which *wait for it* is a knockoff of PFF, except they choose to not take the data they compile and put it into a composite grade. The only analytic part of PFF is their overall grade, but your criticism makes sense in that it's been consistent, yet you don't know what PFF actually does. Maybe if you took the time to learn instead of critique when you don't like the results, you'd see why it's become so prominent.

[FNQ]

https://twitter.com/Andy_Benoit

This guy breaks down games by film, a good follow. Here's his tweets on Raider game:

#Raiders #Bengals Film: Hill 3-yd TD LB’s Armstrong and Heeney were both clean to him in the backfield, both whiffed.

Film: #Raiders a 4-3 on paper but employed 3-4 concepts at times, Dan Williams the NT.

Film: #Bengals featured read-option concepts, including passes off it.

#Raiders Film: in nickel Thorpe played outside, Hayden the slot. Thorpe a lanky 6’2”, 185.

Film: #Raiders almost all vanilla zone coverage. Idea is for defenders to think less, play faster.

Film: Sanu 28 yds was built-in WR screen off read-option. 2nd time Raiders had only 2 guys over 3 WRs; the first time Bengals handed off.

#Bengals Film: Next play Eifert 31 yds on standard Cover 3 beating TE seam route from 2x2.

Film: #Bengals next WR screen #Raiders again had trouble lining up vs. same look. Woodson had to coax LB Smith over there. Sanu 6 yds. (Malcolm Smith, not Aldon)

#Raiders #Bengals Film: Green dropped TD after beating Carrie’s Cover 3 boundary lock.

Film: on 3rd-and-6+ #Raiders played Cover 2 or Cover 3. Very committed to being a zone D.

#Bengals Film: Green 30 yds on 3rd-7 another straight seam concept vs. Cover 3.

Film: #Raiders foundation far and away 4-3 and one-gap concepts. The 3-4 concepts were anomaly.

Raiders Film: in nickel Aldon Smith played LDE, Mack RDE. Smith’s presence means Mack may not be weak side only this year.

#Raiders #Bengals Film: Aldon Smith rusty; Whitworth had no trouble with him.

#Raiders Film: Tuck energy and great awareness in second half, handful of solo stops on first three series.

#Raiders Film: Linebackers Armstrong and Smith did a good job against multi-crossing route concepts.

#Bengals #Raiders Film: Eifert 8-yd TD Hayden smothered him in slot but had back turned to ball. Dalton good recognition to throw it high.

Film: #Raiders almost zero blitzes and what few twist and stunts they did were ineffective.

#Raiders Film: Carr deliberate effort to find Cooper at shallow levels on quick timing. Up and down results.

#Raiders Film: Olawale long run called back by hold that Atkins drew via penetration. Run never happens w/o Atkins being held.

Film: #Bengals variety of basic coverages, Cover 2 one of the staples. Had success.

#Raiders Film: lack of athleticism between RG Webb and RT Howard could be an issue. Both lack lateral fluidity, will be vulnerable to stunts

#Bengals #Raiders Film: Dunlap sack he simply rushed around Howard. Deeper dropback by QB.

#Raiders #Bengals Film: RT Howard Walked back multiple times by Dunlap’s bull rush.

#Raiders #Bengals Film: Nelson INT McGloin predetermined throw, targeted (and overthrew) only man essentially doubled. Stared down, too.

Film: #Raiders deliberate effort to isolate Cooper, he was often the X-iso in trips and quad sets.

Film: #Bengals four-man rush broke down #Raiders pass pro more and more as game (and CIN lead) progressed.

Film: Almost not blitzing by #Bengals. Was it because they simply didn’t have to against this team?

Film: #Raiders had no sort of downfield pass game. #Bengals sturdy in coverage (single high and 2-high) and OAK pass pro iffy.

[FNQ]

tl;dr

- the right side of our OL is slow, lack conditioning

- we're going into cover defenses, which is not our DB's strong suits. Carrie and Hayden both are better man corners

- our pass rush is a work in progress

- we got killed despite keeping it simple