MVN - Most Valuable Network

Raiders Redux

Plenty has changed since the Broncos avoided short term disaster against the rival Raiders at home thanks to a well-timed timeout by Mike Shanahan which earned him some notoriety during the season.  The Broncos were a tenuous 2-0 off two thrilling Jason Elam field goals and the Raiders looked like they were heading to another sub-par season.

The latter held true, but the Broncos’ season then turned downright mediocre with a 3-6 record and needing to be practically perfect to challenge San Diego for the division title.  The Raiders broke an ignominious 17-game losing streak against the AFC West last week against the Chiefs, handing them the critical seventh loss.  There’s no doubt they’d love to sink another division rival with that number, and there’s no doubt Shanahan will do whatever he can to keep his team relevant in 2007.

RAIDERS OFFENSE

Things have changed massively on this unit from Week 2, when Josh McCown was the quarterback and Lamont Jordan gashed the Broncos’ run defense for 159 yards.  Jordan has fallen out of favor, with Justin Fargas taking control of the starting running back job.  Meanwhile, Daunte Culpepper supplanted McCown, but he is questionable with a quadricep injury.  The real kicker is that McCown also appears on the injury list with a finger injury.  This has led to widespread speculation that first overall pick Jamarcus Russell will get his first NFL start, or at least a few snaps during the game.

When Russell came out of the college game from LSU, he reminded me a lot of Culpepper—thus it was no surprise to me when the Raiders signed Culpepper soon after drafting Russell.  Like Culpepper in his prime, Russell has that big arm to go deep like Al Davis wants to see, and a big frame that makes him difficult to bring down in the backfield.

If Russell does play, however, he’ll also have a handful in the passing game with Champ Bailey and Dre’ Bly out there.  Should he get on the field, I like the Broncos being a bit less aggressive up front like Jim Bates would prefer, and to try to force the rookie to force a pass that could be batted, deflected, or intercepted.  For McCown, getting more pressure would be needed to disrupt his rhythm—but the safeties will need to make sure that the middle of the field is covered, as short passes in that area have been weak for the Broncos recently.

The transition from Jordan to Fargas is also a switch in style of play.  The Raiders trade the physicality of Jordan for the speed of Fargas.  Fortunately, I think this style lends better to the Broncos’ quicker linebackers, and with adjustments made to fix the previously porous run defense, I’d be a bit disappointed if the Broncos can’t keep Fargas in check.

RAIDERS DEFENSE

Something funny has happened to a defensive unit that earned kudos from last season in a grave disappointment.  The run defense has plummeted all the way to the worst in the league, a position Denver once held.  The decision to dump Gerard Warren to the Silver and Black looks better now, doesn’t it?

The Broncos are also expected to get Travis Henry back healthy, after a knee injury sidelined him for several weeks.  Henry has also not heard from the league whether or not he will be suspended for a year, and thus will likely be available for another game.  Selvin Young is also probable after missing the Chicago game.

Does the formula look evident?  I expect the Broncos to run heavily, after suggesting a more pass-happy scheme last week.  Establishing a strong running game will also assist in clearing out the secondary, and set up Jay Cutler for some strong passing later on in the game.  Bootlegs and pass action should be expected.

On that note, it will be curious to see if Javon Walker gets any action tomorrow.  He played only two snaps against the Bears, and it became evident that he was far from 100%.  I will assume the same for this week, and it will be key for the third receiver—be it Glenn Martinez or a tight end—to make big plays against a Raiders defensive back.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 4:29 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.