Live Blogging Game 4

Welcome to The Eye Patch's live in-game blogging of the Raiders 4th game of the season vs the Miami Dolphins.

• GAME BALLS: Daunte Culpepper (5 of 9 for 75 yds, 2 TDs, 28 yds rushing for 3 TDs), Justin Fargas (179 yds on 22 carries), Jerry Porter (3 catches for 52 yards and 2 TDs), Raiders Offensive Line (299 yds rushing, 3 rushing TDs, 2 passing TDs, 1 sack allowed)

• (END OF REGULATION) OAK 35 - MIA 17 Oakland snaps a road losing streak that extends back to October of 2005.

• (Q4 0:23) Raiders opt to go for it on 4th down rather than kick the field goal. Culpepper bootlegs right for his 3rd rushing touchdown of the game. Again, he can't run. Why is he running? TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! OAK 35 - MIA 17

• (Q4 1:52) Raiders look content to just pound the ball and run out the clock.

• (Q4 3:02) Fargas takes the inside handoff on a fake bootleg, then rumbles 28 yards to the Dolphins 7. Clock is ticking.

• (Q4 3:12) Cameron does challenge...and loses. Dolphins burn their last timeout.

• (Q4 3:12) Gah! Fargas coughs up the ball, but the officials call him down. Replay shows that it could go either way. 3rd and 8, and Kiffin calls a timeout because the game clock is winding down. Will Cameron challenge the call on the field?

• (Q4 5:29) Tack on another 13 yards for Fargas. Monster game.

• (Q4 6:08) Fargas busts for 32 yards, pushing him to 132 yards on 15 carries. This is a redemption game for the O-line.

• (Q4 6:17) Raiders takeover after the Brandon Fields punt. Johnnie Lee Higgins watches from the sideline as Chris Carr takes over on punt returns now as well.

• (Q4 7:02) Down by 11 the Dolphins run twice to start their drive. Cam Cameron is an offensive genius? Not without Ladanian Tomlinson he's not.

• (Q4 7:58) Forget the 1st down. How about a touchdown. Beautiful pass to Porter down the right sideline, TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Wow! Every time the Dolphins get close, the Raiders have answered. OAK 28 - MIA 17

• (Q4 8:04) Nine straight running plays have burned 7 minutes off the clock. Raiders face a big 3rd and 8 from the Dolphins 28. This could be the ball game. Culpepper calls timeout to talk it over with Kiffin. Do you have any fingernails left?

• (End of Q3) OAK 21 - MIA 17 Raiders start on their own 20 after another special teams mistake. Adimchinobe Echemandu catches the kickoff rather than letting Chris Carr grab it.

• (Q3 0:08) Justin Peele must be wearing an invisible uniform, because the Raiders defense doesn't seem to see him when he's on the field. Wide open for the 4 yard TD pass from Green. The Dolphins make the Raiders pay for Higgins fumble. OAK 21 - MIA 17

• (Q3 2:45) Johnnie Lee Higgins coughs up the ball on a punt return to negate all the fine work by the defense on the last series.

• (Q3 2:58) Thomas Howard with a nice tip on a Green pass to snuff out another Miami 3rd down conversion. The Howard - Morrison combo have been just awesome.

• (Q3 4:00) The immobile Daunte Culpepper rolls left for the 9 yard run and dive for the pylon, TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Man, that guy can't run. What does he think he's doing? Someone needs to tell him he can't run anymore. OAK 21 - MIA 10

• (Q3 5:10) Fargas busts a 34 yard run. Tack on an additional 15 for the horse-collar tackle for the 1st anf goal from the 9.

• (Q3 6:10) The defense has done a great job of containing the Dolphins. Miami has only converted on 3 of 9 3rd down chances. Time for the Raiders offense to earn their pay. I'd like to see Kiffin open up the offense a bit more.

• (Q3 6:10) Thomas Howard makes a nice tackle to prevent David Martin from converting the 3rd down. Jay Feeley converts the 29 yard FG to cut the Raiders lead to 4. OAK 14 - MIA 10

• (Q3 8:00) Dolphins putting together a sustained drive. In the red zone. Raiders need to hold or lose all their 1st half momentum.

• (Q3 11:15) Michael Lehan all over Mike Williams on a failed 3rd down conversion try. No flag. Not sure how that's not pass interference and Williams gets called for the tickey tack call in the 1st quarter?

• (Q3 11:54) Jordan did indeed injure his back and is out for eh 2nd half of the game. Justin Fargas will get the majority of carries now.

• (Q3 12:42) WR Derek Hagan does the Raiders a big favor by dropping a sure 3rd down conversion on the Dolphins opening drive.

• (HALTFIME) OAK 14 - MIA 0 Some great coaching moves on both sides of the field have made this a fun onw thus far.

• (Q2 0:23) Gutsy call with the play action fake, but Currey can't hold onto the ball. Dolphions take over on downs on their own 33 yard line.

• (Q2 0:29) Kiffin elects to go for it on 4th down, pulling Sebastian Janikowski off the field. The quick personnel change forces the Dolphins to burn a timeout.

• (Q2 0:29) Raiders medical staff is walking Jordan gingerly off the field. He had a back issue this week in practice, and the way he's moving would suggest that this is the problem. He is being carted off from teh sideline.

• (Q2 0:29) Jordan makes a grab right at the sticks, but he's injured. Not sure what the problem is, but he is face down on the turf. Raiders did not convert the 3rd down. Ball is roughly on the Dolphins 33 yard line. Would be a 52 yard field goal attempt.

• (Q2 1:55) Now Ronald Curry gets in on the act with a nice grab, stealing teh ball away from Will Allen for another 3rd down convesion.

• (Q2 5:26) Porter makes a big grab, going up high to convert on 3rd down. Nice to see JP being included in the offense. The guy has skills, so use them.

• (Q2 6:51) Stanford Routt makes the pick on an under thrown pass from Green. Routt helps stop a huge momentumf shift by the Dolphins. Routt got the start over Fabian Washington this week and it pays dividends. That's Green's 6th INT of the season. How did the Dolphins think this guy was a better option than Culpepper?

• (Q2 7:43) 4th and 7 and Tommy Kelly jumps offsides. Inexcusable! Brown runs it again through another 5 tackles for the 1st down. Raiders still have lots of work to do.

• (Q2 9:50) Brown busts a huge 60 yard run after shoddy tackling. Raiders had the Dolphins pinned deep and they let them tilt the field.

• (Q2 12:45) Ronnie Brown bull rushes threw two tacklers for the Dolphins TD. Again, the Raiders need to put away the opposition now by shutting down the opposing offense. OAK 14 - MIA 7

• (Q2 13:15) Gah! Justin Peelle with the 35 yard 4th down conversion. The TE was all alone on the right flat.

• (END OF Q1) OAK 14 - MIA 0

• (Q1 0:15) Ronnie Brown runs for the first Dolphins 1st down of the game. The Raiders have made all of their games nail biters this season because they've not finished the opposition off. They have a chance to do that early in the game, by grounding the Dolphins offense. No letup boys!

• (Q1 2:01) Culpepper with the sneak off the left guard. TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Robert Gallery and Barry Sims create the hole. Cooper Carlisle snuffs Jason Taylor to prevent the backside. What is this concept...offensive line play. Props to Coach Kiffin for going for the TD on 4th down. OAK 14 - MIA 0

• (Q1 2:18) Horrible spot on Justi Fargas' run. Raiders are short by the nose of the ball. Raiders going to go for it on 4th down.

• (Q1 4:32) Jordan with another big run. Is this guy redeaming himself from a miserable 2006 or what? Justin Griffith helps to pile on the yards.

• (Q1 6:24) Culpepper runs for a 1st down. First McCown, now Culpepper with the ability to move out of the pocket is something we're not used to seeing. Having that option is a nice change. Offense if moving forward...another nice novelty.

• (Q1 7:46) Veteran DT Vonnie Holiday is down. Dolphins medical crew are looking at his left knee. This could be huge if Holiday misses any snaps. Would mean two starters from the Dolphins front 7 are out. Rookie Paul Soliai replaces Holiday.

• (Q1 9:08) Gerard Warren with a big sack to stal lthe Dolphins 2nd drive. Warren has 3 sacks in his first 4 games as a Raider. Nice pickup from the Broncos would be an understatement given the Derrick Burgess health issue.

• (Q1 10:36) Culpepper to Jerry Porter on a slant at the goalline, TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Oakland makes the Dolphins pay for the Green INT. Porter beats all 12 defenders on the field (one in stripes). OAK 7 - MIA 0

• (Q1 11:41) Mike Williams first TD as a Raider is negated for offensive pass interference. HORRIBLE CALL. No push, barely any contact. Absolutely horrible call.

• (Q1 12:26) Thomas Howard is an ANIMAL! Picks off Green for this 3rd INT of the season. Howard returns the ball 30 yards to the Dolphins 11 yard line. Is this guy unreal or what?

• (Q1 14:45) Raiders want to run, especially with Zach Thomas out of the lineup. Dolphins are waiting. Lamont Jordan up the middle for a short gain on the first play from scrimmage.

• (GAME DELAY 0:31) We are ready to go. The field has been re-striped. Raiders did win the coin-toss 30 minutes ago and will receive the ball. Chris Carr awaits the kickoff.

• (GAME DELAY 0:19) Grounds crew is smoothing out the infield, which should ensure true ground balls from Trent Green.

• (GAME DELAY 0:11) The tarp is being removed from the field. Rain is still falling. Joey Porter guarantees the field will dry out before halftime.

• (GAME DELAY) The field is being covered with a tarp. Culpepper gets to plot his triumphant return to Miami for a few more minutes. Forecast indicates that the storm front could be a while to clear out.

• (0:01 before kickoff) Game has been delayed for weather for the second time this season. Lightning near the stadium. Dolphin fans have already given up on their 0-3 team, or they're smarter then they look, getting out of the weather as well.

• (0:01 before kickoff) Raiders win the toss in a downpour. Oakland elects to receive. In weather like this, I would have deferred the ball and kicked the ball.

• (0:04 before kickoff) The absence of Thomas of defense for the Dolphins will be interesting. The veteran linebacker avgs almost 10 tackles per game
Channing Crowder becomes the focus point at LB. Edmond Miles replaces Thomas.

• (0:09 before kickoff) The Raiders take the field, led by your QB DAUNTE CULPEPPER. Dolphins fans pickup where they left off the last time they saw Culpepper on Miami soil with a round of boos.

• (0:09 before kickoff) Oakland Raiders Inactives: QB Josh McCown, CB John Bowie, FB Oren O'Neal, LB Isaiah Ekejiuba, LB Robert Thomas, DE Derrick Burgess, T Mario Henderson.

• (0:10 before kickoff) Miami Dolphins Inactives: QB John Beck (3rd QB), RB Lorenzo Booker, DB Courtney Bryan, LB Abraham Wright, LB Zach Thomas, DT Steve Fifita, DE Rob Ninkovich.

• (0:17 before kickoff) Tailgaiters, first call for kickoff, first call for kickoff

Guarantees and Other Pre-Game Notes

So Joey Porter is guaranteeing that his Miami Dolphins will beat the Raiders on Sunday? Gotta love anyone who creates any incentive for the opposition to play their best. The 0-3 Dolphins are 4 point favorites heading into the AFC showdown in South Florida.

"Of course he's going to have some things he's going to want to take care of, to feel like he's the difference maker when they come out here and try and win this game," Porter said. "But it's not going to happen."

Home field certainly provides an advantage and the weather may play a role. Heat & humidity are always an issue, but the forecast also calls for scattered showers and wind on Sunday. Throw in temps in the mid-80's to go with the South Florida humidity and you have all kinds of variables that could influence the outcome of the game.

The Daunte Culpepper factor could go either way for the Raiders. Obviously the guy wants to show the Dolphins that they made a mistake in letting him go, but retribution isn't always a good thing. Adrenaline can force you to do things you hadn't intended. Culpepper is a seasoned veteran, but he's also starting for the Raiders for the first time AND he missed most of training camp, so he's been in fast track playbook learning mode for the past 6 weeks.

The Dolphins are likely to be without the services of tackling mad-man Zach Thomas, who sustained a concussion last week. Thomas has not yet been cleared by the Dolphins medical staff to play, so he will be a game time decision. Safety Travares Tillman is all questionable for the game on Sunday.

Raiders training camp castoff Donovin Darius was signed by the Dolphins right before the start of the regular season, but Darius has not appeared in any games for the Dolphins.

Be sure to join us for in-game Live Blogging on Sunday morning. I'll be here chiming in on pre-game and in-game events.

Live Blogging Game 3

Welcome to The Eye Patch's live blog coverage of the Raiders third regular season game vs. the Cleveland Browns. Refresh this page throughout the game to see updates.

• Game Balls: Lamont Jordan (29 carries, 121 yards, 1 TD), Thomas Howard (5 tackles, 3 assists, 1 INT, 1 Fum Rec), Sebastian Janikowski (4 FGs, Long of 48 yards)

• The Raiders break an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season.

• Lane Kiffin wins his first game as an NFL head coach. The kid learns fast.

• (END OF REGULATION) OAK 26 - CLE 24

• (Q4 0:00) BLOCKED BLOCKED BLOCKED! The Raiders Block the kick! Raiders win! Raiders win! Lane Kiffin is a genius. Tommy Kelly blocks the kick for the win! Unbelievable. Wow!

• (Q4 0:03) Dawson's field goal kick is up and good...no kick. Time out Raiders. Where on earth did Kiffin figure out out to do that?

• (Q4 0:03) Pass completion to Jurevisiouc on the Raiders 30.

• (Q4 0:16) Winslow with another catch to the Raiders 35. 23 yard conversion.

• (Q4 0:36) Winslow with the 32-yard plass play across the middle. Jeez, it's never easy with this team.

• (Q4 1:04) Anderson throws the ball into noweresville.

• (Q4 1:04) No snap. Raiders call time out. Oakland to punt the ball. Raiders down the ball on the Browns 9 yard line!

• (Q4 1:48) Jordan bulls ahead for 7 yards. 1 yard shy of the 1st down. The Raiders are going to go for it...or play for the offsides.

• (Q4 1:54) Jordan with another run. No gain. 3rd and 8. CLE uses their last time out.

• (Q4 2:00) 2-minute warning. 2nd down and 8 to go on the Raiders 42 yard line. Cleveland has 1 time out remaining. COnver the first down and the Browns are done.

• (Q4 2:18) Culpepper to Jerry Porter up high for the 1st down. HUGE conversion. Time Out Cleveland. Porter's first catch of the game.

• (Q4 3:10) Jordan runs twice for 5 yards. Big 3rd down conversion coming up. False start Cornell Green. Now it's 3rd and 10. Winning teams don't make those kind of mistakes.

• (Q4 3:33) Raiders start from their own 22 yard line. They need to kill 3 and half minutes and hold the ball to win the game.

• (Q4 3:33) Anderson sneaks it in for a Browns touchdown. The prevent does nothing but prevent the Raiders from stopping the Browns. 77 yard drive on 7 plays. OAK 26 - CLE 24

• (Q4 4:16) Braylon Edwards with another big catch, down to the Raiders 2 yard line.

• (Q4 5:27) Browns marching down the field. 45 yards on 5 plays.

• (Q4 8:11) Janikowski nails a 48 yard field goal to push the Raiders lead to two scores. Janikowski is a perfect 4-for-4 today in field goal attempts. Funny what the pressure of losing your job can do for your output. OAK 26 - CLE 17

• (Q4 8:21) Culpepper overthrows Ronald Curry and misses the 3rd down conversion and Curry pays the price by getting creamed.

• (Q4 10:02) Jordan with a checkdown pass and a 27 yard scamper for s HUGE 1st down. Lamont Jordan for Mayor!

• (Q4 10:19) Culpepper gets sacked to back up the Raiders and put Oakland in a pinch. Tack on a false start and just like that it's 3rd and 23.

• (Q4 14:09) Jordan with another big run. 25 yards and a 1st down. Robert Gallery is injured on the play. Looks like he's nursing his shoulder.

• (END of the 3RD QUARTER) OAK 23 - CLE 17

• (Q3 0:10) Lamont Jordan is rewarded for his yeomans perfomance with carry up the middle for a TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Oakland opts to kick for the extra point, rather than try for the 2-point conversion. Raiders consume 9:16 on the drive. OAK 23 - CLE 17

• (Q3 3:23) Madsen with another catch. The tight end is having a huge game for the Raiders. 3 catches on the day for 61 yards.

• (Q3 6:03) 4th down attempt by the Raiders. Jordan powers for the 1st down!

• (Q3 8:39) Lamont Jordan tries to ignite some fire by running for 21 yards off the right side.

• (Q3 9:22) Barylon Edwards burns Asomugha for a touchdown. Un-freaking-believable. No first half lead is safe until the Raiders figure out how to play 4 quarters CLE 17 - OAK 16

• (Q3 10:50) Williams finally makes a catch for a big 3rd down conversion, then fumbles it away. Can the Raiders shoot themselves in the foot any more?

• (Q3 11:12) Braylon Edwards drops a 3rd down conversion attempt for Cleveland. The Browns are 1-for-9 in 3rd down conversions today.

• (Q3 13:20) Mike Williams has another ball punched out of his mitts. This time on a 3rd down conversion attempt. Maybe the Lions knew what they were doing when they jettisoned him last summer.

• (Q3 14:50) Culpepper starts the 3rd quarter at QB

• (HALFTIME) OAK 16 - CLE 10 Raiders piss away a dominating 1st half with careless mistakes in the last 2 minutes of the half.

• (Q2 0:14) Phil Dawson converts the field goal to cut the Raiders lead to 6. Jordan's fumble proves costly. OAK 16 - CLE 10

• (Q2 0:23) 3rd & goal from the Raiders 5, Derek Anderson throws the ball away even with Steve Heiden wide open in the back of the end zone.

• (Q2 0:47) Jamal Lewis converts on a play fake reception to the Raiders 5 yard line.

• (Q2 1:04) Winslow with the 3rd down catch, then Gerard Warren pushes him forward oward the sticks. Browns are short by inches. They're going for it on 4th down.

• (Q2 1:43) Lamont Jordan fumbles the ball! Browns ball inside the Raiders 30. Unbelievable. It's deja vu all over again. Oakland coughed up a 21-3 lead against the Browns last seson, eventually losing the game.

• (Q2 2:05) Josh Cribbs with the 99-yard kickoff return for the touchdown. Oakland's special teams just hands all the momentum the Raiders established in the 1st half right over to the Browns. Janikowski whiffs on a tackle. OAK 16 - CLE 7

• (Q2 2:08) Janikowski slices his 3rd field goal of the game. OAK 16 - CLE 0

• (Q2 2:13) Raiders miss on a chance to put a dagger in Cleveland's heart with a 1st and goal on the CLE 7, but they fail to get the ball into the end zone. Awful excecution!

• (Q2 4:00) Kirk Morrison with a DIVING interception! Then he gets up and rumbles down the left sideline for 46 yards. Morrison fumbles the ball, but Thomas Howard recovers teh loose ball.

• (Q2 4:39) Another questionable Nnamdi Asomugha pass interference penalty on an uncatchable ball. Where is the interference?

• (Q2 4:45) McCown with play-action, throws the 41-yarder to a wide open Ronald Curry. TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! The Raiders setup that play with 7 straight running plays (including a McCown scramble), then the nice deception play by McCown. OAK 13 - CLE 0

• (Q2 7:00) 3rd down and 1 for the Raiders and Justin Fargas busts a 21-yard run to midfield.

• (Q2 11:03) Janikowski with another field goal to push the lead to 6. OAK 6 - CLE 0

• (Q2 11:09) Mike Williams has a touchdown that has the ball punched out of his hands, Got to make those catches.

• (Q2 12:08) Pass interference on CLE DB Brodney Pool. Moves the ball to the CLE 22.

• (Q2 13:35) Josh McCown is back in at QB

• (Q2 13:44) Thomas Howard with the BIG interception, then runs it back 26 yards. Another turnover by the Raiders defense. Has the sleeping giant been awakened?

• (END OF THE 1ST QUARTER) OAK 3 - CLE 0

• (Q1 0:40) Sebasitan Janikowski kicks a 34-yard field goal for the first score of the game. OAK 3 - CLE 0

• (Q1 1:16) Culpepper's first play from scrimmage (3rd and 13), he dumps a pass off to Lamont Jordan for a short gain.

• (Q1 1:56) McCown is hurt. Daunte Culpepper makes his Raiders debut.

• (Q1 3:12) John Madsen hauls in a 39-yard pass right up the gut for a big 1st down.

• (Q1 6:22) Kirk Morrison with a big stop to stuff another Browns drive.

• (Q1 8:32) 3 and out for the Raiders. Another sluggish start for Josh McCown.

• (Q1 10:08) Browns punt, but eat up 5 minutes in drive that moves a total of 13 yards.

Game Grades: @ Denver Broncos

Alright, I needed more than 24 hours to cool down after the Raiders 23-20 loss to the Broncos in week 2. Mike Shanahan iced Sebastian Janikowski masterfully, but take solace in knowing that the Broncos don’t have a shot in hell in winning anything this season. Denver escaped losses against Buffalo & Oakland. They’ll get demolished against teams like Indianapolis and New England. And with that, here are my grades for week 2:

Passing Game: D-
Josh McCown only completed 8 of 16 passes for a measly 73 yards and a touchdown, but three interceptions will kill you every time. McCown’s first pick was initiated by a bad decision. He tried forcing a pass deep in his own zone and it cost him. We’ll never know if Champ Bailey was out of bounds on the play, thanks in part to poor television coverage and no challenge by the Raiders. The second pick was unlucky. The capper however is McCown’s final pick on what could have been the drive to win the game in regulation. Key Stat: Raiders netted +2 yards in passing in the 1st half.

Running Game: B+
What McCown couldn’t accomplish in the air, Lamont Jordan made up for it on the ground with a career high 159 yards on 25 carries. The only thing that was missing was a touchdown for Jordan. The Raiders challenged the Broncos front four all day, and Denver couldn’t stop the run. Jordan’s 33-yard run in overtime should have provided the boost to get the Raiders in the win column, but the drive was stalled after the passing game couldn’t help balance the attack.

Pass Defense: C+
The Raiders defense did pick off Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler twice (once for a big score), but the 2nd year signal caller did rip off 269 yards and a touchdown on 23 off 33 attempts. Thomas Howard’s interception and ensuing TD was the defensive highlight of the game for Oakland. The tackling woes continue, although not as glaringly as the run defense.

Run Defense: D+
Travis Henry seemingly had his way with the Raider defense all afternoon, but the most glaring failure of the run defense was on the game-winning drive. Henry’s 13-yard scamper on 3rd down, followed by a 7-yard run setup Jason Elam’s field winning goal. Henry amassed 128 yards. The Broncos combined for 181 yards total on the ground and a Cecil Sapp TD. Selvin Young busts a 40-yard run because of poor tackling.

Special Teams: C
Sebastian Janikowski does not make up the entire special teams unit, so his would be game-winning miss in overtime isn’t the only thing that goes into this grade. Janikowski’s failure to deliver is getting old, and it’s time for the Raiders to cut their losses (literally). The kicking game did net an onside kick recovery and held the Broncos to 6 yards on punt coverage.

Coaching: C+
Not having a passing game to balance things out did limit some of Lane Kiffin’s options, but there were flashes of creativity. Several running plays on obvious passing situations netted a couple of key first downs. One big blunder was a draw play called early in the 4th quarter that killed a drive. Loved the onside kick call.

Intangibles: C
This was a moral victory for the Raiders, because it showed that this team could compete with its divisional foe. Unfortunately, moral victories are for losers. Still, this team is showing signs of life, and players are competing. Hopefully defensive coordinator spends an entire practice on tackling fundamentals.

Officiating: C-
I can’t say that the officiating was horrible, but I certainly won’t say that is was great. Raiders drew 10 penalties for 70 yards. Broncos only draw 6 penalties for 34 yards. Nnamdi Asomugha is whistled for pass interference while running stride for stride with Javon Walker, but Dre Bly gets away with interference with Jerry Porter on what should have been a sure touchdown…no flag. An awful defensive holding call on Gerard Warren after Travis Henry runs for 10 yards.

Live Blogging Game 2

Welcome to The Eye Patch's blog coverage of the Raiders second regular season game vs. the Denver Broncos. Refresh this page throughout the game to see updates.

• CUT JANIKOWSKI NOW

• (OT 6:48) Elam punches home the 23-yard field goal for the win. DEN 23 - OAK 20

• (OT 6:58) Bootleg right, complete, ball own the Raiders 5 yard line.

• (OT 9:35) Travis Henry busts the first down because the Raider continue to play matador on defense.

• (OT 11:09) 53 yard field goal attempt by Janikowski is....off teh left upright. Raiders should leave Janikowski in Denver. Don't even let him board the plane home.

• (OT 11:11) 53 yard field goal attempt by Janikowski is....Good! Timeout called by Shannahan at the snap and the refs give them the TO. Unbelievable!

• (OT 13:05) Lamont Jordan busts the 33-yard run, even after Lynch tries to trip him after getting juked out of his shoes. 155 yards on 24 carries for Jordan on the day.

• (OT 13:35) Raiders defense holds. Huge stop. Now it's time to score.

• (OT 15:00) Coin toss: Raiders call tails, two-headed coin comes up...heads. Denver gets the ball.

• (Q4 0:17) Bly picks McCown with an underthrown ball. No game winning drive. Broncos will take a knee and take it to OT. Porter had a chance to break up the pass, but never reacted. Was he surprised the ball was coming to him?

• (Q4 0:27) McCown overthrows a wide open Jerry Porter who is held by Dre Bly. no flag. No catch. Porter had Bly beat and would have walked into the end zone but the DB disrupted the pattern with a hand check 15 yards downfield. No flag.

• (Q4 0:32) Run, false start, holding, big run. Crazy drive.

• (Q4 2:18) Raiders start what they hope to be the game winning drive from their 26-yard line.

• (Q4 2:18) Elam converts the 20-yard field goal to tie the game. OAK 20 - DEN 20

• (Q4 2:22) Defense HOLDS! Javon Walker with the catch short of eh end zone, then gets pushed out of bounds. Preserves some clock.

• (Q4 3:53) Raiders defense needs to make the stop. This Denver drive is the ballgame.

• (Q4 8:55) Interception Thomas Howard!!!! TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! The linebacker rumbles 44 yards for the score. Last year's defense makes an appearance to help turn the game late. Warren Sapp sets up the pick by deflecting the ball at the line of scrimmage. McCown to Porter for the 2-point conversion! OAK 20 - DEN 17

• (Q4 10:55) Ugly failed 3rd down conversion attempt on a screen play that never materialized. I disagree with the call. Where are the 5-receiver sets. Bly and Bailey can't cover 5 receivers by themselves.

• (Q4 14:15) Shannahan challenges teh safety and loses. He's out of challenges for the remainder of regulation. That could be a big factor.

• (Q4 14:15) Gerard Warren with the SAFETY! How's that for a homecoming for the former Bronco? DEN 17 - OAK 12

• (Q3 0:53) Gah! After the great onside kick recovery, the Raiders do nothing with the opportunity after two offensive penalties. Wasted opportunity.

• (Q3 3:29) Wow, what a 1st down conversion. McCown to Miller for the big pass conversion after having to roll right with pressure in his face.

• (Q3 6:19) Onside Kick - RAIDERS RECOVER! Holy Toledo what a call. Alright, now that's the kind of thinking the Raiders need to turn things around.

• (Q3 6:19) Pump fake, then a beautiful pass to Jerry Porter for a TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Bly bites on the fake by McCown, then gets burned for the 46-yard score. 3rd Qtr McCown is back! DEN 17 - OAK 10

• (Q3 7:00) Ballsy call to let Jordan run for a first down on 3rd and 6. Three straight run plays. McCown lit up th eLions in the 3rd quarter. Will we see the same now?

• (Q3 8:34) Jason Elam - WIDE RIGHT! Raiders hold on the opening drive of the 2nd half.

• (Q3 9:09) Finally an offensive pass intereference call on Denver. The call nullifies a long pass play for a TD by Brandon Marshall.

• (Q3 11:10) Tommy Kelly, Stu Schweigert, go directly to tackling detention. Travis Henry slips two more tackles for a 16 yard gain.

• (HALFTIME) Denver outgaines Oakland 208 yards to 85. MCown is 5 of 8 for 12 yards passing. With sacks, the passing game has a net +2 yards in the half. Ground game has amassed a whopping 78 yards. 5 total 1st downs. I guess I should have spelled out what thunder & lightning meant.

• (Q2 0:18) Raiders stop Young on 3rd down, then claim they recover a fumble. Officials rule forward progress ended the play before the fumble. Raiders call time out for a review. No review. I don't understand why this league can't get it's business in order. Jason Elam kicks a field goal. DEN 17 - OAK 3

• (Q2 2:20) Did the Raiders forget how to tackle over the summer??? What in John Matuzak's ghost is going on! Rediculous.

• (Q2 3:02) Time-out Raiders because they have the wrong personnel on the field. Stupid mistakes cost you games. The TO gives Cutler and Shannahan time to orchastrate their drive.

• (Q2 5:45) Raiders drive stalls after McCown throws a swing pass to Justin Griffith that ends with a 3-yard loss. Questionable call when you're trying to pull back from an 11-point deficit with under 6 to play in the half. Raiders need to air the ball out down field.

• (Q2 7:34) Selvin Young rewarded for his hustle with a carry into the end zone for 6. DEN 14 - OAK 3

• (Q2 7:37) AWFUL pass interference call on Nnamdi Asomugha. Running stride for stride along side Javon Walker, he gets flagged for a head scrathing penalty.

• (Q2 9:00) Ugh! Half-assed tackling kills the Raiders again. Selvin Young slips two tackles and rumbles for 40 yards.

• (Q2 10:41) Sebastian Janikowski makes a field goal. I repeat, Sebastian Janikowski makes a field goal. In doing so, avoids being the first kicker to be cut in the middle of a game. DEN 7 - OAK 3

• (Q2 12:25) Gutsy run by McCown to pick up the 1st down, but he's got to get down in traffic. Nick Ferguson lights him up with a hit. You're already hurt in two places Josh...you can't lead this team from the infirmary.

• (Q2 13:57) Kirk Morrison starts it off with a PICK! Gah, then he fumbles it. Thomas Howard recovers! Can't this ever be easy???

• (Q2 14:53) 25 minute delay coming to an end. Game resuming. Time for the Raiders to apply some thunder.

• (Q2 14:53) Weather delay will last a minimum of 15 minutes. The wind is kicking up a bit and rain has started.

• (Q2 14:53) Not sure this the kind of thunder & lightning Lane Kiffin had hoped for. The game has been delayed because of a lightning strike near the stadium. all players have been instructed to head to the locker rooms. Broncos fans insstructed to stand tall and hold hands...especially those in the upper deck!

• (Q2 14:53) Unlucky interception. Ball bounces off Porter and floats forever. McCown forced it a bit, but I'm not ready to rip him yet. He had an open receiver that couldn't haul it in.

• (End of Q1) Offense is begining to pick things up a bit. I like the end-around pass attempt. Yes, it's a gimmick play, but the Raiders have had no creativity in the offense for so long, that it's a refreshing change. Nobody taking control of this game yet.

• (Q1 5:02) In case you were looking forward to next week, Cleveland put up 51 on Cincinnati today for their first victory of the season.

• (Q1 5:02) Pass defense fails again. Stokely converts the 9-yard pass play. DEN 7 - OAK 0

• (Q1 5:52) Horrible tackling. 4 guys on Marshall and he squirts through for 3 extra yards. Lazy tackling this early in the game?

• (Q1 8:50) Horrible throw by McCown. Reply shows Bailey was out of bounds, but no challenge. NOT a great start.

• (Q1 15:00) 19-yard draw to Lamont Jordan to open the game. THAT is what this team needs to do to control this game.

• (0:04 until kickoff) Harmony in Motion with the National Anthem

• (0:08 until kickoff) McCown will start at QB.

• (0:28 until kickoff) Josh McCown is taking snaps in warm-ups.

• (1:05 until kickoff) Still no word on the Raiders starter at QB. Temps in the 90's at Invesco Field.

• (2:05 until kickoff) I'll state the obvious in my keys to the game: The Raiders must establish a running game in order to be effective today. If Oakland is forced to pass every down, Dre' Bly, Champ Bailey and John Lynch will have a field day. Oakland will also need to shut down Travis Henry. Jay Cutler won't be as effective if he's placed in a role where he has to play catch up.

• (2:20 until kickoff) Walker is expected to start for Denver. Culpepper is expected to start fo rthe Raiders.

• (2:25 until kickoff) Oakland Raiders Injury Report -- Out: LB Isaiah Ekejiuba (foot); Doubtful: QB Josh McCown (foot), C Jeremy Newberry (hamstring), CB Duane Starks (groin); Questionable: G Robert Gallery (hamstring).

• (2:26 until kickoff) Denver Broncos Injury Report -- Out: G Ben Hamilton (concussion), T Ryan Harris (back); Questionable: TE Stephen Alexander (calf), CB Domonique Foxworth (ankle), CB Karl Paymah (concussion); Probable: DE Tim Crowder (ankle), S John Lynch (ankle), WR Javon Walker (shoulder) DE Tim Crowder (ankle), S John Lynch (ankle), WR Javon Walker (shoulder).

Game Grades: vs Detroit Lions

I’ve decided to grade out each Raider game this season. Grades will be posted no less than 24 hours after the completion of each game, so that I (hopefully) eliminate emotion from the grading. It’s difficult to be impartial immediately after a win or loss, because emotion is sure to cloud my judgment. Sunday’s 36-21 loss was a tough one to take on the chin, so I thought better of trying to dole out my opinions right away.

Passing Game: C+
Josh McCown completed 30 of 40 passes for 313 yards and 2 TDs, but the turnovers initiated by the passing game were atrocious. 2 picks and 3 fumbles by McCown alone killed the Raiders. Part of the 4th quarter implosion was McCown’s fault, but the offensive line didn’t help by allowing Detroit’s defensive line to reek havoc throughout the game. Eliminate the turnovers and this game turns out much differently.

Running Game: C
Lamont Jordan‘s 70 yards on 15 carries (and a TD) wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but the Raiders never established any dominance on the ground. Falling behind 17-0 forced an aerial response, but the Raiders needed more from Jordan and Justin Fargas earlier in the game. Every time the Raiders busted a decent run, they’d follow it up with a goose egg. The highlight of the afternoon was Jordan’s 12-yard scamper for the Raiders 2nd TD of the day.

Pass Defense: F
Lions QB Jon Kitna had all day to pick the Raiders apart. Only a Kirk Morrison interception in the end zone kept the game within reach in the 1st half. The Raiders only sacked Kitna twice, for a paltry 5 yards, and the lack of pressure was none more evident than on Shaun McDonald’s TD catch late in the game. The secondary was no better, allowing McDonald to roam free in the end zone on the play. Of course, Kitna & McDonald don’t even get a chance to make that play if Hiram Eugene wraps up McDonald on the previous play, a back breaking 9-yard 3rd down conversion at midfield. That kept the game winning drive alive.

Run Defense: B-
Take away Tatum Bell’s meaningless 14-yard TD at the end of the game and the Raiders run defense held the Lions to 94 yards on the ground. 18 rushing attempts (not counting 3 by Kitna) netted the Lions 91 yards. The Lions only converted 4 rushing first-downs. The one glaring blemish was Bell’s 24-yard scamper midway through the 2nd quarter, setting up Kitna’s TD pass to Roy Williams for Detroit’s first score of the game.

Special Teams: F
Yes, Sebastian Janikowski’s first field goal attempt was blocked, but the muffs on his 2nd & 3rd attempts turned out to haunt the Raiders. The closest Janikowski came to putting a ball through the uprights was on a kickoff after Justin Griffith’s touchdown the put the Raiders up 21-20. The Raiders kick coverage allowed an 18-yard punt return, which setup Detroit’s first TD and a 33-yard kickoff return at the end of the 3rd quarter.

Coaching: C-
You could tell things were a little different than last year when the Raiders opened the game with a 5-receiver set and an empty backfield. That play resulted in a 13-yard pass completion to Ronald Curry, but then the Raiders went into an offensive shell (no pun intended). Head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp didn’t open things up until the 3rd quarter, but once they did the Raiders moved the ball. Coaching didn’t cost the Raiders the game, execution did.

Intangibles: C
The Raiders came together as a team after Griffith’s TD, showing emotion that hasn’t been seen at the Coliseum in a while. The Raiders moved the ball when they had to, which is a far cry from last season. We’ll see if the defensive lapses were an anomaly or not.

Officiating: B-
Sad that I even have to include an officiating category, buy officiating has played such a large part of most Raider contests that I thought it was necessary. All in all, I thought the officiating was ok. The one play that raised my ire was an incident late in the contest, when a Lions offensive lineman took a cheap shot at a Raider defender with 6 minutes to play in the contest and no flag was thrown (even though the Raiders were penalized for the exact same thing earlier in the game). The officials issued a “sideline warning” because half the Raider coaching staff was standing on the field of play screaming for a flag.

Live Blogging Game 1

Welcome to The Eye Patch's blog coverage of the Raiders season opener vs. the Detroit Lions. Refresh this page throughout the game to see updates.

• Leading tackler Kirk Morrison will be at Everett & Jones BBQ at Jack London Square for the radio game recap show.

• Tell tale stat of the game: TE Zach Miller 5th on the team with 3 tackles on the day.

• (END OF REGULATION) And it mercifully ends. DET 36 - OAK 21

• (Q4 :04) Last play of regulation, McCown is hit from behind, fumbling the ball...again. Sims recovers. Clock runs out.

• (Q4 7:43) Tatum Bell gets the last laugh by prancing up the gut for a 14-yard touchdown. Bell chucks the bal linto the Black Hole then begins to taunt the crowd. He is subsequently doused with beer and anything else the Hole can get their hands on. DET 36 - OAK 21

• (Q4 1:35) McCown sacked. Fumble. Miller picks it up. Tackled. Fumble. Lions recover. And that is the circus that is Raiders football. Rediculous. 2 fumbles on one play.

• (Q4 1:56) Hanson chips in another field goal to push the Lions lead to 8 points. Turn out the lights Raiders fans. DET 29 - OAK 21

• (Q4 3:10) Dewayne White ends the Raiders comeback hopes with a pick on the Raiders 38, then returns it for 28 yards. McCown was staring right at White as he floated it right to the big lineman. Another head scratching decision.

• (Q4 4:15) Shaun McDonald breaks the Raiders back with a rediculous touchdown. No Raider defender within 10 yards of him as he roams the back of the end zone. 2-pt attempt fails. DET 26 - OAK 21

• (Q4 4:24) Hiram Eugene misses a key tackle behind the 1st down marker, allowing the Lions to convert a late 3rd down play. Those types of plays were disasterous last season.

• (Q4 6:00) Lions offensive linemen hitting people late, but no calls. Raiders defensive coaches going nuts. Ref issue a sideline warning. Hey refs, try watching the game, rather than the Raiders coaches.

• (Q4 7:43) The entire team is huddled on the side line and bouncing up and down in unnison. Wow, what a turnaround.

• (Q4 7:43) TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! FB Justin Griffith takes a play-action pass from McCown and powers in for the score. The bootlegs have been confusing the Lions defense, which opened up the left side of the field for the big full back. DET 20 - OAK 21

• (Q4 9:33) Jordan comes up gimpy after taking a screen play for 19 yards.

• (Q4 12:13) Hanson makes another 46 yard field goal to extend their lead to 6 points. Janikowski's three misses really hurting now. DET 20 - OAK 14

• (Q3 :49) TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! Lamont Jordan with a 13-yard scamper for another Raiders score. Are the Raiders just teasing us, or will they seal the deal?. DET 17 - OAK 14.

• (Q3 2:15) Stanford Routt picks Kitna and returns it 30 yards! Momentum shift? Williams gift wraps that ball by letting it slip through his fingers right to the Raiders DB.

• (Q3 3:49) It took almost 3 quarters but TOUCHDOWN RAIDERS! McCown to Curry from 4 yards out. DET 17 - OAK 7

• (Q3 8:45) Kalimba Edwards rips past Barry Sims and blindsides McCown, forcing a fumble. The Raiders luckly jump on the ball. That's one upside to last season...lots of fumble recovery practice for the O-line last season.

• (Q3 9:05) The Coliseum crowd errupts in boos as McCown heads onto the field to lead the Raiders offense. Daunte Culpepper begins to salivate.

• (Q3 9:15) Raiders pass on Calvin Johnson in the draft. Johnson passes the Raiders secondary for his first career TD. DET 17 - OAK 0

• (Q3 13:04) McCown called for "not being set", offsetting a 3rd and 1. When is the league going to lose the part time officiating? Raiders forced to throw on 3rd and 6, and McCown gets picked. Unbelievable.

• (Q3 13:04) Jerry Porter makes his first catch in what seems like 3 years. It goes for 9.

• (HALFTIME) The first half comes to an end much like the end of last season. No offense to be found. Defense is showing cracks now as well. Only reason this game isn't 17-0 is because of Kirk Morrison's pick. Ugly.

• (Q2 :03) Janikowski misses his third field goal attempt of the day, ending the latest Raiders drive with nothing to show for it. Three words: First Round Pick.

• (Q2 :44) 70 yards to go and the Raiders are throwing 10-15 yard dumps. This offense isn't efficient enough to move in small increments with no time on the clock.

• (Q2 1:10) Jason Hansen demonstrates how to knock down a field goal, putting a 46-yarder straight through the middle of the uprights from the dirt infield. Hopefully Janikowski was paying attention. DET 10 - OAK 0

• (Q2 3:27) Janikowski misses wide right from 47 yards. Lions take over on their own 36 yard line with 2 TOs. His 62% efficiency from outside 40 yards is something the Raiders have to consider if they're really going to get better.

• (Q2 3:27) Shaun Rogers is destroying Jake Grove inside. Losing Newberry's size against Rogers 340 lbs is killing the running game.

• (Q2 8:27) Lamont Jordan has 12 yards on 5 carries. The Raiders need to establish a running game if they're going to make some noise in this game.

• (Q2 8:27) Roy Williams rains on the Raiders parade with a 13-yard TD from Jon Kitna. Not sure where the Raiders secondary is on the play. Mike Martz's offense is shredding Oaklan's secondary. DET 7 - OAK 0

• (Q2 11:10) Chris Clemons records the Raiders first sack of the season, stalling the Lions drive. Defense appears to be picking up the tempo after bending to the brink in the opening quarter.

• (Q2 13:30) Zach Miller is looking good. 2 recep[tions for short yardage, but he's hanging on to the ball. He's also changed his number from training camp to #80.

• (Q2 13:30) Guh! Jano shanks one bad off the dirt infield. Still scoreless.

• (End of Q1) Detroit outgains Oakland 104yds to 57yds. McCown 4/4 47 yds passing. Not feeling to good about that Detroit drive, which consumed more than 9 minutes.

• (Q1 2:30) Jeremy Newberry is replaced by Jake Grove. No word on Newberry's condition.

• (Q1 3:31) Raiders dodge a bullet with Kirk Morrison's pick in the end zone.

• (Q1 13:31) Here's our first look at the Raiders new offense. 5-receiver set, Ronald Curry takes a slot screen for 13 yards.

• (Q1 15:00) First play of scrimmage, run, snuffed by Derrick Burgess.

• (KICKOFF) We are underway! Sebastian Janikowski kicks it through the end zone.

• (0:02 until kickoff) Lions win the coin toss and elect to receive the ball

• (0:04 until kickoff) Jason Elam nails a 42-yard field goal at the gun to stun the Bills 15-14.

• (0:07 until kickoff) Gloria Lauring with the National Anthem.

• (0:11 until kickoff) Warren Sapp leads the Raiders out of the tunnel. Defense to be introduced.

• (0:15 until kickoff) 15 minutes to go...The autumn wind is a pirate.

• (0:21 until kickoff) Jason Elam just misses a field goal that would have given the Broncos a 15-14 lead. 3:32 remaining in that game.

• (0:22 until kickoff) Chiefs lose 20-3. Larry Johnson held to 43-yards rushing.

• (0:30 until kickoff) Raiders captains: Sims, Burgess, Sapp, Lechler, Asomugha, Curry

• (0:46 until kickoff) In a pre-game interview with Lane Kiffin, Kiffin explains that McCown gets the nod over Daunte Culpepper, because Culpepper's late addition to training camp. "Culpepper had a strong camp, but he trailed in the little things, "Kiffin said.

• (0:48 until kickoff) Oakland Inactives List: CB John Bowie, LB Isaiah Ekejiuba, T Mario Henderson, C Chris Morris, CB Duane Starks, WR Travis Taylor, QB Andrew Walter (3rd QB).

• (0:49 until kickoff) Detroit Inactives List: DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE Jared DeVries, RB Kevin Jones, WR Brandon Middleton, QB Dan Orlovsky, G Stephen Peterman, G Manny Ramirez.

• (0:57 until kickoff) McCown sounds eager to square off agsint his former team in a pre-game interview.

• (1:00 until kickoff) It's official, Josh McCown will start at QB for the Raiders.

• (1:02 until kickoff) Guys I can't wait to see play today: Johnnie Lee Higgins, Zach Miller, and Mike Williams.

• (1:05 until kickoff) For those of you who care, Randy Moss has a 51-yard TD reception from Tom Brady in New England's shallacking of the Jets.

• (1:12 until kickoff) East Bay native Marshawn Lynch just rumbles 23-yards for his first NFL touchdown against the Broncos to put the Bills up 14-6.

• (1:19 until kickoff) More AFC West goodness. Kansas City trails Houston 17-0 with 9 minutes to play in the 3rd Qtr.

• (1:25 until kickoff) Buffalo's Kevin Everett taken off the field on a stretcher after getting knocked out on a punt return. Broncos trail the Bills 7-6 with 13 minutes to play in the 3rd Qtr.

• (1:28 until kickoff) Traffic on 880 is clear. Minor backups entering the Coliseum from both 880 exits.

• (1:35 until kickoff) So it begins! Radio coverage is in full effect. No upsets brewing in other games so far.

Raiders hoping for a helping of Bell Fumbalaya

Found this rather amusing article:

"Lions RB Bell 'ticked off' about Raiders' trash talk" - (Detroit Free Press)

The "Tatum Bell Drill"??? Fantastic. Here's hoping Bell lives up to his reputation on Sunday and coughs up a couple of carries (or 5).

Newberry to Start at Center

Jeremy Newberry

Several reports indicate that Jeremy Newberry will start at center for the Raiders on Sunday, replacing Jake Grove who started at 16 games last year at the position. Grove has started 32 games at center over the previous three seasons.

Newberry is larger than Grove, suggesting that the Raiders want to beef up on the offensive line. Grove has quicker feet than Newberry, but that did little to stop opposing defenses last season.

2007 Predictions

As I sit preparing to hunker down for the evening to watch the NFL kickoff the 2007 season, with Indianapolis and New Orleans squaring off, I thought I’d put together a little evaluation of how I think the Raiders season will turn out. There are a number of factors that will influence the outcome of the latest campaign, but pre-season prognostication is half the fun of following a team right?

So with that, here’s my crack at predicting the Raider’s 2007 campaign.

Sept 9 vs Detroit – (W 1-0)
Raiders should squeak out a win versus an offense that did little to upgrade beyond the addition of Calvin Johnson. John Kitna and Tatum Bell don’t exactly strike fear in the defenses like Oakland’s, but offensive coordinator Mike Martz should make things interesting. Detroit’s 28th ranked defense a year ago should provide a nice warm up for Lane Kiffin’s new offense.

Sept 16 at Denver – (L 1-1)
Reality sets in when the Raiders drop their first of the season against their bitter rival. Denver’s run defense may be a weak spot, but playing at Invesco Field is always tough.

Sept 23 vs Cleveland – (W 2-1)
Assuming the Browns haven’t figured out that Charlie Frye isn’t the answer by week 3, the Raiders should win this game handily. Jamal Lewis’ better days are behind him and the Browns offensive line won’t provide much support in his quest to turn around his career.

Sept 30 at Miami – (L 2-2)
This could be one of the more interesting games of the season if the Raiders actually do play Daunte Culpepper at quarterback. Culpepper wants nothing more then to rip the team that bailed on him after one season. Miami will have more stability at quarterback with Trent Green. The Dolphins defense will decide this game.

Oct 14 at San Diego (L 2-3)
Norv Turner isn’t going to get the Chargers over the Super Bowl hump, but he has all the weapons to take out the Raiders. He also has a little motivation. Nothing beats beating the team that fired you.

Oct 21 vs Kansas City (L 2-4)
Kansas City is a middle of the pack team that will be better offensively than many expect. Larry Johnson is one of the top 5 backs in the league and Damon Huard will surprise some people this season.

Oct 28 at Tennessee – (W 3-4)
Vince Young may have been a rookie phenom, but the Titans were still only ranked 27th in offense last season and dead last in team defense. Giving up almost 400 yards per game is something the Raiders should exploit. The Raiders running combo of Lamont Jordan and Dominic Rhodes should be in gear in Rhodes 3rd game back after serving his four-game suspension.

Nov 4 vs Houston -- (W 4-4)
For as big a mess the Raiders were in 2006, then came within two bad series from easily knocking off one of the worst teams in the league. Oakland will exact some retribution for Houston’s 23-14 win in Oakland last season. The Raiders can turn to the air, in attempt to exploit the Texan’s porous secondary.

Nov 11 vs Chicago – (L 4-5)
The defending NFC Champs should bum-rush the Raiders defensively. Home field advantage will have little effect against the best team in the NFC.

Nov 18 at Minnesota – (L 4-6)
A weak offense overshadowed the best run defense in the league in 2006, but that defense will force the Raiders to put the ball in the air. The Raiders have proven ineffective when forced to rely on a single aspect on offense.

Nov 25 at Kansas City – (L 4-7)
The Raiders almost pulled out a win at Arrowhead in 2006, but the home field advantage still plays an important role in this series. The Chiefs offense will again carry the day for Kansas City.

Dec 2 vs Denver – (L 4-8)
The pressures of a three-game losing streak will weigh heavily on the Raiders, and the Broncos will be clawing for a playoff spot come the first week of December. Mike Shanahan still has the motivation to beat the Raiders and his players seem to rally around that.

Dec 9 at Green Bay – (W 5-8)
Don’t let the Packers 9th ranked offense in 2006 fool you. This is a team on the decline and Brett Favre will be wishing he decided to retire last year. Green Bay has started rebuilding and will feel the affects of that late in the season.

Dec 16 vs Indianapolis – (L 5-9)
The highlight of this game will be that Raider fans will get to see the defending World Champions on their romp to another strong playoff showing in 2007. Hopefully the Raiders put up a fight.

Dec 23 at Jacksonville – (L 5-10)
The Jags got serious about taking the next step by cutting ties with Byron Leftwich. 2006 was no fluke. Too much consistency on offense and defense will prove too much for the Raiders.

Dec 30 vs San Diego – (L 5-11)
San Diego will have the AFC West locked up well before this game, but home field throughout the playoffs may be at stake for the Chargers. Again, too much firepower stacked up against a team that will be playing to close out their season.

So there you have it. A 5-11 season. I’m sure many that read this will think that’s anywhere from 2 to 5 wins shy of where the Raiders will end up in 2007. The way I think of it, Oakland will have improved from their horrific 2-14 2006 season. If the Raiders can get JaMarcus Russell locked up to a deal, and land a decent receiver and lineman in next year’s draft, this team isn’t that far away from a 10 win season.

But 2-14 teams don’t make 8 win leaps in a single season. This team is headed in the right direction, and 5 wins is more than 2 wins. The math is simple, the waiting will be the hard part.