Blistering In From Sea.
Blistering In From Sea.
just catching up...love seeing Keon as a 4th rounder
Blistering In From Sea.
Justin Fields showcases poise and command of the offense in win over Giants
It was just a three-yard dump off to a wide open fullback in the flats but for Raiders quarterback Justin Fields and head coach Josh McDaniels, it was a culmination of all of their work in the offseason.
"[Fields] got us into the right situation on that play," McDaniels said after the game, confirming it was an audible by Fields that led to the Raiders first touchdown of the season.
Fields played just two series against the New York Giants in the preseason opener and after an opening drive filled with drops and miscues, he led a quick five-play scoring drive that included two long completions to receiver Bo Melton and then the audible that resulted in a wide open Nick Bawden touchdown in the Raiders 27-20 win over the Giants.
"We've spent a lot of time just making sure that we're in the right play before the ball is snapped," Fields said of the offseason with McDaniels and learning the Raiders offense since being traded from Chicago, "[McDaniels] does a good job of giving us the answers to the test and we just have to execute."
Fields finished 5 of 8 for 60 yards with a touchdown, not needing to use his legs. He was replaced by Aidan O'Connell who led three scoring drives in the fourth quarter, including an 85-yard bomb to Mario Williams to take the lead with 3:31 remaining in the game.
Drew Lock and the Giants offense would have an opportunity to take the lead but went four and out, gifting the Raiders with good field position which they used to extend the lead to a touchdown thanks to a 51-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson. Lock would convert a 4th and 10 to Xavier Smith for sixteen yards but with no timeouts, the Giants offense would fall short with Hail Mary attempt from the Raiders 45 that fell incomplete.
The Other Newcomers
It was a tough debut for K.J. Hamler who dropped an early third down attempt on the first drive and then dropped a would-be touchdown from O'Connell on fourth down in the red zone. He bounced back with a 29-yard reception, finishing the day with two catches for 42 yards but his four drops were definitely the story.
It didn't help Hamler's case that Mario Williams went off for 151 yards on five receptions with 60 of those yards coming after the catch. Melton had three catches for 47 yards on the Raiders second drive before sitting out with the rest of the offensive starters in the second half, a sign that his roster spot might be safe already.
It was an uneventful debut for Laviskha Shenault Jr. stat wise (2 receptions, 13 yards, 1 carry, 5 yards) but the fact that he lined up outside, in the back field and in the slot shows that the Raiders really do intend to use him everywhere.
Perhaps the best debut came from an unlikely source in linebacker Curtis Jacobs who played with the first team defense on obvious passing downs and then played the rest of the game at linebacker. He led the team with fourteen tackles and six tackles for loss, having no trouble bringing down Braelon Allen while the rest of the team struggled with Allen finishing the game with five broken tackles and 28 yards after contact. He severely outplayed linebackers Jayon Brown and Amari Burney, who all had multiple missed tackles including Burney's missed tackle on Lock which led to the long touchdown run on the quarterback keeper.
Roster Bubble Watch
With Michael Mayer and Brevin Jordan both getting dinged up in the first quarter, it was an increased workload for backup Eric Tomlinson who dropped a crucial fourth down pass in the red zone. Tomlinson would finish with two receptions but those kind of plays as a guy on the bubble can be the difference maker between making the roster and not doing so.
Safety Karl Joseph, on the other hand, make the most of his opportunities, playing the entire second half and finishing with eleven tackles, surrendering just two underneath catches. It'd be a hell of a comeback story for the former Raider if he's able to make the roster and he did a solid job in his first game in two years.
Cornerback Steven Gilmore allowed a 33-yard completion to Pokey Wilson in the fourth quarter on third down but outside of that, he was part of an impressive second-team unit in the defensive backfield. He finished with eight tackles while Sheldrick Redwine had a key pass breakup and Decorian Patterson was sound in coverage, as was Jakorian Bennett.
Injury News
Rookie WR Tory Horton was held out with a wrist injury that he suffered in practice this week and was spotted at the game, on the sidelines wearing a brace on his right wrist. It's unclear how long Horton will be out but based on offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi's comments after the game, it doesn't appear to be too serious.
It was a missed opportunity for the rookie with Davante Adams not playing and Bo Melton getting the start, picking up a 25-yard gain on the second drive of the game.
During the game, several Raiders left the game with injuries including safety Marcus Epps (abdomen), defensive end Tyree Wilson (ankle), offensive linemen Jonah Jackson (sternum), Thayer Munford Jr. (abdomen) and Trent Miller (knee), outside linebacker Porter Gustin (elbow) and defensive tackle Fabian Lovett (sternum).
Prior to his injury, Wilson was completely dominating the Giants offensive line, disrupting the running game, forcing two quarterback pressures and sacking Daniel Jones early in the first quarter.
The injuries on the offensive line bear monitoring as there was a significant drop off when the second team unit was on the field with rookie running back Miyan Williams averaging just 2.8 yards per carry behind that offensive line compared to Damien Harris (9 carries, 61 yards) and Zamir White (8 carries, 51 yards) who got to run behind the healthy first team unit.
Blistering In From Sea.
Raiders make roster moves following first preseason game as two players head to IR
The Las Vegas Raiders have signed outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Carl Granderson, center Lamont Gaillard and guard Solomon Kindley. The signings came after placing outside linebacker Porter Gustin and guard Trent Miller on injured reserve and releasing center Kody Russey and linebacker Darien Butler.
Russey struggled in the preseason opener, surrendering several pressures and run stuffs while Butler did not play.
Gustin dislocated his elbow and Miller dislocated his knee in the game against the New York Giants in a game that will likely cause several other players in safety Marcus Epps and defensive end Tyree Wilson to miss the rest of the preseason with the injuries they suffered.
Epps tore his abdomen and will be out for close to a month according to the team while Wilson's dislocated will cause him to miss the start of the season and be out for around two months. Offensive tackle Thayer Munford was also missing from today's practice with an injury but he's expected to be back within a couple of days.
The need for edge players was there prior to the injuries to Wilson and Gustin with Van Noy and Granderson likely to suit up this week against the Washington Commanders when they take on No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Blistering In From Sea.
Raiders HC Josh McDaniels hints at possible preseason debut for Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby, Kolton Miller
Three of the Raiders best players didn't play in the preseason opener against the New York Giants with Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby and Kolton Miller all failing to register a snap despite them dressing out.
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said it was a scheduled off day for the trio and hinted that they could be making their preseason debut this week against Washington.
"You want to try to mimic the regular season as much as you can within reason," McDaniels said of the team's road trip to play the Commanders, "We want to have all of our guys out there, get used to the speed of the game in an unfamiliar setting and really get it going as we ramp up for the start of the regular season."
The Raiders have been having joint practices with the Commanders while staying out on the East Coast for Thursday's game which should lead to a pretty feisty and competitive game, especially among the starters expected to play for an entire half.
Baptism by fire for Joe Alt with Kayvon Thibodeaux in first game and now Montez Sweat and Chase Young
As if fending off Maxx Crosby at practice wasn't enough, Raiders rookie offensive tackle Joe Alt got a welcome to the NFL moment in the opener against the Giants when Giants edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux was able get Alt off balance and knock him off his feet. Luckily for Alt, it was a rollout away from him so it didn't impact the play and the Raiders scored but t's definitely something that veteran Kolton Miller was quick to call out once Alt got to the sidelines.
"He's been in my ear all summer just offering guidance and little tips and tricks," Alt said of his relationship with Miller, the team's veteran offensive tackle and one of the best in the NFL.
Alt got to start at left tackle with Miller sitting out the opener which provided plenty of opportunity for constructive criticism from Miller's watchful eyes from the sideline. If Miller does play this week, Alt will swing out to right tackle and face either Montez Sweat or Chase Young of the Commanders, two uber athletic pass rushers that can cause problems for veteran offensive tackles, let alone a rookie in his second game.
Bo Melton continues to split reps with the first team offense
After an impressive second drive where Justin Fields found Bo Melton for three completions, the Raiders are nurturing that connection by giving Melton first team snaps throughout practice this week.
Some of it is load management with star receiver Davante Adams but it's a noticeable jump for Melton who the team didn't re-sign after last season, didn't extend an offer during free agency and waited until after the draft to sign him to their offseason roster.
With Tory Horton back into the mix of things after missing last week with a wrist injury, it'll be interesting to see how the snaps are split up this week with Adams also expected to make his preseason debut not to mention Mario Williams exploding last week with an impressive performance.
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KimJongBaze
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Blistering In From Sea.
Van Noy underrated.
Welcome to the NFL, Joe.
BO KNOWS!
Welcome to the NFL, Joe.
BO KNOWS!
Blistering In From Sea.
Sheldrick Redwine's Peanut Punch leads to Raiders comeback over Commanders
Caleb Williams' first home game couldn't have started much worse with the number one overall draft pick completing just 9 of his 26 pass attempts and the first of his two scoring drives -- both field goals -- came as a result of penalties that extended the drive. The second, however, was extended by a 62-yard completion to Curtis Samuel that showed Washington Commanders fans why Williams was so highly touted coming out of college.
While Justin Fields didn't have a 62-yard completion, he was an efficient 11 of 17 for 99 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders 35-28 win over Washington on Thursday night. Fields and the rest of the first team offense played most of the first half with Davante Adams catching a 16-yard pass in the first quarter in his preseason debut.
While most of the starters for both teams left at halftime with the Raiders up 17-6, the drama had only just begun. Undrafted free agent Blair Silvers was the third quarterback to enter the game and threw two interceptions in his seven pass attempts, including a pick six to end the third quarter as Washington scored 16 unanswered to retake the lead.
Silvers was replaced by veteran Blaine Gabbert in the fourth quarter who threw an interception of his own with 9:28 remaining that led to a Brandon Aubrey field goal to make it 25-17. Gabbert and the offense would continue to sputter with Washington extending their lead with a little under four minutes to make it a two possession game with another Aubrey field goal.
Gabbert then caught fire, going to Mario Williams for an eighteen yard gain to set up Daniel Carlson's 53-yard field goal with 2:31 left in the game to make it a one score game again. Raiders safety Sheldrick Redwine then executed the perfect 'Peanut Punch', jarring the ball loose from Tyler Goodson for a fumble that was recovered by Karl Joseph. On the next play, Gabbert found a wide open Williams in the endzone who dropped the pass. Gabbert went right back to him, connecting on a 28-yard touchdown and then tied it on the handoff to Zamir White for the two-point conversion.
The Commanders, with Sam Howell at quarterback, went three-and-out after Howell was sacked on back to back plays on 2nd and 3rd down. A 25-yard connection to Williams would get the Raiders within striking distance of the go-ahead field goal and then a 30-yard completion to Laviska Shenault Jr. would get them to the Commanders 4-yard line where Miyan Williams would punch it in for his second touchdown of the game.
The game would fittingly end on a strip sack by newcomer Kyle Van Noy on fourth down.
Early Misfires on Offense
It wasn't just the second and third team offense that had its issues as the Raiders, after scoring on the first drive on a DOT from Fields to Jakobi Meyers in the endzone, would sputter as well. Tre Tucker dropped a pass that would have been a big pickup on the second drive and on the fourth drive, Fields missed Bo Melton on a deep pass as well.
On their fifth drive, bleeding into the second quarter, Damien Harris had rushes of eleven and ten yards before fumbling the ball. This seemed to wake the offense up and end Harris' night who didn't play another snap. The Raiders went on a ten-play drive the next series that ended with a superb touchdown run by Miyan Williams where he set his blocks up, showed great vision and exploded into the end zone for the score.
McDaniels would pull Fields after that drive and much of the Raiders starting offense but it was a positive sign that they were able to get off to a hot start, go through a slump and then find their groove again.
Rookie Showcase
It was very much noticeable that rookie Curtis Jacobs was once again out there with the first team defense in their sub packages, and perhaps more importantly, not on the field when the backups were in. Jacobs finished with eight tackles and two tackles for loss in another impressive performance.
He was called for a penalty that extended one of the Commanders early drives that led to a field goal but then he had two pass breakups right after, including one that was nearly a pick.
Jacobs wasn't the only rookie linebacker that flashed as Eric Gentry had three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, overcoming some early coverage mishaps. Rookie corner Decorian Patterson also had a rollercoaster game with a nice end zone pass breakup only to give up a 42-yard gain on third down in the fourth quarter.
While Jacobs had a great night and Gentry and Patterson had a rookie night with highs and lows, it was mostly low for receiver Tory Horton who was the starting punt returner, muffed a punt (it was recovered by Karl Joseph) and got hurt on the same play and didn't return.
Roster Bubble Watch
It might end up not being enough but the fact that Moose Muhammad played as much as he did bodes well for his chances to at least make the practice squad. He only had one catch but the undrafted free agent was getting open and with a more accurate quarterback, he might have finished the game with four to five receptions.
It's also of note that Muhammad got snaps before K.J. Hamler did, at least on offense as Hamler was the second team punter after Horton got hurt. Hamler got some receiver snaps late in the game and dropped a pass before being replaced by Muhammad for the rest of the game. It's hard to see Muhammad making the roster but he's making a solid case for practice squad.
It was another strong game from Redwine who had the key forced fumble along with four tackles while his running mate Karl Joseph had three tackles. They are physical guys that bring a level of intensity that will be very much appreciated on special teams which improves their chances of making the roster. For Joseph, it also helps that Christopher Smith II got the start at safety with Marcus Epps out with an injury and he didn't play very well.
Other bubble guys that had a good game include Khalid Kareem with three tackles for loss along with Carl Granderson and Van Noy who flashed after being with the team for only a few days.
Injury News
Jordan Willis seemed poise for a big game after recording a pressure and a sack on the first three snaps of the game, only to get hurt and leave the game with an upper body injury, possibly his chest or shoulder. Based on his reaction, it might have been a serious one as he was visibly emotional as he left the field.
The other notable injury, outside of the aforementioned Horton, is defensive tackle Tyleik Williams who got hurt blowing up an option play. The run defense took a noticeable hit when he left the game but he did return to play a few snaps in the second half.
Last edited by Soapy on 26 Oct 2023, 20:37, edited 1 time in total.
Blistering In From Sea.
Van Noy fits this defense very well, does a little bit of everything
I didn't include him in the write up but Joe Alt was a stud against the Commanders, didn't allow a pressure/sack
Bo Melton quietly earning some first team snaps, keep working
Blistering In From Sea.
With training camp coming up to a close, it's put up or shut up time for several Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders returned to practice on Sunday in Henderson, Nevada and will travel to Seattle on Wednesday night for the preseason finale as the Raiders are opting to mimic an in-season road game instead of spending the week in Seattle.
The starters are expected to play at least a quarter but fans should keep a close eye beyond that with several starting slots and roster spots up for grabs that will be decided in the second half as well.
With rookie receiver Tory Horton back at practice after spraining his knee last week, he'll try to finally make an impact on the game after missing the opener with a wrist injury and getting hurt on a punt return last season.
Horton had a really good start to training camp and was in line to start against the Giants in the opener before a last-minute wrist injury gave the start to Bo Melton with Davante Adams having a scheduled vet day.
Melton has made the most of his opportunities while for Horton, this will be his last shot at determining if this will be a redshirt year for him or a contributor to the offense.
At running back, the picture seemed to clear up with Damien Harris getting more of the reps with the first team offense throughout camp and preseason but it'll be interesting to see if his fumble last Thursday has any impact on his standing. Harris was essentially benched afterwards with Miyan Williams -- not Zamir White -- getting the rest of the carries with the first team offense.
Through two games, Williams had three touchdowns on thirty carries, averaging four yards per carry that is weighted down by a tough first game behind the second team offensive line. Similar to Horton, he'll need another strong performance in the finale to avoid being a redshirt/special teams guy as a rookie.
Defensively, Khalid Kareem and Kyle Van Noy both threw their hats into the starting outside linebacker competition especially with Jordan Willis going down with an injury (more on that later). Van Noy is familiar with defensive coordinator Patrick Graham as they crossed paths when they were in New England so even as a late addition, he could not only make the roster but play a role in the Raiders defense.
Kareem has four tackles for loss on the season, leading the team among defensive linemen. He gives them some flexibility as a five-technique while also being able to play the edge on passing downs and has been a pleasant surprise this camp. With a star player like Maxx Crosby not expected to play much, there will be plenty of snaps to go around for a crowded outside linebacker room.
Jordan Willis heads to IR as Raiders sign yet another outside linebacker
The Raiders placed outside linebacker Jordan Willis on injured reserve, likely ending his season after tearing his labrum against the Commanders in the first quarter.
Willis got the start at outside linebacker and registered two quarterback pressures and then a sack before leaving the game with an injury. The veteran free agent acquisition was one of many guys competing for that starting spot opposite of Maxx Crosby with Tyree Wilson, pre-injury, primarily being a five-technique.
The Raiders signed Jonathan Garvin to their active roster by the beginning of the week who will have just a few days, and potentially the Seattle game, to make a case for a roster spot.
Sheldrick Redwine and Karl Joseph continue to make the most of their opportunities
Outside of rookie linebacker Curtis Jacobs who leads the team in tackles (22) and tackles for loss (8), perhaps no one has been more of a surprise this preseason than safeties Karl Joseph and Sheldrick Redwine.
Joseph recovered Horton's muffed punt to avoid a complete disaster and then recovered a fourth quarter fumble on a punch out by Redwine, who had a key pass breakup on the last drive against the Giants.
Marcus Epps is expected to be back in time for the regular season opener as he recovers from an abdominal tear but Joseph is making a legitimate case to be the starter in case Epps can't go instead of presumed backup Christopher Smith II.
Grand opening, grand closing for any possible backup quarterback competition
If there was even an inkling that Aidan O'Connell would have to fend off Blaine Gabbert and Blair Silvers to be Justin Fields' backup, that was quickly thwarted with Silvers' terrible performance against the Commanders.
Gabbert eventually led the comeback win with an impressive touchdown to Mario Williams but he still completed just 38 percent of his passes and didn't look as in command of the offense as O'Connell despite having some familiarity as Tom Brady's backup in Tampa.
O'Connell has all of the qualities of a high level quarterback, winning a game last year as a rookie and continuing to make strides in his development. With the offense seemingly being the same even with the addition of the athletic Fields, there really shouldn't be a concern with the Raiders needing to get a mobile quarterback that can replicate Fields' production as a runner, should he get injured.
Blistering In From Sea.
good update to the layout btw. easy to read those headlines 