Stupefied
After an inspiring team win at Denver, I fortunately missed the game this week vs. KC. Our family spent the holiday enjoying the beautiful beaches, delicious foods, perfect weather, cold Coronas, and deep sea fishing of Ixtapa Mexico. I didn't watch the game, tape the game, or hear about the game until today. After reading a few articles in the SF Gate, San Jose Mercury, and Oakland Tribune, I'm feeling rather nauseous and irritable.
First and foremost, Tom Cable is officially a "dead man walking". How on earth does a Head Coach call a play that is so ridiculously flawed? I have no reservations about a Head Coach aggressively taking a chance with a trick play as long as the play is fundamentally sound. The trick FG play, at 4th and 10, where SeaBass takes a lateral from Lechler skirts all sense of logic.
It is a 3 to 3 ballgame. Why not try a 42 yard FG to give your team the lead and positive momentum? Do you seriously expect a 250+ pound kicker to "scamper" 17+ yards for a first down? SeaBass has the foot speed of a lineman. This playcall led to a botched lateral with a KC defender picking it up and going 67 yards for a TD. Even if the play was executed properly, who in their right mind believes that SeaBass can chug along 17 yards before being taken to the ground well short of a first down? To call such a play that resulted in a 10 point swing is inexcusable on any level. Cable owned up to this dubious playcall after the game but the fact that he would even attempt a play that from a design standpoint had zero chance for success says more.
What is particularly maddening to me is how inconsistent this team performs on a week to week basis. How do you beat 2 divisional leaders (vs. NY, at Den) but lose to a team that had won 1 of their last 19 games? Effort, execution, playcalling, and coaching have been hit or mostly miss throughout the year. The Raiders have followed up each victory this season with a subpar performance. For every step forward with victories (at KC, vs. NY, at Den) a few steps back have ensued. This lack of traction and constantly stubbing of the toe is unbearable. Having a lame duck Head Coach and a vacuum at GM makes it difficult to strike the flames of hope.
For hope to be reignited, major changes need to take place at the conclusion of this season. A football savvy executive GM desperately needs to be hired to construct a competitive, playoff caliber team. A proven, dynamic leader that puts his team in the best possible position to succeed needs to be hired as the Head Coach. Until these 2 things happen, this team will continue to be mired in it's losing ways.
posted by Calico Jack at 9:20 PM
4 Comments:
Then we will continue to live in misery. As long as Al is around, there will be not only madness but no whiff of a GM. We're doomed....
What's not to like:
Offense: Ranked 30th of 32 in league on points scored. Let's look at a few positions...
QB: Russell ranks 28 out of 32 at 72.6 rating. That's right. Just after J.T. O'Sullivan (benched weeks ago in SF). 4 passing TDs, 31 of 32. 5 fumbles lost, 30 of 32.
RB: Fargas 1 TD. McFadden 3 TDs. Bush 1 TD.
WR: Lelie, Walker, Higgins, Curry combined 5 TDs.
Focusing on offense alone -- and leaving coaching and ownership out of it, both of which are f'ing miserable -- we must conclude that Russell is nearing bust status. We knew he'd struggle this year, his first full one as a rookie. That's fine. But I want to see improvement, growth, something to hang my hopes on. Thus far, I see the 5th worst QB who can't get his team in the end zone. I see a great game at Denver followed by utter chaos. I still want to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, but the next 4 games will tell me a lot. If he improves, fine, we'll let him stick around, learn another f'ing offense under his 3rd coach in 2 years, and pray he improves. If not, let's put him on the D'Angelo Hall plan and start over.
As I think about this, we can't leave coaching and ownership out of this. Know why? Kerry f'ing Collins. Kerry f'ing Collins. KERRY F'ING COLLINS.
CJ, I'm going to grab a few of those Coronas and try to put this out of my mind.
Tooz, I think it is a mixture of terrible talent on offense, and piss-poor play calling by the coaching staff.
I don't think this will get better for a long time.
It wouldn't surprise me if Al Davis goes after Mike Leach (of Texas Tech fame) to be our next Head Coach. It wouldn't surprise me if he goes after Jim Fassell or Matt Millen to be our next GM.
Everything will change every year until Al Davis is no longer the owner of this team. He has held on too long, and it's time for him to go.
Calico,
Cable himself said he had no regrets about that fake punt call. The not so funny thing is that Cable stripped Knapp of playcalling duties for his poor performance.
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