Raiders-Broncos Preview
Eight quarters, no takeaways. Free safety Charles Woodson can’t believe it. “We have to get the ball,” Woodson said. “To not have any fumbles, any interceptions, that’s tough. I’m used to having a couple myself at this point.” Given the small sample size and the fact that the Raiders face Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos Monday night on the road, the Raiders statistical excellence could take a beating in Week 3. Raiders coach Dennis Allen has been pleased with the amount of tacklers his defense has gotten to the ball. “That’s the way great defenses play,” Allen said. “They swarm to the ball. There’s really no such thing as a missed tackle as long as you’ve got 10 other guys there to back you up.” Turnovers, Allen believes will be a natural byproduct of that style of play. “That will come with getting those 11 guys to fly around,” Allen said.
Injuries, absences can’t stop Broncos, but Raiders try to see if they can
The Raiders won 19-9. . Yes, they are now ranked at No. 29. As reported on ESPN NFL on Tuesday, the Raiders are now ranked No. 29 out of 32 teams in the NFL league.
Clady, a three-time Pro Bowler, signed a five-year extension with $33 million guaranteed in July after allowing one sack as Manning attempted 583 passes last season. The left tackle, though, has been lost for the season due to a Lisfranc tear in his left foot suffered in Sunday’s 41-23 victory over the New York Giants . Chris Clark will start in Clady’s place against an Oakland defensive line that is tied for the NFL lead with nine sacks. “Stepping up into a role like this, it’s not going to be hard for me to adjust,” Clark said. “It’s not about filling a guy’s shoes for me. It’s about me creating my legacy, just helping the team the best way I can and doing my job.” Clark has made six career starts at tight end but none at tackle. Clark, though, said watching Clady should make it easier for him. “You try to mimic those things because he’s been a great player, and those things will help me a lot,” he said.
Raiders-Broncos Capsule
So not even handling their business at home against woeful Jacksonville was enough to give the Raiders a bigger bump. But thats what happens when you score a touchdown on your opening drive and then have to settle for five field goal attempts, missing one, against the Jaguars. And when you lose your highest-paid player in $9.5 million strong safety Tyvon Branch to a broken leg for an indefinite amount of time. And the timing couldn’t be worse, a week before traveling to No. 2-ranked Denver for “Monday Night Football.” Still, the Raiders are tied for the league lead in sacks with nine (five coming from the secondary) and have the NFLs top-ranked rushing game. So they have that going for them …
Report: Raiders, Chargers will avoid swap of home games
“I think we do have a lot of guys that can fill a position.” Taking Clady’s spot in the lineup will be fifth-year lineman Chris Clark, who played the role of Manning’s blindside protector through much of offseason practice while Clady was overcoming a shoulder injury. The Raiders are tied for the league lead in sacks, with nine over the first two games, and will try to expose a Denver offensive line that shuffled around even before Clady’s injury but has shown no signs of trouble so far. “Being around him, even for the short time I was in Denver, I know they have all the confidence in the world that the man can go in there and do the job,” said Raiders coach Dennis Allen, who was Denver’s defensive coordinator for a season before taking the Oakland job. Despite the latest injury, the Broncos are 15-point favorites for the game against their AFC West rivals, the biggest spread of the NFL season so far. The Raiders (1-1), pegged as one of the league’s worst teams, have fared a bit better than that, taking a lead against the Colts in the fourth quarter of the opener before falling, then beating one of the league’s other worst teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, at home last week. Now, the biggest test. A victory would put them in a tie with the Broncos and hand them their first regular-season loss in 14 games. Five things to watch when the Raiders and Broncos meet: PROTECTING THE FRANCHISE: Defensive backs have accounted for five of Oakland’s nine sacks this season, meaning the Raiders aren’t shy about bringing the blitz and mixing things up. Certainly, they’ll try to confuse Clark, who will be making his first career start at left tackle. But Manning gets the ball out so quickly, it may be hard to get to him around the edges.
Oakland Raiders beat Jacksonville Jaguars
Manning 12-4 on Monday nights. … Broncos lead league with 90 points, including 66 after halftime. Next up is Green Bay with 66 points total. … LT Ryan Clady (left foot) went on IR, will miss game for first time in career. Hed started 85 games since 08.
The Oakland Raiders rank No. 29 in the NFL
Flynn was working as a holder during practice Thursday, and coach Dennis Allen wouldn’t rule out having him assume that role in place of punter Marquette King against the Denver Broncos on Monday night at Sports Authority Field. “We’ll see,” Allen said. “It’s an area we’ve been really good at, and we’ve got to improve in that area.” Janikowski missed a 48-yard field goal attempt in the opener against Indianapolis after being perfect from 50 yards and in last season. In Week 2 against Jacksonville, he missed wide left from 35 yards, snapping a streak of 50 consecutive conversions from 39 yards and in. Earlier in the week, Allen said Janikowski was still working to gain a comfort level with King the way he did with Shane Lechler, his holder from 2000-12. Flynn has not spoken with the media since Terrelle Pryor was named the starting quarterback. Allen said Flynn has handled the situation “like a professional” and would be confident should Flynn have to play for Pryor.
TIBCO, Oakland Raiders Launch New Mobile App for Fans, Bringing Real-Time Experiences to Raider Nation
Pryor is not nearly the same elite passer as Flacco or Manning, but he is definitely much more of a dual threat than either of those two. Having Bailey in the lineupeven at the age of 35will help slow down the read-option attack led by Pryor considering Bailey’s reputation as a two-way cornerback. After all, Bailey did face the read-option attack on a weekly basis in practice when the Broncos had Tim Tebow as quarterback in 2011. The Broncos’ young defensive backfield, including the likes of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Chris Harris Jr., Duke Ihenacho, Rahim Moore and Tony Carter, has proven that its aggressive style can succeed against pass-heavy offenses. If Bailey can’t play, thequestion is whether Denver’s aggressive style will succeed versus the Raiders’ read-option attack, where patience is key on the defensive side of the ball. Will Knowshon Moreno Continue to Establish Himself? Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports After a Week 1 outing that saw Knowshon Moreno contribute just 28 yards on nine carries, the University of Georgia product exploded for 93 yards on 13 carries, including two touchdowns that helped turn the tide in Denver’s favor before the Broncos eventually finished off the Giants, 41-23, at the Meadowlands. It’s clear that Moreno is Denver’s best bet at running back.
Oakland Raiders notebook: Backup quarterback Matt Flynn in line as holder for Janikowski
Free safety Charles Woodson, who had the game’s most spectacular play when he hurdled a Jacksonville blocker to prevent a potential touchdown by Maurice Jones-Drew, already was looking forward to an AFC West showdown with the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 3. “It’s one win. There’s bigger fish out there,” Woodson said. “It looks like Denver put up a lot of points again, so we’ve got to get over this one.” Running back Darren McFadden keyed a 226-yard rushing effort with 129 yards on 19 carries, Marcel Reece scored on an 11-yard run, and Sebastian Janikowski kicked field goals from 46, 30, 29 and 29 yards as the Raiders evened their record at 1-1. Jacksonville, its quick-tempo offense shut down by a sharp-tackling Oakland defense, managed only a 27-yard field goal by Josh Scobee in the second quarter and a cosmetic 13-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Chad Harbor with 2:53 remaining. The Raiders got the crowd into the game from the outset, winning the toss and electing to defer to Jacksonville. Jacksonville was immediately forced to punt after a three-and-out, and Phillip Adams returned it 30 yards down the left sideline to the Jaguars’ 38-yard line.
Power Rankings: No. 29 Oakland Raiders
( NASDAQ : TIBX ) has announced the launch of the Oakland Raiders App, a customizable mobile application that allows fans to connect with the team like never before. The app is currently available for iOS and Android devices. It’s rooted in TIBCO’s event-processing technology, allowing the Raiders to deliver experiences in real time based on fans’ preferences, likes, dislikes, location and on the team’s available merchandise inventory. Raider fans can access the interactive season schedule, detailed roster information, connect with fellow fans and tap into real-time polls during games. Leveraging TIBCO’s unique location-and-activity-awareness technologies, the app sends fans real-time notifications on ticket offers, parking information and merchandise discounts based on a fan’s proximity to a Raiders store. “The Raiders app, like TIBCO, is at the intersection of the industry’s most compelling trends: mobile, social, local, cloud and real-time interactivity. Its unique Fan Manager backend continuously serves up fresh and relevant content by engaging with the fan in real time, not hours or days later as with traditional systems,” said Wen Miao, global head of TIBCO’s Client Technical Services. “TIBCO’s platform dramatically simplifies the integration of social, loyalty, analytics, and content within the cloud, delivering the ultimate fan experience across any channel, allowing the Raiders to stay actively engaged with their fans and extending the Raider Nation fan experience everywhere in the world.” The Raiders app is TIBCO’s second venture into the world of professional sports apps. The new Raiders app has already been downloaded more than 100,000 times.
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos: 5 Storylines to Watch
According to the San Diego Union-Tribune , the Raiders will no longer need to swap their Oct. 6 home date with the Chargers for Dec. 22 to avoid a weekend conflict with the Oakland Athletics, who are bound for the MLB playoffs. Instead, the solution would be moving the game from Sunday in Week 5 by a “day or so.” The Athletics, in the current position of leaders in the American League West, would be in line to host a AL Division Series game on Saturday Oct. 5 . The challenge of the Raiders playing in O.co Coliseum the next day would be the logistical problem of turning the field around quickly from baseball to football.