Pregame warmup Via SilverandBlackPride.com
With week one of the preseason in the books, the Oakland Raiders have answered a few questions and raised a few more. The most notable improvement was on the defensive side of the ball where both the first team run defense and pass rush have vastly improved. Offensively, however, the Raiders struggled.
Coach Allen went on to state: I think there are obviously some positives in the game. I thought our first team defense did exceptionally well. I was real pleased with the way that Darren McFadden played there in the first quarter and so there are some positives about it. We got a lot of young guys a lot of reps. But at the end of the day, the execution is not where it needs to be and we have to be better.
Throughout the game the defense proved they could execute on multiple levels holding the Dallas Cowboys to 202 net yards. The run defense was especially impressive as the Cowboys were held to a total of 49 yards on the ground. The only points of the night came on the Cowboys’ drive in which Kyle Orton drove the team down 67 yards which was capped off my a 33 yard field goal by kicker Dan Bailey.
The Raiders offense struggled. The team posted a total of 253 yards. Darren McFadden came and had a good game on the drives he was apart of accounting for 20 yards rushing and 18 yards receiving. Through the rest of the day the Raiders relied on rookie Lonyae Miller, who filled in for the ailing backs Mike Goodson and Taiwan Jones.
Wide receiver Jacoby Ford looked out of place, dropping two easy passes. While it is the first week of the preseason, this is out of place for the third year player. Rookie Rod Streeter on the other hand had a very nice night, racking up 66 yards on 6 receptions. Streeter didn’t resemble the standard Raiders wide out, which will certainly earn him a nod in the race for 3rd on the Raiders depth chart.
Coach Allen on Streeter: I’ll get a chance to really look at the tape and evaluate his overall performance. Statistically it looked like he had some yards, he had some catches. So in that regard I thought we did a nice job. We’ll have to look at the tape and really study the details and make sure he was executing what he needed to get executed.
During the game there were three chances at field goals, which resulted in one procedure error and 2 misses. It should be noted that veteran punter Shane Lechler was out with a nagging knee injury and rookie Marquette King took over as holder, which caused a few logistical errors with the muffed snap and laces being faced inward on the final FG attempt of the night.
With prying eyes, the Raider Nation will be looking on this Friday as the Raiders travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. With the lackluster showing on offense, the Raiders will look to improve their offensive potency and to build on the defensive standpoint started against the cowboys.
