No, It Was Not A Dream.

Well, another week gone by and another win for the Raiders. I did say they had a chance at defeating the Eagles. I did not think the Eagles would perform so poorly.

The Raiders are awesome! They continue to show that they can dominate any team that faces them. I tried to tell you Raider Fans who were lost faith, we are backing a damn good team.

Let me break it down for you. Were the Raiders that good or were the Eagles that bad? The Raiders ARE that good. I, for the entire season, have said that in order for the Raiders to win the division, they had to bring in an experienced wide receiver, they needed to protect JaMarcus Russell better, they had to improve their play calling on offense and they had to stop letting up on defense late in the game.

Here is what they did. After releasing him on September 5th, on October 7th, they brought back veteran wide receiver Gary Russell. He played against the Eagles and proved he can be the factor JaMarcus and Zack Miller need on offense. He can catch, block and run with the best of them. JaMarcus was 17 of 28 for 224 yards with 2 INT's. Good numbers, even with the INT's. The O'line not only protected him, they opened hole that even my slow behind could have run through. That also helps to relieve the pressure on JaMarcus. Yes, he made some bad throws and had 2 picks, but he is going to do that.

The Raider Defense was still on top of everything. Someone told me last week the defense is tired. They can't continue to play at a high level if the offense does not give them rest. Well, they showed that they are in the best shape of any defense in the league. That Raider Defense never stopped apply pressure on the Eagles, even in the closing minutes of the game. Richard Seymour can not be stopped. When the Raiders Defense held the Eagles (the team with the highest scoring average [35 pts per game] in the league) To 4 and out at the goal line, every Raider Fan in the world should have known, at that moment, the game belonged to the Raiders.

Now, allow me to be even more real. Listen up Bucky and Jake. I want you to understand more than anyone. (you too, Alex) While the Raiders won the game, I am still concerned with offensive production and coaching. The final score was Raiders 13 - Eagles 9. I am not happy. If the Raiders did not have such an awesome defense, they would not have won that game. The defense won that game, not the offense. The Raiders should be scoring at least 20 points per game. When they do, they win. Check the record. The problem is coaching. Tom Cable does not get it. He still thinks it's the players. They are playing as hard as they can. He himself stated "They have the will to fight to win." But, the reason they cannot put the ball in the endzone, even when they are in the redzone, is bad play calling. The coaches do not know how to finish a drive like a Raider and that hurts. Yes, they held the #1 offense in the league to 3 field goals, but they only got 1 touchdown and that was in the 1st quarter. I will not be satisfied until the Raiders are putting 20 or more points on the scoreboard. Then, I will say the team is well run. Someone needs to slap Tom Cable and wake him up.

On the positive tip...Justin Fargus is the best RB the Raiders have, right now. Keep giving him the ball and the passing game will be wide open. I loved the extra help the Raiders got from that pigeon on the kicking team. He showed how to contain a runner. Someday I will explain it to those of you who do not know. If you ever see me, just ask.

This week the Raiders are hosting the Jets. It will be a great game. My only concern is can the Raiders be consistent and repeat their power playing for a 2nd week? I think they can. I think they will. I see them defeating the Jets by 10 points. Defense, keep pressure on the Jets offense. Pound on Mark Sanchez each and every time he snaps the ball. Offense, continue to open holes and pass block with the precision you displayed against the Eagles. If you can defeat the Eagles, you can defeat anybody.

GO RAIDERS!!!!

Raider-Man, See Ya!!!