By Chris Hansen 

The Raiders scored nine points on offense and gave up 196 yards passing to Alex Smith and 149 yards rushing to Frank Gore. Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis caught touchdown passes.

I’d call that a complete failure to execute any goals.

I’m sure every single game plan against the 49ers consists of scoring a couple touchdowns, forcing Alex Smith to make a mistake and stopping Gore, Davis and Crabtree.

The Raiders only managed to get two sacks of Smith and there was never enough pressure to force a turnover. Despite Smith’s terrible days early, he easily carved up the Raiders defense.

STUDS

Matt Shaughnessy

Why did Trevor Scott start in front of him at defensive end again? He either never regressed or he’s turned it back around. He applied the most consistent pressure on Alex Smith, working against their best offensive lineman, Joe Staley. He also forced Staley to commit a couple of penalties. He also did a good job stopping the run.

Former Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson called him “ShaughNASTY.” That might be the best nickname I’ve heard for a Raider in years.

Nnamdi Asomugha & Richard Seymour

They aren’t the problem with this defense. Both played well.

Shane Lechler

Sad day when your only offense is the kicker and your punter is getting plenty of room to punt the ball. Lechler had a 53.5 average and a 47.3 net. He’s ridiculous. He’s good. He’s a stud.

DUDS

Jason Campbell

Finished the game with a 10.7 passer rating. Went 8/21 for 83 yards and two interceptions and a fumble that was not lost. Not much more needs to be said. He got the best protection you can ask out of this offensive line and couldn’t produce. Were the receivers not getting open? Why can’t he rally the troops like Bruce Gradkowski can when things are going poorly? Pathetic display.

Kyle Boller may start this week for Campbell, who hurt his knee. I don’t know why Campbell continues to struggle so much, but Boller couldn’t be worse. Even JaMarcus wasn’t worse and that’s saying something.

Chris Johnson

Zone coverage or man coverage? He stinks at both. He completely missed his zone coverage assignment on Crabtree’s TD catch as the Raiders were about to gain some momentum from the self-destructing 49ers offense. Johnson’s head isn’t in the game. The only thing he should be covering is the bench. It shouldn’t be hard as the bench doesn’t move, but knowing your assignment in zone coverage isn’t much harder and he managed to not know it.

Jeremy Ware makes some rookie mistakes, but at least he doesn’t completely blow an assignment every week. Johnson also is making his teammates look bad, as Tyvon Branch hustles over to help people think he somehow made a mistake.

http://www.raiders-blog.com/

Hello I am Vince Vitale, Lead blogger for the St. Louis Rams team page on Football Fan Spot. I am also the Owner, Webmaster and sole blogger on Stlouisramfan.com. You can follow me on Twitter @Stlvinnie, or email me at stlvinnie@yahoo.com. I live in St. Louis, my nickname is Vinnie and my internet tag is Stlvinnie.

I have been working on my Stlouisramfan.com site since 2005 and I have been featured in ESPN magazine, The New York Times, Yardbarker, Digg and other internet publications. I am neither a writer nor journalist just a sports fan. I never played football at any level, again just a fan.

I am a St. Louis Rams season ticket holder and a huge football fan. I also try to attend some local college and High School games as well. I do not consider myself an expert on football but I do watch as many games as possible. The theory behind my website work is to bring football fans a fans perspective of what I see. I am not a homer nor do I sugar coat my opinions. I have always wanted to watch a football game in a crowded Boston, Philly or New York bar. I want my writing style to be a reflection of that atmosphere. I want to put on the paper what we would be talking about over a beer at the bar.

I am in my 40s and I still have memories of games as far back as 1971. I am old school and still get upset when I see things like Art Shell coaching the Chiefs or Isaac Bruce on the San Francisco 49ers. The NFL needs a rookie salary cap and a way for teams to economically keep their veteran stars for life. I look forward in providing you with St. Louis Rams information and topics that we can discuss throughout the year.

Welcome to Football Fan Spot – St. Louis Rams Team Page

Stlvinnie

http://www.stlouisramfan.com 

Twitter @Stlvinnie

32. Carolina Panthers 1-10

With every mediocre start Jimmy Clausen has, it looks more and more likely that the Panthers would draft a quarterback like Andrew Luck if given the chance with the (presumably) 1^st overall pick in the 2011 draft. Of course if Clausen wins a few games and they aren’t picking #1, they’ll keep him around, but it’s not looking good.

I was a huge supporter of Clausen coming out in 2010 and I personally hope that someone trades for him this offseason. They can get him cheap if the Panthers draft Luck and he’s still got potential. He’s had a bad rookie year, but look at what he’s had to go through. His entire supporting cast is terrible. That’s especially tough for a rookie who is just learning an NFL offense. Hopefully a team with more of a supporting cast (Arizona, San Francisco, Miami) will trade a mid-rounder for Clausen, because I think he can still be a solid signal caller with a better supporting cast.

31. Cincinnati Bengals 2-9

Did the Bengals even play this week? This team has absolutely not shown up in 6 quarters, ever since they took that big early lead against Buffalo, which they promptly blew big time. That Jets game was disgraceful. They might as well have been a college team. That’s how bad they looked.

30. Arizona Cardinals 3-8

I know you’re probably expecting me to do a write up here, but I’m just not going to. HAHAHAHAHA

It wasn’t funny. I wasn’t laughing about anything. I’m not laughing about it. You think this is funny? I take this $#!% serious! Real serious! I put my heart and soul into these Power Rankings every week. I’m just telling you right now what I do every single week! Every single week! I put my freakin’ heart and soul into this, I study my ass off! I don’t go out there and laugh! It’s not funny! Nothing’s funny to me! I don’t want to go out there and get embarrassed on the internet in front of everybody.

(In case you’re confused, watch this)

29. Detroit Lions 2-9

The Lions are Thanksgiving Day turkeys once again. They haven’t won on the holiday since 2003 and they’ve lost their last 8 Thanksgiving Day games by an average of 23.9! Tom Brady has many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Tons of money, a supermodel wife, being a celebrity, being an NFL quarterback, 3 Super Bowl rings, playing the Detroit Lions, Deion Branch, the fact that Alphonso Smith can’t cover or tackle to save his life, you get the point. That long Branch TD against Smith was pathetic. First Smith allowed Branch to be wide open for the catch, then he got juked out three separate times on Branch’s run to the end zone. Now you see why Josh McDaniels traded a first rounder for him.

28. Buffalo Bills 2-9

You’re probably expecting me to do a write up here, but instead I’m just going to pull a Steve Johnson, drop the ball and blame God. WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME!!!

27. Denver Broncos 3-8

Last week I did a detailed overview of Josh McDaniels’ failures in his time in Denver, but still somehow have another to add after just one week. He had someone videotape a 1-6 team’s practice and still lost. I know some people will say, he didn’t knowingly have someone tape the practice. Right. So former Patriot assistant Josh McDaniels hired the guy responsible for Spygate and had perfectly good and legal intentions in doing so. Come on. At least when the Pats did it they won.

26. Dallas Cowboys 3-8

It appears the worst running back in the league, Marion Barber, is injured and will miss a few weeks. Now what terrible back will the Cowboys use to steal 10 carries away from Felix Jones? Barber is averaging a mere 3.1 yards per carry and that doesn’t even tell the whole story. Most of the time he just falls forward and gets stuffed at the line and he only has two carries of longer than 12 yards all year, in 102 attempts. It appears Tashard Choice will get Barber’s carries in his absence and not Felix Jones, but as long as it’s not Barber or Larry Johnson, the Cowboys are better off.

25. Cleveland Browns 3-8

Phew! It looked like for a while that the Browns would actually cover a 10 point spread against the Browns and make me lose my 5 unit pick. In the first half, the Browns led by double digits on several occasions and Jake Delhomme was being efficient and just letting Peyton Hillis do all the work.

 Then in the second half, Delhomme had his trademark implosion (was anyone really surprised) as he threw 2 picks, one returned for a score, as the Panthers battled back to make it a mere 1 point loss. The Panthers actually could have won that game if they didn’t miss a mid range field goal late in the 4^th.

An embarrassing stat, Delhomme threw a touchdown to the Panthers last week, a pick six. When he was the Panthers’ starting quarterback in 2009, he didn’t throw a single touchdown to the Panthers in 4 of his 11 starts. With Colt McCoy out for a few more weeks, we’re going to be seeing a lot more of Delhomme in Cleveland. But hey, at least it means the Browns will be drafting higher and be able to get an actual receiver.

24. San Francisco 49ers 4-7

The 49ers were 3-7 going into last week’s game with the Cardinals, then they lost a player in Frank Gore who accounted for 40% of their yards from scrimmage this season. Gore’s out for the season. With Troy Smith looking fairly mediocre, their season now rests on the back of Brian Westbrook. And still, at 4-7, they’re a mere 1 game back of the division with 3 in division games to go against St. Louis, Arizona, and Seattle. Yes, there’s still a chance this once 1-6 team who lost to the Panthers can make the playoffs.

I don’t say this very often, but Jon Gruden had a good idea. During the 49ers/Cardinals broadcast, he proposed a new rule that only teams with 8 wins can make the playoffs. If you win your division with 7 or fewer wins, you don’t make the playoffs. Instead, a 3^rd wild card team makes the playoffs and the best wild card team gets a round 1 home game rather than said 7 win team. Of course Gruden said that this rule should be changed for THIS season, which is impossible, but a half coherent thought by Gruden is a record of some sort.

23. Oakland Raiders 5-6

Is anyone really surprised? After beating the Chiefs and being in a tie with Kansas City for first in the division during the bye, the Raiders have lost their last 2 by a combined 48 points. Neither of their quarterbacks, Jason Campbell, nor Bruce Gradkowski can do anything. Darren McFadden once looked like an MVP candidate, but now has 18 carries for 16 yards in his last 2 games. Now they sit at 5-6 and look likely to miss the playoffs once again. In fact, if they lose out, they can still have their 8^th straight year or 11 or more losses. Not entirely impossible.

22. Minnesota Vikings 4-7

Following the Vikings’ win over the Redskins and the Cowboys 2-1 record in 3 games with Jason Garrett, I would not be surprised if every team in the league fired their head coach in an attempt to win next week. It seems to work. In all, seriousness, this team should have fired Brad Childress weeks ago. He was simply someone the players weren’t buying into and when they finally fired him it was too late for their season.

21. Houston Texans 5-6

The fact that Cortland Finnegan and Andre Johnson got the same fine is ridiculous. Cortland Finnegan started the fight, provoked Johnson’s response, yanked off Johnson’s helmet, what was Johnson supposed to do, stand there and take it. Finnegan’s a dirty player who absolutely tries to hurt people (he’s not very good at it because he’s tiny). Finnegan has done similar things in the past and should have been suspended. Instead, Finnegan gets the same 25K fine as Andre Johnson.

Here’s a video of the fight if you haven’t seen it. And what’s with Finnegan clapping at the end of it. Is he clapping that he just got his ass kicked or is he clapping that he was finally able to shutdown Johnson, by getting him kicked out of the game? For the record, Johnson caught 9 balls and a score against Finnegan, who is supposed to be one of the better corners in the league. Instead Finnegan is just a punk who looks like Pauly D. And even The Jersey Shore “star” was offended by the comparison. Any time someone from Jersey is offended to be compared with you, you’ve got problems.

20. Seattle Seahawks 5-6

Just when you think this is the legitimate team in the NFC West, they fall flat on their faces in back to back games, losing both by double digits, one at home to an overrated Chiefs team in a game where they just looked absolutely terrible. The MNF crew seemed to think this team was the most likely to be able to win a playoff game because they have the best quarterback.

Well, except they can’t stop anyone, their good receivers end after Mike Williams who used to be a major bust and also is often injured, and their running back Marshawn Lynch is someone I strongly considered ranking with Marion Barber and Larry Johnson as the worst running backs in the league. Lynch is averaging 3.1 yards per carry since arriving in Seattle. I have no idea why Justin Forsett isn’t starting over him. Oh, and as for Matt Hasselbeck being the best quarterback in the division, MNF Crew, meet Sam Bradford.

19. Washington Redskins 5-6

This team is the most boring team on the field in the league. The only time I was ever able to come up with anything interesting to say about them was after the McNabb fiasco. So I’m going to say something else about the Derek Anderson incident again.

Replays show Anderson was clearly laughing on the sideline, so Anderson clearly is in denial or has selective amnesia, but the question remains, what could Lutui have said to Anderson to make him laugh. I have a few suggestions.

“Boy, you’ve really killed Larry Fitzgerald’s fantasy value”

“Can you believe people thought we’d be competitive without Kurt Warner”

“Someone picked you up in my fantasy league and started you this week”

“I can’t believe the media hasn’t noticed you drench yourself in sludge before every game”

“Can you believe people paid to watch this game?”

18. Tennessee Titans 5-6

3 weeks ago this team was 5-3, one game back of the best record in the AFC, and had just acquired Randy Moss from the Vikings through a waiver claim. 3 weeks later, they’re 5-6. Randy Moss has 4 catches for 49 yards in 3 games, but he’s not the problem. He’s kept his mouth shut, likely in an attempt to actually be playing football next season.

Vince Young hurt his thumb, wanted to go back into the game, got angry he didn’t go back into the game, lashed out at Coach Jeff Fisher, stormed out of the locker room post-game, was placed on IR banned from team meetings. That left Rusty Smith to start against the Texans. The Texans rank 31^st in the league against the pass, but Smith still was only 17 for 31 for 138 yards, no touchdowns, and 3 picks. They can forget about the playoffs now and their only hope for a .500 season is that Kerry Collins comes back from injury soon to lead the team at quarterback.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-5

The Jaguars got lucky again last week. They didn’t win, but they were able to look dominant against the Giants. People will use this as a reason for why they are legitimate contenders in the AFC South. However, the Giants are in the middle of a second half swoon right now and have multiple injuries in their receiving corps and on their offensive line. This is still a team that’s not going to be able to beat the Colts in a few weeks in a game that could decide the division. They beat the Colts earlier this year, and even that required a 59 yard field goal at the end of regulation, essentially a miracle.

16. Miami Dolphins 6-5

What a difference a week makes. One week after getting shutout at home by Chicago, they get their starting quarterback back and go into Oakland and win by multiple scores. I still think they’re out of the playoff race at 6-5, but every good game Chad Henne has is a positive. He’s been extremely inconsistent this year and there are going to be opportunities for them to get a different quarterback in the offseason. They need to decide whether or not they want to pursue that option.

15. St. Louis Rams 5-6

Deep in the pathetic abyss known as the NFC West, there’s team known as the St. Louis Rams who are actually a legitimate team. Sam Bradford really does get better every week and is putting together a rookie year comparable to Matt Ryan’s in 2008. It’s been that impressive. Ryan had more wins, but Ryan also had more of a supporting cast. Bradford’s top 3 receivers have all gone down for the year and there weren’t that many of them to begin with.

Meanwhile, Steve Spagnuolo deserves at least some Coach of the Year votes. This team had one win last year. Spags has them at 5-6 now and their defense is tied for 5^th in the league with 31 sacks. They had 25 all last year. Spags is a genius with pass rushes and has gotten the most out of Chris Long, who once looked like a bust, and James Hall who is 33 and had 4.5 sacks all last year.

14. Kansas City Chiefs 7-4

This team is really playing better in these last two weeks. I think they’re motivated by the Broncos destroying them two weeks ago and by all the hype that the Chargers are getting despite the fact that the Chiefs are in first in the division and beat the Chargers week 1.

Todd Haley is slowly learning that Matt Cassel needs a good running game to be successful and that Jamaal Charles is loads better than Thomas Jones. Charles has 1021 yards on 163 carries, while Jones has 712 carries on 176 carries. Charles is also the better pass catcher with 305 more receiving yards than Jones, so it was good to see Charles get more carries than Jones week 13 for the 3^rd time all season.

Cassel’s stats are looking great despite his mediocre arm because the defense has to fear the running game and because of Dwayne Bowe. In Bowe’s last 3 games alone he has 32 catches for 465 yards and 7 scores. That’s a decent season for some guys. In his last 7 he has 49 catches for 733 yards and a whopping 13 scores. That’s a great season for most guys. Granted Matt Cassel doesn’t seem to be even trying to throw to anyone else, but it’s still impressive.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-4

This continues to be the most predictable team in the league. Everyone they’ve beaten has a worse record than them and everyone they’ve lost to has a better record than them. The teams they’ve beaten are a combined 19-58 and the teams they’ve lost to are a combined 33-11. Makes sense to me.

12. New York Giants 7-4

Don’t let that win fool you. This team is still imploding in the second half as they normally do. The Jaguars actually dominated that game for about 2 and a half quarters before they took their foot off the gas and let the Giants come back and win it. Unless you’re new to this site, you would know that I don’t think fairly highly of the Jaguars and their fluke wins this season so the fact that the Jags dominated that game for that long is really pathetic on the part of the Giants.

They should have won that game by more than 4. Elite teams would have won that game by 7 or more. The Giants aren’t one. Blame injuries if you want, but the mistakes they made in the first half of the season, turnovers and penalties, haven’t gone away and now they’re actually hurting them.

11. Indianapolis Colts 6-5

Apparently since Peyton Manning can’t do everything, he’s terrible. At least that’s what ESPN is saying. His last 4 aren’t pretty. Let’s look at what he’s had to deal with in the last 4. An offensive line that can’t block at all, Manning’s arm is getting hit on most of his interceptions. A running game that is absolutely terrible, allowing opposing defensive fronts to focus solely on hitting Manning, a defense that can’t stop anyone, forcing Manning to have to throw at a record pace, allowing opposing defensive fronts to focus solely on hitting Manning, and when he does get time, his receiving corps are so banged up that they’re dropping passes left and right.

Also, look at his competition. In his last 4, he’s played the Chargers, Bengals, Patriots, and Eagles. Chargers game excluded (he’s always terrible against the Chargers), he hasn’t been that bad all things considered. Players are coming back for the Colts and in their last 5 they face the Cowboys, Titans (twice), Jaguars, and Raiders. They can easily go 5-0 in those 5 and finish 11-5 and streaking heading into the playoffs. They won’t be able to rest their starters in weeks 16 and 17, as was the case in 2006 when they won the whole thing. This is still a sneaky scary team.

10. Chicago Bears 8-3

I’m more sold on them after their first impressive win, beating the Eagles. However, I can’t help but feeling they would have lost that game if, Asante Samuel played and Andy Reid didn’t make stupid play calls. Samuel is not only the Eagles best shutdown corner, but he’s their best turnover forcer. Not only could the Eagles not stop the Bears passing attack, but they couldn’t take away the ball either. I have to think Samuel would have picked off Cutler once or twice.

Also, I don’t get Andy Reid’s decision to kick a field goal with 5 minutes left trailing by 15. Great, now they’re trailing by 12. It’s still two touchdowns either way you look at it. Even stupider was not even attempting an on sides kick on the following kickoff. How were they supposed to stop the Bears, get the ball back and score twice in 4 minutes?

Also, I still don’t like the combination of Cutler, Martz, and this offensive line. It still has potential disaster written all over it. What happened in that game against the Giants a few weeks ago could happen again at any time.

If they come across a good team that can shut down their run game and force them to pass more than they have had to in the past few weeks, they could be in trouble. Their offensive line is below average at best and a Mike Martz scheme requires two things to work, an offensive line that can block and a quarterback that can handle pressure and get the ball out to the open guy against a blitz rather than forcing a bad throw. The Bears have neither of those. In order to win the Super Bowl, you have to win 3 or 4 games in a row against playoff teams. I don’t think this team is capable of doing that.

9. Baltimore Ravens 8-3

The Ravens are one of several teams who have a chance to make a statement win this week, along with the Bucs and Jets. Both the Jets and Ravens have beaten the teams they are playing this week, but what has happened in between (Big Ben’s return, the Randy Moss trade, the Pats rise to 9-2 with a tough schedule) has made it such that the Ravens and Jets are still seen as inferior to the team they’ve beaten. They’ll have all the motivation needed to go out and there make a statement win. Now let’s just see if they can do that.

8. Pittsburgh Steelers 8-3

The Steelers have to be thanking God after he made Steve Johnson drop that ball in overtime, which would have been the game winning touchdown. Maybe God’s just a Steelers fan. In all seriousness, that game shouldn’t have been that close. The Steelers dominated the first half, but couldn’t put it away late and it almost cost them a victory.

We saw the same thing earlier this year against the Bengals. They needed a late drop to win that one as well. Last year they lost 5 straight because they couldn’t put bad teams away late. The good news, there are no bad teams in the playoffs and unlike last year, this team is going to make the playoffs. I still like how they matchup with the best teams in the league, though I’d like their chances a lot more if the beat Baltimore this weekend and took control of a first round bye and home field in their first playoff game.

7. Philadelphia Eagles 8-3

It appears Michael Vick is human, after throwing a red zone pick late in the 2^nd quarter trailing by a mere point. That game was also a reminder that Vick’s coach is still Andy Reid and Reid is known for stupid play calls like attempting a field goal down 15 with less than 5 minutes to go and then not attempting the on sides kick on the ensuing kickoff.

If they had gone for the touchdown, made it, and converted the two, that game would have been tied at the end of regulation. It would have at least given them a shot, as would an on sides kick, but Reid chose not to give his team a chance.

6. San Diego Chargers 6-5

Before playing the Colts, I think every team should just watch the Chargers play them. The Chargers seem to be the only ones who can stop Peyton Manning. They’ve somehow perfected what the other 30 teams can barely do at all. That victory was very impressive and Peyton Manning is going to shit his pants if the Colts and Chargers meet in the playoffs. He has to be scared of this team, especially with the strides Philip Rivers has made at quarterback. Now not only can that stop Manning; they can put a ton of points on the board as well. They’d be higher in these rankings if they didn’t have a history of doing stupid stuff in the playoffs and losing

5. Green Bay Packers 7-4

Poor Packers. They’ve lost 4 games each by a field goal for a combined 12 points. In each one of those games there was a deciding moment that you can look back at and say, that’s why they lost and like in the Atlanta game, it always seems to be because they can’t run the ball at all. This is one of the worst running teams of the last few years to the point where they don’t even try that part of the game. They need to find an answer quick otherwise they could see themselves losing a close playoff game by a field goal.

4. New York Jets 9-2

Their last impressive win was a week 4 24 point win over Buffalo. Since then, they haven’t beaten anyone with a winning record and only one team by double digits, the Bengals last week, a game that was closer than the scoreboard read. Elite teams don’t do that. That being said, if the beat the Pats this week, none of that will matter.

3. New Orleans Saints 8-3

Having scored 30+ in their last 3 and on a 4 game winning streak, this team is heating up at the right time to make another Super Bowl run. If they can avoid shooting themselves in the foot like they did constantly against the Cowboys as they almost blew a 17 point lead, they can go far. Another week with a healthier Reggie Bush will help. Bush made the bulk of the team’s big mistakes in that one as he didn’t look back into game speed yet after missing 8 games.

2. Atlanta Falcons 9-2

I don’t think there’s any doubt this is the best team in the NFC right now. They’ve lost twice, but both to good teams, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Their wins, however, are impressive, beating the Saints in New Orleans, the Rams in St. Louis, the Buccaneers, the Packers, and the Ravens. It looks like more of a sure thing that they get homefield, as their last 5 are all winnable games, at a Tampa Bay team that hasn’t beaten anyone, at a Carolina team that is terrible, at a Seattle team that is terrible, at home against New Orleans where they just don’t lose, and then Carolina again. If this team gets home field, they’ll be dangerous as Matt Ryan’s only lost at home once in his career, in 20 games.

1. New England Patriots 9-2

Beat Pittsburgh: Check

Beat Baltimore: Check

Beat Indianapolis: Check

Beat San Diego: Check

Beat NY Jets: TBD

Needless to say, huge game for the Pats this weekend as they not only try to prove they are in fact the best team in the league, but as, if they lose, they’ll probably have a road playoff game in the first round.

2010 NFL Picks

2009 NFL Picks

By Chris Hansen

Duds

Jason Campbell

(+6/-7)

Overall -1

Old habits may die hard for Campbell. The Titans found and used a tell in Campbell’s game. He tips pass plays by sinking and sliding away from center just before he snaps the ball. This was the case in Tennessee and at various points last year. This puts the offensive line at an disadvantage, as they begin their rush as soon as Campbell sinks. The offensive line is put as a disadvantage and this group of offensive lineman aren’t very good to begin with. Correctable, but a very poor habit.

Cooper Carlisle

(+0/-8)

Overall -8

Carlisle was the worst of the offensive lineman. Even Mario Henderson held his ground in pass protection better. He was blown into the backfield by the bull rush, blitzers just went around him and on more than one occasion Carlisle just blocked the wrong player. In some cases Carlisle would disengage his blocker to help out Langston Walker, leaving his man to pressure Campbell. It would be hard to imagine Daniel Loper or rookie Bruce Campbell doing worse.

Tyvon Branch

(+3/-5)

Overall -2

Tyvon was directly responsible for 21 of the 38 points the Raiders surrendered Sunday. He bit on the play action pass leaving Nate Washington open for the long touchdown. He also missed a tackle in the hole on Chris Johnson on the 76-yard touchdown run and was fooled on play action again and lost track of the tight end for an easy flip pass touchdown from Vince Young. He happened to make a few plays as well, but it was a horrible game for Branch. One he wishes to soon forget.

Mario Henderson

(+0/-3)

Overall -3

Most fans were irate when Mario Henderson allowed a strip sack of Jason Campbell in the first quarter. Jacob Ford blew by Henderson who was slow to get off the line of scrimmage. Henderson was lucky to touch the defender down while he complained to officials that Ford was offsides. Reality was Henderson got off the ball slow and the defender got an excellent jump thanks to Campbell’s subtle tell.

In the end, Mario struggled with the speed rush most of the game and didn’t make any good plays to redeem himself. It wasn’t nearly as bad as previously suspected and he improved significantly later in the game.

Langston Walker

(+1, -4)

Overall -3

He had trouble with speed, was pushed around by the bull rush and consistently allowed the Titans into the backfield. He had one excellent run block that sprung McFadden for a few extra yards, but one decent play is not enough to forgive his transgressions.

Jared Veldheer

(+1/-4)

Overall -3

When four of the duds are on the offensive line things aren’t going well. A bad snap, two penalties are enough to doom any center. Since Veldheer was playing his first game at center in a long time and it was his first NFL game, he gets a pass. He did do some solid run blocking which was a significant improvement over Samson Satele.

Studs

Richard Seymour

(+8/-1)

Overall +7

At least the Raiders are getting great play out of their 2011 first-round pick. Seymour was absolutely mashing the excellent Titans offensive line. Seymour was a big reason why the Raiders contained Chris Johnson well early. It come as no surprise that Seymour was  held on Chris Johnson’s 76-yard touchdown run. His lone poor play coming when he was blocked out of the hole on Javon Ringer’s 15-yard touchdown.

Darren McFadden

(+10/-1)

Overall +9

What a great day for Darren McFadden. He use his speed, he stiff armed defenders and made them miss. McFadden even ran over smaller defenders in route to 150 total yards. He dropped an easy dump off pass for Campbell, but had a great day. This is the player the Raiders thought they drafted three years ago.

John Henderson

(+4/-1)

Overall +3

It gets harder to find studs after the first two, but Henderson was clogging up running lanes on just about every snap he played. A great addition to the Raiders defense should pay dividends as the season progresses.

Stanford Routt

(+4/-1)

Overall +3

Routt had tight coverage and came up in run support the entire game. He played to expectations for once. The Raiders will be looking for Routt to continue his solid play.

Complete Grades

Cartwright (+1/-0)

Houston (+1/-0)

Scott (+2/-2)

Gallery (+1/-2)

Murphy (+1/-1)

Eugene (+1/-3)

Z. Miller (+1/-1)

Kelly (+1/-1)

C. Johnson (+0/-1)

Shaughnessy (+2/-1)

Alford (+1/-1)

Asomugha (+1/-0)

Loper (+1/-0)

Heyward-Bey (+1/-0)

Huff (+2/-4)

Wimbley (+1/-1)

Barnes (+0/-1)

Groves (+2/-3)

McClain (+5/-5)

Overall Team (+61/-59)

*Each grade is based not upon offense or defensive failure, but upon above or below average plays. Good examples would be a running back breaking a tackle, a lineman getting a big block to spring a player free, a tackle for a loss, missed tackles, poor coverage, bad reads, etc. 

http://www.raiders-blog.com 

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Round 10

Round 8 Pick 1

Justin Mertes-Mistretta- The Sports Bank

Pick: RB Jerome Harrison CLE

Jerome Harrison ran for 561 yards and 5 TDs in the last three games of last season. Plus, the injury to Montario Hardesty allowed Harrison to move into the starting RB spot this off-season. I think the Browns will move the ball better than people think and Harrison will break out this year.

Round 8 Pick 2

Walter Cherepinsky- Walter Football

Pick: WR Robert Meachem NO

Robert Meachem is my top receiver available. Meachem came on at the end of the year and became a big red-zone target for Drew Brees.

Round 8 Pick 3

Paul Greco- Fantasy Pros 911

Pick: TE Chris Cooley WAS

Redskins QB, Donovan McNabb, has a good history with TE. Chris Cooley is one of the best, despite coming off injury. I’m looking for a big season from Cooley and he adds depth to my TE position.

Round 8 Pick 4

Steve Adler- Fantasy Daddy

Pick: RB Clinton Portis WAS

The Redskins running back situation is quite unsettled, but I will gladly take Portis with 180 carries behind a Mike Shannahan OL. I’m not expecting great things from Clinton but I think he does have something left in the tank.

Round 8 Pick 5

Scott Carasik- Scardraft

Pick: DEF Atlanta

Going to be a complete and utter homer here. I think Atlanta’s defense will be much improved with Weatherspoon and Robinson in the fold and think they could very well be a top 5 scoring defense this year.

Round 8 Pick 6

Eric Stashin- Rotoprofessor

Pick: WR Steve Breaston ARI

He steps in as the #2 WR in Arizona with the departure of Anquan Boldin. In need of depth at the position with some risk involved in having Terrell Owens as my WR3, I’m going with the top WR left on my draft board here.

Round 8 Pick 7

Sam Arker- Rothstein Sports

Pick: WR Jeremy Maclin PHI

BPA here after a great showing in week one of the pre season. Maclin has the skill set to explode in Phili’s offense.

Round 8 Pick 8

Hunter Ansley- Draft Zoo

Pick: RB Reggie Bush NO

I need running back depth, and although he’s not your traditional runner, Reggie Bush is good enough value for me near the end of the eighth round. He’s going to touch the ball a lot. Especially now that Kim Kardashian won’t be touching it for him.

Round 8 Pick 9

Steven Lourie- Football Fan Spot

Pick: QB Donovan McNabb WAS

Need a quarterback. I wanted to get one earlier (Romo, Rivers, Favre) but kept missing my chance. Waiting for a relatively safe bet like McNabb here in the 8th ended up working out pretty well. Too much is being made about his lack of offensive supporting cast. He’s got a revamped offensive line and solid talent in the receiving corps. Remember, this is the same guy who made NFC Championship after NFC Championship with horrible receivers before TO showed up and a head coach who never ran the ball. Expect similar stats to the last 3 years, 3300-4000 yards passing, 19-23 touchdowns, 7-11 interceptions and he’s still above average rushing the football.

Round 8 Pick 10

Jeff Malloy- Beast or Bust

Pick: WR Kenny Britt TEN

With Santonio Holmes out for the first four games of the year and Percy Harvin’s health about to give us a migraine, we thought it would be smart to grab another high upside WR in the 8th round. Kenny Britt, who was the younger player in the NFL last year, was a guy we have had our eye on for a few rounds. He has been compared to Brandon Marshall and it fits, both on and off the field. The QB situation is going to hold him back a bit, but he is easily the most physically gifted WR on the Titans roster. A true breakout may be another year away, but 1,000 yards and 5-8 TD’s are within reach this year.

Round 8 Pick 11

Vin Sadicario- FF Toolbox

Pick: RB Ahmad Bradshaw NYG

I feel comfortable drafting Ahmad Bradshaw as my #3 running back, and expect him to start the season with at least a 50/50 split of the Giants carries out of the backfield. Bradshaw outplayed Brandon Jacobs last season, and while Jacobs should get the goal-line carries, Bradshaw is a superior pass catcher. I expect Bradshaw to outproduce Jacobs this season.

Round 8 Pick 12

Ryan Lester- Lester’s Legends

Pick: RB Ricky Williams MIA

Ronnie Brown can’t stay healthy. Ricky Williams just keeps on producing. I can’t think of a better 4th RB.

Updated 4/26/11

QB RB FB WR TE OT G C DE RLB DT 3-4 DE NT MLB OLB CB S K P

Scoring System 

100 Once in a decade prospect 
95-99 Elite talent 
90-95 Solid top 10 pick 
85-90 Solid first round pick 
80-85 Late 1st-early 2nd 
75-80 Solid 2nd round pick 
70-75 Solid 3rd round pick 
65-70 3rd-4th round pick 
60-65 4th-5th round pick 
55-60 5th round pick 
50-55 6th round pick 
45-50 7th round pick 
40-45 Undrafted, invite to training camp 
30-40 Career practice squader 
20-30 No NFL future 
0-20 No football future 

1. Nick Fairley 96 (Auburn)

2. Marcell Dareus 95 (Alabama)

3. Cameron Jordan 90 (California)

4. JJ Watt 87 (Wisconsin)

5. Cameron Heyward 80 (Ohio State)

6. Marvin Austin 79 (North Carolina)

7. Adrian Clayborn 78 (Iowa)

8. Muhammed Wilkerson 78 (Temple)

9. Allen Bailey 76 (Miami)

10. Corey Liuget 76 (Illinois)

11. Sione Fua 74 (Stanford)

12. Lawrence Guy 73 (Arizona State)

13. Christian Ballard 72 (Iowa)

14. Jarvis Jenkins 69 (Clemson)

15. Mike Blanc 55 (Auburn)

16. Cedric Thornton 51 (Southern Arkansas)

17. Karl Klug 51 (Iowa)

18. Brandon Bair 50 (Oregon)

19. David Carter 48 (UCLA)

20. Zane Parr 46 (Virginia)

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 Round 7 Round 8 Round 9 Round 10

Round 9 Pick 1

Ryan Lester- Lester’s Legends

Pick: WR Lee Evans BUF

He is far better than his numbers suggest thanks to a horrible offense. Regardless, he’s too good to pass up in the 9th round.

Round 9 Pick 2

Vin Sadicario- FF Toolbox

Pick: WR Donald Driver GB

I’m not in love with Driver this season, but in the 9th round, he represents good value. Driver has eclipsed 1000 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons, and if he can stay healthy, he has the opportunity to make it seven.

Round 9 Pick 3

Jeff Malloy- Beast or Bust

Pick: QB Eli Manning NYG

Eli is a borderline QB1 and will serve as a solid backup to his brother Peyton for the 2010 season. With a running game in NY that will likely prove unreliable for a second straight season, look for Eli to take it to the air often in 2010 and repeat with 4,000+ passing yards with around 25 TD’s.

Round 9 Pick 4

Steven Lourie- Football Fan Spot

Pick: TE Kellen Winslow TB

Wish I could see Winslow (5th right knee surgery in 6 years) in a live game to see if he’s as healthy as he says he is, before drafting him. However, if healthy, Winslow should see an increase in production across the board (77/884/5). Freeman is no longer a rookie at quarterback and put in a ton of work this offseason to improve off his disappointing rookie year. Winslow is the only Buccaneer receiver who isn’t either a rookie or mediocre so he’s my pick to lead them in receiving should he stay healthy. And if he doesn’t stay healthy, I can drop him and pick up a tight end from the waiver wire that is close to the same caliber of any other tight end left on the board at this current point. Tight end is always a very, very deep position so if you can’t get a guy you feel is or could be a stud like Winslow, you’re better off waiting until the late rounds and playing the matchups and/or waiting to see if someone gets hot or breaks out.

Round 9 Pick 5

Hunter Ansley- Draft Zoo

Pick: TE Visanthe Shiancoe MIN

Shiancoe grabbed 11 TDs a season ago, and with Favre back, I think he’s got a shot to duplicate those numbers. The Vikings’ passing game weapons are dropping like trees in the rain forest, and he’ll be a great red zone target once again.

Round 9 Pick 6

Sam Arker- Rothstein Sports

Pick: RB Donald Brown IND

You would think Donald Brown would emerge as the better back in Indy sooner or later. Even if he splits carries with Addai he’s still a viable back up in Indy’s offense.

Round 9 Pick 7

Eric Stashin- Rotoprofessor

Pick: QB Matt Ryan ATL

While I am a big believer in Joe Flacco this season, he is a risk, so I wanted a viable backup who could step in if need be. For me, Ryan is a borderline fantasy starter (with White & Gonzalez making plays), so pairing him with Flacco is a great match. You would expect one of the two to enjoy a breakout campaign.

Round 9 Pick 8

Scott Carasik- Scardraft

Pick: RB Anthony Dixon SF

No analysis given

Round 9 Pick 9

Steve Adler- Fantasy Daddy

Pick: QB Ben Roethlisberger PIT

I know Ben will not be playing a game until week six, but he is a great back up. Even though Schaub was able to stay healthy in 2009 I think having a solid back up is a necessity.

Round 9 Pick 10

Paul Greco- Fantasy Pros 911

Pick: RB Cadillac Williams TB

Was looking to have a really nice group of running backs and adding Carnell Williams now gives me four No. 1 backs. Pretty happy about that.

Round 9 Pick 11

Walter Cherepinsky- Walter Football

Pick: WR Mike Williams TB

Love Mike Williams this year. He’s a stud. He’s looked great in OTAs and training camp, and is now dominating the preseason. Josh Freeman also looks like he’s a million miles ahead of where he was last year, so I think Williams could approach 1,000 yards.

Round 9 Pick 12

Justin Mertes-Mistretta- The Sports Bank

Pick: TE Owen Daniels HOU

I have to grab a TE here. I’m very concerned about Daniels’ knee, but reports say that he is 100 percent. If he’s healthy he’ll be a great value pick here.