Archive for January, 2010

WEX’S WILD THOUGHTS THE OFFSEASON

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

By Paul Wexler

RaiderBeat.com Staff Writer

A well rested hello from myself and the staff of RaiderBeat. Many of you have noticed that we have been on hiatus for about a week now, as we reboot and get ready for the next season of Raider Football.

RaiderBeat.com is working on setting up the foundation for a new format. One that would include social networking and much more user interaction. Time has been spent working with multiple platforms and several different web designers to see if we can create a site that will be both exciting to use and advertiser friendly. We are taking our time with this process. Our last decision to try to become a subscription based site was as popular around here as certain first round draft choices.

Check back often, for any updates we can give you.

Now to the Raiders…

Coaching decision – Managing general partner Al Davis is going to do what he wants when he wants.

Free agents - General Manager Al Davis is going to sign whomever he feels will help the Raiders win now.

Draft — Davis will put a heavy emphasis on speed.

There you go, I know its the Readers Digest version, but I am confident that whenever we come back it will still have been an accurate statement.

Thanks for being the best fans anywhere

Wex

Posted in Uncategorized | 359 Comments »

TIM BROWN OFFERS TO HELP RAIDERS, SAYS RUSSELL ‘NOT AN NFL QUARTERBACK’

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Former Raiders standout wide receiver Tim Brown joined former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon and Adam Schein on “The SIRIUS Blitz” on SIRIUS NFL Radio on Thursday. During the wide-ranging interview, Brown weighed in on the Raiders situation, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey and other matters. Here is a transcript of the interview:

Host, Adam Schein: “If you reached out to Al Davis, what would you tell Al about how to fix the Oakland Raiders?”

Tim Brown: “I think it’s pretty simple, man. I think he really just needs a football guy in there to help him out. The one thing I tell people about Al Davis, there’s no doubt – and Rich, I’m sure, can vouch for this – Al Davis knows football. It’s not a matter of him not knowing football. I can remember even going back to my rookie year sitting at the Super Bowl with him in the booth, the great game when the 49ers came back and beat the Bengals, and he called that last drive play by play. And he kept asking me, ‘What do you think Timma,’ he calls me Timma, ‘What do you think on this play, Timma?’ And I would say, ‘Slant to Jerry Rice.’ [He’d say,] ‘No, they’re going to throw it to Roger Craig.’ Boom. And he went all the way down the field doing that. That really convinced me that this guy knows football for sure.’ I think now what is happening is you have guys in the locker room that just don’t get it. They don’t understand. And certainly, the way the thing ended. I leave sort of unexpectedly. Jerry Rice wants out. Rich gets hurt. Jerry Porter wants out. Charles Woodson wanted out. You had a lot of guys trying to get out of the organization or leaving the organization unexpectedly. And that’s hard to do anytime you have veteran football players who have been great for the organization. When they get out like that, when they leave unexpectedly, it can be a very difficult thing to recover from. And I just don’t think they have recovered. They don’t have great veteran leadership and I think it’s very safe to say that. It’s a team that is talented but they just don’t have the leadership, I believe, to take them to the next level.”

On JaMarcus Russell:

Brown: “When you look at JaMarcus, you know, the Raiders sort of called me unofficially before they drafted him and they asked me what did I think? And I told them then that I didn’t think this guy was a player. I thought it would take three to four years before he developed because I was at that LSU-Notre Dame game and I watched this guy intently warming up and throwing balls before the game and during the game and what I saw was not an NFL quarterback. It was a sandlot player, a guy who can go back there, pat the ball five times and then throw it with that velocity he has in his arm. But, Rich, you know better than me, you don’t have five pats in the NFL. You’ve got about a pat and a half and then somebody’s about to take your head off. And when he tried to throw the ball on time it came out like a rocket. So I thought it would take significant time for this guy to develop how to drop back and throw the ball, a catchable ball that a receiver could maneuver and go on with. So I’m not surprised what has happened with him. You throw in the fact that, from what I hear, he doesn’t have the great work ethic that every quarterback has to have, that’s going to equal failure in the NFL any day of the week.”

On Darrius Heyward-Bey:

Brown: “When it comes to Heyward-Bey, I’ve seen Al do this several times. He had Sam Graddy, he had Alexander Wright, James Jett turned out to be a decent player for them, played 10 years and made some incredible plays, and I’m sure Al sees Heyward-Bey as being a guy who can do the same things. The only problem, what happened was they didn’t have a guy who was ‘the guy’ at the receiver position. If they would have had that then they could have hid him a little more and gave him a time to get right. But being that they didn’t have that in place already, all the focus was on him and then all the other receivers that came out this year, you know, you have [Michael] Crabtree coming in very late and dwarfing Heyward-Bey’s numbers by so many. I think it just made it look like an even worse pick than everybody thought it was already. So I think this kid will develop into something. Obviously he has some talent but he really had some problems catching the ball. Watching him on television I think he really had some perception problems picking up the ball and until they get that straightened out I think it’s going to be long, long career for him.”

On wanting to work with young Raiders receivers:

Brown: “I would love to do it and I’ve said that. I’ve reached out to them and said, ‘Hey, give me a couple days with this guy and I can give you a real assessment of where he is and we go from there.’ I’m on my way right now to work with a couple of young college guys, [Kansas WR] Dez Brisco and [Brandon] LaFell out of LSU. I would love to be able to pass on what God blessed me with to these younger guys but sometimes it’s a lot more difficult than we think it is.”

Schein: “What’s the Raiders’ reaction when you say you want to work with these guys?”

Brown: “Well, you know, everybody says ok but the phone never rings. … I’m never going to step on anybody’s toes. I’ll throw the offer out there and I’m not asking to get paid for it or anything. I just don’t like, my name is so synonymous with the Raiders, that to hear people week in and week out dogging this organization, it’s very hurtful to me. It’s something that I have to deal with. So I have a vested interest in seeing this thing get turned around.”

Tags: Al Davis, Charles Woodson, Darrius Heyward-Bey, JaMarcus Russell, Jerry Rice, Michael Crabtree, Rich Gannon, Tim Brown
Posted in Uncategorized | 113 Comments »

CABLE AND DAVIS MEETING TODAY

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Tom Cable finally will get his face-to-face sitdown with Raiders managing general partner Al Davis. The meeting will take place later today, senior executive John Herrera said.

Cable said 10 days ago that the meeting would take place sometime this week. Well, here it is. Herrera said the meeting might be continued Friday, if necessary.

Davis and Cable most assuredly will discuss how to proceed on the heels of another disappointing season and the seeming regression of quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Cable isn’t confident that Russell gives the Raiders the best chance to win, given Russell’s slower-than-expected development and the sharper play of Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie Frye.

So, Cable and Davis need to reach some common ground on what to do with Russell before they can proceed or else they run the risk of encountering the same issues that dogged them last season.

Several reports in recent weeks said that Davis likely will fire Cable. However, the fact that they are meeting gives reason to believe that Davis still hasn’t made up his mind.

Tags: Al Davis, Bruce Gradkowski, Charlie Frye, John Herrera, Raiders, Tom Cable
Posted in Uncategorized | 25 Comments »

NFL ALL-PRO SELECTIONS

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Associated Press All-Pro First Team Offense

Position — Player(s)
QB Peyton Manning, Colts
RB Chris Johnson, Titans
RB Adrian Peterson, Vikings
FB Leonard Weaver, Eagles
TE Dallas Clark, Colts
WR Andre Johnson, Texans
WR Wes Welker, Patriots
OT Ryan Clady, Broncos
OT Joe Thomas, Browns
G Steve Hutchinson, Vikings
G Jahri Evans, Saints
C Nick Mangold, Jets
PK Nate Kaeding, Chargers
Return Joshua Cribbs, Browns

AP All-Pro First Team Defense

Position — Player(s)
DE Jared Allen, Vikings
DE Dwight Freeney, Colts
DT Jay Ratliff, Cowboys
DT Kevin Williams, Vikings
OLB Elvis Dumervil, Broncos
OLB DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys
ILB Patrick Willis, 49ers
ILB Ray Lewis, Ravens
CB Charles Woodson, Packers
CB Darrelle Revis, Jets
S Darren Sharper, Saints
S Adrian Wilson, Cardinals
P Shane Lechler, Raiders

Tags: All-Pro selections, Charles Woodson, Peyton Manning, Raiders, Shane Lechler
Posted in Uncategorized | 27 Comments »

LECHLER NAMED ALL-PRO, ASOMUGHA OVERLOOKED

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Raiders Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler was named to the Associated Press All-Pro team for the fifth time in his 10-year career Thursday. Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha was a glaring omission, bypassed in favor of former Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson and the New York Jets Darrelle Revis.

Lechler averaged 51.1 yards punting this year and came close to eclipsing Sammy Baugh’s NFL record of 51.4, set in 1940. He also is the AFC’s representative for punter in the Pro Bowl later this month.

Asomugha also was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season. However, he failed to repeat as an All-Pro because of the stellar seasons turned in by Woodson and Revis.

Asomugha no doubt was overlooked because he didn’t have the gaudy stats of Woodson and Revis. That should have worked in Asomugha’s favor because he is so good that teams rarely throw his way. He allowed only 13 completions in 16 games this season.

Woodson had nine interceptions and returned three for touchdowns for the Green Bay Packers this season. He also got shoved around and allowed two touchdowns to the Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald in a first-round playoff loss last Sunday.

Also, Revis and Woodson broke up more passes than Asomugha had thrown his way all season.

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson was the only unanimous choice, based on his 2,006 yards rushing and NFL record for yards from scrimmage.

“That’d be a good thing,” said Johnson, who won the Offensive Player of the Year award Wednesday. “Because I feel like if you put a season out there, out of those dudes who got votes or the dudes who won, I wouldn’t feel they had a better season than I had, and broke as many records in one season that I had.”

Johnson received all 50 votes from a nationwide panel of sportswriters. San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker Patrick Willis fell one vote shy of being unanimous. Woodson, the Defensive Player of the Year, Revis and Lechler received 48 votes each.

The Vikings had the most players on the team with four. The Indianapolis Colts had three. Other veteran All-Pros include Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, chosen for the fifth time, Minnesota guard Steve Hutchinson and Vikings defensive tackle Kevin Williams and Lechler, all five-time selections.

Associated Press All-Pro First Team Offense

AP All-Pro First Team Defense

Position — Player(s)

DE Jared Allen, Vikings
DE Dwight Freeney, Colts
DT Jay Ratliff, Cowboys
DT Kevin Williams, Vikings
OLB Elvis Dumervil, Broncos
OLB DeMarcus Ware, Cowboys
ILB Patrick Willis, 49ers
ILB Ray Lewis, Ravens
CB Charles Woodson, Packers
CB Darrelle Revis, Jets
S Darren Sharper, Saints
Adrian Wilson, Cardinals
P Shane Lechler, Raiders

Tags: Charles Woodson, NFL All-Pro, Nnamdi Asomugha, Peyton Manning, Shane Lechler
Posted in Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

‘OLD MAN WILLIE’ HANGING IT UP

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Legendary cornerback Willie Brown always was a man of few words and someone who let his play speak for him. On Wednesday, Brown exited the NFL with little fanfare and few words, telling a handful of TV reporters at the Raiders headquarters in Alameda, Calif., simply, “I’m retiring.”

Brown issued his surprising announcement without warning, as he drove away and with onlookers left to ponder what it all means.

In the scheme of the Raiders long-term plans, not much. Brown spent the past 15 years as an assistant defensive backs coach and the director of squad development. The Raiders won’t have much difficulty filling the void. However, it’s going to take some doing to find someone to match Brown’s on-field accomplishments.

From 1967-78, Brown almost perfected the art of bump-and-run coverage in the day when cornerbacks were allowed to be far more physical with receivers than they are these days. As a result, Brown had few passes thrown his way, and he left the game as one of the all-time greats.

For his deeds, Brown was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1984. Overall, he spent 39 years with the Raiders as a player and a coach.

“Willie shall be remembered as one of the, if not the, greatest Raider players of all time,” Raiders chief executive Amy Trask told the Oakland Tribune. “We will honor Willie in the coming months.”

Brown, 69, entered the pros as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State in 1963. He was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Raiders after his fourth season. For that, Raiders managing general partner Al Davis gets credit for one of the all-time heists in league history — the Raiders played in the American Football League at the time.

Brown is best remembered for picking off a Fran Tarkenton pass in Super Bowl XI and returning it 75 yards for a touchdown in the first of Oakland’s three Super Bowl victories, this one over the Minnesota Vikings in the 1976 season.

Former Raiders play-by-play announcer Bill King punctuated his call of Brown’s interception return by saying, “Old Man Willie.”

Tags: Al Davis, Amy Trask, Pro Football Hall of Fame, Raiders, retiring, Super Bowl, Willie Brown
Posted in Uncategorized | 19 Comments »

DAVIS, CABLE LAYING LOW, KEEPING EVERYONE GUESSING

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Raiders managing general partner Al Davis and coach Tom Cable are running out of week to meet after Wednesday came and went without the much-anticipated face-to-face taking place.
Raiders senior executive John Herrera confirmed earlier this week that the meeting still is in the works. When is up to Davis, and he isn’t talking for publication or otherwise.
Cable was spotted at the team’s Alameda, Calif., facility Monday. Several reports said Davis was there Tuesday night. Now it’s a matter of getting both of them on site at the same time, in the same room and prepared to hash out whether Davis wants Cable back for a second full season.
Most reports still project Cable as a long-shot to return for a second full season. He replaced Lane Kiffin four games into the 2008 season and was made the full-time coach by Davis soon after the ’08 season ended.

Tags: Al Davis, John Herrera, Lane Kiffin, Raiders, Tom Cable
Posted in Uncategorized | 33 Comments »

KIFFIN TARGET OF TENNESSEE FANS’ ANGER

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

It wasn’t long after the news broke about former Raiders coach Lane Kiffin bolting for the University of Tennessee for the University of Southern California coaching vacancy that a throng gave the golden boy a piece of their mind.

Given Raider fans can relate, we figured you might enjoy this passage from the Knoxville News Sentinel:

“Dozens of students and fans marched into the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex on Tuesday night chanting obscenities at Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, who was informing his players about his departure to Southern California.

“The crowd then moved to an office area where an impromptu press conference was being held for Kiffin.

“Police were called to quell the crowd, which calmed down once officers arrived.

“The crowd eventually became rowdy and were asked to disperse without incident.”

Tags: Lane Kiffin, Raiders, Southern California
Posted in Uncategorized | 42 Comments »

CABLE SURVIVES AS RAIDERS COACH ANOTHER DAY

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Tom Cable made it through Monday without incurring the wrath of managing general partner Al Davis. It appears as if he’s going to make it to Wednesday, at least.

Cable and Davis are scheduled to meet this week. That much we know, given Cable and the Raiders said as much. It’s the when, how long and about what that no one outside of Cable and Davis seems to know.

In the absence of definitive word from the Raiders about Cable’s job security beyond the current day, national sites are throwing out rather curious mentions of potential replacements for Cable if he gets fired.

NFL.com reported Tuesday that the Raiders “could be interested” in Green Bay Packers linebackers coach Winston Moss if there’s a vacancy. Then again, the Raiders could not be interested.

Davis interviewed Moss last year, when he was contemplating whether to stick with Cable or turn to someone else such as Moss, New York Giants offensive coordinato Kevin Gilbride or Jim Fassel.

Moss played linebacker for the Raiders, and he is a well-regarded coach. Moss seeminly would have a better shot at landing an assistant’s job based on Davis’ track record of hiring offensive-minded people for the head coaching spot.

Tags: Al Davis, Jim Fassel, Kevin Gilbride, Raiders, Tom Cable, Winston Moss
Posted in Uncategorized | 36 Comments »

DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAMES CAPSULES

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

BALTIMORE AT INDIANAPOLIS SATURDAY,

NEW YORK JETS AT SAN DIEGO SUNDAY

IN AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY, JAN. 16

BALTIMORE RAVENS–AFC NORTH (10-7) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS–AFC SOUTH (14-2)

SERIES

	RAVENS	COLTS
LEADER		7-2
STREAKS		Past 6
COACHES VS. OPP.	Harbaugh: 0-1	Caldwell: 1-0
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD	3-1	0-0
VS. COMMON OPP. (REG. SEASON)	Bal.: 1-1 (1-0 Den., 0-1 NE) Ind.: 2-0 (1-0 Den., 1-0 NE)
PLAYOFF RECORD	8-4	17-18
LAST WEEK	W 33-14 at Patriots	Bye (Wk. 17: L 30-7 at Bills)
LAST GAME	11/22/09: Colts 17 at Ravens 15. Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning passes for 299 yards with 1 TD as Colts win 19th consecutive regular-season game.
LAST GAME AT SITE	10/12/08: Colts 31, Ravens 3. Manning throws 3 1st-half TD passes, incl. 2 to WR Marvin Harrison (67, 5), as Colts jump out to 24-0 lead.
LAST PLAYOFF	1/13/07: Colts 15 at Ravens 6. Indianapolis K Adam Vinatieri converts all 5 FG attempts, including 51-yarder. Colts’ defense limits Baltimore to 244 total yards & forces 4 turnovers (2 INT, 2 FR).
BROADCAST	CBS (8:15 PM ET): Greg Gumbel, Dan Dierdorf. Westwood One Radio: Ian Eagle, Tony Boselli, Laura Okmin (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (Bal.), 123 (Ind.). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Bal.), 102 (Ind.).

STAT LEADERS

PASSING	Flacco: 315-499-3,613-21-12-88.9	Manning: 393-571-4,500 (2L)-33 (1C)-16-99.9 (3C)
RUSHING	Rice: 254-1,339-5.3-7	Addai: 219-828-3.8-10
RECEIVING	Rice (RB): 78-702-9.0-1	Wayne: 100-1,264 (T3C)-12.6-10 (T2C)
OFFENSE	351.2	363.1
TAKE/GIVE	+10 (1C)	+2
DEFENSE	300.5 (3L)	339.2
SACKS	Pryce: 6.5	Freeney: 13.5 (T3L)
INTs	Foxworth, Landry: 4	Bethea: 4
PR	Carr: 8.2	Rushing: 5.7
KR	Carr: 24.2	Simpson: 23.6
PUNTING	Koch: 43.7	McAfee (R): 44.3
KICKING	Cundiff: 77 (23/23 PAT; 18/23 FG)	Stover: 60 (33/33 PAT; 9/11 FG)

NOTES

TEAMS MEET for 2nd time in postseason. Clubs meet for 2nd time this season & 2nd time in postseason. Colts beat Ravens 15-6 in Divisional on 1/13/07.

RAVENS: Club has 2-2 record in Divisional games…Team has 6-2 postseason road record…QB JOE FLACCO has 3-1 postseason record (all games on road). Flacco is 1st QB in NFL history to start 16 games in each of his 1st 2 seasons & lead team to playoffs in both years…Ravens had franchise postseason record in rush yards (234) & rush TDs (4) in single game last week…RB RAY RICE had franchise postseason record 159 rush yards last week & tied Bal. playoff record w/2 rush TDs last week. Rice had 83-yard rush TD on 1st play from scrimmage last week, 2nd-longest rush TD in postseason history. Rice totaled 135 yards in last regular-season game vs. Colts (71 rush, 64 receiving). RB WILLIS MC GAHEE has 3 rush TDs in past 2 postseason games & aims for 3rd consecutive playoff game w/rush TD…FB LE’ RON

MC CLAIN has 2 rush TDs in 4 career playoff games…In last regular season game vs. Colts (11/22/09), WR DERRICK MASON had 9 rec. for season-high 142 yards (15.8 average). In past 3 postseason games, WR MARK CLAYTON averages 16.0 yards per catch…Club posted 3 INTs last week & has 4-1 postseason record when defense has 3+ INTs…Ravens have 25 INTs in 12 postseason games…In 6 career postseason games, S ED REED has 6 INTs. Reed had 2 INTs in last playoff meeting vs. Colts…Ravens have not allowed RB to gain 100+ rush yards in 12 consecutive postseason games (3rd-longest current streak)…LB RAY LEWIS posted 1st career playoff sack last week…LB TERRELL SUGGS aims for 5th consecutive playoff game w/sack & has 5 in past 4 playoff games…S DAWAN LANDRY had 1st career playoff INT last week…Club had 5 players selected to Pro Bowl (Lewis, McClain, HALOTI NGATA, Reed & Rice).

COLTS: Incl. postseason, Colts aim for 8th consecutive win against Ravens…Club will host 1st playoff game in Lucas Oil Stadium…Since ’00, club has 4-2 postseason record at home…JIM CALDWELL aims to become 11th rookie head coach since ’90 to win 1st career playoff game…QB PEYTON MANNING ranks 5th all-time w/4,208 postseason passing yards. Manning (6) needs 1 300-yard passing game in playoffs to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOE MONTANA and KURT WARNER for most in NFL history. Aims for 3rd consecutive playoff game w/300+ passing yards (402, 310). Ranks 6th in NFL history w/348 completions in postseason. In 7 career postseason games at home, Manning has completed 180 of 272 passes (66.2 pct.) for 2,371 yards w/15 TDs vs. 7 INTs & 101.2 passer rating. Incl. postseason, Manning has 17 TDs vs. 7 INTs & 97.5 passer rating vs. Bal…RB JOSEPH ADDAI (10) reached double-digit rush TDs for 2nd time in career in ’09 (12 in ’07). Addai has 3 rush TDs in past 3 vs. Bal…WR REGGIE WAYNE (963) needs 37 receiving yards to become 11th player all-time to reach 1,000 postseason receiving yards. Wayne reached 100 rec. for 2nd time in career in ’09 & totaled 1,000 rec. yards for 6th time in career. Wayne is averaging 102.5 receiving yards per game in past 2 playoff games & aims for 4th consecutive postseason game w/TD rec. WR AUSTIN COLLIE (Round 4, BYU) led NFL rookies w/7 TD rec. & tied for NFL-best among rookies with 60 rec. in ’09…TE DALLAS CLARK (667) needs 74 postseason receiving yards to surpass BRENT JONES (740) for 3rd-most among TEs in NFL history…Incl. postseason, DE ROBERT MATHIS has 5 sacks in past 5 vs. Bal…S ANTOINE BETHEA has 3 postseason INTs. Club had 6 players selected to Pro Bowl (Clark, Freeney, Manning, Mathis, JEFF SATURDAY, Wayne).

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

NEW YORK JETS–AFC EAST (10-7) AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS–AFC WEST (13-3)

SERIES

	JETS	CHARGERS
LEADER		19-11-1
STREAKS		5 of past 8
COACHES VS. OPP.	Ryan: 0-0	Turner: 3-1
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD	1-0	4-3
VS. COMMON OPP.	NYJ: 3-2 (1-0 Cin., 0-2 Mia., 1-0 Oak., 1-0 Ten.) SD: 5-0 (1-0 Cin., 1-0 Mia., 2-0 Oak., 1-0 Ten.)
PLAYOFF RECORD	9-11	10-15
LAST WEEK	W 24-14 at Bengals	Bye (Wk. 17: W 23-20 vs. Redskins)
LAST GAME	9/22/08: Jets 29 at Chargers 48. San Diego QB Philip Rivers passes for 250 yards & 3 TDs & RB LaDainian Tomlinson adds 2 rushing TDs as Chargers outduel New York.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/22/08
LAST PLAYOFF	1/8/05: Jets 20 at Chargers 17 (OT). New York K Doug Brien kicks 28-yard FG in OT as Jets overcome game-tying San Diego TD in final minute of regulation of Wild Card game. New York earns 1st road postseason victory since 1982.
BROADCAST	CBS (4:40 PM ET): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms. Westwood One Radio: Marv Albert, Warren Moon, Scott Kaplan (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (NYJ), 123 (SD). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (NYJ), 102 (SD).

STAT LEADERS

PASSING	Sanchez (R): 196-364-2,444-12-20-63.0	Rivers: 317-486-4,254-28 (T3C)-9-104.4 (1C)
RUSHING	Jones: 331-1,402 (3L)-4.2-14 (T3L)	Tomlinson: 223-730-3.3-12
RECEIVING	Cotchery: 57-821-14.4-3	Gates (TE): 79-1,157-14.6-8
OFFENSE	321.0	360.1
TAKE/GIVE	+1	+8 (2C)
DEFENSE	252.3 (1L)	326.9
SACKS	Pace: 8	Phillips: 7
INTs	Revis: 6 (T2C)	Cromartie, Jammer: 3
PR	Cotchery: 10.3	Sproles: 7.0
KR	Smith: 31.0	Sproles: 24.1
PUNTING	Weatherford: 42.0	Scifres: 45.0
KICKING	Feely: 122 (T3C) (32/32 PAT; 30/36 FG)	Kaeding: 146 (1L) (50/51 PAT; 32/35 FG)

NOTES

TEAMS MEET for 2nd time in postseason. Jets beat Chargers 20-17 in OT in Wild Card on 1/8/05.

JETS: Club aims to win back-to-back postseason games for 1st time since 1/9/83-1/15/83…Jets aim for 5th consecutive road win…Jets totaled 171 rush yards last week, 3rd-most in playoffs in franchise history…QB MARK SANCHEZ joined SHAUN KING, BEN ROETHLISBERGER & JOE FLACCO as 4th rookie QB in Super Bowl era to win 1st career playoff game. Sanchez had franchise postseason record 80.0 completion pct. (12 of 15) last week, surpassing KEN O’BRIEN’s previous mark of 76.5 percent (13 of 17) on 12/28/85 vs. NE. Sanchez’s 139.4 passer rating last week was 2nd best in franchise playoff history (CHAD PENNINGTON, 142.0 vs. Ind. on 1/4/03). Sanchez is native of Mission Viejo, CA & attended USC…In 5 career playoff games (incl. SB XLI w/Bears), RB THOMAS JONES averages 83 rush yards per game (415 total). Jones has 5 rush TDs in past 4 playoff games…Rookie RB SHONN GREENE (Round 3, Iowa) had 135 rush yards last week, tied for 3rd-most rushing yards by rookie in postseason debut since ’70…WR JERRICHO COTCHERY had career-high 10 receptions in last game against Chargers. Cotchery averages 16.7 yards per catch in playoffs (10 rec., 167 yards). 7 of Cotchery’s 10 catches in postseason have been for 1st downs (70.0 percent)…Since joining NYJ (incl. postseason), WR BRAYLON EDWARDS averages 16.3 yards per catch. TE DUSTIN KELLER had 99 receiving yards w/1 TD in postseason debut last week…Jets are 1st team since ’01 Steelers to lead NFL in rushing offense & total defense…CB DARRELLE REVIS had 1 INT in postseason debut last week…DE SHAUN ELLIS recorded 1st career sack in playoffs last week…Club had 5 players selected to Pro Bowl (ALAN FANECA, D’BRICKASHAW FERGUSON, NICK MANGOLD & Revis).

CHARGERS: Club has won 4 consecutive AFC West titles…Chargers have won 11 consecutive games, longest current streak in NFL…Chargers aim for 3rd consecutive postseason home win…QB PHILIP RIVERS aims for 3rd consecutive Divisional game w/3 TD passes & 100+ passer rating (133.2, 105.4). Rivers had career-high 4,254 passing yards in ’09, 3rd-most in franchise history (DAN FOUTS, 4,802 in ’81 & 4,715 in ’80). In only career meeting vs. NYJ (on 9/22/08), Rivers completed 19 of 25 passes (76.0 pct.) for 250 yards w/3 TDs vs. 1 INT & 130.0 passer rating…RB LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON (303) needs 78 rush yards to surpass PAUL LOWE (380) for 2nd-most postseason rush yards in franchise history. SD is 8-0 when Tomlinson has at least 1 rush TD in ’09. Tomlinson posted 12 rush TDs in ’09 & has now rushed for at least 10 TDs in each of 1st 9 seasons to start career, longest such streak in NFL history. RB DARREN SPROLES has totaled 897 yards in past 4 postseason games (155 rush, 197 receiving, 92 PR, 453 KR)…TE ANTONIO GATES (31) needs 1 rec. to surpass TODD CHRISTENSEN (31) for 10th-most playoff catches all-time among TEs & needs 5 catches to surpass RUSS FRANCIS (35) for 9th-most postseason receptions in NFL history. Gates had career-high 1,157 receiving yards in ’09…WR VINCENT JACKSON averages 17.8 yards per catch in playoffs (22 rec., 392 receiving yards). 18 of Jackson’s 22 postseason receptions have been for 1st downs (81.8 pct.). Jackson (1,167) & Gates (1,157) each eclipsed 1,150 receiving yards, only 2nd time that has been accomplished in team history (1980; JOHN JEFFERSON, 1,340 & KELLEN WINSLOW, 1,290)…LB SHAWNE MERRIMAN has 2 sacks in 4 career playoff games…CB ANTONIO CROMARTIE had 2 INTs in last game vs. NYJ…Club had 5 players selected to Pro Bowl (KRIS DIELMAN, Gates, NATE KAEDING, KASSIM OSGOOD, Rivers).

###

NFC NEWS ‘N’ NOTES

FOR USE AS DESIRED		FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
1/12/10		CONTACT: RANDALL LIU (212/450-2382)

ARIZONA AT NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY,

DALLAS AT MINNESOTA SUNDAY,

IN NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

ARIZONA CARDINALS–NFC WEST (11-6) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS–NFC SOUTH (13-3)

SERIES

	CARDINALS		SAINTS
LEADER	13-12
STREAKS			7 of past 10
COACHES VS. OPP.	Whisenhunt: 0-1		Payton: 1-0
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD	4-1		1-1
VS. COMMON OPP. (REG. SEASON)	Arz.: 4-1 (Car. 0-1, Det. 1-0, NYG 1-0, StL. 2-0) NO: 4-1 (Car. 1-1, Det. 1-0, NYG 1-0, StL. 1-0)
PLAYOFF RECORD	6-6	2-6
LAST WEEK	W 51-45 (OT) vs. Packers	Bye (Week 17: L 23-10 at Panthers)
LAST GAME	12/16/07: Cardinals 24 at Saints 31. New Orleans QB Drew Brees throws for 315 yards & 2 TDs to keep Saints in Wild Card hunt. Saints RB Aaron Stecker rushes for 95 yards & 2 TDs in home win.
LAST GAME AT SITE	12/16/07
LAST PLAYOFF	–
BROADCAST	FOX (3:30 PM CT): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, Tony Siragusa (Field reporter). Westwood One Radio: Dave Sims, James Lofton, Hub Arkush (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (Arz.), 123 (NO). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Arz.), 102 (NO).

STAT LEADERS

PASSING	Warner: 339-513-3,753-26-14-93.2	Brees: 363-514-4,388 (3C)-34 (1L)-11-109.6 (1L)
RUSHING	B. Wells (R): 176-793-4.5-7	P. Thomas: 147-793-5.4-6
RECEIVING	Fitzgerald: 97 (2C)-1,092-11.3-13 (T1L)	Colston: 70-1,074-15.3-9
OFFENSE	344.4	403.8 (1L)
TAKE/GIVE	-7	+11 (3L)
DEFENSE	346.4	357.8
SACKS	Campbell, Dockett: 7	Smith: 13 (2C)
INTs	Rodgers-Cromartie: 6	Sharper: 9 (T1L)
PR	Breaston: 6.7	Bush: 4.8
KR	Stephens-Howling (R): 24.2	Roby: 27.5
PUNTING	Graham: 47.0 (3L)	Morstead (R): 43.6
KICKING	Rackers: 85 (37/38 PAT; 16/17 FG)	Hartley: 37 (10/11 PAT; 9/11 FG)

NOTES

TEAMS MEET for 1st time in postseason. Cardinals lead all-time series 13-12.

CARDINALS: Won NFC West for 2nd season in row, team’s 1st back-to-back division titles since 1974-75. Set club postseason records in WC with 51 points, 531 total yards & 375 pass yards. Head coach KEN WHISENHUNT is 4-1 in postseason. Cardinals have 4 players selected to Pro Bowl: DT DARNELL DOCKETT (2nd), WR LARRY FITZGERALD (4th), CB DOMINIQUE RODGERS-CROMARTIE (1st) & S ADRIAN WILSON (3rd). Team has won 15 games in row (incl. postseason) when scoring 30+ points…QB KURT WARNER has guided 2 different franchises to SB. Has 9-3 (.750) mark in postseason. Last week became 1st player with 375+ yards (379), 85+ comp. pct. (87.9), 5+ TDs (5) & 0 INTs in playoff game. Had 154.1 rating, 2nd best postseason mark. Has 104.6 postseason passer rating, 2nd highest in NFL history (HOFer BART STARR, 104.8). Averages 312.3 yards per playoff game, best mark in league annals (min. 5 games). Has passed for 365+ yards 6 times in playoffs, most all-time. His 66.5 comp. pct. in postseason is tops among QBs with 250+ att. Warner passed for 1,147 yards in last year’s playoffs, most ever in single postseason, & he holds top 2 marks (1,063 in 1999 with StL). Passed for 3,753 yards & is 1st Cardinals QB to pass for 3,000+ yards in 3 seasons in row. In starts (incl. playoffs) with 100+ rating (min. 15 att.), his teams are 46-4 (.920)…RB TIM HIGHTOWER had 4 TDs (2 rush, 2 rec.) in 5 career playoff games. Led NFC RBs with 63 receptions. RB BEANIE WELLS tied for NFL rookie lead with 7 rush TDs…WR Fitzgerald has 628 rec. yards & 9 rec. TDs, most by player in 1st 5 career playoff games. Aims for 6th playoff game in row with rec. TD & 4th in row with 2+ rec. TDs. Tied for NFL lead with 13 rec. TDs & has 34 rec. TDs since 2008 (incl. playoffs), most in NFL. Had 1,092 yards & is 1st Cardinal with 3 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. WR ANQUAN BOLDIN had 1,024 yards & became 1st Cardinal with 5 1,000-yard seasons. Boldin (5) & Fitzgerald (4) are only players in franchise history with 4+ 1,000-yard seasons. WR STEVE BREASTON had career-high 125 yards with 7 catches & TD in WC. WR EARLY DOUCET had career-best 77 yards & 2 TDs in WC…LB KARLOS DANSBY had game-winning 17-yard FR-TD last week. Also had FF & tipped pass that resulted in INT by CB Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie has 3 INTs in playoff career. S Wilson had 5 INTs & 2 sacks this season & became 10th player in NFL history with 20+ sacks (20.5) & 20+ INTs (23). DT Dockett had 7 sacks, most by DT.

SAINTS: Led NFL with 510 points, 9th most points scored by team in NFL history. Topped NFL in total offense (403.8). Ranked 4th in pass offense (272.2) & 6th in rush offense (131.6). Only team in NFL to rank in top 6 in both. Club won 13 games, most in franchise history, incl. team-record 13-game winning streak. Saints have 5 players selected to Pro Bowl: QB DREW BREES (4th), G JAHRI EVANS (1st), S DARREN SHARPER (5th), T JON STINCHCOMB (1st) & LB JONATHAN VILMA (2nd). 19 different Saints scored TD this season…QB Brees set NFL record with 70.6 comp. pct. (363 of 514). Led NFL with career-high & franchise-record 109.6 rating. Owns top 4 marks in club annals. Had 4,388 pass yards, 4th consecutive 4,000-yard season. Has only 4 4,000-yard seasons in team history. Tied own club record with 34 TD passes. In 3 playoff games, has 916 pass yards (305.3 per game). Led NO to 2006 NFC Champ Game. In last game vs. Arz., completed 26 of 30 (86.7 pct.) for 315 yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 132.6 rating…RB PIERRE THOMAS has 10 TDs (7 rush, 3 rec.) in past 9 home games. Led team with career-high 793 rush yards. RB REGGIE BUSH has 225 scrimmage yards (112.5 per game) & 2 TDs (1 rush, 1 rec.) in 2 career playoff games. Bush (5.6) & Thomas (5.4) each averaged 5+ yards per carry. RB MIKE BELL ranked 2nd on team with 654 rush yards and tied for 2nd with 5 rush TDs…WR ROBERT MEACHEM led team with career-best 10 TDs (9 rec., 1 FR). Averaged 16 yards per catch. WR MARQUES COLSTON led team with 70 receptions & 1,074 yards, his 3rd 1,000-yard season in career. Tied Meachem for club lead with 9 rec. TDs. In only meeting, Colston had 8 catches for 114 yards & TD. WR DEVERY HENDERSON averages 30.7 yards per catch in postseason. Had career-high 804 rec. yards. TE JEREMY SHOCKEY aims for 3rd in row vs. Arz. with TD catch. Ranks 4th among NFL TEs with 469 catches & 5,280 yards since 2002…S Sharper tied for NFL lead with 9 INTs. Set single-season NFL record with 376 INT return yards. Had 3 INT-TDs & has 11 in career, 2nd most in NFL history. LB Vilma had INT & FR in last game vs. Arz. (11/28/04 with NYJ). Led team with 110 tackles. Tied career-high with 3 INTs. S ROMAN HARPER was 2nd on team with 99 tackles. CB JABARI GREER was 2nd on club with 13 PD & had 2 INTs. CB TRACY PORTER ranked 2nd on Saints with career-high 4 INTs & had 12 PD.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

DALLAS COWBOYS–NFC EAST (12-5) AT MINNESOTA VIKINGS–NFC NORTH (12-4)

SERIES

	COWBOYS	VIKINGS
LEADER	Series tied, 10-10
STREAKS		4 of past 5
COACHES VS. OPP.	Phillips: 1-2	Childress: 0-1
COACHES PLAYOFF RECORD	1-4	0-1
VS. COMMON OPP.	Dal: 2-3 (Car. 1-0, GB 0-1, NYG 0-2, Sea. 1-0) Min: 4-1 (Car. 0-1, GB 2-0, NYG 1-0, Sea. 1-0)
PLAYOFF RECORD	33-24	18-25
LAST WEEK	W 34-14 vs. Eagles	Bye (Week 17: W 44-7 vs. Giants)
LAST GAME	10/21/07: Vikings 14 at Cowboys 24. Dallas QB Tony Romo throws for 277 yards & 1 TD & RB Marion Barber adds 96 rushing yards & TD. Cowboys S Pat Watkins returns blocked FG for 68 yards for TD late in 3rd quarter to give Cowboys lead for good.
LAST GAME AT SITE	9/12/04: Vikings 35, Cowboys 17. Minnesota QB Daunte Culpepper throws for 242 yards & 5 TDs including 2 to WR Randy Moss on 2004 NFL Kickoff Weekend.
LAST PLAYOFF	1/9/00: Cowboys 10 at Vikings 27. QB Jeff George throws for 212 yards & 3 TDs. Vikings RB Robert Smith rushes for 140 yards & catches TD pass in WC win.
BROADCAST	FOX (12:00 PM CT): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver & Chris Myers (Field reporters). Westwood One Radio: Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Mark Malone (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 124 (WW1), 125 (Dal.), 123 (Min.). XM: 124 (WW1), 103 (Dal.), 102 (Min.).

STAT LEADERS

PASSING	Romo: 347-550-4,483 (1C)-26-9-97.6	Favre: 363-531-4,202-33 (T2L)-7-107.2 (2L)
RUSHING	Barber: 214-932-4.4-7	Peterson: 314-1,383 (2C)-4.4-18 (1L)
RECEIVING	Witten: 94 (3C)-1,030-11.0-2	Rice: 83-1,312 (2C)-15.8-8
OFFENSE	399.4 (2L)	379.6 (3C)
TAKE/GIVE	+2	+6
DEFENSE	315.9	305.5 (2C)
SACKS	Ware: 11	J. Allen: 14.5 (1C)
INTs	Jenkins: 5	Griffin: 4
PR	Crayton: 12.1 (3L)	Reynaud: 10.3
KR	Jones: 22.6	Harvin (R): 27.5 (3C)
PUNTING	McBriar: 45.1	Kluwe: 43.9
KICKING	Folk: 90 (36/36 PAT; 18/28 FG)	Longwell: 132 (3L) (54/55 PAT; 26/28 FG)

NOTES

TEAMS MEET for 7th time in postseason & 1st since 1999 WC (Min. 27, Dal. 10). Cowboys have won 4 of 6 playoff meetings. Teams have met 2 times in WC (1996, 1999), 2 times in Divisional (1971, 1975) & 2 times in NFC Championship Game (1973, 1977).

COWBOYS: Participating in 30th postseason, tied for most in NFL history. Have NFL-record 33 playoff victories. Advance to Divisional Round for 2nd time in past 3 years & 20th overall. Have 6 players selected to Pro Bowl: WR MILES AUSTIN (1st), G LEONARD DAVIS (3rd), C ANDRE GURODE (4th), DT JAY RATLIFF (2nd), LB DE MARCUS WARE (4th) & TE JASON WITTEN (6th). Established single-season team mark with 6,390 total net yards & 8 games with 400+ yards. In WC, racked up 426 yards, 7th best mark in team postseason history…QB TONY ROMO passed for franchise-record 4,483 yards. Also set team marks in att. (550) & comp. (347). In WC, completed 23 of 35 (65.7 pct.) for 244 yards with 2 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 104.9 rating. Incl. playoffs, has 100+ rating in 6 of past 7. In career (incl. playoffs), team is 27-5 (.844) when he starts & has 100+ rating. Ranks 4th in team playoff history with 634 pass yards & 58 comp…RB FELIX JONES rushed for 148 yards & TD in WC, 1st career 100-yard game. Jones set team record for most rush yards in 1st career postseason game. Had career-long 73-yard TD run, longest rush in club playoff history. Incl. playoffs, has 8 career TDs (7 rush, 1 KR) & averages 47.1 yards per TD (377 yards). RB MARION BARBER rushed for 96 yards & TD in last meeting. RB TASHARD CHOICE scored 1st career postseason TD last week…WR Austin is only 3rd Cowboy with 80+ catches (81), 1,300+ yards (1,320) & 10+ TDs (11) in single season (HOFer MICHAEL IRVIN & TERRELL OWENS). Led NFL with 8 rec. TDs of 20+ yards. Had 21 catches of 20+ yards, most in NFC. Had 7 catches for 82 yards & TD in WC, all playoff career-highs. TE Witten had 94 catches & 1,030 yards, his 2nd career 90-catch, 1,000-yard season. Is only 3rd TE in NFL history with 2 such seasons (TONY GONZALEZ & TODD CHRISTENSEN). Team had 4,000-yard passer (Romo) & 2 1,000-yard receivers (Austin & Witten) for 2nd time in team history…Defense did not allow rushing 1st down in WC, 1st time in team playoff history. LB Ware had 2 sacks in WC, 1st Cowboy with 2+ sacks in playoff since SB XXX. CB MIKE JENKINS had 1st career playoff INT last week. LB BOBBY CARPENTER had 2 FFs in WC, tying team playoff single-game record. Cowboys are 9-2 all-time vs. Min. QB Favre (incl. playoffs).

VIKINGS: Participating in 26th postseason, tied for 4th most in NFL history. Have 18 playoff victories. Team is 8-0 at home this season. Vikings have NFL-high 9 players named to Pro Bowl: DE JARED ALLEN (3rd), ST HEATH FARWELL (1st), QB BRETT FAVRE (11th), rookie WR-KR PERCY HARVIN (1st), G STEVE HUTCHINSON (7th), T BRYANT MC KINNIE (1st), RB ADRIAN PETERSON (3rd), WR SIDNEY RICE (1st) & DT KEVIN WILLIAMS (5th). Team averaged 29.4 points per game, 2nd best mark in NFL…Favre was selected to 11th Pro Bowl, most ever by QB. Had career-high 107.4 rating & reached 30+ TD passes (33) for 9th time, most in NFL history. Ranks 2nd in postseason history with 438 comp., 721 att., 5,311 pass yards & 39 pass TDs. Has TD pass in NFL playoff-record 18 consecutive games…RB Peterson rushed for 1,383 yards & 18 TDs, joining HOFers EARL CAMPBELL & BARRY SANDERS as only players with 1,300+ yards & 10+ TDs in each of 1st 3 years. Peterson’s 18 rush TDs were franchise record for season. Has 6 rush TDs in past 4 & aims for 5th in row with TD run. Had 2 rush TDs in only career playoff game. Selected to start Pro Bowl in each of 1st 3 seasons, 1st RB since Sanders to accomplish feat…Club is only team in NFL history with 6 players with more than 40 receptions: Rice (83), Harvin (60), TE VISANTHE SHIANCOE (56), WR BERNARD BERRIAN (55), RB CHESTER TAYLOR (44) & Peterson (43). WR Rice was 2nd in NFC with career-best 1,320 yards. Tied for 2nd in NFL with 14 catches of 25+ yards. WR-KR Harvin was named AP Offensive Rookie Of The Year. Tied for NFL rookie lead with 60 catches & 790 yards. Led NFC rookies with 8 TDs (6 rec., 2 KR). Set team single-season record with 2,081 combined yards (1,156 KR, 790 rec., 135 rush) & 2 KR-TDs. Shiancoe was 2nd among NFL TEs with 11 rec. TDs. Offense was 2nd in NFC with 62.3 TD pct. in redzone…Team ranked 2nd in NFC in total defense (305.5) & rush defense (87.1). DE Allen had 2 sacks & FF in last playoff game. Had 2 sacks & FF in only career meeting (12/11/05 with KC). Had 14.5 sacks & is only player in NFL with 14.5 sacks in each of past 3 seasons. CB CEDRIC GRIFFIN had 50-yard FR-TD in last game vs. Dal. Had INT in only postseason game. Led club with 4 INTs. DT Kevin Williams aims for 3rd in row vs. Dal. with sack.

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DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAMES NEWS, NOTES, SCHEDULE & STANDINGS

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

NFL’S “GREAT EIGHT” TAKE CENTER STAGE

IN DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

“This is what football in the playoffs is all about.”

That’s what Arizona head coach KEN WHISENHUNT had to say after the Cardinals’ historic 51-45 overtime victory over the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round last week.

The victory propels the defending NFC Champion Cardinals to a Divisional Playoff matchup against the top-seeded New Orleans Saints on Saturday at the Louisiana Superdome, one of four games this weekend featuring the NFL’s “Great Eight,” the final eight teams in contention for a trip to Super Bowl XLIV.

To advance, the Cardinals used an offensive display for the ages. Arizona and Green Bay combined for an NFL postseason record 96 points and 13 touchdowns. The game featured 1,024 yards of total offense, tied for the third-most in an NFL playoff game. Yet, the decisive score came on a defensive touchdown when Arizona cornerback MICHAEL ADAMS forced a fumble that was returned 17 yards by linebacker KARLOS DANSBY for the game-winning touchdown.

“Michael made a sack, the ball went in the air and I just made a play on the ball,” Dansby recalled after the game.

Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER completed 29 of 33 passes (87.9 percent) for 379 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions and improved his postseason record to 9-3. He had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four), becoming just the sixth starting quarterback to accomplish that feat in a playoff game. Warner outdueled Packers quarterback AARON RODGERS, who passed for a team postseason-record 422 yards and threw four touchdowns in his first career playoff start. It marked just the second playoff game in the Super Bowl era in which both quarterbacks threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns.

“Whew, is anyone else tired?” Warner joked afterwards. “Man, what a football game.”

The high-scoring Arizona offense will be back in action this Saturday against the Saints, who led the NFL in scoring with 510 points.

“They’re the real deal,” says New Orleans linebacker SCOTT FUJITA about Arizona. “That offense looks like it’s firing on all cylinders.”

A look at this weekend’s Divisional Playoffs:

ARIZONA CARDINALS (11-6) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-3) (Saturday, FOX, 4:30 PM ET)

“That’s probably one of the best games ever played in the playoffs,” said Arizona head coach KEN WHISENHUNT after last week’s win over the Packers.

Awaiting the Cardinals are the Saints, who had a franchise-best 13 wins and scored 510 points, the ninth-most in a season in NFL history.

Both teams are led on offense by the quarterback.

Arizona’s KURT WARNER owns a 104.6 postseason passer rating, second-highest all-time, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer BART STARR (104.8). Last week, Warner passed for 379 yards, his sixth 300-yard playoff game, tied with Hall of Famer JOE MONTANA and Indianapolis’ PEYTON MANNING for the most all-time. He also joined DARYLE LAMONICA as the only quarterbacks to throw at least five touchdowns in a playoff game twice in a career.

New Orleans’ DREW BREES, who was named to his fourth Pro Bowl, led the NFL with a franchise-record 109.6 passer rating and set a league mark with a 70.62 completion percentage. He passed for 4,388 yards, his fourth consecutive 4,000-yard season, and 34 touchdowns, tying his own club record.

“It’s the playoffs,” says Cardinals wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD, who has 628 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, the most by a player in his first five postseason games in NFL history. “It doesn’t matter where you’re playing, what time you’re playing or what day you’re playing. You suck it up.”

BALTIMORE RAVENS (10-7) at INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (14-2) (Saturday, CBS, 8:15 PM ET)

Last week, the Ravens knocked off the AFC East champion New England Patriots 33-14 at Gillette Stadium. Now they’ll head to Indianapolis to face the No. 1 seed Indianapolis Colts, who boasted the league’s best record at 14-2.

“We’re looking forward to it,” says Baltimore head coach JOHN HARBAUGH. “Saturday night. At the Colts. We’ll be there, right on time.”

The Ravens rushed for 234 yards and four touchdowns against the Patriots, including an 83-yard TD run on the first play from scrimmage by running back RAY RICE. It was the longest touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in a playoff game in NFL history. The previous mark was an 82-yard pass from BOB WATERFIELD to GLENN DAVIS in the 1950 NFL Championship Game.

The Colts have won seven in a row against Baltimore, including a 15-6 win in the 2006 Divisional Playoffs.

“Everything that’s happened previously, you can throw out the window,” says Indianapolis head coach JIM CALDWELL. “Those records don’t matter. All that matters is what happens from here on, and we know that we’re facing a solid team.”

Indianapolis quarterback PEYTON MANNING will face a tough Baltimore defense that recorded three interceptions last week. Manning passed for 4,500 yards, 33 touchdowns and had a 99.9 passer rating this season en route to his fourth AP NFL MVP award, a league record.

DALLAS COWBOYS (12-5) at MINNESOTA VIKINGS (12-4) (Sunday, FOX, 1:00 PM ET)

Two franchises familiar with the postseason will meet on Sunday. The Cowboys are appearing in the playoffs for the 30th time, tied for the most all-time. The Vikings earned their 26th berth, tied for the fourth-most in league annals.

In front of the largest non-Super Bowl postseason crowd (92,951) in NFL history, the Cowboys treated the home fans to a 34-14 victory over the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. Running back FELIX JONES rushed for 148 yards, the most by a Cowboy in his first career playoff game, including a 73-yard touchdown run, the longest in team postseason history.

“I think we’re playing as good as anybody right now,” says Dallas head coach WADE PHILLIPS, who earned his first postseason win and, along with his father BUM, became the first father-son duo to each win a playoff game as head coach. “We know Minnesota is undefeated at home. They have a lot of weapons and are a very good football team.”

For the Vikings, quarterback BRETT FAVRE ranks second in NFL postseason history with 438 completions, 721 attempts, 5,311 yards and 39 touchdowns. Running back ADRIAN PETERSON, who set a team single-season record with 18 rushing touchdowns and ran for 1,383 yards, joined Pro Football Hall of Famers EARL CAMPBELL and BARRY SANDERS as the only players to rush for at least 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of their first three NFL seasons.

“They’re doing great things on offense and they have a solid defense,” says Vikings All-Star defensive tackle KEVIN WILLIAMS of the Cowboys. “But we’re ready to play. They’re a good team. Hopefully they bring their ‘A’ game because we’re going to bring ours. We’ll have a good game.”

NEW YORK JETS (10-7) at SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (13-3) (Sunday, CBS, 4:40 PM ET)

The Chargers have won 11 consecutive games and enter the playoffs as the hottest team in the league. They’ll face a Jets team that is coming off a 24-14 Wild Card win at Cincinnati.

“I think we’ve proven we belong,” says Jets head coach REX RYAN. “The Chargers have won 11 straight, earned the right to host a game and got a bye week, so they’re feeling really good. But we feel really good about where we are. We think we’re at our best right now and I think the Chargers are at their best, so it’s going to be one heck of a matchup.”

Against the Bengals, the Jets were led by two rookies – quarterback MARK SANCHEZ (139.4 passer rating, highest ever by a rookie in a playoff game, min. 14 attempts) and running back SHONN GREENE (135 rushing yards, most by a rookie in a playoff game since FRED TAYLOR in 1999). The Jets became the second team in NFL postseason history to have a rookie throw a touchdown pass and another rookie rush for a TD in the same game. The only other team to accomplish the feat was the Giants in the 1933 NFL Championship Game (HARRY NEWMAN and MAX KRAUSE).

“They’re a really good team that’s played really good football the past few weeks,” says Chargers Pro Bowl quarterback PHILIP RIVERS about the Jets.

Rivers, who was named an All-Star for the second time in his career, passed for a career-high 4,254 yards, the third-highest single-season total in team history. Wide receiver VINCENT JACKSON (1,167) and tight end ANTONIO GATES (1,157) became the second pair of teammates in club history to each record at least 1,150 receiving yards in a season.

FINAL 2009 NFL STANDINGS

American Football Conference

East Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-New England Patriots	10	6	0	.625	427	285	8-0-0	2-6-0	7-5-0	4-2-0	Lost 1
x-New York Jets	9	7	0	.563	348	236	4-4-0	5-3-0	7-5-0	2-4-0	Won 2
Miami Dolphins	7	9	0	.438	360	390	4-4-0	3-5-0	5-7-0	4-2-0	Lost 3
Buffalo Bills	6	10	0	.375	258	326	3-5-0	3-5-0	4-8-0	2-4-0	Won 1

North Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-Cincinnati Bengals	10	6	0	.625	305	291	6-2-0	4-4-0	7-5-0	6-0-0	Lost 1
x-Baltimore Ravens	9	7	0	.563	391	261	6-2-0	3-5-0	7-5-0	3-3-0	Won 1
Pittsburgh Steelers	9	7	0	.563	368	324	6-2-0	3-5-0	6-6-0	2-4-0	Won 3
Cleveland Browns	5	11	0	.313	245	375	3-5-0	2-6-0	5-7-0	1-5-0	Won 4

South Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
z-Indianapolis Colts	14	2	0	.875	416	307	7-1-0	7-1-0	10-2-0	6-0-0	Lost 2
Houston Texans	9	7	0	.563	388	333	4-4-0	5-3-0	6-6-0	1-5-0	Won 4
Tennessee Titans	8	8	0	.500	354	402	5-3-0	3-5-0	4-8-0	2-4-0	Won 1
Jacksonville Jaguars	7	9	0	.438	290	380	5-3-0	2-6-0	6-6-0	3-3-0	Lost 4

West Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-San Diego Chargers	13	3	0	.813	454	320	6-2-0	7-1-0	9-3-0	5-1-0	Won 11
Denver Broncos	8	8	0	.500	326	324	4-4-0	4-4-0	6-6-0	3-3-0	Lost 4
Oakland Raiders	5	11	0	.313	197	379	2-6-0	3-5-0	4-8-0	2-4-0	Lost 2
Kansas City Chiefs	4	12	0	.250	294	424	1-7-0	3-5-0	3-9-0	2-4-0	Won 1

National Football Conference

East Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-Dallas Cowboys	11	5	0	.688	361	250	6-2-0	5-3-0	9-3-0	4-2-0	Won 3
x-Philadelphia Eagles	11	5	0	.688	429	337	6-2-0	5-3-0	9-3-0	4-2-0	Lost 1
New York Giants	8	8	0	.500	402	427	4-4-0	4-4-0	6-6-0	4-2-0	Lost 2
Washington Redskins	4	12	0	.250	266	336	3-5-0	1-7-0	2-10-0	0-6-0	Lost 3

North Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-Minnesota Vikings	12	4	0	.750	470	312	8-0-0	4-4-0	9-3-0	5-1-0	Won 1
x-Green Bay Packers	11	5	0	.688	461	297	6-2-0	5-3-0	9-3-0	4-2-0	Won 2
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	327	375	5-3-0	2-6-0	5-7-0	3-3-0	Won 2
Detroit Lions	2	14	0	.125	262	494	2-6-0	0-8-0	1-11-0	0-6-0	Lost 6

South Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
z-New Orleans Saints	13	3	0	.813	510	341	6-2-0	7-1-0	9-3-0	4-2-0	Lost 3
Atlanta Falcons	9	7	0	.563	363	325	6-2-0	3-5-0	6-6-0	3-3-0	Won 3
Carolina Panthers	8	8	0	.500	315	308	5-3-0	3-5-0	8-4-0	4-2-0	Won 3
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3	13	0	.188	244	400	1-7-0	2-6-0	3-9-0	1-5-0	Lost 1

West Division
Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Conf	Div	Streak
y-Arizona Cardinals	10	6	0	.625	375	325	4-4-0	6-2-0	8-4-0	4-2-0	Lost 1
San Francisco 49ers	8	8	0	.500	330	281	6-2-0	2-6-0	7-5-0	5-1-0	Won 2
Seattle Seahawks	5	11	0	.313	280	390	4-4-0	1-7-0	4-8-0	3-3-0	Lost 4
St. Louis Rams	1	15	0	.063	175	436	0-8-0	1-7-0	1-11-0	0-6-0	Lost 8

x - Clinched Playoff Spot; y - Clinched Division; z - Clinched Home Field

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS (JANUARY 9-10)

Saturday, January 9	Sunday, January 10
N.Y. Jets 24, CINCINNATI 14	Baltimore 33, NEW ENGLAND 14
DALLAS 34, Philadelphia 14	ARIZONA 51, Green Bay 45 (OT)

2009 DIVISIONAL ROUND SCHEDULE (JANUARY 16-17)

(All times local)

Saturday, January 16	Sunday, January 17
Arizona at New Orleans, 3:30 PM (FOX)	Dallas at Minnesota, 12:00 PM (FOX)
Baltimore at Indianapolis, 8:15 PM (CBS)	New York Jets at San Diego, 1:40 PM (CBS)

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, Kurt Warner, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, NFL Divisional Playoffs, Peyton Manning, Rex Ryan, San Diego Chargers, Tony Romo
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

CABLE SPOTTED AT TEAM HEADQUARTERS

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Raiders coach Tom Cable was at team headquarters Monday after all. However, he was there conducting player evaluations and not to meet with managing general partner Al Davis, as reported.

Cable left the premises just before 6 p.m. PST without speaking to reporters. He said last week at his year-end news conference that he spoke with Davis earlier that day and that they agreed to meet sometime this week.

Several reports speculated that Monday was the day. Alas, no meeting between Davis and Cable about Cable’s status as the coach went down Monday.

Cable hasn’t spoken since his year-end news conference. Several reports say that Davis is prepared to fire Cable for cause and hire someone else to coach the team next season.

For what it’s worth, Cable said he expects to be the Raiders coach next season, and he has widespread support from his players and coaches. Yet, it all comes down to what Davis decides.

Davis supposedly is upset with Cable over the lack of offensive production, the lack of development in quarterback JaMarcus Russell and the team’s overall inconsistency.

Tags: Al Davis, JaMarcus Russell, Raiders, Tom Cable
Posted in Uncategorized | 25 Comments »

SEYMOUR SAYS HE’S INTERESTED IN PLAYING FOR ANY OF 31 TEAMS

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Defensive lineman Richard Seymour is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent Mar. 5. If it reaches that point, he said he is interested in playing for any of 31 teams in the NFL.

The Raiders are among those 31 teams on Seymour’s list. The lone team he won’t consider signing with is the one that drafted him in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots.

“There’s probably about 31 teams I’d consider going to,” Seymour said in an interview with Comcast Sports on Tuesday.

As for the Patriots being among those teams, Seymour said: ”That isn’t something I’m looking to do at all. But there’s no ill will. I wish them the best. I really mean that. I think it could have ended in a more respectful way, but that’s just my personal opinion.”

The Patriots traded Seymour to the Raiders for a 2011 first-round draft pick a little more than a week before the 2009 season started. Seymour said he was blindsided by the move and lost respect for coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots for the way they handled the matter.

Seymour joined the Raiders in the final season of his contract. Therefore, he is on the hook for a huge payday. The Raiders have three options: One, they can sign Seymour to a huge contract extension; two, they can place a one-year, franchise tender on him; or they can let him enter free agency.

It’s likely that the Raiders will do one of the first two options. If they can’t reach agreement on a long-term contract, then they most certainly would slap the franchise tag on Seymour, for fear of losing him after only one season at the steep cost of a first-round draft pick.

To listen to the entire interview, click on this link: http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing_patriots?Seymour-talks-about-Pats-says-he-wont-re=1&blockID=115786&feedID=3946

Tags: franchise tag, Patriots, Raiders, Richard Seymour, unrestricted free agent
Posted in Uncategorized | 50 Comments »

CABLE, DAVIS MEETING IN LIMBO

Monday, January 11th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

Raiders coach Tom Cable said one week ago that he and Al Davis were scheduled to meet this week. It appears as if Monday isn’t the day that Cable will find out from Davis whether he carries on as coach and packs up and hits the unemployment line.
Several Internet reports said that the planned meeting was set for Monday. Either something changed or those reports relied upon unreliable sources. As of Monday evening, Cable and Davis had not met.
Team executive John Herrera said that all was quiet on the Raiders front in Alameda, Calif., and that he isn’t sure why people were fixated on Monday being the day.
Davis is known to do things at his own pace and not in a manner that matches the timetable put forth by others.
Upon meeting with Cable, Davis is expected to fire Cable or lay out a plan of action for how to get more out of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, three talented running backs, an offensive line that allowed 49 sacks and an offense that scored only 17 touchdowns in 16 games.
What that entails, only Davis knows at this point. Soon, everyone else will know, just not Monday.

If Davis insists upon keeping Russell, he will want some firm answers from Cable on how he intends to get Russell back to the point where he can be the team’s full-time starter. Cable benched Russell after nine games this season, with Davis’ blessing, for Russell’s inconsistent play.

Later, Cable said the Raiders would have been a playoff-caliber team had they receive just average play from the quarterback position the entire season. Such talk hits home with Davis, given he is the one who used the No. 1 pick of the 2007 NFL Draft on Russell, doled out $32.5 million guaranteed, and anointed him the franchise savior.

Tags: Al Davis, John Herrera, Raiders, Tom Cable
Posted in Uncategorized | 51 Comments »

A LOOK BACK AT WHAT TO LOOK FOR - WILD-CARD GAMES

Monday, January 11th, 2010

WHAT TO LOOK FOR – A LOOK BACK

GOOD SEEING YOU: Three of the four Wild Card matchups were rematches of Week 17 games.

Since 1990, when the current playoff format was adopted, there have been 12 instances when two teams have played in the final week of the regular season and again the next week to start the postseason.

The losing team in Week 17 has won six of the 12 playoff games.

YEAR	TEAM	TEAM	WEEK 17 WINNER	PLAYOFF WINNER
1991	Kansas City	Los Angeles Raiders	Kansas City	Kansas City
1992	Buffalo	Houston	Houston	Buffalo
1993	Denver	Los Angeles Raiders	Los Angeles Raiders	Los Angeles Raiders
1993	Detroit	Green Bay	Detroit	Green Bay
1997	Miami	New England	New England	New England
2000	New Orleans	St. Louis	St. Louis	New Orleans
2001	New York Jets	Oakland	New York Jets	Oakland
2001	Philadelphia	Tampa Bay	Philadelphia	Philadelphia
2004	Denver	Indianapolis	Denver	Indianapolis
*2009*	*Arizona*	*Green Bay*	*Green Bay*	*Arizona*
*2009*	*Cincinnati*	*New York Jets*	*New York Jets*	*New York Jets*
*2009*	*Dallas*	*Philadelphia*	*Dallas*	*Dallas*

THIRD TIME’S A CHARM: The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14 on Saturday night after sweeping them in the regular season. Since 1970, 20 teams have gone 2-0 against an opponent in the regular season and then faced that club in the playoffs. The sweeping team has won the postseason meeting 13 times (65.0 percent).

The 13 teams that have swept an opponent in the regular-season and defeated them in the playoffs:

YEAR	WINNING TEAM	OPPONENT	YEAR	WINNING TEAM	OPPONENT
1982	Miami	New York Jets	1999	Tennessee	Jacksonville
1986	New York Giants	Washington	2000	New York Giants	Philadelphia
1991	Kansas City	Los Angeles Raiders	2002	Pittsburgh	Cleveland
1993	Los Angeles Raiders	Denver	2004	St. Louis	Seattle
1994	Pittsburgh	Cleveland	2008	Pittsburgh	Baltimore
1997	New England	Miami	*2009*	*Dallas*	*Philadelphia*
1997	Green Bay	Tampa Bay

A POSTSEASON PRO: New England quarterback TOM BRADY lined up under center for the 18th time in the playoffs in a 33-14 loss to the Ravens on Sunday. With 154 passing yards, Brady reached 4,000 in the postseason, a feat accomplished by only five other quarterbacks in history.

In addition, with two touchdown passes, Brady extended his streak of consecutive postseason games with a touchdown pass to 17, second all-time (BRETT FAVRE, 18).

The passing yards leaders in playoff history:

PLAYER	PASSING YARDS	PLAYOFF GAMES
Joe Montana	5,772	23
Brett Favre*	5,311	22
John Elway	4,964	22
Dan Marino	4,510	18
Peyton Manning*	4,208	15
*Tom Brady*	*4,108*	18
* Active in playoffs

The most consecutive games with a touchdown pass in playoff history:

PLAYER	PLAYOFF GAMES	YEARS
Brett Favre	18	1995-present
*Tom Brady*	17	*2001-present*
Dan Marino	13	1983-95

KURT’S PLAYGROUND: Arizona Cardinals quarterback KURT WARNER passed for 379 yards and five touchdowns in Arizona’s 51-45 overtime win over Green Bay on Sunday. Warner now has six career 300-yard games in the playoffs – tied for the most all-time – with all of them over 365 yards, also the most all-time.

The most 300-yard passing games in NFL postseason history:

PLAYER	300-YARD PASSING GAMES
Peyton Manning*	6
Joe Montana	6
Kurt Warner*	6
Dan Fouts	5
Many tied	4
* Active

With his five touchdown passes, Warner moved into fourth-place in postseason history and can add to his total on Saturday against New Orleans.

The most touchdown passes in NFL playoff history:

PLAYER	TOUCHDOWN PASSES	PLAYOFF GAMES
Joe Montana	45	23
Brett Favre*	39	22
Dan Marino	32	18
Kurt Warner*	31	12
Terry Bradshaw	30	19
* Active

ROOKIE QB IN AGAIN: New York Jets quarterback MARK SANCHEZ became just the ninth rookie quarterback to start a playoff game in the Super Bowl era, leading the Jets to a 24-14 victory in Cincinnati. This marks the second consecutive season that a rookie quarterback has led his team to a postseason victory (JOE FLACCO, 2008).

The nine rookie quarterbacks to start a playoff game (since 1966):

QUARTERBACK	SEASON	TEAM	PLAYOFF RESULT
Dan Marino	1983	Miami Dolphins	Advanced to Divisional
Bernie Kosar	1985	Cleveland Browns	Advanced to Divisional
Jim Everett	1986	L.A. Rams	Advanced to Wild Card
Todd Marinovich	1991	L.A. Raiders	Advanced to Wild Card
Shaun King	1999	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Advanced to NFC Championship
Ben Roethlisberger	2004	Pittsburgh Steelers	Advanced to AFC Championship
Joe Flacco	2008	Baltimore Ravens	Advanced to AFC Championship
Matt Ryan	2008	Atlanta Falcons	Advanced to Wild Card
*Mark Sanchez*	*2009*	*New York Jets*	*???*

FIRST-TIMER: Green Bay quarterback AARON RODGERS threw for 422 yards and four touchdowns in first career postseason start. Rodgers’ yardage total places him second on the all-time postseason list for quarterbacks making their first postseason start.

The players with the most passing yards in their first career postseason start:

PLAYER	PASSING YARDS
Kelly Holcomb	429
*Aaron Rodgers*	*422*
Randall Cunningham	407
Kurt Warner	391
Neil Lomax	385

Tags: Kurt Warner, Mark Sanchez, Tom Brady, wild-card playoff games
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

SUNDAY MORNING RAIDERS QUICK HITS

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

RaiderBeat.com Staff Report

CABLE PLEADS CASE

Monday is the day set aside by Raiders managing general partner Al Davis to meet with Tom Cable about the prospect of Cable coaching the team next season.
Most reports seem to think that Cable is a long-shot to return for a second full season and attempt to build upon the good he managed in the 28 games since he replaced Lane Kiffin in 2008.
Davis isn’t tipping his hand as to whether Cable will be asked back or if it’s time to dust off the list of candidates highlighted by Jim Fassel, Brian Billick and Dennis Green. However, it’s safe to assume that Davis is going to do what he wants and not what others think he should do, including the players.
Other names that already have been linked to the Raiders include Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh – he once coached quarterbacks for the Raiders – New York Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride – he interviewed for the opening last year – and Canadian Football League coach Marc Trestman – he was Oakland’s offensive coordinator in 2002, when the Raiders had the top-ranked offense and made it to the Super Bowl.

NICE WHILE IS LASTED
Well, so much for the chest-puffing over victories against the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals. The Raiders’ two most-impressive victories lost plenty of luster Saturday once the Eagles and Bengals were ousted from the first round of the playoffs.
Worse, the Eagles and Bengals were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets, respectively. The Cowboys and Jets beat the Raiders by a combined 62-7 this season.
The Raiders other wins came against the Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos, none of which made the playoffs. The Raiders went 0-5 against the eight teams still alive in the playoffs.

THE TRUTH HURTS

The Raiders had their pick of wide receivers in the NFL Draft last April. With the No. 7 pick, the Raiders made Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey the first receiver selected in the 2009 NFL Draft.
Most people projected Texas Tech’s Michael Crabtree and Missouri’s Jeremy Maclin ahead of Heyward-Bey. Sure enough, the stats and play of Crabtree and Maclin bore out the projections.
As if that weren’t enough, Raider fans were forced to endure watching Maclin catch seven passes for 146 yards and one touchdown Saturday. Heyward-Bey caught nine passes for 124 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.
Maclin’s impressive showing came in the same game in which Cowboys running back Felix Jones rushed for 148 yards and one touchdown. Yes, that Felix Jones, the backfield mate of Raiders running back Darren McFadden at Arkansas.
The Raiders selected McFadden with the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and the Cowboys snatched up Jones much later in the same round. Guess who has had the better and more productive NFL career so far?

Tags: Al Davis, Brian Billick, Darren McFadden, Darrius, Dennis Green, Jim Fassel, Jim Harbaugh, Kevin Gilbride, Lane Kiffin, Raiders, Tom Cable
Posted in Uncategorized | 33 Comments »

Archive for January, 2010

BALTIMORE AT INDIANAPOLIS SATURDAY,

NEW YORK JETS AT SAN DIEGO SUNDAY

IN AFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY, JAN. 16

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

ARIZONA AT NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY,

DALLAS AT MINNESOTA SUNDAY,

IN NFC DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

NOTES

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17

SERIES

STAT LEADERS

NOTES

Sunday, January 10

Sunday, January 17