Hostile
The Duke
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It's really hard for me to give a damn about yesterday's game given the gut wrenching news I got yesterday and had to share with you all. But this forum is about football and Pops would want me to focus on that more than my own selfish feelings.
My first observation is that teams are going to struggle a little bit on kick returns until they figure out how not to make a wedge. Both teams looked a little uneasy last night and there were a couple of flags thrown.
A couple? Okay so there were a lot of flags thrown on both teams. Too dang many. I was encouraged however that none of them were on our O-line for illegal procedure. Not sure how many of you noticed that. We had a couple for holding and some illegal formation or two men moving, but the O-line didn't jump. Maybe the little tradition of taking someone out when they do it is working.
Sticking with the O-line since I feel that is where success is critical. I want to talk about 3 backups quickly. I felt all of them did a pretty good job. The only sack was really when Choice missed a blitz pickup. Montrae Holland flat out looked good to me. I was really impressed actually. I watched a couple of times and guys legs were buckled as he was pushing them back. A good sign. Doug Free looked every bit as solid as I had heard. He is stiff legged though when he pushes to the outside. A speed rusher will give him some fits until he learns to drive better. I actually thought Cory Proctor did okay at backup center except for the snap over Kitna's head.
Bottom line on the O-line. I thought the starters and the backups were the most encouraging part of last night's game.
Which is a good segue to most discouraging part. Some will say the score but I don't give two hoots in hell about that. Others will say the entire cabal of backups. Actually for me it was how the Raiders exploited the over agressive nature of our rookie LBs. They're going to need to learn that charging the QB means they are leaving a zone unprotected or sparsely protected and opening the Defense up to gettign beat. It happened all last night. Someone left a spot, got picked up and the play went right there.
Encouraging things.
I saw screen plays and they looked good. Especially when Felix gets the ball.
Maybe, just maybe the Bobby Carpenter whining will quiet down. Probably not because too many people will not realize he looked damned good last night despite playing with 2 guys who were overplaying everything.
Bennett uses his body like Tony Gonzalez. He is going to be tough to handle.
Tony and Roy chemistry? Forget your worries, it's there. Even though it was only one play, watch the timing it required. That was a fine line and the ball was traveling before the break.
McBriar is back and the punts are booming.
Speaking of booming Sensabaugh got in the best lick of the night and looked good.
Discouraging things.
The young DBs looked lost. They played timid and reactionary. Maybe it was nerves from the first time on the field. I hope that's all it is.
I didn't see anything from the backup DL remotely close to the aggression I saw from Igor and Rat in particular. They need to step it up. I still am not convinced Siavii is the answer at backup NT. I'm not sure Dixon even played and I wanted to see him. I might have been too busy watching the young LBs play overly aggressive and get burned for it.
The only WR who looked ready was Hurd.
That's my touch of Hostility for this game. I wasn't totally discouraged by the effort or the performance, but I do think errors casued us to leave a lot of points on the field and give up way too many. Though one is a questionable penalty of 45 yards on Sensabaugh. There are things to improve for sure. Luckily there is also time.
No over reactionary predictions of cuts from me. There's a time and a place for that and it's too soon.
My first observation is that teams are going to struggle a little bit on kick returns until they figure out how not to make a wedge. Both teams looked a little uneasy last night and there were a couple of flags thrown.
A couple? Okay so there were a lot of flags thrown on both teams. Too dang many. I was encouraged however that none of them were on our O-line for illegal procedure. Not sure how many of you noticed that. We had a couple for holding and some illegal formation or two men moving, but the O-line didn't jump. Maybe the little tradition of taking someone out when they do it is working.
Sticking with the O-line since I feel that is where success is critical. I want to talk about 3 backups quickly. I felt all of them did a pretty good job. The only sack was really when Choice missed a blitz pickup. Montrae Holland flat out looked good to me. I was really impressed actually. I watched a couple of times and guys legs were buckled as he was pushing them back. A good sign. Doug Free looked every bit as solid as I had heard. He is stiff legged though when he pushes to the outside. A speed rusher will give him some fits until he learns to drive better. I actually thought Cory Proctor did okay at backup center except for the snap over Kitna's head.
Bottom line on the O-line. I thought the starters and the backups were the most encouraging part of last night's game.
Which is a good segue to most discouraging part. Some will say the score but I don't give two hoots in hell about that. Others will say the entire cabal of backups. Actually for me it was how the Raiders exploited the over agressive nature of our rookie LBs. They're going to need to learn that charging the QB means they are leaving a zone unprotected or sparsely protected and opening the Defense up to gettign beat. It happened all last night. Someone left a spot, got picked up and the play went right there.
Encouraging things.
I saw screen plays and they looked good. Especially when Felix gets the ball.
Maybe, just maybe the Bobby Carpenter whining will quiet down. Probably not because too many people will not realize he looked damned good last night despite playing with 2 guys who were overplaying everything.
Bennett uses his body like Tony Gonzalez. He is going to be tough to handle.
Tony and Roy chemistry? Forget your worries, it's there. Even though it was only one play, watch the timing it required. That was a fine line and the ball was traveling before the break.
McBriar is back and the punts are booming.
Speaking of booming Sensabaugh got in the best lick of the night and looked good.
Discouraging things.
The young DBs looked lost. They played timid and reactionary. Maybe it was nerves from the first time on the field. I hope that's all it is.
I didn't see anything from the backup DL remotely close to the aggression I saw from Igor and Rat in particular. They need to step it up. I still am not convinced Siavii is the answer at backup NT. I'm not sure Dixon even played and I wanted to see him. I might have been too busy watching the young LBs play overly aggressive and get burned for it.
The only WR who looked ready was Hurd.
That's my touch of Hostility for this game. I wasn't totally discouraged by the effort or the performance, but I do think errors casued us to leave a lot of points on the field and give up way too many. Though one is a questionable penalty of 45 yards on Sensabaugh. There are things to improve for sure. Luckily there is also time.
No over reactionary predictions of cuts from me. There's a time and a place for that and it's too soon.
