FINAL NOTES ON THE RAIDERS GAME (Aug 9)Add yourself to The HERD's Official Roster (guestbook), if you think you are man enough!
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RAMBILL--
After reviewing the tape of the game here are some things that I saw that may or may not have already been mentioned--
-- Bruce's long reception came on a beautifully designed play. Bruce was in the slot and ran a post-corner route. Holt was on the outside and ran a fly pattern clearing the area where Bruce caught the ball. Just how it's supposed to work.
-- Hill limped off the field and never returned. It looked like he banged down on his left knee after a hog-tie tackle, with his left knee taking most of the impact. There has been no mention that he has been injured, so I suspect he may have bruised it slightly and they didn't want to take any more chances with him.
-- Spikes and Holcombe got hurt on the same play. In the replay you can't see how Holcombe got hurt, but you can clearly see Spikes hyper-extend his left knee after leaping over another player and landing on an fully extended left leg. Let's hope neither injury keeps them out long.
-- I had never seen much of Warner (I guess that goes for most of us), but I was impressed with his arm strength. The Holt TD that was called back was a seed. He threw a number of other passes with nice zip on them. On the other hand he threw a couple of ducks that shouldn't have been thrown and were embarrassing. He also looks like he gets sloppy with his mechanics sometimes. Based on what I've seen so far, I'm O.K. with him as our #2 QB. I'd certainly rather have him than the "Paul Justins" of the world.
-- Germaine had the "deer in the headlights" look. Although, on his interception I think the ball was tipped. Big Willie Jones got beat to the outside and it appeared his man got his hand on the ball.
-- Van Hiles was supposed to be covering the TE on the winning TD.
-- Bly made a great play tipping away what could have been a big gainer right before the half. That kind of ball reaction can't be taught.
-- TE Chad Lewis only caught one ball, but you could see that he is a natural receiver. He caught the ball easily and looks fluid. I hope he makes it because he looks like he is a true receiving threat from the TE position. We don't have many of those.
-- Hakim had one drop and almost had another one. He looked like he was fighting the ball on the near-drop and bobbled it before hauling it in. He looks explosive but he needs to be more sure-handed.
-- Two D-linemen to keep an eye on: #77 Gholston and #94 Hyden. Gholston was very active. He had a number of pressures and recovered a fumble. He looks like he uses his hands well and was able to slip by his opponent with his hand work and speed on a number of occasions. Hyden was less noticeable, but he has the kind of size you look for-- 6'5", 290. His highlight from the game was a nice sack he got rushing from RDT. He used a nice swim move and closed quickly on the QB for the sack. Granted, they were both working against scrubs, but they appear to have some tools.
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FAST EDDIE--
Hakim's hands are hot and cold. One play he'll make an incredible diving catch and the next he'll just have stone hands. Jack Snow said he has talked to him about concentrating and looking the ball into his hands...could be the reason Holt starts sooner rather than later.
I agree 100% on Gholston and Hyden. Hyden has only been with the team for a little over a week and he already seems to be playing better than some of the other young DTs like Weaver and Jacobs. Gholston really fights hard to get pressure on the QB from RE. He has some moves, but he's a bit undersized. He should give Lionel Barnes some competition to make the team.
On Green. What surprised me was not just that he got the job done and did so with such efficiency, but that he looked so damn good doing it! Those deep balls to Ike and Torry were beautiful passes and they DID remind me of Chris Miller in Ike's early days. I had no idea what to expect from him in game action even after watching him closely on the practice field, but I certainly did NOT expect THAT! My concerns prior to this morning centered almost solely around Trent Green and now they're gone.
I guess it's sort of silly to base so much of one's opinions on two series in a preseason game, but I don't think it's totally rediculous because what Green showed me and those of us who didn't see much of him in Washington last year was that he does have the physical ABILITY to go with the rest of the package... the mind and the heart of a leader that we've heard so much about this off-season. Whether he can perform at that level on a consistent basis is a good question, but the SKY IS THE LIMIT BABY! And if Trent plays consistently at anywhere NEAR the level he displayed last night, then this should be a very fun season for all of us.
I also noticed Green on the sidelines. Although TV is not very conducive to critiquing players because you can't lock onto a guy and follow him through a series of plays like you can live, I thought it was a good omen when they showed Trent on the sidelines cutting up with a group of defensive players that included Kevin Carter, Keith Lyle, and Todd Lyght... the holdovers and the veteran leaders on the defense. It's good to see those guys happy with the direction things are going in and that bodes well for a new winning attitude on a team whose longest standing members have never seen a winning season in the NFL.
I really like what I've seen of Bly. He's aggressive on the line and has great closing speed and instincts to get back into the play if the receiver slips the bump.
It's pretty obvious why the Rams made the decision to stick with Little through off the field problems. He's a terror. Whether he's dropping back in coverage, rushing the passer, or chasing down the play from the backside, the guy is always around the ball making things happen and changing the course of the play. He has great speed for his size and he never gives up on the play. With some additional experience in this defense, he will be a force and a huge asset defensively in 2000 and beyond.
I was somewhat disappointed that very few of the youngsters on the Rams D really stepped up and made their presence felt in the second half on Saturday. I think they have a few young guys on that defense that have potential, guys like Hyden and Gholston who Ram Bill mentioned as well as Troy Pelshak and perhaps Van Hiles. But I suppose it should not be all that surprising that they took their lumps considering that they did not draft much for defensive depth this year (especially at LB and DT), and the youth from a year ago has largely made the jump to the first string due to free agent defections (Wistrom, McCleon, perhaps Fletcher and Jenkins), Barnes is hurt, and Coady seems to be struggling IMHO.
But the bright shining star on the field for the Rams defensively in the 2nd half was obviously Little. I'm glad he was received warmly and I thought he would be. I didn't think London Fletcher did much to stick out in that game when he should have considering the group of players he was on the field with. He struggled more in coverage than I expected. Clemons and Styles played well in the first half however.
Pete Pederson called a HORRIBLE game. I wanted to choke him... at one point in the second half, he got his rosters confused and had no idea who played for which team. (Amazingly, #39 Van Hiles caught 2 or 3 passes for the Raiders:( But everybody gets lucky once in awhile and he made a comment about Mike Martz's strategy of setting up the deeper routes with the short and intermediate passes. I think this goes a long way towards explaining Green's focus on the outlets and the slants in practice almost to the exclusion of the deeper stuff. I like Kelley Winslow, however, he's very enlightening when he's talking about the receivers and the tight ends and the defensive coverage schemes. I wish we could see more of him this year rather than Jerry Glanville and the assortment of scrubs who did the regular season games last year. If I were the Rams, I'd find a play by play guy for TV who is not a complete embarrassment and put him in the booth with Slater and Winslow.
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DB, DIEHARD RAIDERS FAN--
The thing I noticed most about this game was not the game but how much smack was bantying about the boards. Usually that much smack is reserved for division rivals.
I think the amount of smack (from both sides) points to the real problems with both teams: a lack of confidence that they can win.
The Rams needed a win. The first team looked great and you can draw confidence from that, but from what I gather, there is not a lot of confidence in your head coach. The fact that you lost, even if it was scrubs v scrubs can not sit well with the confidence that DV can actually coach a successful team.
The Raiders needed a win. Their problem was not a lack of confidence in the coach. Gruden seems to inspire confidence. Their problem last year was a lack of depth. They were 6-2 at one time until injuries hit, bad. They really need the 2nd and 3rd stringers to play well. With the exception of Barnes (the qb) they got a good game out of the reserves. That is a big boost to the team.
The Raiders also got a good look at Gannon. I think he left a favorable mark. Not great, but much better than we have had. Green, I hear looked great. I think you guys will like him. He seems to be a winner.
Overall, I think the Raiders got what they wanted a little more because the back ups played well. The Rams biggest question is still their coach and that question still has not been answered
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RAM-BLE--
So far this preseason is nothing like last's.
This year, we dominated the Colts in the scrimmage. Last year, we were dominated, or close.
This preseason, we dominated the first exhibition. For sure. Those early stats are incredible. Last preseason, we stunk in just about every game. I clearly recall the Broncos and the Chargers. Were horrible. I immediately called for Vermeil's head. It was clear we were in for hell.
So, my friends, we on a roll.
And, let's all join hands and pray.
Say with me, "We deserve it....We hope it's real....Please don't make it some cruel joke....Thank you Lord."