It may not of been pretty, it may not of been exciting or pleasing to the eye, but boy howdy did we get the damn job done! Great shot kids, that was one in a million!

Sometimes all you have left is the "will to win"!

There we were, starting early in the 3rd quarter; with the scoreboard shining Jaguars 20, Raiders 6. All looked as bleak as Padme's death and the Death Star's fate combined!

The Raiders’ passing AND rushing offense still looked horrible, they gave up 10 points off turnovers, discipline was still killing them (thanks linemen) and the defense was still acting like they were  playing in wet cement.

There were bad blocks executed and ongoing bad play calls. Fans were begging for Greg Knapp's head like children beg for Halloween candy.

Did I mention time of possession and 3rd down percentage rate were NOT in our favor? It seemed like another ugly loss was following a pretty loss played just last week. Finally, the Oakland Raiders had just about enough.

Then came the second half. Enter Denarius Moore for the touchdown and start playing the Rocky music! Carson Palmers offense moved extremely well and effectively after only totaling 127 yards of offense in the 1st half. Sure, the ground game could STILL not correct itself (Darren McFadden could only rake in 53 yards rushing), but CP3 wouldn’t go down without a fight.

There were key catches made by Marcel Reece, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Rod Streater that were the critical to the ball game. This goes ESPECIALLY for Streater's grab near the Dark Side End Zone in the 4th quarter. His defender actually had a hold of both legs at the time while making a beautiful "hands only" catch-- Wow!

After the fumble was caused by my MVP, Lamarr Houston, in overtime, the Lord of the Sith, Master of all evil knew that the win was inevitable. My main man had 1 sack, 5 huge tackles with 3 assists. Where has THAT been all season, sir? Keep it going!

Offense: this offensive line will be the death and life of the team for the rest of the season. If they play well, #3 will find targets and we will complete more 3rd downs thoroughly without error. If the fat men tire and play sloppy, the offense will continue to struggle with 3rd down plays, in the running game, and with time of possession. Carson will also probably start throwing more INT gifts again. It's that simple.

I feel the Nation might as well stop asking for power blocking schemes since it hasn't happened thus far. We are simply not getting enough push and will continue to not get enough push until this scheme is destroyed or new men are hired. I would not count on either happening this year.

To Hell with schemes, maybe it's just our starting linemen in general (this means you, Jared Veldheer and Willie Smith).

Defense: That's a great way to build from last week! Run stopping was a success (MJD being injured early helped), hurries and sacks were piled on (3 total) and even pass D continued to improve; with the Jags only totaling 181 yards passing. Tyvon Branch and Miles Burris had some good tackles and continued to raise Hell among the opposing offense. Hell, even Rolando McClain was decent with 4 tackles. Congratulations to all!

Notes from NFL.com game summary:

Carson Palmer wasn't going to apologize for a mistake-filled win by the Oakland Raiders a week after they lost what might have been their best-played game of the season.

Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 40-yard field goal after Cecil Shorts III fumbled on the opening possession of overtime and the Raiders overcame three turnovers and a 14-point deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-23 on Sunday."An ugly win is better than a pretty loss," Palmer said. "I know that. I'm just proud of the way we fought, because it wasn't pretty.

"We did not play up to our standard and play the way we're coached. But we hung in there and defense played great giving us the ball back. It's just good to get out of here with a win."

It's the exact opposite feeling the Raiders (2-4) had a week ago when they took the undefeatedAtlanta Falcons down to the final second on the road before losing, 23-20.

So even though this win came against the struggling Jaguars (1-5), who were missing star running back Maurice Jones-Drew and quarterback Blaine Gabbert for much of the game, Oakland was pleased with the outcome.

"We're definitely very fortunate to come out with a win," defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. "We're not satisfied. We understand that we have to play better, that we have to get better as a team. We can't play that brand of ball against really good football teams and expect to win. We understand that we have to play better. We'll take the win; we'll take any win in this league. In my book, there's no such thing as an ugly win. Any time you get a win in this league, it's a big deal."

Palmer threw one TD pass and ran for another to force overtime for the Raiders (2-4) before they won it after Lamarr Houston forced a fumble by Shorts thatJoselio Hanson recovered at the Jacksonville 21.

After one play to center the ball, Janikowski came on to kick the winning field goal and end a rough day for the Jaguars.

To read the entire game summary, Click here.

Hold your heads up high this week, Nation. Who knows, maybe we'll continue to improve against the hated Kansas City Chiefs next week.

I know the Chiefs not doing too well this year,  but both squads always throw out their records when battling one another. Trust me, both teams will be fueled by pure, angry, hostile hatred!

May the Force be with us all!

-DR

Raiders linebacker Aaron Curry has now practiced for most of the week, the first time he's been able to do that for months.  When he was injured he was coming off a promising season as the Raiders weak side linebacker and was looking to build off his first partial season in Silver & Black.

Now, it's mid October and Curry is desperately trying to get into football shape and find where he fits on this team.  His former starting position has been taken by rookie Miles Burris who has consistently stepped up his game week in and week out and has earned increased playing time, accordingly.

It seems unlikely that head coach Dennis Allen and defensive coordinator Jason Tarver will take Burris off the field to get Curry onto it at this point.  Burris is the future of the team and is playing well, now, as well.

On the strong side, free agent standout Philip Wheeler is proving to be GM Reggie McKenzie's best aquisition of the off-season.  Curry certainly won't be starting in Wheeler's place.

This leaves, of course, middle linebacker.  Former top ten pick Rolando McClain has drawn the ire of fans and the criticism of coaches for his conditioning and lack of hustle on the field.  While McClain has shown he can do well against the run and can has also shown skills at blitzing the QB McClain is nothing but a liability in pass coverage.

Readers of TFDS know that I had advocated for McClain to be benched in favor of Travis Goethel or, when he returned, Aaron Curry.  However, with Allen and Tarver's decision to instead sit the MLB for the nickel package that sort of drastic move may no longer be necessary.  In fact, it may not be desirable.

Some losses are the worst kind. They are the kind that sting, the kind that hurt, and the kind that bug you throughout the week. They are the kind of losses that makes you break things, the kind that turn you into the Incredible Hulk, and make you want to scream at people until you accidentally spit at them.

We have experienced those lopsided losses many, many times. Too many times.

Hell, my girlfriend Jaye even rages at times (mostly due to Carson Palmer). Thank the good Lord I know how to calm her down.

I also simply tell her AND you, Raider World, that this kind of loss is one we can at least SOMEWHAT appreciate mainly because of the following: They kept fighting until the very last second.

It would’ve been easy to cash it in after the pick six by Asante Samuel late in the fourth quarter. It would’ve been familiar to observe this team fall apart and argue with one another after having one of the best defensive and offensive games of the year. It could’ve seemed like there was nothing to hope for the rest of the season. It could’ve been uglier than it was. But they kept fighting until the very end.

From my position? You simply have to respect that.  

From your position? You probably want to blow them up like the Death Star.

The Raiders dropped to 1-4 in an emotional loss to the Falcons, today.  The Raiders, coming off their bye week, looked to catch the Falcons off guard as they played physically all afternoon, especially on defense.

Matt Ryan, who many believe is the early front runner for MVP, was knocked around and ended up throwing 3 interceptions to a Raiders defense that had not had an interception for their first four games.

The Raiders also clamped down on the running game of Atlanta, with the entire Falcon team running 15 times for 45 yards, an average of only 3 yards/carry.  That includes a 15 yard scramble by Matt Ryan, however, and if that is taken out the RBs ran 14 times for only 30 yards, a 2.14 yd/carry average.

In fact, the Raiders led in almost every statistical category.  What did the team in, eventually, was penalties and turnovers.  The Raiders had only been flagged 19 times coming into the game but drew 12 flags in this game, alone, a few of them holding plays that brought a number of long runs back.  The Raiders also had 3 turnovers - 2 fumbles and and interception - all of which killed precious momentum for the squad and kept Atlanta's normally-potent offense in the game.

There are a few bright spots that can be taken from the game, even with a loss.  First, the team showed that it can hang in with the best teams in the league.  They were very close to beating Atlanta which remains the only unbeaten team this year.

Furthermore, the coaching staff made some decisions that many fans will be happy about.  Most importantly, the team decided to take Rolando McClain out of their nickel package on defense, opting instead to keep standout SLB Philip Wheeler and rookie Miles BUrris on the field over the former first round pick McClain.

Perhaps the only big play from Oakland’s week 4 loss to Denver was a 37 yard pass and catch from Palmer to second year receiver Denarius Moore.

The play looked to be the result of an audible call from Palmer at the line and the long completion got the Raiders into position to make a field goal at the end of the half – the last points they’d score in the extremely lopsided game.

The Raiders came out in a run formation with two wide receivers, Derek Hagan and Moore, a TE, FB and RB.

The Raiders looked likely to be running to the right side – where Hagan was the receiver but not in wide position – because they were in an offset I to the strong side (the strong side is where the TE is lined up).

In the backfield were McFadden and Reece with Palmer directly under center.  TE Brandon Myers was in the strong side slot between RT Willie Smith and Derek Hagan.

The Denver defense was in a 3-4 combination with 6 in the box (the box is the space between the tackles).  They had the 3 down lineman and the LBs were shifted to the strong side with the strong-side OLB lined up versus Myers in the slot.

Denver’s SS had come down for run support on the strong side as the indication, again, was the Raiders would be trying a strong side run.  The FS was back and between the hashmarks so the Broncos were in a man cover-1 formation.  Man, meaning that the DBs were matched up 1-1 on the receivers and backs and there was one safety back deep.

So you play Fantasy Football!  You had your draft weeks (or months?) ago and grabbed a team full of players you liked.

Now, 4 weeks into the season, half of your team is underperforming.  Well, have no fear – you’re about to get the tips to start gaining some ground on your competition.

While the draft is, of course, the best way to build your team and get it into a position to win, week in and week out.  However, bye weeks are a very underrated and under-discussed method of strategy.

Bye weeks started last week with a handful of teams not playing and they will continue through week 11.

For an experience and proactive Fantasy player, Bye weeks are a great time to set yourself up for a playoff run.

There are two methods I use to really make a push during bye weeks.  I call these the early & often methods.

Be Early

First, get there early.  It’s a bye week.  Check your team very early in the week – maybe Monday morning or, at the least, Tuesday morning when you can make the transactions you need.

Identify what positions you have that where your starters are out on a bye week.  Look at your backups.  Are they available or on bye, too?  Are they healthy?  Have they been performing recently?

Go onto the waiver wire and see who’s out there.  I recommend you sort a number of ways.  Depending on the site you use the usual default is by a pre-ranking.  I dislike those, usually, as it doesn’t take into account recent events.  I would try sorting by points scored.  This will put the players who have scored the most points at the time.

Take a look at the players who’ve been productive – perhaps also look at how they’ve been productive.  Are there points fairly well spread or did they spike one week and do poor the others?  I prefer players who have consistency.  You might strike it rich with the other but you also could come out of the week with a goose-egg at one position.

Check Often

Checking once a week (especially if you check early) is the minimal amount of work you should do.  If you really want to excel during the bye week, keep checking back.  The reason I suggest this is because your fantasy football brethren have to make tough decisions during bye weeks.  And sometimes they don’t make the greatest choices.

So, check in during the weeks.  Maybe even every day.  See who your competitors had to drop in order to get their own bye week fill-ins.  You can come up with some good talent during the bye weeks that can help you get to the playoffs.  And, as anyone who has played Fantasy Football knows, once you get into playoffs it's mostly a crap-shoot anyway.  The key is getting enough good players to get there. 

Editors note: I am proud to introduce to the Dark Side, Raider Nation Superfan himself; Darth Raider. Yes, THAT Darth Raider. The man in the black suit and cape who sits in the North endzone opposite the Black Hole aptly named "The Dark Side" merely because of his presence. He is home at last to take his post on the Deathstar at Thoughts From the Dark Side. The force is strong with this one so before he begins remotely choking me out, I will hand the controls over to the artist formerly known as Anakin Skywalker, the Lord of the Sith; Darth Raider.

Never Quit.

You win, you lose, you rise, you fall, but you must never quit.

You don't cash it in on one lost hand, you don't just block-but counter, you don't lie down after a knockdown and I repeat; YOU NEVER QUIT.

Sure, it's easy to say that the Oakland Raiders did quit from many fans point of view... a couch, a La-Z-Boy or a stool. But I sense more than half of those who criticize have never even played Sports, hated PE in High School, and do not live in this World to sweat.

I have previously played Sports, continue to play Sports and will continue to compete as long as my body permits. I know when you win, it's a sweet slice of Heaven. I know when you lose, it's like a dagger in your spine and soul while your face is on fire. Quitting? That is never an option..and it never will be. The best part of participating in competition is knowing if I lose, I have another chance to redeem myself the next day. I know that you will always live to fight another day..

With all that being said, what can be done to help this Football team? Is it the scheme? Is it the talent? Is it the fact we employ a Rookie Owner, Rookie GM, Rookie Coach and Rookie Defensive Coordinator?

Perhaps the answer lies in all of the above? Thoughts like these keep the Lord of the Sith, Master of all Evil, Darth Raider up all night.