The Raiders lost, again, this time a 37-6 drubbing at the hands of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.  Manning and the offense marched down the field on their first possession of the game and got into the endzone on 22 yard laser-rocket to TE Joel Dreesen.  They took the lead with 10:32 left in the first quarter and were never threatened in a game that saw the Raiders outmatched in all three phases of the game.

Head coach Dennis Allen and his coaching staff deserve the largest amount of the blame.  The team came out flat and uninspired. The game plans on both sides of the ball were ineffective and uninspired.  Plus, Allen, who had previously shown a killer spirit against Pittsburgh – going for it on 4^th and short, an unexpected onsides kick – punted on 4^th & short 3 times in the first half, giving the ball back to a fiery hot Manning who marched the Broncos down the field time and again.

The score was close when the game went into halftime, still, with the Broncos up only 10-6.  However that was due, in large part, to some lucky breaks on the Raiders part.  First, the Broncos decided to try a fake FG pass from the kicker, Prater, to Zane Beatles but Beatles fell down on the play and the pass fell incomplete.  That gave the Raiders good field position and kept the Broncos from scoring, something the Raiders had been unable to do on their own.

Later in the first half the team gave up a huge play on a bubble screen that went undefended but caught a huge break when the receiver fumbled the ball without being touched as he tried to move the ball from one arm to the other.  The receiver was anticipating being hit by Tyvon Branch, who had good hustle on the play.

Without those two big turnovers by Denver, both of which were essentially self-inflicted, the score would have been much higher against the Raiders.

Despite the Raiders’ close score at half clearly not being due to the team really competing well, Dennis Allen seemed dogged in his refusal to try to win the game.  I would have been happy with any kind of trick play or at least going for it on 4^th down at any time in the game.  The Raiders only went for the 4^th down conversion twice in the game and one of those times was the Raiders last play of the game, a 4^th down try that failed.

One of the – if not the – biggest plays of the week 3 contest versus the Steelers was the first running play of the Raiders where Darren McFadden scampered virtually untouched 64 yards down the field and into the end zone for their first rushing touchdown of the season.

The play was significant for a number of reasons – it tied up the score, shifted momentum and gave confidence to the team – but it also showed for the first time this season how potent the Raiders run game can be when the zone blocking scheme is operating in sync.

When the play starts, the team is out in a 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 RB formation.  There are two receivers to the left of the formation, the weak side (no TE on that side), one is spit out wide and the other is in the slot.

The right of the formation is the strong side meaning that the TE is set on that side. In this case, the TE is true to his name and is tight to the RT.  There is another receiver split wide on the right side.  McFadden is the only player in the backfield.

Here’s a look at the lineup, pre-snap.

At the snap, the offensive line all moves to the right in unison.  There are some keys that this is zone blocking versus power blocking.  The offensive linemen look for their blocks as they move which indicates they are not locked onto a certain man but instead for the players that will enter into their particular area.

Look at the shot below.  No one has entered into LG Cooper Carlisle’s zone.  Veldheer has engaged with the defensive end and there are two LBs that are coming around to seal the backside if McFadden tries to cut back.

Carlisle who has recognized that no one is going to hit his hole, so he tries to create a cutback lane for McFadden by taking on the DE that Veldheer had initially engaged.  This shot shows the point where Veldheer is passing the DE – who I believe is RDE Brett Keisel – off to Carlisle.  Carlisle stonewalls Keisel and creates a good size hole.

Also note in the picture how Wizniewski is one on one with a player.  That is the NT, number 98 Casey Hampton.  Hampton is 325 lbs, so he has ten pounds on Wisniewski but Wiz handles him and keeps him away from McFadden.  His ability to take on a nose tackle one on one really separates him from last year’s center, Samson Satele.

The Raiders didn’t lead in the game until the clock struck 0:00 at the end of the 4th quarter but luckily for Dennis Allen and company, that’s the only time having the lead makes any difference.   The Raiders were able to overcome a stout Pittsburgh defense to score the game’s last 13 points, all in the 4th quarter, to win on a 44 yard Sebastian Janikowski field goal as time expired.
 

The team showed impressive desire to win the game, rallying to win the game despite dealing with multiple injuries.  Some of those injuries were known before the game –like the two starting cornerbacks both being out –but the Raiders also had to overcome injuries in game.
 

Starting WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was knocked out on a deep route that took him into the endzone.  He was crossing for a ball thrown maybe a moment too late by Palmer and as the ball got there so did safety Ryan Mundy.  Mundy’s helmet came up into DHB’s facemask and Heyward-Bey crumpled to the ground, rolling once until coming to a stop without moving.  He was later taken off the field on a cart although he did give a thumbs off as he went off the field, to the cheer of the crowd.
 

After the game Allen & Palmer both said that signs out of the hospital were good.  DHB had regained consciousness, was able to move and talk.  It’s been announced that he will be staying overnight in the hospital for observation but it seems likely that he will be able to be released in short order.  It seems unlikely that he would recover from such a serious concussion for next week’s game and the week after is the Raiders’ bye week so there is no need to hurry him back for next week’s game versus Denver and the team can instead focus on having him back versus Atlanta in week 6.
 

It was reported after the game that starting TE Brandon Myers also had suffered a concussion in the game.  His was much more minor and it’s entirely possible that he’ll be able to suit up next week.  That would be a big help for the Raiders because Myers has turned into quite a good safety valve for Palmer. 
 

Myers was again the top receiver for the Raiders – in terms of yards – with 4 catches for 55 yards on the day.  He caught every ball that was thrown to him on the night and, per ESPN, has caught every ball thrown to him for the season – a perfect 15 for 15.
 

Palmer also utilized the other tight ends, tossing a TD pass to backup Richard Gordon – his first career TD reception – and he used David Ausberry for a nice short throw that the former receiver was able to take 13 yards for a first down.
 

The biggest difference for the Raiders offense, though, was the running game which opened up more passing lanes than the team was used to this season.
 

It got started on the first run – McFadden took the ball behind the RG and blew through the line and into the secondary.  He was able to juke his way around he safety and scooted 64 yards for his first TD of the year.
 

Darrius Heyward-Bey, the much maligned 7th overall pick from 2009 has been a conundrum for most of his 3 years in the Silver & Black. A likely first or high second round pick in 2009 even had Davis not reached for him with a top 10 selection, would likely still be a disappointment even if falling into the early second round based solely upon his numbers.

Heyward-Bey has struggled with being a “hands” receiver for most of his time in Oakland and, for all of his physical gifts – speed, size, a large body frame – he has a hard time coming down with difficult receptions and winning one on one matchups with defensive backs. Heyward-Bey has shown that he’s at his best when he can receive the ball closer to the line of scrimmage and use his speed and size to gain yards after the catch (YAC).

However for all of that, Heyward-Bey or DHB as he’s often called, has shown great work ethic, humility and a willingness to learn and has continued to grow each season he’s been with the Raiders culminating in a season that was within sight of 1000 yards receiving last year.

Many, myself included, thought that DHB’s skill-set would mesh well with Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Knapp’s style of throwing higher percentage passes and looking to get YAC. Much of the throws that Knapp favors are shorter passes where the receiver can get positive yardage and look to make a first down.

Danny & Dano, the Sonoma County Sports Fans, were kind enough to invite me to talk Raiders on this week's show.  There's a link to the online podcast, here.  Or, if you're in Sonoma County, the show will air on 1350 AM KSRO at 7 o'clock in the AM, early on Sunday Morning.

I'd encourage you to listen to the entire piece as they're both highly entertaining but if you're just interested in the Raiders portion, it starts right after the 11 minute mark.

Danny & Dano can be found on Twitter @SoCoSportsFans or on Facebook.

Jamal Black is a guest writer for TFDS. He is a long time NFL fan and co-host of the Two Tone Crew podcast.  Follow him on Twitter @Jamalisms

Little Guy, meet Big Guy. Big Guy, meet Little Guy’s Attorney. Rinse, repeat.

The NFL’s ongoing legal battle with former Saints players over the alleged misconduct they undertook as part of “Bountygate” made for an interesting offseason story line and, despite that the regular season has finally arrived in all its inherent splendor, Bountygate continues to garner interest around the NFL as it winds a long, weary path to conclusion. Little about this story is mundane. It pits the league against one of its own teams. It represents some of the most stringent penalties ever imposed. Given the brevity of player careers, it masquerades even as a story pitting men seeking to earn a living against an all-powerful and unreasonable superior.

On a macro level bountygate is but a part of the league’s attempt to reconcile a violent game with the legal ramifications of player safety. Roger Goodell’s tenure as league commissioner has been marked by two, somewhat conflicting issues. On the one hand, he has seemed to be genuinely concerned with the matter of reforming the league through crackdowns on player conduct, both on (safety) and off (general misconduct) the field. On the other hand, the league has struggled with finding an acceptable path to come to terms with the human results of a game with such brutal past.

Estimates vary and seem to change daily, rendering any specific count prone to becoming fast outdated, however thousands of retired players claim severe physical consequences of the NFL’s violent nature.  They contend (and the NFL denies) that the league has historically concealed its knowledge of such physical risks and is therefore responsible for the results over time. Whether or not that is true, the fact that the commissioner has taken such a public and unwavering stance on improving player safety has resulted in an interesting balancing act.

In terms of public opinion, the NFL’s actions present the paradox that cumulative injuries suffered by former players were the result of choices reasonably and appropriately made at the individual level, while current players must be protected from themselves. It is a tenuous position at best.

Enter Bountgate.

The Raiders have now made their way through two games and have the same number of touchdowns to show for it.  Teams that start 0-2 are by no means eliminated from playoffs but with a very tough schedule coming up with Pittsburgh, Denver and Atlanta – all playoff teams last year and all looking to be very solid this year as well – a 0-5 start is entirely possible.

But this year was never a playoff-likely year.  Playoffs were a possibility (and they still are) but this year was never really a playoff-expectation year.  Playoffs were a bonus, not an expectation.

This season has always been more about building for the future and initiating the massive amount of change that comes with a new owner, first time GM, first time head coach, first time defensive coordinator, new offensive coordinator and the resulting personnel and schematic changes that also follow.

There has been much hand-wringing about the Raiders offensive struggles through the first two games and rightfully so.  The offense – and the rushing offense in particular – has looked terrible.  There is some light at the end of this tunnel, however.

If the Raiders can get the zone blocking scheme (ZBS) that Knapp and Allen prefer working well, it will fix or improve a number of the ills of the 2012 squad.

First, I'd like to address ZBS itself.  There are many who do not believe it can be an effective scheme.  I've never been able to understand this.  There are any number of teams that have used the scheme with success.  Whether or not one is a believer in Knapp as a play-caller has nothing to do with the scheme.  It's been shown time and time again in the NFL that zone blocking can and does work as a scheme.  In fact, Allen, a defensive-minded coach, is himself a proponent of the scheme because it is difficult to defend against!