Raider9175

The Raiders special team units is no joke either. They always had the kicking game( punter and kicker). Where they really upgraded is there coverage teams unit. ( Ex Raven Trawick, Daren Bates, Taiwan Jones, and rookie Wr Johnny Holton.

That isn't for me to decide, but it would be foolish as a fan to not hope he gets re-instated . He makes there defense much better, while fixing holes at other position.( Bruce Irvin fixes problems in coverage- better matchup on the Te).

Te Delanie Walker not playing was huge for that secondary. Raiders have has trouble covering the Te's . Dennis Pitta matchup scares me the most. The Raiders starting Cb's are pretty good Dave Amerson and Sean Smith. Rather see TJ Carrie in the slot than Dj Hayden .( don't know what coaches see there- bust) The Raiders secondary just needs time. Both safeties Fs Reggie Nelson( Fa Addition) , and rookie Ss Karl Joseph( hit man) have to get use to playing with each other. ( Nelson looked so much better with Joseph in there, than McGill. This Raiders defense should be a lot better later in the season when Mario Edwards, and hopefully Aldon Smith re- instated) . Probably Bruce Irvin moves inside , and becomes a better matchup on the Te. btw the rookie Joseph still looking for his first knockout hit. Just miss destroying The Titans Rb.

I consider it a Delrio/ Norton defense. So can't blame one, and not the other. Right now the defense hasn't performed up to what was expected. These two defensive minds have shown they aren't afraid to try something diffrent on defense, when something not working. Once they get a handle on what there new players can and can't do. I expect to make the adjustment.( that doesn't help this Sunday).

The Browns offense line isn't any where close to the Raiders offense line. The Raiders have one of the best pass blocking offense lines. Their offense line( which has been upgraded) has faced tougher pass rushers than the Ravens have. ( Denver Von Miller / Ware, Kc Houston/ Hali . The raiders interior of the offense line is top notch. lg Osemele C Rodney Hudson and Rg Gabe Jackson.( good luck if you're counting on your interior defense lineman to be a factor. Derek Carr doesn't take sacks( gets rid of football quick or throw interceptions.( look at his Td to interception ratio in his career). So I would count on something other than your pass rush in this game. The Raiders are scoring 24 points at least on the Ravens defense. Let's see if Raiders defense can hold them under that. ( that is the question. If the Ravens put up only seventeen points they are going to lose this game. There is zero chance this is a low scoring game. I hope the Raiders come out throwing with three and four Wr sets. Trust Carr to pick out the favorable matchup. Establish the pass than run the football. Their conservatism on offense is there biggest fault on offense sometimes.

No K Mack was all pro at both De and Olb . The Raiders are missing Mario Edwards- his play was a big reason for Mack break out season last year. No Raiders defense lineman plays with the hand violence that Edwards does,. Edwards played De on the run downs, and moved inside on the passing downs. He was too strong for Ot's and too quick for guards . Qb's couldn't run away from K Mack. Jihad Ward is a bigger Mario Edwards who is very raw. ( was playing Wr just a couple years ago) He has been overpowered at the point early in the season. J Ward should be a diffrent player later in the season. The raiders should use Darius Latham who is much better holding up at point of attack. Jmo The Raiders problems on defense is they are asking a lot of these Defense Lineman to play two gap, and they are more suited to playing one gap. ( Ward, Autry) Until Mario Edwards comes back they have to change the scheme to fit the personnel better. THE MLB Situation has been a major problem . ( not good when that playershould be the leader on defense). Corey James in time might be pretty good MLB, but right now due to his inexperience isn't going to be where he suppose to be a lot of times. So many new faces on defense , and just takes time for players to get comfortable with each other.

It's going to be tough game to come home with a win for the Raiders. ( tough place to play) Still either fan base is deceiving themselves if they think this game going to be easy game for either team. It's going to be a very close game, that probably comes down to the end again. Who knows which team comes out on top. This is a big game for both teams.( could be playoff implications involved for down the road scenario's).

Don't see the Ravens pass rush as a factor in this one. ( don't expect the Ravens to get to Carr that often. I don't see L Murray being as much a factor( shares the load with two exciting rookies.( D Washington, and Jalen Richard. These two smaller guys 5'8 205 will probably have bigger impact.( can do so much damage whether in the running game , or passing game. another player worth watching is the Raiders third Wr Seth Roberts. Has occasional drop , but always seems to be there making the big play when it counts. The Raiders offense needs to catch the football( blowout last week if they hold on to football) and not be too conservative.( put the offense in Carr's hand. There is no way the Ravens should hold this offense under 24 points. Can their defense prevent the Ravens from getting more points than that.

Majority time yes, but he will line up on the right side also.

Fourth String but it really doesn't matter. This Raider offenseline will play at high level regardless.( very versatile). No worries as Mike Tice Always has his guys prepared. Can always move pieces around if Alexander has a problem at RT. Already have done it against Saints when they lost all their Rt's ( alexander wasn't activated) . They moved Ko from Lg to Lt, Lt Donald Penn went to RT, J Feliciano came in to play Lg. ( didn't miss a beat there) . The biggest worry I have about the offense line is false start penalties. ( when on the road can't keep shooting yourself in the foot).

The Raiders historically don't play well on the east coast starting early.( that's is where I would be feeling pretty good about this game). The Raiders offenseline is very good( even starting their fourth string Rt( Alexander) . Couple other factors why don't see Ravens pass rush a factor. 1. Derek Carr- gets rid of the ball fast2. Te Lee Smith( one dimensional) - one of the premier blocking Te's whether for run or pass. 3. Can always move the parts around on offenseline that there is no excuse for this group.( don't expect the Ravens to get to Carr that much). The Raiders defense is definitely a work in progress. Biggest loss is they are missing Mario Edwards Jr- won't be back week 8. ( big diffrence he makes) Rookie J Ward( going to be a very good player) , and Denico Autry have been manhandle in the running game.( worth watching both). d Latham hopefully gets more playing time over them. The Raiders biggest problem is MLB - start an inexperience undersized rookie Mlb( Corey James ) . A lot of breakdowns on defense. ( poor communication) The Ravens clearly have mismatch with their Te.( someone worth taking if you play fantasy football). The nickel CB Dj Hayden is another area worth watching.( this is the matchup that the Ravens can exploit). The Raiders pass rush has been nonexistent all season( more the Qb's they faced) . They need to hit Flacco early and often to have a chance to slow up the Ravens offense. Could be another who has the ball last kind of deal in this game.

The Raiders have had a lot of injury problems at RT this year. Let's see they lost their starting Rt( M Watson- out). Their backup RT ( Austin Howard- out ), their third string Matt McCants( he isn't very good - but might be back this week) and start their rookie ( Alexander) . Alexander who played pretty good against the Titans ,if he has trouble against the Ravens this week. The Raiders have the versatility to move the pieces on the offense line around to counter. I don't foresee the offenseline being a problem .( D Carr gets rid of football quick).