Oakland Raiders: Same Story, Same Result

December 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Marcel Reece (45) is unable to make a catch in front of Cleveland Browns cornerback Buster Skrine (22) in the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Same story, same result. Raiders have lost five games in a row. A chance was dropped this past Sunday to add a much-needed victory to the Raiders win column. Mistakes, errors, and lack of focus, were all part of the inevitable demise to the Cleveland Browns.

Never mind that the Raiders ran 71 plays against the Browns and only 17 of those plays were on the ground. The rushing game has almost evaporated, the Raiders are last in the NFL, 32 out of 32. They Average 82.8 yards rushing per game. Perhaps a shout out to Greg Knapp is in order because the rushing attack was over the average against the Browns-85 yard on 17 totes. Mind boggling!

The offense looked out of rhythm, out of sync, no tempo, and no definable sequence. A balance of run, and pass is needed to win in the NFL. 54-pass plays, and 17 runs is not a balance for success. Has it been mentioned the Raiders have lost five in a row.

Carson Palmer had his usually stat game, throwing for 351 yards. Two touchdowns, and his one costly gratuitous interception late in the game. You know the interception is going to come. You believe it will come early in the game, and Palmer will settle down. Yet, just when you think you know the answer they change the question. Palmer is not learning from his previous mistakes. Turnovers equal losses, five of them in a row.

Marcel Reece is still the beast. He has been a force in the backfield bashing out runs, and as a receiver. Reece for some reason was a nonfactor in Sundays game after pounding out 36 yards on seven carries, he became an enigma, like the rest of the Raiders running game.

Brandon Meyers is continuing to make a name for himself. He was a prime time target for Palmer pulling in 14 catches for 130 yards. We could be seeing a lot of this young man in the future.

Denarius Moore had a less than stellar performance adding to the Raiders woes on offense. He had been a steady performer; a go to guy that Palmer could count on. Wrong-his lackluster performance was less than thrilling. He dropped more passes than he caught, and looked like an average second year performer.

The Black and Silver defense looked at times like they were going to come out of the funk. Tommy Kelly, Lamarr Houston, Desmond Bryant, and rookie Christo Bilukidi played well up and down the line of scrimmage, the down side is too many missed tackles and only one sack on the rookie quarterback Weeden.The Raider secondary is the weak link in the defensive system. Michael Huff is playing out of position, and doing a satisfactory job.  He is coaching, mentoring, a full plate for him as he draws the number one receiver each game. After Huff it’s a toss up for who is leading in confusion and chaos. Safeties racking up tackles while tight ends go free in the secondary. Not the execution you want or need, to much me, and not enough team.

The Raider are officially out of the play-offs, they are visibly out of contention.  Poor clock management represents a lack of focus, and discipline. As does double-digit penalties. It has been a time to reflect, review and regroup.

The games for the Raiders have not been theirs to win but not to lose. Proper, prior planning prevents poor public performance. Block, and tackle, fundamentals, reduce the play load on offense, let players run on defense. It a plan!

They can only get better.

Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.

Henry Ford