Oakland Raiders: Reasons To Be Excited And Concerned After First Game
By Kevin Saito
Jun 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) with fullbacks Marcel Reece (45) and Jamize Olawale (49) and running back Latavius Murray (28) at minicamp at the Raiders practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Oakland Raiders scored an impressive win over the St. Louis Rams last Friday. They seemed to be clicking in most every facet of the game. That being said, they certainly weren’t perfect. There is still some work to do before they head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings in game two of the exhibition season.
But it was an important win for Oakland in this new era of Raider football. It gets the team off on the right foot – unlike last season in which the Raiders put together a horribly lackluster performance in a 10-6 loss to the very same Vikings they’ll be taking on this Saturday.
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It could potentially be a good test for Oakland’s revamped run defense if Adrian Peterson plays. With meat and potatoes – Justin Ellis and Dan Williams – and their collective near 650 pounds of girth clogging the middle, and a group of linebackers put together specifically to stop the run, it would be a fantastic indicator of the progress they’ve made with Peterson running the ball for Minnesota.
Oakland did a lot of things well against the Rams. They showed that they do indeed have the potential to be a very competitive football team this year. But they also showed that there are still some things in their game that need to be cleaned up.
With that in mind, here are just a few things to be excited about – as well as concerned about – as the Raiders head into their second exhibition game this Saturday against the Vikings.
Next: Excited: A Real Ground Attack At Last?