Take Advantage of the Missing II
Broncos safetyT.J. Wardmade some waves earlier this week when during an interview, he opted to throw some shade at Oakland’s receiving group. He probably also gave the Raiders some solid bulletin board material as well as givingMichael CrabtreeandAmari Coopera little extra incentive to go out there and have a big day.
During his interview, Ward took the opportunity torun his mouth:
“I feel like they have two good receivers. I don’t feel like they have two elite receivers.”
It’s difficult to pin down exactly what makes an “elite” receiver in the eyes of somebody who is a self-professed hater, but the numbers might argue withWard‘s assessment.
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For the year, Cooper is third in the NFL with 52 catches for 787 yards and a pair of scores. Crabtree has snared 47 passes for 569 yards – and his six touchdowns are second only to Tampa Bay’sMike Evansfor the league lead.
Their combined 99 receptions for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns make them one of the league’s most prolific receiving tandem this season – just behind Atlanta’sJulio JonesandMohamed Sanu. And well ahead of Denver’s own tandem ofEmmanuel SandersandDemaryius Thomas.
Elite or not, Oakland’s receivers are going to have a tough time against a Denver secondary that doesn’t give up a lot. In fact, Denver has the league’s top pass defense in terms of yards allowed. They’re a good, solid, physical unit that makes plays.
But they will be without top cornerbackAqib Talib, who is out with a back injury.Bradley Robyhas done just fine in Talib’s absence, even earning Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts against San Diego last week.
But it’s not Roby orChris Harristhe team should be targeting. No, the Raiders need to take advantage of another fill-in –Lorenzo Doss. The little used second year corner is going to be playing in the slot with an injuredKayvon Websterreportedly out for the game.
It’s an advantage that OCBill Musgraveis going to need to seize upon. He’s going to need to do his best to keep Doss on the field by employing multiple receiver sets. And from there, he needs to do his best to create mismatches that expose Doss’ inexperience on the field – he’s appeared in just eight games in his two year career, making zero starts.
There aren’t a lot of chinks in Denver’s defensive armor, but that could be one. And it could potentially be a game changer if Oakland can exploit the seldom used cornerback.
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