Thank god for special teams.

Well it wasn't the prettiest of games but it was a win. And there were three things Raider fans could be proud of at the end of the day.

One special teams was flawless Jano 6 for 6, Lechler was Lechler, and Hester didn't have a chance to be Hester. Two the defense was strong all day save for the last couple minutes of the game. Three and maybe the most important of all: Actual discipline and a limited amount of boneheaded penalties.

The offense struggled all game. And Palmer had a bad game but with two explosive weapons from the receiving corps out in Moore and Ford things should improve in that department so I'm not all too worried about that.

What was surprising was our inability to run the ball. It was clear that the Bears game planned to shutdown Bush and make the Raiders beat them in the air and they accomplished that. Bush averaged just a bit under 3 a carry and was held under 100 yards for the first time in a month.

The offensive line definitely didn't have their best game. Palmer was sacked a few times and they couldn't open many holes for Bush. They pretty much got pushed around by the Bears D-line all game. They have definitely got to get back to how they were playing before.

But at the end of the day Raiders scored the W and played a disciplined game penalty-wise. And as long as they keep racking up the wins then that's good enough for me.

A tale of two halves...... Again

Raiders picked up a second straight win on the road in Minnesota. And for the second week in a row the Raiders almost blew a lead and failed to put away a game that should most definitely have been a laugher. Obviously this needs to change and quick.

The first half started slow. We had a three and out and let the Bears march down the field (With a referee escort of course but I'll get to that later) to Adrian Peterson untouched TD. But the D and the run game picked up the pace. A couple turnovers and scores later the Raiders were going into half time with a 24-7 lead.

With the beginning of the second half the game looked to be on it's way to being a complete rout but once again dumb penalties, mental lapses, and a few bad calls made this a game when it really should've never been one.

All the stupid penalties week after week is just killing me. I'll talk about the bad calls a little later on but we commit enough dumb penalties on our own to shoot ourselves in the foot. Nearly half of the Vikes first downs came out of Raider penalties. That is unacceptable no matter which way you look at it. In the past we've had great teams that could overcome all the penalties but this year we're just way too short handed due to injury to have that sort of margin for error. Basically these players need to clean it up or the best scenario I can see for us is a one and done playoff appearance.

Now about Hue's post game comments following the game: He definitely made some good points there were some terrible calls in the game and not only this game it's been going on for years.

The first one on Kelly was a joke. He was being blocked into the QB and had one hand free and brought down the QB without grabbing the face mask. Why that was a penalty I'll never know. Then that legal hit Curry put on that guy was deemed a personal foul hitting a "defenseless receiver" even though the guy turned around took a step and made a football move. And that face mask call on Branch was a joke. I've watched the replay numerous times and not once did Tyvon grab the guys face.

But when they flagged Bryant when he jumped on a Viking while he was being brought down that just took the cake for me. Especially when you take into account that Jared Allen did the exact same thing to Palmer early on with no flags thrown. If it was a personal foul then how was it not when the same happened to Carson? These refs are a complete joke and they never seem to hide their bias in any given game they officiate. That being said we committed more than enough dumb penalties on our own without any help from the officials.

The defense played well and won this game. Lito has been great coming in off the street to step in the starting role. He took great angles on balls and made things happen. I have a feeling when he knocks some of the rust off some of those tipped passes are going to turn into picks. And you gotta love those rushing stops he's made. The pass rush was strong bringing down Ponder 5 times and keeping the pressure all game. And my favorite whipping boy Giordano went out and had himself a game.

The offense was great in the first half, but slowed down as they got conservative in the second. Palmer has continued to improve going 17 of 23 with a TD to Schilens. Bush was consistent and was a dependable workhorse all game haveing another 100+ yard rushing game and pounding one across the goaline right through a Viking defender. The offense is still a work in progress but should be absolutely explosive when the weapons start coming back from the injured list.

Bottom line though the Raiders have got to address their penalty problem. I'm not talking about suing the league I'm talking about rectifying the ones they have control over and that's a whole lot. It's become the Raider way to have the league screw you but the last thing this team needs is to continue to screw themselves like they have. Until they address that problem they will not be a true contender for a championship. The talent is definitely there but the discipline needs to be enforced ASAP.

Much better.... But not there yet

In a much improved showing across the board over the past few weeks the Raiders still showed their flaws. In a game that should have ended up being a blowout the Raiders made mistakes to keep the Chargers in the game. But the team seemed to get back on the path it was traveling following the unfortunate Campbell injury.

The biggest reason was our gameplan and return to the power running game. Michael Bush absolutely lit SD up and had a monster game on the ground and a big day receiving. I never understood why we got away from the run game which was our bread and butter all season. Sure we lost McFadden but the fact that we had a QB learning the offense and the best #2 back in the league in Bush we should've been pounding the ball the past few weeks. But it's over with we went back to playing towards our strengths and it payed dividends.

Carson Palmer continues to improve and he had a great day leading the offense. I felt he was impressive last week given that he's only been with the team a limited time but this week he was extremely good. Incredible when you take into account he's only been with the team for three weeks. He's really starting to show what he's going to be able to bring to this team for the next few years and I can't wait to see him next week.

We had another injury blow to our offense with Ford going down in the first quarter but Denarius Moore seemed to pick up where he left off back in week 2 and 3. He had a huge day catching five for 123 with two scores. He seemed to completely dissappear after the New England game but he had a solid week last week and kicked open the door this week. He has tons of talent and he's one of the best rookie WR's in the league at the moment.

The defense was hit and miss. While they looked much better with McClain back even though he looked like he was still hurting and tentative out there they were dominant at moments and at times looked clueless. More of the same I guess from what we've been seeing from this defense all year. At one moment they're locking down guys, pushing around the o-line, and harassing the QB while other times they're blowing coverages, over committing, and committing stupid penalties at inopportune moments.

They got to Rivers six times with Wimbley having a big day with 4 sacks while the front four brought the pressure all game making him look extremely uncomfortable all game. The corners played well enough especially considering all the injuries. But again the penalties kepte SD in the game and the LB's and safeties were a weakness at times.

But I was glad to see us commit to the run like we have for most of the season with success. The run game is this teams biggest strength whether it's DMC with his explosiveness or Bush with his strength. For this team to win we are going to have to make the run game our priority because when we can run the ball we win the game. It's as simple as that. I'm happy with the win and happy we're sitting on top of the AFC West but we're going to have to learn how to put teams away when we have them on the ropes and to pick our spots with the penalties if we have any ambitions of going anywhere this year. That being said I'm looking forward to seeing this team improve the rest of the year.

Defenseless!

Where to start on another embarrassing week of Raider football? This past game don't deserve to be graded so I'll just rant for a while. Just an absolutely embarrassing display against an inept Denver team with one of the if not the weakest QB in the league.

I'll start with the defense. They did alright against the hapless Denver offense in the first half and then got totally owned in the second half. They had absolutely no clue how to stop that college play Denver ran multiple times with a lot of success.

And the penalties. God the penalties. As a Raider fan I've come accustomed to tons of penalty yardage but I can't get used to the brainless penalties we commit year after year. Grabbing the face mask of a running back who's already stuffed, pushing a media darling QB on the sidelines etc. are just inexcusable and boneheaded. Not much to say but poor play, poor coaching, and completely pathetic discipline. Bill Callahan said it best "We are the dumbest team in America.".

Now the offense showed some signs of life. Palmer showed flashes of what he's going to be capable of bringing to this team. Bush was solid and had a good game. I had no problem with the play but I question the play calling.

I feel we got too pass happy. We had a 10 point lead and we should've been pounding the ball with Bush and controlling the clock which has been our bread and butter for the past couple years. I don't know why we're getting away from that now. Especially with a QB that's still learning the offense and getting acclimated to the players.

Just a horrible day for Raider nation. We've basically got blown out by team weak teams in our last two. The team especially the D should be hanging their hands in shame right now.