THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS

After 7 months, life has begun again. Forget hyperbole. Shakespeare said that the play is the thing. The game is the thing.

Below is my 60 second introduction on You Tube to the 2008 NFL Season.

NFL 2008

The players all wore GU on their outfits as a tribute to the dearly departed legend Gene Upshaw. The Hall of Fame Oakland Raiders left guard and longtime NFLPA Union Representative died of pancreatic cancer a couple of weeks ago. He will be missed by NFL fans everywhere.

With that, here is the recap of the first week of the 2008 NFL season.

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants–The opening Thursday night game was a celebration of the defending champion Giants. Jim Zorn made his debut as Head Coach of the Redskins. This came was typical New York Giant football, which has for the last half of a century consisted of boring offense, hard nosed running, and stifling defense. Winning ugly is the tradition, even for Superbowl winners. The Giants scored a touchdown on an opening 11 play, 84yard drive, and the defense then went into lockdown mode. Field goals were all the G-Men could muster afterwards, but it was more than enough. 16-7 Giants

Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens–Kyle Boller is out for the season, resulting in rookie Joe Flacco starting. Both teams started with a turnover, with Chris McCallister taking a deflected Carson Palmer pass for an interception. A perfectly executed double reverse led to Clayton running 42 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Ravens lead. An exchange of field goals had the Ravens up 10-3 at the half. The Ravens took a 17-3 lead in the second half. Carson Palmer had a miserable game, passing for only 75 yards. A fumble return for a touchdown with 10 minutes left got the Bengals to within 17-10. The Bengals got the ball back a minute later and reached the Baltimore 34. On 4th and 1, a run up the middle was blasted backwards by Ray Lewis. Joe Flacco, forgetting that he was playing in his first NFL game, led a drive that ran the final 7:15 off of the clock. This was a typical Ravens game, with stifling defense and just enough offense. 17-10 Ravens

New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins–This was supposed to be the worst game of the day. Then Brett Favre was traded from the Packers to the Jets. Chad Pennington was released, and now starts for the Dolphins. Also, Bill Parcells makes his debut as the President of the Dolphins, his 5th reclamation project. Despite not scoring on their first offensive possession, Favre actually ran for a first down, showing some life in the old legs. On the second Jets possession, Favre stepped back, and threw a 56 yard bomb to Jerricho Cotchery for a touchdown and a 7-0 Jets lead. Somewhere there was sobbing in Green Bay. Pro Football has returned to the Jets. On the next Jets drive, a roughing the passer call on Favre set up a 32 yard field goal attempt, which Mike Nugent pushed wide.

The miss led to a momentum shift, as Pennington took the Dolphins down the field, culminating in a 5 yard touchdown pass to Anthony Fasano and a 7-7 tie 3 minutes into the 2nd quarter. The 11 play drive took almost 6 minutes off the clock.

Favre moved the Jets back into field goal range, but Nugent appeared to have injured himself on the previous attempt. On 4th and 13 from the 23, the Jets called time out. They decided to eschew the 40 yard field goal and go for it. Favre avoided sack, threw up a miracle pass that was caught for a touchdown. With nobody to kick extra points, the 2 point conversion failed, although the Jets led 13-7. The 11 play, 60 yard drive took up nearly 6 minutes.

The opening drive of the 3rd quarter ended for the Jets when Favre was hit and fumbled, allowing Miami to take over at their own 11. They could not move the ball. A 6 yard scamper by Thomas Jones with one minute left in the 3rd quarter had the Jets up 20-7. It was a 6 play, 69 yard drive. With 9 minutes left in the game, the Dolphins had 4th and goal from the 3. A rollout pass was perfectly timed and broken up, preserving the goal line stand. An successful drive and short punt led to Pennington throwing a touchdown pass to close the gap to 20-14 with 3 1/2 minutes remaining.

The Dolphins got the ball back on their own 39 with 1:53 remaining. A Pennington completion had Miami at midfield with a minute remaining. Another Pennington completion had Miami at the 35 with 52 seconds left. With 23 seconds left, Miami was at the New York 19. The next pass was almost intercepted in the end zone and dropped. Another incomplete pass set up 3rd and 10 with 13 seconds remaining. Fvere could only watch and wonder why they did not try the earlier extra point. Mike Nugent watched helplessly. On the next play a jump ball was juggled and intercepted with 5 seconds left. A flag flew, but it was offensive pass interference. Favre took a knee and had his first win with the Jets. 20-14 Jets

Kansas City Chiefs @ New England Patriots–Despite not playing the entire preseason, Tom Brady started as expected. Despite having to punt on the first drive, Kansas City ran into the punter, giving New England new life. Howeer, the drive ended with a Wes Welker fumble. The next Patriots drive saw a perfect strike from Brady to Randy Moss culminate with Moss fumbling the ball away. Tom Brady got rocked on the net possession, leaving the game with an injured leg. Matt Cassell came in to start at his own 2 yard line.

On 3rd an 11 from their own 1, Matt Cassel did his Tom Brady impersonation, throwing a 52 yard bomb to the Kansas City 47. On 3rd and goal, Casell completed a touchdown in the back of the end zone to Randy Moss, for a 7-0 lead on a drive that went 98 yards in under 5 minutes. Brodie Croyle and the Chiefs struggled, but a drive led to a field goal with 17 seconds left in the half had the Chiefs within 7-3.

Cassel led the Patriots on an 11 play, 80 yard drive that ended in a 5 yard Morris run for a 14-3 Patriots lead with 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Damon Huard came in for an injured Croyle and went right to work. 2 minutes into the 4th quarter, a 13 yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe had the Chiefs to within 14-10. Ellis Hobbs returned the ensuing kickoff to the Kansas City 37. No points came out of it, but on the next Kansas City drive, Huard was intercepted by Ellis Hobbs. The Patriots drove deep, and a short field goal by Stephen Gostkowski had the Patriots up 17-10 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

After getting absolutely belted, Huard got up, threw a zone pass that split the seams, setting up a 1st and goal at the 5 with 53 seconds remaining. It was a total breakdown by the Patriots on defense. Yet this same defense held on 4 plays. The goal line stand did the job. It was ugly, but it was a win. There was no time to celebrate since the team had to focus on the injured Tom Brady. His knee injury was more serious than originally thought. He is out for the season. In 2001, Drew Bledsoe was injured, and an unknown 6th round draft pick named Tom Brady came in. Matt Cassel is 1-0. We shall see. 17-10 Patriots

Houston Texans @ Pittsburgh Steelers–Pittsburgh jumped all over the Texans, racing to a 21-0 lead. A Kris Brown field goal with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half cut the gap to 21-3. Willie Parker had 3 touchdown runs, as the Steelers increased their lead to 28-3. At 35-3, the game was officially declared a disaster area in Houston. Ben Roethlisberger had a pair of touchdowns to Hines Ward, the latter one for 16 yards. The Steelers coasted from there. 38-17 Steelers

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans–These are two good teams with coaches that believe in hard nosed defense. A 50 yard return of the opening kickoff had Tennessee starting in Jacksonville territory. The Titans could move only 16 yards in 6 plays, but that was good enough for a field goal by punter Craig Hentrich and a 3-0 Titans lead. Both teams slugged it out as expected, but a touchdown pass by David Garrard had the Jaguars up 7-3 with 10 minutes left in the half. With 3 minutes left in the half the Titans were back on top 10-7.

The second half was all defense with the teams even trading interceptions at the 8 minute mark. With a little over 4 minutes left, Vince Young landed awkwardly and left the game. Kerry Collins came in. With the Jaguars expecting running plays, Collins set up a screen pass that went for a long gain. On 3rd and 6 from the red zone, a swing pass by Collins set up 1st and goal a the 1. An off tackle run had the Titans up 17-7 with 3:47 remaining.

Jacksonville drove for a field goal at the 2 minute warning, and got the ball back with 10 seconds remaining. In this defensive slugfest, a sack ended it. This was an old school slobberknocker, with Jeff Fisher and Jack Del Rio both having solide defenses to be watched. 17-10 Titans

Detroit Lions @ Atlanta Falcons–With Michael Vick in jail, all eyes were on Matt Ryan. The Ryan era exploded, as the Falcons raced to a 14-0 lead midway through the 1st quarter. Ryan’s first pass 90 seconds into the game was a 62 yard strike for a touchdown to Jenkins. With 3 minutes left in the opening quarter, the Falcons led 21-0, as Lions fans continued to burn President Matt Millen in effigy. Newly acquired running back Michael Turner had a 66 yard score. The Lions did crack the endzone with 4 minutes left in the half. A leaping touchdown catch by Mike Williams with 16 seconds left in the half had the Lions within 21-14.

Atlanta opened the second half with a field goal for 24-14 lead, and led 31-14 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Detroit pulled to within 31-21, but got no closer. Matt Ryan was the epitome of a game manager, going 9 for 13 with 161 yards and one touchdown. It was enough thanks to 220 yards on the ground by Turner. The Lions were 4-0 in preseason, proving once and for all the worthlessness of preseason. 34-21 Falcons

Seattle Seahawks @ Buffalo Bills–Mike Holmgren could not have been a happy Walrus in the opening game of his final season as coach. After the Bills took a 7-0 lead, a 63 yard punt return for a score by Roscoe Parrish had the Bills up 14-0. Matt Hasselbeck got Seattle back in the game with a 40 yard touchdown pass to Nate Burleson. Yet Buffalo responded, and led 20-7 at the half.

After closing to within 20-10, Buffalo put the game out of reach, with a touchdown pass with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter off of a fake field goal to put Buffalo up 27-10. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff followed by another Edwards touchdown pass had Buffalo up 34-10. 14 points in 25 seconds broke it open. 34-10 Bills

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints–The Saints went right to work, and Drew Brees threw a 39 yard touchdown pass to David Smith to put the Saints up 7-0. The Buccaneers struck back to deadlock the game at 7-7 on a 26 yard interception return by Philip Buchanan. A field goal by Matt Bryant from short range had the Buccaneers up 10-7 late in the 1st half.

With 3 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Saints tied the game 10-10. The Buccaneers quickly responded with a field goal of their own with 33 seconds remaining in the quarter for a 13-10 lead. The Saints then needed 20 seconds to retaliate, as Drew Brees threw a bomb that went for a 84 yard touchdown to Devery Henderson and a 17-13 Saints lead. The game became a track meet as the Buccaneers went back up top 20-17 with 10 1/2 minutes remaining in the game. 3 minutes later Brees had the Saints up 24-20.

The defenses tightened, but the Buccaneers had 4th and 6 at the Saints 24. Scott Fujita intercepted Jeff Garcia to preserve the win. In a heart wrenching statistic, the Saints are now 3-0 in “Hurricane games.” They won the week after Katrina, the first week back in the Superdome a year later, and now the week after Gustav. Having Brees helps, as he passed for 343 yards. 24-20 Saints

St. Louis Rams @ Philadelphia Eagles–Despite a personally turbulent offseason, Andy Reid had the Eagles focused, as they jumped to a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. McNabb came out firing, and a 5 yard touchdown pass to L J Smith began the onslaught. With 47 seconds left in the half, from their own 10 yard line, a long pass from Donovan McNabb to Hank Baskett went for a 90 yard touchdown and a 21-0 Eagles lead. McNabb was ridiculous 14 for 20 with 274 yard passing in the first half.

With 6 minutes left in th 3rd quarter, the Eagles increased their lead to 28-0. At 38-0, the Rams mounted a furious rally that fell just short by 5 touchdowns. 38-3 Eagles

Dallas Cowboys @ Cleveland Browns–The Cowboys jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Marion Barber leapt over the top of the defense for a 1 yard touchdown run. Cleveland responded with a 15 play drive that was a balance of runs and passes, with Derek Anderson throwing 3 yard rollout pass to Kellen Winslow. A defensive pass interference call on Adam “no longer Pacman” Jones in the end zone set up the score. Brady Quinn will remain holding a clipboard if Anderson keeps playing well.

Dallas is loaded on offense, and Tony Romo made it look easy with a 35 yard touchdown strike to Terrell Owens. Yet T.O. reminded people why he is so unlikable by receiving an unsportsmanlike conduct for excessive celebration afterwards. Nevertheless, Dallas led 14-7. A pass to T.O. set up another 1 yard Barber run and a 21-7 Cowboys lead with 26 seconds left in the half.

The Cowboys cruised in the second half, and shut down Cleveland. Down 28-7, Cleveland moved into Dallas territory with 10 minutes left in the game. In a curious decision by Coach Romeo Crennel, Cleveland kicked a field goal, reducing the deficit to 28-10. The 10 play, 70 yard drive ate up 5 1/2 minutes for only a field goal from 34 yards out. The game got no closer. 28-10 Cowboys

Carolina Panthers @ San Diego Chargers–The Panthers were injury wracked last year, but a Healthy Jake Delhomme moved Carolina down the field. On 4th and goal from the 1, San Diego held. The defenses ruled the fist quarter, but a John Kasay field goal put the Panthers up 3-0 only 2 1/2 minutes into the second quarter. 3 minutes later a Philip Rivers touchdown bomb put the Chargers up 7-3. The Panthers added another field goal with 4 1/2 minutes left in the half. Carolina got the ball back and moved deep into San Diego territory with seconds left, but a touchdown pass was broken up. A 3rd field goal with 8 seconds left in the half put the Panthers up 9-7.

The Chargers had a time consuming drive in the 3rd quarter that ate up over 7 minutes of the clock. The resulting field goal put San Diego up 10-9. San Diego had the ball again when Antonio Gates was stripped. The fumble was returned for a touchdown, putting the Panthers back up 16-10 with one minute left in the 3rd quarter. John Kasay’s 4th field goal of the day, a 49 yarder, had Carolina up 19-10 with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The 18 year veteran kicker was an original Panther in 1995, and is still kicking strong.

Gates redeemed himself by catching a touchdown pass from Rivers to pull within 19-17 with 6:46 remaining. Carolina then fumbled at their own 30, and the Chargers recovered with 5 minutes left. On 3rd and goal from 3, Rivers through a touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson. The Chargers led 24-19 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining. The Panthers had one time out remaining.

Despite terrible clock management, The Panthers reached the San Diego 14 with 2 seconds left. Despite a high snap, Delhomme out of the shotgun pumped a couple times, and found Rosario in the very back of the end zone. In front of a shocked home crowd, the Panthers pulled out a stunner on the final play. 26-24 Panthers

Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers–Kurt Warner started in place of Matt Leinart. Leinart is not injured, just overrated and focusing on girls instead of football. The Cardiinals began their first drive at the San Francisco 40. The drive bogged down near the goal line, but a short Neil Rackers field goal had the Cardinals up 3-0. Alan Rossum then decided to return the kickoff 5 yards deep in the end zone, allowing the 49ers to start at their own 5 yard line. Coach Mike Nolan for some reason decided to come back. J T O’Sullivan started in place of Alex Smith, who was injured, although the same rationale as Arizona applies.

Frank Gore fumbled on the first play from scrimmage, but the 49ers saved disaster by recovering it. On the next play a swing play was fumbled again, and this time Arizona recovered. Starting at the San Francisco 11, the Cardinals reached the 1 yard line before an offensive personal foul led to a 33 yard field goal attempt that was wide. The 49ers were trying to give the game away but the Cardinals would not take it. Several mistackles later, Frank Gore had a 41 yard touchdown run for a 7-3 San Francisco lead.

The Cardinals intercepted O’Sullivan on the next drive but could not convert it into points. A perfect special teams play on a punt had the 49ers starting their next drive on their own one. After getting the ball back, a 40 yard bomb from Warner to Steve Breston set up a 2 yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals led 10-7.

On the next drive, O’Sullivan was hit and fumbled. The Cardinals recovered, but could not score. Another great punt coverage play had the 49ers starting at their own 9 yard line. A time consuming drive set up a 44 yard field goal to tie the game 10-10.

In the second half, the Cardinals retook the lead 13-10, and then mounted a drive that set up a 4th and goal inside the one yard line. Rookie Tim Hightower crashed through, and the Cardinals led 20-10 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. Joe Nedney added a field goal to cut the Arizona lead to 20-13 with 12 minutes remaining. A field goal with 1:57 remaining put the game out of reach. The 49ers fumbled deep in their own territory on their next series, and the Cardinals ran out the clock. 23-13 Cardinals.

Chicago Bears @ Indianapolis Colts was the Sunday Night game. Yes, this was the rematch of the Superbowl a couple years ago, but it was really an expected mismatch. Peyton Manning, despite missing the preseason, was crisp early on. Yet Brian Urlacher and the defense were up to the challenge early on. As for return man Devon Hester, he is always a heart stopper.

The game was a defensive struggle early on, with an Adam Vinatieri field goal putting the Colts up 3-0 with 6 minutes left in the opening quarter. After a short kickoff to avoid Hester, the Bears started at their own 40. Running back Matt Forte broke through the line for a 60 yard touchdown run on 3rd and 6. The Bears led 7-3. With 9 1/2 minutes left in the half, Vinatieri added a 34 yard field gol to make it a 7-6 game.

With just over 4 minutes left in the half, Robbie Gould added a field goal to put the Bears up 10-6. On the next drive, the Colts were at their own 2 yard line. Joseph Addai was stopped in the end zone for a safety and a 12-6 Bears lead. After a free kick, Kyle Orton completed a 3rd and long to set up a field goal as the half ended. The Bears led 15-6.

In the second half, Devon Hester tried to get fancy and run a kick out of the end zone after pretending to down it. The Colts were not fooled, and the Bears started at their own 3. They went nowhere, and after a punt, the Colts started at their own 47. Manning went right to work, and with 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne had the Colts to within 15-13.

On their next series, a swing pass to Marvin Harrison resulted in him being stripped. The fumble was returned 20 yards for a score to put the Bears up 22-13. The Colts faced a critical 4th and 1 at midfield on their next drive. Joseph Addai, who got hurt on the play before, was on the sidelines. The handoff to Dominic Rhodes was blown up in the backfield. The Bears then faced a 3rd and 1 of their own. Kyle Orton ran the play action pass perfectly, throwing a 26 yard pass down to the 1 yard line. One fullback crashing through on the next play had the Bears leading in a shocker with 9 minutes left, 29-13. With just over 4 minutes to go, the last chance for the Colts to get back in the game were snuffed out when a 4th and 7 from the Chicago 33 resulted in a low pass being dropped.

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers was the first Monday Night game. It was a typical black and blue division game with one major exception. Brett Favre was in New York. This is usually a home and home series, so while Aaron Rodgers can be excused if the Metrodome is a house of horrors for him as well, he needed to win the game in Green Bay tonight.

A close 10-6 game was broken open for Green Bay when Will Blackmun returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown After 3 quarters, The Packers led 17-6. Rodgers was a cool 18 for 22, including a perfect 10 for 10 to close out the game. On the first play of the 4th quarter, the Vikings scored, with the 2 point conversion failing. Leading 17-12, a long Ryan Grant run set up a quarterback sneak from the goal line. Aaron Rodgers successfully completed his first Lambeau Leap, as Green Bay led 24-12 with 6 minutes left.

The Vikings struck right back, scoring a touchdown on Tavaris Jackson short toss with 2:39 left to close the game to within 24-19. However, some boneheaded plays by the Packers kept things tense. A leverage penalty on the meaningless extra point attempt meant that the onsides kick would be from the 45 instead of the 30. Even though it failed, and offensive penalty by the Packers stopped the clock, forcing the Packers to punt at the 2 minute warning instead of wth perhaps one minute left.

The Vikings took over at their own 31 with 1:51 left and no time outs. From the 45, with 1:08 left, Jackson was intercepted by Atari Bigsby. It was the only turnover of the game, and it proved decisive. 24-19 Packers

Denver Broncos @ Oakland Raiders is the later Monday Night game.

For more on the Raiders go to

http://www.justblogbaby.com

The Broncos started on their own 27 and needed 5 minutes to make the Silver and Black ill. A 26 yard pass to Royal had Denver up 7-0. Johnny Lee Higgins returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards all the way to the Denver 35. Darren McFadden barreled for 8 yards. Justin Fargas picked up only one yard, setting up 3rd and inches. Fargas picked up the first down. From the 19, Fargas picked up another 5 yards, but was stoned for a short gain on the next play, setting up 3rd and 3 from the 12. On a sweep Fargas set up 4th and inches from the 9 yard line. On the qb sneak, Russell was stopped short at first, but picked it up on the second effort. On first and goal from the 8, McFadden was stuffed. JaMarcus Russell finally threw his first pass, a rollout that was incomplete when defensive holding was ignored. On the next play a backwards pass was treated as a lateral and recovered by the Broncos. The Raiders spent 6 minutes, started in field goal range, and scored nothing.

The Broncos took over at their own 17 and went right to work. On 3rd and 2 from their own 39, an off tackle run was called a first down. Replays showed the runner being short, and coach Lane Kiffin challenged the spot. As somebody that is fiercely critical of Kiffin, it was absolutely the right decision. The challenge was successful, and on 4th and 1, Denver punted. After an illegal block in the penalty, the Raiders started out at their own 12. As the first quarter ended.

The Raider continued to run the ball, and a successful draw play to Fargas set up 3rd and 1. Rather than run the ball, a play action pass had a wide open Ronald Curry drop the ball. The ball was thrown high, but a catch could have been a touchdown. Instead, a punt that was downed at the one yard line was ruled a touchback.

On 2nd and 6 from the 24, a rollout pass to Tony Scheffler went for 72 yards down to the 4 yard line. It was another secondary breakdown for the Raiders. After a procedure penalty, a gift touchdown pass to Scheffler was dropped. A run that went nowhere followed by an incomplete pass set up a 26 yard field goal by Matt Prater. The Broncos led 10-0 with 10 minutes left in the half.

The Raiders started out at their own 20. Russell was sacked for a 12 yard loss. Russell had plenty of time to throw the ball. He will learn. On 3rd and 17, a draw play was a nice way of giving up. After a punt, the Broncos started at their own 43. On 3rd and inches, a completion with a defensive personal foul tacked on set up Denver at the Oakland 22. Another completion and another personal foul, again on Cornerback Deangelo Hall, had Denver at first and goal at the 4. Michael Pittman plowed through 2 plays later, and with 4:21 left in the half, the Broncos led 17-0. The Raiders were done for the year.

Yes, the determination can be made this early. The Raiders are a bad team on both sides of the ball, and that emanates from their coaches. There is no leadership.

On 1st down from their own 17, JaMarcus rolled out, launched it, and again overthrew the receiver by inches. On the next play, Russell completed his first pass of the game, a 19 yard gain. Fargas picked up another 13 yards for another first down. A double reverse backfired when Higgins bobbled the second lateral, for a 15 yard loss. On 3rd and 15, Russell was sacked. After a punt, Denver took over at their own 20 with 1:44 left and no time outs. On 4th and 2 from their own 46, Denver punted with 33 seconds left in the half. It didn’t matter. Jay Cutler already had over 200 yards passing. The Raiders ended the half on a false start, and Lame Kiffin was the first one in the locker room.

Russell came out firing in the second half, and the Raiders moved from their own 20 to the Denver 40. The drive bogged down, and on 4th and 7 from the 37, Kiffin decided to punt. Seabass has the leg for a 54 yard field goal, and going for it would be a reasonable decision as well. Nevertheless, the Raiders punted, and the Broncos took over at their own 8. 4 1/2 minutes yielded no points.

Denver moved with ease, as Cutler found Eddie Royal for a 29 yard gain. The Broncos tried a double reverse of their own, and while it failed, it didn’t matter. On the next play, a 48 yard pass from Cutler to Darrell Jackson, with one awful mistackle along the way, had Denver up 24-0 midway through the 3rd quarter.

Since 2003, I have been waiting for the Raiders to hit rock bottom. I truly thought Norv Turner was the low point. Lame Kiffin may be worse than Norv Turner.

The team has players. What the players don’t have is a team.

After another field goal had 27-0, the Raiders finally mounted a drive. On 3rd and goal at the 3, a naked bootleg lost 5 yards. Kiffin decided to go for it, and on 4th and goal at the 8, Russell’s fade route went for a touchdown when former Denver receiver Ashley Lelie outjumped the defender. 13:30 remained, and the Raiders had finally cracked the scoreboard.

The Raiders are a disaster, and the fault squarely belongs at the feet of Coach Kiffin. Al Davis went out and spent the money. Yes, this is a young team, but 5 personal fouls is a disgrace. The players are there. They need a coach that can inspire them. Some will say that this is only one game, but it has been 17 games plus 8 preseason games. The Raiders need a veteran coach.

41-14 Broncos

eric

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 7th, 2008 at 12:13 pm and is filed under SPORTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.