Archive for August, 2024

NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 3 Raiders Recap

Sunday, August 25th, 2024

NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 3 Raiders Recap

After losing their first two preseason games, the Raiders sought to win their last one. The Raiders were hosting the San Francisco 49ers. Firmly entrenched as the starter after reaching the Super Bowl last year, Brock Purdy was expected to sit. Yet Kyle Shanahan had him start. Purdy led the 49ers from their own 32 to the Raiders 26 before the drive died. Moody hit a 49 year old field goal to make it 3-0 49ers.

Antonio Pierce named Gardner Minshew the regular season starter and Aidan O’Connell the backup. They were given the night off as this game became an audition for the 3rd string quarterback competitors. Nathan Peterman once threw 5 interceptions in one half of football. Yet former Raiders coach Jon Gruden raved about him and gave him a chance. Now he had another chance. On 3rd and 2 from his own 39, Peterman gained one yard as the Raiders went 3 and out.

Meanwhile, Purdy led a 12 play, 85 yard, 7 1/2 minute drive. Mason ran for a 4 yard touchdown to make it 10-0 49ers.The Raiders fumbled the ball away. Purdy led the 49ers from midfield to a 3rd and 6 at the Raiders 16. Purdy was then intercepted, Despite the pick, he seemed to be in regular season form and was done for the night. His backup was Allen. The 49ers were dominating, but the Raiders got a big break on special teams. Tyreik McAllister returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown to get the Raiders within 10-7.

Yet the 49ers shifted momentum right back when Guerendo returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards to the Raiders 4 yard line. Taylor ran for a 3 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 49ers. The Raiders were lifeless on offense for 28 minutes. Just past the 2 minute warning, the Raiders finally got going from their own 21. Peterman hit Wilkerson for 14 and Brown for 20 and 12. On 3rd and 4 from the San Francisco 9, Peterman hit Guyton for 6. Peterman hit Wilkerson for a 3 yard touchdown with 13 seconds left in the half to get the Raiders within 17-14.

The Raiders began the third quarter at their own 19 and Bradley replaced Peterman. Playing against backup defenders, Bradley hit Keyton for 22 and McAkkister for a 35 yard touchdown to give the Raiders their first lead up 21-17. Allen had one more series for the 49ers resulting in a punt. When the 49ers got the ball back, Josh Dobbs was under center. He led the 49ers from their own 45 to a 3rd and goal at the 10. Dobbs hit Cowing for a 10 yard touchdown to make it 24-21 49ers after three quarters.

An ugly fourth quarter saw the 49ers fumble the ball away to set the Raiders up at the San Francisco 29. Yet on 4th and goal at the 2, Bradley went to the end zone and was intercepted. With 1:45 left in regulation, the 49ers fourth quarterback of the day was Mordecai. The 49ers had 4th and 5 at the Raiders 11. A field goal would not lock up the win, so Shanahan went for it. This would not have happened in the regular season. Mordecai threw incomplete.

Bradley led the Raiders all the way to the Frisco 20. With a chance for the win, Bradley was sacked with 35 seconds left. With 16 seconds left, Daniel Carlson came in for a 43 yard field goal try to tie the game. Carlson was good.

A touchback and a defensive unnecessary roughness penalty had the 49ers at their own 45 with 3 seconds left. Mordecai completed the Hail Mary to Taylor for a 48 yard gain to the Raiders 7 yard line, but with no time left all the 49ers could do was try a few hook and laterals. The Raider recovered the ball. In preseason, there is no longer overtime. The game ended in a tie. The Raiders should be concerned. Peterman was cut a few days later. The Raiders have just over 2 weeks to get ready for their regular season opener at the Chargers. The 2024 preseason is in the books. 24-24 tie.

eric

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NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 2 Raiders Recap

Tuesday, August 20th, 2024

NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 2 Raiders Recap

The Raiders held their second preseason game, and their first one at home in Las Vegas. They hosted the Dallas Cowboys.

The Raiders began at their own 24. The previous week Aidan O’Connell started. This week Garden Minshew began the game. The Raiders moved to a 4th and 3 at the Dallas 47. Normally this would be a punting situation, but in preseason coaches take chances. Antonio Pierce went for it and Minshew threw incomplete. Dan Prescott had the night off so Cooper Rush led the offense. Brandon Aubrey hit a 54 yard field goal but then hit the ensuing kickoff out of bounds. The Raiders took over at their own 40. They moved to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 12. A run gained only one yard and Minshew then threw incomplete twice. Daniel Carlson hit a 29 yard field goal for a 3-3 game. 

Trey Lance took over as Cowboys quarterback. The game turned into a puntfest, eventually leading to the Raiders recovering a fumbled punt at the Dallas 23 in the second quarter. Yet on 4th and 5, Antonio Pierce passed up an easy field goal and again went for it. This would not happen in the regular season. Minshew threw incomplete. The Cowboys punted and Tre Tucker returned the punt 43 yards to the Dallas 28. This time on 4th and 5 from the Dallas 9, Pierce played it safe. Carlson hit the 27 yard field goal to make it 6-3 Raiders midway through the second quarter.

The Cowboys from their own 24 embarked on a 14 play, 76 yard, 6 1/2 minute drive. Lance hit Flournoy for a one yard touchdown to make it 10-6 Cowboys. The half ended with history. Aubrey came in for a 66 yard field goal try. Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker holds the record with a 66 yard field goal. Aubrey made the kick. Yet the record books will not show that he tied the record. This was a preseason game. His great kick will be unheralded. Nevertheless, the Cowboys led 13-6 at the break.

In the third quarter O’Connell led a 13 play, 57 yard, 7 minute drive. On 4th and 2 at the Dallas 26, Antonio Pierce went for it. O’Connell hit Turner for 8. O’Connell hit Bryant for a 5 yard touchdown. Normally this would mean a tie game, but preseason is when coaches get bold. Antonio Pierce eschewed the tie and went for a 2 point conversion and the lead. O’Connell threw incomplete and the Raiders trailed 13-12. 

The Raiders got it back and moved from their own 34 and moved to a 1st and 10 at the Dallas 29. Then came an offensive holding penalty. The fourth quarter began with the Raiders facing 2nd and 16 at the Dallas 35. The Raiders were in position for a long field goal and the lead. Carlson never got the chance. O’Connell was intercepted by Hail, who returned the pick 69 yards for a defensive touchdown and a 20-12 Cowboys lead. The Cowboys got it back at their own 12 and moved 88 yards in 12 plays and 7 1/2 minutes. Lance capped the drive with a 2 yard touchdown to put the game on ice. The Raiders dropped to 0-2 in the preseason. 27-12 Cowboys

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NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 1 Raiders Recap

Sunday, August 11th, 2024

NFL 2024 Preseason: Week 1 Raiders Recap

The offseason is over, and it was time to play preseason football. Antonio Pierce was now the full time Raiders head coach. The defense under Patrick Graham finally seemed improved after over a decade of being subpar. Sadly, running back Josh Jacobs is in Green Bay, as Zamir White is now the lead back. Aidan O’Connell and newly acquired free agent Gardner Minshew were in an open battle for the quarterback spot, which has suffered since Derek Carr went to New Orleans.

With preseason games, the score is less important than seeing how the players are executing.

The Raiders first preseason game was at the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings were also a team in transition under head coach Kevin O’Connell. Longtime starter Kirk Cousins signed with Atlanta. Rookie JJ McCarthy would see playing time in this game, but it was newly acquired veteran Sam Darnold who got the start. Darnold was looking to revive his career.

The Vikings after an opening touchback under the new kickoff rules got the ball at their own 30 yard line. They moved to a 3rd and 2 at the Raiders 4 yard line. After Darnold threw incomplete, Kevin O’Connell decided to go for it. This is preseason, after all. Darnold threw incomplete again. So while it was concerning for the Raiders defense that the Minnesota offense moved so easily, the goal line stand was a positive development.

From one O’Connell to another, it was time for Aidan as he got the surprising start over Minshew. O’Connell led an efficient 15 play, 83 yard drive that took nearly 8 minutes off the clock. Yet the one knock on O’Connell is that he holds the ball too long. Also, on 2nd and goal at the 3, the Raiders should have been running the ball. Instead, O’Connell threw incomplete. On 3rd and goal, O’Connell was sacked. Daniel Carlson hit the 31 yard field goal for a 3-0 Raiders lead.

The Vikings took over at their own 15 yard line, and it seemed Darnold was already done for the night. McCarthy saw his first NFL action. After three straight runs, McCarthy began the second quarter with his first NFL pass attempt. He completed it to N sailor for 18 yards. Yet on 3rd and 8 from his own 44, mcCarthy threw his first interception. Ball hawk Jack Jones picked off McCarthy to set the Raiders up at their own 33.

Now it was O’Connell who was surprisingly done for the night as Minshew took over. Minshew quickly went deep to Tre Tucker for a 29 yard gain. Running back Alexander Mattison spent his first 5 years with the Vikings, but in this past offseason he was cut and picked up by the Raiders. With White done for the day, Mattison got to carry the ball for the silver and black. Minshew went deep to Turner for a 20 yard touchdown to put the Raiders up 10-0.

This time the Vikings struck back quickly. On 2nd and 6 from their own 28, McCarthy hit Jackson for a 24 yard gain. On the next play Nwangwu broke through the right side and ripped off a 48 yard touchdown run. Just like that, the Vikings were within 10-7.

The Raiders soon faced 3rd and 11 at their own 25. Minshew went deep to Tucker, who made a diving catch for a 44 yard gain. On 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 27, Minshew found Fotheringham for an 11 yard gain and Amir Abdullah for 10 more. White took a hand off up the middle and spun his way in for a 2 yard touchdown to make it 17-7 Raiders.

Then came some confusion due to the new kickoff rules. Surprise onside kicks are no longer allowed, and even expected onside kicks have severe restrictions. In this case Carlson merely had a short kickoff that traveled 44 yards to the Minnesota 21. This is now a violation. The ball did not reach the “landing zone,” which is the opposing team’s 20. Because the ball was one yard short, the Vikings automatically received the ball at their own 40.

The Vikings moved to a 4th and 3 at the Raiders 18 at the 2 minute warning. The Raiders have very good special teams. Kicker Carlson and punter AJ Cole are both solid. Yet it was a different kind of special teams play that showed improvement. Greg Joseph was the kicker for Minnesota last year who scored the only points late in the game in a 3-0 Vikings win over the Raiders. This year Joseph is in Green Bay. Rookie Will Reichard is now the Vikings kicker. His first NFL attempt from 36 yards out was blocked. Sanford returned the blocked kick 42 yards to set up the Raiders at the Minnesota 40. Carlson nailed a 56 yard field goal to have the Raiders up 20-7 at the half.

While the second half would be played with a bunch of third stringers who might not make the roster of either team, the Raiders still wanted to get out of Minnesota with a win. The previous Raiders coach who shall not be mentioned ever again was famous for blowing double digit leads. The Raiders 3rd string quarterback is Anthony Brown Jr, in his first season with the team. He began the second half and played the rest of the way. On his first pass attempt, he was sacked.

The Vikings soon got the ball back and faced 3rd and 9 at their own 40. McCarthy was stallion the game, and he went to Muse for 15. McCarthy then went deep to Jackson for a 45 yard touchdown to get the Vikings within 20-14. Brown after a delay of game soon faced 3rd and 12 at his own 17. He was sacked again. The Vikings got the ball back at their own 37 and soon faced 4th and 1 at the Raiders 43 after McCarthy threw incomplete. Kevin O’Connell went for it. McCarthy went to Jackson for 10 yards and then went deep to Sherfield for a 33 yard touchdown. Just like that, the Vikings led for the first time 21-20.

After a third straight failed drive by Brown that saw the Raiders offense move backward, the Vikings brought in their third stringer Jaren Hall. McCarthy after two straight touchdown drives was done for the night. The Vikings went 3 and out when Matt Gaskin got stopped cold on 3rd and 1. The Raiders took over with a short field just past midfield. Without throwing a single pass, the Raiders moved to a 4th and 2 at the Minnesota 12. Antonio Pierce went for it. Brown gained 4 yards. Yet on 3rd and goal at the one, rather than play smash mouth, Pierce decided to line up in the shotgun. Coaches everywhere must stop doing this. Go basic, stone age football. Stop trying to be too cute by half. McCormick was blasted for a 3 yard loss. Carlson hit the 23 yard field goal to put the Raiders back in front 23-21 with 9:43 left in regulation.

The game then turned ugly, as each team punted three straight times. The raiders went 3 and out all three times, while the Vikings went 3 and out twice and punted after 4 plays once. That means the Vikings managed one first down and the Raiders managed none. That’s why these are third string players.

With 90 seconds left, the Vikings took over at their own 41. Hall hit James for 13. On 3rd and 3 from the Raiders 39, Hall hit Thomas for 11. With 4 seconds left in regulation, Reichard came in for a 38 yard field goal try. The kick was good, and the Vikings had the win.

Yes, Raiders fans can be tempted to talk about another double digit collapse, but this was different. Yes, the Raiders should have slammed the door shut. nevertheless, their starters outplayed the Minnesota starters. The previous administration went 4-0 in preseason, which meant nothing once the games counted. The Raiders have some bright spots and some room for improvement, as is the case with every team. The Raiders have two more preseason games, both at home. They will host Dallas and San Francisco. 24-23 Vikings

 

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Jews 5785, Cori Bush 4

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

Five weeks after New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman was ousted in his Democrat primary, fellow Squad member Cori Bush of St Louis, Missouri met the same fate. Like Bowman, Bush frequently crossed the line from anti-Israel criticism to overt antisemitism. Bush could not even bring herself to concede that Hamas is a terrorist organization. Even the U.S. State Department, certainly no friend of Israel, was able to take that small step.

 

To the two congressmen who repeatedly attacked Jews, good riddance to bad rubbish. Yet there is an even deeper silver lining to the removal of these black clouds. This might be the election that revives AIPAC as a legitimate political force.

 

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee can be maddeningly confounding. Desperate to be seen as non-partisan, AIPAC frequently angers people on both sides of the political spectrum.

 

Liberals including liberal Jews often attack AIPAC as a dark and shadowy right-wing power group. They claim that AIPAC is far too reluctant to support the claims of Palestinians. These critics fail to grasp that the job of an Israel lobby is to…wait for it…lobby for Israel. To be fair, these critics are also often the same people angry at McDonalds hamburger restaurants for eschewing vegetables in favor of hamburgers. AIPAC’s obstinacy in going against its own core mission is somehow apostasy.

 

This all provides plenty of amusement for conservative Republican Jews, who lament that AIPAC for too long has been liberal, impotent, and completely useless. Jews on the right offer as evidence AIPAC’s stubborn refusal to criticize antisemitism on the left or praise philosemitism from evangelical Christians and other Trump supporters.

 

On the policy front, many conservative Republican Jews never forgave AIPAC for being far too tepid in their belated criticism of the Iran Nuclear Deal. The perception of AIPAC is that they hold an annual gathering, politicians praise Israel, and no concrete policies follow up the conference.

 

AIPAC hurts their own image by insisting that they take politicians to task privately. This very well could be true, but conservatives have been right to remain skeptical. AIPAC tended to give everyone except Jimmy Carter and Pat Buchanan an “A” rating, rendering these inflated grades meaningless.

 

Yet AIPAC’s critics on the right need to give grudging credit where credit is due. AIPAC finally stepped up. They stepped up in a big way. They stepped up in a way that mattered. Most importantly, they stepped up in a way that was successful. AIPAC stood up for Jews and against those who hate Jews. Unlike the Iran Deal fiasco, this time AIPAC did not epitomize the idea of too little, too late. They did the right thing at the right time and got the right results.

 

AIPAC spent millions of dollars in 2024 Democrat primaries to help pro-Israel Democrats defeat anti-Israel incumbents. AIPAC’s ads were targeted toward moderate Democrats and often did not even mention Israel. AIPAC smartly focused on kitchen table issues including inflation and public safety. They focused on the squalid conditions in the Bowman and Bush districts with a message that hope was on the way from a better Democrat. In these districts, a Republican will not win. The Democrat primary is the general election. AIPAC spent millions of dollars to elect Democrats who are in many ways as progressive as Bowman and Bush, albeit with one major exception. The challengers who defeated Bowman and Bush like and respect Jews.

 

Criticize of AIPAC is deserved when they get something wrong. Those criticisms are often legitimate. Yet AIPAC just got something very big very right.

 

Thanks to AIPAC spending, two members of the Gaza ceasefire crowd have been fired. Two people who condemned Israel’s response to the October 7th attacks and whitewashed October 7th itself have been removed. Two people who repeated blood libels and antisemitic tropes will no longer be able to spread their bile.

 

Congress may not have gotten more Jewish, but it certainly got a lot less anti-Jewish.

 

Bowman and Bush can scream all they want about Jewish money and power. They are free to do so as private citizens.

 

So let us thank those who helped transfer Bowman and Bush to private life.

 

Well done, AIPAC. Ya done good.

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NFL 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Weekend Recap

Monday, August 5th, 2024

The NFL 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame Weekend from Canton, Ohio is now in the books. 

The 7 new enshrinees are:

Patrick Willis, San Francisco 49ers linebacker. He powered a nasty defense that took the 49ers to three straight NFC Title Games from 2011 to 2013 including one Super Bowl appearance in 2012. 

Dwight Freeney, Indianapolis Colts linebacker. He along with Bob Sanders led the defense on the 2006 Colts team that won the Super Bowl. He now joins teammates Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison in the Hall of Fame. 

Andre Johnson, Houston Texans wide receiver. He is the first Texans player in the Hall of Fame. He joined the team one year after they became an expansion team and led them to their very first playoff appearance in franchise history. 

Devin Hester, Chicago Bears kick and punt returner. He is the greatest return man in the history of the game. He returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in the 2006 Super Bowl. He struck fear in the hearts of opposing special teams coaches. The two things that affect football games are turnovers and field position. Hester changed the game. 

Julius Peppers, Carolina Panthers linebacker. He was ferocious. He helmed a defense that led the Panthers to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. He played for 17 seasons.

Randy Gradishar, Denver Broncos linebacker, senior nominee. He highlighted the Orange Crush defense along with Tom Jackson and Lyle Alzado that got the Denver Broncos in 1977 to the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. 

Steve McMichael, Chicago Bears nose tackle, senior nominee. He was a key cog along with Richard Dent, Mike Singletary and Dan Hampton on the greatest defense of all time, the 1985 Chicago Bears. He had to appear by video due to his heartbreaking battle with ALS. His wife read a statement he prepared before he lost his ability to speak.

Here is complete coverage of all 7 new enshrinees

https://www.nfl.com/news/hall-of-fame-enshrinement-2024-class-takes-its-place-in-canton

In the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, the Chicago Bears defeated the Houston Texans 21-17. The game was called late in the third quarter due to torrential rain and lightning. 

The new kickoff rules are odd, but should not prevent great returns. Special teams are still a special breed. 

One month until kickoff, 6 months until the Super Bowl.

eric

 

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Kamala Harris would be a disaster for Jews

Thursday, August 1st, 2024

A President Kamala Harris Would Be Disastrous For Jews

 

To save democracy, Democrats threw President Joe Biden overboard and disenfranchised his primary voters. For those who are Jewish and proud of it, his replacement is a nightmare. Vice President Kamala Harris still has a few hurdles to climb to reach the top, but Jews everywhere should work hard to prevent a Harris administration.

 

Vice President Harris will showcase her Jewish husband Doug Emhoff in front of fawning liberal Jewish donors. Harris could even elevate Jewish Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to the ticket. Jews should not be fooled.

 

The best that can be said about Ms. Harris is that she is not an antisemite. It would be unfair to lump her in with Jimmy Carter, Pat Buchanan or Ilhan Omar. She has no personal animus toward Jews. Again, she is married to one.

 

What matters is policy and policy alone. From a policy standpoint, Harris is a disaster on Jewish issues. For the sake of clarity, abortion and climate change are not Jewish issues. Those are political issues that many politically active Jews care about. Yet those issues are 100% unrelated to Jews and Judaism itself.

 

Harris sympathizes with the Gaza Arabs who incorrectly label themselves “Palestinians.” Like many leftists, Harris ignores historical and archeological evidence in favor of a heart-tugging but completely fictional Palestinian narrative.

 

In 2021, Harris issued meaningless platitudes in response to a question accusing Israel of genocide. Harris refused to reject the premise, forcing the Biden administration to walk back her remarks.

 

On July 9th, 2024, Harris accused Israel of starving Palestinian children. She “understood” the pro-Gaza protesters on American college campuses. Her position was a significant break from the official Biden administration position.

 

Former President Donald Trump has promised a tough crackdown on the antisemitic college rioters. Harris has repeatedly advocated for a much softer stance on the rioters and a far harder line on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. She recently boycotted his address to a joint session of Congress. Harris did meet with Netanyahu the day after his speech before again giving her full-throated defense of the anti-Israel rioters.

 

Harris is a staunch supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. BLM is an antisemitic, Marxist money-laundering operation coordinated through leftist Democrat PAC Act Blue. Harris donated to and actively supported bail funds that released violent BLM operatives who burned down a significant number of Jewish businesses.

 

As atrocious as Harris is domestically, her foreign policy views are as incoherent as they are dangerous. Harris has repeatedly been part of the crowd demanding a Gaza ceasefire. Trump wants to give Israel time to finish the job and eliminate the twin threats of Hamas and Hezbollah. Harris issues the same bland cliché about Israel having a right to defend itself. She then quickly follows that up with contradictory and nonsensical blather about how Israel must defend itself “the right way.”

 

Harris has never served in the military or fought in a war. Her word salad gibberish belies an ignorance of how war works. In a successful war, one side kills as many enemies as possible until the other side surrenders. Anything less is stalemate and endless war, not victory or successful self-defense. Israel has a right to kill as many Jew-hating terrorists as necessary regardless of collateral damage. Until and unless Harris says that, her Israel position is as morally bankrupt as the rest of The Squad. Namby-pamby statements condemning real anti-Semitism are meaningless if they are immediately watered down with drivel about some fictional concept called Islamophobia.

 

Worst of all, Harris is even more desperate than Biden to revive the horrendous Iran Nuclear Deal. Harris accurately reflects the left’s obsession with coddling Iran, which requires ostracizing Israel. The mullahs still reward every outstretched hand with “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” chants.

 

Not hating Jews is insufficient. Even liking Jews is not good enough. A United States President must have a clear understanding of what Jews need to do to survive as a people. The President must turn that clear understanding into pro-Israel action at best, or at worst just getting out of the way. Our very Jewish existence is on the line.

 

Trump understands this. Harris does not. For this reason, Harris must never be President.

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