Lakers Manhandled by Kings

Jordan Clarkson lead the Lakers roster as he was the top performer with 22 points and 5 rebounds on 10-15 shooting, but the Lakers were completely outmatched by the Kings all game long lead by Rajon Rondo and DeMarcus Cousins, falling to Sacramento 114-132. Both Kobe Bryant and D'Angelo Russell chipped in the same point total with 13 points and Roy Hibbert added 10 points to round out the starters. Nick Young lead all scorers off the bench with 17 points and Ryan Kelly added 10 points off the bench.

Final Score: @ Sacramento 114-132 [L]
Full recap: http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/151030_kingswrap

Highlights:

Next Game: vs. Dallas (11/01)

Lakers Can't Hold On vs. Emotional Timberwolves

Welcome in to the full recap of the Lakers' season opener vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves where the Lakers had all the makings of getting a W this game, but the T'Wolves were able to come from behind and steal a victory, beating the Lakers 112-111.

First off, congratulations to Minnesota Timberwolves organization and their fans out there. It was an emotional week in the basketball world as they honored the memory of Flip Saunders who passed away this past Sunday. Saunders meant a lot to the T'Wolves and kudos to them for fighting back and getting the win. It's a feel good story when something like that happens. Transitioning to the Lakers, a basketball game is played for 48 minutes and they started strong, but they just completely flopped in the 2nd half out there.

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Bench play. The good news is that the Lakers have a bench that can be relied upon to spare Kobe from logging heavy minutes. Lou Williams finished with 21 points on 6-14 shooting and Nick Young finished with 14 points on 5-8 shooting. These guys are going to provide quite a scoring tandem if they stay consistent in future games. I thought Lou had a good showing in his first regular season game as a Laker and he showed why he is the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He had a good look at the game winning floater, but it just bounced off the rim. Nick Young didn't shoot the lights out at least, but he provided a highlight play of shooting from half court to end the first quarter. The bench earned a positive because of this scoring duo.

(-)

Deferring to isolation on offense. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The Lakers were moving the ball in the first half and that's one of the reasons why they had the lead for the majority of the game because that set up some high percentage shots. The Lakers shot 51% during that half and they finished with 37% shooting. What happened? They started doing more isolation and the Timberwolves just knew to double and triple team on defense. The offense won't be efficient if the ball doesn't move and they were just forcing up really bad shots in the 2nd half to try and respond to the T'Wolves' big run in the 2nd half.

2nd half defense. The defense is going to be a liability all season long, especially in the 2nd half. I looked at that defense out there and they looked gassed out there. No awareness, not hustling to the ball, letting some Timberwolves blow by them, and committing silly fouls that put the T'Wolves back in the game. That didn't show in the first half, but it was heavily exposed in the 2nd half big time. The Lakers' defense treated the 2nd half like it was just another practice session.

Conclusion

Short recap guys, I gotta wake up early tomorrow because I have an early start time for class. But, overall, it was a good game for the Lakers for two and a half quarters, but that was marred because of the way they gave this game away by settling with more bad shots and playing slow defense and that just turned from good to just plain bad. It is what it is though, I predicted the Lakers would not make the playoffs because the young talent has a lot of growing to do and Byron Scott and the coaching staff is not the answer to this team in the long run. It was nice to see Kobe Bryant turn back the clock this game, but he didn't save that magic until the 4th quarter. This game will hurt and will lessen the confidence of this young Laker team a bit. There will be a lot more growing pains to come as this season progresses. Well, I guess you can call this a one night stand for me covering a Laker game because I won't cover another televised game until they play the Warriors late in November. As usual since my blog's upbringing, the remaining non-televised Laker games will take the form of a quick recap. I'll see you guys until later in November for the game against the defending champions Warriors.

10/28: Opening Night LAKERS vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

MIN 112 LAL 111

A deflating finish to nearly a promising opener. The Lakers had control of the whole game, Kobe Bryant still showing that he has something left, but they gassed out in the 2nd half and the Timberwolves were able to come from behind to win after the passing of Flip Saunders. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

MIN 88 LAL 95

Well an end to a slow foul fest that was the third quarter. That slow foul fest though worked in favor of the T'Wolves as they managed to convert on some and 1s. Most of the defensive flaws were demonstrated here. They looked slow out there to close out, box out, and secure rebounds after a defensive possession. Luckily, two threes by Nick Young saved the lead that the Lakers had for the most part of the game, but the Timberwolves are slowly creeping back into this game heading into the 4th.

Q2:

MIN 51 LAL 60

Feisty battle between Julius Randle and Kevin Garnett, but man Randle throwing the ball at KG and getting it back in bounds followed by Kobe Bryant's three pointer is probably the highlight of this quarter. That's just priceless. The Timberwolves start to cut into the lead at the end of the quarter, but Kobe Bryant turning back the clock this quarter was the key for the Lakers in retaining this lead. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

MIN 22 LAL 31

Terrific finish at the end of the first quarter and a great shot by Swaggy P, Nick Young to end the quarter! Can you say that the bench mob is back? The starting lineup was off to a slow start, players were trying to find their way and Kobe Bryant was trying to get back into game form. However, when the second unit came with Lou Williams and Nick Young leading the charge, the offense was taken to a whole new level and the Lakers finish up with a great run to end the first quarter. Good start, good start.

LAKERS-Timberwolves Halftime Post

MIN 51 LAL 60

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Lakers' opening matchup of the 2015-16 NBA season vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves where the Lakers lead 51-60 at the half.

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Bench. Just simply, what a difference a year makes between last year's bench and this year's bench. The Lakers have two capable scorers off the bench. Lou Williams had 13 points and Nick Young had 8 points. Sweet Lou is making quite the impression at Staples and that's expected of the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. He provided quite a spark when the Lakers couldn't get it going with their starting five. What about Nick Young? He's doing his Swaggy P thing, shooting beyond half court at the end of the first quarter, but nonetheless having an efficient shooting night.

Kobe Bryant, 15 points, 6-13 shooting. Kobe Bryant went off to a slow start this game as he started like 2-7, but at the 2nd quarter, he was starting to be the Kobe of old. He drew up double teams, taking any T'Wolves player to school, and making his shots. He's showing no rusts so far.

Jordan Clarkson, 9 points, 3-6 shooting. For a 2nd rounder, earning All Rookie First Team mentions can be tough to follow up, but I thought Clarkson did well out there. He's improved his decision making as he's making his moves without any hesitation and was just looking to attack. Clarkson is looking to prove out there that his rookie year is no fluke.

(-)

D'Angelo Russell, 2 points, 1-2 shooting. Russell hit his first bucket in his NBA career in the last quarter, but other than that, he's been a no show. It's understandable that it's his first game and he has some jitters, but 2nd half, it's time to play like the #2 overall pick of this year's draft class.

Julius Randle, 2 points, 1-6 shooting. We all know Julius Randle is strong and quick, but when he's driving the ball inside and posting up, he's rushing most of his shots. He got a good dunk off a pass by Hibbert, but with the ball in his hands, Randle is forcing most of the shots he was taking. Hopefully he cleans that up in the 2nd half.

Bottom Line

It's a good start for the Lakers in the first half. You can already tell that this team is light years ahead than the Laker that was constructed last season. In the 2nd half, they just have to tighten up the defense a little and continually push the ball up court with the young pieces they have out there. Let's see what happens.

Raiders' 30 Point 1st Half Performance Helps Put Game Away vs. Chargers

Welcome in to the full recap for the Raiders' divisional road matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers where the Raiders get the win fresh off the bye as the Raiders beat the Chargers in San Diego 37-29 to snatch their first divisional win on the road since 2012.

First off, the scoreboard doesn't indicate that this was a close game. The Raiders had this game in the bag for the first half. The defense, offense, and heck let's just throw in special teams even though they're not doing much, were all dominated by the Raiders. The Raiders could've tacked on more points if it weren't for a combination of questionable and boneheaded penalties, which some lead to some Janikowski field goals. I was happy with the domination throughout the game and in the 4th quarter, the Raiders just took off the gas pedal. That put some bitterness on this win, but it is what it is.

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Defense. I'm not going to look at the defense that was in the 4th quarter, the defense did its job containing Philip Rivers and this Charger offense for the most part of this game. The INT by Malcolm Smith on the Charger's 3rd play of the opening drive just set the tone of the game and then to add insult to injury, D.J. Hayden managed to get his 2nd pick on Philip Rivers in his whole career. Am I mad at the lack of sacks this game? Not really, there's nothing the Raiders defense can do since Rivers has a quick release in his passing. However, they were able to exploit a really banged up Chargers O-line and apply immense pressure on Rivers. He just had no time throw in the pocket for the most part in this game because Aldon Smith, Khalil Mack, and Dan Williams brought the heat. Aside from the conservative 4th quarter, the defense played played pretty decent.

C4 package. I was looking at some comments the Raider Nation was making on social media before this game and somebody commented "C4: Carr, Cooper, Crabtree, and Clive (Walford) are gonna explode against the Chargers!" Well I'm about to apply this here for this full recap post because that just happened this game. Derek Carr completed 24-31 passes, 289 yards, and 3 TDs, Amari Cooper had 5 receptions for 133 yards and a TD, Michael Crabtree had 6 receptions for 63 yards and a TD, and Clive Walford had 2 receptions for 42 yards and a TD. Just looking at the statistics, this was Carr's most efficient game. I could be wrong though because I'm thinking about the game he had last year against the 49ers, but Carr had a 77% completion percentage this game. It was only a matter of time because last year, Carr burned the Chargers with 4 TDs and 300+ yards and now with weapons, he burned this game big time. What more can be said about Amari Cooper? 3rd game this year with 100+ yards and he made some outstanding highlights this game. A jump ball catch on a deep pass from Carr and the 52 yard catch and run to the house for a TD, just an amazing game for Cooper. And to round it out, Crabtree had a nice 25 yard run to the end zone, he definitely turned back the clock on that game before his achilles injury and Clive Walford needs to be utilized more. I understand he hasn't grasped the playbook, but he's learning and he had a nominal breakout game by hauling in his first NFL TD and making some nice catches on third down conversions. "C4" has a nice ring to it for these quadruplets.

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Penalties. I'm pretty sure that this felt like 2011 when the Raiders broke the record for most penalties in one season. 14 penalties for 136 yards. I don't if the bye week had anything to do with that, but that's what gets teams back into the game, especially a team like the Chargers who can still score TDs even if the game looks out of reach. Most of the penalties were questionable, especially a penalty on Aldon Smith and when the refs didn't catch Corey Liguet kicking Donald Penn during Reece's hard fought run to put the Raiders on the Chargers' 1. That should've been an offset penalty, but for the most part, these penalties need to be corrected. It's just unacceptable and it mars the domination the Raiders should've had this game.

Conservative playcalling. And this is the 2nd reason that teams come back against this Raiders team: playing it safe per se. There's a fine line between playing to win and playing not to lose and in that 4th quarter, Bill Musgrave and Ken Norton, Jr. started getting really conservative. You have all the momentum in the world after that spectacular first half performance and to just shut it down like that, you just can't do that. I'm sure this falls on Jack Del Rio as well since he's calling the shots. This whole conservative/prevent crap has to end. We haven't seen a dominating win by the Raiders since they dropped bologna on Mile High against the Broncos back in 2010. We're not saying run up the score or anything, but start and finish with domination the whole game on all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams.

Conclusion

Overall, I'll take this win. Like I said, the scoreboard made it a lot closer than this should be, but the Raiders had the Chargers pounded into submission throughout this game. It's nice to get a win on the road, especially against a divisional rival and this was a big win because the Raiders basically keep 2nd place in the AFC West, so I'm not completely mad. It's the end result that matters. The Raiders return home next week against a very underrated New York Jets team. The Jets gave New England a run for their money this week for control of the AFC East and they shouldn't be taken lightly. Amari Cooper will take a trip to "Revis Island" and he will try to make his escape. That matchup vs. Darrelle Revis is going to be a good battle to watch and it's going to be a fun one. I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Jets.

Week 7: Divisional Matchup #2 RAIDERS @ San Diego Chargers Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

OAK 37 SD 29

Well, the fourth quarter made it a lot more entertaining than it should be. This whole conservative playcalling when up big is really getting old. But nonetheless, a win is a win and that all that matters and this was a great bounce back win off the bye. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 37 SD 6

Well, there's not too much action this quarter other than Michael Crabtree's TD to tack onto the lead. The Chargers are driving, probably their best drive of the game so far. Raiders just completely kept them in check for the most part of the quarter. Offense is starting to get a little too conservative by putting Helu and Olawale to run the ball; I didn't like that. At least the Raiders still have an insurmountable lead.

Q2:

OAK 30 SD 6

Relentless, that is the word I'm using to describe this quarter. Whatever the Raiders did on the bye week, I hope they continue to do that. They completely shut down Rivers and the Chargers' offense this game. Could've tacked on more points if it weren't for some costly penalties, but it is what it is. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 10 SD 3

Usually, the Raiders after the bye week would come out sluggish. That's another check mark, denoting the change in the Jack Del Rio era. The defense knows that Philip Rivers will find a way to pick apart the atrocious secondary and just three plays in, Malcolm Smith comes up with the interception, leading up to a Latavius Murray TD. Great tone setter and goes to show that the Raiders show no rust after the bye week. The offense is driving again and they gotta convert TDs and not settle for FGs because Rivers can get hot at any moment.

RAIDERS-Chargers Halftime Post

OAK 30 SD 6


Welcome in to the halftime post for the Raiders' divisional road matchup vs. the San Diego Chargers fresh off the bye week where the Raiders are currently dominating the Chargers 30-6 at the half.

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Defense. This defense came to play today. Last week, Philip Rivers had the game of his life, throwing for over 500+ yards against the Packers and some expected him to burn this defense. Guess that didn't happen the first half didn't it? On the first three plays of the Chargers' opening drive, Malcolm Smith managed to get an INT on Rivers, setting up a Murray TD and on another drive in the 2nd quarter, Rivers gets picked off again by D.J. Hayden. This defense has kept the number 1 passing offense in check this half, not a single TD in that half.

Amari Cooper, 3 receptions, 117 yards, 1 TD. He's back! If you hadn't noticed, Cooper was pretty quiet in the games against Chicago and Denver and man did he need this half against the Chargers. His YAC (yards after catch) is just unreal and it showed during that 52 yard catch and run. He was making every Charger defender in the open field miss and his change of direction made a Charger safety fall on his ankles en route to a TD. Just, simply amazing.

(-)

Penalties. Every time the Raiders have dominating game like this, penalties just have to derail this team from going full throttle. After a great jump ball catch by Cooper and Reece fighting to get inside the Chargers' one yard line, the penalties just killed the positivity that drive is sustaining. Although the Donald Penn penalty, the refs should've Corey Liuget with his retaliation by kicking Penn, should've off set the penalty, Raiders could've gotten another TD. Other than that, like I said, penalties are just preventing the Raiders from going full throttle despite the big lead.

Bottom Line

Well, this is the scary part heading into the 2nd half. Will Musgrave and Ken Norton, Jr. just pack it in and play it safe leading by this much? There's no room to be conservative at this point in the game. Philip Rivers and the Chargers, despite the absence of Antonio Gates and Melvin Gordon III can get hot at any time and mount a comeback. And that has plagued the Raiders for a long time is blowing a big time lead. They gotta keep this momentum. Don't give this Chargers team any life!

Lakers 2015-16 Regular Season Preview: The Future is Now?

Alright, the upcoming 2015-16 is just around the corner. That means it's another season of Lakers basketball. Welcome in to your preview for the Los Angeles Lakers' 2015-16 regular season campaign. If you guys are new to my blog or if you haven't been following any of my posts for Raiders' football, I made new changes to Regular Season Preview posts. So, they are organized into sections about which I feel are important to cover and what stood out to me in the preseason. And as usual, I provide the schedule breakdown and my final thoughts and predictions. Let's pop this bad boy up.

Russell, Randle, Clarkson - Ready to Carry the Torch?

Preparation for Lakers basketball after Kobe Bryant is inevitable, whether us Laker fans like it or not. This is a new challenge that the Lakers have to embark. No top-tier free agents are coming and most of all, no general manager is going to fall for Mitch Kupchak's ploy to trade their star player to acquire a "bag of chips and peanuts," meaning acquiring draft picks (unless it's multiple first rounders) and players that no other team wants. We've been spoiled that just because we're the Lakers and we have 16 championships, it automatically constitutes that top-tier players would come over and play for the team, when in reality that hasn't happened the last three offseasons. So the Lakers have no choice but to go the old school way of building a team and that's through the draft. The Lakers had the 2nd overall pick this offseason and they decided to not use it on Jahlil Okafor and instead, use it to select D'Angelo Russell. Personally, I was on board with the Okafor pick, but I've gotten over that and showed support to Russell. I thought by pairing him with Julius Randle, it would create an effective pick and roll duo for years to come. In the first preseason against the Jazz, my prediction looked promising as Russell was able to get Randle for an open dunk in one play, Randle found Russell cutting inside for layup on another, and on another play, Randle almost made an and 1 dunk after a beautiful bounce pass from Russell on the fast break. Transitioning to Julius Randle, the dude is a beast. The foot injury last year was disastrous for his development and his game would've been a step further if weren't for that injury. He just brings a rare combination of power, versatility, and ball handling. Whether he's posting up or accelerating off the ball and driving, defenders can only hope he misses or just foul because even when they play good defense on Randle, he is just too strong, just ask Metta World Peace during the offseason. Next, we look at Mr. All-Rookie First Team, Jordan Clarkson. he could've just been satisfied with the achievement and relaxed for the offseason. Instead, he continued to play in the Summer League and tried out for the Philippines' National Basketball team for the FIBA Asia Championship games. The guy just eats, sleeps, and breathes basketball, taking "Ball is Life" to another level and it showed in the preseason. His jump shot looked a lot more clean and he's making his decisions with great confidence. Overall, the chemistry buildup of Russell, Randle, and Clarkson is going to be detrimental to how bright or bleak the Lakers' future will be and they can start establishing a stable core for the future this season.

Kobe Bryant's Health

20 seasons playing in the same uniform just screams "loyalty" for the perennial alpha male of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant. However, with all the games played and the amount of minutes logged, the wear and tear is showing, in fact it has been showing dating back to his unfortunate achilles injury in 2013. Since then, Kobe has yet to play a full season. A knee injury ruled him out for the rest of the 2013-14 season, a torn rotator cuff injury put him out for the 2014-15 season, and now he's battling yet another knee injury with his status to play in the first game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves is in doubt. That's not a great way to start in celebrating 20 seasons donning the purple and gold. This season is portrayed as Kobe Bryant's farewell tour and his opening act is potentially going to be a "no show." It's a sad truth. Kobe is not the same player and he can't fight through injuries like he can in his heydays. Monitoring Kobe Bryant's health is going to be a big necessity in order for the Lakers to get on the right track of winning games and further the development of the young players on this team. I think the transition of putting him at small forward is a sound idea. Look at the guards in West: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul; Kobe Bryant cannot catch up to them like he used to and most of those guards are in the prime of their career. Also, from an offensive standpoint, it allows him to play off the ball because his shot selection and percentage when being the primary ball handler at this point of his career is just beyond horrible. By playing off more, it'll allow him to settle for more high percentage shots and he won't have to face double and triple teams on a consistent basis, albeit teams will still game plan for him defensively because of the respect they still for his game.

Marcelo Huertas a Nice Overseas Find

When I was looking at the preseason highlights, the one player that stood out to me the most was Marcelo Huertas. Now keep in mind, I don't keep track of overseas basketball, but I've heard good things about him when he was playing for F.C. Barcelona and for Brazil's Basketball team in the Olympics. When the Lakers signed him, I thought, "meh, he's just going to be a camp body, nothing else," but he definitely earned a roster spot on this Laker roster. His court vision and feel for the game is simply impeccable. Not a lot of international players find their way in their first season playing in the NBA, but Huertas played like he has been around the league for a long time and you don't see that often. The Lakers needed an established point guard since the Steve Nash experiment didn't work. They needed someone to mentor D'Angelo Russell and fasten his development. And Huertas provides that mentor role. Not to mention, the 2nd unit has a better flow with Huertas as the primary ball handler. Yeah the Lakers signed Lou Williams, but could you imagine if he was the 2nd unit point guard? Him and Nick Young would have a contest to see who can hit the most impossible three pointers and the ball movement wouldn't be that great. But with Huertas in the lineup, it creates opportunities for Williams and Young to get high percentage looks and it just makes the whole unit a lot better than projected on paper.

Schedule Breakdown

The rarity of looking at the Lakers schedule this season is that they don't have too many nationally televised games to start the season. They only have five nationally televised games for the remainder of this year: the opener vs. Minnesota, November 24 @ Golden State, December 11 @ San Antonio, December 17 vs. Houston, and the Christmas Day game vs. the Clippers. That's workable for me. All kidding aside, late Octover-Mid November is a pretty favorable stretch for the Lakers, despite the fact they have a four game road trip early on, but most of the teams are pretty winnable like Denver, Detroit, Orlando, New York. Then late November, the schedule's brutality starts considering they have to see the likes of Portland, Golden State, Clippers, San Antonio, Memphis, and OKC and it'll remain that way for the rest of the season. If Kobe Bryant stays healthy, most of the games against those teams can be competitive than expected, but other than that it's a steep mountain to climb.

Conclusion

Overall, this team can't win now for Kobe Bryant and build for the future. There has to be a lesser of the two evils and from the looks of things, the Lakers are contempt with rebuilding. I don't have a lot of crazy expectations for this team because after all, they are stuck in a really stacked Western Conference. The Warriors are the champions until dethroned, the Clippers made moves to add proven veterans and brought back DeAndre Jordan from a really entertaining free agent saga with the Mavs, the Spurs managed to snatch LaMarcus Aldridge and they are projected to own the West, James Harden and Dwight Howard are going to take another step in their growth as a duo in Houston, Kevin Durant is coming back for the Thunder, and Anthony Davis is looking to become one of the best power forwards in the league today for the Pelicans. That is too much to handle for a team that is essentially in the rebuilding phase. This Laker team has a lot of young talent that has yet to be unlocked by the right coaching staff. However, as long as Kobe Bryant is on the floor, this Laker team will compete. But nonetheless, I see a team that is locked in to finish possibly 2 or 3 standings above the Western Conference cellar. No flashy expectations, but as always, GO LAKERS!

vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, Q-by-Q Reaction, Halftime, and Full Recap posts on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:30 PM Pacific Time

Missed Opportunity Plagues Raiders in Divisional Loss vs. Broncos

Welcome in to the full recap for the Raiders' first divisional matchup of the 2015 season vs. the Denver Broncos where the Raiders kept it tight for most of the game, but the effort fell just short as the Raiders fell to the Broncos 16-10.

I just want to punch a wall right now, knowing that the Raiders have now loss 8 straight against a divisional rival that I truly despise. Like I said in the reaction for the 4th quarter, if you think last week's loss against the Chicago Bears hurts, this game will hurt even more for weeks to come. They had a chance. Peyton Manning and the Broncos' offense weren't playing their best against the Raiders' defense unlike years past, but there's a reason why their defense is #1 and they once again won the game this season. But, just too many mistakes, especially on offense and special teams-wise.

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Charles Woodson, 4 tackles, 2 INT. There was nobody in this game who wanted this game more other than Charles Woodson. I'm surprised by the stat that Woodson didn't have a single pick against Peyton Manning for 18 years until now. I was mindblown by that. But other than that, it's just a blessing to witness C-Wood still play at a high level, even if he just turned one year before 40. Not to mention, he's out there with that bad shoulder and still giving his 100% to the team. He's just unbelievable. Like I said, I didn't know he didn't have a single pick against Manning throughout his 18 years in the league. He had one today, but why not two? That 2nd pick he had in the 2nd half, that is not a guy who should be playing like he's 39 years old. C-Wood is the man, enough said.

Defense. I'll give Ken Norton, Jr. 100% credit for listening to us that the Raiders' defense needs to install more 3-4 looks and they needed to blitz more. And that's what Ken Norton implemented in this game. I'm looking closely at Owen Daniels' stats. Manning targeted him 5 times and Daniels didn't receive none of them. I think the defense has finally solved its issue at covering Tight Ends. That was one of the few reasons why this game was close. The Raiders stopped the run, the Broncos' receivers will have their way because the secondary is awful, but they solved the Tight End issue and that made Manning and the Broncos' offense one-dimensional. Kudos to Ken Norton, Jr. and I'm Jack Del Rio had some input to mix up the defense because for the first time this season, they managed to play well and keep the opposing the Tight Ends in check.

(-)

Conservative offensive play calling. Can't say Vikings fans warned us about Bill Musgrave and his conservative play calling. The Raiders' offense was doing a good job for the most part in the first half, eating up all the time of possession and not giving Peyton Manning and the offense a chance to get on the field. And then the 2nd half happened. What the hell happened to the offensive game plan? After a freak fumble recovery from Von Miller to pull the Broncos within one, the offense just completely shut down. Of course, credit to the Broncos' #1 defense for stepping it up, but the offense was mundane in the 2nd half and they just kept playing conservative. Secondly, where was Latavius Murray throughout the 2nd half? I didn't think he got a carry during the 2nd half. This Raiders offense has a lot weapons and they're not going to realize their potential if there is a conservative approach to the offensive game plan. That definitely falls on Musgrave.

Sebastian Janikowski, 2 missed field goals. Those missed field goals definitely came back to bite the Raiders. There's just no words to describe the mishaps that Sebass made because you're used to seeing him nail those field goals that are pretty much chip shots to him. Well his first field goal, the Broncos' special teams had a finger on it, but the 2nd field goal was just an awful miss. If he made those, we would've been talking a tie game and those misses hurt.

Conclusion

Overall, the Raiders let an opportunity slip away with a lot of costly mistakes and a lot of missed opportunity. But one thing is for certain is that they managed to keep this game competitive down to the wire. The last seven games against Denver were just depressing to watch as the Broncos would have a pretty comfortable lead, but this game, they had to earn it. But as the saying goes, "you are what your record shows" and the fact of the matter is the Raiders are 2-3 and are now 0-8 against the Broncos in the Peyton Manning era. Yeah, I can't stand that statistic too because I can't stand the Broncos. The Raiders have a bye next week and they go on the road the week after for another divisional game vs. the San Diego Chargers. I said in my preview some months ago that I see the Chargers as the only team that the Raiders can sweep in the division. Last season, the Raiders have played them close, but both teams are different and it's a whole new season, so anything goes. I'll see you guys in two weeks for the Chargers game.

Week 5: Divisional Matchup #1 RAIDERS vs. Denver Broncos Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

DEN 16 OAK 10

As if last week's game was a stinger, this one hurts as much. With a bad game Peyton Manning and the Broncos' offense and Charles Woodson absolutely going off and grabbing 2 INTs, you just think that the Raiders had a chance for a very big upset. It just didn't happen and this game was plagued by multiple missed opportunities. Two missed field goals by Sebass, a pick 6 by Carr late in the quarter, conservative play calling all-around on the offensive side of the ball, just too many mistakes. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

DEN 9 OAK 7

Charles Woodson is just amazing. He seriously doesn't look like he's 39 years old. But other than that, a little disappointed that the offense became too conservative after dominating the time of possession most of the game. A fumble committed since no one accounted for Von Miller, quick 3 and outs, those allowed the Broncos to get back into the game. But, it's still a pretty good game out there.

Q2:

DEN 3 OAK 7

Peyton Manning has eluded Charles Woodson for 18 years. You can kiss that streak goodbye as C-Wood came up with a big INT to keep the Broncos' score at three. It's a good, competitive game. Many expected for Denver to run away early, but the Raiders are making this a game. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

DEN 0 OAK 0

A tight, defensive conclusion to the 1st quarter. That Denver defense is definitely no joke, they are number one for a reason. The Raiders, I think, had the ball for a majority of this quarter, but they couldn't cash in. They had a chance on a Sebass field goal, but the Broncos' special teams managed to get a hand on it. Now, Peyton is driving and once again, the Raiders' defense is on their heels.

RAIDERS-Broncos Halftime Post

DEN 3 OAK 7

Welcome in to the halftime post for the Raiders' first division game of the season vs. the Denver Broncos where the Raiders lead for the first time against the Broncos in the Peyton Manning era, 3-7 at the half.

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Derek Carr, 11 of 14 passes, 135 yards, 1 TD. The Broncos love to blitz on passing downs, but aside from one sack, Carr has handled the pressure well against their defense. You can give credit to the O-line as well, but Carr has been making all the necessary audibles to keep the defense honest. Against the Broncos' defense, Carr is having an efficient game out there so far.

Charles Woodson, 1 tackle, 1 INT. C-Wood just turned 39 this week and still, age cannot bring him down. He made a funny remark before the game that Peyton Manning has eluded him for 18 years and he made sure to get that INT. That last Broncos drive had "touchdown" written all over it, but Woodson kept his eyes on Manning and managed to pick it off at the end zone.

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Pass rush. Manning and the Broncos' offense will eventually find a way to pick apart that secondary. That means the pass rush has to step it up. Norton listened to us, putting more 3-4 looks and blitzing. Now, either Mack, Smith, or Tuck have to find a way to bring down Manning and bring him down hard.

Bottom Line

If this was last season or the season before, the Broncos would've been leading this game like 31-0. What a difference this year makes. The Raiders have to keep competing. That means keep calling clean offensive plays, let Derek Carr do his thing with the weapons around him, and give Manning different looks that'll confuse him on the defensive end. Let's see what happens in the 2nd half.

TrueRaiderLaker Productions Entry #2 - "Attack on Peyton" Wallpaper

Today's loss against the Chicago Bears may have hurt, but it's time to focus on next week's divisional matchup against the Denver Broncos. And if you guys don't know by now, there is no other divisional rival I like to despise more than the Broncos or I should say the Donkeys or the Bronc-HOES. And I'd like to also call them the Donkos or the Dinkos. But man if there's one thing I want to see, as much as I have all the respect in the world for Peyton Manning, I want Khalil Mack to drive Peyton to the ground and bring him down hard. And this draws up the next entry for my TrueRaiderLaker Productions stint.

If you guys follow both sports and Anime, and yes I know rarely do those two blend together, you guys may have heard of the craze that is Attack on Titan. If not, that's understandable. Attack on Titan is a Japanese Anime that is set in a post-apocalyptic/dark fantasy setting where humanity defends themselves behind the walls against giant man-eating, human-like figures called titans. The Anime is gruesome, yet it's one hell of a thrill ride to watch. I'd recommend a watch whether you follow Anime or not. The show personally was the sole reason why I returned to the genre after a 7 year absence. And it's known for it's really catchy opening, which has become viral for quite some time.

Officially, this wallpaper is 1920 x 1200. I first started this idea last year when the Raiders first drafted Khalil Mack. I did an amateur wallpaper where the wallpaper featured from left to right: Sio Moore, LaMarr Woodley, Khalil Mack, Justin Tuck, and Antonio Smith with a giant Peyton Manning picture in the background when he was on the ground after a sack. The piece was originally titled "Attack on Manning." Although it looked cool, I wanted something that resembled the original Attack on Titan wallpaper with the Anime's main character, Eren Jaeger looking up at the Colossal Titan (the most popular type of Titan in the Anime) with everything inside the walls burning around him. And so I was able to find a Khalil Mack picture with his back turned, render it, find the NFL profile pic of Peyton Manning and boom this is the end result. I was also able to find an Attack on Titan logo generator, where you can edit the actual logo and slap "Attack on Peyton." The only drawback is that I had to find out how "Peyton" was written in Japanese. So I apologize if I didn't get it right. Translators can sometimes provide you the wrong wording. And besides, titling it "Attack on Peyton" made a lot more sense because Peyton and titan rhymed, even though it's clearly obvious.

Well Raider Nation, I hope you enjoy this wallpaper. Savor this until game time next week and until Week 14 when the Raiders take on the Broncos again in Denver. Today's game against the Bears sucked, but the team needs to refocus and beat those Donkeys!

"On that day, Peyton received a grim reminder. Khalil Mack is going to lay the smack down on his giant forehead looking, OMAHA shouting, candy @$$!"

Raiders Bear Down in the Final Seconds vs. Bears

Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' week 4 away matchup vs. the Chicago Bears where the Raiders let a winnable game slip away as they fall to the Bears 20-22.

This one hurts. This game adds on to a list of heartbreaking games the last 12 years. This game shows that the Bears are better than their 0-3 record indicates. They've had to play a tough first three games against Green Bay, Arizona, and Seattle. Don't get me wrong, this was very competitive, both of these teams were making a lot of mistakes, but the Raiders got too conservative at the end and it proved costly in the long run.

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Michael Crabtree, 5 receptions, 80 yards. The Bears' defense had Amari Cooper on lock. After allowing 47 yards and 1 TD, Cooper was nowhere to be seen and credit to the Bears, they know when to double and put Safety help on whoever's covering Cooper. This left a lot of opportunity for Michael Crabtree to rack up some yardage and he cashed in big time. And the thing is, he was battling an ankle injury after a Bears defender landed on it while he was trying to make a block for Cooper. But Crabtree, he was making a lot of critical catches on third down to extend the drives that the Raiders' offense was fielding together. We were blinded by Crabtree's lack of heart when he was with the 49ers, but to see him play through the pain and step up when needed, he continues to warm up the hearts of Raider Nation.

Roy Helu Jr., 5 carries, 22 yards, 2 receptions, 13 yards, 1 TD. Latavius Murray struggled this game, so this allowed Helu to put up some highlights. His TD in the 2nd quarter after the Raiders recovered a fumble was a thing of beauty as he eluded two defenders in what would've been a tackle for a loss. It was textbook example of change of direction. Hopefully he gets the playbook on hand in the future so he can get more reps because he definitely missed a lot of time during the preseason.

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Latavius Murray, 16 carries, 49 yards, 3 receptions, 12 yards. I could say had Murray didn't deflect a would-be catch from Derek Carr, which lead to an INT and the fumble early in the 4th quarter, it would've different story, but things happen in football on such rare occasions. Murray's stats would indicate that he had an okay game,  but he stunk it up this game. I wouldn't say all game because he did have some decent runs this game. I'm not sure if his shoulder injury played a factor, but it was not a good game for the Tay Train.

3rd-4th down defense. 4th and 5, game on the line, and all you had to do was just stop them to tact on the 3rd win. But as usual, the awful secondary and the lack of pressure from the D-line because Ken Norton, Jr. called a conservative play allowed Martellus Bennett to make one heck of a catch. That was the game right there. The Raiders defense couldn't help themselves to get off the field all game, especially on 3rd down. You'd think on 4th and 5, they'd finally get it together, but it just wasn't meant to be. This is especially going to be a problem when the Raiders face the Broncos next week.


Conclusion

Overall, this game is just going to be a tough pill to swallow. But I guess this was necessary because the Raiders wouldn't want to get too high next week when facing the Broncos in a meaningful division game. 2-2 is not the end of the world, but definitely we'd like it if this were a W. Next week is still a meaningful game, but it's definitely concerning because we can definitely envision Peyton Manning carving this secondary up. The D-line is definitely going to have to turn it up notch for next week. On a side note, F--- John Fox. I can't stand him since he was in Denver. Always running up the score during those years and he was trying to do some more antics to this Raiders team. I just can't stand him. On another note, I have something special for next week's game and it will be another entry to my TrueRaiderLaker Productions stint. I'll unveil that later and I'll see you guys next week for the game against the Broncos.

Week 4: RAIDERS @ Chicago Bears Q-by-Q Reaction

Q4:

OAK 20 CHI 22

Well, this one is going to sting a little. It was a good try to win on the last minute with a little lateral. But, ultimately this game went down to who's going to make crucial mistakes down the stretch. I'd say the Latavius Murray fumble on the toss was the big one because it stalled a very solid drive Carr was putting together. There were a lot of mistakes this game and this loss is going to hurt. Stay tuned for the full recap.

Q3:

OAK 17 CHI 16

Not much in this quarter as it was a defensive battle out there. The Raiders get slight edge as they were able to generate a forced fumble on Matt Forte. David Amerson knocked it out of his hands and allowed the Raiders to gain a one point lead on a field goal by Sebass. A little shaky to see the defense out on the field for a while. They are just having a hard time getting the Bears off the field on third down.

Q2:

OAK 14 CHI 16

This quarter was a tale of momentum shift on both sides of the team. Derek Carr connects to Amari Cooper in what seemed that Cooper stepped out of bounds, but Jack Del Rio challenged it and the refs reversed it. Then, the Bears commit a fumble, Raiders cash in with a Roy Helu TD. It looked like the momentum was swinging in favor of the Raiders, but a solid drive by the Bears and an ugly interception turned things around and took away that momentum in favor of the Bears. Onto the halftime report.

Q1:

OAK 0 CHI 6

We figured that if Jay Cutler was starting for the Bears, this would be a tougher road game. Well, the start of the game proved that. Defense gave up a long drive for a Bears TD and the offense's first possession with a quick 3 and out. It's a slow start on both sides of the ball, but it looks like the defense is picking it up by holding the Bears from their next two drives. The offense has to start getting it together.

RAIDERS-Bears Halftime Post

OAK 14 CHI 16

Welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders' 2nd straight road game vs. the Chicago Bears in a Week 4 matchup where the Bears hold on to a 14-16 lead at the half.

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Derek Carr, 11 of 16 passes, 85 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. That INT was not all Carr's fault. It completely ricocheted off of Latavius Murray's hands. Other than that, Carr has taken care of the ball and fielded together two solid drives to answer the Bears' TD on their first drive and cashed in off a fumble recovery. The stats are not that impressive, but Carr is playing an OK game.

Amari Cooper, 4 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD. Once again, AC/DC strikes again to put the Raiders on the board. With Crabtree out with an ankle injury and Latavius Murray battling a shoulder injury, a lot is going to be asked for Cooper to make plays for Derek Carr in the 2nd half.

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Tight End coverage. Week 4 and still no end in sight to keep a tight end in check. With Jay Cutler in the Bears' huddle, that definitely boosts Martellus Bennett's game by a huge margin and he's having his way as expected. Cutler finding Bennett on a wide open TD was just laughable. It goes to show how bad our secondary is.

Bottom Line

Overall, there was not a lot of action in the first half. The Raiders deferred on the coin toss and they get the ball first. Derek Carr and the offense have to field a long, solid drive to retake the lead. Another on the side note, the Bears are dominating the Time of Possession, so it's going to be essential that the offense sustains a long drive to keep the defense fresh. At some point, the defense has just gotta find a way to cover the tight end. It's unacceptable that this ongoing this week. Let's see what happens.