Good evening, everybody. As promised, I’ll be liveblogging tonight’s Titans-Raiders game, so stay here for the next 3 and a half hours or so and follow along in the comments.
6:48 P.M. I didn’t have a chance to do much of a preview, but the guys to take a look at are the new starters-Eric King for Nick Harper, Stephen Tulloch for David Thornton, and Daniel Loper for David Stewart. Other Titans inactives include Dwayne Blakley and Roydell Williams. Tonight’s game also marks the return to Tennessee of P Glen Pakulak, who in last year’s training camp played the role of Craig Hentrich’s caddy currently occupied by Josh Miller. I’ll be back around gametime with more.
7:01 PM (pregame): Do not adjust your contrast. Daryl Johnston really does need to lay off the orange face paint. That, or get lessons from George Hamilton or how to do it successfully. Yeesh. On a football note, though, the Titans today extended the contract of CB Cortland Finnegan. Finnegan was previously scheduled to be a restricted free agent after this season, and is now under contract through 2011. A little risk here, but Finnegan’s started for an entire year and should continue to be at least a decent starting corner.
7:04 PM (pregame): Fisher wins the toss and elects to defer. The Raiders will get the ball first. Like Moose, I like this rule change.
7:05 PM (1Q 14:55): It’s odd seeing two AFC teams play on Fox. Raiders start out backed up inside their own 20 after a better kickoff by John Vaughn than he had last week and a penalty. Alas, Eric King (I think) misses a tackle and the Raiders get 7 on their first play from scrimmage.
7:08 PM (1Q 13:32): Javon Walker beats Eric King, but drops the slant to create a 3-and-out. The punt looks a little dangerous, as the Titans don’t get away like you should, but will still start out from their own 42.
7:10 (1Q 11:44): VY eats the ball on 2nd and long after Thomas Howard comes free. Moose is probably right that the hot receiver missed his cue. 2&17 is tough to convert, and Hentrich puts the punt 7 yards deep. Well, at least Loper looked ok. A little surprising to see the Titans open empty backfield.
7:14 PM (1Q 9:49): Ok, Albert made his play. Now take him out and just put him on the bike. And Eric King makes his first good play of the preseason on defense, tackling Ronald Curry immediately to force another 3&out. Chris Carr then justifies my skepticism of him being a decent punt returner, losing 9 back to the 22. He did catch the ball, though.
7:21 PM (1Q 8:07): Jake Scott gives the Titans practice in 3&long as opposed to 3&short. Thanks, Jake! Aside: I haven’t liked the timing of the short passing game so far, tonight or in game one. It just seems a little bit off. As I type this, VY’s toss for McCareins on a go falls incomplete, so the timing isn’t there on the deep passing game either. At least the punt’s a decent one, the coverage was good, and the Raiders are going farther back after a penalty.
7:24 PM (1Q 7:00): Darren McFadden starts out with 2 good carries-the first where he breaks a Kearse arm tackle and the second where he finds a good cutback lane up the middle. Russell then lets Finnegan crush Walker on a ball well over his head.
7:30 PM (1Q 4:10): Heck of a burst by LenDale White, motoring through a huge hole for 22 yards. So far, the Stewart for Loper transition hasn’t revealed any serious weaknesses. After Loper’s failures at guard, I’m happy.
7:33 PM (1Q 2:29): And the passing game remains a work in progress. A pump and go, which worked for a TD against KC last year, is nearly intercepted by Michael Huff-it looked like it was going in slow motion, a throw off a boot goes past Hall, and then the pass for Jones in 3D is too far. Finally, Vaughn misses from 49. It’s just the preseason. It’s just the preseason. It’s just the preseason.
7:37 PM (1Q 0:30): Eric King is not making me confident. Ronald Curry(!) just broke his ankle with a move. I know Curry was the #1 recruit in the country and was going to be this huge basketball and football star, but that was a long time ago. And it was sandwiched by two completions to TE Zach Miller against a soft zone, so the Raiders are in the red zone.
7:43 PM (2Q 14:44): Damn, TD Raiders. Russell shows good mobility in the pocket to escape Brown and Haynesworth, and whistles a pass right past a leaping Bulluck to Miller in the end zone. XP is good, and it’s 7-0.
7:48 PM (2Q 13:23): Ah, finally a decent play on the passing game. Gage on the skinny post for 18-a decent throw, a good catch on a ball thrown just slightly behind where you want it. And, back to back first downs after CB Routt commits a penalty on the next play.
7:55 PM (2Q 10:24): The drive turns clunky, and VY’s 3rd down pass is deflected by Terdell Sands. Hentrich’s knuckler pins the Raiders at the 15.
8:00 PM (2Q 8:50): Those of you with 2Q 9:20 in the First Kwame Harris Penalty of the Game Pool win. 3&20 from the 5, and McFadden gets 5 on the toss pitch. Seriously, a toss pitch on 3&20 from the 5?
8:05 PM (2Q 8:14): Heck of a punt by Glen Pakulak-71 yards, looked like a Bironas kickoff. The boobirds seem to make their first appearance of the night after VY throws a 15 yard comeback 10 yards. Two more incompletions, one close, one not so, and it’s 3&out. This pass timing is way the heck off tonight. More overthinking, it seems.
8:10 PM (2Q 7:00): Paul Williams, draw a penalty, then commit a penalty, a block in the back on a punt return. Well, at least it wasn’t on a backup linebacker-I got so sick of those last year. Collins in at QB, Johnson in at RB, first team offensive line mostly in (Mawae’s been out for a while, replaced by Harris). And Johnson starts with 15 off the right side.
8:16 PM (2Q 4:07): Paul Williams doesn’t help his case for making the team, dropping a 3rd down pass. Johnnie Lee Higgins, though, does more to get himself axed. First, he fielded a punt at the 5, then danced around, then fumbled, forced by Fuller, then recovered by Hall in the end zone. Vaughn hits the XP, tie game, 7-7.
8:22 PM (2Q 2:00): The Most Obvious Corner Blitz Ever works, as Reynaldo Hill runs down Russell when he tries to scramble away. Punt likely forthcoming on 4&10 from the TEN45.
8:28 PM (2Q :53): As I watch the Titans go through this semi-shambles of a 2 minute drill, I’m wondering if, aside from the catch by Gage I noted earlier, a Titans WR has done anything tonight. Good, I mean. Aside from Paul Williams getting blocked in the back by a Raider.
8:37 PM (end 2Q): Titans go for it 4&8 from the OAK36. I like the decision, but not the playcall-Raiders blitz, and Collins chucks it out of bounds off his back foot. Then, McFadden rips off 25 yards on the “kill the half draw.” Alas, rather than a Hail Mary, we get a FG attempt. Of course, Fisher has to ice the kicker. It’s still a football game, after all. Aaron Elling, another ex-Titan, puts it through from 56, and the Raiders take the 10-7 halftime lead.
8:48 PM (halftime): What to watch for in the second half? I’m looking forward to seeing more of Michael Bush, who I really liked at Louisville before he broke his leg. On the Titans, though, it’s all about the competition for jobs. On offense, can one of the wideouts make a positive impression? On the defense, can one of the reserves cover? Will Cary Williams show signs of being the next overachieving 7th round DB selection in his first game as a pro?
8:54 PM (3Q 13:08): Some not much runs from Chris Johnson, getting not much of out of not much, but Collins converts 3D, hitting Hawkins over the middle, and Lavelle doesn’t drop the ball after being hit by Baker.
8:57 PM (3Q 12:57): TOUCHDOWN, Lavelle Hawkins! A simple go route, separation from the DB, a nice pass from Collins, then Hawkins with a nifty move about the 10 to avoid the safety coming over and that’s 51 yards and 6 points on the board. 14-10, Titans.
9:04 PM (3Q 10:00): Raiders convert 4&1 at the Titans’ 45. Just part of a trend for the Titans that carried all last year, particularly the second Jaguar game. I don’t understand why a team that’s so good against the run is so bad in that situation.
9:10 PM (3Q 6:32): This VY interview is frustrating. Heimerdinger’s praising him for making the right reads. But half of making the right reads is making them at the right time, and that clearly wasn’t happening tonight. Well, Ealy dropped a pass, so that was a distraction. Thanks also to Fox for showing the full screen on plays, rather than mimicing ESPN and using a split interview-wasted space-play.
9:18 PM (3Q 2:00): Did I miss something, or has Jacob Ford not played tonight for some reason? I’ve seen a lot of Dave Ball, Sean Conover, and William Hayes at the DE position, but no Ford. Either way, nobody other than Hayes has looked particularly good.
9:23 PM (end 3Q): Hey, Ball finally makes a decent play. Alas, the Raiders then convert 3&9 as the third quarter comes to an end. Titans still up, 14-10.
9:29 PM (4Q 12:44): Raider FG after they stall out on 1&G from the 8. Nice tackle by Fuller on FB O’Neal on 3rd down, not that he would have made it to the end zone anyway. 14-13.
9:35 PM (4Q 10:30): You know, the read option is MUCH less effective when it’s Ingle Martin at QB than when VY is in there. Just sayin’.
9:42 PM (4Q 7:04): That’s why he’s Andrew Walter. Runs out of bounds for a 2 yard loss rather than just throwing the ball away, which would’ve been really, really easy. Yes, it’s depressing that he’s completing passes, though.
9:44 PM (4Q 5:19): Don’t doink! Aaron Elling banks one in from 45 yards out to put the Raiders on top, 16-14.
9:53 PM (4Q 3:01): Ingle Martin still looks like a college quarterback-short passes, running around, only passes over the middle. And Paul Williams fails to catch another one, though the Titans do at least avoid the interception off the tipped ball. Punting away on 4&5.
9:57 PM (4Q 2:21): Adimchinobe Echemandu rips off 72 yards. Worst part of the play: Cary Williams is chasing him, but comes up limping chasing him down. Hopefully it’s just a cramp or charley horse, but for a place who’s fighting for a spot on the squad and missed last week’s game, that’s not a good sign.
10:00 PM (4Q 2:00): FUMBLE! The Raiders try the FB dive on 3&G from the 1, but Tony Joiner goes hat on ball and forces it loose. Ganther then rumbles for a dozen to put the Titans on their own 15, down 2, 2 minutes to play. Time to see how Martin runs the 2 minute drill.
10:08 PM (4Q :48): Nice grab by Ealy, strong hands to pull in the pass to convert 3&15. Martin gets crushed the next play, though, then dumps it off to Ganther for about nothing. 3&17 from their own 43.
10:12 PM (4Q :02): Ealy with the catch for 17&2 inches to convert 3&17, then Chris Davis for 26 yards down to the 15. John Vaughn out to attempt the game-winner from 33. Naturally, Kiffin calls the TO to ice him.
10:14 PM (end game): It’s GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDD!!!! Titans win, 17-16. I’ll be back in a little with a post recapping tonight’s game and providing some additional thoughts.
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