Post by TheShadow on Dec 8, 2003 19:06:11 GMT -5
www.pressdemocrat.com
Early 7-0 lead vanishes after three fumbles, two interceptions, dropped passes and blown assignments as Oakland falls to 3-10
December 8, 2003
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
PITTSBURGH -- Dana Stubblefield came back for this?
The Raiders' defensive tackle played Sunday for the first time since Oct.20, his sore ankle finally able to bear weight. But it was a dismal game he signed on for. The Raiders watched their 7-0 lead devolve into a mistake-filled 27-7 loss to the Steelers, and the afternoon ended with Pittsburgh's Tommy Maddox taking a knee inside the Oakland 5-yard line.
"This team is going in a couple of different directions right now," Stubblefield said. "Some guys are going here, some are going there. Coaches, too. Maybe we need to look in the mirror and see what we can do to get better."
Asked to clarify these polar directions, Stubblefield said: "You seen it out there today -- the mistakes, the miscommunication. These are mistakes we should have taken care of in training camp."
Yes, while no one was calling the Raiders the dumbest team in America this week -- at least not publicly -- they had plenty of physical and mental foul-ups, from their three fumbles and two interceptions to dropped passes and blown assignments.
The game started cheerfully enough for the visitors. After repelling a couple of short Pittsburgh drives, the Raiders reprised the numbing ground game that has been their bright spot in the last month.
Taking over at their 37-yard line eight minutes into the first quarter, the Raiders ran seven straight times, with Charlie Garner and Tyrone Wheatley sharing the carries. On first-and-10 from the Steelers' 22, Wheatley charged through the massive hole created by right guard Brad Badger and right tackle Lincoln Kennedy, and went 22 yards for a touchdown.
The outlook changed dramatically with 12 minutes left in the first half.
On third-and-5 from midfield, with his team ahead, 7-3, Raiders quarterback Rick Mirer dropped back to pass. Fullback Zack Crockett picked up a blitzing Steeler, but Mirer ran directly into the arms of defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen. The 300-pound end came down on Mirer's left ankle, and Raiders fans saw a familiar sight -- their quarterback writhing in pain.
"I felt something pop, and I thought something was broken," Mirer said after the game.
Nothing was fractured. But the quarterback, already bothered by a stomach bug, was ineffective for the rest of the game.
"I couldn't land on my foot and throw," Mirer said. "You're putting a lot of weight on that foot when you're coming over the top."
He finished 10 of 25 for 68 yards, with an almost inconceivable passer rating of 14.6. He missed several receivers, was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
The first of those turnovers came in the second quarter. The Steelers had just gone ahead, 10-7, on a crisp six-play drive, as Jerome Bettis eluded cornerback Phillip Buchanon and battered safety Anthony Dorsett on his way to an 11-yard touchdown run.
Four plays after that, Mirer telegraphed a pass to Jerry Porter, and Pittsburgh corner De-wayne Washington intercepted it. Three plays later, Maddox took a shotgun snap and threw a strike to Plaxico Burress in the right side of the end zone; Burress beat Terrance Shaw for a 14-yard touchdown.
That made the score 17-7, and the Raiders were in trouble. Still, they had no shortage of opportunities to climb back into contention in the third quarter, when the Steelers coughed up turnovers on their first two possessions.
First, Maddox threw a pass into the arms of safety Derrick Gibson, who was playing after a frightening neck injury at Kansas City two weeks ago. Gibson returned the ball to the Steelers' 38, but the Raiders could generate only a yard in three plays. Rather than have Sebastian Janikowski attempt a 55-yard field goal, Callahan sent in his punting team, and Shane Lechler booted it into the end zone for a touchback.
Almost immediately after the Steelers got the ball back, Buchanon poked the ball out from under Bettis' arm, and defensive tackle Chris Cooper recovered at the Pittsburgh 46. But Mirer fumbled when hit by defensive end Aaron Smith on the next play, and linebacker Kendrell Bell pounced on it.
"It was our game," Cooper said. "We came out after halftime and we were only down by 10. Then we got two turnovers right away. But you've got to do something about it when you get them."
Only once more did the Raiders penetrate Pittsburgh territory, and that fourth-quarter drive ended with an interception by safety Brent Alexander.
The Steelers padded their lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Dan Krei-der (set up by Antwaan Randle El's 51-yard punt return and abetted by Tim Johnson's face-mask penalty) and a 40-yard field goal by Jeff Reed. Oakland was forced to abandon the run, repeatedly passing into a defense that was primed for it.
"Those guys were jumping everything," Mirer said.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers turned the game over to Bettis, who hadn't recorded a 100-yard game all season, but he has one now. He wound up with 106 on 27 carries, helping Pittsburgh kill the last 7:06.
"He earned his yards today," Cooper said. "There were no easy yards out there. I congratulate him on his success."
Though the Raiders clearly played poorly, nobody in their locker room was questioning their effort.
"No question," Callahan said. "They did an excellent job in terms of effort."
Which means that the 2003 Raiders really aren't particularly stupid or lazy. They're just not very good. The question is whether they'll continue to fight over the next three weeks, putting aside the inconsequentiality of their games against Baltimore, Green Bay and San Diego.
"I am concerned about it," wide receiver Tim Brown said of whether the Raiders will be competitive in the final three games. "With the holidays coming up, you know guys are going to be getting away from it that week. We're fighting hard, but we've got to have a better showing than this."
Guard Frank Middleton was more direct.
"It's over, man," he said. "We're 3-10."
Early 7-0 lead vanishes after three fumbles, two interceptions, dropped passes and blown assignments as Oakland falls to 3-10
December 8, 2003
By PHIL BARBER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
PITTSBURGH -- Dana Stubblefield came back for this?
The Raiders' defensive tackle played Sunday for the first time since Oct.20, his sore ankle finally able to bear weight. But it was a dismal game he signed on for. The Raiders watched their 7-0 lead devolve into a mistake-filled 27-7 loss to the Steelers, and the afternoon ended with Pittsburgh's Tommy Maddox taking a knee inside the Oakland 5-yard line.
"This team is going in a couple of different directions right now," Stubblefield said. "Some guys are going here, some are going there. Coaches, too. Maybe we need to look in the mirror and see what we can do to get better."
Asked to clarify these polar directions, Stubblefield said: "You seen it out there today -- the mistakes, the miscommunication. These are mistakes we should have taken care of in training camp."
Yes, while no one was calling the Raiders the dumbest team in America this week -- at least not publicly -- they had plenty of physical and mental foul-ups, from their three fumbles and two interceptions to dropped passes and blown assignments.
The game started cheerfully enough for the visitors. After repelling a couple of short Pittsburgh drives, the Raiders reprised the numbing ground game that has been their bright spot in the last month.
Taking over at their 37-yard line eight minutes into the first quarter, the Raiders ran seven straight times, with Charlie Garner and Tyrone Wheatley sharing the carries. On first-and-10 from the Steelers' 22, Wheatley charged through the massive hole created by right guard Brad Badger and right tackle Lincoln Kennedy, and went 22 yards for a touchdown.
The outlook changed dramatically with 12 minutes left in the first half.
On third-and-5 from midfield, with his team ahead, 7-3, Raiders quarterback Rick Mirer dropped back to pass. Fullback Zack Crockett picked up a blitzing Steeler, but Mirer ran directly into the arms of defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen. The 300-pound end came down on Mirer's left ankle, and Raiders fans saw a familiar sight -- their quarterback writhing in pain.
"I felt something pop, and I thought something was broken," Mirer said after the game.
Nothing was fractured. But the quarterback, already bothered by a stomach bug, was ineffective for the rest of the game.
"I couldn't land on my foot and throw," Mirer said. "You're putting a lot of weight on that foot when you're coming over the top."
He finished 10 of 25 for 68 yards, with an almost inconceivable passer rating of 14.6. He missed several receivers, was sacked four times, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
The first of those turnovers came in the second quarter. The Steelers had just gone ahead, 10-7, on a crisp six-play drive, as Jerome Bettis eluded cornerback Phillip Buchanon and battered safety Anthony Dorsett on his way to an 11-yard touchdown run.
Four plays after that, Mirer telegraphed a pass to Jerry Porter, and Pittsburgh corner De-wayne Washington intercepted it. Three plays later, Maddox took a shotgun snap and threw a strike to Plaxico Burress in the right side of the end zone; Burress beat Terrance Shaw for a 14-yard touchdown.
That made the score 17-7, and the Raiders were in trouble. Still, they had no shortage of opportunities to climb back into contention in the third quarter, when the Steelers coughed up turnovers on their first two possessions.
First, Maddox threw a pass into the arms of safety Derrick Gibson, who was playing after a frightening neck injury at Kansas City two weeks ago. Gibson returned the ball to the Steelers' 38, but the Raiders could generate only a yard in three plays. Rather than have Sebastian Janikowski attempt a 55-yard field goal, Callahan sent in his punting team, and Shane Lechler booted it into the end zone for a touchback.
Almost immediately after the Steelers got the ball back, Buchanon poked the ball out from under Bettis' arm, and defensive tackle Chris Cooper recovered at the Pittsburgh 46. But Mirer fumbled when hit by defensive end Aaron Smith on the next play, and linebacker Kendrell Bell pounced on it.
"It was our game," Cooper said. "We came out after halftime and we were only down by 10. Then we got two turnovers right away. But you've got to do something about it when you get them."
Only once more did the Raiders penetrate Pittsburgh territory, and that fourth-quarter drive ended with an interception by safety Brent Alexander.
The Steelers padded their lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Dan Krei-der (set up by Antwaan Randle El's 51-yard punt return and abetted by Tim Johnson's face-mask penalty) and a 40-yard field goal by Jeff Reed. Oakland was forced to abandon the run, repeatedly passing into a defense that was primed for it.
"Those guys were jumping everything," Mirer said.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers turned the game over to Bettis, who hadn't recorded a 100-yard game all season, but he has one now. He wound up with 106 on 27 carries, helping Pittsburgh kill the last 7:06.
"He earned his yards today," Cooper said. "There were no easy yards out there. I congratulate him on his success."
Though the Raiders clearly played poorly, nobody in their locker room was questioning their effort.
"No question," Callahan said. "They did an excellent job in terms of effort."
Which means that the 2003 Raiders really aren't particularly stupid or lazy. They're just not very good. The question is whether they'll continue to fight over the next three weeks, putting aside the inconsequentiality of their games against Baltimore, Green Bay and San Diego.
"I am concerned about it," wide receiver Tim Brown said of whether the Raiders will be competitive in the final three games. "With the holidays coming up, you know guys are going to be getting away from it that week. We're fighting hard, but we've got to have a better showing than this."
Guard Frank Middleton was more direct.
"It's over, man," he said. "We're 3-10."