Post by TheShadow on Dec 11, 2003 18:56:32 GMT -5
www.bayarea.com
By Eric Gilmore
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
ALAMEDA - The Raiders' season-ending stretch against the Murderers Row of NFL running backs began three games ago when Kansas City's Priest Holmes gashed them for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Next up, Denver's Clinton Portis. He ran wild against the Raiders, gaining 170 yards and scoring twice. Then last week Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis produced a blast from his glorious past, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Now comes arguably the toughest part of that murderous rushing order.
Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher with 1,622 yards, will take his shot Sunday against the Raiders' 31st-ranked run defense.
After that, the Raiders will face Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green, No. 2 on the rushing list with 1,463 yards, in a Monday night game.
Then in their season finale, the Raiders will confront San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, sixth on the rushing list with 1,260 yards.
"It's going to be fun," Raiders defensive end Akbar Gbaja-Biamila said. "There are going to be some good challenges. ... I think we're ready for it."
Ah, rookies. The next three games promise to be about as much fun for the Raiders defense as back-to-back-to-back root canals.
First things first: some Sunday fun with the Ravens' Lewis and the NFL's No. 2 ranked rushing offense. Earlier this year, Lewis rushed for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns, setting an NFL single-game rushing record.
"He's a load," said injured Raiders safety Rod Woodson, Lewis' former teammate at Baltimore. "A big, fast running back. He's a lot faster than people think he is when he gets loose. It looks like he's 100 percent healthy with his knee. He's a big, physical specimen."
Lewis, a 5-foot-11, 231-pound "load," rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie during the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl season but spent the next season on injured reserve. Last year, he rushed for 1,327 yards. This year he's averaging 124.8 rushing yards per game and is on pace to finish with 1,996 yards, which would rank fifth on the NFL's all-time single-season list.
Of course if Lewis has a big game against the Raiders, then he might have a chance to break Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards.
Is a 300-yard rushing game possible Sunday?
"Anything's possible," Lewis said Wednesday during a conference call with Bay Area reporters. "I just hope to go out with the plan we have in place and execute a win."
Lewis is listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a wrist injury, but he said he's actually feeling "better than I've felt in a while" now that his sore shoulder has healed.
"Everybody talks about wearing down, but I think that's just talk," Lewis said. "This is what I train for. I train for a season like this. ... I train for the beating. I train for the wear and tear. I just keep going."
Opposing teams have tried to stop Lewis by consistently crowding the line of scrimmage with eight defenders.
"It doesn't really bother me," Lewis said. "We know we're going to see eight or nine men, sometimes we see 10 men in the box. It doesn't affect us. We have a good blocking scheme. We can back it up."
The Raiders probably could crowd the line with 11 defenders and still see Lewis heading their way.
"We know every team we play is going to give us a steady dose of the run," Raiders safety Anthony Dorsett said.
What could be more fun?
By Eric Gilmore
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
ALAMEDA - The Raiders' season-ending stretch against the Murderers Row of NFL running backs began three games ago when Kansas City's Priest Holmes gashed them for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Next up, Denver's Clinton Portis. He ran wild against the Raiders, gaining 170 yards and scoring twice. Then last week Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis produced a blast from his glorious past, rushing for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Now comes arguably the toughest part of that murderous rushing order.
Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher with 1,622 yards, will take his shot Sunday against the Raiders' 31st-ranked run defense.
After that, the Raiders will face Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green, No. 2 on the rushing list with 1,463 yards, in a Monday night game.
Then in their season finale, the Raiders will confront San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, sixth on the rushing list with 1,260 yards.
"It's going to be fun," Raiders defensive end Akbar Gbaja-Biamila said. "There are going to be some good challenges. ... I think we're ready for it."
Ah, rookies. The next three games promise to be about as much fun for the Raiders defense as back-to-back-to-back root canals.
First things first: some Sunday fun with the Ravens' Lewis and the NFL's No. 2 ranked rushing offense. Earlier this year, Lewis rushed for 295 yards against the Cleveland Browns, setting an NFL single-game rushing record.
"He's a load," said injured Raiders safety Rod Woodson, Lewis' former teammate at Baltimore. "A big, fast running back. He's a lot faster than people think he is when he gets loose. It looks like he's 100 percent healthy with his knee. He's a big, physical specimen."
Lewis, a 5-foot-11, 231-pound "load," rushed for 1,364 yards as a rookie during the Ravens' 2000 Super Bowl season but spent the next season on injured reserve. Last year, he rushed for 1,327 yards. This year he's averaging 124.8 rushing yards per game and is on pace to finish with 1,996 yards, which would rank fifth on the NFL's all-time single-season list.
Of course if Lewis has a big game against the Raiders, then he might have a chance to break Eric Dickerson's record of 2,105 yards.
Is a 300-yard rushing game possible Sunday?
"Anything's possible," Lewis said Wednesday during a conference call with Bay Area reporters. "I just hope to go out with the plan we have in place and execute a win."
Lewis is listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a wrist injury, but he said he's actually feeling "better than I've felt in a while" now that his sore shoulder has healed.
"Everybody talks about wearing down, but I think that's just talk," Lewis said. "This is what I train for. I train for a season like this. ... I train for the beating. I train for the wear and tear. I just keep going."
Opposing teams have tried to stop Lewis by consistently crowding the line of scrimmage with eight defenders.
"It doesn't really bother me," Lewis said. "We know we're going to see eight or nine men, sometimes we see 10 men in the box. It doesn't affect us. We have a good blocking scheme. We can back it up."
The Raiders probably could crowd the line with 11 defenders and still see Lewis heading their way.
"We know every team we play is going to give us a steady dose of the run," Raiders safety Anthony Dorsett said.
What could be more fun?