The First Quarter: Mayhem

The Oakland Raiders stumble out of the first quarter of the season bloody, beat down and beleaguered with a 1-3 record.  And that was the easy part.  I sure was excited to see Terrelle Pryor #2 get the start this season, and the young QB has done pretty well for himself.

His running on the field was showcased on the road against the Colts when he took over the second half in a close but losing effort during Week 1.

He did well as the game manager in the Week 2 win against the Jaguars here at home in Oakland. The offense wasn’t strong by any means, but he took care of the ball and moved us in position for Janokowski to win it on kicks. Ted Hendricks “The Mad Stork” lit the Flame in memory of Al Davis before the game.

Week 3 was a surprise when Terrelle played the role of pocket passer. He was calm, careful and threw the ball with accuracy. He protected the ball well as the hated Broncos smothered the run game and stifled the Raider offense.  The worst moment was when an orange devil launched into the air and drilled Pyor in the side of his head with his helmet, causing a serious concussion on an ill-advised designed run around the side.

When the pre-season flop Matt Flynn #15 was called up for Week 4 vs Washington, Raider Nation knew for sure we were screwed. And even with a 7-0 lead spotted by our special teams, Flynn was unable to do much with our offense as McFadden and Reece went down injured.  Actress Ann Margret lit the Flame in rememberance of Al Davis before kickoff.

1-3.  All star players injured. 10 new starters on defense. Two thirds of salary cap in “dead money”.  Not looking good guys.

Positives are the sellouts, the lack of penalties and small improvements on defense, thanks to the return of Raider Legend Charles Woodson #24.

The next quarter is going to get ugly. We have all Rivals- division foes the Chargers & Chiefs, followed by the Ancient Enemy- Steelers. And finally the Superbowl victims the Eagles. Is it too late to turn things around? Terrelle is the key and it would take a miracle from this young guy to make it to a 8-8 finish.