The Raiders ran into a buzzsaw on Saturday Night as the Saints kicked their butts hard!  JaMarcus Russell didn’t put any points on the board as he completed 12 of 18 passes for 153 yards.  Jeff Garcia finished up this game for the Raiders by completing 9 of 15 passes for 111 yards with 1 TD pass.  Gary Russell looked good in this game carrying the ball 3 times for 42 yards (14.0 ypc).  WR Louis Murphy led the way in the passing game for the Raiders with 84 yards on 3 catches (28.0 avg).  TE Zach Miller was also very busy catching 5 passes for 74 yards (14.8 avg).  WR Jonathan Holland only caught 1 pass in this game but it was a doosy going for 43 yards and a TD from Jeff Garcia.  The Raiders only had the ball for 20:33 in this football game but they still got 289 total yards (52 rushing, 237 passing).

Linebacker Ricky Brown was busy for the Raiders in this game with 10 tackles.  The Saints totally dominated the Raiders’ defense as they rolled up 536 total yards on offense (232 rushing, 304 passing).  The Raiders better get their act together soon.

The Raiders were looking good in this game heading into the 4th quarter in which the Niners scored 18 points to win the game.  JaMarcus Russell was very solid in this game completing 7 of 11 passes for 76 yards with 1 TD pass.  Jeff Garcia saw his first pre-season action in this game and it was not good as he completed 3 of 6 passes for 18 yards with 1 interception.  Bruce Gradkowski followed Garcia in this game by completing 3 of 5 passes for 44 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.  He also carried the football 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc) against the Niners.  Charlie Frye finished up this game by completing 3 of 5 passes for 47 yards with 1 interception.  The silver lining for Frye in this game is that he was the Raiders’ leading rusher with 16 yards on two carries (8.0 ypc) with a TD.  TE Brandon Myers was outstanding in this game catching 4 passes for 75 yards (18.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WR Louis Murphy was also solid in catching 2 passes for 34 yards (17.0 avg) with a TD catch.  The Raiders only had possession of the football for 21:16 of this game and that killed them in the end.  They finished up with only 245 total yards on offense (69 rushing, 176 passing) in this game and that’s just not good enough to win football games.

LB Ricky Brown had a huge game for the Raiders on defense with 7 tackles and a interception that he returned 46 yards.  The Niners only passed for 114 yards in this game but that’s because they didn’t have to throw the ball.  They rushed for a stunning 275 yards on 47 carries (5.9 ypc) against the Raiders and that was pathetic.

The Raiders have signed 30-year old linebacker Napoleon Harris to a 1-year contract.  Harris played in 10 games (5 starts) for the Vikings last season and he made 32 tackles and had 1 sack.  Harris has now played in 100 games (73 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 481 tackles, has 8.5 sacks, has defensed 12 passes and he has 4 interceptions.  Harris’ best seasons came in a Raiders’ uniform so they hope coming back to Oakland will revive his career.  Harris played in 45 games (38 starts) for the Raiders (2002-2004) in which he made 249 tackles, had 2.5 sacks and he defensed five passes.  With the injuries the Raiders currently have at linebacker it was a very smart move bringing Harris back.

UPDATE:  The Raiders didn’t like what they saw out of Harris cutting him just five days after he showed up.

The Raiders will be without 23-year old WR Chaz Schilens for the next 4-6 weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot.  He played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 15 passes for 226 yards (15.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  Schilens was starting to develop some chemistry with QB JaMarcus Russell so the Raiders’ passing attack could be hurt some while Schilens is out of action.

The Raiders have released veteran fullback Lorenzo Neal.  The Raiders just don’t have enough room to carry the blocking fullback on their roster.  Losing Neal won’t hurt the Raiders who are loaded at running back.

The Raiders have signed 31-year old linebacker Morlon Greenwood to a 1-year deal.  Greenwood played in 15 games (10 starts) for the Texans last season.  Greenwood has now played in 125 games (108 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 682 tackles, has 7 sacks, has defensed 18 passes and he has 2 interceptions.  Signing Greenwood was a smart move for the Raiders as they have had some nagging injuries to their starting linebackers this training camp.

The Raiders have re-signed 27-year old safety Rashad Baker after his release from the Eagles.  Baker played in 10 games for the Raiders last season and he made 24 tackles, defensed 4 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Baker has now played in 51 games in his five year NFL career and he has made 78 tackles, has defensed 8 pases, has 1 sack, has forced 1 fumble and he has 5 interceptions.  This was a good depth signing for the Raiders.

The Raiders absolutely dominated the Cowboys in this game!  The Raiders rolled up a stunning 456 yards on offense in this game (176 rushing, 280 passing).  JaMarcus Russell was o.k. in this game completing 6 of 9 passes for 50 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 18 yards.  Bruce Gradkowski followed Russell in this game and he completed 9 of 16 passes for 161 yards with a TD pass.  Charlie Frye finished up the game and he was also impressive completing 7 of 12 passes for 80 yards with a TD pass.  Darren McFadden was electric in this game rushing for 63 yards on 4 carries (15.8 ypc) and catching 1 pass for 9 yards.  Gary Russell was very busy getting 11 carries for 44 yards (4.0 ypc) and a TD.  Louis Rankin was also sharp rushing for 31 yards on 6 carries (5.2 ypc) with a TD and he also caught a 19 yard pass.  WR Chaz Schilens led the way in the passing game for the Raiders with 5 catches for 52 yards (10.4 avg). 

The defense had some issues against the running game allowing 127 yards to the Cowboys on 29 carries (4.4 ypc).  But, overall the Raiders only allowed 274 yards against the Cowboys.   Safety Jerome Boyd led the way for the Raiders in this game with 7 tackles.

This was a good first step for the Raiders.  The hard part will be keeping up the good work when the games count.

The Raiders have traded 31-year old OLB/DE Derrick Burgess to the New England Patriots for 3rd and 5th round picks in the 2011 NFL Draft.  Burgess played in 10 games for the Raiders last season and he made 24 tackles, defensed 2 passes, had 3.5 sacks and he forced 1 fumble.  In 4 years with the Raiders, Burgess played in 56 games in which he made 170 tackles, defensed 3 passes, had 38.5 sacks and he forced 5 fumbles.  The Raiders figured that Burgess was on the downslope of his career.  If they are right this was a good trade.

The Raiders have re-signed 30-year old OT Seth Wand.  Wand only played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Raiders last season.  Wand has played in 53 games (18 starts) during his 6-year NFL career.  Wand has nice size at 6’7″, 330 pounds but he should be nothing more than a backup for the Raiders or they will be in trouble.