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The Raiders have placed 22-year old OLB Slade Norris and 22-year old KR Nick Miller on I.R. Norris was the Raiders’ 4th round pick out of Oregon State last April in the draft. He played in 4 games and made a whopping 2 tackles this year. Miller was injured in the pre-season but the Raiders didn’t know that he had a fractured tibia.
The Raiders have sent 33-year old punter Shane Lechler and 28-year old CB Nnamdi Asomugha to the Pro Bowl. Lechler has been one of the best punters in the NFL since the day he arrived in Oakland and he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Lechler has played in 15 games for the Raiders this season and he has punted the ball 91 times for 4,647 yards (51.1 avg). Lechler has only 11 touchbacks (12.1%) this season and he has pinned the opposition inside their 20-yard line 28 times (30.8%). Nnamdi Asomugha has played in 15 games for the Raiders this season and he has made 34 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, defensed 4 passes and he has 1 interception. Asomugha gets this honor based on his reputation as teams just don’t challenge his side of the field much anymore.
The Raiders got pushed around by the Cleveland Browns yesterday. Charlie Frye completed 26 of 45 passes for 333 yards but he still thought he played with the Browns completing 3 passes to them too. He also carried the ball 2 times for 13 yards (6.5 ypc). Michael Bush led the way on the ground for the Raiders with 52 yards on only 10 carries (5.2 ypc). Darren McFadden was also busy with 7 carries for 23 yards (3.3 ypc) and 4 receptions for 55 yards (13.8 avg). Zach Miller was a beast in the passing game for the Raiders yesterday with 9 grabs for 110 yards (12.2 avg). Chaz Schilens also had a solid game with 4 grabs for 64 yards (16.0 avg) yesterday. The Raiders finished up with 389 total yards on offense (88 rushing, 301 passing).
Linebacker Kirk Morrison led the way for the Raiders yesterday with 14 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit. Safety Tyvon Branch pitched in with 10 tackles yesterday. The Browns finished up with 282 yards on offense (164 rushing, 118 passing) in this game. The Raiders are now 5-10 on the year.
30-year old cornerback Chris Johnson is really playing well for the Raiders this season. He has played in 14 games for the Raiders this year and he has made 66 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 18 passes and he has 3 interceptions. Teams have been challenging Johnson all season long and he keeps responding by making big, game altering plays.
25-year old running back Michael Bush started his NFL career rehabbing but he is now starting to pay dividends for the Raiders now that he finally appears healthy. Bush has played in 14 games for the Raiders this season and he has carried the ball 103 times for 519 yards (5.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He has also caught 15 passes for 94 yards (6.3 avg) this year. Bush has outplayed Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden this year so he might be able to win the job as the main ball carrier in 2010 if he finishes this season strong.