The Raiders looked pretty good on offense last night but the defense and special teams let them done.  Jason Campbell completed 6 of 8 passes for 93 years before he was injured (neck stinger).  Bruce Gradkowski replaced Campbell and he was outstanding.  Gradkowski completed 14 of 22 passes for 202 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Michael Bush carried the ball 7 times for 23 yards (3.3 ypc) with a TD and he also caught 2 passes for 15 yards.  WR Louis Murphy led the way in the passing game for the Raiders last night with 2 grabs for 87 yards (43.5 avg) with a TD grab.  WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (3 rec, 46 yards) and TE Zach Miller (1 rec, 27 yards, TD) both also helped out in the passing game for the Raiders last night.  The Raiders finished up with 55 yards rushing (2.9 ypc) and 276 yards passing last night.

LB Rolando McClain (8 tackles) and S Michael Huff (5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 passes defensed) led the way for the Raiders’ D last night.  The Niners finished up with 165 yards rushing (5.0 ypc) and 167 yards passing last night.  The Raiders are now 2-1 on the pre-season.

24-year old WR Chaz Schilens will be out indefinitely (maybe half  the year) as he recently has underwent knee surgery.  This is a blow to the Raiders passing game as they were depending on Schilens to help them in 2010.  Schilens has played in 24 games (14 starts) in his career with the Raiders and he has caught 44 passes for 591 yards (13.4 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  The Raiders hope that Schilens will give them a boost in the passing game in the second half of the 2010 season.

The Raiders had a solid all around effort last Saturday Night in downing the Bears in Chicago.  Jason Campbell was so-so as he completed 10 of 20 passes for 170 yards with 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 14 yards (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Kyle Boller was very solid completing 7 of 9 passes for 55 yards.  He also had 1 carry for 2 yards and it went for a TD.  Colt Brennan completed his only pass attempt good for 14 yards.  Michael Bennett led the way for the Raiders on the ground in this game with 64 yards rushing on 15 carries (4.3 ypc).  Michael Bush pitched in with 26 yards rushing on 8 carries (3.3 ypc) in this game.  WR Louis Murphy (3 rec, 53 yards) and TE Zach Miller (3 rec, 32 yards) both had solid games for the Raiders.  The Raiders finished up with 113 yards rushing (3.0 ypc) and 225 yards passing in this game.

The defense was outstanding against the pass but not so good against the run in this game.  OLB Kamerion Wimbley was an unstoppable beast for the Raiders in this game with 6 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss and 4 QB hits.  DT Desmond Bryant also had a solid game with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit.  The Bears finished up with 174 yards rushing (7.0 ypc) but only 100 yards passing in this game.

The Raiders have lost 28-year old QB Charlie Frye for the entire 2010 season as they have placed him on I.R. due to surgery on his right wrist.  Frye played in 3 games (all starts) for the Raiders last season and he completed 53 of 87 passes (60.9%) for 581 yards with 1 TD pass and 4 INTs (65.3 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 41 yards (10.3 ypc) for the Raiders last season.  With Jason Campbell, Kyle Boller, Bruce Gradkowski and Colt Brennan on the roster it was going be very hard for Frye to make the team.

26-year old DE Jay Richardson needed surgery on his left knee which cause him to miss the rest of the pre-season.  Richardson played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Raiders last season and he had 23 tackles and 3 sacks.  He has now played in 48 games (22 starts) in his three years with the Raiders and he has 109 tackles, 7 sacks and 1 pass defensed.  Richardson is part of a rotation at DE so they hope he’s ready to return to action when the season starts.

The Raiders played great on defense last night but they didn’t score themselves until the 4th quarter.  Jason Campbell didn’t look to confident last night completing 7 of 13 passes for 49 yards.  But it was his first game in the Raiders’ system so maybe he’ll be better next week.  Kyle Boller solid for the Raiders last night as he completed 12 of 21 passes for 148 yards with 1 TD pass.  Michael Bennett led the way for the Raiders on the ground last night with 68 yards rushing on 12 carries (5.7 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 33 yards.  Michael Bush was also solid with 31 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.4 ypc).  Rock Cartwright carried the ball 7 times for 25 yards (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 28 yards (14.0 avg) last night.  Johnnie Lee Higgins (3 rec, 38 yards) and Yamon Figurs (3 rec, 34 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Raiders last night.  The Raiders finished up with 129 yards rushing (4.6 ypc) and 188 yards passing last night.

The Raiders finished up with six sacks last night and they stuffed the Cowboys running game.  Rookie DT Lamarr Houston and DE Matt Shaughnessy each had 2 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits apiece.  Safety Jerome Boyd didn’t make any tackles last night but he intercepted a Matt Nichols pass and returned it 48 yards for a TD.  The Cowboys finished up with 66 yards rushing (3.0 ypc) and 197 passing last night.

26-year old Johnnie Lee Higgins will battle 27-year old Yamon Figurs and rookie 4th round pick Jacoby Ford for the starting job as the kickoff return man in 2010.  Higgins did not return any kickoffs last season for the Raiders.  He has played in 47 games in his three years with the Raiders and he has returned 36 kickoffs for 842 yards (23.4 avg).  Higgins probably is at the top of the depth chart heading into the pre-season.

Yamon Figurs is a pretty solid return man in his own right.  He played in 6 games for the Bucs & Lions last season and he returned 5 kickoffs for 105 yards (21.0 avg).  Figurs has now played in 32 games in his 3 years in the NFL and he has returned 80 kickoffs for 1,851 yards (23.1 avg) with 1 TD return.  He has a really good chance of winning this job.

Rookie 4th round pick Jacoby Ford out of Clemson is a Al Davis favorite.  The 5’9″, 185 pound Ford ran a 4.2 40 at the scouting combine in Indy.  He has the most speed of these three guys but he will need to prove himself this pre-season if he wants to get a shot returning kickoffs when the bullets fly for real in September.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  C

The Raiders have placed 25-year old WR/KR Jonathan Holland on the Injured Reserve List ending his season with a ankle injury.  He didn’t catch any passes in his first two years in the NFL.  In 17 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Raiders he has returned 28 kickoffs for 550 yards (19.6 avg).  This is not much of a loss for the Raiders as they weren’t counting on Holland in 2010.

LT Mario Henderson is a big guy at 6’7″, 300 pounds but he sometimes loses out to power rushers who at times push him backwards.  He is a solid athlete though and he can compete with speed rushers.  LG Robert Gallery is the best O-Lineman the Raiders have.  His strength is  his run blocking as he doesn’t miss many targets.  Center Samson Satele is a tough guy who’s a better run blocker than a pass blocker.  RG Cooper Carlisle is a power blocker who has a non-stop motor.  He’s both a good pass and run blocker.  RT Khalif Barnes is a average tackle at best.  Rookies Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell will provide depth at tackle in 2010.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS O-LINE in 2010:  C-

The Raiders have signed QB Colt Brennan.  I’m really interested to find out what the thinking was here in bringing Brennan in.  The Raiders already have Jason Campbell, Bruce Gradkowski, Kyle Boller and Charlie Frye at QB for the 2010 season.  You would think that Brennan’s agent would have been looking for a team with less depth at QB to give him a legitimate chance to get his career going.  Brennan will be a longshot to make the Raiders’ opening day roster.