26-year old QB Bruce Gradkowski replaced JaMarcus Russell two weeks ago and the Raiders’ offense has improved.  He has completed 35 of 69 passes (50.7%) for 383 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT in his two starts.  He has also carried the ball 9 times for 38 yards (4.2 ypc).  Gradkowski has been a good game manager and he has done a great job of protecting the football.  He has now played in 5 games (2 starts) this season overall for the Raiders and he has completed 52 of 99 passes (52.5%) for 546 yards with 3 TD passes and 3 INTs (66.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 12 times for 72 yards (6.0 ypc) so far this season.  Gradkowski is playing for his future right now so look for him to keep doing a decent job for the Raiders.

28-year old CB Nnamdi Asomugha is such a good player that teams really try to look to throw to the other side of the field and that’s a smart thing.  Asomugha has played in all 10 games for the Raiders so far this season and he has 24 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He has now played in 102 games in his NFL career (all with the Raiders) and he has 281 tackles, 55 passes defensed, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and he has 11 interceptions (1 returned for a TD).  Maybe the Cowboys will make a mistake or two by challenging him tomorrow.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler have been outstanding for the Raiders this season.  Janikowski has made all 12 of his field goal attempts and all six of his extra points.  So the Raiders have not left any points on the field this season due to Janikowski’s strong left leg.  Shane Lechler has been booming punts all season for the Raiders.  He has punted the ball 46 times for 2,407 yards (52.3 avg) so far this season.  Lechler only has 4 touchbacks (8.7%) and he has pinned the opposition inside their own 20 yard line 14 times (30.4%) this season.  These two guys have been outstanding for the Raiders so far this season and they need them to keep up the good work.

Every time the Raiders dump on Justin Fargas he always bounces back.  Darren McFadden started this season as the starting running back and he didn’t play too well before injuring himself.  Enter Fargas.  Fargas was the leading rusher for the Raiders last season and he is leading the team again this year despite not really playing much in the first four games of the season.  Fargas has carried the ball 72 times for 263 yards (3.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) so far this season for the Raiders.  Fargas should keep the starting job even when McFadden returns from injury because he is the better player right now.

27-year old linebacker Kirk Morrison is one of the busiest defensive players in the NFL right now.  He has played in 7 games this season for the Raiders and he has 67 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and he has forced 1 fumble.  This is nothing new to Raiders’ fans as Morrison has 4 years of 116+ tackles in a season.  It’s just too bad that the D-Line has not kept him clean or the run defense would be much better than it is.

TE Zach Miller has been the go-to man for JaMarcus Russell.  Miller leads the Raiders in catches (21), receiving yards (354) and he is tied for the lead in TD grabs (1).  The tight end has always been the best friend of a young QB and Miller certainly has been that.  It’s only a matter of time until defenses devote a lot more effort into stopping Miller and that will be when the WRs need to step up.  That will be easier said than done.  Rookie Louis Murphy is the only other player on the Raiders besides Miller who has caught more than 10 passes (12) and has more than 100 yards receiving (174) this year.  The Raiders need to find more help in the passing game soon.

The Raiders got a deal when they drafted Bush a couple of years ago as he slid in the draft due to injury.  He is now 100% and he gives the Raiders the power runner they need to complement the flash and speed of Darren McFadden.  Bush has carried the ball 27 times for 110 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 6 passes for 41 yards (6.8 avg) this season for the Raiders.  Bush should get most of the short yardage runs and goal line carries as he runs low to the ground with power.

Rookie 4th round pick Louis Murphy out of Florida is off to a great start for the Raiders.  Murphy caught 4 passes for 87 yards (21.8 avg) with a TD grab against the Chargers on Monday Night.  He should have had over 100 yards and 2 TDs but the refs made a bad call in the end zone.  The sky is the limit for Murphy as he has great deep speed which fits into the Raiders’ age old philosophy of running the ball and throwing deep.