http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/18/SPRS1465N8.DTL
Harris gets another chance with Raiders
"False Start" might be as good a title for the Raiders' season as any other. Offensive tackle Kwame Harris added to his league-leading false-start total by committing two in the span of three snaps against the Dolphins on Sunday.
He was benched for the rest of the game in favor of second-year man Mario Henderson. Harris has piled up nine such penalties, while teammate Cornell Green is second in the league with six.
But Henderson played so poorly that coach Tom Cable said he is shelving his short-lived plan to rotate him with Harris. "At this point, I'll play Kwame," he said. "He's the left tackle of the Oakland Raiders."
The problems of the offensive line, coupled with the inexperience of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, have contributed to the Raiders' failure to score an offensive touchdown in the last 13 quarters.
Their ineptness on offense continued in the 17-15 loss to the Dolphins, who had trouble scoring themselves and needed a last-minute field goal to win.
Cable thought Russell (15-for-22, 156 yards) was "probably about as good as he's played." And he raved about the special teams, especially Johnny Lee Higgins' 93-yard punt return, which put the Raiders ahead with 4:30 left.
"You can look back and say, well, if we'd have made one more play on defense, or made a play in the red zone on offense, you win the football game," Cable said. "It really is that simple." He said it was "an awesome effort by our team, but it still hurts the same because we didn't win."
Shortly after the game, Cable said he thought Henderson had played well in the second half. Upon further review, the verdict changed. Cable said he graded out "poorly."
"Some things, once you get a chance to look at it on film weren't what you thought they were," he said. "Kwame will remain the starter. We've got to clean up the penalties with him, but he was playing quite well, other than those two false starts."
The two penalties, however, came after the Raiders threatened to tie the score from the Miami 6-yard line late in the first half. Sandwiched around an option-pass play for Darren McFadden that resulted in a sack when intended receiver Luke Lawton couldn't get open, the penalties helped thwart the touchdown bid. The Raiders had to settle for a field goal.
Harris has had a history not only of false starts but of giving up sacks, which explains why the 49ers let the 2003 first-round draft pick depart after last season.
"Kwame is a brilliant guy, a very intelligent guy," Cable said. "I think he has a tendency to overanalyze rather than just relax and play."
A lack of confidence is his problem, Cable said. "He's just got to believe he's a good football player because he is when he's right."
Henderson's problem has been a lack of aggressiveness, a shortcoming that former coach Lane Kiffin pointed out publicly. Cable apparently feels the same way.
Henderson said the interim coach stressed "that I need to get aggressive and I need to play with a little more passion."
The whole team is going to need to play with passion Sunday when they play at Denver. The Broncos (6-4) handed the Raiders a 41-14 pasting on opening night.
At least the Oakland offense mustered two late, face-saving touchdowns that night. The offense has scored just nine TDs in 10 games; the Green Bay Packers have scored that many on returns by their defense and special teams.
Briefly: Cable said he thinks defensive end Derrick Burgess, who has missed the last six games with a partially torn triceps, will return to action this week. ... Ronald Curry caught a game-high six passes for 73 yards. Cable said he played well, but said if Chaz Schilens (ankle) were healthy, the rookie would start ahead of Curry, the team's leading receiver the past two seasons but mostly a forgotten man this year.
Running back Michael Bush has resisted Cable's idea of switching him to fullback. "He can be a special, special fullback in this league," Cable said. With Justin Fargas as the starter and Darren McFadden healthy after his turf-toe problems, Bush is stuck at third string. The Raiders are down to Lawton at fullback after losing Oren O'Neal in training camp and Justin Griffith four weeks ago, both to season-ending knee injuries.
Harris gets another chance with Raiders
"False Start" might be as good a title for the Raiders' season as any other. Offensive tackle Kwame Harris added to his league-leading false-start total by committing two in the span of three snaps against the Dolphins on Sunday.
He was benched for the rest of the game in favor of second-year man Mario Henderson. Harris has piled up nine such penalties, while teammate Cornell Green is second in the league with six.
But Henderson played so poorly that coach Tom Cable said he is shelving his short-lived plan to rotate him with Harris. "At this point, I'll play Kwame," he said. "He's the left tackle of the Oakland Raiders."
The problems of the offensive line, coupled with the inexperience of quarterback JaMarcus Russell, have contributed to the Raiders' failure to score an offensive touchdown in the last 13 quarters.
Their ineptness on offense continued in the 17-15 loss to the Dolphins, who had trouble scoring themselves and needed a last-minute field goal to win.
Cable thought Russell (15-for-22, 156 yards) was "probably about as good as he's played." And he raved about the special teams, especially Johnny Lee Higgins' 93-yard punt return, which put the Raiders ahead with 4:30 left.
"You can look back and say, well, if we'd have made one more play on defense, or made a play in the red zone on offense, you win the football game," Cable said. "It really is that simple." He said it was "an awesome effort by our team, but it still hurts the same because we didn't win."
Shortly after the game, Cable said he thought Henderson had played well in the second half. Upon further review, the verdict changed. Cable said he graded out "poorly."
"Some things, once you get a chance to look at it on film weren't what you thought they were," he said. "Kwame will remain the starter. We've got to clean up the penalties with him, but he was playing quite well, other than those two false starts."
The two penalties, however, came after the Raiders threatened to tie the score from the Miami 6-yard line late in the first half. Sandwiched around an option-pass play for Darren McFadden that resulted in a sack when intended receiver Luke Lawton couldn't get open, the penalties helped thwart the touchdown bid. The Raiders had to settle for a field goal.
Harris has had a history not only of false starts but of giving up sacks, which explains why the 49ers let the 2003 first-round draft pick depart after last season.
"Kwame is a brilliant guy, a very intelligent guy," Cable said. "I think he has a tendency to overanalyze rather than just relax and play."
A lack of confidence is his problem, Cable said. "He's just got to believe he's a good football player because he is when he's right."
Henderson's problem has been a lack of aggressiveness, a shortcoming that former coach Lane Kiffin pointed out publicly. Cable apparently feels the same way.
Henderson said the interim coach stressed "that I need to get aggressive and I need to play with a little more passion."
The whole team is going to need to play with passion Sunday when they play at Denver. The Broncos (6-4) handed the Raiders a 41-14 pasting on opening night.
At least the Oakland offense mustered two late, face-saving touchdowns that night. The offense has scored just nine TDs in 10 games; the Green Bay Packers have scored that many on returns by their defense and special teams.
Briefly: Cable said he thinks defensive end Derrick Burgess, who has missed the last six games with a partially torn triceps, will return to action this week. ... Ronald Curry caught a game-high six passes for 73 yards. Cable said he played well, but said if Chaz Schilens (ankle) were healthy, the rookie would start ahead of Curry, the team's leading receiver the past two seasons but mostly a forgotten man this year.
Running back Michael Bush has resisted Cable's idea of switching him to fullback. "He can be a special, special fullback in this league," Cable said. With Justin Fargas as the starter and Darren McFadden healthy after his turf-toe problems, Bush is stuck at third string. The Raiders are down to Lawton at fullback after losing Oren O'Neal in training camp and Justin Griffith four weeks ago, both to season-ending knee injuries.
