Postgame wrap
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Sunday, October 19th, 2008 at 8:15 pm in Oakland Raiders.
News, notes and observations from the Raiders’ 16-13 overtime win against the New York Jets Sunday at the Coliseum:
– Coach Tom Cable gave out game balls to quarterback JaMarcus Russell and place kicker Sebastian Janikowski but plans on handing more out Monday.
Russell outplayed Brett Favre and was 17-for-30 for 203 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Favre was 21 of 38 for 197 yards and interceptions by Gibril Wilson (at the goal line) and DeAngelo Hall.
“Oh, man, he’s a legend. Before the game, the coin toss, you go out there and try not to put it on your mind that you’re playing against one of the best quarterbacks who ever played the game, Russell said. “I’m trying to get to that level. It was a lot of fun just to see him go out there and play the game.”
– Still more work to do for Russell and Co. on third down _ the Raiders were 4-for-17 on third down conversions.
Janikowski’s club-record 57-yard field goal won the game. He was so confident the kick was true he didn’t even watch it go through the uprights.
“As soon as I hit it, I started celebrating because I knew I hit it good,” Janikowski said. “So I didn’t see it go in.”
It came with none other than 1970 miracle man George Blanda in attendance.
Blanda was introduced along with Ken Stabler and Jim Plunkett before the game. The three were on hand for Gene Upshaw’s memorial service.
– Take Javon Walker’s face off the milk carton. With five receptions for 75 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown reception on a third-and-goal play from the 8-yard line, he is no longer a missing person. It was Walker’s first touchdown since Dec. 24, 2006 against the Cincinnati Bengals _ a span of 14 games.
“It feels good. It feels real good. Now it just become addictive,” Walker said.“I feel like I can’t stay out once going in, you know last year was a setback with injuries and whatnot, but once you get me started, it’s something that probably won’t stop.”
– Tough going for the Raiders running game, as Justin Fargas needed 28 carries to gain 74 yards. Darren McFadden had 39 yards on eight carries and also caught three passes for 50 yards. Michael Bush never got in the game.
“I think just the flow of the game. You know, those two guys out there really did a nice job. And that defense, they’re like third in the league in rush defense, really good. And so they really tested us,” Cable said. “They had a lot of guys down in that box, and that nose guard is a good player, and those ends are good players, so let’s just grind it out and try to out-tough ‘em.”
– The Raiders finished with 38 carries for 153 yards, but 40 of those yards were pure deception on two carries _ an 18-yard reverse with Johnnie Lee Higgins and Jon Alston’s 22-yard burst on fourth-and-2 as the personal protector in a punting situation.
The only other fake in recent memory came last year, when Shane Lechler was dumped for a 4-yard loss when he thought a fake was on when protector Stuart Schweigert had actually called it off.
Alston’s run led to the 37-yard field goal by Janikowski which gave the Raiders the lead. The Raiders have been working on the play for more than two weeks during special teams practice and Cable thought the timing was right with the score 10-10 and momentum slipping away.
“Luke Lawton did a great job on the edge and Jon had great ball security and got more than we needed,” Cable said. “I thought it was a really pivotal point in the game because it really juiced us back up, really put some life back in us. We were kind of teetering in that gray area you don’t want to be in.”
The thought of a fake never entered Fargas’ mind.
“My back was turned to the play, and I couldn’t believe it,” Fargas said. “I didn’t know what happened. I’m just glad we were getting the ball back.”
– Cable on the ill-timed time out which enabled Jay Feely to convert a 52-yard field goal after having his first attempt hit the upright: “But what do you do? I called it so you have to live with it.”
– Some conservative series’ late in the game had the crowd booing, and Cable did not disagree.
“Maybe we got a little conservative and that’s my fault on offense,” Cable said. “The last series I just said, look, let’s be balanced, let’s go back and throw it and run it and mix it up. We did that and JaMarcus was fabulous and guys caught the fooball for him. Greg (Knapp) did a great job calling the last segment.”
Left unsaid was whether Cable first urged Knapp to go conservative, or if Knapp went conservative and then Cable told him to be a little more bold in terms of play-calling.
– Rookie defensive end Trevor Scott was part of an Oakland defensive front that kept Favre out of his comfort zone most of the game, recording his first two career sacks. Oakland’s third sack went to Tommy Kelly.
“Going into this game, I was thinking to myself this whole week, how would cool to be if the first sack I ever got was on Brett Favre?,” Scott said. “A legend. I can’t even describe the feeling I’ve got right now. It’s pretty indescribable.”
– Much ado about very little . . . the Jets played so many snaps with an empty backfield the Raiders spent most of the game in dime defense, meaning Michael Huff played more snaps than Hiram Eugene. Meanwhile, Chaz Schilens elevated to a starter’s status of Ronald Curry, caught two passes for 10 yards.
Huff dropped an easy pass interception thrown directly into his hands by Favre on a third-and-4 play which could have put the Raiders in instant field goal position with 8:02 remaining.
– Defensive tackle Gerard Warren was limping heavily with his right ankle taped in the locker room following the game.
