The Oakland Raiders met the New York Jets at MetLife stadium for their week one season opener, and a defensive slobber-knocker ensued. Third down stops and heavy hits started early in this matchups of hard-hitting heavyweights, resulting in no first quarter points and an early turnover as Raiders rookie halfback George Atkinson was laid out and made forced to fumble by Jets MLB David Harris.
In the post-game press conference the rookie Atkinson had this to say about the blow delivered by the 6'2'' 250 pound MLB, "Yeah, it was definitely not enjoyable. Physically or mentally. For Coach Migliano to put his faith in me to start day one, and then to fumble so early in the game, I really feared that walk to the sideline. But Coach just nodded and patted me on the shoulder and said 'Welcome to the NFL' and that was that. He still put me back on the field, even though Maurice did get the majority of the carries tonight, but he didn't just sit me on the bench. I think I punish myself more than Coach might."
Despite the good fortune handed to the Jets from the turnover, nothing came of it as the defensive battle continued. It wasn't until Oaklands last drive of the first half, that David Carr's arm and Jones-Drew power slowly worked the ball down field against the Jets resulting in a one-yard touchdown run by Jones-Drew.
After half, both teams defenses began to look once again dominate against the other's offense. The third quarter was a quiet one in regards to points, but the hits continued to come. This time the blows were being delivered from the Raiders defense as Raiders LE Justin Tuck and CB DJ Hayden landed heavy blows causing two NY Jets to be taken off the field by the training staff. NY Jets QB Geno Smith was shaken up by Tuck enough to not see another snap all game, but was reported to be just fine in the post-game press conferences. Unfortunately for the Jets 6'5'' sure-handed WR David Nelson, the blow delivered by Hayden was more than critical as Nelson is reported to miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral.
The game must go on, and as it did, the fourth quarter brough with it some exciting NFL nail biting moments. With freshly-acquired kicker David Akers putting up three points for the Raiders, the NY Jets back-up QB Michael Vick got a chance to play the role of comeback king and lead the Jets offense as they tried to recover late in the game.
Vick would show purpose as he looked deep and proved that he still had the arm strength to get the ball over top of defenders, finding NY Jets rookie Wide Receiver Jalen Saunders for a deep bomb, resulting in a ninety yard touchdown catch that brought the Jets within three with little time left on the clock.
However, after an unsucessful onside kick by NY, it was all but over as Oakland entered victory stance and ran the clock, and hopes of a Jets comeback, down to zero. When asked about the long bomb from Vick, Coach Migliano of the Raiders had this to say about the play:
"To be honest, it was a lapse in fundamentals on Tyvon [Branch]'s part. He knows it, he acknowledged it when I approached him on the sideline, and we will just make sure that we focus on knowing what to do in a given situation. Up two possessions late in the fourth quarter, you don't try to show off, you don't try for a highlight interception, you put a hand up, you swat the ball down, and you make them throw short and eat clock. Vick wasn't making the cleanest throws, this one being no different; we had a man in position and the right play should've been made. It wasn't, and we were fortunate enough to secure both the onside kick and the victory. I am sure the next time he finds himself in that same situation, Branch won't let the fundamentals slip. All you can do is practice and instill, and hope that when needed during game time, the practice pays off. It's week 1, we played good, and we were able to fend off a tough opponent long enough. As the weeks go on, hopefully the leads become larger, and the mistakes remain few."
The Raiders will be flying back home to Oakland in high spirits as they prepare for their week 2 matchup against Watt, Clowney, and the Texans.
The Oakland Raiders' freshman head coach Vinnie Migliano stated the Oakland Raiders will see a lot of young new faces starting on the field come week 1 in their season opener against the New York Jets.
Coach Migliano told reporters earlier today, "I feel like the team had a great offseason. A lot of the rookies showed excellent promise. You know, I figure hey I came into control of a poop team at the bottom, worst rated in the NFL this season, so the only place to go is up."
Head Coach Vinnie Migliano was brought on as the new head coach of the Raiders as part of the Oakland Raiders overhaul that came when Shawn Corona purchased the struggling franchise.
When asked about the decision to bring in Coach Migliano, Corona stated: "I like Vinnie alot. I like what he's about. He has a strong history of running business with tenacity and smarts, and I hope that carries over to how we see our players perform on the field."
We questioned the Raiders new GM about the allegations surrounding Coach Migliano and the possible mafia ties he is rumored to be affiliated with, but no comment was given.
Among the Fresh faces on the sidelines and in the front office, there will also be new faces performing on the field. With no surprise after the cries from the fans, and a great preseason performance, Carr has won the starting job at QB. Another no brainer, is the decision to start rookie OLB Khalil Mack to help the Raiders struggling linebacking core.
The more surprising of the rookie announcements were on the offensive side of the ball involving the news that Raider veteran Khalif Barnes would be replaced by rookie LG Gabe Jackson, and that the Notre Dame rookie HB George Atkinson would be the primary focus of the offense in the backfield.
In regard to the battle in the backfield, Coach Migliano stated, "What we have seen from him [Atkinson] has proven that he can be an impact player in our new offensive scheme. Although he will be the main focus of our backfield, he will be splitting carries with Maurice as we feel Jones-Drew can offer us more security and power in certain situations."
When asked about the role of HB Darren McFadden in Oakland's new offense, the new coach only replied: "Atkinson may have shown a little more promise out of the backfield, but that doesn't mean we don't recognize the threat McFadden can cause in certain matchups. Darren will see the field when those times come."
Oakland has definitely put their faith in youth as, including the 4 rookie starters, 9 starters for Oakland are going to be taking the field with only two years of experience or less. Most notably of these young starters are LB Sio Moore and CB DJ Hayden, who didn't make as much of a splash last year in their NFL debut as hoped for by Oakland. Will fortunes change for this youthful franchise, or will we continue to see growing pains from the Raiders this season?