Some random thoughts (mostly concerns) as I get ready for the Jets and Raiders tomorrow afternoon in Oakland:
- The Raiders are a mess, one of the worst organizations in professional sports. And at 2-4, they’re not a very good football team, though last week’s win over the Eagles was impressive. Still, the Jets haven’t won on the West Coast since 2004, and, as I showed in last night’s post, they’ve struggled against the Raiders this decade.
- Oakland’s starting quarterback, JaMarcus Russell, isn’t exactly Tom Brady, and the rest of the offense doesn’t scare you. But consider this, again from my colleague Steve Swidler: The Jets have lost to backup quarterbacks the last two games, Miami’s Chad Henne and Buffalo’s Ryan Fitzpatrick. Many NFL observers don’t consider Russell to be anything more than a backup. What does that mean for the Jets this week in Oakland?
- The Raiders’ defense has given up 139 points in six games. But, Mark Sanchez isn’t doing too well these days. Five interceptions last week agains the Bills, and now concerns about his body language as reported this week by Greg Bishop in The New York Times.
Game analysis and prediction on the way tomorrow. Go Penn State! And go Yankees!
