NFL Battle of the West: Raiders and Niners

August 20, 2011

Two of the most highly touted “surprise” teams heading into the 2011 season will go head to head on Saturday. Both the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders are expected to make a large step forward this season, but not everyone feels the same way. NFL experts are clearly not on the same page as the majority of football handicappers in regards to where these teams will finish this year. The Raiders finished 8-8 last season, but despite all of the hype in regards to their new head coach and quarterback, oddsmakers have given them an over/under for wins of 7. The Niners have been a potential breakthrough team for 2 or 3 years, but always seem to disappoint. They are predicted to have between 7 and 8 wins this season, but in the NFC West, that could be enough to win the division.

Alex Smith has been a project for his entire 7 year career, yet rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh is giving him another shot to prove himself this season. Smith will try to do what he can with the limited amount of resources provided to him. Having Ted Ginn as your top wide receiver isn’t a good thing, but hopefully some of the other young and talented receivers will step up for this team. San Francisco does have one of the best tight ends in the league with Vernon Davis, but injuries have held him out of several games during the course of his career. The only “go-to” player that the Niners have offensively is running back Frank Gore. That being said, Gore missed 5 games last year and finished with fewer than 900 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. Harbaugh has proven to be a solid leader in the college ranks, but whether or not his system translates to the professional ranks has yet to be determined.

There’s no questioning what this team’s strength is……defense! They may have been only the 13th best in the league at total defense, but they were often caught playing on a short field with all the turnovers surrendered by their offense. The Niners were 1 of only 6 teams that allowed less than 100 yards per game on the ground, and most of the reason why was their All-Pro linebacker Partrick Willis. Willis has become one of the most feared defensive players in the game, and is only getting better. San Francisco’s lack of pressure on the quarterback really hurt them last year, and that’s why they used their first round selection to get defensive end Aldon Smith from Missouri. Smith’s size and speed are what put him at the top of the draft boards for his position. He will bring an immediate impact to this defense that will hopefully translate to more wins for the team.

Smith will be tested on Saturday as he takes on the new look offense of the Oakland Raiders. Jason Cambell took over the reigns as the Raiders top signal caller last season, but wasn’t given enough freedom to display his talents. His completion percentage and yards per attempt are up there with the top QB’s in the game, but only having 329 attempts in 13 games isn’t enough to keep this offense moving consistently. Running back Darren McFadden had a phenomenal year in 2010, and will be expected to do the same if not more this year. The addition of Darrius Heywood-Bey to the receiver group will give their passing game another dimension, but they are still lacking overall at that position.

Hue Jackson has taken over as head coach of this team, and will instill a defensive mentality to this team. They have already improved by leaps and bounds on that side of the ball, but should be a force this season and for years to come. The loss of Nnamdi Asomugha will not be as devastating to this defense as football predictions may indicate. They have a talented secondary that is led by safety Tyvon Branch. Branch led the team in tackles last season which is rare for a safety. He and the rest of the secondary have enough talent to shut down their opponents passing game.

This will be a hard fought battle that’s decided in the 4th quarter. Tune in Saturday as the Raiders and Niners look to get their first win of the pre-season.

Written by Tony Bravo · Filed Under NFL

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