Week 5's Raiders-Giants game may go down as the biggest mismatch of the entire NFL season. New York led 28-0 without breaking a sweat and cruised to a 44-7 victory against an absolutely pitiful Oakland squad.And if it looked easy for the Giants -- well, that's because it was. Linebacker Antonio Pierce told Fox Sports' Alex Marvez that last Sunday's game felt like a "scrimmage".
"I do not like knocking teams. But right now, they're struggling. We're playing that game the other day and, honestly, it felt like a scrimmage, like a practice," Pierce said. "It felt like we were going against our offense [in a controlled setting] as far as the tempo."
Pierce, who admitted to growing up a Raiders fan, continued:
"There was no vibe of trying or effort from the Raiders at all from a defensive standpoint against their offense. We're getting three-and-outs. You don't hear nobody [saying], 'Hey, let's go!' trying to pick the guys up, rallying them, getting guys fired up. There was nothing. It was quiet. A guy gets sacked or somebody gets beat, they just get up. It's not like there's yelling or no kind of [emotion] about the way they were playing.
"It was shocking to be out there in that game and get that kind of feeling."
Exactly none of this should come as a surprise. The Raiders are an absolute disaster right now -- from the possible Tom Cable felony assault charges, to the baffling Darrius Heyward-Bey draft pick, to JaMarcus Russell being a bum, there just isn't much for Oakland to cling to at the moment.
Only a Week 2 win over fellow AFC West bottom-scraper Kansas City has kept the Raiders from total meltdown this season (not to mention eliminated the otherwise-real possibility that Oakland would go 0-16).
The Cable situation, for the record, is not going away anytime soon. Despite Cable's insistence that his legal situation is not impacting the team, the results on the field speak otherwise -- Cable faces potential jail time if he's found guilty of assaulting assistant Randy Hanson, and Roger Goodell said Wednesday that Cable could face NFL discipline.The Russell mess isn't clearing up, either. His $61 million contract runs through 2012, meaning Oakland will continue to force him into the starting lineup, and his backups, Charlie Frye and Bruce Gradkowski, wouldn't offer much relief anyway.
Times are bad in Oakland, and they aren't showing any signs of getting better.
"That organization right now, they need some guidance," Pierce told Fox Sports. "They need somebody to pick them up."
(h/t: GridironFans.com)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-14-2009 @ 3:14PM
chilly16 said...
Everyone is talking trash on how bad russell and the raiders are playing. WE'll see if they take notice and do anything against the birds.
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10-14-2009 @ 4:19PM
rayderdude said...
im a raider fan for more then 28 years and i hate to say it but the raiders are sucking. russell needs to retire he is bad o/line let the d/line take him out so we could get a real qb
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10-14-2009 @ 9:51PM
Buddy said...
not so sure the problem is jamarcus, doesn't look like the team wants to play football
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10-14-2009 @ 10:22PM
Albert S, said...
You know what I REALLY am getting sick and tired of everybody talking so bad about my Raiders yeah we havent won jack sh!t in a while , Yeah are coach is going to prison , Yeah our 60 million dollar Qb is worse than Ryan Leaf , Yeah Al Davis only picks the fastest players available in the drafts , Yeah we have a few years of losing at least 10 or more games a season . But I am a DIE HARD RAIDERS fan been one since conception and my team will be mine in death with my 5 children . If anyone cares to remember the New Engand Pats used to suck also , We just switched positions and as soon as Al dies or sells we'll still be down . We will be back. I still dont think were worse than Detroit .
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10-15-2009 @ 12:13AM
wgu331 said...
I think they should challenge Russel by putting Gradkowski in and see how the team responds. What have you got to loose? I have seen Gradkowski play in college and he was phenominal and brought a passion to the field. He may not be a Manning but he probably has learned a lot since Tampa. I think he can ignite the team to do better. It takes a team to win but sometimes it just takes a spark to ignite the fire they need.
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10-15-2009 @ 1:09AM
reikilight said...
Antonio Pierce is an idiot and if all he has to say is in detail how bad the Raiders looked last week ... then he is a pretty shallow and sad professional athlete! Yeah the Raiders suck ... mainly because of Al Davis ... but what kind of person kicks a dog while he is down simply to hear himself speak? What an idiot! No class ... and setting himself up to failure by stooping so low. There will be no tears when you have your knees operated on Antonio ... or carried out on a stretcher ... there is one thing a quality person NEVER does ... and that is kicking someone while they are down. What a classless ego filled idiot he is!
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10-15-2009 @ 9:34AM
pingbalata said...
You could take John Madden and the Raider team from '76 '77 as they are today and they would kick the dogsheeit out of this bunch of overpaid punkass losers. I have been a Raider fan since I was 7 years old. Lamonica, Stabler, hell even Blanda are better right now than Jerkmarcuss.Where did the pride go? Could you imagine somebody talking like this about the old silver and black? Their body would never be found.
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10-15-2009 @ 9:37AM
franerboy said...
Lot of negative comments from Raider fans. Well when your right your right. I am a Giant fan from birth but I deplore the comments of Antonio Pierce. He lacks class and wasn't around when the Giants were strugling just as bad as the Raiders are. Antonio keep your mouth shut except when call defensive plays om the field.
My Dad taught me " If you can't say something nice about someone don't say anything at all."
I wonder what Antonio's Dad told him ????
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10-15-2009 @ 12:54PM
richcantwell109 said...
Pierce was probably asked to comment on the Raiders, and gave his opinion, which he is entitled to do. I'm a long time Giant fan, but am I the only Giant fan that thinks Antonio Pierce is very over-rated? He'll have an OK game against the likes of the Raiders and disappear against solid opposition. They (other Giant fans) say "he's great at calling defensive signals". So make him a coach. He misses a lot of tackles in important games if you pay attention.
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10-15-2009 @ 4:51PM
stevo said...
my 4 year old could out coach cable,what a joke the raiders have become,i don't think they could beat any top 10 college team!The 53 man roster should be arrested for impersonating football players!WAY to go Al,you 80 year old piece of garbage!
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10-15-2009 @ 10:06PM
daddyxxx101 said...
im a serious giant fan myself and while i and im sure other giants fans and NFL fans in general probably felt the same way about the raiders game, you just don't say things like that as a professional. if you watched the game i know that at one point or another in that game you were thinking that the giants look like they are at practice. I dont care who you are. i don't care if you hate the giants and the raiders. but the bottom line is when you are asked questiions as a professional you are expected to answer them as a professional and what antonio pierce said was not not professional
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10-16-2009 @ 1:18AM
kennethmattison said...
I hope AL Davis runs the Raider nation for much more time in the coming years I enjoy the direction this football team is going and runned into the ground GO RAIDERS opps faiders.
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