Ballers & Busters: Raiders preseason Week 2 vs Rams
Another preseason in the books. And while the joint practices were probably more useful to the starters than the game — because many didn’t play and most of those who did saw just one drive — the roster hopefuls rely on it as a proving ground. Not just for the Raiders, but any other team that may be watching.
For that reason, it gives the Raiders a lot to think about. Obviously because they want to keep the best players, but also because they don’t want to risk another team scooping them up on waivers.
In that regard, the performances in the game means something. Whether it’s those who balled out or those whose performance was a bust. In other words…
Ballers
QB Aidan O’Connell
He’s two for two this preseason as the Raiders’ top Baller. This week he played the entire second half and was nearly flawless doing it. He threw for 163 yards on 11 of 18 passes with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The fourth round rookie is developing quite a following this early on and deservedly so.
LT Jermaine Eluemunor, RT Thayer Munford
With Josh McDaniels saying Kolton Miller was a bit banged up, he moved Eluemunor from right to left and started Munford on the right side. And the two formed a wall for half the game.
The first drive of the game was led by Jimmy Garoppolo. The Raiders marched down the field 70 yards for the score. Along the way Munford was a key block on a ten-yard run, Eluemunor cleared the way for Zamir White to pick up the first and goal on third and one, and the next play Munford was part of the escort for Brandon Bolden to score from seven yards out.
There were several time Brian Hoyer held the ball much longer than you’d have liked. But because of Eluemunor and Munford, he only paid for it once. Two other times, he sat in the pocket comfortably until he found his man for completions of 17 yards and 43 yards.
WR Phillip Dorsett, WR DeAndre Carter
Those completions of 17 and 43 yards both went to Dorsett on consecutive plays near the end of the first half. Two plays later, his man was flagged for pass interference trying to keep Dorsett from beating him for another catch. And it led to a field goal.
But that’s not where Dorsett’s day stared. He had the first catch of the game from Garoppolo on the opening touchdown drive. He got a step on his man on a deep ball on the next drive, but the pass was behind him so it was knocked down.
Carter was impressive because he had nice plays in three different areas. He laid a clear out block on the first touchdown. Then at the end of the first quarter, he had a 31-yard punt return before just barely getting pushed out of bounds near midfield, and finally he had a nine-yard catch. Check those three boxes. We already know about his deep speed.
LB Curtis Bolton
As you might expect, this special teams maven made his first play of the game in the return game, getting down the field on coverage teams to make the stop at the 24-yard-line. He would make another special teams tackle later in the game.
In the second quarter, he was in on defense and made a run stop for no gain despite the defender grabbing his face mask.
In the third quarter he had a tackle on a short catch and a tackle for loss that was nullified by a holding penalty on the defense.
LB Drake Thomas
The undrafted rookie showed some great instincts and tackling abilities. He entered the game on defense in the third quarter and finished with a team leading 10 combined tackles, including four run stops of two yards or less and a tackle for loss and two tackles on special teams.
WR Keelan Cole
The O’Connell/Cole connection was clicking in the second half. For five catches on six targets for 60 yards. That included a 21-yards hookup on O’Connell’s first touchdown drive and catches of 11 yards and 17 yards on third and nine on his second TD drive.
Honorable Mention
S Isaiah Pola-Mao — Was in the right position to haul in an interception which he returned 50 yards for a TD.
G Greg Van Roten — Gave up no run stuffs or pressures while being a key block on the Brandon Bolden TD run to end the first drive.
WR Cam Sims — Made an impressive leaping touchdown grab along the right side of the end zone, dragging his toes to secure it. There’s value in being able to make catches like that.
Busters
QB Brian Hoyer
As good as O’Connell was in the second half, Hoyer was basically the opposite in the first half. He completed just 12 of 22 passes with no TDs and a pick six to finish with a 55.9 passer rating.
On his first drive, he had Phillip Dorsett up the left sideline, but the pass was behind him, allowing it to be knocked down. The next drive, he got solid field position on the kick return to midfield, then he held the ball too long and was sacked and overthrew Tre Tucker on third and 13. Next drive was the pick six, which he threw pretty much right into the hands of linebacker Jacob Hummel.
The Raiders led 20-10 at the half, but only because of Jimmy G leading them to a TD on the first drive and Stetson Bennett’s gift pick six to Pola-Mao. All of Hoyer’s drives either went nowhere or stalled.
WR Tre Tucker, Austin Hooper
Not exactly the hands team. Hooper saw two passes. The first one he just flat out dropped. The second he pushed off and was flagged for offensive pass interference.
Tucker’s first chance at making a catch came on a kick return which went through his arms. Then he made matters worse by picking it up and taking it out of the end zone. He was stopped at the 10-yard line.
Then just before the end of the second quarter, he made a nice move on a back shoulder pass for the end zone and had it doink off of him again.
They gave him a couple chances to use his legs instead of his hands. The first was on a bubble screen, which the speedster could only get four yards out of it. Later he got the ball on a sweep and got just two yards.
He finished with three catches on seven targets, with most of it on a nice and easy pass from O’Connell that picked up 40 yards.
S Jaquan Johnson
He gave up a 15-yard catch on the Rams’ first scoring drive and couldn’t catch Stetson Bennett on the edge on his touchdowns scramble. His stat line consisted of one tackle.
CB Amik Robertson
On one drive in the third quarter, Robertson gave up a 25-yard catch because he didn’t get his head around until the ball was already over his head, gave up a six-yard catch, and missed the tackle on a seven-yard catch. His best play was a nice break he made on a pass into the left flat. It had pick six written all over it, but he dropped it.
