Category: Raiders buzz

Reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week Maxx Crosby already ‘flushed the game’ and moved on

Reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week Maxx Crosby already ‘flushed the game’ and moved on

The fans are probably not ready to stop celebrating the Raiders’ big win over the Ravens in the opener. It hasn’t even been 48 hours since the insane overtime thriller.

Just this morning Maxx Crosby was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his dominant pass rushing performance Monday Night. That’s great and all, but the Raiders are on a short week to face the Steelers and Crosby has already moved on.

“The rollercoaster ride Derek’s talks about, everybody talks about, not getting too high, not getting too low, so for me I already flushed the game,” Crosby said of Monday night’s win over the Ravens. “I’m already worried, I watched the Steelers first game against Buffalo yesterday, been locked in on that because it’s a week-by-week basis, and a week-by-week league. You never know how things are going to turn out, so you really have to stay locked in. There’s always going to be ups and downs, but you try to stay even keeled and just take it day-by-day and one day at a time. That’s really all you can do.”

Normal weeks in which teams play on Sunday offer the players at least a day to take a breath to think about the previous game and a couple days off before the next practice. Playing Monday Night means one less day, especially when the next week’s game is on the road, which means a travel day must be built in as well.

Crosby had a monster game and the Raiders pulled out a miraculous win in their first Las Vegas home game in front of fans. But the season continues quickly and Pittsburgh awaits. The celebration for Monday night’s win seems to have ended Monday night.

Raiders Wednesday injury report is lengthy especially compared to Steelers

Raiders Wednesday injury report is lengthy especially compared to Steelers

Monday’s win was a big one for the Raiders. But they paid a price for it. That price shows up on their Wednesday injury report. The team’s injury report is nearly a full page long.

Though it was a walk-thru only, there were eight players who did not take part and two players limited. Meanwhile, the Steelers had no players miss practice due to injury.

Eight of the Raiders missing or limited players suffered their injuries Monday Night. Richie Incognito missed the opener with a calf injury and is still not back.

Denzelle Good and Gerald McCoy will reportedly miss the rest of the season with their injuries, prompting the team to add G Jordan Simmons and DT Damion Square.

Josh Jacobs was clearly hurting from his foot injury during the game. He limped to the sideline several times and after the game when I asked him how he felt, he said “hurting” and added that he had to beg the coaches to let him play. Expect to see him not practicing most Wednesdays unless/until that injury clears up.

Yannick Ngakoue left Monday Night’s game with a hamstring injury, so it is a bit surprising to see he was merely limited. Hamstring injuries are often very serious, but in reality, the severity varies greatly. And it would appear Ngakoue’s injury is on the minor side. His status for this week will be worth monitoring for sure.

If he can’t go, Clelin Ferrell will likely be active after being inactive for Monday’s game despite being taken off the injury report prior to the game.

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Raiders bring back OG Jordan Simmons to replace injured Denzelle Good

Raiders bring back G Jordan Simmons to replace injured Denzelle Good

On Monday Night Football, we saw Denzelle Good’s season come to an end as soon as it began. On the seventh snap of the game, Good tore his ACL, ending his season. Recently signed Jermaine Eluemunor stepped in at right guard and played admirably, but more depth was still needed.

With the team returning to the practice field Wednesday in preparation for the Steelers next Sunday, they added that depth, signing Jordan Simmons off the Seahawks practice squad.

It’s been a few years, but once upon a time, Jordan Simmons was with the Raiders. The USC product was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and spent the season on the Raiders’ practice squad. They even brought him back in 2018 and he spent the offseason with the team. This time when he was waived, the Seahawks claimed him off waivers. And that’s where he’s been ever since.

The 6-4, 339-pounder has appeared in 20 games with the Seahawks, starting nine games. Most of those appearances (14) and starts (6) were last season. But that wasn’t enough for him to make the roster out of camp this year, so he was free for the taking when the Raiders needed to take him back.

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Raiders DT Gerald McCoy will miss rest of 2021 season with knee injury

Raiders DT Gerald McCoy will miss rest of 2021 season with knee injury

It didn’t look good when it happend and now we know why. Gerald McCoy will miss the rest of the 2021 season due to a knee injury that he suffered in Week 1, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

McCoy signed with the Raiders just a month ago but was able to work himself back into shape after missing the entire 2020 season due to a quad injury. McCoy was going to be a valuable piece to the defensive line, especially when it came to stopping the run.

Without McCoy, the Raiders do not have a lot of depth on the defensive line. That is why they needed to sign Damion Square off the practice squad for the Bears. Expect the Raiders to continue to search for help at defensive tackle over the next few weeks.

As for McCoy, this might sadly be the end of his career. He’s played just nine snaps since the end of the 2019 season and he will be 34 by the time he is healthy enough to return to the NFL. If this is truly it for McCoy, he’s had a fantastic career after being the No. 3 pick in the 2010 NFL draft.

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Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell likely to return to field in Week 2 following healthy scratch

Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell likely to return to field in Week 2 following healthy scratch

One of the biggest storylines coming out of Week 1 was just how good the defensive line for the Raiders played against the Ravens. Defensive line coach Rod Marinelli had his unit flying all over the field, making Lamar Jackson feel uncomfortable all night.

However, one player that was noticeably absent from the lineup (and all the fun) was Clelin Ferrell. Just 90 minutes before kickoff, the team made him a healthy scratch. That is the first time Ferrell has been a healthy scratch during his NFL career.

After the game, head coach Jon Gruden did say that Ferrell was dealing with a back issue, but it wasn’t bad enough to cause him to miss any practice time leading up to the game. He did mention that Ferrell will likely see in the field in Week 2 when the team takes on the Steelers.

“He’s been having some back ailments. His time’s coming. He’ll return to the lineup probably this week. Hopefully he’s feeling better and can get back to his form that he had earlier last year and his rookie season.”

With Yannick Ngakoue dealing with a hamstring issue, it appears he will be unlikely to play this week. That means Ferrell could slide back into the starting lineup or split snaps with Carl Nassib.

It will be fascinating to see how the former No. 4 pick responds to being benched. Will he rise to the occasion and be the bookend to Maxx Crosby? Or will he be just a depth and rotational piece for the defense for the rest of the season? Week 2 is going to be a big stage for Ferrell.

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Raiders DE Maxx Crosby named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

If you watched the Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and the Raiders, then you know who the best player on the field was that night. Maxx Crosby had the game of his life, recording six tackles, four quarterback hits and two sacks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Crosby had a pass-rush grade of 93.1, which was tied for first in Week 1. Crosby finished the game with 10 pressures, which was the second-most of Week 1. Only Chandler Jones had more (12) and he finished his game with five sacks against the Tennessee Titans.

Because of his great performance in helping slow down Lamar Jackson, Crosby was named the Week 1 AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

This is not the first time he has won this award as he did so back in 2019 in Week 11. In that game, he recorded four sacks and three tackles for a loss. However, he might have been even better in this contest given the opponent and just how consistently he was around the quarterback.

The Raiders will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, who also have a shaky offensive line. Can Crosby string together back-to-back elite performances? They will need him to if they want to start the season off at 2-0.

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Raiders sign former Chargers DT Damion Square

Raiders sign former Chargers DT Damion Square

Gus Bradley will have another familiar face on the field for the Raiders. They are adding former Chargers veteran defensive lineman Damion Square off the Bears practice squad according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The roster for the Raiders is rather deep at the defensive tackle spot even with the loss of Gerald McCoy, who was carted off the field Monday night. But that seems to be the way they like it.

After entering the league with the Eagles in 2013, Square played six seasons with the Chargers, both in San Diego and Los Angeles. He was elevated from the Bears’ practice squad for their season opener, playing five snaps on defense.

Square joins a long list of Gus Bradley coached players including CB Casey Hayward, LB Denzel Perryman, LB KJ Wright, DT Darius Philon, DE Yannick Ngakoue, and S Roderic Teamer.

Aside from Teamer, who was injured for the game, all of those veteran additions played key roles in the Raiders’ season-opening win over the Ravens. So, clearly adding Bradley players to run his defense is working for them.

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Raiders Week 1 snap counts vs Ravens: Denzelle Good plays 10 snaps on torn ACL

Raiders Week 1 snap counts vs Ravens: Denzelle Good plays 10 snaps on torn ACL

Reports came out on Tuesday afternoon that Denzelle Good has been lost for the season with a torn ACL. Good left the game Monday night against the Ravens on the seventh snap of the game. But if you look at the snap counts, he played 17 snaps. How could that be? Well, I’ll tell you.

Initially, Good was replaced at right guard by Jermaine Eluemunor. But come the second quarter, Good trotted back onto the field. He played the full four snaps on the first series. And after briefly being replaced again by Eluemunor, Good returned to the game to play six more snaps. That means Good played ten snaps ON A TORN ACL! That’s insane.

The Raiders are going to miss him the rest of the season and I could see them looking to add a guard in the coming days.

Most of the notable snaps came on defense where there were a lot of new faces. Two recent additions came at linebacker where the team added veterans Denzel Perryman and KJ Wright.

Perryman got the start alongside Cory Littleton and the two led all linebackers in snaps. KJ Wright saw 54% of the snaps which made last year’s starter Nick Kwiatkoski the odd man out, seeing just 23 snaps (24%).

New starting corner Casey Hayward saw all but one snap on defense. This means former starter Damon Arnette saw just one snap. Meanwhile, rookie starting nickel Nate Hobbs played 34 snaps (50%).

Here’s how the snap counts stacked up.

OFFENSE Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Kolton Miller T 86 100% 5 16%
Alex Leatherwood T 86 100% 5 16%
John Simpson G 86 100% 5 16%
Derek Carr QB 86 100% 0 0%
Andre James C 86 100% 0 0%
Darren Waller TE 81 94% 0 0%
Jermaine Eluemunor T 69 80% 4 12%
Bryan Edwards WR 57 66% 0 0%
Henry Ruggs III WR 56 65% 7 22%
Hunter Renfrow WR 47 55% 4 12%
Foster Moreau TE 46 53% 22 69%
Josh Jacobs RB 45 52% 0% 0%
Kenyan Drake RB 41 48% 0% 0%
Alec Ingold FB 23 27% 22 69%
Zay Jones WR 20 23% 9 28%
Denzelle Good G 17 20% 1 3%
Derek Carrier TE 11 13% 27 84%
Willie Snead WR 2 2% 7 22%
Marcus Mariota QB 1 1% 0 0%
DEFENSE Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Johnathan Abram SS 68 100% 20 62%
Trayvon Mullen CB 68 100% 5 16%
Trevon Moehrig DB 68 100% 5 16%
Casey Hayward CB 67 99% 5 16%
Maxx Crosby DE 62 91% 5 16%
Cory Littleton LB 57 84% 15 47%
Denzel Perryman LB 52 76% 0 0%
Johnathan Hankins DT 46 68% 5 16%
Quinton Jefferson DT 43 63% 5 16%
K.J. Wright LB 37 54% 3 9%
Nate Hobbs DB 34 50% 15 47%
Darius Philon DT 34 50% 5 16%
Yannick Ngakoue DE 33 49% 2 6%
Carl Nassib DE 30 44% 7 22%
Nick Kwiatkoski LB 16 24% 23 72%
Solomon Thomas DE 15 22% 0 0%
Gerald McCoy DT 9 13% 0 0%
Dallin Leavitt FS 8 12% 22 69%
Damon Arnette CB 1 1% 4 12%
SPECIAL TEAMS Spec Tms
Player Pos Num Pct Num Pct
Divine Deablo LB 0 0% 22 69%
Tyree Gillespie DB 0 0% 16 50%
Trent Sieg LS 0 0% 11 34%
AJ Cole III P 0 0% 11 34%
Daniel Carlson K 0 0% 10 31%
Amik Robertson CB 0 0% 8 25%
Brandon Parker T 0 0% 5 16%
Nick Martin C 0 0% 5 16

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Raiders G Denzelle Good done for the season with torn ACL

Raiders G Denzelle Good done for the season with torn ACL

The first bit of bad news has come down on the injury front for the Raiders. Starting right guard Denzelle Good will be lost for the season with a torn ACL according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

The injury occurred on the first drive of the game. Good had to be helped off the field and didn’t return. He was replaced by recently added Jermaine Eluemunor.

The Raiders were already fielding a backup at left guard with John Simpson replacing Richie Incognito who was out Monday night with a calf injury. The Raider are hoping Incognito will be back soon, but he has not practiced in a month, so there’s little indication he is close to returning.

Other players we are awaiting injury word include QB Marcus Mariota, DE Yannick Ngakoue, and DT Gerald McCoy. Head coach Jon Gruden said all four players were being evaluated today and was unable to give an update at his press conference.

Raiders edge rushers ‘stay ready’ vs Ravens, wreak havoc on Lamar Jackson

Raiders edge rushers come ready vs Ravens, wreak havoc on Lamar Jackson

I saw a stat shortly after the Raiders crazy win over the Ravens Monday night that said Lamar Jackson was pressured on over 50% of his dropbacks. That seems like a lot, and it is, but watching it, if you’d asked me how many times it seemed like Jackson was running for his life, I would have said it was even more often.

It honestly seemed like every time he took the snap, he had one of the Raiders edge rusher bearing down on him before he could even set his feet. It was unreal. Especially when you consider the Raiders have been one of the worst pass rushing teams in the league the past three seasons.

What was most impressive is the pressure never let up. From the first snap to the last, the Raiders were terrorizing Jackson. And they did it with a three-man rotation. Clelin Ferrell and Malcolm Koonce were both healthy scratches for the game, so the Raiders took the field with three active edge defenders. That was it. Just Maxx Crosby on one side, Yannick Ngakoue on the other, and Carl Nassib rotating in. And that trio never let up and never tired.

“For us we stay ready. We push each other every single day, so no matter who’s going to be up, we’re going to be ready,” said Crosby. “It was amazing. I don’t even know how many snaps we played, I really don’t know, but everybody was ready when their name was called. That was super encouraging to see and I think we did a great job today.”

As he has for the past two seasons, Crosby led the way for the Raiders. The third-year edge rusher had three sacks on Jackson, though he was only credited – at least initially – with two. Crosby is known for his energy and he was on another level in this game.

The 24-year-old was named a captain for this game, which he considered a tremendous honor. One Crosby had not had at any level. His head coach has not held back in his praise of Crosby’s work ethic and getting the Captain badge was the result of that.

“Maxx backed it up,” Gruden said after the game. “You do it day after day after day and you get an opportunity in prime time to show where you are, I thought he showed some things tonight.”

The past couple seasons, Crosby has basically gone at it alone. He was able to put up 17 sacks despite a lack of help on the other side and in the middle. He has that help now with Ngakoue, who, not coincidentally, was named a captain as well.

“It’s just a different shift, a different mindset ever since guys like Yannick got here,” tight end Darren Waller said after some impressive defensive play Monday Night. “Just the mindset that he brings every single day, it’s just like we’ll go out there and be a force and guys are starting to buy into that. You can tell they are just playing simple football and flying around. So, I’m very happy for them.”

Late in the game, Maxx would lose his fellow defensive captain to a hamstring injury. Stepping up as Nassib who came in and they didn’t seem to miss a beat. Then the game went to overtime. And wouldn’t you know it, the biggest play of the overtime period was made by Nassib, who got into the backfield and laid a hard sack on Jackson, knocking the ball out and giving it back to the Raiders. Two plays later, Carr found Zay Jones for the game-winning touchdown.

“It was big. He made a big play at the end of the game,” Gruden said of Nassib. “Gerald McCoy got hurt, Yannick was out, (we were) playing Lamar Jackson. I mean this guy is a magician back there. He creates so much offense unscripted. Gus Bradley did a great job, he and his staff. And it’s a credit to Rod Marinelli and certainly Carl Nassib, he’s had a great training camp and we’re going to need him obviously going forward.”

We could soon know the exact severity of Ngakoue’s hamstring injury and if it will cost him any time. If he is lost, it would obviously be a big blow, especially considering how good the pass rush looked with him in the game last night. As Gruden noted, it would fall to Nassib to be the guy and continue to play like he did late against the Ravens. And Clelin Ferrell would be the third edge defender rotating in.