Tag: Jack Jones

We now know what Antonio Pierce’s ‘business decision’ was for Raiders

Antonio Pierce made his ‘business decision’ against the Browns. And the issue was with who many suspected.

A week ago at this time, the Raiders were reeling after getting pummeled by the Panthers. Immediately following the game, head coach Antonio Pierce said some of his players made “business decisions” and said he would need to make some business decisions of his own in response.

At the time everyone was left to wonder just who he was talking about.

Soon a clip of Jack Jones deciding not to tackle a Panthers running back on a play was circulating and the finger of suspicion was pointed at him.

It made some sense considering after the game, myself and several others stood at his locker after he was finished dressing to ask him some questions and he just walked away, seemingly hoping to avoid the inevitable questions he didn’t want to have to answer.

Sunday in the game against the Browns, it was immediately apparent the business decision was to bench him.

The Raiders instead went with five defensive linemen and two cornerbacks early. And after the game, Pierce admitted that was his business decision.

Some in the media managed to track down Jones after the game this time to ask him about it, including ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.

While we won’t know until the snap counts come out, it didn’t appear as if Jones played much in the early going. What you hope is that he will take this the right way from his college and high school coach who wants the best for him and won’t let him slack.

Jones needs to remember that he’s the starter on this team because he replaced Marcus Peters for doing the very thing he did in that game — shying away from tackling. It’s part of the job and Pierce won’t stand for anything but maximum effort in that area.

 

Ballers for Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Singling out the performances in Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

There wasn’t much to sing about if you’re the Raiders in their loss to the Panthers. The 36-22 final score didn’t tell the story at all. The real score was 33-7 which sealed it early in the fourth quarter.

A lopsided score like that suggests a complete collapse on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t run the ball, they couldn’t stop the run. They couldn’t pass the ball, they couldn’t stop the pass.

Andy Dalton was picking them apart through the air and Chuba Hubbard (who?) ran all over them on the ground. Gardner Minshew completed one deep pass and the Raiders still have the worst rushing attack in the NFL dating back like 25 years at least.

Anyway, let’s see about them Ballers, eh?

Baller

WR Tre Tucker

That one deep completion went to Tucker. He got behind the defense and made the long catch 54 yards downfield. It set up the Raiders only touchdown that actually mattered. It tied the game at 7-7 in the first quarter.

When the game essentially was over, he had three catches for 64 yards. But he didn’t just pack it in, he added four more catches to finish with 98 yards and a touchdown.

That’s it. That’s the list.

Continue to the Busters…

Busters for Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Singling out the many poor performances in the Raiders Week 3 loss to Panthers

Welcome to the primary portion of the program. There was a lot more bad news in this one than good. In fact, it wasn’t all that easy to find anything good to say about this performance by the Raiders.

So, let’s not belabor the point any longer.

Busters

OC Luke Getsy

Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. Sensing a pattern? Yeah? Well, you’re not alone. The Raiders opponents do too. Perhaps Getsy thinks it’s like a pendulum that will lull opposing defenses to sleep because that is his approach so often, it’s downright maddening.

If this were a situation where the Raiders were having some success, it would be one thing. But they’re not. For whatever reason they are not running the ball at an NFL level. And you have to wonder if it’s the scheme that’s the problem because this wasn’t the case last season. Quite the contrary actually, they were the best running team in the league the final four games of last season. Now they’re the worst.

Four times on the first three drives of this game the Raiders started a series with consecutive runs. One of those they did three straight runs. Only once did they get a first down on the ground. And it wasn’t the one where they ran it three straight times! That one they went for it on fourth down and didn’t pick it up. The defensive backfield literally stood in a line three yards off the line and all the Raiders’ receivers ran that far. Minshew threw for Brock Bowers and it was knocked down easily. Terrible play call against the defense designed to stop that very thing.

Down 21-7 going into the third quarter, and you’ll never guess what they did then. Run. Run. Pass. Punt. So, they were down 24-7 before they finally stopped doing that.

This is a replay of the first two games. They bang their heads against a wall for three quarters and then try to make a late comeback. The defense was able to keep them in it the first two weeks. That didn’t happen this time. And it should never have to happen that way.

Something needs to change right now because right now their run game is broken. Whether it’s moving away from zone blocking, leaning more on the passing game, or just mixing things up a bit more to keep the defense honest.

QB Gardner Minshew

Whatever he found in the fourth quarter in Baltimore he lost again. Too often in this game he seemed gun shy, pulling his passes back, dancing around the pocket, and bouncing off his linemen like a pinball before either getting sacked or throwing it away.

Through three quarters — remember that’s when the game ended for all intents and purposes — he had completed 10 passes for 127 yards and no touchdowns. Most of his yards came on one completion to Tre Tucker for 54 yards. That was one of just four first downs he had through the air.

WR Davante Adams

Adams wasn’t helping things much. He had two drive killing drops in the second quarter alone. The first one came on third and short to end the drive. The second one took them out of field goal range and Daniel Carlson just missed the 57-yard attempt wide left at the half.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jakorian Bennett, CB Jack Jones

A week ago we were celebrating their work on the outside. Not so much this week. This week Andy Dalton made burnt toast out of them all.

The first drive Hobbs gave up a 17-yard catch and the touchdown catch from six yards out.

Second drive, Bennett gave up a 24-yard catch on third-and-14, Tre’von Moehrig gave up a 35-yard catch and run, and Jones gave up the touchdown on third-and-goal from the five.

Their third touchdown drive saw Hobbs give up a catch to Diontae Johnson, then try to chase him down only to whiff on the tackle for a 35-yard play. The next play Jones gave up a 31-yard touchdown catch to Adam Thielan.

The final touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter started with Bennett giving up an 11-yard catch. Then Jones missed a tackle on a 14-yard run, Bennett missed a tackle on a five-yard run, and on third down, Bennett was flagged for pass interference in the end zone to put the Panthers in first and goal from the one. They punched it in two plays later to go up 33-7.

Jones added to his poor day when he didn’t bother to try and make the tackle on a ten-yard run that led many to accuse him of being the player Antonio Pierce was referring to when he said players were making “business decisions” in the game.

RB Zamir White

I don’t know if he’s just trying to stick with what he thinks he’s trying to do or what. But there were so many times he just seemed to run right into a tackle or right in to the back of his own lineman. One of those times was the second play for the offense when he landed on the legs of Thayer Munford, causing him to leave the game with an injury and not return.

He was having much more success late last season. Now he looks like the least effective running back on this team. He’s averaging just 3.2 yards per carry and despite his size and apparent strength, they don’t even use him at the goal line. They give it to Alexander Mattison who has two touchdowns this season as a result.

LG Cody Whitehair, C Andre James

They’re just not getting any push up the middle. They aren’t creating any running lanes. The Raiders went for it on fourth down twice in the first three quarters. The first time Whitehair was driven back into Minshew’s lap as he threw. The other time it was a QB keeper that James got no push. Both attempts failed.

DT John Jenkins

You know who was getting push? The Panthers offensive line. Often times it was Jenkins who was getting pushed around. Jenkins had one tackle in the first three quarters. It was on a six-yard first down run. He also gave up the Panthers’ final touchdown from one yard out.

See the Baller

Raiders HC Antonio Pierce not backing down from ‘business decisions’ comment ‘I don’t bite my tongue’

Antonio Pierce is standing firm on his accusation of Raiders players making ‘business decisions’ in the loss to the Panthers. Adding ‘I don’t bite my tongue’

Following the Raiders’ embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Antonio Pierce took to the podium where he made a strong statement. It didn’t just suggest there were certain players were not putting out maximum effort, he flat out said it, going as far as to say there were those who made “business decisions.”

Pierce added that the team might also have to make some business decisions as well, suggesting those player who he didn’t see as putting full effort on the field could be benched or perhaps gone from the team.

Some have speculated who he could be talking about. Naturally, Davante Adams has been brought up considering all the talk of him being unhappy — something Adams has refuted — and the possibility of a trade happening this season involving him. But that is all speculation at this point.

The question I had was whether Pierce was just speaking from an emotional place and in turn might he pull back some on his strong words when given the chance to cool down.

Nope.

“I don’t bite my tongue,” said Pierce when asked if he regretted his choice of words after the game. Then he repeated it.”I don’t bite my tongue.”

He said he hasn’t made any of those business decision yet. That he would need to get with the team first. And he wouldn’t be more specific either, saying simply “Whatever helps the Raiders win. Right now that performance is not going to help any team, let alone the Raiders.”

Last season, Pierce saw Marcus Peters out there not putting in maximum effort. And once he thought Jack Jones was read to go, he benched and then cut Peters and put in Jones.

So, you know Pierce won’t put up with lack of effort. It’s just a matter of there being a better option for whoever he benches or sends packing.

3 key matchups for Raiders vs Panthers

3 key matchups for Raiders vs Panthers

At first glance, it would appear the Panthers don’t have a lot going for them. That may be true. But they’re still an NFL team with NFL players who can jump up and bite you if you’re not careful. 

And the Raiders may be coming off an impressive comeback win against the Ravens in Baltimore, but that doesn’t mean they’ve clearly established themselves as some elite team. They still have to prove it over the season with their opponents collecting more and more game tape on them.

These matchups could play a major role in the outcome of this game.

CB Jack Jones vs WR Xavier Legette

Legette was the Panthers’ top pick in this year’s draft. He led the team in catches (4) in the opener, but didn’t see a target last week in a loss to the Chargers. Now the Chargers have benched Bryce Young in favor of Andy Dalton, which figures to at least awaken the pass game. This would, in turn, see Legette get some more targets as their best receiver. 

Legette will face off against a fiery competitor in Jack Jones who has great hands as well to make Dalton pay for any mistakes.

TE Brock Bowers vs Xavier Woods/Jordan Fuller

Woods and Fuller are the safeties for the Panthers. They will switch off in trying to keep the Raiders phenom tight end under wraps. Bowers has 15 catches already this season and is proving himself to be a top target for Gardner Minshew. You can bet on any given play either Woods or Fuller will guarding Bowers.

DE Maxx Crosby vs T Taylor Moton

Moton will be tasked with trying to keep Crosby from wrecking this game. The veteran tackle is no slouch. This is his seventh season as the Panthers’ full time starting right tackle. And he’s never missed a game. So, it’s safe to say there isn’t a caliber of edge rusher in this league he hasn’t faced. Including last week when he faced Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. The only sack allowed was not on Moton, but Bryce Young for not stepping up into the pocket.

Andy Dalton will need at least a bit of time to try and find an open receiver. He can’t be worrying he’s going to get smacked in under two seconds on every play or running for his life all day. That’s what Crosby did to Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson the first two weeks. Last week against the Ravens, he went on to win AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Ballers for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

Ballers for Raiders Week 2 win vs Ravens

What a game. Through much of this game it was looking like a replay of the season opener against the Chargers. Where the Raiders defense keeps it close while the offense flails and ultimately sees the opposing team put things together late to win it.

Even early into the fourth quarter, it still had that feel. The Ravens drove for a field goal to end the first half and a touchdown to begin the third quarter to make it a ten-point game. Meanwhile it was most of the way through the third quarter and the Raiders still hadn’t gotten in the end zone and were down by ten.

Then suddenly they turned it on and scored three straight times while the defense allowed one score and they pulled off the upset.

There were so many heroes, it was hard to pick a Top Baller this week. But I managed.

Ballers

LB Robert Spillane

To be the biggest playmaker in a game full of playmakers is quite an accomplishment.

He led the team with ten combined tackles (eight solo) and nearly all of them were huge plays. The first Ravens drive featured two Spillane run stuffs for a net two yards and the third down tackle on a catch short of the sticks.

Spillane stalled another drive in the second quarter by tracking Lamar Jackson on a rollout to the right sideline to keep containment and force him to make a bad pass incomplete.

The Ravens got in the endzone on their first drive of the third quarter. But Spillane did his part to try and keep that from happening when he stuffed a run at the line on first and goal. The next drive, he intercepted a Lamar Jackson pass off a deflection to give the Raiders another shot with great field position. They took advantage of it to drive for their first touchdown, making that turnover crucial to the outcome.

The Raiders would pull within seven points midway through the fourth quarter, putting it in the hands of the defense to give them a shot to tie it up. They did the job too, with Spillane batted down Jackson’s pass on third down to send the Ravens offense away with a three-and-out.

After the offense drove for a game-tying touchdown, the defense came out to try and keep the Ravens from driving for the game winner. Spillane followed up a big sack by Maxx Crosby with a run stuff for no gain. The Ravens couldn’t make up the third and long, giving the Raiders a chance to win it in regulation. And they did just that.

DE Maxx Crosby

He was his usual holy terror self, which is not always the easiest thing to do against a multifaceted quarterback like Lamar Jackson.

Crsoby had a run stuff on the Ravens’ first play from scrimmage and a sack on the fourth play. Then he had a run tackle for loss on the second possession, leading to a three-and-out. So, yeah, it was shaping up to be a long day keeping the Condor contained.

First play of the second quarter was another Crosby run stuff for a loss, leading to another three-and-out. He added a batted pass on the next drive.

After the Raiders tied it up at 23-23 midway through the fourth, Crosby came flying up the gut right into to Jackson’s face for a nine-yard sack. That sealed the Ravens’ fate.

QB Gardner Minshew, WR Davante Adams, TE Brock Bowers

We pick up the action in the third quarter. That’s when the Raiders offense started to get things rolling. The first big completion went for 25 yards to Brock Bowers to put them in scoring range. But ultimately the Raiders could go for it on the 4th and short and fail, with Minshew’s pass for Davante a bit short and Adams unable to make the catch around a defender. But it was a sign of things to come.

The Raiders defense would take the ball back and the offense returned to mount another drive. The big play saw Minshew stand tall in the pocket as he waited for something to open up and then Bowers came back to his QB to make the catch inside the five and put the Raiders in first and goal at the one. They punched it in on the next play.

Next possession they were on the move again. It featured consecutive connections with Adams for 26 yards and 30 yards. The 26-yarder came on a perfect pass from Minshew, throwing it before Adams had even made his break, so he turned the find the ball right there. The 30-yard catch was especially impressive, with Adams leaning out of bounds, dragging his toes.

That drive ended in a field goal, which meant a touchdown was needed to tie it up. First play of the Raiders next drive, had well placed ball from Minshew with Davante’s notorious late hands ensuring the defender had no shot at it up the left sideline for 29 yards. Bowers got hte next first own on a 15-yard grab. Then Bowers would convert on third down with an 11-yard catch to put the Raiders in first and goal at the nine. Adams was interfered with to put it at the one. Where Minshew had a masterful read option where he pulled it back and threw it over the defense to Adams for the game-tying touchdown.

CB Nate Hobbs, CB Jack Jones, CB Jakorian Bennett

Just like the above trio, I just couldn’t separate these guys. Bennett showed up first with a huge pass breakup on a deep ball attempt up the left sideline in the second quarter. This forced a 56-yard field goal attempt which Justin Tucker missed wide.

The next drive began with a coverage incompletion by Jones. Bennett would also force an incompletion on the drive with tight coverage. And finally, Jones made the tackle short of the first down to force the Ravens to settled for a field goal.

The third quarter saw Bennett break up another pass. This time Spillane was there to intercept it off the deflection. The takeaway led to the Raiders getting their first touchdown of the day.

With the Raiders making a push, and within a score, Jones helped that effort by stopping Lamar Jackson for a loss on a scramble. Jones would then effectively end the game with a pass breakup on a deep attempt up the right sideline that looked for a moment to be a catch that would have been enough for the Ravens to tie it up. Clutch.

Nate Hobbs just simply locked it up on the day, giving up just one catch for 13 yards.

K Daniel Carlson

He was 4-for-4 on the day with field goals from 53 and 51 yards. That’s doing his job.

Busters coming soon…

No suspension for Raiders CB Jack Jones for part in fight during opener vs Chargers

No suspension Jack Jones and Joshua Palmer for their fight late in Sunday’s game.

Frustrations boiled over for the Raiders in the fourth quarter in their loss to the Chargers.

The Chargers scored their final touchdown of the game to go up 22-10 over the Raiders. They attempted a two-point conversion and failed. In the process, a fight broke out.

Several Raiders and Chargers players were involved, but it was Jack Jones and Joshua Palmer who threw punches and thus both players were ejected.

Whenever players are ejected, the league reviews it to see if the incident rises to the level of a suspension. And in this case they have decided it doesn’t.

You can bet fines are incoming. But that’s a much smaller issue than missing a game and a game check as a result.

Head coach Antonio Pierce called the incident “disappointing.”

“I get it, we’re protecting our teammate,” said Pierce. “But we never want to put ourselves in a position where it’s possibly ejection, fines, suspension down the road. We don’t want to be that team. The history of the Raiders has always been that team. We don’t want to have that. Our guys got to be careful. Again, I love protecting one another and going to battle for one another, but if you throw punches or anything, you’re in the wrong sport.”

Chargers WR Joshua Palmer sounds off on fight that led to ejection

Joshua Palmer said that he thought Raiders defenders were getting frustrated by the physicality of the receivers’ blocking.

Joshua Palmer and Jack Jones were ejected late in the fourth quarter of the Chargers’ win over the Raiders on Sunday.

Multiple players got into a fight following a two-point conversion attempt with 3:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, Palmer and Jones being the notable players involved.

Ladd McConkey was blocking Epps, and Palmer went to help. The two got into a fight in the back of the end zone. While attempting to break them up, other fights ensued, including between Quentin Johnston and Maxx Crosby.

After the game, Palmer told ESPN’s Kris Rhim and other reporters that he “got punched a lot,” including once by Jones earlier in the contest.

“They came and started throwing punches, but we’re not going to be punching bags,” Palmer said. “So we had to defend ourselves.”

Palmer said that he thought Raiders defenders were getting frustrated by the physicality of the receivers’ blocking.

“It’s not personal. There’s no bad blood,” Palmer added. “UFC guys beat up each other for a living, then they go back and shake hands. Especially in football, it’s nothing like that. But it’s not personal at all. We just do our job as hard as we can. We’re not trying to hurt anybody”

Jim Harbaugh said the team didn’t talk about the fight after the game.

“Just trying to get our guys back, get ’em separated, keep the rest of the guys coming,” Harbaugh said. “I just tried to break it up.”

Former Patriots CB ejected for fighting in heated rivalry game

Well, that escalated quickly…

A heated rivalry game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders turned into a full-on melee on Sunday.

It resulted in Chargers wide receiver Joshua Palmer and current Raiders/former Patriots cornerback Jack Jones being ejected. Fists were flying as players from both teams and the officiating crew desperately tried to break up the on-field altercation.

It was an ugly scene on the football field late in the fourth quarter with the game pretty much in hand for the Chargers.

Jones was waived by the Patriots last season after a multitude of different issues with the team. He was ultimately claimed by the Raiders and reunited with his former high school football coach, Antonio Pierce.

Jones was arrested last summer, when he was still with the Patriots, after two loaded guns were found in his luggage at Boston’s Logan International Airport. He was benched later that year by former Patriots coach Bill Belichick for missing curfew.

Jones has flashed serious talent in the defensive backfield, but other issues continue to creep into the equation. Now, the Raiders are forced to play the waiting game to see if further punishment comes down from the league.

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Raiders CB Jack Jones is laying into Madden for their ‘garbage’ game ratings

Raiders CB Jack Jones is laying into Madden for their ‘garbage’ game ratings

Whether you think player ratings in Madden should matter to the actual players in the game, they do. Whether they let on about it or not, these ratings matter to them.

Some of the players are more vocal than others about it. And few players are as vocal about most things as Jack Jones is. The Raiders cornerback went in on Madden for some of their ratings this year.

He criticized the game for simply copying their ratings from previous years, playing favorites, and being all about which players are most popular rather than which players are most talented.

Jones’s Madden rating this year is a 74, which isn’t great. In fact, it puts 16 other Raiders players with higher rating than him, including rookies Brock Bowers and Jackson Powers-Johnson.

For further comparison sake, teammate Nate Hobbs has an 81 rating.