Kirk Morrison News

LIKE COAL miners and infantrymen, the Raiders are accustomed to carrying on regardless of conditions.

Is it really all that positive a thing when a safety is your second-leading tackler? After all, that means opponents are getting pretty far beyond the line of scrimmage if a member of your secondary is getting in on so many stops.

No member of the Raiders' defense has played at a consistently high level this season, and each player seemed to flounder at the same time recently, as there was plenty of blame to go around on "D" after Oakland was gashed for 38 points and 316 rushing yards in a Week Seven loss to the Jets.

The New York Jets visit the Oakland Raiders on Sunday afternoon, but before the on-the-field hatred begins, the off-the-field help has started.

They weren't blaming others. They wanted to blame themselves for all that went horribly awry at the Coliseum.

That's how you'd have figured it to play given the other characters and circumstances involved.

Something unusual happened to the New York Jets last season when they got on a plane to make a cross-country trip.

The Oakland Raiders were clearly motivated against Philadelphia. Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson OAKLAND -- Antonio Pierce's harsh comments about the Oakland Raiders ended up doing both the Raiders and his New York Giants a favor.

We should all wish that Antonio Pierce had something to say about the Raiders every week.

About 30 animal rights protesters gathered outside the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday, waving signs decrying dogfighting in response to Michael Vick's arrival with the Philadelphia Eagles and drawing mostly praise from Raiders fans entering the stadium.

THE RAIDERS REBOUNDED from one of their worst-ever losses with one of their least-expected wins Sunday, using a wholly unanticipated methodology.

By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 1:52 pm in Oakland Raiders .

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson Here are the AFC West leaders in some key statistical categories after Week 5:Passing yards Player: Philip Rivers , San Diego.

' hands, and he's usually the Raiders center. Such is life on the league's worst-ranked offense.

On paper, it's a wonder the Raiders and New York Giants are even going through the trouble of playing Sunday.

WHEN THE RAIDERS leave the field Sunday in Houston, no matter the outcome, they will have wrapped up the worst 100-game period in their 50-year history.

AS THE FINAL, pointless minutes drained from the Raiders ' 23-3 loss to Denver on Sunday, even some of the blind loyalists, the Kool-Aid drinkers, were wrinkling their noses and spitting it out.

By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer Sunday, September 27th, 2009 at 1:57 pm in Oakland Raiders .

He'd be cut last training camp. He'd get traded in March. He'd get outright released in February.

Todd Haley indicated he was not happy with some of the decisions made Sunday by quarterback Matt Cassel.