OAKLAND, Calif. – For weeks, the Raiders’ defensive players have been talking up their new scheme without sharing many details, hinting only that when executed right, it gives everyone on the field a chance to make an impact and keeps opposing offenses guessing.
Monday evening brought their first chance to put it into action, and the Raiders’ first two defensive series in their 3-0 exhibition loss to the Dallas Cowboys featured a taste of blitzing and back-to-back instances of linemen breaking through to pressure Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, one of which resulted in a Tommy Kelly sack.
“They were attacking, they were aggressive, and that’s what we’re going to be, and so I thought (defensive coordinator Jason Tarver) did a nice job of calling the game,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.
“I thought in the second half there, we kind of got a little tired and worn out a little bit and let them run the ball a little too much on us. So we have to get that shored up.”
That theme ran throughout Allen’s comments following Monday’s preseason opener, his first game at the Raiders’ helm. He found some positives – running back Darren McFadden, in his first game since October, made a brief appearance looking like his old self, and the first-team defense drew Allen’s praise.
“But at the end of the day,” Allen said after his team was shut out, “the execution is not where it needs to be, and we have to be better.”
The Raiders offered only a quick glimpse of their offensive starters.
McFadden played one series and gained 38 yards on three touches, catching a screen pass from quarterback Carson Palmer for 18 yards on the offense’s second play and bursting up the middle for 16 yards on the third.
That opening drive stalled on the next play, though, when Palmer’s deep ball intended for wide receiver Jacoby Ford was intercepted by Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh.
“We want to score, obviously, and we didn’t score, so that part’s disappointing,” Palmer said. “You kind of think of that as your win if you go down and score, because you don’t get to finish the game. We did some really good things and have some things to clean up.”
Palmer played part of another series and completed 3 of 6 passes for 33 yards – two of his incompletions were passes that bounced off Ford’s hands – before Allen took out most of the first-team offense.
“There was a couple times the ball was on the ground, and then obviously, we had the interception there,” Allen said. “So we have to be better, but our guys understand that, and I thought we were able to move the ball some. We just have to do a better job protecting the football when we finish.”
Matt Leinart replaced Palmer, completing 11 of 16 passes for 98 yards, and gave way to Terrelle Pryor in the second half. Playing significant snaps for the first time in nearly two years, Pryor showed his athleticism by escaping pressure on several plays but also took two sacks and was hard on himself after the loss.
“I think sometimes I had some good throws, but also I thought my feet were messing up,” Pryor said. “I’m mad at myself.”
Pryor did lead a nine-play drive in the fourth quarter that had the Raiders in position to tie the score. Eddie Carmona, though, missed a 36-yard field-goal attempt wide right. Sebastian Janikowski had a 47-yarder blocked earlier in the game.
