Captain KirkMorrison: Why the Raiders Won’t Miss Him

I want to begin by giving a thank you to Kirk Morrison.

He let it all hang out there week after week, and I think Raider Nation appreciated that.

However, Morrison was the single biggest problem that plagued the Oakland Raiders run defense.

I can assure you that it wasn't Tommy Kelly's problem, and occasionally was Gerrard Warren's mistake.

Why was Morrison responsible for those big runs the Raiders gave up?

I picked the Cowboy game last season for this article. The reason being that it had all three game scenarios that would work for this article.

Here are the three possible reasons, followed by examples from the Dallas Cowboy Thanksgiving Day game:

 

Reason #1 : Morrison Got Blocked by a Fullback

The Raiders played with eight men in the box, with Morrison lining up behind the right B gap. The Cowboys were lined up  (0:10 second mark on the highlight) in the wildcat. 

Tashard Choice cuts straight to the left B gap. The fullback makes a terrific block on Morrison, and the result was a 60+ yard gain.

You could make this the case of being Sam Williams fault also, but it was Morrison's job to make a play after Gerrard Warren got double teamed. 

If one of the two tackles gets double teamed, there's nobody's fault, but Morrison's, to make a play on the ball carrier.

 

Reason #2 : Morrison Over Pursued

The very next play, the Raiders aligned in almost the same formation. Morrison, lined up by the right B gap.

He over pursued. He got trapped behind C Andre Gurode and LG Kyle Kosier.

Thankfully, Michael Huff made a touchdown saving tackle on the play.

 

Reason # 3: Morrison Got Blocked by a Guard

The Raiders lined up in the standard 4-3 alignment. The ball is handed off to Felix Jones.

I believe t...

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