SeaBass was off his game on Sunday, but the Raiders shouldn’t have needed to rely on him. The Cards should have been held to less points by the Raiders D.
I have noticed a disturbing trend over the preseason and throughout the first three games of the 2010 season: John Marshall seems to think the Red Zone means Defense Play Zone.
Larry Fitzgerald found himself caught in the gravitational pull of Planet Asomugha most of Sunday. However, that Planet all but disappeared inside the 20.
What happened? Where did Nnamdi go?
The answer—into assignment in zone coverage. Asomugha was assigned to the (offensive) left of the end zone, leaving a gap between the left and the center near the front. A short dink resulted in Fitzgerald being wide open for a touchdown.
This trend is evident in each game this season.
In the St. Louis Rams game, Tyvon Branch rocketed over late in an attempt to stop a pass into the open seam of zone coverage on two separate red zone scores. It’s as if the belief is to divide the red zone into five parts, rush four, and keep two LBs in run support. This leaves a lot of area uncovered, and we’ve been playing this way since preseason. I have seen offenses run three receivers into one man zone and throw to the player who is farthest away.
If the Raiders continue to play this red zone scheme, I begin to expect teams to score touchdowns from the red zone all season.
The Raiders have some of the best coverage backs in the league. I trust them to man up against any team and win a four-second battle.
However, a four-man rush and zone coverage is not a four-second battle. You have to man up and bring the heat. Make that qua...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
