NFL Conference Championship Previews

Well folks, here we are, just two days away from the biggest game the 49ers have played since the 1990's, and the weather in the Bay Area is getting worse, which in my mind, favors the 49ers even more. We'll also talk a little bit about, quite possibly the next 49ers opponent, as we break down the AFC Championship as well.

NFC Championship Preview

As good as the Giants defense is, and Eli Manning can be, if it's raining at the Stick on Sunday, which is looking probable, then the meter definitely tilts towards favoring the 49ers. They have a better defense, especially up front, to stop a running game should it get into a smash-mouth type of wet and muddy ballgame. They also have the rushing attack, not only with Gore and Hunter, but as he showed last week, even Alex Smith can tuck it and run. I'd like to see at least 5 designed runs for Alex Smith as well as Harbough giving him free reign to tuck-and-run every single time he sees a seem and can't find an open receiver. For my money, I take the Gore/Hunter/Smith combo as far as ball carrying, over the Bradshaw, Jacobs and Manning. Eli, while he can pick the 49ers secondary apart if given ample time, is not a mobile QB and if the 49ers pressure him, he's prone to making mistakes. He throws for a lot of yards, he gets his TD's but he throws for a lot of interceptions too, and the 49ers need to be on their game as far as the takeaways. They every time they see an opportunity to knock a ball loose or go for a pick, take it. That's what got them to the NFC championship and that's what will keep them moving forward. At the same time, the toughest part of the New York Giants defense is their pass-rush. If they get Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul all going, and aren't able to protect Alex Smith, then it's going to be very tough for the 49ers to develop any kind of passing game. The way to beat blitzers and pass-rushers is to run right at em or do screen passes right over them and the 49ers need to have a contingency plan for every time Alex drops back to pass.

As long as the 49ers can control the Giants pass rush, and the 49ers do what they've done so well this season, win the turnover battle, I think they'll be extremely tough for the Giants to handle. They need someone else to step up though like Vernon did vs. the Saints and I'm looking to Frank Gore to be that guy (he got hurt early vs. the Giants in November and hasn't had a 100-yard game since). The 49ers crowd will be so loud, louder than Green Bay's fans were able to get on Sunday, that's for sure, and that should make it tough for the Giants to run their no-huddle and hurry-up offense that both the Manning brothers have ran so well over the years. Home field advantage in this case, I believe makes all the difference in the world, so the 49ers need to use that to their advantage and not let their crowd get out of it for a second. That's where Green Bay lost it last week, they got down, and their crowd got out of it, and they played a bad game. I may get a moment Sunday to do a quick pre-game before the NFC Championship, but in case I don't I want to get my prediction out now. I've said over the week, and probably 2 or 3 times in this post, that as long as the 49ers play their game, win the turnover battle, protect Alex Smith and establish the run on a wet field, it'll be their game to lose. After seeing them take it to New Orleans, I don't think the Giants will be able to beat this team, I just don't. Now, if Eli get's going early, the 49ers can't pressure him, and in turn, are in Alex Smith's face every time he drops back to throw, than advantage Giants. They didn't beat Green Bay on a fluke win, they beat them in every facet of the game and when they're on, they're tough, but so are the 49ers. Either way, I think we're in for another nail-biter and a game going that comes down to the final minutes.

NFC Championship Prediction:

San Francisco 49ers 27 - New York Giants 24
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AFC Championship Preview

Oh, by the way, there is another game going on this weekend, and if the 49ers do win, I'm sure every single TV in Northern California will be tuned into it. After the 49ers/Giants game, the AFC Championship figures to be a pretty darn good matchup itself. This Patriots offense is such a unique offense that can beat you with a variety of players while the Baltimore defense is really second to none in the NFL right now. New England has the receivers with Branch and Welker to cause the corners to focus there, and then they have Gronkowski and Hernandez at tight end, who pose an extremely tough matchup for any defender, linebacker, safety or corner. They're basically wide receivers in tight-end bodies, and I think it'll be tough for the Ravens to account for all the weapons. I mean, they barely pulled it out against a rookie QB in their own house last week, so it's tough to see them straightening up enough over the week to go into Foxboro and beat a Patriots team that has arguably the best offense in the football right now, certainly the AFC. The only way I see the Ravens pulling this one out is if Joe Flacco steps up and has a big game himself. Ray Rice should be able to dice through the Pats defense, but it won't matter if they get down early to the Pats, cause the game will probably rest on the arm of Flacco. And even though the Patriots defense can be exposed, they also play opportunistic football, and I could see them causing takeaways if they get after Flacco. I just see to many things needing to line up in order for the Ravens to win, and I just don't see it happening for them on the road. It should be another very good matchup though, kind of like the 49ers/Saints, a defensive powerhouse vs. a true offensive juggernaut.

Prediction:

New England Patriots 31 - Baltimore Ravens 23

Giants - 49ers Trash Talk Begins

Well, we're mid-way through the week, and there's already been enough trash talk between the Giants and the 49ers via Twitter, that it's almost comical. It just adds another element to what should be an epic NFC Championship at a potentially wet Candlestick Park.

The forecast calls for rain this weekend, and if you live in the Bay Area, you could almost feel it coming on Wednesday, as it's been a little overcast all morning. I think if the weather report does hold up and the teams are playing on a wet field come Sunday, it exponentially helps the 49ers. The 49ers have a better run game and can control the ball on the ground. I would expect to see a lot more of Alex Smith on the move in this game as well, whether it's straight QB-sneak calls, or roll-out QB choices, I think Harbough will give him free reign to tuck it in and run whenever he sees a hole. I was hoping he'd do it more often against the Saints, but he didn't until the play called for it and ended in that beautiful sweep out for a touchdown. One thing Aaron Rodgers did at will seemingly vs. this Giants defense was pick up some yards on the ground, leading the Packers with 66 yards on just 7 rushes. Smith can move better than Rodgers, and if the Giants will are going to expose that, then the 49ers need to take full advantage. They managed to beat the Saints without really establishing a run game. They had a few big plays including Smith's run and Gore's 42-yarder to help give them 150 rush yards for the game, but they never really go into rhythm with it. That will have to change in order to beat the Giants. The 49ers cannot be a one-dimensional offense and as good as he looked vs. the Saints, they cannot rely on Smith throwing for 300 yards against that defense.

As for the trash talk, it all started with Giants' wideout Victor Cruz saying his team is much more content going on the road to play the 49ers than they would have been had they had to face the Saints. That's fair enough, I mean, the Saints demolished the Giants when they played in season whereas the 49ers just beat them by 7. The fact that the Giants already lost to the 49ers, when the 49ers didn't have their best offensive player, Frank Gore, should be a concern for that team though. As good as their pass-rush can be, a good running attack and short pass game can beat a good pass rush. I know they weren't 100% right defensively, and there leader on defense, linebacker Michael Foley, when the 49ers beat the Giants in November. The Giants played OK, and Eli got his yards, but the 49ers already outplayed this team, this season, on the very turf they'll lineup on this Sunday. They should be rolling into this game with all the confidence in the world and I think they are. In response to some of the Giants chatter, all Donte Whitner had to say was, "In San Francisco, we talk with out pads", and then partner in crime Dashon Goldson reiterating that the 49ers hit and tackle, they don't miss. Sure, the trash talk helps make for a more intriguing matchup, but this game is already under the microscope and is (obviously because of the New York team no doubt) getting the most media play, in a week where Tom Brady will face the ultimate test in a rugged Baltimore defense.

I said this in our last post, and reiterated it a bit in this one, but again, I have all the confidence in the world in the 49ers right now, much like I felt about the 2010 San Francisco Giants. As long as they play their game, get the rushing attack established and keep Alex protected on offense, at the same time control the Giants' running game and making them one-dimensional, this is there game to loose. If they get another quick 14-0 lead like they did vs. the Saints, it wouldn't hurt either. I said it all season long, and even though they proved me wrong Saturday, this team plays much better with a lead, even a small one, and they need to ensure they get out to an early one Sunday.

As I've been doing over the last few weeks, we'll have our final thoughts and preview/prediction for this game, as well as the AFC game in Friday's post, but as of now, I wouldn't be surprised to see a 49ers-Patriots Super Bowl match-up.

Giants Pull off upset, will meet Niners in NFC Championship

If you thought last weeks crowd was rockin', just wait till you see what they have in store next Sunday for the first NFC Championship game played in San Francisco since the early 1990's.

The New York Giants went into Lambo and pulled out the upset in very, very convincing fashion, so much so to the point where I was watching that fourth quarter thinking, "This team may actually cause more problems for SF than Green Bay if they play like this again." They've been the team that's hit the hot streak as the playoffs got started, winning 3-straight to clinch the NFC East and then knocking off the Falcons in round one in a matchup that wasn't even close (24-2). They really remind me of the 2010 baseball Giants, as they really caught fire at the tail end of the year and manage to just keep winning. They're a very well rounded team, much like the Niners and even though, yes, there's no doubt I'd rather be hosting the NFC Championship in San Fran rather than traveling to Green Bay, the Packers, believe it or not, have more holes in them than the Giants do right now. New York has the QB who can pick you apart if given time, plus a defense much tougher than a New Orleans D that was amongst the leagues worst defenses. They are going to be tough to run on, tough to pass on and they're going to probably drop Eli Manning back 45-50 times and let him try and find soft spots in the 49ers defense. New York's running game doesn't scare me that much, but they're much more formidable than the Saints and the Packers, bringing the two-headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Bradshaw has me a little worried as he's a lot like Darren Sproles, who really had a field day with 14 receptions Saturday vs. the 49ers.

On top of Eli scouring the field, and Bradshaw and Jacobs out of the backfield, New York has a good O-Line, and 3 very good, deep threat receivers the 49ers are going to have to account for. I really think they're going to have to bracket cover Hakeem Nicks because of his deep ability (280 yards, 4 TD's in 2 postseason games in 2012). Let Eli have all he wants underneath and in short routes, just don't expose yourselves deep, something I think the Niners did a very good job of versus New Orleans (sans the Graham and Sproles big TD's). Luckily, despite what they showed vs. a sub par Packers defense, the Giants aren't a real big play team. They want to play a lot like the 49ers, but if they need to win it through the air, Eli is a guy who's done it more than once and has a ring on his finger to prove it. It seems like Eli picked apart Atlanta and Green Bay at will, and he did, but both of those defenses had huge miscues all game. The Green Bay secondary was doing spins and turns trying to keep up with Giants' receivers, you could tell they either weren't prepared, or they just got caught off their game, cause they looked bad. The 49ers are going to be a much tougher defensive matchup than the Giants have seen over the last 5 weeks. That said, this isn't going to be easy by any stretch. Yes the 49ers beat New York, in New York in the regular season, but the Giants were sputtering then and without Ahmad Bradshaw. Now they come to stick, at full strength with a full array of weapons, so the 49ers have to prep for them exactly like they did New Orleans, just don't plan on scoring nearly as many points.

49ers Pull it out with "The Catch" Part 3

With the 49ers down 3 points and on their own side of the field with 40 seconds left, I'm sure a lot of people thought they were finally down for the count. But in a moment eerily similar to the Steve Young-to-Terrell Owens game winner way back in '98 that beat the Packers, Alex Smith found Vernon Davis down the middle on a 14-yard strike with 9 seconds left to send SF to the NFC Championship.

Vernon Davis, who's numbers were down this year despite Alex Smith's success, had by far his best game of 2011/2012, regular season, preseason or postseason, he was a beast today. If he doesn't come up with that TD catch on that perfectly thrown ball by Smith, and hold onto that ball with two defenders barreling into him, then the 49ers would have had to take their chance at a field goal and possibly OT against a Saints offense that was gaining momentum. More importantly, he came up with that big 35-yard catch and run prior to that to put the 49ers in position to tie or win. But first of all, the reason Vernon Davis was able to go for nearly 200 yards on 7 catches, 2 of which were for 6, was because Alex Smith was absolutely on his game today. I really wish Smith would have done the Steve Young "monkey off my back" sign after the victory, cause this game really solidified his arrival as a legit NFL QB. He won this game on his arm. The 49ers running game was never established, granted Gore broke one big 40 yard run, this game was won on the arm and legs of Mr. Alex Smith, the one 49ers fans loved to hate coming into the 2011 season. I know he proved to me today that he is for real, and maybe he was a little late to the party, but he's arrived, and the connection he has with Jim Harbough and his offensive players is really something special. Smith's only blunder on the afternoon was a fumble in which he probably should have tucked the ball and taken the sack but tried to make something happen on that Roman Harper blitz in which the ball popped out of Smith's hand.

Alex Smith arrived, and showed he could keep up with the elite offenses when need be, and the defense, for the most part, did exactly what they do best, cause turnovers and hit the Saints in the mouth. They had Aldon Smith or Justin Smith in Drew Brees' face consistently, and although they did give up the two big plays to, wouldn't you know it, Darren Sproles and Jimmy Graham, the defense came out aggressive from the start and you could tell Brees just was never real comfortable. He did throw for 463 yards, but it took him 63 tosses in order to make it there, and he also mixed in a few interceptions, so by comparison, Smith's game (299 yards on 42 attempts, 3 TD's and 0 Int's) blew Brees' out of the water. I said Dashon Goldson had to have a big game, and he did. I said Aldon Smith had to be on the field and be effective at getting after Drew Brees and he was. They had to account for Graham and Sproles, and even though they each managed to reach paydirt, the 49ers basically shut them down on the most every other play. Graham's TD was the only big play he had all game, take away the borderline PI call he got off Goldson early in the first, but that was nullified by Donte Whitner's clock-cleaning hit on Pierre Thomas that not only knocked the ball loose and gave the 49ers possession deep in their own territory, but also knocked Thomas out of the game, and he was the team's most effective rusher vs. Detroit last week with 2 TD's.

I could go on and on and on about this game, and I'm sure I'll talk about it a little more throughout the week, especially as we preview the NFC Championship which very likely could be another offense vs. defense battle if Vegas odds prevail and Green Bay beats New York. But this game, to me, was a benchmark for Smith. If Smith came out and played badly and the 49ers lost in bad way, then questions would have undoubtedly come into play this offseason as to whether or not Smith is the guy that can take this team to the next level. But he eliminated any need for that talk. No matter what happens in Green Bay next week, or if the 49ers get lucky enough, in San Francisco again, he proved he can win a playoff game against a team and QB that he wasn't supposed to beat. For all Alex Smith has been through, anyone who's followed the 49ers over the last 6 years can't help but feel great for Mr. Alex Smith! For all the defense did, and the game Vernon had, the 49ers don't win this game today without Smith doing what he did, and it very well may have earned him his long-term stay in San Francisco. (He'll be getting some big bucks this offseason, tell you that much!)

49ers - Saints, NFL Weekend Preview: Part 2

We did our main preview of the 49ers-Saints game in our last post here, but like I said yesterday, we'll do one more small section on the game on what needs to happen for the 49ers to win the game! We'll also use the second part of the post to preview the other 3 games going down this weekend, the weekend that determines who will wind up playing in each respective Conference Championship game.

First off, we'll start with the 49ers of course. As I said yesterday, we're going to keep it mostly to what the 49ers have to do to win this game, and win it they certainly can if they play the style of football that got them here. What has to happen is the 49ers have to dictate the tempo of the game early, they can't let the Saints control the ball and let Drew Brees drop back and throw 40 times. They have to keep the Saints offense off the field with good running and sound short-route passes and screens, then take your shot's deep, cause they have to be aggressive and show confidence early. Go conservative early, but surprise the Saints with some deep balls too, and open up the playbook, but the Saints are a blitzing team and Smith is going to have to make good, quick decisions in order to avoid turnovers, just as he's done all year. They're going to have to put up some points, so I wouldn't hesitate to bust out some trickery on offense, and pull out some plays that we haven't seen all year, plus the Saints secondary is average at best, so Smith can pick them apart if he makes smart choices. The 49ers will most likely have to score 24-30 points to win this, at least.

That brings us to the defense, just like the Saints will do to Alex, the 49ers have to have pressure on Brees all day long. Play Aldon Smith! Play Aldon Smith in as many snaps as he can take whether it's as a down D-end or an outside backer, they need his pass-rush. Also, they need to take away the Saints two secret weapons in Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles. They need to matchup players onto those two that can keep up with them. I suggested putting Goldson on Graham all day, and put an extra DB on the field every time Sproles is out there. If the 49ers get the early lead, and can play with their defense, they can win this. If Brees get's the ball frequently and has open receivers and little pressure, then the 49ers probably won't be able to keep up. My Prediction, 49ers pull it out in a close one, 27-24... Here is the rest of our playoff weekend predictions.

NFC Divisional Round Predictions:

San Francisco 49ers 27 - New Orleans Saints 24

Again, most of the talk about this game is above and in the previous post, but the 49ers have the defense to disrupt Drew Brees and give him problems, plus the 49ers have the home field advantage as the Stick will be rockin. Drew Brees has a career 107 QB rating and 12 TD's and 2 Int's vs. 49ers' defenses, but he's never faced one like this and could have issues with the January gusts at Candlestick Point.

Green Bay Packers 31 - New York Giants 27

I think this one will be closer than people are thinking and the Giants should pose some problems for Aaron Rogers and the Packer passing attack which hasn't been quite as crisp the last few weeks of the season. I still think the Pack pull it out in Lambo and conditions they're so used to. The thing is, the Packers defense has so many holes right now, that the Giants should be able to keep up with them offensively, especially if Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs can get going like they did last week and that defense plays lights out like they did vs. Atlanta (only 2 points allowed came on a Safety caused by Eli Manning's intentional grounding in the endzone). If they bring that against the defending champs, then I doubt the Packers will just have their way with the Giants defense like they've had their way with so many D's this season.


AFC Divisional Round Predictions:

New England Patriots 35 - Denver Broncos 17

As much magic as Tebow pulled out vs. the Steelers rock-solid defense, I just don't see him being able to keep up with a healthy Tom Brady and the top passing attack in the league. Denver can get burned through the air, as they showed last week allowing a broken down and beat up Roethlisberger to throw for 282 yards and a TD, though they did sack him 5 times (again though, his mobility because of the ankle was basically nil). The Broncos had the home field and did pull off a huge upset in round one, no doubt about it, but now they travel to the loud, frigid Northeast where the Patriots play so darn well in Foxboro. Unless the Broncos pull can win the turnover battle and rattle up the Pats passing game, they don't have much of a chance. If it were in Denver, then maybe they have a shot, but not away in a notoriously tough place to play, I don't see them pulling out another one. Especially after seeing the Pats defense finish so strongly vs. the Bills (2 sacks, 4 picks, one for a TD), the Patriots don't have the best defense, but they have some speed to keep up with Tebow and Demaryius Thomas.

Baltimore Ravens 20 - Houston Texans 13

It's really too bad the Texans lost Matt Schaub, cause with him, and Foster and Andre Johnson healthy like we saw last week, they are legit Super Bowl contenders. But in enters rookie T.J. Yates, who if this team was playing any other playoff team besides a very green Bengals squad last week, probably loses. Yates' play was sporadic, his TD toss to Johnson was spot on, but for the most part, he showed he's still a rookie and missed some easy reads and open receivers. Now he faces a defense that will not only bring more heat than Cinci, but they have better coverage and a much tougher front-7 and I expect that front to eat Yates alive while still containing Foster enough to pull out the W. The only way the Texans win is if they pull out an early lead and can play with a lead, cause their defense, while not Raven-good, is very formidable. The Ravens also struggle to come back in games, and if you have them down early, you can beat them. All in all though, with the rookie traveling into the cold climate of Baltimore in January, I just can't see them taking it to the ferocious Baltimore defense.

49ers - Saints Preview: Part 1

Well, in the biggest game for the 49ers since 2002, I figured I'd give it so much attention, we'll do a two-part preview to the 49ers-Saints game this Saturday at Candlestick Park.

In part one, I wanted to talk a little bit about what I think the offense and defense each need to focus on, and then in part 2, we'll do a straight list of things that need to happen in order for the 49ers to win, and things that, if happen, the 49ers haven't a snowflakes chance in hell. Now, starting with the offense, I don't think they should change anything up from what they did all year, at least at the start of the game. Establish the run, let Alex do some play fakes and some easy short-route completions, I don't care if they're only 3-5 yards, they have to keep the ball moving and keep the clock running offensively. Obviously, they're going to need Frank Gore and the offensive line to be on their A-game, and not only in the running game. The Saints aren't a top defense by any means, and the 49ers shouldn't have too much of a problem getting the run game going, but what the Saints front does do is bring a lot of pressure and they'll blitz you, especially if they get a lead. That's where having Gore is so key, because he's one of the best, if not the best, blitz pick-up/blocking backs in the NFL. Again, that's why I say a lot of screens, and short routes against this team will be effective if executed properly. Get Frank to bust off a couple 10-15 yard runs to get the defense honest, and then take your chance down field on a play fake. I'm not saying go all-out conservative by any stretch, cause they're going to have to score some points. Take your shots down field and take them with regularity, but don't try and play the Saints game and keep up with them via the pass. Ball control/game clock control while establishing the run should be the team approach to start the game.

Defensively, they really need to focus on two key players in my mind, and those two are the ones that pose the toughest matchup for defenses, Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles. I would assign Dashon Goldson to Graham, just because he's got the strength and speed to keep up with the TE/WR and has cover skills as a college CB. If that means using Goldson as a quasi-linebacker/cornerback than albeit. Let Reggie Williams or Madieu Williams slide into the safety spot if need be or come up with defensive schemes that use Goldson on Graham. As with Sproles, I really think they need to treat him like a wideout and when the dudes on the field, bring in an extra DB to account for him. The 49ers have a strong enough front to play with an extra DB in the lineup and sort of a 3-3 front. As good as Pierre Thomas looked vs. Lions, I'm not at all worried about him at all. I doubt he averages 8 YPC vs. the 49ers stout D, but Sproles does worry me, so keep as much speed on the field as you possibly can. As for the receivers, I have confidence in the way that Carlos Rogers has been playing, that he should battle Marques Colston pretty well, but it's going to be on the 49ers front getting pressure on Mr. Brees. The 49ers absolutely have to have Brees under pressure all-day long from start to finish. Play Aldon Smith as much as he possibly can take, and bring 5+ guys each and every time Brees drops back to pass. Again, I have confidence in this teams' secondary when the team's pass rush is on it's game. That's when they get their picks and play their best.

Either way, it's going to shape up as a very good battle at the 'Stick Saturday, and if your lucky enough to have tickets, your in for one helluva a battle. An offensive powerhouse vs. a defensive juggernaut. The ultimate strength vs. strength game! Check back tomorrow for more 49ers and Saints talk as well as predictions for the weekends games!

Raiders Give Jackson the Axe

Well, in a week that has the 49ers squaring up with the Mr. Unstoppable, Drew Brees, at Candlestick Park, the big talk in the Bay Area Tuesday lied around the Oakland Raiders. After just one season as head coach, Hugh Jackson was ousted after his squad finished the season terribly.

It came as a surprise to me, I'll tell you that much. I mean, I heard the rumblings over the weekend, but you normally hear some level of that with every team that just misses the playoffs and probably should have made it. This shakes up the whole Raiders organization because Jackson had full control and last say on player movement. He was the one that, probably, signed off on the Carson Palmer deal and then once his team lost 4 of their last 5 ballgames, and their stronghold on the AFC West. But what I think really sealed his fate was after the season when he threw his players, mainly star linebacker Rolando McClain, under the bus and blamed missing the playoffs solely on the players. Now, I've coached, granted at Senior Little League level, but one thing you never, ever do as a coach, is place blame on players publicly. If you have a problem with a player, it's between you and them, you don't make it a public issue, and Jackson had no problem doing just that. Couple that with the fact that the team just hired, Reggie Mckenzie and the two probably did not hit it off, as Jackson wanted more say in personnel issues and McKenzie was probably less than impressed with Jackson's performance as a coach and leader over the last month or more. All that said, I think Jackson did a pretty good job until that end of season meltdown. I wouldn't have done the Carson Palmer deal, would have held out for Orton at like 1/16 of the price, but that's water under the bridge now. I do think Jackson will find another home as an NFL head coach at some point, but this was the right move for the Raiders.

Whichever coach is brought in will immediately enter a tough situation, as the Raiders are set to enter 2012 with 2 QB's expecting to start in Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell. My guess is they deal Campbell and try and get some draft picks back. There is a major lack of QB options this winter, outside of RG3, Andrew Luck, Kyle Orton and Matt Flynn (who I'm still not really sold on), there aren't any starting caliber QB's who will be free this summer. I could see Miami definitely having some interest in Campbell, as well as Washington. I think whatever team doesn't get Griffin or Luck should go after Campbell before trying to sign Matt Flynn. That's just my personal opinion. Campbell had the Raiders on a clear road to the playoffs and he went down and this team was never the same. At the same time, after an offseason and preseason working with Raider receivers, I'd expect a much better Carson Palmer in 2012 Raider fans, and as long as Run DMC is healthy and those receivers stay on the field, this team will be a playoff squad. As for coaches, I'm haven't a clue yet who they're thinking of, but with Al Davis passed on, it may make coaching the Raiders a little more desirable. When Davis was alive, bless him, he had complete control of everything, rumors spread that he'd even call down plays to head coaches on occasion.

Still the Raiders aren't going to get an established head coach like a Bill Cowher or Jeff Fischer. Heck, they probably couldn't even get Steve Marriuci out of retirement and he loves the Bay Area. Unless they want to go with a guy desperate for a HC job like Mike Martz or Denny Green, they need a bright eyed, rattle the troops, college-type coach if you ask me (Chip Kelly anyone?). They need a Pete Carroll-type would be ideal for the Raiders, though he's locked up with the Seahawks, but maybe try and pluck a premium college coach up. Jim Mora Jr. would have been another young, fiery head coach perfect for this job but he just signed on with UCLA They need someone who's well known enough to the players to command their respect, at the same time, they need someone with energy and who will fire that team up rather than sit back and point fingers.