It's the battle of the worst two teams last year, and possibly the lowest ratings this week in the NFL.

Scouting Report from Scouts, Inc:

Why To Watch
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz is loaded with weapons across the board. He has a stable of wide receivers to get involved in the pass game and is excited about veteran quarterback Jon Kitna (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4157), who still has the physical ability and football savvy to lead the offense. The Detroit defense will be put to the test every week, especially in the secondary. Rookie head coach Lane Kiffin will bring a new and fresh flavor to the revamped Oakland Raiders (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=oak). While the defense remains one of the best in the NFL under defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, the offense will begin to develop an identity with QB Daunte Culpepper (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4659) at the helm. Culpepper will bring his success and experience to one of the worst offenses in the NFL in 2006.


http://espn.starwave.com/nfl/gamepackage/i/helmets/det_34_rf.jpg When the Lions have the ball
Rushing: The Lions may use the run game as a compliment to their passing attack this season. Kevin Jones (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6789) is day-to-day with a foot injury that nearly placed him on the PUP list. Tatum Bell (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6800) and T.J. Duckett (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5904) will have bigger roles than anticipated in the run game. Bell is the likely starter and Duckett, a tough bruising running back, had a productive preseason and runs well in between the tackles. The additions of RT George Foster (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6356) from Denver and LG Edwin Mulitalo (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4779) from Baltimore improve the offensive line from a year ago. RG Damien Woody (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4665) is back from an injury which forced him to miss 11 games in 2006. Oakland was on the bottom half of the NFL in run defense in 2006. Veteran defensive tackle Warren Sapp (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3140) lost weight in the offseason to enhance his quickness and endurance, but the defensive line has struggled stopping the run in the past. They will have to rely on ILB Kirk Morrison (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7254) again to make the plays against the running attack. The Lions will be able to spread the Oakland defense out with three and four wide receiver sets and run the ball.

Passing: It will be exciting to see how Martz will take advantage of the talented wide receivers in Detroit. Not only will Oakland have to key on rookie sensation Calvin Johnson (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=8256), they also have to account for Roy Williams (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6766) and Mike Furrey (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=4939), who combined for 180 catches, 2,396 yards and 13 TDs in 2006. Kitna had a productive preseason and understands Martz's passing concepts well. Oakland will also have to account for the running back as a big part of Martz's offense in catching balls out of the backfield. But the Raiders had the best pass defense in 2006, led by CB Nnamdi Asomugha (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6367), who is quietly one of the best cover corners in the NFL. Asomugha, along with corner Fabian Washington (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7199) and safeties Stuart Schweigert (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6826) and Michael Huff (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7756), make up one of the best secondary units in the NFL. If any group can shut down the Detroit passing attack, it's this one.

http://espn.starwave.com/nfl/gamepackage/i/helmets/oak_34_rf.jpg When the Raiders have the ball
Rushing: LaMont Jordan (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5496) has been a productive running back for the Oakland offense and has made the Raiders offensive line look better than they actually are. Offseason free agent acquisition Dominic Rhodes (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5793) is suspended the first four games for violating the league's substance abuse policy and while that puts a bigger load on Jordan, he's used to it. Kiffin will try to establish Oakland's run game regardless, but Marinelli is determined to improve the Detroit run defense that was average last season. Marinelli brought in former Buccaneer DE Dewayne White (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6400) in the offseason to bolster the defensive line. DT Shaun Cody (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7213) played in only six games in 2006 after suffering a foot injury. The Detroit linebacking corps, with strongside OLB Boss Bailey (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6370), ILB Paris Lenon (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6152), and weakside OLB Ernie Sims (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7758), has speed and is starting to develop the type of aggressive philosophy Marinelli had in Tampa Bay.

Passing: Culpepper is the key to Oakland's passing game and will make everyone around him better, including wide receivers Jerry Porter (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5076) and Ronald Curry (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6092). Oakland offensive coordinator Greg Knapp will incorporate some of the West Coast three- and five-step passing routes to quicken the release of the QB. That will also help the offensive line in pass protection. In the past, the seven-step vertical passing game owner Al Davis favors required longer protection time. The loss of Dre Bly (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4690) to Denver is a big one for the Lions secondary. Bly was able to man-up any receivers he played against, which allowed the Detroit safeties to make plays over the top or offer help in other areas. Corners Fernando Bryant (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=4675) and Stanley Wilson (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7248) will be under the microscope early in the season and opponents will try to exploit them. Sims, the outside linebacker, may have a bigger role in coverage this season to aid the secondary.

http://espn.starwave.com/nfl/gamepackage/i/helmets/oak_34_rf.jpgSpecial Teamshttp://espn.starwave.com/nfl/gamepackage/i/helmets/det_34_lf.jpg
Detroit's special teams will feature a new coordinator in Stan Kwan, who takes over for Chuck Priefer, who helped the Lions special teams excel. Jason Hanson (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=2034) will once again provide the stability and accuracy in the kicking game. The scheme is aggressive on kickoff coverage and the return phase is still a five-man front with a four- or five-man wedge behind. In Oakland, rookie NFL coach Brian Schneider will install his own identity for special teams. With two exceptional specialists in K Sebastian Janikowski (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5046) and P Shane Lechler (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=5171), the Raiders should improve in all phases from a year ago. Returner Chris Carr (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7465) proved to be a game-changing threat in 2006 doing both the kickoff and punt returns.

Q & A parts related to the game:

Jhud: Can you shed any light on how the Lions will gameplan for the Raider this week. Secondly, do you see any of the rookies (besides Calvin Johnson) playing a contributing role other than special teams this week. Thanks for the insight as always.


Tom Kowalski: I'm not sure exactly how the Lions are going to attack the Raiders, who have a very good defense, but my guess is that Mike Martz has a few things up his sleeve and will try a couple of different strategies before he settles in on his plan. I think Detroit's best shot is to go three-wide and spread them out because the Raiders like to drop eight men in the box. Going three-wide would force them out of that comfort zone.
As far as the rookies, CJ will see a lot of action, of course. Gerald Alexander will likely start at safety and Ikaika Alama-Francis will see a good deal of playing time in the defensive line rotation. It'll be interesting to see if Brandon Middleton is active -- he's a good special teamer, but it'll come down to numbers

CT Lion: If the Lions lose to the Raiders, is the season over? Also, is there a concern that McCown is going to give away the lions offensive secrets to an already tough raiders D?


Tom Kowalski: No, the season isn't over. I don't think the Lions are going to win this game; it's a lot tougher than people realize. About McCown, it doesn't matter what he knows because the issue is how Martz calls the game. Martz will be calling several plays that McCown has never seen before. The worst thing a defense can do is try to predict what Martz is going to do -- you'll get him a couple of times, but you're going to lose in the end. What makes Martz special is his ability to adapt on the fly to what the defense is going to do next.

I'm prepared for the worst.

CT Lion: If the Lions lose to the Raiders, is the season over?

OMG that is painfully funny.

The quest for 19-0 starts now. Start sweating 1972 Dolphins...

Contrary to reports from earlier today that claimed Culpepper had won the starting QB job for the Raiders, the NFL Network is reporting that Josh McCown will start Sunday.

At receiver?

At receiver?
:cornbread text: [smilie=lolol.gif]


How do we not have a Millen Smiley??????!!!!!!

Don't forget about Mike Williams!!

It's pretty tempting to pick up McCown in the fantasy league and spot start him against the Lions D this week.

It's pretty tempting to pick up McCown in the fantasy league and spot start him against the Lions D this week.

That is a fantastic idea.

McCown to BMW for the game winning TD?

Detroit at Oakland

By LAURA MEDINA, STATS Writer

Having the worst records in the NFL in 2006 gave the Oakland Raiders and the Detroit Lions the top two picks in April's draft. Only one of those players selected will be on the field Sunday, though, in the season opener for both teams.

While second overall pick Calvin Johnson is expected to make an immediate impact for Detroit, it is still uncertain when No. 1 overall choice JaMarcus Russell will see the field for Oakland in 2007.

Russell, who passed for 3,129 yards and 28 touchdowns in leading LSU to an 11-2 record last season, remains in a contract dispute and is the only unsigned first-round pick.

The Lions, meanwhile, are hoping they didn't make a mistake by drafting a wide receiver in the first round for the fourth time in the last five years.

Johnson caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 TDs at Georgia Tech last season, and joins a Detroit receiving corps that ranked fifth in the NFL in 2006 with 263.0 yards per game behind the efforts of Pro Bowler Roy Williams and Mike Furrey.

Williams, who was the Lions' first-round pick in 2004, tied Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne for the third-most receiving yards in the league last season with 1,310. Furrey led the NFC with 98 catches and had 1,086 receiving yards.

"There's a lot of talent here," Johnson said.

With Russell unsigned, the Raiders will turn to either Daunte Culpepper or Josh McCown to help them rebound from a miserable season. Oakland dropped its final nine games and was a league-worst 2-14 in 2006 - posting its fewest wins since going 1-13 in 1962 in the AFL.

Culpepper, who signed a one-year deal on July 31 after an injury-riddled season with Miami, is battling McCown for the starting job. First-year Oakland coach Lane Kiffin has told the quarterbacks who won the job on Tuesday and that the rest of the team found out during practice Wednesday, but he will keep the Lions guessing.

"It's simply a matter of always trying to gain a competitive advantage," Kiffin said.

Culpepper, McCown and Andrew Walter shared time in the first three exhibition games before Kiffin said either McCown or Culpepper would be the starter.

"I don't know the deal. I'm just working," said Culpepper, who battled knee injuries in his last season with Minnesota before being traded to Miami in March 2006. "I've said from the beginning that no matter what my role, I'm going to help the team as much as I can."

Culpepper has played in 11 games since the start of 2005, compiling 2,493 yards and 15 touchdowns. He had four touchdowns in the preseason.

McCown, who was acquired from Detroit in April, appeared in two games for the Lions last season.

"If our coaches think this gives us an advantage, then by all means you do it," McCown said. "If it doesn't, then who cares? No big deal, no harm done, other than some family members that wanted to know. Other than that it's no big deal. I'm all for it as long as it can possibly help us."

The poor 2006 season prompted Oakland to hire the 32-year-old Kiffin, the youngest coach in the modern NFL. With just a year of pro experience, Kiffin looks to improve an Oakland team that is 15-49 since 2003.

"There was nothing fun about what we were doing last year. Nothing," running back LaMont Jordan said. "But Kiffin has definitely put back the fun in Raiders football. And I'm looking forward to see how this thing comes together."

Oakland's offense finished with the NFL's lowest averages in yards (246.2) and points (10.5) per game, while committing a league-high 46 turnovers and allowing the most sacks (72) last season.

The Raiders played well on defense, though, allowing the third-fewest yards per game (284.8). That unit will now try to contain the Lions' Jon Kitna, who returns after becoming the first quarterback in franchise history to take every snap in a single season as Detroit went 3-13 last year - its sixth straight season with double-digit losses.

Kitna had a league-high 372 completions and was fourth in the NFL with 4,208 passing yards. He also had 21 touchdowns for Detroit, which ranked seventh in passing offense with 238.8 yards a contest.

Detroit bolstered its backfield with the acquisition of Tatum Bell and signing of T.J. Duckett, as it is uncertain when Kevin Jones will return from a broken bone in his left foot that sidelined him for the final three games last season.

Jones, who was removed from the physically unable to perform list last Saturday, appeared in his first practice on Monday. He hopes to be back before an Oct. 21 matchup with Tampa Bay.

"I want to definitely be back before six (games)," said Jones, who rushed for a team-high 689 yards and six touchdowns on 181 carries in 12 games last year. "But I can start practicing now and take it day by day."

Oakland is 6-3 against the Lions and has won four of the last five meetings. In the most recent matchup, the Raiders lost 23-13 in Detroit on Nov. 2, 2003. Oakland has won all four meetings when hosting the Lions.

I'm actually looking forward to watching this game and I'll even be wearing a Lions jersey. Do you think therapy would help or should I just accept my condition and try to keep it as private as possible?

I am really looking forward to some good sports channel flipping today. We've got the Patriots and the Jets, the Eagles and the Packers, the Tigers and Mariners, the Lions, I also get the Chargers and the Bears on cable here in Spain and the Cowboys and the Giants. I'm going to end up getting no sleep at all tonight and feeling like a moron tomorrow morning (well at least I'm going to try to put it off until then) but this should be fun. I'll probably even flip over to the US Open finals and the US/Brazil soccer game.

Yeah, I'm really considering the therapy option right now.

let the madness begin.

Wow, I'm a lil late with Tivo but a pretty good passing attack so far.

And we've had our first example of the year where a brutal lack of a running game could kill us.

So far I've seen a lot of good from the offense. Also, the only thing I've seen is half the scoring drive. One good run and one good pass.

That was the scoring drive really.

An all right half of football. Just one mistake that cost the Lions (the int) and I still think that was half Martz's fault for letting them throw with 7 Raiders in the end zone covering.

It helps to be playing a team that may just be worse than us, but I think the Lions did OK and enough to be on top.

We're up 10-0. I make no predictions or assumptions about the final score, but we are up 10-0 at the half.

Josh McCown - "I VILL BREAK YOU!!!"

A couple of things I've like this second half:

1. I loved (if I saw it right) that after the Lions interception, which was a nice D play as well as a McCowen mistake, they celebrated but not as though they've won the game. If they don't show some kind of focus we're in for another long season.

2. The D is playing well. It's not against Indy of course, but I think they needed to be at least solid.

Let's hope they can keep this up...

Someone tell Roy his job as a WR is to catch passes and not let them go through his hands.

Question...where's Calvin? Kid had so much potential. :emo kid:

Question...where's Calvin? Kid had so much potential. :emo kid:

On the sidelines.

Good thing we got some new linemen and Bell to get that running game going. We're going to get murdered if we can't run the ball and keep their offense off the field.

I'm interested in seeing how many penalties the Raiders have committed so far this game.

wow, great shot of the Oakland fans pelting Bell w/ beer and cups after the final touchdown.

"oh no, they didn't......"

http://www.theage.com.au/ffximage/2004/11/22/23s_artest_wideweb__430x309.jpg

1st place lions! lol at the raider fans in the end zone.

hanging 36 on oakland isnt nothing. im predicting fun year this year.

The quest for 19-0 starts now. Start sweating 1972 Dolphins...

http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/1052/beansandcornbreadbq5.jpg

I was impressed with the defense. They only gave up a few big plays and they easily had 2 or 3 themselves. We might still get lit up by better offenses teams, but for them to play like that on the road was nice.

i would call that a very small positive. oakland's O is horrible, and looked good against us. they helped us win on the road, but i think we're going to bleed points this year.

Only 18 more to go......

i would call that a very small positive. oakland's O is horrible, and looked good against us. they helped us win on the road, but i think we're going to bleed points this year.

I do agree with you, and I would say, that, again, without a doubt Oakland's O was able to push us back. But I wonder if we had been able to control the ball more on O (as in run it) if the D would have been better rested and not been pushed so much. I just liked how they were able to make some big plays as well.

Without a doubt this was against a bad team. But, while I still get to eat some cornbread and wash it down with kool-aid, I'm going to enjoy any positives I can get.

That "Leave Nothing" Nike commercial is bad ass.

Best Nike one I've seen in a while.

yea, it blew my mind the first time i saw it. i'll be watching last of the mohicans soon, because it.

I like the commercial as well, don't like the tag line though.

Fun game to watch. Nice to see the Lions able to handle losing the lead and comeback and take the victory back. Sure the Raiders suck but it was fun to see. Except for the two quick slants (which really weren't slants since they were thrown as soon as Kitna got the snap) I don't think I saw a pattern where the reciever cought the ball while heading North and South. Not saying they didn't thrown down the field but that all their patterns appeard to slants, crosses, or cuts. I guess that's what they were talking about when they mentioned that its not a classic Martz recieving core. Size over speed?

Looks like we're not going to be able to run again this year and that D is certainly going to give up points. The TOs at the end of the game were enjoyable. Bravo White.

Hey, its a double U.

We've all seen some damn good teams go on the road and stink up the place.

I like that we put pressure down the field. That was sompin I was wanting for a long time.

I'm taking it a game at a time.

Go Lions! <---Did I really say that?

Tahoe, this team's going to win the Superbowl...have at it.

Tahoe, this team's going to win the Superbowl...have at it.
^^ Quoted for posterity, in case of late-season post-editing necromancy by WTFMICH.

McCown got injured on the last play vs. Lions


Sep 11 McCown could miss this week's game against Denver with a slightly cracked index finger on his throwing hand, NFL Network reports. He smashed his hand on a helmet while throwing during the last play of Sunday's loss to Denver.

Recommendation: Some sources in the report say he could miss two to four weeks. Daunte Culpepper could start this week as a result. McCown also had X-rays on a foot injury, which were negative.

Got OGT?

McCown got injured on the last play vs. Lions
Good News. I dont care for the guy. He has all the tools of Gannon w/o the brain unfortunately.

Culpepper isnt anything special, but if he can roll out effectively as he did in the preseason and stretch the field, we come out better. IMO I think Kiffin promised the job to McCown and that McCown has to play like dog poo to lose it.