Rebuilding the Fear - Oakland Raiders M13 CCM

[KBLover]

Just got M13 a few days ago, and trying to get used to the gameplay and such. Meanwhile, I figured, what better time to start a new fran...career.

Basic settings:
15 minute quarters
Acc. Clock: 13
Speed: Slow
Spd Threshold: 0
Level: Custom All-Madden (using 75 or less rule)
Sliders: Creating my own - sadly, my M12 sliders....did not work. Not to mention new theories and whatnot.
Mode: Playing as created HC

Anyway, on with the show.

The Ander Lyle era begins in Oakland

The...who?

Yes, the Raiders choose a relative unknown to be the next captain of the Oakland Raiders. Lyle is thought to be a tactical type of coach, looking for ways to give his players the mental and preparation edge every week. Remains to be seen how he'll be able to motivate his guys and build a team that can withstand the vicious AFC.

Lyle looks to bring changes to the defensive side in particular. Based on interview notes with the coach, this is how analysts believe Lyle will view his existing personnel:

QB - Palmer will likely be his man and probably can tolerate him. Lyle likes QBs with intelligence and composure. Palmer typically shows those traits. He will probably give Terrell Pryor every chance to develop as well before heavily considering a new young prospect QB. Where does Leinart fit? He probably doesn't.

HB - He should like McFadden...and maybe he can figure out how to keep the talented halfback healthy. Lyle loves to use his backs in the passing game. McFadden has soft hands for a halfback, and, if he can stay healthy, McFadden could easily be who this offense runs through. Reece, however, might be Lyle's new favorite toy...a pass-catching fullback could give defenses yet one more thing to worry about and create more deception even out of a run-look formation.

WR - The WRs are going to have something to prove. Right now, they are about polar opposite to what Lyle likes. Lyle prefers technically sound players, while the Raiders have stockpiled pure atheletes. Denarius Moore has the best chance of making a good early impression.

TE - This could go either way. Myers has skills as a receiving TE, but if he's going to be asked to do some blocking, disappointment might occur on both sides.

OL - Expect Veldheer to be the anchor a new line is built around. Lyle loves pass blockers in the interior to protect the A gaps.

DL - Seymour is going to fit in great. Lyle likes big guys in the middle to suck up blocks and push the engagement back into the backfield. He'll also love the veteran Andre Carter and his pass rush abilities.

LB - Lyle is going to have a fit. Aside from McClain, he probably will want to overturn this whole unit. Wheeler does have good pursuit at least and Stupar might become something of a pet project with his potential as a coverage LB and moving him to the outside.

CB - I don't think there's any coach, or would be coach, that would like this group. They are all average, at best, and not even young enough to where improvement is probable.

S - There's some hope here. Huff and Branch are more physical, and Lyle prefers the Ed Reed-type ballhawking safety, but the abilities of the two starters will keep them in the lineup and probably can adapt to some of what Lyle will be selling.

K/P - Who wouldn't like either one of these folks? Janikowski was "Legatron" before that was a thing and Lechler has long been a weapon on this team.


Other comments from the new head coach seem to indicate that he wants a fearsome, hard-hitting defense. When asked what some of his favorite old time players were, just about every defender was one of those nasty, "I'd kill you if I could" type defensive studs. Deacon Jones, Lyle Alzado, Jack Tatum, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Mel Blount. Those type of guys. That style of play doesn't really fly in the NFL or NCAA, so he'll have a hard time filling those protoypes, but there are hard hitters coming out all the time and in the league now, so perhaps some of those players will make their way to the Raiders at some point.

"But they have to be smart and know how to stop plays, not just punish completed plays, " Lyle also commented.

Offensively, a running attack seems to be in the making, but Lyle did say he wants to mix things up and keep defenses off-balance.

"I like the running game, and I think you can be deceptive with it without getting cute, but a strong aerial attack is a thing of beauty and making the defense have to split its focus on both the ground and the air, that can make up for a lot," Lyle spoke.

It seems that overall, versatility and flexibility are going to be themes of the Lyle administration in Oakland. He wants players that can change gears and adapt to what's happening as well as being able to at least handle a lot of different responsibilities. Will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward.

[KBLover]

2012 Dawns!
Season set to begin

Preseason wrap up:

Transactions

Releases:
TE John Condo (34)
TE Mickey Shuler (53)
QB Matt Leinart (74)
FB Owen Schmidt (63)
CB Brandion Ross (64)
WR Tori Gurley (65)
DT Von Meatoga (56)
OLB Vic So'oto (67)
C Colin Miller (61)
CB Pat Lee (70)
FS Brandon Underwood (69)
WR Duke Calhoun (66)
DE Dave Tollefson (75)
MLB Travis Goethel (61)
CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah (70)
LT Willie Smith (69)

Signings:
HB Larod Stephens-Howling (82), 1 year, $1.32 M
DE Everett Brown (82), 1 year, $1.7 M
LT Sam Baker (87), 1 year, 1.8 M


Injuries:
RG Mike Brisiel OUT 28 weeks with a broken tailbone. Placed on IR. LG Kasey Studdard (73) was signed to fill the spot.


The Raiders finished 2-2 in preseason with the defense being the biggest problem. The offense actually looked relatively solid throughout the preseason, except in one game where Palmer threw 4 INTs.

"We have to figure out something on defense or we won't get anywhere, " coack Lyle spoke, "It is something we will be working on all year long."

The Raiders open the season at home against the Chargers.

[KBLover]

Gates Scores Twice, But Pass Rush Slams Rivers 5 Times in 27-14 Raiders Win

"Philip Rivers is a competitor. You have to give him that. We got after him once we made some second half adjustments, but he refused to give up. If we don't get that interception early in the 4th and execute the run, it's a different game, " Lyle spoke during the postgame press conference.

The Raiders had a fight on their hands for much of this game. The team exploded in the 2nd quarter for 17 points, but surrounding that were two Chargers TDs to Antonio Gates to make it 17-14 heading into the 4th quarter.

The pass rush was having trouble getting to Rivers and the coverage was paying the price. However, the Chargers abandoned the run, despite Matthews putting up 55 yards in just 11 carries and a 17-14 game. This gave the defense a chance to figure out ways to get after Rivers, and it paid off. DE Andre Carter was able to get around the edge, and start laying into Rivers. He wound up with 3 sacks on the game and was just like a bull in a china shop. The Raiders would tack on two more to make it five in the game.

The Raiders added a score on a screen to McFadden. The Oakland halfback kept his body in bounds long enough against a hit from Weddle to score. It was McFadden's second TD on the day. The first came on a two yard run. This game the Raiders a 24-14 lead.

Put that didn't stop the Chargers from attacking through the air, and they continued to find success. The Chargers were putting together a drive in the late 3rd quarter when CB Ron Bartell attacked a pass and came away with the interception as the Chargers neared the red zone.

The Raiders leaned on the run game and mixed it up, taking advantage of the athleticism of the stable of halfbacks at Palmer's command. The offense settled for a Janikowski 39-yard FG, but the main damage was done on the clock more than the scoreboard, with the drive eating up 8 minutes.

Rivers attacked through the air again, looking for a quick score. He made a beautiful sideline throw (which was challenged, but upheld) and then another later on in the drive on 4th and 17. However, the clock was just too much to overcome, especially without timeouts, and the Chargers couldn't make any magic happen.

Box Score:

San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
San Diego Chargers (0-0)	7	0	7	0	14
Oakland Raiders (0-0)	0	17	0	10	27

Team Stats Comparison
	SDG	OAK
Total Offense	250	278
Rushing Yards	58	131
Passing Yards	192	147
First Downs	15	21
Punt Return Yards	0	47
Kick Return Yards	0	42
Total Yards	250	367
Turnovers	1	0
3rd Down Converstion	5	10
4th Down Conversion	1	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/0	3/0
Penalties
Posession Time	16:29	35:31

San Diego Chargers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Philip Rivers 20/29 (68%) 231 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Ryan Matthews 11 55 5.0 0 Ronnie Brown 2 3 1.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Antonio Gates 7 63 9.0 2 Ryan Matthews 3 26 8.7 0 Danario Alexander 3 31 10.3 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD MLB Donald Butler 8 0 0 0 OLB Antwan Barnes 6 0 0 0 SS Eric Weddle 6 0 0 0 DE Vaughn Martin 5 0 0 0 MLB Jonas Mouton 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Dan Carpenter 0/0 2/2 2 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Mike Scifers 3 125 41.7 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Carson Palmer 18/25 (72%) 156 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 18 69 3.8 1 Larod Stephens-Howling 9 44 4.9 0 Mike Goodson 2 8 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 5 50 10.0 1 Darius Heyward-Bey 4 37 9.3 0 Darren McFadden 4 28 7.0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD SS Tyvon Branch 4 0 0 0 OLB Aaron Curry 4 0 0 0 MLB Rolando McClain 3 0 0 0 DE Andre Carter 3 3 0 0 OLB Miles Burris 2 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 2/2 3/3 9 46 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 2 89 44.5 0

Injury Report:
Two severe injuries struck in this game, one on each side. Chargers' DL Corey Liguet will miss the next 4 weeks with a broken collerbone. Liguet suffered the injury giving pursuit. Raiders' WR Jacoby Ford will miss the next 5 weeks with a dislocated hip. Ford landed awkwardly as he got hit during a cut while trying to run back a punt.

[0riginalD0nDada]

Looking forward to see how you rebuild the Raiders

[JHeyBraves]

You know I'm following this.

If your M12 Bucs are any indication, I think I have a rough idea of how you will build the team. Man, I miss the Gibson days.

[KBLover]

Quote: Originally Posted by JHeyBraves

You know I'm following this. If your M12 Bucs are any indication, I think I have a rough idea of how you will build the team. Man, I miss the Gibson days.

Yep, you and me both - trying to get the sliders to highlight the LBs (if not the front seven, as always) since they are key to defense on both User/CPU. Getting used to M13 is interesting.

[KBLover]

Raiders Defend Red Zone, Does Enough For 20-3 Win Over Dolphins

"We got by in this one. Our defense did what they had to when it counted, but we can't keep counting on enemy mistakes. We have to do better defending the field, " Coach Lyle commented.

The Raiders have managed the first two wins by winning the takeaway battle. In this one, they committed no turnovers and forced two, both in the red zone, to turn the tide.

Otherwise, they were pretty average, at best.

Matt Moore was finding open receivers most of the game, with Hartline being a prime target. However, in the red zone, Moore struggled, throwing a pick in the end zone. Raiders were playing a man 2 deep coverage and SS Tyvon Branch was waiting for Hartline. Moore threw the pass and Branch broke on it to make the pick in the back of the end zone.

The second trip to the red zone, the Dolphins tried to push it in on the ground primarily, but OLB Wheeler was there to set the edge and stop Bush short. The Dolphins settled for a chip shot Mare field goal.

The third trip to the red zone saw Moore get stripped on a sack by Andre Carter, his fourth in two games. DE Lamarr Houston found the ball right by his foot and picked it up for the recovery. The Raiders turned that into a TD on a 12-yd pass to McFadden just outside the reach of the defending LB, who tried to make a swipe at the pass just before it reached McFadden.

The Raiders, meanwhile, were up and down on offense as the WR continue to struggle for consistency. Denarius Moore is being the most reliable pass catcher so far, running sharp routes and finding holes in zones. Heyward-Bey has really struggled and just can't find his way open in the early going.

McFadden carried the rock 21 times. He couldn't find the end zone on the ground, but the running set up a play action pass TD to TE Ausberry to ice the game. Before that score, it was 13-3 for the Raiders with time enough to still lose the game.

Palmer completed 58% of his passes but the throws he did make were largely on the spot.

The Raiders did get a scare when Palmer went down hard, but he got back up and didn't miss a play.

The only solid spot for the defense overall was the pass rush. Last time, it was Andre Carter. This time it was his book end partner, DE Everett Brown. He racked up 2 sacks.

The Raiders (2-0) will face the Steelers (0-2), who are probably feeling a sense of urgency after a slow start.

Box Score:

Oakland Raiders at Miami Dolphins
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Oakland Raiders (1-0)	0	10	0	10	20
Miami Dolphins (0-1)	0	3	0	0	3

Team Stats Comparison
	OAK	MIA
Total Offense	241	294
Rushing Yards	98	82
Passing Yards	143	212
First Downs	13	15
Punt Return Yards	12	7
Kick Return Yards	48	106
Total Yards	301	407
Turnovers	0	2
3rd Down Converstion	6	3
4th Down Conversion	0	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1/1	0/1
Penalties	20	32
Posession Time	25:49	26:11

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Carson Palmer 14/24 (58%) 162 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 21 86 4.1 0 Larod Stephens-Howling 4 2 0.5 0 Marcel Reese 3 10 3.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Denarius Moore 4 72 18.0 0 Darren McFadden 2 16 8.0 1 Brandon Meyers 2 17 8.5 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD MLB Rolando McClain 6 0 0 0 OLB Aaron Curry 6 0 0 0 FS Matt Giordano 4 0 0 0 DE Everette Brown 2 2 0 0 SS Tyvon Branch 1 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 2/2 52 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 5 188 37.6 3

Miami Dolphins PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Matt Moore 23/33 (69%) 232 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Reggie Bush 18 77 4.3 0 Marcus Thigpen 3 5 1.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Brian Hartline 5 95 19.0 0 Anthony Fasano 4 31 7.8 0 Jabar Gaffney 3 23 7.7 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD MLB Karlos Dansby 5 0 0 0 DT Paul Soliai 5 0 0 0 SS Reshad Jones 4 0 0 0 OLB Josh Kaddu 3 1 0 0 DE Cameron Wake 3 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Olindo Mare 1/1 19 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Brandon Fields 3 111 37.0 0

Transactions:
Raiders re-signed P Shane Lechler to a 1 year contract worth $3.5 M

[KBLover]

Offensive Mistakes Bury Raiders, Lose 24-7 to Steelers

The Raiders beat themselves as much as the Steelers ground game did. The defense held up very well all game long. Rolando McClain notched 10 tackles in the game and knocked Mendenhall out of the game. Rothlisberger couldn't find much rhythm either, held to 50% completion and just 150 yards.

The problem was the offense committed 5 turnovers, 4 of them on Carson Palmer interceptions as he had a horrific day. His solid start to the season just turned sour, and perhaps the doubts across the whole team are starting to seep back in.

The lone bright spot was McFadden...until he went down with an injury. Palmer did manage one TD pass, a 1 yd pass to Heyward-Bey. Of course, the terrible play by Bey continued as that was the only yard he'd get all game. Denarius Moore continues to get, and deserve, most of the targets. Reports are that Bey will be benched starting week 3. The team will try the other receivers to start across from Moore. Bey might get a shot in the slot to see if that doesn't get him going.

There are whispers of Terrell Pryor getting a look as well. Seems that coach Lyle is wanting to stay with Palmer, but 4 INTs and 40% completion will shake any coach up. Fans will have to hope it was just a match up problem. The Steelers are considered in another world from the Raiders, ability-wise, and probably better than the Chargers and Dolphins, the two teams the Raiders defeated.

Raiders hit the road to face the 1-2 Broncos.


Box Score:

Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Pittsburgh Steelers (0-2)	3	7	0	14	24
Oakland Raiders (2-0)	0	0	7	0	7

Team Stats Comparison
	PIT	OAK
Total Offense	311	219
Rushing Yards	161	84
Passing Yards	150	135
First Downs	14	12
Punt Return Yards	362	43
Kick Return Yards	42	134
Total Yards	385	396
Turnovers	0	5
3rd Down Converstion	4	7
4th Down Conversion	0	1
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/1	1/0
Penalties
Posession Time	32:16	19:43

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ben Rothlisberger 12/24 (50%) 150 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jonathon Dwyer 29 109 3.8 1 Rashad Mendenhall 7 29 4.1 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Antonio Brown 5 50 10.0 0 Heath Miller 4 64 15.3 0 Mike Wallace 1 33 33.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD MLB Lawrence Timmons 10 0 0 0 MLB Larry Foote 6 0 0 0 OLB Lamar Woodley 5 1 0 0 CB Keenan Lewis 5 0 2 0 CB Ike Taylor 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Billy Cundiff 1/3 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jeremy Kapinos 7 306 43.7 0

Oakland Raiders PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Carson Palmer 20/48 (41%) 135 1 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Darren McFadden 17 74 4.4 0 Larod Stephens-Howling 1 8 8.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Brenden Meyers 5 46 9.2 0 Denarius Moore 4 37 9.3 0 Larod Stephens-Howling 4 16 4.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD MLB Rolando McClain 10 0 0 0 OLB Philip Wheeler 6 0 0 0 SS Michael Huff 6 0 0 0 OLB Aaron Curry 6 0 0 0 CB Ron Bartell 4 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Sebastian Janikowski 0/0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Shane Lechler 7 297 42.4 2

Injuries:
HB Darren McFadden is OUT for the next 5 weeks with a broken collarbone...HB Rashad Mendenhall was diagnosed with an ankle injury and should return in week 5...