Plenty of work to do for Raiders

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Aug 8, 2008 | by Steve Corkran

OAKLAND -- Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell spent his last night as a 22-year-old making his first start as the unquestioned offensive leader of a team devoid of one since Rich Gannon's superb four-year run ended with the 2002 season.

Before long, he was joined by rookie running back Darren McFadden on the McAfee Coliseum field Friday for a sneak peek at the other half of what the Raiders hope will be the keys to turning around a franchise that lost 61 of 80 games the past five seasons.

Neither player was around very long, by design, or had much of an effect upon Oakland's 18-6 win over the 49ers. There will be plenty of time for that once the regular season rolls around.

Friday night was about putting to rest the bad taste of the 2007 season and the official unveiling of the players counted upon to make this season more memorable than any of the past five.

McFadden wasn't around for any of those two-, four- and five-win seasons. You get the sense from watching him run the ball that things would have been much different with him on the team.

He rushed 12 times for 48 yards in his NFL debut. Pedestrian numbers, for sure, for a player who averaged 5.8 yards rushing during his three-year career at the University of Arkansas. However, the numbers don't show how McFadden burst through the line and came close a couple of times to turning a short run into a long one.

"I was really happy just to go in there and get the jitters out of you," McFadden said. "It was my first NFL game, you're going to be nervous. It felt good."

He did enough to whet the appetite of Raiders fans who haven't witnessed a running back with legitimate breakaway speed since Napoleon Kaufman. That also was enough to draw rave reviews from McFadden's teammates and coaches.

McFadden, second-year running back Michael Bush and wide receiver/ punt returner Johnnie Lee Higgins also played well enough to turn Russell's performance into an afterthought.

Russell played the first two series and completed only 2 of 5 passes for 13 yards. He was replaced by Andrew Walter early in the second quarter, or just about the time McFadden, Higgins and Bush turned the game into their own little showcase.

"We missed a couple of passes that we would have liked to get, but we have a lot more games to go," Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said.

Kiffin is hopeful of Bush developing into a reliable option on short-yardage and goal-line plays, and Higgins into a dependable player at receiver and on punt returns.

Sure, it's only one game, but Bush and Higgins made compelling cases for securing the unfilled roles placed at their feet.

Bush ran, caught and blocked his way into Kiffin's heart, as well as the 49ers secondary on a consistent basis.

"He looked really good," Kiffin said. "His feet looked exceptional. "... I was very pleased with Michael."

In other words, Bush did everything expected of him by Kiffin and the Raiders when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft.

Now, it's a matter of matching that level of play on a game-to- game basis. The early returns are encouraging.

Bush converted a third-and-two play, caught every pass thrown his way and scored from 5 yards on a play on which he made a nice cut in the backfield before blowing through the 49ers defense.

"If you read the scheme and do what your coaches taught you, everything else should be all right," Bush said afterward.

Higgins spent last season searching for ways to make his mark. He whiffed as a punt returner and caught only two passes. He entered Friday night's game in danger of seeing his Raiders career end after only one season.

He now has something to build upon and reason for optimism. That much crystallized on the strength of two impressive punt returns and a key reception.

"He looks really confident," Kiffin said. "It's really good to see. "... He showed up (Friday night)."

Most of Higgins' 37-yard punt return in the first quarter was negated by a block-in-the-back penalty. No worries. That was just the appetizer.

Three plays later, Higgins snared a pass from Russell in stride and rambled for 9 yards and a first down on a third-down play. Then, late in the first half Higgins fielded an Andy Lee punt near the right sideline, split two defenders, cut to his left and sprinted into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown.

Notes: The Raiders signed kicker Aaron Elling to replace injured regular Sebastian Janikowski (left, kicking leg) for Friday night's game. Janikowski sustained his injury Wednesday night at practice in Napa. Elling made his lone field-goal attempt. "... Receivers Ronald Curry (hamstring) and Arman Shields (knee), linebackers Ricky Brown (hamstring) and Grant Irons (hamstring), and cornerback John Bowie (knee) did not suit up for Oakland because of injuries. "... Raiders receiver Drew Carter sustained a right knee injury in the first quarter and left the game. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall injured his right hand in the first quarter and retreated to the locker room for treatment. Rookie safety Tyvon Branch sustained a right thumb injury. He likely will have surgery in the coming days, Kiffin said, but not miss much time. "... Rookie receiver Chaz Schilens' first NFL reception resulted in a two-point conversion for the Raiders midway through the third quarter. "... Safety Hiram Eugene and cornerback Stanford Routt intercepted passes near Oakland's goal line. Defensive tackle Terdell Sands pounced on Routt's fumble at the end of his return. "... Oakland cornerback Michael Waddell struggled in pass coverage, but he balanced that by recovering two fumbles.