I'm not even going to discuss the Notre Dame game last Saturday. So let's turn the focus to this week and the Oakland Raiders. We're facing a team with only two wins. But I'll tell you what, the Raiders' record is deceiving. I've watched a lot of tape on them this week, and these guys present some problems on offense. The thing is, they're real big guys up front on the O-line, and we've got to go out there and try to utilize our speed against them. Yeah, they have some guys hurt with Robert Gallery and LaMont Jordan, but they still have a lot of talent on offense.
Running back Justin Fargas has a lot of speed and we know Aaron Brooks is capable of running the ball, so we've got to prepare for that.
Obviously, we have to blitz to be effective this weekend. Any quarterback with pressure in his face is going to be a little erratic back there, especially with Brooks. We know that he's had trouble in the past facing blitzing teams and we're going to try to put pressure on them.
A lot of people talk about playing in Oakland because Raiders fans are so crazy. They might meet you at the hotel, or throw eggs at the bus as we enter the stadium. But it's a good time and it makes football fun. I've been to McAfee Coliseum before and I actually enjoy it when the fans are rowdy like that and they're getting after you. It makes me want to play that much harder, and I feed off of it.
Whatever the crowd is like, one thing is certain: Any win right now is huge for us. The thing about this team is we have to believe that we can go out there and win ball games on the road, at home, wherever it may be. We have enough talent on this team to win in this league and we have to start this Sunday.
One thing working against us is our injuries. I won't use them as an excuse, because every team deals with injuries, but I've never been on a team with so many players sidelined on both sides of the ball. We have 13 players on injured reserve. That's unheard of for me, especially to lose a backup quarterback on a special teams play. That's kind of freakish.
As far as how I feel physically, I'm beat up, but who isn't? It's Week 13 and everybody's trying to put the pieces together and get out there on Sunday. I'll be alright. Whatever it takes to get a win, that's what I'll try my best to do this weekend.
Take care,
Anthony
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