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		Raiders lose to 49ers in slopfest By Scarybarry Rodriguez August 29, 2010

	There was no joy in Oaktown saturday night as the Oakland Raiders lost to their cross bay rivals, the San Francisco 49ers 28-24. Yet Niner coach " Iron Mike " Singletary couldn't have been too pleased. Once again the Raiders defensive line was vulnerable to the run. RB Frank Gore in his first running of the preseason ripped off 58 yards in only two carrys but the first team offense didn't score until just before the end of the first half. As the Scaryone pointed out in a preview commentary of the game, the Raiders still have big problems defending the run and with their patchwork offensive line. The Niners Special teams unit performed much better due to an 83 yard punt return and touchdown by Phillip Adams. Still the usually stout defensive unit gave up big yardage. It was a totally uneven game. At times the Niner offensive unit moved the ball in a smooth combination of short passes and runs by either Frank Gore or rookie sensation Anthony Dixon. This was undermined by false starts and clipping penalties. Money in the bank kicker Joe Nedney shanked a field goal attempt and at times Coach Singletary sported a grimace on his face. Despite all the imperfections on display the Niner's offense seemed steady with QB Alex Smith at the helm and backup David Carr sacrificing his body for the team. The team group think has replaced a squad of individuals. The first essential ingredient of a successful team has been put into place. The Raiders are a work in progress. If their offensive line doesn't jell poor QB Jason Campbell will be spending hardtime in the Intensive Care ward. Saturday , Niner rookie LB Travis LaBoy split the A gap in the Raider's offensive line and almost put Campbell out for the season. It was a moral victory for the Raider's defense to have only yielded 28 points to the Niner's offense. This is taking into account the fact that the Niner running backs were running over their linebackers at will. Since the game didn't sell out in Oakland it was seen in the Bay area via a delayed broadcast on Raider television. The broadcast was mostly a promo for the Silver and Black. The Raiders were depicted as " The Team of the Decade ". The halftime PR extravaganza was fitting for a six time Superbowl winner rather than a team with double digit losses in six straight years ! What were they smoking ? If all goes as planned in 2010 , the Niner offense will wear teams out with the run in the first half of games and then dissect them in the second half with short slant pass routes than switch back to a grinding running game in the last quarter. Meanwhile the defense must stepup to make it all happen. Hopefully having NT Abreyo Franklin in the middle again will make a difference. The NFC West isn't particularly strong so the Niners have a real shot to make ito the playoffs this year. Let the games begin !