Week 14 kicks off tonight with an AFC West matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. Our Thursday Night Football analyst Trent Green filed this report:
Why they play the game:
The Broncos have won seven straight and the Raiders have lost five straight. The Broncos are 4-0 in the division and the Raiders are 0-3. The Broncos average 29 points a game and the Raiders give up 31. The Broncos beat the Raiders 37-6 in Week 4. But, if you follow the NBA, you know that this week the one-win Washington Wizards beat the defending champion Miami Heat. That is what draws us to sports… you just never know.
Give McCoy credit:
Mike McCoy is in his 4th year as offensive coordinator of the Broncos. What makes an average coach good and a good coach great, and the other way around, is the ability to work with and adjust to the talents of the players around you. McCoy has done exactly that in his time in Denver. In 2009-10, under McCoy, Kyle Orton had the two best seasons statistically of his career. In 2011, McCoy adjusted everything to work with the talents that Tim Tebow possessed. Now, in 2012, he has worked extensively with Peyton Manning to come up with an offense that blends a bit of Manning’s background with McCoy’s. Run game/pass game/protections/terminology… you name it, it all had to be adjusted to fit both men. Manning gets a lot of credit, and rightfully so, but Mike McCoy has shown a tremendous ability to adapt to the talent that he has around him.
I liked playing in Oakland. What???
Over my 15-year career, I played in Oakland against the Raiders seven times (and one time in LA). I have nothing good to say about the stadium, visiting locker room, training room, showers or that awful dirt infield you have to play on if baseball is still in season. What I did enjoy is the passion of the fans. As a player, I always liked playing on the road against teams with passionate fans. It made game day better. Not that it affected how I played or the effort I gave, but it made it a better experience. Oakland fans have passion for the Raiders and express that passion in many different colorful ways. Win or lose, Raiders fans take great pride in being Raiders fans.
— Trent Green
Former NFL quarterback Trent Green is Westwood One’s Thursday Night Football analyst. Trent, Kevin Kugler and sideline reporter Laura Okmin are in Oakland to bring you all the action as the Raiders host the Broncos. Coverage begins at 8 PM Eastern tonight.
