Chain Gang Blown Up By Grenades In Opener 30-3
By: Staff



Oakland head coach Tim Ryan and GM Pat Kirwan addressed the media after their opening day loss to the New Orleans Hand Grenades at the Superdome.

When asked what he thought of the performance of his offense, Ryan said, “Bro, this just ain’t gonna cut it. Laurence Maroney ran 15 times for 32 yards. (QB) Big Ben (Roethlisberger) had 36 on ‘bout a third of those carries. Even Michael Pittman outdid Maroney today (34 yards on 7 carries). Maroney’s gotta suck it up and start running like the bell cow back we expect him to be. Big Ben’s not off the hook, either. The big dawg threw a pick and no TDs today and only had 121 passing yards. That’s not the way to win in this league. Patty, talk ‘bout what you saw out there on D, daddy-0.”

Kirwan replied, “Well, the defense got after it as best they could (3 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), but they were just outmatched by a New Orleans team that took us to town. Jared Allen brought it (7 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 stuff, 1 pass defensed) and guys like (S) Mark Roman (7 tackles), (LB) Demorrio Williams (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 stuff) and (LB) Scott Shanle (3 tackles, 2 stuffs, 1 forced fumble) chipped in too, but the Hand Grenades were able to effectively throw the ball on us and keep our offensive guys off the field too often.” New Orleans signal caller Peyton Manning completed 17 of 25 passes for 221 yards and 2 TDs for a 122.3 passer rating on the day.

Ryan responded, “PK, you’re right on the money there. Secondary play killed us in the long run. Props to the front seven for trying to keep us in this one. Even when we couldn’t keep ‘em from moving the ball, we forced some late field goals that would’ve given us a shot if our offense had any jack whatsoever today. Bottom line, if we can’t run, we can’t win.”

Next week, Oakland goes to Cleveland to face the Steamers, also coming off a tough opening day loss. “Someone’s gonna right the ship next week,” Ryan said. “We’re gonna light that fire under young Mr Maroney and see what we can cook up. Once our running game gets going, we’ll do what we can to allow Big Ben some opportunities down the field. Defensively, it’s gonna get tougher, as we lost (DT) big Grady Jackson for the next 8 games w/ a bad ankle. We know we’re outgunned-probably will be all year-but we also know our guys ain’t shown nuthin yet. A little harder work outta these guys, and we might surprise some folks this year.”

Turnover Costly As Chain Gang Loses In Cleveland 20-17
By: Staff



A late fourth quarter interception by Chain Gang QB Ben Roethlisberger, the only turnover in the game, gave Cleveland the ball @ the Oakland 16 yard line and Steamers kicker Stephen Gostkowski kicked the game winning 26 yard FG w/ 28 seconds remaining as Oakland falls to 0-2 on the season. The Chain Gang defense performed well in this one, limiting Cleveland to 272 yards of offense, including just 62 yards rushing, but the Oakland offense struggled once again in the loss.

Head coach Tim Ryan said of the offensive performance, "Man, our offense is hurting us big time. Big Ben threw that pick late, but we were getting stymied well before that by our lack of a strong running game. We're still waiting for (RB Laurence) Maroney to step up and be the stud back we know he can be." Maroney rushed 18 times for 44 yardrs, a measly 2.4 yard per rush average. "Dude's got to take charge of this thing, and he can. It's on him though, and we ain't waiting all season for the light to come on," Ryan said.

Offensive coordinator Norm Chow also spoke on the offensive struggles. "Roethlisberger needs to relax and trust his teammates to do what they need to do. Our guys are working hard, but they're also killing themselves w/ mistakes and penalties (8 penalties for 45 yards). The running game situation also needs some work, but it's not hopeless." Overall, the Chain Gang rushed for 133 yards on 33 rushes, but did not have enough consistency to keep drives going (only 8 of 19 on third downs). Najeh Davenport had 40 yards on 3 rushes, including a big 25 yarder late in the third quarter on the drive which tied the score @ 17. Backup Michael Pittman also added 32 yards on 9 carries.

"Bottom line is that our running game stinks," Ryan said. "Continuity on offense is going to start w/ a consistent effort on the ground, and we're not getting it. Maroney has the skills to be our bell cow back, but if nobody steps up, we might entertain a running back by committee philosophy. We'll see what happens over the next couple games."

Defensively, the Chain Gang had some trouble w/ Cleveland QB Philip Rivers (20 of 35 for 233 yds, 2 TDs, 96.5 passer rating). "We gotta get mean," defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron said. "I like the third down defense (5 of 17), but these guys kept the ball for over 26 minutes (26:40) and threw way too easily. Being more physical in the secondary is a must."

Next up for the Chain Gang is a rematch w/ New Orleans, who they lost to 30-3 in the season opener. "This time, we get 'em in our house," Ryan said. "Here is where we need to make our stand; to play tougher, more physical, and to finally establish a ground game that can hurt you. Eddie O is gonna whip our D into shape and we will be ready for some payback this week."

Big Ben Does It Again; Chain Gang Comes Up Short 23-22
By: Staff


A galliant effort by the Oakland Chain Gang to pull off a stunning come from behind victory late in their home contest w/ New Orleans was thwarted by another late mistake by QB Ben Roethlisberger. This time, it was a fumble @ the 2 minute mark w/ the team down by just a point and the drive down to the New Orleans 34 yard line. New Orleans put the game away w/ a 21 yard completion from QB Peyton Manning to TE Zach Miller on 3rd and 8 @ the 1:28 mark, forcing the Chain Gang to use their final timeout. From there, New Orleans ran the clock out and escaped the Black Hole w/ the victory.

Head coach Tim Ryan wasn't @ a loss for words regarding the costly turnover, the lone turnover of the entire game. "Boy, only one turnover the entire game and not only is it ours, but it comes along @ the absolute worst time. We were looking @ a 50 or 51 yard FG from right where we were @ the time of the fumble. Even if we were stopped on downs, we had a chance to take that one 'cause (Rob) Bironas can nail 'em. Sad part is, w/ the way (RB) Laurence Maroney was running the rock, we probably would've been far down in Bironas' range and would've won." Maroney, who struggled mightily in the Chain Gang's first two games, ran for 151 yards and a TD on 25 carries.

The defense held up fairly well and gave Oakland the opportunity to steal one from New Orleans. Defensive coordinator Ed Orgeron said of his unit's efforts, "The boys got low in this one. Down and dirty. I told the guys we needed to get tougher and make a stand if we wanted to turn our season 'round. They did that and I'm proud of the hard work they put in." LB Scott Shanle had 8 tackles, 2 passes defensed, and a stuff to lead the way. Standout DE Jared Allen added 4 tackles, a sack, a stuff, and 2 QB pressures. Others who stepped up for the defense were CB Eric Wright (3 tackles, 1 forced fumble, INT) and LB Tully Banta-Cain (2 tackles, a sack, 1 forced fumble). The defense kept QB Peyton Manning in check somewhat. Though he had a lot of passing yards, his overall stats were pedestrian by his standards: 24 of 38, 327 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs and a 77.3 passer rating.

Offensively, other than Maroney's excellent showing, the Chain Gang got good performances out of WRs D.J. Hackett (7 receptions, 74 yards) and Robert Ferguson (4 receptions, 63 yards, TD), plus TE Desmond Clark (5 receptions, 55 yards). Still, just as Manning struggled a bit, so did Roethlisberger. Big Ben finished 23 fo 37 for 233 yards, 1 TD and an INT for a 77.9 passer rating. "The big fella is in a bit of a rut now," Ryan said, "but he's gonna explode for us. He's gotta work this out, though, and fast. We're headed to Vegas next week, and he's gonna need to be focused for that one."

Injury wise, Oakland lost a couple players for one game: C Scott Wells (knee) and CB Michael Lehan (knee). Both will miss next week's showdown in Las Vegas w/ the Saburz, a team that will be looking to rebound from their loss last week to Seattle. "These guys can run the rock w/ Edge (Edgerrin James), and if you're not ready, they'll run you right outta the stadium," Ryan said. "The focus for us will be to try to pressure (QB Kurt) Warner and keep him out of rhythm. We need to shake him up and get him jittery, 'cause that's when he'll make that mistake that can give you the opportunity to jump on 'em."