Raiders WR Heyward-Bey leaves game on stretcher

By The Sports Xchange | The SportsXchange

Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey left Sunday's game on a stretcher after being hit by two Steelers defenders in the end zone with 14:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Heyward-Bey was surrounded by medical personnel and remained on the ground in the end zone for several minutes. He was ultimately lifted onto a stretcher and gave the home crowd a thumbs-up, signaling that he still had movement in his extremeties.

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Raiders rally past Steelers 34-31

Raiders rally past Steelers 34-31

Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski, second from right, celebrates with teammates Dave Tollefson, right, and holder Shane Lechler, third from right, after kicking a 43-yard game-winning field goal during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 23, 2012. At left are Steelers linebackers Larry Foote (50) and Chris Carter (54). Oakland won 34-31. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by Josh Dubow (AP Sports Writer)

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- With an efficient offense led by Carson Palmer, an opportunistic defense that stepped up in the final minutes and a clutch kick by Sebastian Janikowski, the Oakland Raiders turned a somber mood into a celebratory one.

Janikowski kicked a 43-yard field goal on the last play as the Raiders scored the final 13 points after wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey was knocked out and hospitalized by a scary hit to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-31 on Sunday.

''You put a lot of hard work, blood sweat and tears into trying to build a championship team, and one of your guys goes down, especially in a situation like that, it's hard to keep your focus,'' coach Dennis Allen said. ''But I thought our guys did an outstanding job in getting their focus back, coming back and executing, and winning a game in the fourth quarter.''

There was a pall over the stadium early in the fourth quarter when Heyward-Bey was knocked unconscious by a helmet-to-helmet hit in the end zone by Steelers safety Ryan Mundy that was not called a penalty by the replacement officials. Heyward-Bey was taken to the hospital with a concussion and neck injury. But Allen said he was able to move his extremities, which was a welcome sign for the Raiders (1-2).



The team said he was in stable condition and will stay in the hospital overnight for observation.
Palmer then threw his third touchdown pass and Janikowski kicked two field goals to beat the Steelers (1-2) and get the Raiders on track after two losses to open the season.

''Any time they take one of your brothers out, you have to retaliate and get them back,'' safety Michael Huff said. ''Obviously not in an illegal way or anything like that. We wanted to go out and get the win for him because he couldn't finish it.''

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Palmer prepares for familiar foe in Steelers

By The Sports Xchange | The SportsXchange

Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (3) looks to pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 16, 2012, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Carson Palmer brings an AFC North rivalry to the West Coast Sunday when the Raiders play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

It's doubtful Palmer will have any better understanding of an opposing defense than he does this week, given the 12 regular-season games since 2004 he has played against the Steelers while a member of the Cincinnati Bengals.

"There's some different pieces to the puzzle, but it's really the same scheme," Palmer said. "There's always a new wrinkle or two each week. But as far as preparing for a fist fight in the trenches, battles on the outside, getting rid of the ball on time and finding ways to run the ball, it's the way you prepare for them every time."

Palmer is 4-8 against Pittsburgh as a starter, with the most success coming in a two-game sweep of the Steelers in 2009.

His 12-game statistics, not surprisingly, are below his career norms against a team that historically has one of the NFL's top defenses.

Palmer has completed 57.1 percent of his passes (234-for-410) for 2,402 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 76.7 passer rating.

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10 Things We Learned from San Diego Chargers' Win

By Ross Warner (Featured Columnist)
It wasn’t pretty but it was a win. Specifically, a win against the Oakland Raiders, and there have been seasons where that was the only win that mattered.

Given Chargers fans' specific concerns going into the game, there was a lot to be pleased with after the game’s conclusion. A team and a season are both works in progress. Like a horse heading into the home stretch, a team wants to heat up at just the right time. The Bolts have never been able to do that. That’s why fans are so skeptical and subsequently frustrated.

However, last night was a good start. There were more reasons to be optimistic in an “ugly” game than in a “fast” 4-1 start like a year ago. There were still flaws galore which Bolt-heads lamented and which ended up dooming the team in the end.

It’s a new season and the sample size is only a single game. Let’s look at 10 things we learned, if only for one night.

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Carson Palmer with the Media Thursday Sept 6th

Carson Palmer with the Media

Carson Palmer On San Diego: “It’s a good unit. Defensively they’ve looked really good on film in the preseason. They played well against us last year in the finale. Their offense can score a ton of points. There are a lot of things to worry about. They’ve got a new coordinator. Week one you never know exactly what you’re going to see. You’ve got to be ready for everything. We’re not real, real comfortable going into this. We’ve had a great start to the week, we’re working extremely hard, and we’re going to go in and we know we have to play our best football offensively to come out with the win.”

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Raiders Sign WR Derek Hagan

Raiders Sign WR Derek Hagan
Posted Sep 6, 2012

By Jerry Knaak

The Oakland Raiders Thursday signed veteran free agent wide receiver Derek Hagan.

Hagan, who was most recently with the Buffalo Bills, played in six games with two starts for the Raiders last season. The eight-year veteran had 11 catches for 114 yards with the Silver and Black last year before signing with the Bills and playing in four games with one start. He was released by Buffalo on Friday.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Hagan is a veteran of six NFL seasons, seeing action in 69 games with eight starts with the Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, Raiders and Bills. His career totals include 109 receptions for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns.

The Palmdale, Calif., native entered the league as the Dolphins’ third-round pick (82nd overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. He finished his collegiate career at Arizona State as the Pac-10 Conference’s all-time leader with 258 receptions.

To make room on the 53-player roster, the Raiders waived cornerback Coye Francies.

Howie Long Autographed Mini Helmet Oakland Raiders

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