Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos Week #1 Preview

Are you ready for some football? The moment that we have been waiting all year for is finally here, Monday Night Football. Now I know that one night of football is not going to cure the aggravation of 100 million people throwing fits about paper jams, but nevertheless the last game of the week is one of football’s oldest rivalries, the Oakland Raiders vs. the Denver Broncos.

Key Matchups:

• Elvis Dumervil vs. Kwame Harris: In one corner we have Elvis Dumervil, a small defensive end, who had 12 sacks last year and consistently puts pressure on the opposing teams signal callers. He is too short in size to be an everydown lineman, but in passing situations he reminds me of a young Dwight Freeney.  In the other corner we have Kwame Harris.  To call Kwame Harris' career a disappointment would be an understatement.  He has spent five uneventful seasons on the 49ers and has now crossed the bay to be the Raider's new left tackle.  Tom Cable, the Raiders' offensive line coach, claims that he has instilled a  "new confidence" in Harris to become a dominant left tackle.  I am not so sure. Harris has had some success against smaller speed rushers in the past, so I do not expect "The King" to dominate as it would appear on paper.  Advantage: Harris.  Dumervil will get some pressures, but will end the game with zero sacks.  
• Ryan Clady vs. Derrick Burgess: Welcome to the NFL Rook! The Boise State gets thrown into the fire his first week by going up against one of the NFL premier pass rushers in Derrick Burgess. Clady needs to consistently protect Jay Cutler's blindside to ensure he can make the reads to through down the field.  Burgess has incredible speed coming off the corner and Clady has never seen anyone of Burgess' caliber. Advantage: Burgess.  Cutler will spend most of the night on his backside.
The Raiders front seven vs. Selvin Young: The Raiders had an atrocious time last year trying to stop the run. They ranked 31st in the league last year, and averaged over 140 yards allowed per game. The last time the Raiders had a run defense in the top 10 was in 2002, which funny enough was the last time the Raiders went to the playoffs. The Raiders did not bring in any new people in trying to fix this problem. The Broncos, like the Raiders, are a run first team. They are going to try and get their committee of running backs (Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, and Ryan Torain) a lot of work early.  For the fist time in over ten years the Broncos did not have a 1000 yard rusher.  Even with the disappointment of last year the Broncos one cut, zone blocking scheme should provide huge holes for Young and co. to run wild.  Advantage: Selvin Young.

> Find Oakland Raiders jerseys & apparel through Pro Football Fans and check out our 2008 Raiders football preview!

Prediction:
Raiders 20-17.  JaMarcus will throw only 15-20 pass attempts as the Raider's running back committee controls the clock.  Bronco fans might want to snooze on this season as I expect Mike Shanahan to finally get fired at the end of the season. 

By Jonathan Shahvar
ProFootball-fans.com Oakland Raiders Correspondent