Rookie Taiwan Jones Impresses In Preseason Debut

In my Sunday Six pack of questions previewing the Raiders and Saints game I was wondering if rookie Denarius Moore was the real deal for the Oakland Raiders. I had the right idea wondering about an Oakland Raiders rookie, but the wrong player.

The young player I should have been wondering about for the Raiders was rookie Taiwan Jones who was appearing in his first preseason game.

We all knew that Taiwan Jones had speed, but what he showcased more than speed was an inability to know how to fall (and by that I mean he doesn’t take any big hits) as well as avoid tackles. Taiwan Jones displayed not only speed and agility, which is predraft numbers would indicate (his 4.33 40 yard dash and 11 foot broad jump scream explosive). Jones quickly became the man crush of Chris Collinsworth last night, who couldn’t stop praising the young player from Eastern Washington.

“One of the big stories of the game tonight has to be the play of Taiwan Jones”. Collinsworth also compared Jones to Chris Johnson because he’s a speed guy who can also run in between the tackles. An impressive showing for Taiwan Jones. Jones finished the game with 13 rushes for 81 yards and a touchdown. He also chipped in 2 catches for 18 yards.

Other Raiders young Players

The Wiz

The second round pick of the Raiders had a solid night and will probably open the season as the starting left tackle for the Oakland Raiders. He did have a holding penalty early in the game, though.

Demarcus Van Dyke

Another player (like Jones and Moore) the Raiders got picked on for grabbing a speed player was exposed in last night’s game by Drew Brees and a number of wide receivers. Starting because of injuries, Van Dyke had a lot of trouble early on. Even when he was in good coverage, he still had trouble locating the football. Van Dyke is talented and could turn out to be a player (both Asmough and Stanford Rout turned out pretty well), but he’s nowhere near ready for a quarterback like Drew Brees.

Denarius Moore

The training camp sensation for the Oakland Raiders was not Taiwan Jones, it was Denarius Moore. He had a decent outing last night, but has yet to explode in a game. He had 3 receptions for 23 yards last night. Moore also had two returns (one kick return for 20 yards and 1 punt return for 4 yards).

Rolando McClain

He’s not a rookie, but I was very impressed with what I saw from McClain last night. He looks sleeker and faster than I remember him being at Alabama. Last night he had 5 tackles (3 solo) and a couple of quarterback pressures he was also playing pass coverage well and was all over the field early in the game with the Raiders starters. The Raiders defense has lost some players, most notably Nnamdi Asmougha, but if McClain plays out of his mind like he did early last night the defense must not suffer a huge drop.

Lamaar Houston

Houston had .5 a sack in last night’s game.

Saints Young players

The Oakland Raiders aren’t the only team with young players expected to have big roles. Here’s what I noticed from the young Saints players.

The most impressive second year player last night for the Raiders was Rolando McClain, for the Saints it was TE Jimmy Graham.

I missed Jimmy Graham in my fantasy football league and that was a major disappointment for me, he ended the game for five catches for 73 yards. He looks poised to have a big season this year.

Mark Ingram

I love Mark Ingram and think he’ll have an excellent career. The fact that he ended up with the Saints isn’t going to hurt either. But last night, Ingram wasn’t great. he had 1 touchdown, but a long rush of 5 yards. He had 6 attempts for 7 yards. He did have a reception for 18 yards (and another for 6). Not a great night running the ball, for any of the Saints really.

Joique Bell

Bell was the lone exception for Saints running backs who ran well last night. But that wasn’t against the Raiders top defense. He had a big game all around. He ended the game with 2 receptions for 92 yards and 6 carries for 50 yards. I’m not going to pick him up on my fantasy football team or anything, but a very nice game for young Mr. Bell.

Swanson Miller

The defensive tackle out of Oklahoma State had 2 sacks last night, outshining first round pick DL Cameron Jordan.

Cameron Jordan

I still think he can be a Justin Tuck like player with his size/speed/strength combination. Jordan had two tackles last night and he’s still getting his feet wet vs NFL competition.

Last Thoughts About the Game

All in all I thought that the Saints looked ready for the regular season opener, but at the same time that the Raiders pass defense is in for a big adjustment with the loss of Nnadmdi Asmougha. Drew Brees can make a lot of pass defenses look incompetent, but it could also be a sign of trouble for the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders might have found themselves a good fit in their offense with former Miami Dolphins and New York Giants Wide Receiver Derek Hagan. Hagan had 6 receptions for 121 yards. He showed a toughness of going over the middle and an ability to make big third down catches. Last year with the Giants he came on strong at the end of the season racking up 233 yards receiving for the Giants in four starts and 7 games.

It’s unreal how good the Raiders kickers are. Janikowski hit 2 field goals one from 57 yards away on the dirt. One of the analysts said that he hit an 80 yard field goal in high school and thinks he can hit a 64 yarder in a real game (would be a NFL record). Shane Lecheler also showcased his big leg with one booming 64 yard punt.

The Saints were very efficient in the red zone scoring on 80 percent of their trips into the Red-Zone.

Jason Campbell is a remarkably average quarterback. That’s not a terrible thing. It’s just a fact. If you think what’s an average quarterback in the N.F.L? The answer is Jason Campbell. The Raiders can make the playoffs with Campbell, but they still need a future franchise quarterback. The question now is, of course, is that Terrelle Pryor?

Leave your thoughts about the game in the comments.

Home/NFL Draft