The Oakland Raiders hope to get off to a faster start in their second preseason game. In their 17-9 win over Dallas, they didn't score a single point until the last five minutes of the game.
This is worrisome, because the final minutes of an exhibition game are typically reserved for players who have little chance of making the team. The Raiders' starters couldn't score, and Jason Campbell looked as average as he always looked in five seasons with the Redskins.
Campbell and company will give it another shot Saturday in Chicago, where they play the Bears at 5:30 p.m. PDT.
Again the Raiders will be without Darren McFadden, who's still struggling with a hamstring problem. Chaz Schilens will also miss his second consecutive preseason contest, and Darius Heyward-Bey is sideline with the fatigue thing.
In the Bears, the Raiders face an offense struggling as much as their own. In last Saturday's 25-10 loss to the Chargers, quarterback Jay Cutler looked sharp. But quarterback Jay Cutler thRew only two passes.
Behind Cutler, it's kind of chaos over there in Chicago. All this week they had no second quarterback, and a first-year rookie from a tiny Mid-American Conference school behind him.
Several unemployed backup QBs turned down the Bears this week. They eventually settled on journeyman Matt Gutierrez.
Sports
Gutierrez went to De La Salle High! So there is one Chicago Bear who some of Raider Nation may root for Saturday.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who can't wait to hear Tom Flores try to pronounce "Devin Aromashodu".
