Raiders Blog and Q&A: Branch a pleasant tackling surprise

Sign In
Join

Logout

Raiders Blog and Q&A

News, observations and reader questions about the Oakland Raiders

October 31, 2009

Branch a pleasant tackling surprise

Is it really all that positive a thing when a safety is your second-leading tackler? After all, that means opponents are getting pretty far beyond the line of scrimmage if a member of your secondary is getting in on so many stops.

But things being what they are in Silver and Blackdom, the Raiders will take strong safety Tyvon Branch's 51 tackles (only middle linebacker Kirk Morrison's has more tackles in Oakland with 67) as a good thing. Besides, Branch leads all defensive backs in tackles and his total ranks 15th in the NFL, only two tackles behind Ray Lewis. No wonder, then, Branch is seen as a sure tackler.

"Tyvon, he missed a couple last week, but for the most part he's been very consistent and is playing extremely well (and) he and (Michael) Huff both have been very good in their time in there," coach Tom Cable told reporters on Friday. "Tyvon's played all year, been good at coverage, good at tackling, done a very, very good job."

So much so that his play has kept rookie Mike Mitchell out of the mix. And yet, Cable foresees a way for both Branch and Mitchell to be on the field at the same time.

"Actually, we've kind of approached that issue," Cable said, "maybe getting (Mitchell) involved in some nickel-type stuff as a linebacker."

**********************************************************

Despite missing two days of practice this week with flu-like symptoms and a 101-degree temperature, Bruce Gradkowski remains the back-up quarterback behind JaMarcus Russell with Charlie Frye the No. 3 signal caller.

**********************************************************

Injuries - WR Nick Miller (shin), RB Darren McFadden (knee), RT Cornell Green (calf), LB Ricky Brown (ankle) are all out; WR Chaz Schilens (foot) and TE Tony Stewart (chest) are doubtful; LG Robert Gallery (fibula) and DE Greg Ellis (knee) are questionable. WR Louis Murphy (hip), CB Chris Johnson (groin) and Gradkowski all practiced full.

hide comments

About Comments

Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)

Here are some rules of the road:

• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.

• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.

• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.

• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.

• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.

• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.

• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.

• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.

You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.

Paul was born in Barstow and attended Barstow Community College before transferring to UNLV, sadly, after Ickey Woods, Randall Cunningham, Keenan McCardell and Suge Knight had made the Rebels a football, um, powerhouse. Paul has worked for Sports Illustrated, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Los Angeles Times and The Bee. While stringing for the Barstow Desert Dispatch, Paul was about 10 yards away from Bo Jackson when he suffered his career-ending hip injury in a 1991 playoff game at the L.A. Coliseum against the Cincinnati Bengals.