Daily Madden: Raiders Vs. 49ers Which Team Needs The Confidence More?
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The 49ers want to stay in the playoffs race. The Raiders want to show their one win wasn't a fluke. Both teams need a confidence boost after disappointing showings in their last games.
"Neither team is really feeling good about themselves," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. The teams meet Sunday in Oakland.
"So I think (confidence) has to be established during the game. For example, in that Thursday night game the Raiders played against Kansas City (two weeks ago), they scored the first time they got the ball and then the next time. Then they're ahead 14 to nothing. That Raider team can beat a lot of teams in the NFL. If the 49ers go down and score and then get another score, then that Raider team can lose 52-0."
But the 49ers have had trouble scoring.
"(Opposing teams are) playing them relatively close to the line of scrimmage because the 49er offense doesn't have anything to drive them off or get them to play deep," Madden said. "They don't have that deep threat, so (defenses are) kind of shrinking the line of scrimmage on them a little, and that makes it tough to run... And then the only way you can get them out of that defense is you have to pass them out of it. And the quarterback running won't get them out of that defense, and the quarterback bootlegging and throwing short passes won't get them out of it. You have to kind of stretch the field a little, back them off a little, and when you back them off, you can other things." (6:20)
Daily Madden
(Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 and Monday and Friday mornings at 9:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.)
