Raiders awarded stellar report card

<p>After every Raiders' home game this season, Press Democrat staff writer Phil Barber will grade the team's performance. Following are his grades for Sunday's effort at the Oakland Coliseum against the Cincinnati Bengals.</p><p><B>Quarterbacks: B</B></p><p>Bruce Gradkowski was far from perfect, but he showed a lot of spirit in leading the offense in his first start here.</p><p><b>Running Backs: C</b></p><p>The “three-headed monster” looked pretty good in limited opportunities, though Michael Bush’s fumble could have been a killer.</p><p><b>Receivers: A</b></p><p>Big improvement from a much-maligned group. TE Zach Miller caught 5 for 65, and Louis Murphy had the game-tying TD.</p><p><b>Offensive Line: B</b></p><p>The zero sacks may be a little misleading, but it was a very solid performance against a good D-line.</p><p><b>Defensive Line: A</b></p><p>Strong work with Richard Seymour on the bench injured. DT Desmond Bryant had a huge takeaway, and DE Jay Richardson played well.</p><p><b>Linebackers: B</b></p><p>Kirk Morrison just needs to learn to protect the ball after recovering a fumble.</p><p><b>Defensive Backs: B</b></p><p>Safeties Tyvon Branch and Michael Huff combined for 20 tackles, and others made big plays. Too many missed tackles, though.</p><p><b>Special Teams: A</b></p><p>One huge play by Brandon Myers overshadows everything else. </p><p><b>Coaching/Overall: A</b></p><p>They beat the Bengals, just when you expected it least.</p>