Oakland Raiders Defense Ready for Baltimore Ravens

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Sep 25, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Oakland Raiders safety Reggie Nelson (27) celebrates after breaking up a pass intended for Tennessee Titans receiver Rishard Matthews (18) during the second half at Nissan Stadium. The Raiders won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Reggie Nelson

The defense is not pretty when your cornerback and a free safety are off at the same time. I guess that’s why the Raiders defense put up historically bad numbers in the first two games. In the first game against the Saints, both of them were off.

Smith has to keep his eye-discipline but Nelson still has to be there. He looked like to be stumbling and lost when one of those bombs went over his head. Stuff like that didn’t happen on the Raiders last year, Charles Woodson was there.

More than anything, it looked like Nelson and Smith just miscommunicated, which can’t happen on defense. No matter what, especially in the secondary, every man has to know where the other is. Even when a cornerback wants to jump a route, the safety has to know about it.

If the safety isn’t there to back it up, the result is much like the Raiders first two games. But all that seems to have been cleared up when the Raiders played the Tennessee Titans last week. Nelson was in the rights on time and had an INT as a result.

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