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Date: August 8, 2008

Time: 7:00pm PST, 10:00pm EST

Location: McAfee Coliseum, Oakland, CA

ScoresandOdds.com Spread: Raiders -3; Over/Under 34; Money Line: 49ers +125, Raiders -145; And if you're betting on preseason games, you might have a problem

TV Broadcast: Blacked Out: Tape Delayed to 11:30 on CBS 5; 10pm on Action 36

Notable Announcers: Eric Davis is making his debut as a pre-game guy for the 49ers preseason.  I was really disappointed when he left for Carolina, but it's nice to have him back in the fold.

We're officially on the road towards hopeful redemption from last season.  J.T. O'Sullivan has the fortune of starting the first preseason game, but the pressure is on for him to make his mark early.  Whatever does happen to the 49ers this season, the curiosity factor is high considering the QB competition and the whole Mike Martz-Mike Nolan dynamic.

Due to prior plans and the late nature of the tape-delay, I may not have a recap up until Sunday late morning/early afternoon.  At the very least I'll get a quick thread up for post-game discussion.  Let's hope we've got some positives to discuss!

Quick note about SBN 2.0 and game threads:  If you haven't noticed in the past, comments automatically appear so there's no need to constantly refresh the pages like last season.  So the comments can become a sort of live blog of everything.  Definitely a plus.

EDITOR'S NOTE 6:55PM: If you are new to Niners Nation and want to comment in the game thread (or any thread), registration is free and very quick.  It asks for an email address, but that's just for if you forget your password.  You can head here to register.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 7:10PM: Update in the comments but if you're in Yuba City and/or the Sacramento area, the game is apparently working on Channel 13 or Channel 58.  Thanks to diehardkingsfan5 for the heads-up.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 7:15PM: Check out http://www.justin.tv/kostatz to watch streaming video of the game.  Thanks to bondslegend!

GO NINERS!

For long time readers (or at least anybody who were around last season), you probably noticed a lack of detailed preview posts about today's game.  Once we get to the regular season we'll have injury updates for both teams.  We'll have in depth breakdowns of unit versus unit.  We'll have some individual matchups to preview.  However, as described earlier today, preseason games are not so simple to preview.  In the regular season we can compare the 49ers first team offense and defense to the opponents' without worrying about how good the second stringers are (barring injuries of course).

However, I still wanted to take a look at some of the unit matchups going into tonight's game.  The matchups will be essential in assessing who is stepping up and earning a spot on the 53-man roster.

Our Raiders blog, Silver and Black Pride, had a preview of the matchups a couple days ago.  Needless to say, I found some amusement in their predictions.

49ers run offense vs. Raiders run defense
They gave the edge to the Raiders.  If Gore only plays a series or two I can understand why the Raiders might have the edge.  However, for the 49ers, this is an opportunity for the offensive line to make some plays and open up some running lanes.  I'd expect some DeShaun Foster followed by a heavy dose of Thomas Clayton.  The Raiders were pretty awful against the run last season, so we'll see what kind of improvements they can manage.

49ers pass offense vs. Raiders pass defense
They called this one even in large part due to the players who will not play, or at least play very little.  I'd love to see Asomugha and Hall on the corners but I'm not expecting much of that.  The Raiders had a very solid pass defense last season, although part of that can be attributed to the fact that teams were running out the clock much of the time against their #32 rush defense.  Still, this will be the biggest test of the day.

Raiders run offense vs. 49ers run defense
They gave the edge to the Raiders and dared to blaspheme: "McFadden matched up well against pro bowl linebacker Pat Willis."  I'm sorry, but NOBODY matches up well with Patrick Willis (I'd imagine Bamm Bamm doesn't like being called Pat either).  I do think the Raiders bring a very solid rushing attack behind McFadden, Bush and Fargas.  The 49ers will have more athleticism with the addition of Justin Smith and the return of Manny Lawson.  I actually think this battle will be the most fun to watch.

Raiders pass offense vs. 49ers pass defense
They gave the 49ers the edge here, and that will depend in part on the pass rush.  The 49ers have a very solid secondary, and have some solid depth in said secondary.  However, an equally (if not more) important part of the pass defense is the pass rush.  We pissed and moaned last season about the lack of a pass rush.  Now we get our first crack at that rush.  Like the QB results mentioned last post, it might be a little difficult to judge the performance of the pass rush.  The Raiders offensive line is less than stellar and they have some young running backs being asked to block as well.

Overall
Any prediction would be pretty useless.  When you are dealing with an entire 80-man roster playing, you add too many variables to the equation.  I'll say 49ers pull out the win behind a big game from Thomas Clayton and a very solid defensive effort.  In the end, I just wanna see some passing game fireworks.

There's under 30 hours until kickoff (34+ thanks to the blackout) and we're getting a better idea of who we'll see tomorrow and who will be in street clothes.  I thought I'd take a look at the injured players and the impact it will have tomorrow and going forward.

Michael Robinson - This is definitely not surprising at all.  Robinson is not expected back until the regular season, maaaaaybe the last preseason game.  He's looking at more of a special teams role with the addition of DeShaun Foster but will still get time in some offensive formations.  His absence likely means more carries for 2007 preseason MVP Thomas Clayton.  Of course preseason MVP has absolutely no value, other than an apparent ticket to the practice squad.

David Baas - Another non-surprise.  Tony Wragge appears to taken control of the position ahead of Chilo Rachal.  If Wragge looks good in the preseason, I'm curious what happens when Baas is healthy.  We'll also see the likes of Jeb Terry and former Cal guard Brian De La Puente getting some reps in the second half.

Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie - Johnson tweaked his hamstring in the morning practice against the Raiders.  It sounds like he was performing pretty well up to that point so let's hope it's a short term issue.  As for Lelie, well we've discussed his issues at length.  In addition, Isaac Bruce is a game-time decision.  If he does play I would imagine it would only be for a series or two.  The absence of these receivers means more reps for the likes of Josh Morgan, Jason Hill and Dominique Zeigler, which could help all of their chances at more playing time.

Mark Roman - Apparently Roman was scheduled to wear the defensive radio receiver, but with his injury, Michael Lewis will be the guy.  Roman's absence means more time for Dashon Goldson.  He's been a ballhawk in practice, so let's see if he can transfer that over to game situations.

Lewis Baker - Baker is a long shot to make the roster and this thigh bruise is certainly not helping his chances.  He'd apparently been playing pretty well, so it's a shame to see this happen.  This means more playing time for DJ Parker and probably extra time for Keith Lewis as the 49ers are a bit low at safety for this game.