RAIDERS/COWBOYS Under 32.5 ? This is the first game for the Raiders under their new head coach Bill Callahan, who has already stated that he intends to run the ball considerably more this season. Remember that this Oakland offense led the NFL in rushing just 2 years ago with basically their current backfield, so I see no reason why they can?t have a successful season on the ground. Callahan will start to implement his run-happy mindset tonight vs. a Dallas defense that is not as good as it looked statistically vs. the run last season. Also, the Raiders have exceptional depth at the RB position, so they should have success later on in the game vs. the Dallas backups. All of this should result in some long time consuming drives, which always helps the cause of the Under. The Cowboys offense has nowhere to go but up after last season, but I am not sure they are ready to show a marked improvement just yet. They have brought in a new offensive coordinator in ex-Jets and ex-Bengals coach Bruce Coslet. Unfortunately, they are still very inexperienced at the quarterback position, as the bulk of tonight?s duties will be split between Quincy Carter and recently signed free agent Chad Hutchinson. Neither of these guys will strike fear into a defense, so I look for the Cowboys to stay conservative until their key offensive performers get a grasp of Coslet?s offense.
