The 5 O'Clock Club: 5 Questions with Silver & Black Pride

The 5 o’clock club aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

I chased down Levi Damien, a writer from Silver & Black Pride, and got him to provide brief answers some questions about his favorite team, which you can read below.

You won't see my answer’s to Levi’s questions on the Oakland football team’s website — at least not in the form they were written. Levi made the interesting decision to treat me as a source and chop up what I wrote to be used as quotes and paraphrases in a series of articles that he is writing and publishing. The first couple of Levi’s articles are up on the Silver & Black Pride site already, with more to follow, apparently.

Since Silver & Black Pride didn’t publish the “5 questions with the enemy” article, I’ll publish my answers to Levi’s questions in the 5 O’Clock Club tomorrow, ahead of the Sunday Night Football game.

1. The first two weeks have seen some big wins by the three ‘power’ teams in the AFC West

• Oakland 45 points in Week 2
• Broncos 42 points against the Cowboys
• Kansas City 42 points in Week 1 versus the Pats

Kyle Brandt on GMFB Monday morning said that he thinks Denver is the best team in the NFL, with KC second. NFL.com , meanwhile, has KC ranked 1st and Oakland 2nd in its latest Power Rankings.

Is the AFC West the best division in football?

Top to bottom, absolutely! Three 2-0 teams and an 0-2 team (Chargers) that is two missed 44-yard field goals away from being 2-0.

I don't, however, agree that Denver is the best team in the NFL. One of those missed Chargers field goals was against the Broncos. I mean, Denver had the big win against the Cowboys, but that's not nearly enough to start calling them the best team in football.

I think the Chiefs and Raiders are both better than the Broncos, and if the Chargers can get their act together, they could be as well.

The AFC West is a crazy division with teams who will beat up on each other all season long.

2. What do the Oakland fans know about the Washington Redskins? Is there a Redskins player that they fear or respect? Is there a Washington player they think is over-rated?

Well, they certainly know Terrelle Pryor. And while he was never an NFL QB, he is a damn fine wide receiver. He is going to give the Raiders DB's all they can handle Sunday.

They also know Zach Brown because they had him for a free agent visit this offseason and didn't sign him.

I can't really speak for who the Raiders fear, respect, or think is overrated. But I can tell you the Raiders defense struggles with tight ends so Jordan Reed's health is of particular interest.

And of course there's Josh Norman and what he brings to the table as a corner.

3. How are things going with Marshawn Lynch?

Quite well. His teammates love him, his coaches love him, and Oakland loves him. He's having the time of his life, and he appears thus far to be the player he always was. He's elusive and slippery while also being hard to bring down. He turns one yard gains into four yard gains and two-yard losses into two-yard gains. Jay Gruden said it best when he said he is 'fun and terrifying to watch.' From this side of things, we just get the fun part. The opposition has to deal with the terrifying part.

4. Give us two under-the-radar players that ‘Skins fans should watch for (one offense, one defense).

On offense, it's Jalen Richard. He's a pocket rocket who is the perfect change-of-pace back. Give him a crease and he can go the distance. He also has great hands out of the backfield. Last week, he had a 52-yard touchdown run off a pitch and a catch and run in which he split two defenders and shot for 39 yards. He would lead the team in yards from scrimmage.

On defense, I'm gonna go with undrafted rookie linebacker Nicholas Morrow. He went to division III Greenville, and in his second NFL game last week, saw 25 snaps, giving up just one catch for -3 yards, adding a pass defended and a couple run stops as well. The Raiders have been desperately seeking an answer to their linebacker problems. Morrow is a great story and is the latest to hold the hopes to be the answer to the aforementioned tight end coverage issue.

5. If you were coaching the Redskins defense, how would you attack the Oakland offense?

Right Tackle Marshall Newhouse is the closest to a weak link on the offensive line. None of the Raiders offensive line as currently assembled has given up a sack this season, but he is prone to getting beaten for some run stops.

I might also make Amari Cooper prove he can beat you. That means one-on-one. He has had some issues with drops the first couple weeks and it could be because of lingering knee issues that cropped up in training camp.

It's Michael Crabtree who has been lights out this season. Jared Cook has also been a weapon from the tight end position.

So, there you have it — the northern California view of the game. I’m sure we all hope for an injury-free game, and may the best NFC team win!