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A Good Offseason, but Still Some Work To Do!
In my previous article , I documented all the positive steps Al Davis, Tom Cable, and the Raiders organization have taken to bring the team back to respectability.
In the final step of that article, I stated that the coaches and players had to bring all the new and improved pieces together into one cohesive unit for the process to truly be complete. That is a true, yet incomplete statement.
There are still some areas in which the Raiders must improve in order to complete the transformation from AFC doormat to playoff power. What follows is my take on what those areas are and how the Raiders might address them.
Veteran Leadership at Critical Positions.
The Raiders are one of the youngest teams in the league. This is a good thing in a lot of ways, but it has its drawbacks. The wide receiver position is one in particular that could greatly benefit from a wile old veteran. But, not just any veteran will do; it must be the right kind of player.
A lot of fans and experts are calling for the Raiders to sign Terrell Owens as a mentor for the very young Raiders receiving corps. This, in my mind, would not be the best idea. Owens is the classic Prima Donna and brings a lot of baggage and turmoil with him. The subsequent circus would undo a lot of the “team-first” attitude coach Cable has constructed and could be catastrophically counterproductive.
There are two options that would be better for the team.
The first is to do nothing and let the young guys learn and grow together with their new quarterback Jason Campbell. This would create a sense of camaraderie nonexistent before. It would take longer for them to develop, but would also make the receivers a closer unit and better teammates to each other, and the rest of the team.
The second option is to find the right man for the job. This hypothetical player may or may not be out there.
Kevin Walter of the Houston Texans is a restricted free agent with only a third round tender right now. His production on the field and behavior off the field make him a very good candidate to mentor the young wide receivers in Oakland. A third round pick is a small price to pay for shortening the learning curve and boosting performance of a bunch of young players that are going to be part of the future of the team.
Will Davis pay the price and pull the trigger? Only he knows.
Solidify the Offensive Line
Although the Raiders have improved the talent and depth on the previously porous offensive line, some work still remains.
Mario Henderson played better than expected at left tackle, but he wasn’t great. Bringing in a player that has played at that position successfully, a proven entity if you will, would go a long way to improving the line. This would mean that Henderson could go to the right side, which would be an improvement over Khalif Barnes and Langston Walker , who are competing for that spot now.
Some options for improving the left tackle position include acquiring Ravens left tackle Jared Gaither for the first round pick required by his now signed tender offer. This might be a little expensive for the team, so I don’t realistically see it happening.
Another option is to sign unrestricted free agent Flozell Adams , a risky proposition at best due to his age and injury concerns. He would also expect a large salary. I’m not sure Adams would be worth risk.
The center position has been reason for concern since Barrett Robbins left after the 2003 season. The trade that sent Jake Grove to Miami for Samson Satele disappointed a lot of fans, including myself. Satele seems to have the understanding, but lacks the physical power to play consistently at the NFL level.
An answer to this problem could be signing unrestricted free agent Kevin Mawae . Mawae, the president of the player’s union, is known as one of the best centers in the last 25 years, if not the dirtiest! A one year deal for Mawae would bring a football IQ unmatched by anyone currently on the offensive line.
The right guard spot is another position that needs to be addressed. There is some good young talent, but no clear cut starter. Paul McQuistan did not play horrible last year, but he didn’t really shine either.
One possible solution would be to go after disgruntled New England Patriot Logan Mankins . Mankins has a first and third round tender attached to him. That’s pretty expensive, but might be worth it considering that he is only 28 years old, plays at a very high level, can play center, and still has a lot of gas in the tank.
Improve the Coverage Skills of the Outside Linebackers
This can happen one of two ways: Bring in new talent or coach up the existing guys.
I’d have to say that with the players I’ve seen on the market now, the Raiders may be forced to just coach up the existing guys. We already know that Thomas Howard can get the job done in coverage, but Kamerion Wimbley , Quentin Groves , and Trevor Scott may be serious liabilities in that aspect.
Wimbley has the most experience at the linebacker position, so it may be wise to start with him. I’m concerned that he is not quick or agile enough to be very effective in coverage. Groves is learning the linebacker position after being a defensive end in Jacksonville. Trevor Scott has spent his whole career with his hand in the ground as a defensive end. Like Groves, Scott will be learning the basics of linebacker.
Other than Keith Bulluck , there are no real legitimate starting 4-3 outside linebackers available in free agency now and he is coming off of serious injury. He’s also 33 years old!
Therefore, the Raiders are kind of stuck with the players they have. This is, without question, the biggest question mark about this team. Other than Howard, who do they have that can cover backs and tight ends from the linebacker spot? No one really. This worries me and a lot of other fans.
Whatever happens with all of these questions I’ve raised, the Raiders will be a better team than they have been over the last seven years. The question is, if they don’t address some or all of these questions, can they be good enough to give the fans what they crave, a playoff berth?
Only time will tell.
What do you say Raider Nation? Will the Raiders make the playoffs with the team as it is now? If not, what do they need to add or change to make it happen?
Let me hear you!
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The Oakland Raiders have seemingly turned their franchise around in a matter of months. Many moves were made, most of them important, and starters such as Jason Campbell, Rolando McClain, LaMarr Houston, Kamerion Wimbley, and John Henderson were added via the draft, trades, and free agency.
All of these moves made me wonder: Are the Raiders creating a dynasty before our very eyes? Could this new decade be the beginning of a decade of wins for the Oakland Raiders?
Here are some factors that support this theory.
Media
The Raiders used to be constantly bad-mouthed by the media. However, media outlets such as ESPN have noticed Oakland’s offseason and have spoken up about how this team could be a surprise.
Media is a factor in confidence. If you think players don’t watch sports channels, you’re wrong. If they see somebody talking it up about the Raiders’ playoff chances, the player is most likely going to be thinking, “Hey maybe this guy is right, we’re not so bad.” Or if they see somebody pointing out weaknesses of the team, it’s going to be the exact opposite.
Media definitely plays a role for football teams, and the more you win, the more the media loves you.
Youth and Talent
The Raiders are very young on both sides of the ball. Only four starters are 30 years old or over, and that’s if you count Langston Walker, who is currently competing for the starting right tackle job.
Notable players Desmond Bryant, Jared Veldheer, Bruce Campbell, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, Kamerion Wimbley, Rolando McClain, and even Jason Campbell have great potential and lots of talent.
I think if these guys can gel together, it could be a dynasty in the making.
Coaching
While Oakland’s coaching has been considerably bad over the years, I think that will change with the recent hirings of John Marshall and Hue Jackson.
Last year, Marshall showed at the Eagles game that the defense could be top 10 material if he were allowed some freedom. Hue Jackson has been described as a fiery trash talker who thinks perfection is a must. He’s already implemented more complex plays and he seems to get along with players on the offense.
The Raiders’ head coach is Tom Cable. While he is a fantastic offensive line coach, he’s no play-caller. Since Jackson has been hired, Tom has been allowed to do what he does best: motivate. Cable has this team thinking that they could make the playoffs this year and that’s great.
Alright everyone, those are some factors that I think could help the Oakland Raiders create a dynasty. Tell me what you think: Is an Oakland dynasty being built, or are we in for more disappointing seasons?
Thanks for reading!
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Raider Nation has obviously been more nice than naughty lately.
Why would I say that?
Because he delivered gifts for Raider fans.
We all know of the woes the Raiders have had over the last few of years stopping the run. In the draft, Santa brought us Butckus Award winning middle linebacker Rolando McClain in the first round.
He didn’t stop there. In the second round, he brought us Lamarr Houston. Houston created problems for the best offensive linemen in the Big 12 throughout his collegiate career.
Santa stashed another gift under a redwood tree a few days ago to help against the run. He delivered John “Smack Down” Henderson in free agency to cap it all off.
The Raider defensive back position is set. Chris Johnson should rebound after getting a full dose of what it’s like to play opposite the games best corner.
That leaves us needing pass rushers to go along with young up and comer Trevor Scott. Santa then delivered Kameron Wimbley and Quenton Groves in free agency.
Of those two, only Wimbley has proven to be able to get to the quarterback. However, Groves is the DE\OLB Hybrid type that defensive coordinator John Marshall uses in his blitz packages that Al Davis seems to be allowing him to use.
The Raiders can be very explosive on offense. Speedster Darrius Heyward-Bey caught the ball in minicamp. Chaz Shillens was in minicamp ahead of schedule and looks to be healthy. Louis Murphy returns as the wildcard at the position.
Tight end Zack Miller will be back as well. He was the most consistent weapon the Raiders had last year on offense.
The backfield looks promising. The Raiders hope that Darren McFadden can stay healthy to provide the lightning. Michael Bush is still there to provide the thunder.
Santa delivered the man to bring this all together in a draft day trade. Quarterback Jason Campbell was delivered and Jamarcus Russell was dumped in the million dollar trash.
The cast is now complete. The Raiders now have a legitimate quarterback to use all of these weapons.
Wait a minute.
Who’s going to protect Campbell and pave the way for the Raider’s thunder and lightening?
Santa has delivered again.
He actually started last season. Langston Walker was brought back to Oakland last year. He filled in nicely for the injured Gallery and now looks like he’ll start at right tackle .
Jared Veldheer was delivered in the third round of the draft and will compete for the left tackle spot. Fourth round athletic freak Bruce Campbell will compete for the right guard position.
The man Veldheer will compete with is incumbent left tackle Marion Henderson. Henderson is an Al Davis project that has split reviews so far.
He did very well in 2008 but led the league in sacks given up in 2009. Henderson should rebound this year as he gets Robert Gallery back to his inside.
Gallery looks to be recovering nicely from back surgery. Khalif Barnes is now healthy and is looking for a spot to be plugged in or back up.The Raiders will have depth on the line this time around.
Oh, but I missed something.
The center position.
Samson Satele struggled last year with line calls and large nose tackles. This is where I dare to ask Santa for one more gift.
Kevin Mawae is that guy. The sixteen year vet is a modern day Jim Otto . He has missed very few games over the years and is known to be a bit of a nasty boy.
Mawae will make everyone on that line better. He is coming off of anchoring a line that paved the way to 2,000 yards rushing for Chris Johnson. He could surely give us one to two more years.
This is just like our childhood years. We sit on a stranger’s lap the claims to be Santa. Our parents listened for what we wanted for Christmas as we tell this stranger.
On Christmas morning, we look under the tree and everything we want is there. We have grown up and know who delivers now. Al Davis is the father of Raider Nation.
I hope he hears us and delivers one more.
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Since Tom Cable has been named interim head coach he’s been preaching the need for upgrading the trenches. Prior to the 2009 NFL Draft he was talking about wanting a Cadillac left tackle and that there were a few in the draft he had his eyes on. Prior to the 2010 Draft he stated there are really only 10 or so really good tackles in the NFL right now, and the position needed to be upgraded along Oakland’s offensive line.
Other times he’s discussed the need to upgrade the defensive line as well. Time and again he states the play in the trenches needs to be improved. Finally, during this offseason the Raiders have made enough moves to finally have added some depth, starting ability, and future in the trenches.
Finally after a couple years of frustration, it appears Cable is finally getting at least some wishes met with some upgrades along the offensive and defensive lines this past offseason through the draft and free agency.
The Raiders finally replaced Cornell Green with Langston Walker and/or possibly Edwin “Jared” Veldheer, who has the capability of at least being a good starting RT in the league. He’s going to have to try to unseat left tackle Mario Henderson before the Raiders will attempt to see him at right tackle unless he’s close to beating him out, and the Raiders want him to grow a little and make him sit and learn.
If by the end of training camp or preseason Oakland believes Veldheer is the better left tackle prospect then obviously he should start, but I believe he’s going to have a difficult time unseating Sometime Super Mario. If this is the case, Oakland will have to move him to right tackle creating a great group of bookend tackles for the next 10 years provided some time Mario decides to be every time Super Mario, which he’s totally capable of after showing everyone he can dominate against the NFL’s best defensive ends.
I’m not sure about Veldheer on the left side, but I believe he has the build, strength, intelligence (he entered tiny Hillsdale College to be a med student, not have NFL aspirations), and upside (considering how he played at the Senior Bowl as the week wore on) to become something special. In my mind, I see Sebastian Vollmer who surprised everyone last year in NE’s system. He was a great fit and Veldheer could be a great fit in Oakland.
Bruce Campbell has the athletic skills, intelligence, and agility to be a rock solid right guard in the NFL and really help the Oakland offense pound the ball. With Bruce Campbell and current right tackle Langston Walker, Oakland will have 655 lbs on the right side of the line behind Hue Jackson’s preferred power sets. If he can stay healthy and learn the system, he’ll become a huge upgrade over Cooper Carlisle, a trooper who is on the outs because his position needs to be upgraded.
Finally, releasing Gerrard Warren and his lack of work ethic finally rid the Raiders of players who weren’t giving it there all. Replacing Warren with defensive tackle John Henderson is an immediate upgrade on the run defense. On obvious rushing downs Tommy Kelly is finally going to wreak havoc in the backfield because he’ll have someone taking on the double team. If Henderson and Heard can rotate, stay fresh, and take on the double team; the defensive ends are going to make a lot of noise in the backfield.
With the addition of defensive end/tackle Lamaar Houston, Oakland has added a freak of nature who has the possibility of being both a Pro Bowl and Defensive Rookie of the Year-type player with his size and speed. Having both Richard Seymour and Houston on the ends will make it impossible for teams to run on the outside.
With the addition of Mike Wauffle as the defensive line coach, it makes sense that the team is going to be loaded at defensive end. Seymour, Houston, Matt Shaughnessey, Trevor Scott, and Quintin Groves make up a rock solid group of defensive ends. However, Scott and Groves are only going to be used on obvious passing downs because their speed will be mismatches and the other three are stud run-stuffing defensive ends.
For those of you who like myself who have been complaining about the trenches since 2006 when in the opening game against San Diego they looked like the worse offensive line I’d ever seen in my live, and obviously end up as one of the worst if not the worst offensive line ever.
Finally it’s happening on both sides. With the additions of John Henderson, Kellen Heard, Edwin “Jared” Veldheer, and Bruce Campbell, and the removal of Cornell Green with the addition of Langston Walker at right tackle, it’s possible Oakland finally has made some significant upgrades in the trenches.
The trenches win the battle. If you lose in the trenches you lose the battle. If you beat the hell out of them, then you excel in this league. Oakland finally has the ability to finally make a fight in the trenches with having a legitimate chance at winning because of the trenches.
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There are so many angles to look at when you study the Oakland Raiders? Let’s talk about the heavyweights. Who are they?
The objective in this article is to get to know more about the Oakland Raiders, from every vantage point.
First, the current roster has 79 players. Since there are 11 men who start, you could say that there are seven teams within the roster. Just divide 11 into 79 and you get about seven teams, with 11 men on each of them.
The importance of a roster with 79 men might be that if someone gets injured, there will be a good replacement who could be sent into the game.
Now, the average weight of an Oakland Raider is 247 pounds. Langston Walker is indeed the heavy weight since he weighs in at 360 pounds. The man who weighs less than the other players is Swayze Waters who weighs in at 180 pounds.
The total weight for all of the 79 players on the current roster is more than 19,500 pounds.
Other interesting facts about the Raiders is that 11 of the men on the current roster are 28 years old.
The average age of an Oakland Raider is 25.9 years old.
The youngest man on the Oakland Raiders roster is Rolando McClain. Here is his data:
No. 55 McClain, Rolando: LB, 6’3″, 255 lbs, 20, R, Alabama
He weighs 255 pounds, and he is a 6’3″ rookie from Alabama.
McClain is the youngest man on the team, but his weight is above average.
Getting to know the players on the 2010 roster is a good thing.
To paraphrase an old saying, “To know the Oakland Raiders is to love them.”
Go Raiders!
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