**Oakland Raiders 2010 offseason Thread**
- Thread starter Joey
- Start date
Camp questions: Can Nnamdi be a playmaker?
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 2:12 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Tenth in a series analyzing questions and issues surrounding the Raiders with players reporting to training camp Tuesday and practice starting Thursday:
Can Nnamdi Asomugha do more than than just take a wide receiver out of the game?
There’s nothing wrong with being a shutdown corner. There are very few of them around.
But Asomugha is on an island more lonely than any corner in the NFL, and the Raiders’ defensive philosophy by and large has been to leave him there.
In Asomugha’s last 46 games since he broke out with eight interceptions in 2006, he has three interceptions, 20 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Contrast that with the six interceptions and 31 passes defensed by the Jets’ Darrelle Revis last year alone.
Once upon a time, Charles Woodson held the job Asomugha has now. He was the guy opponents rarely tested, and although there were some wrinkles in the nickel where Woodson was allowed to do more, he intercepted 17 passes in 106 games as a Raider. In his 62 games with the Packers, he has 28 interceptions.
Woodson and Asomugha talk on the phone often, and Asomugha conceded he was a little envious of the opportunities Woodson gets to make plays, but noted, “We don’t do that here.”
Asomugha upgraded his game last year as a tackler, making some physical plays at the line of scrimmage against the run. A former safety, he has the requisite ball skills, and the amount of times he gets to the ball in practice indicate he could do it in a game if the Raiders could be more creative in some of their defensive schemes.
The last year of Asomugha’s contract is in 2011, barring a work stoppage. Asomugha is scheduled to make $16.8 million or the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL, whichever is greater.
Keep in mind that both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady could be up for new deals, so Asomugha’s salary could be in the stratosphere.
Assuming Asomugha has another one-interception season and breaks up a handful of passes on the few opportunities he gets while teams avoid him, do the Raiders pick up the option? If you’re going to pay a defensive player that much, it makes sense to do more with him.
With Rolando McClain and Lamarr Houston added to a defense which in theory should be better against the run, it should enhance the pass rush because of more second-and-long and third-and-long situations.
Less time to pass means more mistakes from quarterbacks, and changing things up with Asomugha, rather than have him anchored to one side, would result in more plays made by a player dying to make them.
We’ll get an idea in training camp if there are plans to unchain Asomugha.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 2:12 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Tenth in a series analyzing questions and issues surrounding the Raiders with players reporting to training camp Tuesday and practice starting Thursday:
Can Nnamdi Asomugha do more than than just take a wide receiver out of the game?
There’s nothing wrong with being a shutdown corner. There are very few of them around.
But Asomugha is on an island more lonely than any corner in the NFL, and the Raiders’ defensive philosophy by and large has been to leave him there.
In Asomugha’s last 46 games since he broke out with eight interceptions in 2006, he has three interceptions, 20 passes defensed and one forced fumble.
Contrast that with the six interceptions and 31 passes defensed by the Jets’ Darrelle Revis last year alone.
Once upon a time, Charles Woodson held the job Asomugha has now. He was the guy opponents rarely tested, and although there were some wrinkles in the nickel where Woodson was allowed to do more, he intercepted 17 passes in 106 games as a Raider. In his 62 games with the Packers, he has 28 interceptions.
Woodson and Asomugha talk on the phone often, and Asomugha conceded he was a little envious of the opportunities Woodson gets to make plays, but noted, “We don’t do that here.”
Asomugha upgraded his game last year as a tackler, making some physical plays at the line of scrimmage against the run. A former safety, he has the requisite ball skills, and the amount of times he gets to the ball in practice indicate he could do it in a game if the Raiders could be more creative in some of their defensive schemes.
The last year of Asomugha’s contract is in 2011, barring a work stoppage. Asomugha is scheduled to make $16.8 million or the average salary of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL, whichever is greater.
Keep in mind that both Peyton Manning and Tom Brady could be up for new deals, so Asomugha’s salary could be in the stratosphere.
Assuming Asomugha has another one-interception season and breaks up a handful of passes on the few opportunities he gets while teams avoid him, do the Raiders pick up the option? If you’re going to pay a defensive player that much, it makes sense to do more with him.
With Rolando McClain and Lamarr Houston added to a defense which in theory should be better against the run, it should enhance the pass rush because of more second-and-long and third-and-long situations.
Less time to pass means more mistakes from quarterbacks, and changing things up with Asomugha, rather than have him anchored to one side, would result in more plays made by a player dying to make them.
We’ll get an idea in training camp if there are plans to unchain Asomugha.
Camp questions: Is Campbell the answer?
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 11:22 am in Oakland Raiders.
Eleventh in a series analyzing Raiders issues and questions heading into training camp with players reporting Tuesday and the first practice on Thursday:
Is Jason Campbell the answer for the Raiders at quarterback?
Oakland is a tough town for quarterbacks.
The only one who got a free pass was the beloved Ken Stabler. When Stabler was the backup, Daryle Lamonica was booed so fiercely the Raiders began introducing their defense for home games. Fans cheered for backup Jim Plunkett even as Dan Pastorini twisted on the ground in pain with a broken leg.
Kerry Collins once stood at the line of scrimmage and urged the home fans to “bring it on.” Josh McCown seemed surprised he was disliked so quickly. Rich Gannon delivered three straight division titles and an AFC title and in some circles was barely tolerated before being Public Enemy No. 1 after throwing five interceptions in the Super Bowl.
Campbell is about to begin a honeymoon period unlike any other Raiders quarterback for obvious reasons. He replaced JaMarcus Russell, who in his short time in Oakland may be the most unpopular player among the home fans in the history of the franchise.
Simply because he’s not Russell, Campbell will be given the benefit of the doubt and initially will be a fan favorite. That’ll last as long as it takes for him to fumble a snap or force one into coverage for an interception during the preseason.
Campbell has been programmed and reprogramed virtually every season, his career a revolving door of offensive coordinators and systems dating back to his days at Auburn.
Considering the constant change, Campbell’s touchdown pass-to-interception ratio (55-to-38) is pretty good, with his worst quality being that he’s taken too many sacks (81 in the past two seasons).
Campbell has been through so much change it’s impossible to know at this point how good he is. He’s in a situation similar to Alex Smith across the bay, someone who you would like to see in a system for more than a year before determining whether he can win in the NFL.
Almost everything in the offseason was encouraging. Campbell flew to Oakland immediately upon being traded, meeting with new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and immersing himself in another new system.
During minicamps and organized team activities, although coach Tom Cable proclaimed the position a “competition,” Campbell got most of the work (Bruce Gradkowski was out with a torn pectoral muscle) and was immediate upgrade over Russell.
From what I’d seen of Campbell with Washington, and looking at his sack numbers, he was more mobile and athletic than I’d anticipated. Without going into specifics (one of those unwritten rules about watching practice), Jackson has some interesting ideas which include getting Campbell on the perimeter. He’ not a stationary dropback passer along the lines of Kerry Collins.
There was a push in some circles for the Raiders to get Donovan McNabb from Washington, but Campbell is much younger and hasn’t had the benefit of being in the same system as McNabb was. Acquiring him for a fourth-round pick after McNabb went to Washington could deflect some of the grief Davis is getting for insisting Russell was “great.”
The Raiders finished 10th in the NFL in passing in 2005 with 21 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions _ not sensational, but not embarrassing either. From 2006 through 2009, the Raiders were 31st, 31st, 32nd and 29th in passing offense with 47 touchdown passes, 73 interceptions and a staggering 201 sacks allowed in 64 games.
Can Campbell help?
How can he not?
Whether Campbell can be more than a temporary solution will begin to play itself out starting Thursday.
For now, he’s not Russell, and that’s enough.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 11:22 am in Oakland Raiders.
Eleventh in a series analyzing Raiders issues and questions heading into training camp with players reporting Tuesday and the first practice on Thursday:
Is Jason Campbell the answer for the Raiders at quarterback?
Oakland is a tough town for quarterbacks.
The only one who got a free pass was the beloved Ken Stabler. When Stabler was the backup, Daryle Lamonica was booed so fiercely the Raiders began introducing their defense for home games. Fans cheered for backup Jim Plunkett even as Dan Pastorini twisted on the ground in pain with a broken leg.
Kerry Collins once stood at the line of scrimmage and urged the home fans to “bring it on.” Josh McCown seemed surprised he was disliked so quickly. Rich Gannon delivered three straight division titles and an AFC title and in some circles was barely tolerated before being Public Enemy No. 1 after throwing five interceptions in the Super Bowl.
Campbell is about to begin a honeymoon period unlike any other Raiders quarterback for obvious reasons. He replaced JaMarcus Russell, who in his short time in Oakland may be the most unpopular player among the home fans in the history of the franchise.
Simply because he’s not Russell, Campbell will be given the benefit of the doubt and initially will be a fan favorite. That’ll last as long as it takes for him to fumble a snap or force one into coverage for an interception during the preseason.
Campbell has been programmed and reprogramed virtually every season, his career a revolving door of offensive coordinators and systems dating back to his days at Auburn.
Considering the constant change, Campbell’s touchdown pass-to-interception ratio (55-to-38) is pretty good, with his worst quality being that he’s taken too many sacks (81 in the past two seasons).
Campbell has been through so much change it’s impossible to know at this point how good he is. He’s in a situation similar to Alex Smith across the bay, someone who you would like to see in a system for more than a year before determining whether he can win in the NFL.
Almost everything in the offseason was encouraging. Campbell flew to Oakland immediately upon being traded, meeting with new offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and immersing himself in another new system.
During minicamps and organized team activities, although coach Tom Cable proclaimed the position a “competition,” Campbell got most of the work (Bruce Gradkowski was out with a torn pectoral muscle) and was immediate upgrade over Russell.
From what I’d seen of Campbell with Washington, and looking at his sack numbers, he was more mobile and athletic than I’d anticipated. Without going into specifics (one of those unwritten rules about watching practice), Jackson has some interesting ideas which include getting Campbell on the perimeter. He’ not a stationary dropback passer along the lines of Kerry Collins.
There was a push in some circles for the Raiders to get Donovan McNabb from Washington, but Campbell is much younger and hasn’t had the benefit of being in the same system as McNabb was. Acquiring him for a fourth-round pick after McNabb went to Washington could deflect some of the grief Davis is getting for insisting Russell was “great.”
The Raiders finished 10th in the NFL in passing in 2005 with 21 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions _ not sensational, but not embarrassing either. From 2006 through 2009, the Raiders were 31st, 31st, 32nd and 29th in passing offense with 47 touchdown passes, 73 interceptions and a staggering 201 sacks allowed in 64 games.
Can Campbell help?
How can he not?
Whether Campbell can be more than a temporary solution will begin to play itself out starting Thursday.
For now, he’s not Russell, and that’s enough.
Jason Campbell Q&A
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 12:19 pm in Oakland Raiders.
The text of an interview with Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews.com:
Q: On what it’s been like being a part of the Raiders organization:
Campbell: You know, when I first got here, their main thing that they was preaching was just winning. Everybody was just like winning everyday, it was winning. They’re trying to change the mindset and getting back to winning. And like you said, in 2002 they were in the Super Bowl and got beat, and the year before that they got beat in the AFC Championship Game when Brady got the ball knocked out and they didn’t get the ball, they gave the ball to the Patriots, and the Patriots ended up going to the Super Bowl and winning it that year.
So they’re just talking about trying to get back to the winning ways and the work ethic has been outstanding since I’ve been here. Just watching the way they work this offseason, all the guys showed up this offseason, everybody was working out, trying to push each other to get better. Nobody complained about how hard we were working or what we were doing. They all understand what it takes to win and that’s what we’ve got to do. They’ve been preaching that the last seven years and it’s been a losing season for them. And this year they want to make a change.”
Q: On the optimism in Oakland now that they seemingly have some stability at the quarterback position:
Campbell: Yeah they’ve got a lot of talent. The one thing I noticed when I first got here is speed. They can run from top to bottom. That’s the thing Al Davis is going to have a lot of is big guys and a lot of guys with speed. And I think the guy who has made the biggest improvement this offseason is Heyward-Bey. He’s already fast, but his route running in OTAs and at mini-camp has improved dramatically, and catching the football also.
I think you have to credit some of that to Hue Jackson, the offensive coordinator who came over from the Baltimore Ravens last year and is with us again this year. He pushes an uptempo practice, he pushes guys to a whole another level. Of course we have a lot of other young wide receivers, but they’re talented, they’re big, and they’re fast. And then on defense, they’ve been carrying the team for years, so it gives me a whole lot of confidence to be here and be a part of something like this, and definitely if we can turn it around and get back to winning ways it will mean a lot.”
Q: On if he spends much time thinking about the Redskins, particularly the fact about how they invested in the offensive line after he left:
Campbell: You know, I saw a couple of things that was moved and you know, it frustrated me a little bit. But to a point where I was like, I’ve already moved on, I’m with a new team, another opportunity, and I’ve just got to look forward to the future out here. I can’t dwell on the past and wish things would have been different or could have been done differently. But you see all the moves that they’re making, it just goes to show you the important part of the game that’s needed in order to be successful week in and week out. That’s what they’re trying to do. They’re adding depth along the offensive line, they’re trying to get some guys in there to try to sustain a 16 game season, especially in the NFC East where everything is built and done in the trenches.
Q: On Albert Haynesworth and how he thinks that will sort itself out at the start of camp:
Campbell: First of all if he showed up to camp 30 pounds lighter, that would be good for him, but in a team sport like that it’s going to mean a lot more that that when he shows up. There’s going to be a heart to heart I’m sure between him and his teammates and especially the guys that have been there all offseason putting in all the effort to try to turn things around. So I’m pretty sure him showing up 30 pounds lighter will be good for him, but there’s still going to be some heart to heart conversations that need to go on, and they’re going to have to move past it pretty quick and get over it in training camp and move forward.
But of course everybody would like for him to be there because of the chemistry of the team. Chemistry is not something that happens over night and something that happens in a week’s time. Chemistry comes from spending time together on the field. A guy doesn’t have to know what a coach is calling at certain times during the game because he can get a feel from the guy he’s playing beside because he knows him so well. But if you’re not getting those reps together, it’s hard to get a feel for one another.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 12:19 pm in Oakland Raiders.
The text of an interview with Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell on 106.7 The Fan in Washington D.C., courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews.com:
Q: On what it’s been like being a part of the Raiders organization:
Campbell: You know, when I first got here, their main thing that they was preaching was just winning. Everybody was just like winning everyday, it was winning. They’re trying to change the mindset and getting back to winning. And like you said, in 2002 they were in the Super Bowl and got beat, and the year before that they got beat in the AFC Championship Game when Brady got the ball knocked out and they didn’t get the ball, they gave the ball to the Patriots, and the Patriots ended up going to the Super Bowl and winning it that year.
So they’re just talking about trying to get back to the winning ways and the work ethic has been outstanding since I’ve been here. Just watching the way they work this offseason, all the guys showed up this offseason, everybody was working out, trying to push each other to get better. Nobody complained about how hard we were working or what we were doing. They all understand what it takes to win and that’s what we’ve got to do. They’ve been preaching that the last seven years and it’s been a losing season for them. And this year they want to make a change.”
Q: On the optimism in Oakland now that they seemingly have some stability at the quarterback position:
Campbell: Yeah they’ve got a lot of talent. The one thing I noticed when I first got here is speed. They can run from top to bottom. That’s the thing Al Davis is going to have a lot of is big guys and a lot of guys with speed. And I think the guy who has made the biggest improvement this offseason is Heyward-Bey. He’s already fast, but his route running in OTAs and at mini-camp has improved dramatically, and catching the football also.
I think you have to credit some of that to Hue Jackson, the offensive coordinator who came over from the Baltimore Ravens last year and is with us again this year. He pushes an uptempo practice, he pushes guys to a whole another level. Of course we have a lot of other young wide receivers, but they’re talented, they’re big, and they’re fast. And then on defense, they’ve been carrying the team for years, so it gives me a whole lot of confidence to be here and be a part of something like this, and definitely if we can turn it around and get back to winning ways it will mean a lot.”
Q: On if he spends much time thinking about the Redskins, particularly the fact about how they invested in the offensive line after he left:
Campbell: You know, I saw a couple of things that was moved and you know, it frustrated me a little bit. But to a point where I was like, I’ve already moved on, I’m with a new team, another opportunity, and I’ve just got to look forward to the future out here. I can’t dwell on the past and wish things would have been different or could have been done differently. But you see all the moves that they’re making, it just goes to show you the important part of the game that’s needed in order to be successful week in and week out. That’s what they’re trying to do. They’re adding depth along the offensive line, they’re trying to get some guys in there to try to sustain a 16 game season, especially in the NFC East where everything is built and done in the trenches.
Q: On Albert Haynesworth and how he thinks that will sort itself out at the start of camp:
Campbell: First of all if he showed up to camp 30 pounds lighter, that would be good for him, but in a team sport like that it’s going to mean a lot more that that when he shows up. There’s going to be a heart to heart I’m sure between him and his teammates and especially the guys that have been there all offseason putting in all the effort to try to turn things around. So I’m pretty sure him showing up 30 pounds lighter will be good for him, but there’s still going to be some heart to heart conversations that need to go on, and they’re going to have to move past it pretty quick and get over it in training camp and move forward.
But of course everybody would like for him to be there because of the chemistry of the team. Chemistry is not something that happens over night and something that happens in a week’s time. Chemistry comes from spending time together on the field. A guy doesn’t have to know what a coach is calling at certain times during the game because he can get a feel from the guy he’s playing beside because he knows him so well. But if you’re not getting those reps together, it’s hard to get a feel for one another.
Camp questions: Can Raiders block and tackle?
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 1:26 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Last in a series of camp questions, with players reporting Tuesday and practice opening Thursday in Napa:
Can the Raiders improve their blocking and tackling in camp without doing a lot of blocking and tackling?
Warren Sapp used to say stats are for losers, his argument being you could bend a statistic any which way to make a point. The only thing that truly matters is wins and losses.
In the case of the Raiders, the stats clearly show they’re losers because of the two most important aspects of the game _ blocking and tackling.
Over the past four years, the Raiders have allowed an NFL high 201 sacks, and while properly teaching quarterbacks to get rid of the ball can take care of some of that, a lot of it has to do with pass blocking.
The last four seasons have seen the Raiders rank 21st, 10th, sixth and 29th in rushing, but with only 36 rushing touchdowns over those four seasons. In 2007-08, having installed a zone blocking scheme, their rushing yardage was up but they still managed 20 rushing touchdowns in 32 games _ an offense that could run the ball between the 20s before faltering in the red zone.
On defense, the Raiders’ well-documented woes defending the run have seen them ranked 29th, 31st, 31st and 25th since 2006 while surrendering 86 rushing touchdowns _ fifty more than they scored during the same span. The fact that safety Tyvon Branch led all NFL defensive backs in tackles with 123 is not a good thing, because it means runners are consistently getting downfield. Against the pass, only three teams gave up more 20-plus yard pass plays than Oakland’s 56 _ with many of those coming after an early blown tackle.
Yes, you can bend stats a lot of ways, but it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than this is a team that has had serious toughness issues along the line of scrimmage _ the polar opposite of, say, the Baltimore Ravens.
Good Raiders teams have been possible because of offensive line play, and that includes the most recent string of AFC West titles from 2000 through 2002 with Bill Callahan as the architect of a line which led the league in rushing in 2000 and pass blocked their way to an AFC title in 2002. Say what you will about Callahan as a head coach _he’s one of the NFL’s best lieutenants, as witnessed by his work with the New York Jets since leaving Nebraska.
The arrival of Hue Jackson means the Raiders will no longer be a pure zone blocking team, and the hope is that will enable the team to get tough yards in the red zone and particularly inside the 10-yard-line. Jackson was spending as much or more time in offseason practices open to the media as Tom Cable with line coach Jim Michalczik.
Assuming that rookie draft picks Jared Veldheer (third round) and Bruce Campbell (fourth round) won’t be instant starters, coaching and scheme will have to make the difference, because going into camp, the present lineup of Langston Walker at right tackle, Cooper Carlisle at right guard, Samson Satele at center, Robert Gallery at left guard and Mario Henderson at left tackle looks awful familiar.
It’s a different story on defense, where the Raiders got appreciably bigger and more physical at linebacker with the selection of Rolando McClain, the trade for strong side linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and the late-season ascension of Trevor Scott to weak side linebacker. Add rookie defensive end Lamarr Houston to the mix and Oakland clearly addressed its run defense in terms of personnel.
They also brought in released Jacksonville defensive tackle John Henderson, whose best days as a run defender may be behind him but could be a useful player for 15 to 20 snaps a game.
But here’s the rub regarding upgrading blocking and tackling _ it’s not like the old days when training camp was a survival of the fittest, injuries be damned.
You don’t bring tacklers to the ground in spring training, nor do you finish cut blocks or go out of your way to pancake a defender.
The best tackling Raiders team since they came back to Oakland was in 1998, with Willie Shaw as defensive coordinator. Shaw explained that by the time players got to the NFL, their tackling skills weren’t going to change much. The solution was to get more people to the ball, so that when a tackle was missed, another player followed right up.
That Oakland team was particularly adept at making tackles on third down, giving up some yards but never enough to move the chains.
If the Raiders can’t find a way to be a better blocking and tackling team during training camp, these previous 12 questions of this series are moot:
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 1:26 pm in Oakland Raiders.
Last in a series of camp questions, with players reporting Tuesday and practice opening Thursday in Napa:
Can the Raiders improve their blocking and tackling in camp without doing a lot of blocking and tackling?
Warren Sapp used to say stats are for losers, his argument being you could bend a statistic any which way to make a point. The only thing that truly matters is wins and losses.
In the case of the Raiders, the stats clearly show they’re losers because of the two most important aspects of the game _ blocking and tackling.
Over the past four years, the Raiders have allowed an NFL high 201 sacks, and while properly teaching quarterbacks to get rid of the ball can take care of some of that, a lot of it has to do with pass blocking.
The last four seasons have seen the Raiders rank 21st, 10th, sixth and 29th in rushing, but with only 36 rushing touchdowns over those four seasons. In 2007-08, having installed a zone blocking scheme, their rushing yardage was up but they still managed 20 rushing touchdowns in 32 games _ an offense that could run the ball between the 20s before faltering in the red zone.
On defense, the Raiders’ well-documented woes defending the run have seen them ranked 29th, 31st, 31st and 25th since 2006 while surrendering 86 rushing touchdowns _ fifty more than they scored during the same span. The fact that safety Tyvon Branch led all NFL defensive backs in tackles with 123 is not a good thing, because it means runners are consistently getting downfield. Against the pass, only three teams gave up more 20-plus yard pass plays than Oakland’s 56 _ with many of those coming after an early blown tackle.
Yes, you can bend stats a lot of ways, but it’s hard to come to any conclusion other than this is a team that has had serious toughness issues along the line of scrimmage _ the polar opposite of, say, the Baltimore Ravens.
Good Raiders teams have been possible because of offensive line play, and that includes the most recent string of AFC West titles from 2000 through 2002 with Bill Callahan as the architect of a line which led the league in rushing in 2000 and pass blocked their way to an AFC title in 2002. Say what you will about Callahan as a head coach _he’s one of the NFL’s best lieutenants, as witnessed by his work with the New York Jets since leaving Nebraska.
The arrival of Hue Jackson means the Raiders will no longer be a pure zone blocking team, and the hope is that will enable the team to get tough yards in the red zone and particularly inside the 10-yard-line. Jackson was spending as much or more time in offseason practices open to the media as Tom Cable with line coach Jim Michalczik.
Assuming that rookie draft picks Jared Veldheer (third round) and Bruce Campbell (fourth round) won’t be instant starters, coaching and scheme will have to make the difference, because going into camp, the present lineup of Langston Walker at right tackle, Cooper Carlisle at right guard, Samson Satele at center, Robert Gallery at left guard and Mario Henderson at left tackle looks awful familiar.
It’s a different story on defense, where the Raiders got appreciably bigger and more physical at linebacker with the selection of Rolando McClain, the trade for strong side linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and the late-season ascension of Trevor Scott to weak side linebacker. Add rookie defensive end Lamarr Houston to the mix and Oakland clearly addressed its run defense in terms of personnel.
They also brought in released Jacksonville defensive tackle John Henderson, whose best days as a run defender may be behind him but could be a useful player for 15 to 20 snaps a game.
But here’s the rub regarding upgrading blocking and tackling _ it’s not like the old days when training camp was a survival of the fittest, injuries be damned.
You don’t bring tacklers to the ground in spring training, nor do you finish cut blocks or go out of your way to pancake a defender.
The best tackling Raiders team since they came back to Oakland was in 1998, with Willie Shaw as defensive coordinator. Shaw explained that by the time players got to the NFL, their tackling skills weren’t going to change much. The solution was to get more people to the ball, so that when a tackle was missed, another player followed right up.
That Oakland team was particularly adept at making tackles on third down, giving up some yards but never enough to move the chains.
If the Raiders can’t find a way to be a better blocking and tackling team during training camp, these previous 12 questions of this series are moot:
We are Locked, loaded and ready to go, McClain has Signed..
http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter/status/19806831763
http://twitter.com/Adam_Schefter/status/19806831763
Yeah that. I was gettin pissed last season with dropped passes from all the wr's, but the concelation with murphy was you could see him trying his hardest and actually mad at himself for making mistakes, hella contrasting against J-russ not giving a good shit about whatever happened. Murphy seems like he can work himself into being a real good reciever. Im kinda suspeneding belief about DHB being so improved, Ill wait till I see it, but I hope at least some of its true.