OAKLAND RAIDERS OFFSEASON THREAD
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The case for McFadden
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 4:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
If Darren McFadden is sitting there at No. 4, the Raiders ought to use all of one second out of their allotted 10 minutes before sending his name up to the podium.
McFadden was in Alameda Monday getting the grand tour, which hardly qualifies as news. It can be safely assumed that Jake Long, Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, Vernon Gholston and Sedrick Ellis will pass through these parts if they haven’t already.
If McFadden is back on a plane bound for Alameda about a week after the draft, coming to his first minicamp as a Raider, then it’s huge news and a welcomed addition to a suddenly explosive offense.
Chances are McFadden got his dose of Raiders history if he got to talk with Al Davis, learning all about the likes of Clem Daniels, Hewritt Dixon, Marcus Allen and Charlie Garner as runner/receivers whose versatility helped make for a diverse and dangerous offense.
(OK, perhaps he left out the Allen, or simply referred to him as “No. 32”
.
McFadden would be the most explosive Raiders running back since Napoleon Kaufman, the most talented since Bo Jackson, with the added bonus of having better hands as a receiver out of the backfield.
At the NFL owner’s meetings, Lane Kiffin seemed to shoot down the idea of McFadden coming to Oakland, noting a position group already stocked with Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Dominic Rhodes.
There’s a few problems with that line of thinking, assuming it’s not a typical draft smoke screen. Fargas’ running style makes him an injury risk with every carry. No one really has any idea how good Bush is after a badly broken leg and two years away from real contact. As for Rhodes, he had to take a pay cut to stay with the team so someone apparently told him his chances of landing somewhere else weren’t good. So how much can you really expect?
Bush may be the only one of the three who is an above average receiver, and he’s more of a power back than a threat to go all the way. Even Kiffin allowed late last season that Fargas was subpar in that area, and Rhodes can circle out of the backfield for the short catch but isn’t much of a threat downfield.
Besides, Kiffin can say whatever he wants, secure in knowledge that he’s not the one doing the selecting. That job belongs to Davis, who will do as he sees fit whether Kiffin agrees or not.
I talked to a G.M. at the scouting combine from a team who won’t be in a position to select McFadden who told me the Arkansas running back would be an instant starter for either Bay Area team over inspirational blood and guts runners Fargas and Frank Gore. He believes McFadden to be an instant difference-maker.
When deep in its own territory, any offense with McFadden is a threat to break a routine play for the distance. When in the red zone, McFadden’s pass receiving skills would open up an Oakland offense which threw exactly one touchdown pass to a running back all season, a 7-yard flip to fullback Justin Griffith in Week 1.
McFadden would be a valuable resource for quarterback JaMarcus Russell whether it’s creating a mismatch for a downfield throw or as a dangerous option on as a safety valve against a heavy rush. The word is McFadden even has a taste for blocking.
Even if you believe the Raiders are already set at running back with the status quo, it can’t be a bad thing to have too many good players at one position.
Yes, the Raiders have needs at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. But you don’t sign up a middle reliever when a home run hitter is there for the taking.
Tomorrow: The case against McFadden
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 at 4:37 pm in Oakland Raiders.
If Darren McFadden is sitting there at No. 4, the Raiders ought to use all of one second out of their allotted 10 minutes before sending his name up to the podium.
McFadden was in Alameda Monday getting the grand tour, which hardly qualifies as news. It can be safely assumed that Jake Long, Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey, Vernon Gholston and Sedrick Ellis will pass through these parts if they haven’t already.
If McFadden is back on a plane bound for Alameda about a week after the draft, coming to his first minicamp as a Raider, then it’s huge news and a welcomed addition to a suddenly explosive offense.
Chances are McFadden got his dose of Raiders history if he got to talk with Al Davis, learning all about the likes of Clem Daniels, Hewritt Dixon, Marcus Allen and Charlie Garner as runner/receivers whose versatility helped make for a diverse and dangerous offense.
(OK, perhaps he left out the Allen, or simply referred to him as “No. 32”
.McFadden would be the most explosive Raiders running back since Napoleon Kaufman, the most talented since Bo Jackson, with the added bonus of having better hands as a receiver out of the backfield.
At the NFL owner’s meetings, Lane Kiffin seemed to shoot down the idea of McFadden coming to Oakland, noting a position group already stocked with Justin Fargas, Michael Bush and Dominic Rhodes.
There’s a few problems with that line of thinking, assuming it’s not a typical draft smoke screen. Fargas’ running style makes him an injury risk with every carry. No one really has any idea how good Bush is after a badly broken leg and two years away from real contact. As for Rhodes, he had to take a pay cut to stay with the team so someone apparently told him his chances of landing somewhere else weren’t good. So how much can you really expect?
Bush may be the only one of the three who is an above average receiver, and he’s more of a power back than a threat to go all the way. Even Kiffin allowed late last season that Fargas was subpar in that area, and Rhodes can circle out of the backfield for the short catch but isn’t much of a threat downfield.
Besides, Kiffin can say whatever he wants, secure in knowledge that he’s not the one doing the selecting. That job belongs to Davis, who will do as he sees fit whether Kiffin agrees or not.
I talked to a G.M. at the scouting combine from a team who won’t be in a position to select McFadden who told me the Arkansas running back would be an instant starter for either Bay Area team over inspirational blood and guts runners Fargas and Frank Gore. He believes McFadden to be an instant difference-maker.
When deep in its own territory, any offense with McFadden is a threat to break a routine play for the distance. When in the red zone, McFadden’s pass receiving skills would open up an Oakland offense which threw exactly one touchdown pass to a running back all season, a 7-yard flip to fullback Justin Griffith in Week 1.
McFadden would be a valuable resource for quarterback JaMarcus Russell whether it’s creating a mismatch for a downfield throw or as a dangerous option on as a safety valve against a heavy rush. The word is McFadden even has a taste for blocking.
Even if you believe the Raiders are already set at running back with the status quo, it can’t be a bad thing to have too many good players at one position.
Yes, the Raiders have needs at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. But you don’t sign up a middle reliever when a home run hitter is there for the taking.
Tomorrow: The case against McFadden