The case against McFadden
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm in Oakland Raiders.
If you’re out car shopping, it’s more fun to shop for the Ferrari even if you really ought to be considering the durability of a Hummer for the long haul.
Blocking and tackling delivers Super Bowl rings, not running backs.
Only four running backs selected in the top four picks overall since 1967 have ever played for a Super Bowl champion _ Marshall Faulk of St. Louis (No. 2 overall in 1994), Tony Dorsett of Dallas (No. 2 overall, 1977) and Walter Payton of Chicago (No. 4 overall 1975).
(Note: Faulk was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and was traded to St. Louis when Dick Vermeil became coach).
As tempting as it is to believe McFadden has the skill set to be another Faulk as a runner/receiver, chances are better he won’t be a slam dunk, first-ballot Hall of Famer and will likely see his production exceeded by running backs who are taken after him on April 26 and 27.
Lane Kiffin compares McFadden to Reggie Bush as a running back who could be used as Faulk was utlilized in St. Louis.
Using Bush as an example only illustrates the danger of drafting McFadden. Bush hasn’t played anywhere near his reputed skill set, and you could make the argument that Laurence Maroney of New England (No. 21), Joseph Addai of Indianapolis (No. 30) and Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville (No. 60) are all better NFL backs despite being much lighter in the pocketbook.
In 2005, the Chicago Bears took Cedric Benson out of Texas at No. 4 overall, while Dallas got Marion Barber in the fourth round at No. 109.
Recent champions have been won because of the quality of the organization as well as the 53-man roster. The Raiders are a work in progress, with their running game, ranked No. 6 overall, one of the areas they can count as a strength.
The New York Giants are coming off a championship season with Brandon Jacobs (No. 110 overall in 2005) and Ahmad Bradshaw (No. 250 in 2007) as their running backs, winning a title the year after feature back Tiki Barber retired. Pittsburgh won with undrafted Willie Parker and an end-of-the-line Jerome Bettis. New England got one last good year out of Corey Dillon and won two Super Bowls with Antowain Smith, with Kevin Faulk as the receiving back.
The Raiders were run over by Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman. The driving force behind Denver’s two championship was seventh-round pick Terrell Davis.
The zone blocking system which is used by Denver and Oakland is known for producing big yardage of bargain backs. Justin Fargas gained 1,009 yards despite not starting until near midseason and missing the last two games. When Fargas went down, Rhodes broke 100 yards twice and agreed to a reduced salary to return.
Oakland got 100-yard games out of LaMont Jordan as well. Near as I can tell, the Raiders have never had three different rushers gain 100 yards in a game in the same season.
And that doesn’t even include Michael Bush, who the Raiders think could be a steal with a fourth-round pick in 2007 after missing his final season at Louisville with a broken leg sustained in the opener.
Draft McFadden, and it means maybe there are questions about Bush’s speed which simply aren’t being addressed in public.
Taking McFadden at No. 4 means a huge financial commitment. It’s possible, and perhaps even probable that Oakland could find a productive back much later _ one that doesn’t have paternity suits and night club incidents in his past. The Raiders could enhance their draft by trading that pick to a team such as Dallas which may covet McFadden.
McFadden or no McFadden, the Raiders look as if they’ll be able to run the ball. And while it may be tempting to be able to put him on the field with JaMarcus Russell to create mismatches, the fact is they will be better served by playing it fairly close to the vest with Russell in what is a glorified rookie season and work on building an overall team around him.
If you’re going offense, take a blocker such as Michigan’s Jake Long or Boise State’s Ryan Clady, although No. 4 may be too high for Clady.
Defensively, the additions of safety Gibril Wilson and cornerback DeAngelo Hall should improve the secondary. Linebacker appears secure with Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. Getting an impact player on the defensive line, whether it’s an interior player such as Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis, or an end like Chris Long or Vernon Gholston, should be the next step.
McFadden would be a luxury accessory on team still looking for a foundation.
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 2:05 pm in Oakland Raiders.
If you’re out car shopping, it’s more fun to shop for the Ferrari even if you really ought to be considering the durability of a Hummer for the long haul.
Blocking and tackling delivers Super Bowl rings, not running backs.
Only four running backs selected in the top four picks overall since 1967 have ever played for a Super Bowl champion _ Marshall Faulk of St. Louis (No. 2 overall in 1994), Tony Dorsett of Dallas (No. 2 overall, 1977) and Walter Payton of Chicago (No. 4 overall 1975).
(Note: Faulk was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts and was traded to St. Louis when Dick Vermeil became coach).
As tempting as it is to believe McFadden has the skill set to be another Faulk as a runner/receiver, chances are better he won’t be a slam dunk, first-ballot Hall of Famer and will likely see his production exceeded by running backs who are taken after him on April 26 and 27.
Lane Kiffin compares McFadden to Reggie Bush as a running back who could be used as Faulk was utlilized in St. Louis.
Using Bush as an example only illustrates the danger of drafting McFadden. Bush hasn’t played anywhere near his reputed skill set, and you could make the argument that Laurence Maroney of New England (No. 21), Joseph Addai of Indianapolis (No. 30) and Maurice Jones-Drew of Jacksonville (No. 60) are all better NFL backs despite being much lighter in the pocketbook.
In 2005, the Chicago Bears took Cedric Benson out of Texas at No. 4 overall, while Dallas got Marion Barber in the fourth round at No. 109.
Recent champions have been won because of the quality of the organization as well as the 53-man roster. The Raiders are a work in progress, with their running game, ranked No. 6 overall, one of the areas they can count as a strength.
The New York Giants are coming off a championship season with Brandon Jacobs (No. 110 overall in 2005) and Ahmad Bradshaw (No. 250 in 2007) as their running backs, winning a title the year after feature back Tiki Barber retired. Pittsburgh won with undrafted Willie Parker and an end-of-the-line Jerome Bettis. New England got one last good year out of Corey Dillon and won two Super Bowls with Antowain Smith, with Kevin Faulk as the receiving back.
The Raiders were run over by Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman. The driving force behind Denver’s two championship was seventh-round pick Terrell Davis.
The zone blocking system which is used by Denver and Oakland is known for producing big yardage of bargain backs. Justin Fargas gained 1,009 yards despite not starting until near midseason and missing the last two games. When Fargas went down, Rhodes broke 100 yards twice and agreed to a reduced salary to return.
Oakland got 100-yard games out of LaMont Jordan as well. Near as I can tell, the Raiders have never had three different rushers gain 100 yards in a game in the same season.
And that doesn’t even include Michael Bush, who the Raiders think could be a steal with a fourth-round pick in 2007 after missing his final season at Louisville with a broken leg sustained in the opener.
Draft McFadden, and it means maybe there are questions about Bush’s speed which simply aren’t being addressed in public.
Taking McFadden at No. 4 means a huge financial commitment. It’s possible, and perhaps even probable that Oakland could find a productive back much later _ one that doesn’t have paternity suits and night club incidents in his past. The Raiders could enhance their draft by trading that pick to a team such as Dallas which may covet McFadden.
McFadden or no McFadden, the Raiders look as if they’ll be able to run the ball. And while it may be tempting to be able to put him on the field with JaMarcus Russell to create mismatches, the fact is they will be better served by playing it fairly close to the vest with Russell in what is a glorified rookie season and work on building an overall team around him.
If you’re going offense, take a blocker such as Michigan’s Jake Long or Boise State’s Ryan Clady, although No. 4 may be too high for Clady.
Defensively, the additions of safety Gibril Wilson and cornerback DeAngelo Hall should improve the secondary. Linebacker appears secure with Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard. Getting an impact player on the defensive line, whether it’s an interior player such as Glenn Dorsey or Sedrick Ellis, or an end like Chris Long or Vernon Gholston, should be the next step.
McFadden would be a luxury accessory on team still looking for a foundation.
