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08.17
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Another year of 32 in 31. Sports News on Tap takes the month of August to preview the National Football League. We spend every day of the month looking at a new team and how they will fare in 2013.
The Oakland Raiders have officially set themselves up to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this upcoming season, and you know what? I'm alright with that. Maybe it's a breath of fresh air to watching the Bucks fool themselves into thinking an 8 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference can contend for a championship (I digress), maybe it's because I've cleared myself to jump on the Packers' bandwagon before the season starts instead of just waiting until Week 17 and beyond.
Anywho, the Raiders have undergone a huge overhaul over the last few seasons with the passing of Al Davis and the subsequent hiring his son, Mark Davis, made in new GM Reggie McKenzie. It's not to say that the Raiders couldn't wait for Al to kick the can but things had spiraled out of control pretty fast in Alameda with the Raiders not winning more than five games in a season from 2003-2009. They had a total of 29 wins over that seven year span.
Now, they are in full rebuild mode and have gotten rid of most of Al Davis' "Scholarship Players" and are looking at adding another good young piece after this coming year.
OFFENSE
What ever success the Raiders are going to have this year, it'll hinge on star running back Darren McFadden. McFadden has shown himself to be one of the best running backs in the NFL when he's healthy, however he's yet to play anywhere near a full season since he entered the league back in 2008. If he can get something like his production in 2010 (1,157 yards and 7 TDs), the team can do some things this year. If he can't stay on the field it's going to be a long year. They picked up Rashad Jennings who is a capable backup and figures to get some tick when DMC inevitably goes down for at least a game or two.
Last year, the Raiders had entered the season with QB Carson Palmer going into his first full year as the quarterback of the team. He hadn't played a snap with Darren McFadden so that left many fans excited for what the team could do. They ended up going 4-12, so I won't say more.
Enter Matt Flynn, the once coveted back up out of Green Bay who got beat out by rookie sensation Russell Wilson after signing a big contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2012 season. Many fans, myself included, are intrigued by Matt Flynn but he just hasn't done enough on a regular basis (and in meaningful games) to warrant me getting overly worked up about his abilities. Darrius Heyward-Bey (probably the face of the Davis "Scholarship Players") is now gone to Indianapolis but Flynn's got some solid wide outs to toss the rock to in Denarious Moore and Rod Streater, but solid might be a stretch.
Given the departure of TE Brandon Myers, the tight ends will be a circus unless one of the rookies (Nick Kasa out of Colorado or Mychal Rivera from Tennessee) can step up and be a needle mover. Can't forget to mention Marcel Reece. Dude's a boss at FB. He does it all but is mainly a big receiving threat out of the backfield. He also could see some snaps as a TE.
As far as the line goes, they're in good shape at LT and at C with Jared "Hulk" Veldheer and Stefen Wisniewski but right tackle is probably the weakest link with Khalif Barnes. Not sure how he still has a job but In Reggie We Trust. They also added veteran guard/center Andre Gurode to the mix to stabilize the young line.
DEFENSE
The defensive unit of the Oakland Raiders was embarrassingly bad last year and they have seen a huge overhaul for the upcoming 2013 season. Gone are Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, and Michael Huff. Arguably their biggest pickup is veteran safety Charles Woodson who returns to the Blackhole after seven seasons in Green Bay. He'll bring a lot of leadership and championship pedigree to a young secondary.
The linebackers are led by Miles Burris who had a really nice rookie year for the Raiders at one of the OLB spots but his status for the start of the season is in doubt after he had post season knee surgery and hasn't played a lick in camp this year. McKenzie is looking at rookie Sio Moore to come in a play a decent amount this year as he looked good in the preseason opener against Dallas. Otherwise, there are a few stop gaps in Kevin Burnett and Omar Gaither to take up space.
Pretty much the entire defensive line is stop gaps, save for DE Lamarr Houston, who is a beast (48 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2012).
SPECIAL TEAMS
I hate to say it but nine-time All-Pro punter Shane Lechler is gone. He's been replaced by Chris Kluwe but it still stings a bit. However, I am thrilled that the Raiders have decided to lock up kicker Sebastion Janikowski and he may die a Raider. I mean that literally too. All jokes aside, Seabass is a great kicker with a huge leg so he seriously is one of my favorite Raiders of all-time.
The Raiders also picked up returner Josh Cribbs in free agency to see what he has left in the tank.
KEY ADDITIONS
S Charles Woodson, QB Matt Flynn, DT Pat Sims, CB Tracy Porter, G/C Andre Gurode, RB Rashad Jennings
KEY DEPARTURES
QB Carson Palmer, DT Richard Seymour, TE Brandon Myers, P Shane Lechler, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, DT Desmond Bryant, FS Michael Huff, etc. The Raiders will have a new look in 2013, that's for sure.
RAIDERS DRAFT PICKS
CB D.J. Hayden, OT Menelik Watson, LB Sio Moore, QB Tyler Wilson, TE Nick Kasa, RB Latavius Murray, TE Mychal Rivera, DT Stacy McGee, WR Brice Butler, DE David Bass.
Obviously, keep an eye on first round pick DJ Hayden, especially after McKenzie traded down and took him. As I previously stated, I like Sio Moore to make some impact. McGee is a guy that is thought to be very talented but might not have it between the ears at this point in time. It'll be interesting to see how he holds up this year.
GAME TO WATCH
Week 3 or 17 against Denver - The Raiders aren't going to make a whole lot of noise this year but anytime they can put up a good fight against a championship caliber team, I'm all for it.
PREDICTION
3-5 wins: Like I said, the Raiders aren't expecting to do much this season but it'll be a good time to try these young guys out and see what you have. If you suck and win only two or three games, you're looking at picking up Jadaveon Clowney in the draft and that's cool with me. Or, you could see a huge year from McFadden, Flynn plays well and the offense is good enough to get the team five or six victories. The defense will be pretty bad anyway you shake it though. That should prevent them from getting anywhere near the playoffs in 2013.
The Oakland Raiders have officially set themselves up to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this upcoming season, and you know what? I'm alright with that. Maybe it's a breath of fresh air to watching the Bucks fool themselves into thinking an 8 seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference can contend for a championship (I digress), maybe it's because I've cleared myself to jump on the Packers' bandwagon before the season starts instead of just waiting until Week 17 and beyond.
Anywho, the Raiders have undergone a huge overhaul over the last few seasons with the passing of Al Davis and the subsequent hiring his son, Mark Davis, made in new GM Reggie McKenzie. It's not to say that the Raiders couldn't wait for Al to kick the can but things had spiraled out of control pretty fast in Alameda with the Raiders not winning more than five games in a season from 2003-2009. They had a total of 29 wins over that seven year span.
Now, they are in full rebuild mode and have gotten rid of most of Al Davis' "Scholarship Players" and are looking at adding another good young piece after this coming year.
OFFENSE
What ever success the Raiders are going to have this year, it'll hinge on star running back Darren McFadden. McFadden has shown himself to be one of the best running backs in the NFL when he's healthy, however he's yet to play anywhere near a full season since he entered the league back in 2008. If he can get something like his production in 2010 (1,157 yards and 7 TDs), the team can do some things this year. If he can't stay on the field it's going to be a long year. They picked up Rashad Jennings who is a capable backup and figures to get some tick when DMC inevitably goes down for at least a game or two.
Last year, the Raiders had entered the season with QB Carson Palmer going into his first full year as the quarterback of the team. He hadn't played a snap with Darren McFadden so that left many fans excited for what the team could do. They ended up going 4-12, so I won't say more.
Enter Matt Flynn, the once coveted back up out of Green Bay who got beat out by rookie sensation Russell Wilson after signing a big contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2012 season. Many fans, myself included, are intrigued by Matt Flynn but he just hasn't done enough on a regular basis (and in meaningful games) to warrant me getting overly worked up about his abilities. Darrius Heyward-Bey (probably the face of the Davis "Scholarship Players") is now gone to Indianapolis but Flynn's got some solid wide outs to toss the rock to in Denarious Moore and Rod Streater, but solid might be a stretch.
Given the departure of TE Brandon Myers, the tight ends will be a circus unless one of the rookies (Nick Kasa out of Colorado or Mychal Rivera from Tennessee) can step up and be a needle mover. Can't forget to mention Marcel Reece. Dude's a boss at FB. He does it all but is mainly a big receiving threat out of the backfield. He also could see some snaps as a TE.
As far as the line goes, they're in good shape at LT and at C with Jared "Hulk" Veldheer and Stefen Wisniewski but right tackle is probably the weakest link with Khalif Barnes. Not sure how he still has a job but In Reggie We Trust. They also added veteran guard/center Andre Gurode to the mix to stabilize the young line.
DEFENSE
The defensive unit of the Oakland Raiders was embarrassingly bad last year and they have seen a huge overhaul for the upcoming 2013 season. Gone are Richard Seymour, Tommy Kelly, and Michael Huff. Arguably their biggest pickup is veteran safety Charles Woodson who returns to the Blackhole after seven seasons in Green Bay. He'll bring a lot of leadership and championship pedigree to a young secondary.
The linebackers are led by Miles Burris who had a really nice rookie year for the Raiders at one of the OLB spots but his status for the start of the season is in doubt after he had post season knee surgery and hasn't played a lick in camp this year. McKenzie is looking at rookie Sio Moore to come in a play a decent amount this year as he looked good in the preseason opener against Dallas. Otherwise, there are a few stop gaps in Kevin Burnett and Omar Gaither to take up space.
Pretty much the entire defensive line is stop gaps, save for DE Lamarr Houston, who is a beast (48 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2012).
SPECIAL TEAMS
I hate to say it but nine-time All-Pro punter Shane Lechler is gone. He's been replaced by Chris Kluwe but it still stings a bit. However, I am thrilled that the Raiders have decided to lock up kicker Sebastion Janikowski and he may die a Raider. I mean that literally too. All jokes aside, Seabass is a great kicker with a huge leg so he seriously is one of my favorite Raiders of all-time.
The Raiders also picked up returner Josh Cribbs in free agency to see what he has left in the tank.
KEY ADDITIONS
S Charles Woodson, QB Matt Flynn, DT Pat Sims, CB Tracy Porter, G/C Andre Gurode, RB Rashad Jennings
KEY DEPARTURES
QB Carson Palmer, DT Richard Seymour, TE Brandon Myers, P Shane Lechler, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, DT Desmond Bryant, FS Michael Huff, etc. The Raiders will have a new look in 2013, that's for sure.
RAIDERS DRAFT PICKS
CB D.J. Hayden, OT Menelik Watson, LB Sio Moore, QB Tyler Wilson, TE Nick Kasa, RB Latavius Murray, TE Mychal Rivera, DT Stacy McGee, WR Brice Butler, DE David Bass.
Obviously, keep an eye on first round pick DJ Hayden, especially after McKenzie traded down and took him. As I previously stated, I like Sio Moore to make some impact. McGee is a guy that is thought to be very talented but might not have it between the ears at this point in time. It'll be interesting to see how he holds up this year.
GAME TO WATCH
Week 3 or 17 against Denver - The Raiders aren't going to make a whole lot of noise this year but anytime they can put up a good fight against a championship caliber team, I'm all for it.
PREDICTION
3-5 wins: Like I said, the Raiders aren't expecting to do much this season but it'll be a good time to try these young guys out and see what you have. If you suck and win only two or three games, you're looking at picking up Jadaveon Clowney in the draft and that's cool with me. Or, you could see a huge year from McFadden, Flynn plays well and the offense is good enough to get the team five or six victories. The defense will be pretty bad anyway you shake it though. That should prevent them from getting anywhere near the playoffs in 2013.
