Will Any Raider Reciever Catch More Than 22 Passes in 2009?

The Raider receivers struggled last season, catching only 5.5 passes per game. More than a handful of receivers around the NFL accomplished the same statistics on their own.

In fact, most people reading this article could probably catch more fish per day off Fisherman’s Wharf—even if they aren’t experienced fisherman.

And that’s a fair comparison, because the Raiders receivers aren’t experienced ball catchers. So just how much did the Raider receivers struggle last season?

Let’s take a look.

Touchdowns: 11
Total yards: 1,196
Receptions: 88 
*excluding tight ends and running backs

Sure, a lot of the Raider receivers started in only several games throughout the season. But as a core, they were not productive.

Larry Fitzgerald alone caught more passes (96), gained more yards (1,431) and scored more touchdowns (12) than the entire Raiders receiving core. Other receivers caught more passes and gained more yards (Andre Johnson, Brandon Marshall) than the Raiders, too. The Raider receivers averaged a mere 18.69 yards per quarter in 2008—Steve Smith averaged 18.2 yards per catch.

Nine total receivers averaged more yards per game than the Raiders’ wide receivers combined.

The position should have more stability this season with young guns Chaz Schilens, Johnnie Lee Higgins and Darrius Heyward-Bey, though there is no guarantee that they will excel. But they should be—better be—must be—more productive than last year.

Higgins led last year’s group with 22 catches, 366 yards and four touchdowns.

This is the NFL we are talking about. Not high school football nor San Jose State football.

The Raiders receivers must improve.

They are young and inexperienced, but somebody obviously thought they had the talent to get the job done, and now is their chance to prove it.

In fact, the Raiders receivers have no choice but to improve—their statistics can’t get much worse.

Questions for Ted Tollner, Raiders’ Passing Game Coordinator

Earlier this year, the Oakland Raiders named Ted Tollner as their new passing game coordinator. While Tollner has been successful in the past, his recent stint with the San Francisco 49ers was far from the highlight of his resume.

Here are some questions I have for Tollner:

Ted, the Raiders’ passing game was not successful last season. Can you comment on what went wrong, and what type of improvement you expect this season?

As passing game coordinator, what exactly are your responsibilities to the team?

I’m assuming you have watched tapes of JaMarcus Russell throughout last season. Is that correct?

What type of improvement, if any, did you see from Week One through Week Seventeen from him?

Why do you feel the Raiders struggled to get the ball down the field last season, and what do you plan on doing to change that?

What do you personally think Russell needs to improve on this season?

Do you think Russell has better targets heading into this season than last?

Last season Russell completed just under 54 percent of his passes. Do you expect him to improve that number this season? What does he need to do to improve?

The Raiders threw just 13 touchdowns last season. Is there any reason you expect to see that number rise this season?

Do you feel JaMarcus could evolve into a top-notch NFL quarterback, and if so, how long will the process take?

Hypothetical Situations in Which the Oakland Raiders Cruise to Super Bowl

There are two reasons the Raiders have no chance of making it to the Super Bowl this year—or even the next.

First off, the Raiders don’t have a dominant offense.

Go ahead, try and prove me wrong. You can’t.

Without a high-powered offense, the Raiders will undoubtedly struggle to put points on the board.

Secondly, the Raiders don’t have a dominant defense, either.  Thus, other teams will undoubtedly have no trouble putting points up on the board against the Raiders.

Once again, feel free to challenge me.

But without one or the other—or even both—no NFL is going to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy this season.

While you probably don’t need me to tell you, the Raiders clearly don’t qualify as a Super Bowl contender under these assumptions.

The Raider Nation can dream and have faith, but it won’t happen—not this year nor the next.

I’ve tried and tried to imagine a metamorphism in which the Raider defense becomes solid, invincible, and dominant.

Sadly, even in my wildest imaginations, there are no overnight remedies that seem to even hypothetically cure the Raiders’ defensive ills, namely their rush defense.

I have, however, devised two situations in which the Raider offense could catapult to become the No. 1 offense in 2009.

 

1. Raiders Abandon Russell’s Hopeless Passing Game

As I’ve pointed out before, the Raiders’ air “assault” was absolutely pathetic last season. You can say JaMarcus Russell will improve. Has to improve. Whatever. But until he actually does, I’m not buying into it.

So, let’s imagine that Russell, for the sake of my hypothetical situation, completes 10 of 22 passes in week one for 79 yards no touchdowns and three interceptions against San Diego. And for the sake of the argument, he follows up week two with an even more dismal performance.

That same week, Al Davis decides to give Michael Vick, who just happened to be reinstated to the NFL by Commissioner Roger Godell at the same time, a chance to play for the Raiders, while completely forgetting Jeff Garcia is even on the active roster.

Vick learns the Raiders’ system overnight, and after secretly playing football everyday, while in jail with his fellow inmates against the guards, ala Burt Reynolds and Adam Sandler in “The Longest Yard,” leads the Raiders to a 14-2 season.
 
Vick, who threw for 3,000 yards and ran for another 1,500, is named the NFL MVP and leads the AFCs top-seeded Raiders to the Super Bowl.

 

2. Raiders abandon hopeless passing game altogether.
 
In week one, Darrius Heyward-Bey doesn’t catch a single pass. Russell can’t hit the target. Heyward-Bey is simply just too fast. So fast, in fact, that it throws Russell’s timing off on his other targets, who he claims to be too “slow.”

Al Davis comes to the conclusion that his No. 1 overall pick may never become the star he had hoped for and decides the Raiders don’t need to pass the ball anymore. His reasoning, the Raiders have too much speed and can just run the ball all day long.

Coach Tom Cable installs a permanent “Wildcat” offense. Michael Bush, Justin Fargas, and Darren McFadden rotate as two of the three in the backfield and Lorenzo Neal becomes a permanent blocking force. Every now and then, the Raiders opt for the trick play and give the ball to Heyward-Bey on a reverse, because he’s so fast nobody can catch him.

The Raiders go on to finish the season 15-1, because no team can stop them from running 300+ yards per game, and Heyward-Bey sets a wide receiver all-time record of rushing touchdowns, scoring 30 on the season.

The Raiders cruise through the playoffs and on to the Super Bowl with the introduction of the halfback toss pass in “Wildcat” formation to throw the other teams off.

Winless 2008 Detriot Lions Are My Favorite Team of All Time

They found their way into the record books and no one will ever forget it.

No other team in the history of 16-game football seasons can claim this “accomplishment.”

And while it’s certainly not something to brag about, no squad will probably ever match this feat.

Somehow, someway, the 2008 Detroit Lions managed to play an entire season without winning once.

Winless.

Wretched.

Wrecked.

Weak in and weekend out, the Lions couldn’t find a way to record a W.

And week in and week out, I couldn’t wait to watch or hear the Lions lose.

Year’s from now, people might not remember the 2007 Patriots’ 18-1 season.

But the fans, players, and personnel of the NFL will never forget the year Detroit went 0-16.

Matt Millen will never forget it.

On opening day, the Lions lost to a rookie quarterback.

Matt Ryan will never forget it.

Then the Lions lost to Brett Favre’s replacement at Ford Field.

Aaron Rodgers will never forget it.

And so the ugliness began. The Lions then lost to a no-name NFL Europa quarterback.

J.T O’Sullivan will never forget it—he doesn‘t have any other NFL bragging rights.

After an 0-3 start heading into a bye week, the Lions fired CEO Millen in hopes of solving their problems.

But things only got worse.

The Bears routed the Lions in Week 5.

Jon Kitna will never forget it, he suffered a season-ending injury that day.

In Week 6, Detroit took a 3-2 lead into halftime against Minnesota.

And Dan Orlovsky will never forget losing his first career NFL start. Or running out of the back of his own end zone—always the sign of a great quarterback, huh?

A 96-yard touchdown against the Houston Texans wasn’t enough for a win in week seven.

Calvin Johnson will never forget it.

In week eight, the Lions were blacked out from local television coverage for the first time since Ford Field’s opening in 2002.

Detroit will never forget, but at least the people in Motor City didn’t have to watch the Lions lose again. 

In their second meeting of the season with Chicago, the Lions blew a 23-13 half time lead, getting shut out in the second half.

Rex Grossman will never forget how he led his team to a come-from-behind victory in the second half, while replacing an injured Kyle Orton to contribute to the Lions’ misery.

In Week 10, David Garrard and the Jaguars went on a tear against the Lions.

Garrard will never forget the one day he had a passer rating of 128.4 in 2008 and actually looked like a Pro Bowler.

The Lions then traveled to Charlotte in Week 11.

The Panthers will never forget that one of their perfect home-record victories came against the winless Lions.

In Week 12, the Lions sacked Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback five times, but still could not find a way to win.

Jeff Garcia will never forget it. That same day he also recorded a quarterback rating of 137.5.

On Thanksgiving, the Lions suffered a 47-10 slaughtering.

The Lions will try to forget it. But they won’t.

In Week 14, Detroit held a rare fourth-quarter lead.

Tarvaris Jackson will never forget his game-winning touchdown pass, which virtually put the nail in the coffin for any chance the Lions would have of winning a single game.

The Colts beat the Lions by 10 points in Week 15.

You will never forget it.

In Week 16, Drew Brees threw for 351 yards against the Lions.

He will never forget it.

In Week 17, the Lions almost did it. They were tied with the Packers 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter. And you know what happened?

I know I do, because I will never forget it.

No team will ever be as bad as the 2008 Lions. They were classic. And that’s why they are my favorite team of all time.

Can Raiders Improve Their No. 31 Run Defense?

We all know that one of the Raiders’ strengths is their ability to stop the pass. But on the other hand, we all know one of the Raiders’ weaknesses is stopping the run.  

Only one team in the NFL allowed more rushing yards per game than the Raiders in 2008.

Guess who?

Yep, none other than the winless Detroit Lions.

Oakland gave up nearly 160 rushing yards per game last season. On average, the Raiders’ opposition ran for 4.7 yards per carry. 

And no matter how good your squad is at stopping the pass, if other teams can run all over you, you can’t win. Simply put, if your defense is on the field too long, you end up losing in the long run.

After a not-so-great defensive season (No. 24 in points, No. 27 total yards), one would assume the Raiders would attempt to make some big offseason moves to fix the problem.

But what players have the Raiders added to help their run defense this season?

Absolutely none.

Sure they drafted three defensive ends.

But a third-round draft pick, along with a fourth and sixth rounder, aren’t going to close the gaps overnight.

Mike Mitchell sure isn’t going to solve the Raiders’ defensive run stop woes.

These guys will take a few years to develop—if they ever do.

The Raiders made just one other acquisition on the defensive side of the ball—Ryan Boschetti.

In five seasons with the Redskins, the new Raider started in just two games, adding 19 tackles and not much else.

So here’s what it comes down to: Is coach Dwaine Board going to magically make the Raiders defensive line better as he did for Seattle in 2003?

Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see.

But if the players on the field aren’t capable of closing the gaps, it probably doesn’t matter how good of a defensive line coach he is.

Fixing the Raiders’ run D is going to be a tough task for Board, but he’s worked wonders in the past.

Do you think he’ll get the job done in restoring the Raiders’ rushing defense?

Raiders’ Garcia Would Improve Last Year’s No. 32 Ranked Passing Game

There may be a new stimulus plan brewing in the mix.

No, it doesn’t have anything to do Barack Obama or the good ’ol red, white, and blue. This one has to do with the Sliver and Black and Al Davis.

Yea, I know what your thinking…what could Davis possibly provoke? Some NFL Draft day analysts, Raiders’ fans, Lane Kiffin?

Well, yes. But that’s not what I’m getting at. 

If Davis can get over his stubborn ways and realize that JaMarcus Russell is not the “now” quarterback for Oakland, the Raiders could actually have a decent passing game this season. Maybe even a chance to contend for an AFC Wild Card.

For the past three straight seasons, Oakland has ranked either No. 31 and No. 32 in passing yards per game.

And in case you forgot during the offseason, there are only 32 teams in the NFL.

The weapons are in place for the Raiders’ passing game to go from nonexistent to, well, existent.

The range of their playbook could be flipped on its face.

All Davis and coach Tom Cable need to do is name Jeff Garcia, not Russell, the team’s starting quarterback for the 2009 season.

With Garcia under center, the Raiders would complete more passes, gain more passing yards, and average more yards per catch.

Don’t believe me? Compare their 2008 statistics.

Not only would an experienced quarterback blow open their playbook, the Raiders could have a complement to their already established rushing attack.

Running the ball, for the moment, might be the only thing the Raiders are guaranteed to excel at this season.

I’m not arguing that the 39-year-old is the Raiders’ quarterback of the future. But he should be the quarterback of the present.

To me, it seems insane to start Russell again after last year’s failure.

The Raiders have a chance to improve from last season. But that’s only if Russell doesn’t start.

I said it last year, and I’ll say it again, “While Russell’s future may be bright, his present doesn’t seem likely to be so pleasant. He needs some time to adjust to the NFL, and his inexperience will show this year.”

I was right then. And I don’t think Russell got enough experience last year to put forth a pleasant season this time around.

But history doesn’t need to repeat itself.

Then again, to do the same thing over and over again is Al Davis football.

Other people, though, like to call it insanity.

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