Raider Nation: Five Things To Watch for in 2009

As OTAs fill our weeks and training camps are still over a month away, what sort of things can the Raider Nation look forward to? Featured for your enjoyment, are five events that I look forward to seeing the Raiders accomplish this season. I own no crystal ball and offer no investment advice…but being a Raider fan, it is the kool-aid i’ve been drinking since 1976. Take a little trip, and have a look….no pushing, stepping or fighting….but kindly leave the effigy of Rivers in the parking lot.

Oakland Raiders: For the Raiders To Win, What Is Needed?

Since this is OTA time, a lot of looks will be seen by both the media and the fans. The media would love to find things wrong, while the fans would love to find things right.

Both of these groups are not exclusive as some media people would like to see a resurgence in the Raiders…and not just the one or two win improvements.

But if it is the question that needs to be asked, how can the Raiders improve from a five-win season to an eight-win season?

The first issue, is protection for JaMarcus Russell. Quarterbacks thrive on time to develop plays. Which would you rather have, a short three-yard gain or a 20-yard pass? If your Receiver or End can’t get 10-15 yards downfield before he’s scrambling, there is a problem.

Likewise, call it one A, is having a line that isn’t self-destructive.

Last season our offensive line did a number on our own drives, with false starts, holds and other foolish stunts. This led from easy to convert third downs to making a choice on fourth down of punting or trying a field goal.

Second, and it has been talked off and on, getting the QB up to speed. Sure, last season was his first full year taking snaps. In his first full 16 games, he’s had some good moments and some you’d shake your head at.

Smarter play-calling will help, knowing your receivers better and understanding how each one functions, you’ll know which options work best. If Russell proves to falter, and we should know within the first four weeks…Garcia could find himself in both a good and bad spot. He’ll be starting just as the Raiders hit the first series of Road challenges.

Third, more effective use of the running game. With all the media attention on Darren McFadden, the hot ticket was to use him early and often. Injuries to him and then Fargas didn’t help and the play selection didn’t exactly work either.

With the coming season hopefully a good rotation can be established…and expect Bush to supplant Fargas on the running chart by end of year.

Fourth. This is the one I wished, they would have fixed at the draft….finding a run stopper. The basic word out of camp is that we have the players to stop the run, but needed the coach. Will this work? We’ll find out as soon as preseason starts. But the first real test will come on Monday night when we have to stop LT and company in Oakland.

Lastly, and this one is for Tom himself. No more crazy ideas. Don’t try and have Janikowski try anything fancy. If you can kill the clock and get it in reasonable range, great. But don’t put the opposing team in range for their own field goal. If it’s possible, you have some downfield threats.

Looking at the Raiders schedule, the Raiders will know a lot about the season in the first three games. If they start 0-3, it’s time to change some things.

If the Raiders start 2-1…The Raiders may make things interesting for the Chargers come December.

Oakland Raiders: Winning or Losing, Not a Job for Everyone

In some ways, you have to envy Tom Cable. He is one of 32 coaches presently in the NFL that has the day-to-day job of trying to produce results with a group of players that may or may not work. He has to remove players, replace players, and in some cases, play judge if someone is no longer carrying their weight.

And in some cases, he can become the fall guy when it’s not really his fault.

Some coaches have the hardest job in the world. John McKay was saddled with an expansion franchise, which responded with two wins in two seasons. With the draft, by his fourth year the team won 10 games in a season, more than the previous three years and even won a playoff game.

Some coaches can win often in the regular season, but reaching the playoffs, they are snakebit. George Allen coached the Redskins and the Rams for 12 seasons, and never had a losing record in the regular season.

In the post-season, he had only two wins, both coming in the 1972 season where they played against the Dolphins who were perfect.

John Madden, for the Raiders, could probably be called the unluckiest coach. In three different playoff games, there were three controversial situations that cost his teams the chance to go ahead in the postseason.

Twice against the Steelers and one against the Broncos, his overall playoff record stands at 9-7. But he does have a Super Bowl win.

And then there are coaches where everything goes right or wrong. Don Shula, for example, had a Dolphins team that won the Super Bowl, going perfect for the entire season, even if players did get hurt. Or you can have a team like Rod Marinelli. The previous year winning seven games, thoughts were high for the Lions to improve.

By the end of the year, fans were wondering if Barry Sanders could have saved this team, going 0-16.

So, how does this tie into the Raiders and Tom Cable?

For all the comments coming in from guys like Warren Sapp, or the occasional gaffe that Al Davis may mention, Tom wants to be there. He’s not presently being held hostage like Lane Kiffin was, contract-wise. He wasn’t saddled with a team he couldn’t control, like Bill Callahan and the bay area retirement community.

He probably won’t imitate Norv Turner, who helped the Raiders get rid of both Tim Brown and Jerry Rice.

And he hasn’t been shy about his desire to be a coach for the Raiders, unlike Mike Shanahan who had come from a known enemy.

Tom, thanks to Al Davis was allowed to build a coaching staff that he liked around him. How would you like to have a job where you’re told to succeed, but are given a dozen monkeys?

Granted, Tom doesn’t have the luxury of having several Heisman trophy winners. He doesn’t have guys like Marcus Allen, Cliff Branch or Howie Long, like Tom Flores.

But Tom Cable is right where he wants to be.

Now Tom’s job is leading the Raiders back to their old ways…and the Nation is watching.

Inside the Mind of an Oakland Raider: JaMarcus Russell

For a different perspective, imagine getting drafted, put on a team that is in the process of rebuilding, and trying to figure out where it all comes together.

Then, a couple seasons later, having a sit-down discussion with that player and seeing how he would respond. With JaMarcus Russell, the questions would probably vary, both with on-field and off-field topics, such as:

Did the media circus have fun playing guess your weight? Some thought he was over 300, while some thought he was more in the ballpark of 265.

Did you feel that coming to Oakland would give you a chance to highlight your throwing ability? I have to wonder if Russell was elated, then confused when in less than a day, Randy Moss went from being a teammate to another opposing player.

Has the adjustment to the NFL-style of play been difficult? Going from LSU to NFL, the Raiders haven’t been known for protection for the QB position.

Does he regret that his signing took a lot of time away from his development? Somewhat, but it also protected him from the infighting between Kiffin and Al Davis.

Do you hope that Tom Cable will remain a coach for the Raiders? If Cable can keep the team focused, a lot can happen.

Do you wish Kiffin would have let you run more, in his tenure with the team? Some, I did scramble from time to time, but Kiffin’s mindset was for me to stay in the pocket.

Can you explain why sometimes you have problems hanging onto the ball? Nerves, mostly. Sweaty palms, or sometimes the air conditions cause the ball to be difficult to grip.

What do you see the Raiders doing in five years? Getting back into the playoffs regularly.

What do you see yourself doing in five years, staying with the Raiders? I think I’ll be with Oakland for at least 10 seasons, as long as Al Davis will let me.

Lastly, what do you think of the fan base in Oakland? Rabid…glad I’m playing for them, not against them.

One fun thing with interviews, is you might get a random thought, as the questions are asked. Does he think Darren McFadden just had a bad year? Did he think Rob Ryan couldn’t coach a pee-wee league team? Has he ever had a deep conversation with Al Davis?

It would be fun to look into the mind of an Oakland Raider.

Oakland Raiders: Anyone into Recycling the Playbook?

The Oakland’s team that returns to camp, for the most part, will have a leg up on the players in uniform.

After all, Oakland’s players have last year’s playbook, and a majority of Oakland’s coaching staff is new to the team.

Gone is the Rob Ryan method of stall tactics. All the present defense did was prevent the team from winning. Not all of it could be blamed on Ryan, as the players needed to stop the run that did not exist…or would DeAngelo Hall stop a receiver from making the big play?

Gone, is Greg Knapp, and the questions of who is calling the plays. Overplaying the running game, risking injury and then when the running game is gone, and switching to all passing plays, isn’t a case of coaching, it’s a case of desperation.

About the largest hole, it will be on special teams. Johnnie Lee Higgins bloomed in the return game, we had Chris Carr for a short time, and you can’t forget about the punting and occasional clutch kicking that will be missed.

So, what changes can be expected on the field in 2009?

For one, expect the deep threat. JaMarcus Russell is rumored to be able to throw deep but hasn’t had the WRs to exploit this ability. A number of his passing plays that scored last year came from short to mid-field bullets, that the WR broke free with. Getting Darrus Heyward-Bey will bring back memories of Willie Gault or Cliff Branch.

Secondly, imagine a three WR-TE set. You could line up four different depths and let JaMarcus Russell pick a defense apart. At short range, you could see the Raiders hit Zach Miller. Out at 15-20 yards, find Chaz Schilens. Twenty to thirty yards, find Higgins waiting, and if he’s open, Darrius Heyward-Bey could be streaking for the end zone. About the only thing that will be needed is to have Russell practice at red zone, as a number of times they would get into touchdown territory, only to settle for three.

Scrapping the Wildcat. I know, last year it caught most of the teams off guard. This year, after a year of everyone watching tape, not a lot of teams will fall for it. A few deep sacks, after several bungled attempts at this offensive action, will put this package in the ground.

On defense, a lot of plays are up in the air. With Gibril Wilson gone, in comes Michael Mitchell or Al Davis’s hope for Jack Tatum II. It’s anyone’s hope that Michael Huff makes good with his one last chance, or they’ll ditch him before the season starts.

Our Cornerback defense is an obvious weapon, as it forces other teams to play either the run or risk an interception.

On the line, a lot of people have asked why don’t the Raiders blitz as often as the good old days, with Alzado, Howie Long, and company?

If we can play with our safeties up and force the pocket, a player or two should be able to penetrate the pocket. As simple as it sounds, however, the hard part, last year, was getting the player down.

With little updates on the line, I would expect the Raiders defense to remain static up front…but hopefully, Derrick Burgess can get some talking time with John Marshall on this.

So, it could be said that Oakland’s players are going to be the best teachers…and the coaches can help fine tune issues as they occur.

Oakland Raiders Glory Year: The 1980 Cinderella Story

Some people who follow the Raiders enjoy those blowout teams. Some enjoy the flash and power of a franchise ready to take on the world.

For me, There was a team that have everything possibly go wrong, went right and it lead a castoff QB and a team of rebels to the championship in 1980.

For the Raiders, it was going to be interesting for a number of reasons. The first, was losing Ken Stabler due to a conflict over his contract. As it was, Al Davis decided to deal the Snake to the Houston Oilers, who felt he was the last missing cog they needed. The Raiders also watched Jack Tatum leave and shortly into the season Dave Casper would leave the team as well.

As to make matters worse, the player picked up to quarterback for Stabler, Dan Pastorini was injured in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

In that game, the team was handed over to Jim Plunkett, a former Heisman winner, an overall number one pick with the New England Patriots who was out of work when the 49ers released him. When Jim Plunkett took over the club on October 15th, Jim proceeded to throw five interceptions, with two TDs in junk time.

But, apparently Tom Flores saw enough fire in this quarterback, to keep him as the starter.

At 2-3, the Raiders may have been aging, but still have a lot of fight left in them. Guys like Ted Hendricks were playing with guys like Lester Hayes. Ray Guy was still trying to hit small birds in the air. And guys like Art Shell and Gene Upshaw were still playing decent football.

Plunkett found himself leading a team that would win their next six games, before losses to the Eagles and Cowboys, would give them a wake up call.

The Cowboys loss, put the team at 9-5, with games against the Denver Broncos and New York Giants, both games on the road.

The Raiders took down Denver in a close game, 24-21, and then put away the Giants 33-17 to get back to the playoffs for the first time since the 1977 season.

For the playoffs, the Raiders felt like they were playing a mirror. Their first opponent, the Houston Oilers, was made up of several former teammates. To the Raiders credit, they held Stabler without a TD pass, two interceptions, and kept Earl Campbell without 100 yards in the game.

The next opponent, was yet another case of fate, luck or just plain bad play calling. The Raiders, up 14-12 with time running down were watching Brian Sipe advance his club towards the end zone, when the words “red right 88” would be etched into history.

The play would have been a simple throw if the player was wide open. If he wasn’t, throw it into Lake Erie, and kick a field goal.

However, with the kicker Don Cockroft already having a bad day playing against the elements, Sipe wanted a Touchdown.

He tried to get the ball to Ozzie Newsome, but the ball was picked off by Mike Davis.

The Raiders survived for another week and people were starting to wonder, when would midnight strike this team?

The next week, the Raiders would play the San Diego Chargers, led by Dan Fouts and the fourth ranked offense in the league. The game would prove to be a slugfest with Oakland starting out to a 28-7 lead, then having the Chargers get close with 28-24.

The Raiders would fight for every point, and finished the game 34-27.

For the Super Bowl, it was something for the Raiders to relish. Some players, like Cliff Branch, Ray Guy, Mark Van Eeghan, Ted Hendricks, and Art Shell had been to the big game before, while newcomers like Matt Millen, Lester Hayes, Rod Martin, and Kenny King had never been this far.

The Raiders, who would be playing against the Eagles, already had met once this year. The Eagles, in Week 12 had dealt the Raiders a 7-10 loss, by putting a lot of pressure on Jim Plunkett with eight sacks.

Lessons would be learned it seems, as the Raiders defense stepped up to attack Jaworski, right where it hurt…in the passing department.

Rod Martin, who only had two interceptions during the regular season, would pick off three passes from Ron Jaworski. Jim Plunkett would find Cliff Branch twice, while Kenny King enjoyed his time in the sun with a 80 yard bomb.

The Raiders scored 14 points before the Eagles would get on the board, and then the lead would balloon to 24-3 before the Eagles would put a touchdown on the board.

The final, 27-10, sealed the Raiders into the record books as the first team to be “Cinderella.”

And it all started with a season at 2-3 after losing the starting QB.

Oakland Raiders: The No Win Situation?

You know the ESPN people must have it pretty bad for Oakland when they want to label a guy a bust before he ever sets foot on the turf, right?

But, that’s Mel Kiper Jr. for you.

Mel, the soothsayer of all things football, couldn’t believe that the Raiders would bypass a sure star and a “can’t miss” prospect in Michael Crabtree.

But, considering that Tom Cable got to see Darrius Heyward-Bey up close and personal…and that Michael Crabtree turned crab apple at the thought of Silver and Black…what could they have done?

Let’s look at the possibilities.

Possibility number one is that the Raiders selected Michael Crabtree.

Michael simply hangs his head in disbelief, frustration, and refuses to wear the cap or even come out of the “green room.” While Mel and the boys are singing his praises, Michael is throwing a temper tantrum unseen since, well….Randy Moss threw one to get out of Oakland.

Mel’s ego is stoked, and even though he has no coaching experience in the NFL, he is deemed smarter than anyone else on the draft.

Well, maybe in 25 years you learn by making countless mistakes.

Probably not.

MIchael Crabtree elects to never sign with the Raiders, goes back home, and demands for the Raiders to trade him or let him go another year and reenter the draft, ALA Bo Jackson.

The Raiders not only get an F for the draft, they become a laughingstock for listening to Mel Kiper Jr.

Option number two is to trade out of the number seven spot, move down, and hope that DHB is still there, somewhere for them to draft him.

This is all fine and dandy, unless things truly go off center.

ESPN’s own Bill Williamson said that all four of the AFC West teams had head scratching picks in the first round. Oakland’s WR, Denver’s RB, even KC, who took a big body at No. 3, and the Chargers grabbed a run stuffer for their troubles.

What happens if say the Raiders trade down to 20 only to find out that the Broncos took Heyward-Bey at 17?

Not only do we miss out on our player, but we traded down, and missed every single player we wanted….real smart choice.

I don’t know what sort of grade Mel would have gone with then….Incomplete?

The last option, as it is, the Raiders went with.

Last month they saw something at a workout with Darrius that they liked.

Something good, besides speed.

Anyone who’s a watcher of the Raiders should also know that speed has it’s upside and it’s downside, but also, it’s how the player uses his talents.

Cliff Branch was a fourth round pick when we got him in 1972. Fast, he set the record for kickoff returns for TDs in Division I-AA with eight at Colorado.

Fourth round?

Fred Biletnikoff, a second round pick, was not known for speed and size, but simply for his ability to catch….or stick, depending on your opinion.

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum you could have a Carlos Francis, another speedburner prospect that the Raiders gambled on. Fast, the Raiders took a flyer on him for three years only to discover that he couldn’t catch a cold.

Where did he play? Texas Tech? Same as Crabtree? Hmm…

Maybe passing on Crabtree was a good thing.

We’ll have to wait and see.

Oakland made their choice for the first round pick….calling it a bust before the guy even gets to the field is a bit foolish. 

It’s even more foolish to think that just because a guy performs well in college that it translates to sure success in the pros.

Give me a call back on DHB in three to five years….we’ll regrade Mel’s mistakes then.

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