2009 Raider Free Agent List

• WR Johnnie Morant, UFA
• TE Tony Stewart, UFA
• P Shane Lechler, UFA
• OG Cooper Carlisle, UFA
• OL Chris Morris, RFA
• LB Sam Williams, UFA
• CB Nnamdi Asomugha, UFA
• CB Justin Miller, UFA
• CB Duane Starks, UFA
• FS Rashad Baker, UFA

I could go without watching Tony Stewart on the sidelines with his head hanging low, helmet in hand, moving like an 80 year old man, ever again. Outside of giving Miller an occasional breather, he’s an overpaid backup. It’s time for Al Davis to cut the cord on Sam Williams. Al is watering a dead plant. If Sam is going to have success somwhere along the road, he’s proven it’s not goign to be in Oakland. I’m no fan of our OLine, so you won’t be shocked that I wish Carlisle and Morris the best as they pack their lockers and move on.

Now here’s the 3 moves we DO make, and they’re no-brainers.

Nnamdi Asomugha, CB
Two years ago Nate Clements, across the bay with the 49ers, signed an 8 year agreement worth $80 million, including just over $22 million in guaranteed money. Last year, the Raiders gave DeAngelo Hall a 7 year contract worth $70 million. Any contract Asomugha signs is going to be worth over $100 million, easily. It’s a huge pricetag, but one that Al Davis is going to have to reach down deep for and cover. If a contract isn’t agreed upon, and the Raiders slap the franchise tag on Asomugha again, this upcoming season will be the last time we see #21 in a Raiders uniform.

Shane Lechler, P
With good punters going for just under $2 million a year, our four time Pro Bowler is a much easier check to write and should be one of the first Free Agents the Raiders lock away.

Justin Miller, CB
Picking Miller off the waivers was part luck, part brilliance. He made an immediate impact on KOR duties. He’s a bargain and the Raiders would do themselves a favor by giving him a 4-5 year contract, giving some stability to the special teams. He’s 24 and has shown a lot of promise. It’s possible we happened to get the guy at the right time.

RB (Fargas, Bush, McFadden): B
If I was grading on a curve, our RBs would get an A. In all honesty I don’t even think they’re anywhere near their potential. Our backs carried the brunt of our offense on their shoulders. Not only through pure rushing, but through short passing schemes. While I’m not a fan of the McFadden pick, it’s clear that he and Bush are our RBC of the future. Does anyone on the Raiders payroll play with more heart than Justin Fargas? I can’t tell you how excited I am about our run game.

O-line: D
Henderson, Gallery, Grove, Carlisle and Green. There’s not one guy in that lineup worthy of keeping their job. JRuss spent far too much time being hurried or pulled to the ground. And Of course, promoting our OLine Coach to interim head coach mid-season probably didn’t help their progress a great deal. If your car keeps breaking down, you eventually need to decide between dumping more money into fixing it, or buying a new car.

Defense: C
The domination of our defense in 2006 has made me terribly unforgiving with their mediocre play over the last two seasons. Tommy Kelly’s contract didn’t help. My frustrations aside, Burgess, Morrison and Howard are the heart of our Defense and this group of guys has the potential to be one of the best D’s in the league.

Secondary: C
Nnamdi Asomugha is arguably the best CB in the game, maybe even the best player in the league. So let’s take him out of the equation here. DeAngelo Hall was a joke and cost us the game vs Denver when he got schooled by a ROOKIE. As soon as he was cut and replaced by Chris Johnson, things tightened up a bit. I know Asomugha was upset Hall was let go, but the CB tandem was much better with CJ. Gibril Wilson was solid at SS, but Huff has been a disappointment even after moving to FS, which should have enabled him to exploit his speed. We’re really hurting in that FS slot.

Special Teams: B+
Lechler gave us another Pro Bowl season and Janikowski snagged a few records - longest FG to end an overtime in NFL history as well as surpassing Ray Guy to have the most career points in Raider history. Johnnie Lee Higgins and his end zone back flips were a legitimate punt return threat. One of the better season-side acquisitions was picking Justin Miller up off waivers mid-November. He took over duties returning kickoffs, giving us 2 trips to the endzone, finishing the season as the AFC ST Player of the month. If it weren’t for our coverage, the ST squad would get an A.

Overall: C-

Closing out 2008 with two back to back wins, including an impressive beat down on the Bucs in Tampa Bay, has left me a little less bitter about this season.

Ownership (Al Davis): F
What were you thinking when you approved those obscene contracts for Tommy Kelly, Javon Walker and DeAngelo Hall? You left Nnamdi a FA AND you drafted McFadden when our RB depth chart was stacked with Justin Fargas, Dominic Rhodes, LaMont Jordan and Michael Bush. Not that McFadden doesn’t have skills, but really… being as IN LOVE with JRuss as you are, weren’t you maybe thinking he should have someone to throw the ball to? Or maybe a big body blocking for him so he would have the chance to throw in the first place. You FAIL.

Head Coaching (Lane Kiffin/Tom Cable): NA
They are talking heads. This would be like grading Katie Couric on the news stories of the day.

QB (JRuss): C-
There are two skill sets that I deem innate when it comes to the QB position. You either have it or you don’t. And that’s vision, reading the field as the play develops, and the other is pure throwing, some guys have a beautiful arm and some don’t. So JRuss has an amazing arm. You can’t learn that. Quick release, tight spiral, speed… all conducive to a great QB. Where he worries me is with his vision, decision making, leadership. I see improvement over last year, but he makes me nervous with every snap. I just don’t know.

WR/TE: C

Zach Miller: A - I love this kid. During camp I predicted he would be the primary offensive target. Zach has great hands, he’s strong as hell, and a solid blocker… easily my favorite player on the team. He and JRuss have a special chemistry. Miller also benefits from the accuracy JRuss has shown in short yardage situations.

Our WR’s are mostly a joke. I like what Rookie Chaz Schilens showed us. He’s got nice size and decent hands. I see potential there. Johnnie Lee Higgins is a firecracker and can make things happen with his evasiveness. He’s fast, but at 5′11″ (and even that might be generous) he’s going to have problems being an effective downfield target in coverage. Drew Carter should be healthy for camp this summer, but he’s been injury prone his entire career. Torn ACL’s in both knees? I’m not too optimistic about his return. Javon Walker wanted to quit. Ronald Curry lost his starting spot. What a mess.

Part 2, coming soon.

Mirror Images: on offense these two clubs mirror one another.  Oakland and Baltimore each rank in the bottom ten in the league in passing and rushing offense.  In week seven, however, each offensive unit did enough to help its team win.

Stellar, as usual: during and since their 2000 Super Bowl run, the Ravens have built their team identity on defense.  This year they’re back in familiar form, ranking second in the league in total defense (allowing only 244 yards per game). 

No Burgess, No Problem:  Week 7 marked the breakout of rising star Trevor Scott, filling in for pass rush specialist Derrick Burgess.  Scott recorded two sacks and is expected to start again this week.  Another rookie, Chaz Schilens, got off to a rocky first start at WR, recording only two catches for 10 yards.  Give him a mulligan for his first time out of the gate, but he’ll have to step it up to help Oakland win in Baltimore and keep his starting job. 

Nearing the season’s midpoint, it was reported Thursday (by the Oakland Tribune) that Darren McFadden has experienced another setback in his lingering turf toe injury and may have trouble getting fully healthy this season.  With Ronald Curry absent in the passing game, a theme is developing in Oakland wherein the Raiders will lean heavily on veterans Justin Fargas and Javon Walker for offensive production.   Sunday’s matchup in Baltimore, in which two young quarterbacks face off, is likely to be decided by which signal caller makes fewer mistakes.

Since bearing the receiving end of a week three Monday Night shellacking, the Jets have bounced back, scoring 82 points in two wins.  The Raiders will try to get their season back on track at home this week with a much needed conference win.  To compete in this game, Oakland will have to be more effective both passing and defending the pass.

Catch 22:  As much as Coach Cable would like to assume a steady diet of running the ball (after an unsuccessful 35 attempts at New Orleans to the tune of 4 yards per attempt), the Jets’ strength, unfortunately, is run defense.   They rank third in the league at 2.9 yards per attempt; only the Steelers and Ravens are better in the trenches at 2.8 YPA.  Nonetheless, look for the Raiders to establish a presence on the ground with Justin Fargas, who has rushed for 517 yards and three touchdowns in his last five home games.  Fargas showed no signs of a nagging injury week 6, but had only ten touches as the Raiders abandoned the run in the second half.

The Pass, Defense:  In order to give their team a chance to win, Hall, Asomugha, Wilson, and Huff must show some of the grit in the defensive backfield that made Oakland one of the league’s top 2007 units.  The Raiders continue to slip, now ranking 25^th in passing defense.

The Pass, Offense: The Raiders top six receivers are a tight end, two runningbacks, a fullback, and their third and fourth receivers.  Noticeably absent from the list are Oakland’s top two wideouts – Javon Walker and Ronald Curry.  The pair drop balls quite routinely of late.  Cable intimated early this week that the team may be due for a shakeup atop the WR depth chart.  Unless Walker can return to his 2006 (or ’04) self, let’s hope that shakeup comes sooner than later and that rookie Chaz Shilens gets an opportunity to prove himself.  Another due shift would move Curry back to the slot where he’s been most effective in past seasons.

The Key: in last week’s installment, the key was improving third down efficiency which the Raiders did (from 24% to 37%) but not to a high enough degree.  This week, Oakland will have to get more involvement and less drops from its wideouts, especially since the battle on the ground promises to be one of attrition.

If you don’t get it now, you never will. The problems with the Raiders won’t be resolved with the naming of a new coach. They won’t resolve with high priced free agents or coveted draft picks. They won’t resolve with a new stadium or catchy marketing. And they won’t resolve with spikes, face paint and louder crowds. The only way the Raiders problems will be resolved is for Al Davis to be relieved Continue Reading »

Strength Versus Strength: The Saints lead the league in passing yards per game (326). They face a Raiders pass defense that is lauded as the team’s strength, but has not lived up to the 2007 unit’s success despite supposed upgrades at cornerback and safety. New Orleans presents as true a test as the Raider DBs will see all season. Brees can put up numbers in bunches with or without his prime targets healthy.

To Pass or Not to Pass? Offensively these two teams couldn’t be more different: Continue Reading »

Twenty minutes after all the players and coaches headed into the locker room, my section was scattered with a handful of us, sitting silently. We occasionally looked at each other and shook our heads in disbelief. I watched how quickly the field crew removed the cameras, sideline equipment and signage. They worked almost as quickly as the Chargers, who removed all hope from our stands just an hour earlier.

Oakland vs San Diego, 28-18 LOSS

• The walk across the overpass from BART to the Coliseum a maze of bodies, ticket scalpers and merchandise vendors. There wasn’t much chatter today, and the vibe was tense. A vendor on the right had a display of various Barack Obama pins. Continue Reading »

Before the kickoff of each NFL season, us fans of each 32 teams stand on fairly even ground. We’ve all seen worst-to-first, we’ve all seen the dynasties fall, we’ve all see miracles happen on the gridiron. We each believe our team can achieve the pinnacle. It’s a beautiful illusion that paints a picture of hope. For Raider fans, this illusion can be mistake for reality.

Oakland vs Denver, 44-14 LOSS

• We were favored to win the game. On paper, we seemed to have the advantage. Our tough defense could certainly shut down Cutler and his rookie WR, Royal. The game was a sellout. 62,762 fans present to launch our 2008-9 season in appropriate style. Continue Reading »

They try to say, “It’s the pre-season, it doesn’t matter.” That’s true to an extent. However, it’s very hard to justify a shutout. This is the time of year when the 3rd and 4th quarters can be physically painful to watch. I’ll focus on the first half of the game; because as Lane Kiffin shared in his post game report, a lot of the guys who played in the 2nd half will “unfortunately, not be with the team much longer.”

Raiders vs Cardinals, 24-0 LOSS

• I knew when I hopped on BART an hour before the game it was going to be a light crowd. My trip to the Coliseum is usually a close personal experience with my Raider brethren, including spontaneous cattle calls of “Raaaaaaaaaaaiders.” Continue Reading »