2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit: Oakland Raiders Team Preview
Zach Miller’s emergence was one of the best things to happen to the Raiders in 2008.
We’re got more of the 2009 RotoRob NFL Draft Kit for you today with yet another team preview. We’re going to try to shoot out all these team previews and then start releasing the kit’s other goodies (cheat sheets, sleepers/busts lists, etc.). While you wonder whether Donte’ Stallworth’s NFL punishment was just or not, let’s examine whether the Raiders can snap a streak of six straight losing seasons.
What Went Right
The Raiders actually closed 2008 fairly strong, beating in Week 16 a streaking Houston club that had won four straight and preventing the Buccaneers (and former coach Jon Gruden) from reaching the postseason with an improbable 31-24 win in Tampa Bay on the final Sunday of the year. Zach Miller emerged as a very solid NFL tight end, comfortably leading the club in receptions (56) and receiving yards (778), and the team appears to have the makings of a quality backfield with last year’s first-rounder Darren McFadden, veteran Justin Fargas and Michael Bush, who ran for 177 yards and two scores in that fateful Week 17 encounter with the Bucs.
What Went Wrong
For the sixth consecutive season, the Silver and Black lost at least 11 games while turning to their fifth head coach in that time following the bizarre firing of Lane Kiffin. Al Davis was once again foolish with his money, signing injury-plagued Javon Walker to a six-year, $55 million deal, and DeAngelo Hall to a seven-year, $72 million contract, only to cut him in mid-November to avoid paying out approximately $16 million in injury-guaranteed bonuses. Former No. 1 pick JaMarcus Russell continued to have problems with his accuracy, contributing heavily to a passing game that ranked dead last.
Off-season Outlook
Tom Cable, who took over for Kiffin, had the interim tag removed and will be the head coach this year, though both coordinators and several assistants departed. The Raiders were also unusually quiet on the personnel front, limiting their involvement in free agency to some occasional dabbling, highlighted by the additions of veterans Jeff Garcia and Greg Ellis. It was a different approach for the Raiders, who have been the poster boys for fiscal irresponsibility in recent years, but it’s unlikely Oakland will be pushing for a playoff berth with a roster eerily similar to the one that managed just five wins in 2008.
Draft Outlook
While the Raiders may have elected to sit on their pocketbooks in free agency, they still managed to create some jaw-dropping decisions on draft day. The selection of unpolished burner Darrius Heyward-Bey with the seventh overall selection — with Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin still on the board — was perhaps the draft’s most scrutinized pick, and if it wasn’t, second-rounder Michael Mitchell may have taken that honour. Heyward-Bey does possess prototypical deep speed, but it remains to be seen if that’s enough to overcome inconsistent hands and an inaccurate quarterback, albeit one with a great arm.
State of the Team
Quarterbacks
The optimist will point to Russell’s final three games — 626 passing yards, six touchdowns, two interceptions and a 62.8 completion percentage — as signs of growth. The realist will look at his full body of work and see a quarterback that completed fewer than 10 passes in a game four times and threw for fewer than 70 yards three times. The development of Miller and drafting of Heyward-Bey helps, as should a healthy Walker, but off-season reports continue to stress Russell’s poor accuracy. Garcia’s arrival gives Russell a veteran presence, though it’s not like Garcia is the NFL’s most fundamentally sound passer. Expect improvement from Russell, just not enough to make him draftable in standard leagues.
Running Backs
This is easily Oakland’s most intriguing position from a Fantasy perspective, as the Raiders boast three legitimate options. McFadden has the most potential despite an underwhelming rookie year. He has game-changing speed and is their best receiver out of the backfield. He’ll need to prove he can stay healthy after missing three full games and playing sparingly in three others, but he should be Oakland’s top offensive weapon. Bush missed all of 2007 after suffering a catastrophic knee injury at Louisville and got inconsistent work last season, seeing more than eight carries in a game just four times. However, in those four games, he averaged 92.5 rushing yards and 0.75 touchdowns. Fargas paced the Raiders in both carries (218) and yards (853) last season, but scored just once. He has battled injuries throughout his career, and at 29 has the least upside. For Fantasy purposes, McFadden is a solid No. 3 that could emerge as a legit No. 2, while Bush and Fargas are better suited to reserve roles — Fargas being the steadier of the two and Bush holding more potential.
Receivers
One word: ewwwwwwwww. The Raiders receivers were awful last year with Johnnie Lee Higgins pacing the group with 22 receptions…22!!!??!? Walker was a total bust (15 receptions, 196 yards) and has now played a grand total of 33 games over the past four years combined. On the other side, Heyward-Bey is raw, and the most polished rookie receivers struggle to make a ripple in the Fantasy world. I could see using a late-rounder on Walker in case he returns to form, and Heyward-Bey is of interest in keeper leagues, but other than that there’s nothing to see here.
Tight Ends
One could make a pretty compelling argument that Zach Miller is the only player associated with the Raider passing attack that should be owned in all leagues. The third-year pro is a reliable option for Russell — as tight ends so often are for young quarterbacks — and even his lack of touchdowns (one in 56 catches last year) shouldn’t keep him from being drafted as a low-end No. 1 tight end.
Defense/Special Teams
The Raiders generally do a good job of covering opposing receivers, but their run defense is akin to Swiss cheese…only without the cheesy parts surrounding the holes. On the other hand, their return game is phenomenal with Higgins and Justin Miller accounting for five touchdowns last season. As a combined unit, however, it’s hard to endorse them as anything but a match up play to cover bye weeks.
This article is a joke – the “writer” will eat these words
You neglected to mention how much sharper Russell looked in his final OTA. You also failed to mention that Russell accuracy issues could be linked to the Raider’s defense applying intense pressure on Russell right out the box. This was Cables plan. IT is noted that the best overall back is not McFadden but Bush. He is a better blocker, and he has better hands. He is also a better passer having played QB before turning to running back.. Please do your research there are holes throughout this entire posting..
You shouldn’t write articals about teams you know nothing about.
I stopped reading when you described Bush’s college injure as a knee injury.
HE BROKE HIS LEG AND HAD A ROD INSERTED!!!!!!
Do your homework.
Think. Jamacus hit Miller accurately whenever he was open. Why? Because Miller was where he should have been.
From his first pass, a sideline screamer/rope, JRuss has proven he’ll hit theopen guy if he’s where he’s supposed to be.
It’s not on JRuss, it’s on the receivers.
I had to check the date of this article.The information is old and inaccurate.Which tells me writer does not follow this team,but only repeats other articles.No mention of Chaz or Murphy? Those two will be the real producers.
Wow – gotta love the passion of Raiders fans. First off, the comment on here about Bush’s injury is correct, that should’ve read “catastrophic leg injury” and I put knee. That’s something I should’ve caught on the read through and did not, which is on me.
Beyond that, most of the comments on here scream defensive Raider fan. To pretend Russell’s accuracy issues – he’s a career 53.9% passer – are imagined (or that they’re the fault of an admittedly poor receiving corps) is laughable. Yes, he’s drawn some favorable reviews this offseason, and the presence of Garcia should push him to raise his game, but he’s still being characterized as “hit or miss” with his accuracy from one day to the next… and those are reports from THIS offseason. Do I think he’s a lost cause? HELL no. He was the No. 1 pick because he has immense talent and tremendous physical gifts, and the Raiders have not put him in a position to succeed. That being said, from a fantasy perspective I stand by what I wrote – a standard league consists of 10 teams/15 rounds (150 picks), and I was recently in a 14-team expert draft (w/ dudes like Karabell, Engel & Pianowski) where Russell went with the 223rd pick (a full 73 selections outside that range). He’s not draftable in standard leagues. Period.
Michael Bush is a better passer than Darren McFadden? How is that relevant to anything? For better or worse McFadden is Davis’ guy, so much so that John Clayton recently had an article where he mentioned how Bush is unhappy in Oakland because they might put him at FB, comparing it to Le’Ron McClain’s situation in Baltimore. Also, Bush is a capable receiver, but come on now, he’s not McFadden. The Raiders have been lining up McFadden in the slot AS A RECEIVER during the offseason. There’s no way, barring injury, Bush has more receptions than McFadden.
And lastly, we’re talking about Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy? Schilens played here at SDSU, I like him, he’s got upside, but he’s not getting drafted in a fantasy league. Murphy, aka James Jett 2009, is a deep guy and not much else at this point, which isn’t a recipe for immediate success in the league. Maybe a flier in a DEEP keeper league, but he’s gonna be what? the 5th receiver? Come on now, you know better.
That Clayton Article about full back is OLD AZZ news as well. That was last year and only came about because of injury. It’s not a very good source for a current snapshot of the team or our running back situation.
With Oren O’Neal healthy and Lorenzo Neal now in the fold I don’t think anybody’s really planning on lining Bush up at FB unless absolutely necessary.
Get Current Please.
I also agree that Bush as a receiver is just as capable as McFadden in terms of catching the ball. He doesn’t have the kind of speed McFadden has after the catch, which obviously inflates yardage and fantasy numbers, but he’s a VERY capable receiver.
The other thing you failed to mention is the opportunities that will arise from our division being so weak this year. Even though the Raiders (unfortunately) have to square off with the NFC East, we have a pretty favorable schedule.
Otherwise….the piece is solid. Better than some of the fanboy crap I’m forced to read from other Raider fans.
Miami almost set the nfl record for not winning a game. The following year they turned around and surprised everybody. New England went undefeated in the regular season, and lost in the Superbowl. The cowboys were guaranteed a promising year, because of TO. In this game so exciting and full of upsets, you can very well be looking at the next superbowl champs.
First off, Joe Smith… here is the link to John Clayton’s article dated June 2, 2009: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4230333
Scroll down and you’ll find the item about Bush. I didn’t make it up or use a 2008 article. That’s the word that’s out there – clearly he’s not the bruising blocker that Neal (or even O’Neal) is but maybe they just want to get him on the field more often w/o taking away touches from McFadden and feel this is a way to do it.
Also, at no point have I said Bush isn’t a capable receiver. I saw him play against SD in Wk 4 when he caught seven passes for 80 yards, but guess what? Kiffin was fired after that game, and Bush only had 11 grabs the rest of the season. McFadden, despite missing three games after that point, had 22. That underscores my point, McFadden is their best receiver out of the backfield from a fantasy perspective.
Bottom line, I think Bush has enough statistical upside to be drafted in a standard league, which is pretty high praise for a guy listed third on the depth chart and getting fullback ink. Anyone reading this that believes I don’t think Bush is a talent is dead wrong. It just boils down to how many touches the Raiders will give him at the expense of McFadden and Fargas.
As for the AFC West as a whole, you’re absolutely right, it’s probably the worst division in football (NFC West is right there as well). But, the Chargers are still the class of that division and picking Oakland to finish higher than second is being optimistic. Is it possible? Of course. Is it likely? No.
Finally, as far as a comparison to Miami, keep in mind the Dolphins brought in an entirely new front office (led by Parcells, who has a history of turning franchises around) and a veteran quarterback that played at a Pro Bowl level. Plus, they drew the NFC and AFC West — see the above paragraph for my thoughts on those divisions — which helped immensely. This year, OAK plays NYG, PHI, DAL, WAS, PIT and BAL in addition to two against SD, who I don’t think they’ve beaten since the Reagan administration. I just don’t see it. I will say this, though, it wouldn’t surprise me if Oakland wins 7-8 games and breaks their run of 10-plus-loss seasons.