Oakland Raiders: How Many Bullets?

How do the Raiders stack up for the 2008 Season? Do the people at NFL network have a clue? And is everyone really just guessing?

Let's take a look, for starters, at the rounds. Or for a bad pun, how many bullets are in the gun:

First Chamber, QB: JaMarcus Russell. Overall number one pick. He got his feet wet against Denver, a little more against Jacksonville, and finally started against the Chargers.

Consensus would put him in a learning curve, as he's starting to work on the same page with his new WR Javon Walker. However, what remains as a wild talent, is his ability to create on the fly.

If he can find the proper place to exploit this surprising aspect, things could be good. I'll call the position loaded.

Second Chamber, WR: After ditching a blank in Jerry Porter, and replacing with Javon Walker, some questions remain.

How healthy is Javon? Is he a stopgap, or going to be around for five years? And most importantly, was the contract just to spite Moss, or was it because Davis saw something to inspire him?

On the other end of the field, it's an interesting mix with Curry rising to the top, Higgins spelling from time to time, and other small-time players looking to increase their value.

I'll give it a loaded call but I'd say, look for extra rounds, just in case.

Third Chamber, TE: Have to say, this position makes me happy. I am ecstatic and overjoyed, but then, if you look at the Raiders, this is one position that always seems to be the bread and butter.

Dave Casper was the useful cog in the 70's, and then came along Todd C. in the 80s. In the 90s, the position wasn't as glamour-filled, and from time to time, it was simply a walking blocker to keep the QB alive.

Now, along comes Zach Miller. He is probably the best TE on the board for the draft.  The Raiders locked down a key player who somehow went unpicked until 38th overall.

Thanks NFL.

My call? Loaded, with a hollow point.

Fourth Chamber, RB: Of all the positions, this one is the most creative. You have two backups in Rhodes and Jordan, last year's rushing leader, in Fargas, and a bright future in Bush.

Hmm. Oh, and the rumor mill still has us wanting McFadden back.

Ok, the nutshell is this. Bush, if given the chance, will run over opponents. You have Fargas to spell him from time to time.

I don't see us hanging onto Jordan for any length of time. Rhodes will either spell the pair, or we send him packing on the Draft weekend when clubs are looking for more help.

My call? Loaded, extra rounds handy. Only a bus accident could change this.

Fifth Chamber, O-Line: This squad actually started to come around at times. For one, they had a running game to speak of, but they still need to protect the QB more.

Considering that in 2006, they were about as porous as Swiss cheese.  I'd call it an upgrade with more in the works. Hopefully, Gallery has found a place to stay because moving him all over the place didn't do anyone any favors.

My call? Loaded, but go to the store for more rounds. Injuries always deplete the line fast.

Sixth Chamber, D-Line: This was one department that needed a lot of help. For one, they can't stop the run.

Secondly, they didn't have the people needed to cover the field properly, outside of one Corner Position. So, in the off-season, some major changes were made.

An upgrade in Safety. A deal for another CB. And the result?

The jury is still out. From all conventional thinking, with two major CBs playing, we should be able to pack the box and stop the run. However, it'll call on more effort in the middle to make sure the running backs are stopped promptly.

One thing I think that still needs some addressing is getting a high talent sack artist via the draft. To that end, it will force their QB to play faster.

Faster means more chances at mistakes.

My call? Loaded, but without help, it's a bang round. Loud, but no damage.

So, we've done some upgrades. Some places though, we'll be looking at a single round.  Others, we'd have to do some switching around if anyone gets injured.

Hopefully, through the draft and during the Training Camp period, we can find more pieces to the puzzle.