Oakland Raiders: Why Halfway is a Great Time To Measure Progress

We are 4-4 heading into Week 9. It has been one heck of a roller coaster ride to this point. With the easy part of our schedule over and the always tough back nine looming, here is a look at the good and bad of our season.

Obviously we have found quite a few playmakers and answered some questions about some players. We have shown dramatic improvement from the last seven years and seem to be headed in the right direction. We should be 5-3 heading into this weekend, but we are 4-4. I’ll start with the offensive line.

Our O-line has shown dramatic improvement and much of it has to do with continuity among the positions. This time last year we were playing musical players because of injuries. While this year has not been injury-free, we have had pretty good consistency. Our line is built to run-block, with the weakness still being pass-blocking. 

Jared Veldheer has looked pretty good over at left tackle; he is a monster in the run game. However, he is having a little trouble in pass protection, much of which can be expected from a rookie who is transitioning from D-2 to the NFL. Mario Henderson is a good backup and capable of filling in when needed. Robert Gallery is a monster, and if he stays healthy would make the Pro Bowl. 

Daniel Loper is a very good backup and can dominate in the run game.  Samson Satele has shown improvement, but still struggles against pass blocking those big dominating nose tackles, but so do many centers when left one-on-one.  Cooper Carlisle has looked very good when pulling and is still serviceable, but is one of our significant weaknesses in pass protection. We do have a good young stud in Bruce Campbell, learning to play with technique and leverage behind him, though. 

Langston Walker has been tremendously better at right tackle than I thought he would be.  He can still get tremendous push, but struggles with speed rushers. Kalif Barnes has looked very comfortable coming in and giving valuable snaps in heavy sets.

Overall, this group is showing they have young pieces in place and as long as the game stays close, they are capable of dominating. 

Quarterback is a huge improvement from last year. Jason Campbell seems like the player we thought we were getting when we traded for him, after learning to let him loose. I think the time spent on the sideline watching Bruce Gradkowski helped Campbell to realize the weakness in his game. Since Campbell decided to start letting it loose, he has looked tremendous. He is on the verge of becoming a top-10 quarterback. 

Right now I would rank him inside the top 15.  Gradkowski has lit a fire under our team and is the right choice for us right now because of the energy he brings to the game.  I like Campbell, but he is meant to lead a veteran team that doesn’t need a big play to get going. 

The backfield has looked tremendous. Sitting behind Justin Fargas did Darren McFadden a world of good. He learned to run with aggression and it improved his game tremendously. He is proving to be one of the top playmakers in this league and shedding the doubters. Michael Bush is solid coming off the bench and played well in limited snaps. He is great in short-yardage and there is not much of a drop-off when he comes in. 

Marcel Reese has really been the secret weapon for us. He is doing an above-average job blocking, and showed a ton of improvement. There is not much needed to say about his job running and receiving. 

Reese has made the fullback position a real weapon and something that needs to be accounted for. Rock Cartwright has found a way to make an impression on this team in a big way and his play on special teams is tremendous.

The receivers have shown a huge improvement, even without our best receiver. Louis Murphy has shown consistency and has stepped up as a number one.  Darrius Heyward-Bey has shown tremendous improvement. It hasn’t always shown up in the stat sheet, but he is getting open despite having to run so many vertical routes. 

It seems as if they want him to be the next Cliff Branch. Given a chance to run some shorter routes, he has excelled. Nick Miller and Jacoby Ford have looked good in limited action and especially in the return game. We now have the ability to take any play for a touchdown from anywhere on the field, which has to be a major headache for opposing coaches. Zach Miller is a nothing short of a stud and needs to get an extension. 

Brandon Myers has been much more consistent and capable of making plays, while very good in run-blocking. We will be dangerous when we can get Louis Murphy and Chaz Schilens back on the field. 

Our offense is tremendously improved. Last year we struggled to score on offensive touchdown and now it’s a disappointment if we don’t get one in each half. Our running game is thriving like we haven’t seen in a long time, but we still are vulnerable to the four-man rush, which is a big problem. 

However, with our run game being so good, the play-action pass can be much more effective and allow us to run the offense Al Davis loves. This team will play as good as the quarterback plays, but is stocked full of young, talented players who are playing together with a lot of confidence. 

Hue Jackson has been an incredible pickup. Jackson has been able to call games that are aggressive and emphasize our strengths, while minimizing the exposure of our weaknesses.  

While the defense is not as young, they do still have a lot of youth and players coming into their prime. With the many new faces, it took a little while for them to gel. Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour look incredible on the inside. 

We now can use the four-man front lethally when we get ahead, which is the key to making our defense work. We have really played tremendously lately; the only hesitation is that the last two teams were not strong run teams, which played to our strengths.

The defensive line is night and day from the last few years. It is still built to play with a lead, but the amount of beef we have upfront is really helping to improve our run defense. If you take away the long run in the Titans game and the two runs in the Texans game, it has been outstanding. 

Each of the players can dominate their position and we have depth. Tommy Kelly and Richard Seymour are proving to be lethal together. Matt Shaugnessy is tremendous coming off the bench and the combination of Trevor Scott and Lamarr Houston are playing well. Kelly is still a bit out of position at nose tackle, but he is still capable of dominating. 

Moving Richard Seymour to the inside gives the Raiders the flexibility of not having to move players when the offense shifts because they are versatile. Twenty-four sacks says it all.

The linebackers are showing up in a big way. Long gone are the days when Grant Irons and Tyler Brayton were trying to cover tight ends and running backs. Each of them is capable of holding up an offensive lineman, rushing the passer, or playing in coverage.  There is depth as well with Thomas Howard and Trevor Scott being able to move around. 

Kamerion Wimbley is exactly what a strong-side linebacker should be. He can stop the run, rush the passer and is capable in coverage. Quentin Groves is a great two-down linebacker and a very good pass rusher from that spot as well.

Rolando McClain is not who I wanted with the first pick originally, but I am extremely impressed. He has improved with every game, and really played a great game last week. 

This group has tremendous versatility and is a big reason why, along with the defensive line, we have dominated the last two weeks. 

The defensive backfield is supremely talented, and are playing well overall. They do have an occasional lapse on the field every once in a while, but they are really making plays. 

Michael Huff remains an enigma. 

He shows playmaking ability and outstanding coverage skills, he plays well in the run game most plays, but there are a couple plays that leave you wondering how he made the roster. He needs to sure up the mental lapses. 

Mike Mitchell has been outstanding; he is pushing for playing time and it will be interesting to see the ways they get him on the field. He looks like a steal in the second round. 

Tyvon Branch has played well against the run but has had some rough moments in pass coverage, but with that much man-to-man coverage it can be expected. Nnamdi Asomugha is always ready; he made Larry Fitzgerald almost non-existent, and has played as well as he is paid. 

Stanford Routt has played well, but needs to get his head around to find the ball; there are at least four or five plays this year he could have picked if he were playing the ball. He has been beaten a couple times, but we play a high-risk, high-reward defense. 

Chris Johnson looks tremendously improved, and is pushing to get his job back. Now with these three we can match up with any team.

The rookies have looked good, especially Stevie Brown. 

I am impressed with the way he is always around the ball. His special teams play is great, and in the limited snaps he has on defense, looks good. He looks like a younger Hiram Eugene, however he may have more upside. 

John Marshall has really got this defense playing well, and taking a little time to gel with the new faces and some of them learning new positions. We are now able to sprinkle in the zone blitz to really confuse teams. Our front seven is dominating and we are built to play with a lead. 

Special teams are probably the most improved unit from last year. Ford and Miller have really played well and are a threat to score on every play.  The coverage has been tremendous, and we even have two blocked punts to go with it.

With the exception of one game, Sebastian Janikowski has been pretty much automatic. His ability to secure touchbacks really helped our field position and allowed the defense more wiggle room.

We have taken huge strides and are a team that can really do some damage as long as our focus is there.  We are young and built to be here for quite a while. Looks like after all the clamoring for a GM and Al Davis to let go, Al knew what he was doing. He has hired two very good coordinators and has put the talent on the roster to really do something long term. 

He has taken a beating in the media, but many of the moves he has been questioned on have turned out well. I’m not saying all of them, but most of them. Tom Cable has proved to be the perfect head coach for this team. He has them motivated and playing hard. He also seems to serve as another voice for Al to bounce thoughts off of. I do believe Cable has had a strong influence on the recent decisions, but this team is built in the model that Al loves. 

We have the power run game, with the play-action pass, and players that can score from anywhere. Our defense can pressure with only four and drop everyone else into coverage, which will force turnovers and make it near impossible to come from behind. 

The test for this team will be the next three games. We have played the weak part of our schedule so far and we have shown improvement, but the true measurement of where we are in the league will be these games. Kansas City can be beaten if you get a lead on them. They will have to move away from the run and the head coach is prone to make a few questionable decisions. 

This is our playoff game. I believe we are capable of beating these teams as long as we don’t start slow because of overconfidence, which is usually a problem with young teams. I had hoped for the playoffs before the season began, but realistically thought 8-8 was a good goal, and this young team has me believing. Either way the future is burning bright. 

Win, lose, or tie. Raider til I die!

Please tell me what you think.  I wanted to write more, but didn’t want to make it a book.