Oakland Raiders: Look Towards a Brighter Future
As the Oakland Raiders near the end of their season, it is easier to study the team in depth and figure out what must be done in order to make the Raiders a perennial contender.
This year’s team has shown flashes of brilliance, but also flashes of mediocrity.
Let’s start with the positives.
The Positives: The Running Game
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At this moment, the Oakland Raiders are third in the league in rushing yards per game, with Darren McFadden racking up 870 yards on a 4.9 yards per carry average.
Coming into this season people started whispering the word "bust" about McFadden after the release of Russell, yet McFadden for the majority of this season has looked like a completely new back.
McFadden can be the main focus of this still-young team; maybe becoming the centerpiece of the offense for years to come.
The Positives: The Blowout Win
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Beating a division rival feels great.
Beating a division rival 59-14 is amazing.
When the Raiders dominated the Broncos, it showed the potential of the entire team. When the team clicks on all cylinders it can blow out any team in this league.
The problem has been the lack of consistency, which has allowed mediocre teams get the best of them.
The Positives: Beating the Chargers (Twice)
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When a team beats you 13 times in a row, it feels incredible to finally get a win and gain some confidence back.
The Raiders started facing the Chargers thinking that they’re the team that’s supposed to win the game, and it worked in both games.
The team didn’t give up, and made some big plays to get the win in the first match-up, and in the most recent encounter, the Raiders managed the game well, coming out on top again.
The Raiders haven't dominated the entire season.
Now we move to the negatives.
The Negatives: Consistently Inconsistent
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The only thing consistent about the Raiders is their inconsistency.
Who will show up?
Will it be the passionate Raiders who dismantled the Broncos and beat the Chargers?
Or will it be the Raiders who fell to the 49ers and struggled against the Cardinals in a game that they should have won?
In order for the Raiders to make the playoffs year in and year out, they need to become consistently good and not lose the games they should win.
The Negatives: Who’s the Quarterback?
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It’s the end of the season, and until Gradkowski’s injury, the Raiders changed quarterbacks numerous times.
There’s nothing wrong with playing the hot hand, yet there is also the fact you hurt the other quarterback’s confidence—as well as the chemistry of the team.
Tom Cable needs to pick his man and have faith in him throughout the season.
The quarterback is going to be a leader of this team, and the team needs to know who that leader is.
The Negatives: Stopping the Run/The Second Cornerback
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The Raiders are one of the NFL’s worst teams at stopping the run, ranking 23rd in the league at run defense.
Rolando McClain is still young, though, and the defense is still building chemistry amongst McClain, Houston, Groves, and Wimbley since they all have only been playing with the Raiders for a year.
The other negative about the defense is Chris Johnson or Stanford Routt (depending who’s playing), both who have been picked on constantly by opposing quarterbacks.
The Raiders have an amazing pass defense with Branch and Asomugha shutting down wide receivers, and they are the reason the Raiders are ninth in the NFL in pass defense.
Yet the Raiders still need an upgrade in the second cornerback position to shut down the passing game completely.
My Suggestions
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The Raiders right now need to look at another team who went from cellar dweller to Super Bowl contender: The New York Jets. The Jets have focused on their running game and their defense, and have used both of those to manage and win games.
Right now the Raiders have an astounding running game, and hopefully Hue Jackson will continue to keep playing it. The defense can be fixed, and if they can shut down the run, they could be one of the premier defenses in the league.
What do the Raiders need to do?
Switch to a 3-4 defense.
The second defensive tackle isn’t filling the holes, and that’s where the line is consistently attacked and broken through. Yet Seymour and Houston are both 300 pound defensive ends with speed, and Kelly has played nose tackle before. If the Raiders were to switch to a 3-4, the linebackers would also benefit by having runners directed towards them, as well as Groves, McClain, and Wimbley all having played the 3-4 scheme before.
The Raiders need to keep building the defense through the draft and the team will have a legitimate shot at being playoff bound for years.
If the Raiders were to draft either Ras I-Dowling, Aaron Williams, or Curtis Brown (All CBs projected in either the late first round or second round), and then McClain’s former teammate Don’t’a Hightower in the third round (ILB projected round 3-4), and finally physical beast Jack Crawford in the fourth round (OLB/DEprojected round 3-5), then the defense would be full of physical freaks with speed who would work perfectly in a 3-4 scheme.
Also, with a defense this young, the chemistry would show through the years and scare teams.
I know many will not agree with these suggestions, and they will point to the line as the main need of concern. I suggest you read my other article titled “Oakland Raiders: Can Richard Seymour Be Our Dwayne Wade?” (Shameless promotion, I know).
In the article I discuss how numerous Patriots linemen are becoming free agents this offseason, and the Raiders are a possibility for a destination.
That, as well as the progression of Veldheer and Campbell, hopefully will end the Raiders offensive line woes.
As usual, I thank you for reading.
Comments are always appreciated!
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