The Truth About the Mcfadden and the Raiders

James Campbell — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:04:23 -0400

I believe that the Raiders run defense will be better this year no matter which way we go in the draft.

I'm a fan of drafting Chris Long, Glenn Dorsey or Vernon Gholston (in no particular order). Sedrick Ellis will be just settling based on the Raiders off seasons moves so far but I will admit that the impact that Darren McFadden would have on our team would be amazing.

You even hear Lane Kiffin speak on the possibilities he would have with Mcfadden. I feel it doesn't have to be at running back. At 6’2, 211 pounds he could easily be a wide receiver. In fact, he can be both running back and wide receiver.

Bottom line is he opens up our offensive play calling. Why? We can instantly turn a three receiver set into a four receiver set. He is a dynamic weapon if he’s on the field. By no means am I trying to be an advocate for McFadden as I would rather go defense or trade down but I have to say that the idea would be tantalizing.

To think on the grounds that the running back positions stockpiled is a notion, but to draft McFadden gives us personnel flexibility and offensive play calling flexibility.

Now the back that people often compare McFadden to, is Reggie Bush and the one thing you should know about what Bush does to New Orleans is he opens up their play book. In fact, you have to create plays and formations because of the type of player he is.

He’s a threat to score anywhere on the field and defenses have to account for him. Now as a featured back he isn’t as feared because defenses don’t have to worry about where he is as much.

Truth is that with him and a healthy Bush we probably can cut Justin Fargas and Lamont Jordan without fear. We’ll see what will happen when preseason starts

If you really get into the mind of Al Davis, you’ll see that he’s really a defensive guru and has an eye for defensive guys. Yes, he doesn’t strike gold every time but his history with gauging defensive gems is well above .500.

I like the flexibility that Gholston would bring to our defense. He’s the typical hybrid player who could dominate from linebacker or defensive end. I like Chris Long for the position of defensive end only because he doesn’t have the speed and agility to flow at the line backer position the way we use them.

While Gholston provides versatility and Long provides consistency, Dorsey Provides tenacity. Dorsey terrorized offensive lines in college. He disrupted running plays he was a thorn to opposing Quarterbacks. He’ll provide what the D will miss with Sapp’s retirement. SWAGGER.
No, Sapp wasn’t at the top of his game the last couple of years but he brought a fear factor element to our defense. All teams did was run two and three guys at him and they opened big holes in the middle for running plays.

What we have to remember with the Giants winning the Super Bowl is that it wasn’t about a star studded defensive lineman that wreaked havoc; it was about collective effort. At no time could you double on particular guy because their d line had a balance attack.

I think that is what our defense will have this year. Opposite Burgess and Sapp there was no other force. While Warren had his games, he also took plays off. Now if he or Sands come with a consistent attitude of playing on every down, the Raiders will have a monstrous defense next year.
This off season, the Raiders put themselves in a position where they haven’t been in a long time. They can go out and draft the best player available. Whether it’ll be McFadden on offense or Gholston on defense, we have that flexibility.

We don’t need a lot of draft picks because we solidified every position with depth with the exception of defensive end. So what will happen on draft day? Who knows? But what will happen this season? The Raiders will earn the respect that the rest of the football world has been neglecting to give them.

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The Truth About the Mcfadden and the Raiders