The 2009 Oakland Raiders: The Road To 10-6

The once-proud Oakland Raiders franchise has been mired in a steady stream of failure for six years. Cast off as a laughingstock throughout league and blasted constantly by the media, Oakland’s malaise is palpable. Al Davis’ previously brilliant and quirky idiosyncrasies have been reduced to desperate and failed long-shot attempts at success, an old man’s last plea at validity.

It would be safe to say that the deck is stacked against the Raiders entering the '09 season—and expectations should be tempered. With a crazy owner, no stability at the coaching position, and a seemingly difficult set of opponents, next year will be an uphill climb.

That being said, for the first time in years, the Raiders will have a legitimate shot at winning there division. For that dream to become a reality, a few key elements must fall into place (beyond the obvious need for stabilizing the coaching situation).

First things first, the AFC West must continue to falter. It is no secret the AFC West was one of the worst divisions, if not the worst, in the NFL last year. The Raiders are not in a position to dominate the division, so they must count on mediocre play from their divisional opponents throughout the year.

Oakland has to have a winning record against the division in order to have a shot at 10-6. Denver has a weak running game and a suspect defense, and with a young coach bringing in a new system, they just might be ripe for the picking.

Kansas City will improve from last year with the influence of Pioli at GM, but not by much, and they will clearly be the Raiders' best shot at a sweep. There are chinks in the armor down in San Diego, so a split is a must here. The Raiders must come out and do what they have not done in years—smack the Chargers in the mouth.

Player personnel must also be addressed dramatically. The changes must start in the trenches. Kelly and Sands have not lived up to their contracts, and Oakland’s run defense has continued to falter because of it.

Haynesworth will be out of reach, but Al must address this clear weakness. Consider Tommy Harris, Tank Johnson, Kenechi Udeze, or La’roi Glover as possibilities inside and out. Huff has been a failure at the safety position and should be replaced with a compliment to Wilson. Chris Gamble would be a nice fit. A complementary linebacker to add to the gifted pair of Morrison and Howard would be a bonus as well.

There are a variety of quality unrestricted free agents and draft options out there. The Raiders' pass rush has been average but should be secondary to improving the interior of the defensive line. Stopping the run and putting opponents in 3rd-and-long situations is the key to improving a pass rush, and a defense as a whole.

Teams that did the best job of stopping the run in the AFC in '08: the Steelers, Ravens, and Titans. Enough said.

On offense, the weaknesses are clear. The offensive line must be addressed. Henderson played well at times, and Gallery has settled in nicely at guard, but that does not mean that the Raiders are set.

The whole weak side of the line should be replaced via free agency (think Chris Snee) and the draft (two picks, Rounds 2-5). Harris should be dumped and replaced with a draft pick to compete with Henderson. You want to make a young quarterback look like he knows what he is doing, then give him time.

In the backfield, McFadden and Bush must takeover the lion’s share of the carries from Fargas. Fargas has been a serviceable and gritty RB over the years, but he clearly lacks field vision and big-play ability. No one hits his lane harder, but he is pedestrian once past the line of scrimmage.

The new young tandem can propel the Raiders' running attack to an elite level if given the opportunity. On the wide receiver front, Walker and Curry must be shown the door and the Raiders should use their No. 7 pick on the best available player at the position, whether it be Crabtree or Maclin.  

Receiver is traditionally one of the riskiest positions to speculate on, but all signs point to a strong draft class. With a real threat at wideout, the Raiders will be able to stretch the field and keep opponents on their toes. The remainder of the draft should focus on OL, DL, S, LB.

The final piece of the puzzle will be the maturation of Jamarcus Russell. The training wheels have to come off. Russell has a great talent set, but he must be dedicated to mastering his offense. Without complete control of the playbook, you can expect more sub-60 passer ratings from game to game.

If J-Russ can take control of his team and rely heavily on his talented RBs, the Raiders have a chance. If they can hit the gold mine and draft a game-changing receiver and improve the offensive line even slightly, the Raiders have a chance at something special. 

Wins within the Raiders' reach in 2009: KCx2, DENx2, SDx1, NYJ, WAS, CIN, CLEV, HOU