Oakland Raiders Building Foundation For 2009 Turnaround Season

Tom Cable‘s team-first philosophy and his seemingly tremendous football relationship with the Old Man, Al Davis, are signs of a great foundation for the Raider renaissance.

Regardless of the promise of a great running game, terrific special teams play and an emerging down-field receiving corps, the turnaround will take place in the trenches.

The offensive and defensive lines must be fortified to a level that allows for a minimum improvement of five minutes in time of possession and a 40 percent further reduction in QB pressure and sacks.

Cable and Davis have a substantial amount of confidence in quarterbacks coach Paul Hackett and his quiet yet successful football professionalism. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell will move forward to garner success via a three-headed running game unrivaled in the NFL.

Oakland receivers will find out in camp what the pecking order will be. Javon Walker will step up to the plate and help the young wideouts will blossom when the aforementioned offensive line accomplishes the necessary tasks outlined.

The Raiders have at least one inspirational motivator in the passing of Marquis Cooper— one of the boaters who went missing off the Gulf Coast in Clearwater, Fla. a month ago. It could give them some more fuel this season.

An improbable playoff run in 2009 is never ruled out in the league of “any given Sunday,” and it's a safe bet the Raiders will be better and more focused with the new coaching staff free of last year's drama.

A very interesting aspect of this season will be the expected emergence of Mark Davis as the Raiders' new leader and chip off the old block. The Old Man has made it clear that his son will take over when he retires.

Finally, the stadium issue for the Bay Area teams will become more intense when the behemoths that are built in Dallas and New Jersey come on NFL Network, Fox, CBS, NBC, and ESPN with the litany of superlatives normally reserved for a article on the Mona Lisa.

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