A Healthy Oren O'Neal Is HUGE!

In 2007, the Raiders had the fifth-ranked rushing offense in the entire NFL. Justin Griffith started the season at FB, but Oren O'Neal started getting more and more playing time as it became evident that he was clearly the better lead blocker. He played a huge role in Fargas' impressive stretch when he rushed for his first 1,000 yard season.

In '08, we slipped to 10th best in the league. A big reason for that was the fact that FB Oren O'Neal went on IR in the preseason. We got solid play out of veterans Justin Griffith and Luke Lawton, but neither one of them are true lead blocking fullbacks.

Oren O'Neal has the prototypical size of a smash mouth fullback. He stands 5'11" and weighs in at nearly 250 lbs. He is a nightmare for LBs and safeties. He is the type of fullback that wears down a defense. I look at him as the next Lorenzo Neal. A play that I remember is when O'Neal and MLB Donnie Edwards met head on at the LOS. Edwards ended up missing a few series after that collision. 

A player like O'Neal might not be a household name, but we absolutely need this guy back on the field so that McFadden, Fargas, and Bush can get past the LOS without being touched and really do some damage. If O'nNeal is back at 100 percent and stays healthy, expect a lot of big plays out of the Raiders' talented RB stable. 

O'Neal makes the RB's job easier but it doesn't stop there. The passing game benefits from his return, as teams will be forced to bring down a safety to support the run defense. Big plays will open up for JaMarcus Russell when the defense "bites" on the play-action pass. I can see Miller faking the run-block and then finding the void in the defense for a huge gain. I sure hope O'Neal is back and ready to knock guys around again.

RAIDERS4LIFE ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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