2009 Oakland Raiders Defense as I see it
Posted: Friday, July 24, 2009
by Chris Limburg
http://gothicfootball.com
Oakland's defense had some fundamental flaws going into the offseason, and as you would expect, Al Davis failed to address them. In fact, he only made things worse. Are we surprised there lately?
While the Raiders weren't terrible versus the pass, they couldn't stop the run to save their lives. The team gave up 4.5 yards per carry, good for 24th in the NFL. This had to be a huge disappointment for Master Al, who signed defensive tackles Tommy Kelly and Terdell Sands for a combined $67.5 million. Kelly had 4.5 sacks, but was coming off a torn ACL. Still, you have to wonder why a guy coming off a torn ACL received a 7-year, $50.5 million contract in the first place. Sands' greatest accomplishment in 2008, meanwhile, was punching punter Shane Lechler in the face during a flight home from a road game. I see the character and maturity question has been answered.
Poor Tom Cable, what have you got yourself into. Other problem areas for Oakland include the safety position and strong side linebacker positions. Michael Huff, a former high first-round pick, was benched in 2008. Gibril Wilson, a high-priced signing a year ago, was cut. Hiram Eugene and Tyvon Branch are nothing to write home about. And given how much the selection was made fun of on Draft Day, Michael Mitchell might just emerge as the greatest safety in NFL history. Meanwhile, Jon Alston and Ricky Brown are stiffs and completely ruin what could be a dominant linebacking corps, Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard combined for 232 tackles, two sacks, two picks and four forced fumbles last year. Whatever they make isn't enough. Those guys are getting killed out there with no support. But help is on the way, right.
With all that said, Oakland's defense actually has its strength, which is defending the pass. That's pretty easy when you have Nnamdi Asomugha, the top cornerback in the NFL. Playing across from Asomugha, Chris Johnson had a very surprising year, as he emerged as one of the better No. 2 corners in the league. Johnson's play was especially shocking when you consider Oakland's lackluster safeties and mediocre pass rush. The Raiders mustered 32 sacks in 2008, led by Kalimba Edwards and Trevor Scott with five each. Howie Long must be really proud of this motley crue. Scott, a mere rookie in 2008, was the reason Al Davis didn't pick Michael Johnson in the 2009 NFL Draft. Per a source, Davis believes that Scott is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and is willing to hand over the right defensive end position to him once Derrick Burgess leaves.
Burgess had 16, 11 and 8.5 sacks from 2005 to 2007, but managed just 3.5 sacks in 10 games last year. If Burgess isn't moved and can regain his 2005-2007 form, the Raiders will be even better against the pass with their added quarterback pressure. Unfortunately, it'll be a miracle if they don't finish out of the bottom 10 in run defense.
NFL and fantasy football fans check out my new site http://www.oaklandraiderscentral.com for commentary on everything that is the NFL and fantasy football. Also, sign up for my free fantasy e-course that will prepare you for your draft and enable you to dominate your league in 2009!!
This Article has been viewed 284 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.