2005 NFL Preview: Oakland Raiders

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Last Year

Good idea: signing Kerry Collins, hiring Norv Turner as your head coach, and then winning two of the first three games to start the season. Bad idea: having the worst running game, having the third-worst total defense, and winning only three more games the rest of the way. Last year, the Raiders manned a decrepit pirate ship, but with a few renovations in the offseason and a new captain, the black and silver are sailing in the right direction.

What We Learned From Last Year

There is no question that Norv Turner is one of the more creative offensive minds in the NFL, but even his scheming couldn't make up for the lack of playmakers on the Raiders' roster.

While Raider Nation wanted to select wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald with their first overall draft pick in 2004 to fill that exact need, management made the smart decision by drafting offensive tackle Robert Gallery instead.

Gallery was NFL-ready from the get-go and quickly developed into a key constituent on the offensive line.

In training camp, Kerry Collins and Rich Gannon battled for the starting quarterback job. Gannon, the incumbent, ended up winning the role, but would relinquish the responsibility after a rough Derrick Brooks hit in the open field ended his season.

As Collins stepped into the lineup, the offense was forced to morph because his strengths are the weaknesses of Gannon, and vice-versa. Collins had a stronger arm and much better downfield accuracy, but struggled on short passes. Gannon was the opposite.

The statistics indicate that the Raiders were eighth overall in passing offense, but that doesn't mean their air attack thrived. Rather, it is more of an indication that they simply couldn't accomplish anything on the ground.

Receivers Jerry Porter, Doug Gabriel, and Ronald Curry all posted career-highs for receiving yards and touchdowns, but the running game couldn't find anyone nearly as reliable to emerge.

The combination of the Raiders top three running backs, free agent signing Amos Zereoue, Tyrone Wheatley, and Zack Crockett, didn't even amount to 1,000 yards together, leaving the Raiders as one of only two teams to average less than 90 yards rushing per game.

As for the defense, it was not much more palatable.

They made the transition to a 3-4 last season, but it was far from successful. Usually, when a team switches to the 3-4, it is because of a surplus of talent at linebacker and a shortage of talent on the defensive line.

Although the Raiders signed tackles Warren Sapp and Ted Washington in the offseason, there were still shortages both on the line and in the linebacking corps.

They experimented by placing Sapp at defensive end, a position he was never suited for or capable of, and second-year defensive end Tyler Brayton at linebacker. Washington was perfect for the nose tackle role, but his age (36) was an obvious factor at times.

Danny Clark, Napolean Harris, and Tim Irons were the main linebackers, none of which threatened opponents.

Sacks were a novelty for this defense as they only finished with 25 (second-lowest total in NFL). The highest single total was four, posted by rookie tackle Tommy Kelley.

With no running game and no ability to stop opponents, the Raiders defense was on the field more than any other defense in the NFL last year (33:13 minutes per game).

You can only imagine what happened to the secondary after all the other components of the defense failed.

Charles Woodson was avoided by most opposing quarterbacks, but aside from him, there wasn't much anyone to shy aware from in a secondary that allowed 245.2 passing yards per game.

Considering the Raiders only sent one player to the Pro Bowl, punter Shane Lechler, it's obvious they had work to do in the offseason.

This Year

Don't ask what you can do for Randy Moss, ask what Randy Moss can do for you.

Remember when Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat? Sure, the Los Angeles Lakers got three quality starters in return, but the intangibles of the one superstar outweighed the total value of the players headed in return.

That is what Randy Moss will do for the Raiders.

His arrival instantaneously makes Oakland's offense one of the premier units in the league. He is impossible to single cover, which means that a safety or a second defensive back must be in the vicinity at all times. Then you factor in Jerry Porter, a quick and tough Pro Bowler-to-be, and two receivers that are still maturing, Ronald Curry and Doug Gabriel, and the Raiders passing game will be a serious problem for any secondary.

The league's worst-ranked running game finally gets a young stud in LaMont Jordan, who is capable of supplying a fluid running attack. He has breakaway speed, he has adequate power to bulldoze defensive backs, and his running lanes will be wide open since the passing game will have to get so much attention.

Kerry Collins often takes a lot of flack as a starting quarterback, but with adequate protection, he is capable of taking a team to the Super Bowl. When it comes to throwing downfield, he is a top-three quarterback.

Good thing the Raiders drafted Gallery instead of Fitzgerald a year ago because it is evident that their receiving corps is stocked, but their offensive line would be thin without Gallery. He and Barry Sims are team's best and will man the two tackle positions. The middle of the line has talent, but is under construction.

Jake Grove will start at center this year, his natural position in college, but Brad Badger and Langston Walker, the team's two guards, are better built for the tackle position. Nonetheless, they are strong enough to keep Collins out of harms way.

After the secondary was shredded to bits last year and starting cornerback Phillip Buchanon was traded to Houston, the Raiders needed to replace some bodies. They spent their top two selections in the draft picking up cornerbacks Fabian Washington and Stanford Routt in the first two rounds of the draft.

Washington is expected to battle former first-rounder Nnamdi Asomugha for the starting job and Washington has the type of skill to make a very smooth transition to the NFL. There haven't been many bad things to say about Asomugha in his two years in the league, but he is still a bit raw. Depending on how quickly he or Washington can develop into legitimate starters will go a long way in determining the success of this team.

If the cornerbacks are comfortable in man-to-man, the front seven may have some more time to work out its kinks.

Derrick Burgess and Bobby Hamilton will man the ends on the line which should create some more pressure than last year. It appears as though defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is intent on keeping Sapp at the end position. A 4-3 scheme would make much more sense for this defense since Sapp could play alongside Ted Washington at tackle instead of being out of place at end.

The linebacking corps is simply brutal for the Raiders, which doesn't bode well for their 3-4 defense.

Danny Clark is the best they have to offer, but a complement for him would be that he is consistent. Tyler Brayton will see more time at outside linebacker this year, but as a former defensive end, he has yet to look comfortable as a linebacker. The other two projected starters, Tim Johnson and Grant Irons, have a lot of work to do. Jay Foreman is the only addition through free agency, but he is recovering from an ankle injury that limited him last season.

Strong safety Derrick Gibson has not developed exactly how the Raiders expected when they selected him 28th overall in the 2001 draft, but he looks to have cracked the starting lineup this year. He missed last season with a shoulder injury. Stuart Schweigert will start at free safety, but this tandem leaves much to be desired.

The Raiders are fairly bare on defense, but we've seen unbalanced teams with high-octane offenses achieve success before. They will need to learn how to manage a game and minimize the time their defense spends on the field, but they are capable of making the playoffs.

Over/Under: 8

Although Denver and San Diego seemed to be the most fundamentally-sound teams in the AFC West, all four teams are capable of finishing 10-6 or 6-10. The Chargers and the Chiefs had a worse passing defense than the Raiders last year and we've seen what can happen to Denver against capable passing games (see Denver vs. Indianapolis), so keep an open mind for this division. The Raiders play: @NE, @PHI, DAL, BUF, @TEN, @WAS, MIA, @NYJ, CLE, and NYG.

Fantasy Sleeper

Many a wide receiver have cashed in playing alongside Randy Moss and Jerry Porter will be the next. Porter figures to be the most talented wideout to start opposite Moss in a while and he will love the reduced amount of attention he'll face with No. 18 drawing all the focus. A bad defense and a good passing game means lots of real points and lots of fantasy points.

Stay tuned as Dave Golokhov brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! Sponsored by CyberSportsbook.com, a great casino for horse racing and sportsbook action.