2006 NFL Preview: Oakland Raiders

Last Year

Surprise, surprise, the Oakland Raiders landed another problem child after Randy Moss wore out the Minnesota Vikings. But he had problems of his own in his first season as injuries and poor coaching limited him and, what was supposed to be, an explosive offense. Now the Raiders dig into their past and return Art Shell to the sidelines, but are they ready for the playoffs this season?

What We Learned From Last Year

It's easy to look at the Oakland Raiders' final record and spit some kind of insult towards them, but 4-12 is misleading — somewhat.

In the first three weeks of the season, the Raiders could have easily been at least 2-1.

They opened the season with a close tilt in New England, a Randy Moss offensive pass interference was the difference in Week 2 at home to Kansas City, and David Akers had to kick a field goal on an injured groin to put the Raiders to bed in Week 3.

Throw in another loss — of the last second variety — again to Kansas City and all of the sudden we are potentially talking about a respectable 8-8 team.

But that is what you get with Norv Turner.

It seems like the Raiders were often self-destructing, beating themselves and not doing the little things, which most winning teams do.

The Raiders led the league in offensive penalties, racking up 1,132 yards on 147 flaggings.

Their offense was up-and-down throughout the year, most of it based on the inconsistent play of the offensive line and some of it based on Randy Moss' health.

The front five permitted 45 sacks, a disappointing total for a unit that really needed to step up to protect Kerry Collins. Robert Gallery still looked lost as a pro tackle, which has hampered the offensive line as a whole. Jake Grove was moved around and was never allowed to settle into the center position, where he is best suited.

Naturally, Kerry Collins had a tough season since he didn't get reliable protection. He never really developed a rhythm with his wideouts like many people had expected.

Randy Moss still led the team in yardage, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the seventh time in eight seasons. But Jerry Porter was the most reliable target, catching 76 receptions. Moss was limited with a leg injury and he clearly wasn't giving his all the better part of the time.

LaMont Jordan was signed and given a full-time role after working four seasons as Curtis Martin's backup with the Jets. Jordan was a nice find, even though he averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, but he was quite useful as a receiver. He caught 70 passes and his 548 yards-after-the-catch ranked third in the NFL.

Behind Jordan, the Raiders didn't have a running back to share some of the load and that became blatantly evident as the season progressed. Jordan's 272 carries were more than double the amount he's ever taken in the NFL and wore down in the later stages.

On defense, the cornerstone was supposed to be Charles Woodson, but his performance had steadily declined over the past two seasons. Essentially, the Raiders paid Woodson $21 million for two interceptions and 11 passes defensed. The whole play of the secondary was disappointing and the measly six interceptions the defense tallied was the lowest in NFL history.

Both safety position really hampered the team, as Stuart Schweigert was mediocre while former first-round pick Derrick Gibson merely emphasized how much of a bust he was.

Cornerbacks Nnamdi Asomugha and Fabian Washington were decent in coverage but quite clearly, they didn't make many plays on the ball.

The defensive line exceeded expectations for the Raiders, as free agent signing Derrick Burgess led the NFL with 16 sacks. Ted Washington, Warren Sapp, and Bobby Hamilton may have been overpaid, but they were effective.

In the middle of the defense, Danny Clark continued to be a steady linebacker. He didn't make many big plays, but he simply solid. Rookie Kirk Morrison proved to be quite a find, leading the team in tackles, while Sam Williams was plagued by injuries once again.

The Raiders have some parts to work with, particularly all the mixings of an explosive offense, but a shaky offensive line raises speculation. Owner Al Davis is hoping that one of the best former offensive linemen in the NFL, Art Shell, can help secure a front line and return to the Silver and Black to glory.

This Year

The Raiders are in the midst of a 13-35 run, the worst stretch in franchise history.

At — or near — the top of Art Shell's to-do list is instilling a sense of discipline.

The Raiders have perennially been a leader in penalties and they have to cut them out of their game plan if they expect to move in the right direction.

With an extensive background as a former NFL lineman, Shell will be expected to repair a leaking unit.

He has moved tackle Robert Gallery back to the left side, after spending two seasons trying to learn the right side, and the hope is that the former second-overall selection finally performs at a Pro Bowl-caliber.

Shell doesn't seem to concerned, but watching Gallery early on in the preseason causes anxiety in most pundits. Langston Walker will take over at right tackle, Jake Grove is the starting center, and rookie Paul McQuistan will play right guard. McQuistan has looked solid and with Grove and Gallery in comfortable positions, the line should be stronger.

The front five will be protecting a different quarterback this year, one who is much more mobile, as Aaron Brooks takes over for Kerry Collins. Behind Brooks is possibly the future starter in Oakland, Andrew Walter. He looks painfully similar to Collins: he has a strong arm, can make most throws, but is completely immobile.

There are a couple of concerns with the offense. First off, coordinator Tom Walsh has been out of football for 11 years. Much has changed in that time and expect some rust to show. Secondly, Aaron Brooks has a strong arm, but the offense is not supposed to be a vertical game. They will be looking for him to connect on a lot of shorter routes, which isn't really his strength.

The offense should open up quite a bit if Randy Moss can return as a lethal threat. Remember in Minnesota, defenses had to give him so much attention that they could not afford to stack the box against the run or devote extra attention to other wide receivers. Jerry Porter was a quality complement to Moss before he demanded a trade, but he might still have a role with the team. Even without, wide receiver is one of the deepest positions on the team with Ronald Curry returning from injury, Doug Gabriel, and Johnnie Morant.

There is not viable threat at tight end and there isn't really a secondary back to ease LaMont Jordan's load. Justin Fargas is probably capable, but the last coaching regime didn't trust him.

The Raiders have come up virtually bankrupt from their previous five drafts and they are heavily depending on last year's and this year's crop to excel — particularly on defense.

Fabian Washington will replace Charles Woodson in the starting lineup and with Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders have a good young tandem. Nickel back Stanford Routt is also a talent second-year player. Asomugha has zero interceptions in three seasons, while Washington and Routt also recorded none in their rookie campaigns. The defense has spent endless amount of time in the offseason figuring out ways to force more turnovers.

One player who will help accomplish that is rookie safety Michael Huff. In Texas, he was always around the football and was the cause of several game-changing plays.

Without many turnovers last season and with a horde of penalties, the Raiders were often in poor field situations both offensively and defensively. If they improve both of those areas — and by all indications they have, at least a little bit — they will be in much better position to win football games.

Huff will eventually overtake Derrick Gibson for the strong safety role and will start next to Stuart Schweigert, who is an average safety.

The heart of the defense is the center of optimism as the Raiders have assembled a potential-filled linebacking corps. Danny Clark is a steady veteran, but all signs point to him being a cut casualty. He has been quite reliable in the past, but sophomore Kirk Morrison is taking his role in the middle.

Whether Clark stays or goes likely will depend on strong side starter Sam Williams, who has played only 10 games in his three-year career. He still offers quite a bit of promise, but he needs to stay healthy. The other outside linebacker will be second-round pick Thomas Howard.

This trio has a lot of playmaking potential, but all three are fairly inexperienced. The Raiders would be wise to hold on to Clark as an insurance policy.

The front four figures to be improved on the ends, but there question marks about the center of the line. Warren Sapp returns as a starter, but he will be 34 by the end of this season. Tommy Kelly will start beside him while fourth-year veteran Terdell Sands will mix into the rotation. If Sands continues to develop and Sapp does wear too much, this unit will be okay.

On the ends, former first-round pick Tyler Brayton will benefit being back on the line. He was out of place as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme and should feel much more at home as an end. Lance Johnstone will be good for passing downs while Bobby Hamilton will be used on rushing downs. Expect the NFL's sack leader, Derrick Burgess, to get much more blocking attention this season.

The Raiders are waiting on the maturation of several defensive players and they have to quell all the persisting questions about their offense — and offensive line — before they can become a contender. Shell needs to whip this team into shape, discipline them, and kick that loser's mentality out of them. That is what this year will be for.

Over/Under: 6

Out of the four teams in the AFC West, the Raiders look like they are the furthest away from competing. They have a head coach and an offensive coordinator that have not been on the sidelines in a long time and they are guiding a team that is trying to gel and find an identity. They play: SD, @BAL, CLE, @SF, @DEN, ARZ, PIT, @SEA, DEN, @KC, @SD, HOU, @CIN, STL, KC, and @NYJ.

Fantasy Sleeper

With Randy Moss attracting the better part of the defensive attention, usually the receiver who starts opposite him stands to benefit. With Jerry Porter in the doghouse (because he demanded a trade) and Ronald Curry still getting his feet back under him after recovering from an injury, Doug Gabriel will start and immediately becomes a sleeper. He has been plagued by inconsistency in the past, but starting with Moss means he will get plenty of one-on-one coverage and plenty of opportunities to make plays.

This is the fourth consecutive season of comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov. Stay tuned as he brings you previews for all 32 NFL teams! He can be reached at [email protected].