Tuesday, February 22, 2011

2011 Offseason: Oakland Raiders

The Raiders took a step in the right direction with the firing of Tom Cable. Hiring Hugh Jackson should end up being a good move as well, so I fully expect the Raiders to, at least, be hovering around the 8-8 mark they hit this season.

Their passing attack looked pretty good this year. Jason Campbell is still probably one of the ‘worst’ starting quarterbacks in the NFL, but there really aren’t any particularly bad starters in the league. Not only that, but he also showed quite a bit of improvement in Oakland from where he was in Washington. The Raiders have some very talented wide receivers, so I don’t think having a top rated quarterback is a necessity. Whatever Oakland’s heights are, Campbell will be able to take them there as well as just about anyone else.

One thing that helped Campbell was Oakland’s success running the ball. Darren McFadden had a great year with only a couple really bad performances. We should be able to expect similar success from him next year, assuming he stays healthy.

Nnamdi Asomugha is a key player in the Raiders’ defensive scheme, and losing him could really hurt them down the road next season. He didn’t have a terrific year in 2010, but he still has plenty to offer any team. If they have the money to do so, keeping Asomugha is definitely in Oakland’s best interest.

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