Just Win NOW Baby

The 2008 NFL draft is less than 3 days away and I cannot wait. Oakland is on the board at #4. Pretty good, if you ask me. Not the paying the top dollar, while at the same time having the luxury to choose (hopefully) one of the top 6 prospects (Darren McFadden, Glenn Dorsey, Sedrick Ellis, Vernon Gholston and Chris Long).

Last year the Raiders drafted a much needed quarterback in JaMarcus Russell. The former future franchise QB Andrew Walter, the top rated passer in Oakland's draft board in 2005, never panned out. Those who follow the RAIDERS know it wasn't primarily his fault. Walter was victim to the stone age playbook coined the Bed & Breakfast offense by the RAIDER NATION critical of Offensive Coordinator Tom Walsh. Once Walter publicly criticized the offense that was being run in Oakland, his future in the Silver and Black ended.

The year before that the Oakland RAIDERS selected SS Michael Huff with their 1st selection, 7th overall. The pick filled a need that was void in Oakland. However many questioned whether the RAIDERS were better off selecting a certain USC QB star. Matt Leinart, who has been called a field general, eventually fell to #10 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Personally I was hoping we grabbed Leinart at #7. He may not have the strongest arm, but his football smarts and "field general" leadership was something the RAIDERS desperately needed. Leinart moves the chain, puts up points and knows how to win.

This past offseason was the most active in recent memory. The RAIDERS re-signed RB Justin Fargas and DE/DT Tommy Kelly. Although he didn't begin the season as the starter, Fargas broke the 1000 rushing yards stat for the first time in his career. Many feel he benefited from the zone blocking scheme that the RAIDERS switched to this past season. Fargas has always ran hard and left everything on the field each time he is out there. I was glad the RAIDERS rewarded him for his hard work. Kelly finished the season on IR but was given a lucrative 7 year $50.5 million contract. Retained Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan claimed Kelly was the best three technique in the league. While I feel the contract was a bit much, given the circumstances of attracting playmakers to Oakland, it might have been necessary. Kelly is coming off ACL surgery and is expected to be moved inside to replace DT Warren Sapp who retired. Sapp has let it be known that Kelly is one of the elite in the NFL.

Key new additions to including WR Javon Walker, WR Drew Carter, CB DeAngelo Hall and SS Gibril Wilson. The new WR tandem stretches the RAIDERS offense, something that was lacking this past year. Russell is known throughout the league for his extraordinary armstrength, however it was limited due to the lack of a deep threat from the RAIDERS wide receiving corps. The addition of CB Hall, undoubtedly gives the RAIDERS one of the best, if not the best, CB duos in the NFL. With Nnamdi Asomugha locked on the #1 spot, I expect Hall to get alot more chances at being the playmaker he is known for guarding the #2 WR of the opposing teams. The signing of SS Wilson tremendously improves the RAIDERS defense in more ways than one. Wilson is a sure tackler, a rare skill when it comes to the RAIDERS. He is also known to lay the wood. This mental aspect should certainly distract most WRs as they reach out for balls within the vicinity of Wilson. This signing also allows SS Huff to slide over to FS, a position many feel better suits him. Huff has done well shutting down the league's top TEs, but he has only accumulated a total of one interception in his two years playing.

One paper, Oakland has improved tremendously talent wise since the end of last season. They have drastically improved both sides of the ball. It's been mentioned that Owner Al Davis would like to see at least 2 more Lombardis before his time is up. The RAIDERS have always been known to "reload" rather than "rebuild". With the number of transactions and big name signings this past offseason, it is quite obvious the RAIDERS intend to win now.