Big Questions and alot to prove in 08’

Orig. posting, Thursday, May 08, 2008


Lotta guys with things to prove this year.

Burgess can use this year to leverage for an 09' contract year.

If he stays healthy, expect maximum effort.

Aso may be the highest paid corner in the history of the League if he goes Pro Bowl this year.

Whether the check is cashed in Oakland is another matter.

Whispers of Woodsen float around the forums.

In my opinion, 2 totally seperate issues.

Either way, the Raiders should get compensated if he leaves.

Huff needs to show significant improvement to justify his 7th overall selection in 2006.

The move to "Free Safety" is expected to help.

So should the addition of solid Safety Gibril Wilson.

Kelly and Sands need to prove Al's not senile.

Brayton and Sapp are gone.

No one to hang your troubles on if the run D doesn't improve drastically.

The long shot at improving the run D?

Edgerton Hartwell's acquisition at Line backer.

At his best, he's a tackling machine.

Unfortunately, he hasn't been at his best for years.

If he can stay healthy and perform, Oakland could be a potential contender.

Thats a big IF.

And on OFFENSE...

Kwame's pass protection of the Franchise rookie is going to be a question mark.

Whether Fargas will hop back on the injured list after cashing in during his contract year is something realistic Raider fans will be interested to see.

Louisville slugger Michael Bush remains a complete unknown. 2 years have elapsed since the running back severly broke his leg his Senior year.

The Raiders don't lose much if he flops, but the upside is tremendous.

He was taken for his ability in the ZBS and could be huge with Oakland looking to go run in 08'.

The reason for this isn't merely the fact the Raiders showed a miraculous jump to 6th in rushing last year, it also takes pressure off Sophomore QB Jamarcus Russell.

At least thats the theory.

Those expecting a Pro Bowl year out of Jamarcus my be disapointed. Missing Pre Season camps last year make him a little better than a rookie in 08'.

Traditionally, rookie Qb's throw alot of picks and struggle.

Darren McFadden doesn't seem like a concern to most fans that predict an "Adrian Peterson" type rookie campaign, but as I'm loathe to point out, Peterson had Steve Hutchinson and 2 other Pro Bowlers blocking for him.

The larger question would be can DMC and his family stay out of trouble once the gravy train rolls in?

The Silver and Black Soap Opera should be very entertaining indeed in 08' but if they can catch a taste of victory early on, it may spark this young unit to begin realizing some of its incredibly vast potential.