It's hard not to be Excited!

[THEROOK]

Our whole team is just Loaded with talent. This is the first time I have really stepped back to see what we have on Offense but it looks very good. I know talent alone is not enough to guarantee wins but if everything comes together in training camp & we can stay healthy (not to sound like Kitna) but we can win 10 games this year.

QB: JaMarcus Russell: (Has the talent around him to succeed and doesn't have to do everything by himself. After a full offseason he should have the playbook down and he will be able to develope a chemistry with his recievers. Russell needs to just manage the game well & make smart decissions with the ball. The running game will be our strength but that will also open up the passing game when teams expect us to run. I believe Russell will come around surprisingly quick because he is not overwhelmed by the pressure. If you look at his first year at lsu he was a winner from day one.)

HB: Justin Fargas: (excels in the zone scheme should have a good year if he stays healthy)
Darren McFadden: (The ultimate weapon. Creates mismatches and is so versatile. When I look at McFadden in 08 I see Charlie Garner in his prime)
Michael Bush: (Has a lot to prove. I believe he is healthy & will bring a lot of intensity when he gets in. He is also a very versatile player who will make a big impact in the running & passing game)

WR: Javon Walker: (I believe that his knee will hold up well. He will be JaMarcus' big play reciever & have a good year)
Ronald Curry: (Our possession reciever who will get us the first downs & will make the circus catches. I believe Curry will have his best year as a Raider.)
Johnnie Lee Higgins: A lot of ppl are overlooking Higgins after a disappointing first year but i still believe he can be good. The kid has talent but you could even see that he was overwhelmed last year by the speed of the game which happens to alot of rookie recievers. If u look at his first year at utep he didnt have any td's but in his second year he exploded with 10. I expect a big improvement this season with the competition that he now has at reciever and Lofton as the coach.
Drew Carter: (Great size and speed. Gives us another deep threat. He never had that many opportunities to start in Carolina but in the times he did, he was pretty good.)

TE: Zach Miller: (Had a great rookie season. Has great hands and is a decent blocker. He will become Russell's favorite target and will help move the chains.)

LT: Kwame Harris: (Many ppl are nervous about Harris protecting Russell's blind side. I believe Cable will coach him up well & he will be a pleasant surprise like Gallery was last year.)

LG: Robert Gallery: (I noticed major improvement last season and only expect him to get better.)

C: John Wade: (I see him as a healthy Jeremy Newberry. Will add experience to the O-line.)

RG: Cooper Carlisle: (Was our best lineman last season in the zone blocking scheme.)

RT: Cornell Green: (Had too many false starts last year. He could lose his job to one of the younger guys if he doesn't step it up.)

[MKats31]

Its only the OL that scares me

[THEROOK]

Originally Posted by MKats31

Its only the OL that scares me

I dont think the OL will be totally dominant but they should be better than last year.

[Raider Ran]

We have alot of potential talent. We also have a lot of unknowns. Can Russell be a great NFL, QB this is the thing that could end it all right away if he does not perform. O Line worries me. WR injury situtation worries me. Walker only had limited play the last couple years due to injury. Curry is one injury away from retirement. Carter has an injury history. D Line worries me alot.

[THEROOK]

Originally Posted by Raider Ran

We have alot of potential talent. We also have a lot of unknowns. Can Russell be a great NFL, QB this is the thing that could end it all right away if he does not perform. O Line worries me. WR injury situtation worries me. Walker only had limited play the last couple years due to injury. Curry is one injury away from retirement. Carter has an injury history. D Line worries me alot.

I know wut ur sayin but every team has to worry about injuries not just us. I think we will see the kind of offense we havent seen since the 02 season. It has the potential to be explosive. But JaMarcus' play is the key.

[Raider Ran]

Originally Posted by THEROOK

But JaMarcus' play is the key.

[pure_raider]

I am still scared about our offensive tackles. If the team actually had decent offsnsive tackles there would be no need to keep repeating "I trust coach Cable". The o-line was much improved in their run blocking last year but the pass blocking was still bad.

[BlackHeart]

Our special teams needs huge improvement in every area including the return game

A player with Koren Robinson return skills can make a huge difference imo

[BlackHeart]

Originally Posted by pure_raider

I am still scared about our offensive tackles. If the team actually had decent offsnsive tackles there would be no need to keep repeating "I trust coach Cable". The o-line was much improved in their run blocking last year but the pass blocking was still bad.

The pass blocking was pretty much decent then it was in 2006 but thats not hard to do. With this zone blocking system big name guys doesn't suppose to be needed and the Broncos have done it for years so we shall see

[G-MoNeY]

oline, WR's worry me the most. but other then that i cant wait to see this offense work together. Miller is already Russell fav target if u didn't notice already.

[pure_raider]

Originally Posted by BlackHeart

The pass blocking was pretty much decent then it was in 2006 but thats not hard to do. With this zone blocking system big name guys doesn't suppose to be needed and the Broncos have done it for years so we shall see

The Broncos had some pretty good offensive linemen in their heyday. I wouldn't say "big name" but there aren't many big name o-linemen out there anyways.

[or24]

Our Ot's and Dt's scare me the most. We have one of if not the worst group of Dt's in the league despite all the money spent on them. Kelly is a solid player but Sands is just horrible and Warren is inconsistent. Our whole run defense scares me but I would feel much better if we got a real NT like Grady Jackson that can at least be part of the rotation. Harris and McQuistan are run blockers and maybe they can improve. Paul did show some good signs last year and is very physical. I think he can be a quality RT in the league with some more experience but right now he still isn't up to par. Harris is a turnstile and I hope to God he can at least be a stop gap until we draft a real LT. A lot of things could be better but those are my 2 major concerns. I'm very excited to see all our new players in action. Hopefully they all make it through camp. Hopefully they produce a winning season, but I'm not sold yet.

[gdamac]

We're all young potential and veterans with question marks. But I am excited to see how much potential develops and to find out the answers to the question marks. There would have been no way to put together a sure thing winner in one off season, so what the heck.