One of the major problems with the 2009 Raiders was the struggle in the return game.
Fullback Gary Russell became the primary kick returner when Nick Miller was injured for the season. Johnnie Lee Higgins was the primary punt returner, but showed little of the promise in 2009 that he did in 2007 and 2008.
The Raiders ranked 32nd in the league in kick return average in 2009 with just 18.2 yards per return and 29th in the league in punt return average with just 4.9 yards per return.
There are three phases of the game: offense, defense and special teams. The Raiders ...
A few days ago we celebrated Memorial Day, a day to remember those who sacrificed for this country.
Sacrifices come in many forms. When young men train for positions on NFL teams, they sacrifice to achieve a high level of performance. Now is the time for us to remember the sacrifices made by the young Oakland Raiders who will bring forth a fruitful season in 2010.
This is what we hope for.
Some of them sacrifice by eating certain diets, doing exercises, and keeping good schedules to build up their strength and mental stamina.
Many of them study tapes, routes and entire playbooks like doctoral ...
There's a lot of talk and articles stating the Oakland Raiders legitimacy to an AFC West title run this season. Plausible. Possibly, but the saying that defense wins games is the absolute truth.
So what changes has Al Davis done to make this happen in the city of Silver and Black?
There has been a lot of changes in Oakland since the departure of Lane Kiffin. In fact we begin with the defensive coordinator John Marshall.
Marshall has helped coach two Super Bowl San Francisco teams from 1989-98. He has worked as a defensive coordinator for five different teams that include the ...
Jamarcus Russell was cut by the Oakland Raiders for having a lack of effort and no one has signed him yet.
Where should Jamarcus Russell go?
One place that could revive his young, but bad career, is the UFL.
For example J.P. Losman went to the UFL for one year and did very good. Weeks after the UFL season was over the Oakland Raiders signed him.
UFL could do Russell wonders. He could actually be an accurate quarterback and he can develop for a year or two for work ethic.
Jamarcus Russell should go to the UFL over the NFL. He would start in the ...
Statistically speaking, Johnnie Lee Higgins is the Best receiver on the Oakland Raider roster today. We all remember at the end of the 2008 season how the media would sarcastically poke fun at the Raiders' leading receiver for the year with a meager 22 receptions.
What the media forgets to point out is that JLH only started three games for the Oakland Raiders in 2008 and only five in 2009. Higgins runs the best routes on the team and always seems to be open, regardless of the Quarterback as you can see here: http://www.nfl.com/players/johnnieleehiggins/profile?id=HIG233023
Johnnie Lee has a knack for getting open ...
The A's had a pretty successful month of May, going 16-12 and ending the month 28-24, one game ahead of the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West division.
A lot has changed about the team in May, some for the good, some for the bad. Let's recap some of May's important developments for the A's.Begin Slideshow
AFC West Help Wanted is the seventh in this eight-part series.
Throughout the off season Fantasy Football Trader’s Columnist Ernie Estrella will be touring the NFL by division and identifying key positional battles with Fantasy Football implications up for grabs.
Oakland Raiders
No. 1 Running Back
Candidates: Darren McFadden, Michael Bush, Rock Cartwright, Michael Bennett
Don’t worry Raider Nation, Michael Bennett will not be the Raiders feature back, and neither will Rock Cartwright.
Neither is young enough, nor special enough to become an NFL feature back. And thank goodness the team finally got rid of Justin Fargas who was suffocating the ...
New Faces-New Season-New Oakland Raiders!
Raider Nation is rampant with excitement stemming from positive reports out of Oakland Raiders mini-camp. News of Jason Campbell picking up Hue Jackson's offense much faster than expected, much maligned wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey catching everything that comes close to him, and Mario Henderson commenting on how it's nice to see his quarterback working as hard as everyone else are feeding the fans' fire.
A lot of experts are predicting a vast improvement in the play of the Silver and Black in 2010, but can the Raiders deliver? How much better can they be? Are we ...
Throughout the NFL regular season, many players go through some rough patches in their careers. Like a hitter in baseball, many players suffer through a "football slump" only to come out on the other side looking fresher and more ready than ever.
It's always a tough job predicting who will have a "hot-and-cold" type season, but it can be extremely rewarding knowing that somewhere along the line, your prediction has come true.
In 2010, many players are poised for breakout years, while others are destined to struggle.
Therefore, questions must be asked: Who should we expect to fall into a slump? And which ...