Revisiting Al Davis’ takeover of the Oakland Raiders

There was a time when Al Davis knew what he was doing and was good at it. I have no problem giving credit where credit is due; he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992 for his past contributions.

He has done a lot for the Oakland Raiders, AFL and the NFL. The team was 9-33 in the three years prior to his arrival; the 33-year old Davis, led the team to a 10-4 record in 1963 and was named AFL coach of the year.

Davis compiled a 23-16-8 record in his three years as head coach prior to becoming the AFL commissioner in 1966. Once named AFL Commissioner; Al Davis led some aggressive campaigns against the NFL, he went at them hard, signed several of their top players to AFL contracts.

Several other AFL owners held silent meetings with the NFL discussing a merger of the two football leagues; they announced plans that they were merging with the NFL.

Due to the compensation that AFL teams had to pay to the NFL, because he felt that the AFL would be the superior league if allowed to remain separate, Al Davis was staunchly against the merger.

He then decided to return to the Raiders as the general partner and head of football operations, along with seven other co-owners, instead of remain as commissioner until the AFL ended in 1970. In other words, he returned to take over.

He ruthlessly began his plight to become the don, or better yet, take complete control of the organization.

The same man who demands loyalty from all of his coaches, decided to make his power play and oust managing general partner F. Wayne Valley in 1972 while he was attending the Summer Olympics in Munich.

He decided to revise the partnership agreement that gave him near total-control of team operations. F. Wayne Valley returned home after dealing with the shock of the tragic events of the Olympics just to find out what had happened.

He tried to sue Al Davis to overturn the revised agreement but it was too late, he no longer had a voice.

F. Wayne Valley sold his interest in 1976, and no other partner has had a role in running the team since. Keep in mind that Davis didn’t officially acquire majority interest in the team until 2005, when he bought the shares held by the family of Ed McGah, the team’s last original general partner.

It sounds like fear and intimidation played a huge factor in the interim.
He currently owns 67-percent of the interests in the partnership through his company, A. D. Football, Inc. In other words he has been a team owner and general manager since 1970. This informs those who don’t know how we reached this point.

Call him a ‘control freak’ and you wouldn’t be off the mark. Call him someone who doesn’t like change and you would be wrong. While we’re on the subject of being wrong, it is dead wrong for the team to be in the state they’re in right now and the state that they’ve been in since 2001.

The NFL is a business of which the Oakland Raiders are a part of. Any business that has a few bad months or a bad quarter is holding several meetings/discussions to figure out what the company is doing wrong and what needs to happen to change it.

Any business that has been as terrible and unproductive as the Raiders have been over the last five years would no longer be in business.

Albert Einstein said it best when he said and I quote “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

As a fan of this team I’ve seen this on more than one occasion it is ridiculous. I’ve never seen failure at every level until I watch my team.

I’ll focus on the NFL draft for one; let’s look at the 2003 draft after Al traded Head Coach Jon Gruden for draft picks. Let's look at how those picks were used.

1 (31) Nnamdi Asomugha, CB California
1 (32) Tyler Brayton, DE Colorado
2 (63) Teyo Johnson, TE Stanford
3 (83) Sam Williams, LB/DE Fresno State
3 (96) Justin Fargas, RB Southern California
4 (129) Shurron Pierson, DE South Florida
5 (167) Doug Gabriel, WR Central Florida
6 (204) Dustin Rykert, OT Brigham Young
7 (246) Siddeeq Shabazz, SS New Mexico State
7 (262) Ryan Hoag, WR Gustavus Adolphus

Ten picks in the draft, five selections in the first 100 picks and the Raiders have two starters, three still on the roster and six that are no longer in the league.

I like CB Nnamdi Asomugha, but can’t understand how a team with two 1st round picks can pass on WR Anquan Boldin and DE Osi Umenyiora in favor of DE Tyler Brayton.

In the 2nd round in need of a TE and OLB, the team passed on TE Jason Witten, OLB Lance Briggs in favor of TE Teyo Johnson.

Lane Kiffin and staff need to remain in place to develop the young players and come together as a unit. The Raiders need to re-build the team the right way and build through the draft, finally.

This is the only sane way to bring the team back to being competitive every game and every season.

Fire Lane Kiffin and it will set the franchise back for at least the next three to five years. Al needs to do the right thing and stop meddling with the team. We all know who the boss is but the real question is does Al Davis care about the teams fans?

I have a strong love for the Raiders and have been a fan since the AFL days who is highly upset that my team has turned into an NFL punch line. I've got a lot of love for Al Davis, but for several years now he has failed to lead the team in the right direction.It is time to turn the controls over to someone else.

Hey Al, the 70’s and 80’s called, they want their team back.

Al Davis Needs to Stop Hitting the Reset Button

All is quiet on the western front, or at least in the East Bay of Northern California. Lane Kiffin has his job for another week despite the reports that he was out as early as 9/15/08.

He is at odds with Al Davis and we all know how this scenario usually ends.

The Oakland Raiders have to deal with more distractions from the top down, STILL. This has been a common theme for every fan of this team and it started out being a few jabs fans had to deal with but these punches have all landed and need to stop.

Any change needs to be from the top down.

We’ve seen the Don, Al Davis, run off several coaches who refused to be his “yes men” or ‘kiss the ring’ so to speak, and the franchise and its fans have suffered by the decisions.

The loyalty of the Raider Nation has not been reciprocated and Al Davis could care less, if it was different he would handle the team’s affairs differently and stop landing punches on the Raider fans.

Case in point, notice the timing of the latest act after the team’s best performance in years. Lane Kiffin and staff have some solid pieces to work with and regardless who the opponent is rushing for 300 yards is epic.

It is a known fact that every Raiders coach has no authority or job security at all. The reason for this is simple; it is Al Davis a man off of his rocker. He has been a maverick owner for years. He is a commander who is asleep at the wheel and has been for years.

The only thing he is accomplishing at this point is inserting yet another knife in the teams back.

His tired act is the equivalent of a QB throwing a pass to a wide open receiver on a sure touchdown just to have a disgruntled teammate upset that he isn’t playing come off of the sideline to emphatically bring him down with a shot that causes his neck to snap back.

Every single selfish act of firing the head coach has come back to bite him and provide the fans with another body shot. Teams from the front office down to the players need to be on the same page and working toward the common goal of winning games.

That goal needs to be more than proving that you’re the boss.

Here is a small list of the fired few:

Mike Shanahan, John Fox, Jon Gruden, Norv Turner, Bill Callahan, Art Shell, Joe Bugel

Six of the seven are still coaching in the league. Al hired them all and fired them for different reasons but as usual he felt the need to meddle with them. There are several playoff appearances between them; and three super bowl wins.

Had Al not been selfish and kept Mike Shanahan or Jon Gruden in place as the Head Coach this franchise would’ve won more than three championships and it would be stocked with more talent. There is also a good chance that team’s record against the Broncos would be different.

It is a known fact that Al Davis has no problem firing coaches but it has also been proven that with every coach fired it is another year of the team having a lack of continuity. It sets the franchise back at least three years.

When asked what he thought of the rumors flying around of Lane Kiffin being fired Nnamdi Asomugha stated that “I’ve heard that every year since I’ve been here”, He is the teams best defensive player and he was drafted in 2003, meaning he has had four and now possibly going on five head coaches.

He is also one of the rare players that have had the time to develop in Oakland. The coaches aren’t the problem the problem is in the owner’s box.

It appears to be that silly time of the year again when Al uttered those words “He’s not the guy I hired.” It is widely speculated that Al is prepared to fire Lane Kiffin and promote either Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan or Wide Receiver’s coach James Lofton.

It has been reported that it is a matter of when and not if he will be fired. In the event this happens it will be yet another distraction for this team. This team will not be able to build upon an impressive win in week two and it will be another ‘top down distraction’.

Lane Kiffin has stated the same thing that every other Raider coach has known and the reason several others refuse to coach in Oakland, being saddled by, the meddling of Al Davis.

It is difficult and almost impossible for a coach to do his job when the Owner/President/ Vice President/General Manager/Director Player Personnel/ Vice President Player Personnel/Director of Football Operations wants to tell you how to do your job and stands over you throughout the process.

Al was upset at the statement Lane Kiffin made after the terrible Monday night loss. He was bent that Kiffin basically stated that the defensive game plan was put together by Rob Ryan and Al Davis.

He also stated that Ryan showed more leadership than Kiffin by not throwing the players under the bus. It was also Al’s decision to have Rob Ryan give a press conference fall on the sword and back Al.

The person that needs to be fired is Al Davis. It is time for Al Davis to give control of the team to someone else, someone who is committed to improving this team. Several coaches have been fired and the record remains the same.

Most teams are set up to be .500 or better and when they’re not you can point the finger at the General Manager and the Owner, when they’re the same person fault needs to be placed at his doorstep and nowhere else.

I do have a few suggestions for improvement; hire a President, Vice President, General Manager, Director Player Personnel, Director of College Scouting and a brand new scouting staff.

There is a draft every year which gives a team the opportunity to add seven players or more per year to help improve the team. There has been too many times when the wrong player is drafted and of the listed seven to ten, only two or three players make the team with perhaps one being a starter.

Lane Kiffin has the team moving in the right direction and is in the process of building a team. This is something that Al Davis doesn’t like but needs to fall in love with. The idea of throwing money at older veteran players past their prime hasn’t worked for a very long time.

He has to realize that he’s thrown money at these players instead of building through the draft and the team has gone nowhere.

The only way for this to change is to have Lane Kiffin remain as the Head Coach and allow him and his coaching staff to do their jobs and develop these young players into a cohesive and competitive unit.

This is the only way that the Oakland Raiders will improve and stop Al Davis from hitting the reset button every two years. Raider fans have taken enough blows if it was a sanctioned fight the referee would stop the fight.

It is going to happen and it will be Al Davis’ and the Oakland Raiders ‘coup de grace’.

Darren McFadden and the Raiders run over Chiefs 23-8

What a world of difference a trip to Kansas City can make. The Raiders went to Missouri with their backs against the wall. Several people had the team dead and buried; winning cures all and the Raiders grew up as a team today.

The Raiders came into the game prepared to right the ship and leave town with a .500 record. The defense, under fire after a terrible week one showing, really shined. There was a lot of talk about Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan’s fiery profanity laced tirade during the week being a bad thing; but the team responded.

The Raider defense played with emotion and energy and held the Chiefs running game to 55 yards on 19 carries and no rushing touchdowns; got after the quarterback and came away with five sacks and two huge interceptions. The biggest was the second of the day and first of the year by MLB Kirk Morrison to seal the win.

The Raiders game plan was to run the football and throw when necessary. The team accomplished that task and more as they ran on, through and over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders as a team, rushed for 300 yards lead by Darren McFadden’s coming out party of 21 carries for 164 yards and his first NFL touchdown; the majority of which was in the second half. McFadden had runs for 21, 24, 51 yards and a 19-yard touchdown run.

Justin Fargas started the game and finished with nine carries for 43 yards before leaving the game with a groin injury.

The secret weapon, also known as, Michael Bush had a bit of a coming out party as well with 16 carries for 90 yards and his first NFL touchdown closing out the game. He did have a costly fumble that was potentially disastrous but the team was able to overcome the turnover.

QB JaMarcus Russell didn’t put up eyebrow raising numbers, he didn’t have to, but what he did do was manage the offense and protect the ball and not turn it over for the second week in a row.

The Raiders offensive line deserves a great deal of credit for their performance. I have to mention a huge performance by LT Mario Henderson. I had my concerns about him making his first NFL start but just as Head Coach Lane Kiffin stated he would, he played outstanding.

Mario Henderson had a baptism by fire and responded well and really stepped up and met the challenge. What was thought to be a weakness turned into a seamless addition to the offensive line. The best thing about it was that you never heard his or any of the linemen’s names.

Trust me when the offensive line is virtually anonymous until the outcome of a game has already been decided that unit played well.

The Raiders outgained the Chiefs 355 yards of total offense to 190. The win was the Raiders second straight in Kansas City.

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski converted three field goals from distances of 25, 40 and an amazing 56-yard kick; and in the process kept his streak alive by converting 15 consecutive field goals in Kansas City.

Oakland Raiders: Sifting through the debris

The Raider Nation was poised to start the season off right and the Network Associates Coliseum was sold out ready for action. The building was in a word electric and the Nation was behind the team; what we saw was awful.

The Raiders took a 41 – 14 beat down at the hands of the Broncos. It can be broken down into three parts, the good, the bad and the ugly.



The Good

QB JaMarcus Russell was 17-of-26 for 180 yards with a 111.1 passer rating and didn’t throw and interception.

Justin Fargas had 18 attempts for 97 yards, a 5.4 yards per carry average and a long 42 yard run. Darren McFadden had nine attempts for 46 yards, a 5.1 yards per carry average. The Raiders had success running the ball as a team rushed for 150 yards with a five yards per carry average.

Johnnie Lee Higgins had six kickoff returns for 154 yards, with a 25.7 yard average per return and a 58 yard return providing the offense with excellent field position.

Zach Miller had four receptions for 34 yards, with an 8.5 YPC average, his longest was 21 yards.
Justin Griffith had three receptions for 39 yards, with a 13 YPC average, his longest was 24 yards.
Ashlie Lelie had three receptions for 37 yards, with a 12.3 YPC average, and a touchdown, his longest was 22 yards.
Chaz Schilens had two receptions for 29 yards, with a 14.5 YPC average, his longest was 19 yards.

The Raiders claimed OT James Marten off waivers from the Cowboys; He is in his second year, a 2007 third round draft choice from Boston College, Another young player to develop.

The Bad

Russell’s lone turnover; the fumble on the screen pass to McFadden. The turnover wasn’t as bad as the time it happened. The Raiders answering the Broncos first score and tying the game would’ve been huge and would’ve helped to get the crowd into the game.

Guard/ Tackle Paul McQuistan went down and left the game with an injury; it appears that he is out for the season with a knee injury on an already thin offensive line.

The Raiders defense looked lost and on their heels the entire game. The secondary appeared to be trying to do too much instead of everyone handling their assignments. Unfortunately it isn’t anything new.

The Raiders committed 10 penalties for 100 yards.

The Ugly

The defensive had trouble slowing down the Broncos offense minus Brandon Marshall and never did. In the infamous words of Joe Namath the Raiders defense was ‘struggling’.

The overall poor play of the veteran players on the team and the lack of leadership shown. The Defense was in a word awful; the worst thing was that the unit looked as if they were lost and a step behind from the outset.

The Broncos offensive game plan clearly was to isolate rookie WR Eddie Royal on newly acquired CB DeAngelo Hall and he got owned. This matchup was simply a mismatch as the rookie embarrassed the veteran.

No one expected DeAngelo Hall to endorse Royal’s rookie of the week bid but with his poor play he signed off on it. Hall sits firmly on the hot seat, but he is not alone. He is a veteran that knows he needs to redeem himself.

The Defense was devoid of a pass rush, again. The Defensive Coordinator or Al again decided to not blitz at all. The defense spent the entire evening waiting to see what would happen as oppose to dictating to the offense what will happen.

Derrick Burgess left the game with an injury and with him went any chance of getting to the passer. Free Agent DE Kalimba Edwards was a game day scratch who could’ve helped rush the passer.

WR Ronald Curry not helping out his young QB and dropping two catchable passes that would’ve been huge plays for the team. There isn’t a receiver that can say he never drops a pass but both were unacceptable.

The continued absence of WR Javon Walker is disappointing and has him on the hotseat as well.

The best WR in training camp was Todd Watkins and the disappointing thing was that he was inactive in a game he could’ve helped to provide a spark to the offense.

It has been said for years that cornerbacks play on an island and that they’ve short memories. I believe this the case in regards to DeAngelo Hall because the entire defense needs to have a huge bounce back game.

Game one is over and the team has the best remedy for putting this game behind them; game two in Kansas City. The Raiders need to forget about the monday night debacle. The focus needs to be on playing night and day better and winning the game against the Chiefs.

Oakland Raiders' Much Needed Roster Additions

The Raiders cut 21 players to reach the league mandated 53 players. Head Coach Lane Kiffin stated “that the roster wasn’t set “; his way of saying that a few changes will be made to the roster.

The first two moves have been re-signing Free Agent Fullback Luke Lawton to a one year deal. This move was big due to the fact that the Oakland Raiders are a running team and to go into the regular season with only one Fullback would’ve been alarming. He effectively replaces injured Fullback Oren O’Neal.

In need of a veteran receiver with game experience the Raiders signed 6’3” 195 lbs. WR Ashlie Lelie to a one year deal. He was recently released by the San Francisco 49ers. He brings a 17.2 yards per catch average to the silver and black. He is a deep threat receiver and former 2002 1st round draft pick on the Denver Broncos.

Both players are being added to the active roster which brings up the obvious question; who do they replace on the active roster?

A couple of other factors come into play here. 1) The Raiders should carry six receivers on the roster. The Raiders are a running team but there will be occasions when the team will run multiple receiver sets. Adding a veteran receiver will help the show the young receivers the ropes and will aid in their development.

2) SLB Robert Thomas, who lost the positional battle to new starter Ricky Brown, is injured. He is receiving starters pay and the last two high salaried non-starters who were in the same position (Greg Biekert and Danny Clark) were released.

My solution would be to release SLB Sam Williams and SS Hiram Eugene. Robert Thomas has earned a roster spot and has been far more productive than Sam Williams. He was behind Robert Thomas and Ricky Brown all of training camp.

He is a good guy and I would thank him for his contributions, and wish him well but his services are no longer needed.

He has been with the team since the 2003 draft and has missed 44 of 80 games since he was the selected as the 83rd player selected in the third round. He was selected over LB Angelo Crowell and LB Bradie James. He has yet to develop in to the player the team envisioned.

Speaking of the draft this is a year in which none of the Raiders draft choices didn’t make the team. The Raiders gave up a second round pick to acquire CB DeAngelo Hall essentially making him a part of the 2008 draft.

WR Arman Shields was placed on the Injury Reserve list due to being injured the majority of training camp but looks to be the surprises of the 2009 training camp.

There are linebackers on the waiver wire that can give the Raiders what Sam Williams has provided at a lower cost.

Speaking of the waiver wire, the team can find an athletic offensive tackle that can take Mario Henderson’s spot which would allow the team to place him on the practice squad and provide time to develop both Henderson and the replacement player.

The reason for Hiram Eugene’s release can be justified by stating there isn’t a need to carry five safeties.

The future of the franchise looks good and it is very exciting to see so many talented young players on the roster. The Raiders have improved their talent and will be much more competitive this year.

Oakland Raiders: Players of Interest for the Practice Squad

The 53-man roster is set, for now. However a few moves still could be made to help improve the team for now and the future.

The Raiders could sign FB/TE/ H-Back Marcel Reece and RB Louis Rankin to the practice squad which will give them time to develop both players.

Here are a few players that are good candidates for the practice squad who could also challenge for a roster spot.


DT Nick Hayden: 6’4” 305 lbs. (2008 Sixth Round pick of the Panthers) He is an all-out hustler, a true run-stuffing lineman. He has excellent size for the position and plays with good technique and leverage. He would be a great player to develop.

OG Robert Felton: 6’4” 313 lbs. (2008 Bills Undrafted Free Agent) He was a three year starter at Tackle for Arkansas. He is a versatile player that has experience playing both tackle and Guard. He has a thick frame and long arms. He has developed into a physical drive blocker best suited for Guard.

He has a strong hand punch and creates movement off the snap working to open running lanes. He is an excellent run blocker that can be seen doing a solid job in most of Darren McFadden’s highlights; that would be a great player to develop.


OG/ OT Pedro Sosa: 6’4” 299 lbs. (2008 Dolphins Undrafted Free Agent) He is a player that has good initial quickness off the snap. He is blessed with the necessary size, quickness and overall athleticism to be effective in a zone blocking scheme.

He makes the initial block and gets to the second level; he does show explosiveness as a run blocker. Has the lateral agility and balance to mirror pass rushers. He isn’t dominant but makes up for it with quickness, balance and surprising power.


FB Lousaka Polite: 6’0” 242 lbs. (2004 Cowboys Undrafted Free Agent in) He is a Strong, hammer-type lead blocker who can play special teams.

LB Antwan Applewhite: 6’3” 246 lbs. (2007 Chargers Undrafted Free Agent) Fast, undersized defensive end who projects to linebacker at the next level. Quick off the snap, immediately alters his angle of attack and displays speed in every direction.

He loses little momentum when he must change direction. He shows abilities backpedaling off the line and playing in space. Reads the action and does not bite on ball fakes.

He is best described as a fleet-footed athlete that can make plays all over the field. He has excellent size for the position and would be an excellent player to develop for now and the future.


DT Dre Moore: 6’4” 307 lbs. (2008 fourth round pick of the Buccaneers) He is massive and shows the strength to be dominant. He does a good job of occupying two gaps when playing with good leverage.

He has a habit of jolting offensive lineman backwards and drives them into the quarterback. He cogs gaps and shuts down the interior running game. He shows a lot of promise and would be an excellent player to develop for now and the future.

The moves mentioned would provide the team with two Defensive Tackles, three versatile Offensive Linemen and a Linebacker to develop. These players would add much needed depth to the team and also push LT Mario Henderson, RT Cornell Green, and SLB Ricky Brown for playing time.

Depending on how fast the players develop could mean that the team won’t have to spend as many draft choices on the DT, LB and Offensive Tackle positions in 2009.

All of the players mentioned need time to develop into solid all around players with the exception of FB Lousaka Polite who has been in the league for three years. The Raiders could also sign late free agent pick up Luke Lawton to the practice squad as well.

All of the players mentioned fit the team profile of talented young players with a hunger to improve. This is being written prior to the Raiders selecting the players for their practice squad which could simply be seven or eight players recently cut to get down to the league mandated 53.

This group would provide far more depth now and in the future.

Oakland Raiders' Are getting help from the 2004 NFL Draft

Leading up to the 2004 NFL Draft the Oakland Raiders, like every other teams had several needs.

Possessing the number two overall pick in the draft the team’s biggest needs were Quarterback, Defensive End, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Outside Linebacker and Middle Linebacker.

The Raiders had nine draft picks in the draft and were thought to be targeting QB’s Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers. It was also reported that the Raiders were looking to improve the offensive line and eyeing LT Robert Gallery.

Several others had the Raiders targeting WR’s Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams or Mike Williams.

The Raiders chose to improve the offensive line and selected LT Robert Gallery, who at the time was one of the highest-rated offensive tackles leaving college in years. The second round brought Center Jake Grove who was rated the best center in the draft.

The other seven selections from that draft are no longer on the team and several are no longer in the NFL. The exceptions being; TE Courtney Anderson, who is on the Buffalo Bills roster and OLB Cody Spencer who is on the NY Jets roster.

Fast-forward four years later the two offensive linemen who were believed to be fixtures on the offensive line for the next ten years, Robert Gallery and Jake Grove remain.

The 2004 draft was yet another Raider draft class where the team several choices and a few years later only two guys remain with the team.

Free agency has helped to improve several teams and the Raiders seeking improvement traded a second round draft choice this year for CB DeAngelo Hall who was drafted number eight overall by the Falcons.

The team also signed SS Gibril Wilson and WR Drew Carter who were fifth round selections by the Giants and the Panthers. The team also signed Adimchinobe Echemandu who was a seventh round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns.

This gives the Raiders, four years removed, six solid draft choices from the 2004 NFL Draft that will help them improve in 2008.

LG Robert Gallery was labeled a ‘bust’ by many people but he had a solid 2007 campaign which will go a long way in shedding that label. He will continue to improve in the Tom Cable led zone blocking scheme.

C Jake Grove is noticeably bigger and stronger and locked into a heated battle for the starting center position with veteran Center Tom Wade.

CB DeAngelo Hall in set for a huge year as a starting cornerback opposite Nnamdi Asomugha. He should be the beneficiary of several interceptions due to teams not wanting to go after Nnamdi on a consistent basis.

Both Wilson and Carter are talented second day draft choices that took a little bit longer to develop which is why both fell to the fifth round.

SS Gibril Wilson is set for a huge year at Strong Safety following a solid 2007 championship year with the NY Giants.

He is an aggressive and tough safety who will come up and pop a running back. He can play in the box on eight man fronts and will help improve the teams run defense.

His acquisition solidifies the secondary and allows Michael Huff to play Free Safety which should free him up to use his athleticism to make plays.

WR Drew Carter is a talented player with good combination size and speed and tremendous upside.

Teams are always after receivers who have the quickness and strength to beat press coverage, the tenacity and hands to make catches in traffic and the size and leaping ability to be threats downfield and in the red zone.

Drew Carter has all of the above mentioned skills. He is locked in a positional battle with Ronald Curry for the number two or ‘Z’ receiver spot.

Todd Watkins, Drew Carter, Ronald Curry and Chaz Schilens have all made several plays in practice and in the first two pre-season games. The one missing link has been Javon Walker who needs to really step up.

Coach Kiffin has put him on notice stating that he needs to step his game up and start earning his paycheck. He was basically blasted for having too many dropped passes, lack of intensity and spending too much time in the trainer’s office. He has yet to play like a number one or go to receiver.

He knows that Saturday’s upcoming game against the Cardinals, despite being a pre-season game is a big one for him. Coach Kiffin has put together a game plan that will see several passes coming his way and he needs to come up big.

The wide receiver group as a whole needs to improve and show more consistency for the Raiders to have a complete offense. It is a work in progress and improving on a daily basis.

Let's not forget that 2004 was the same year the Raiders acquired starting DT Tommy Kelly as an undrafted free agent from Mississippi State.

The Oakland Raiders are a young team that will go through growing pains but they’re vastly improved and prepared to make noise in 2008 with the help of the selections from the 2004 draft.