Raiders Special Teams: What Happened?

The Raiders 2009 season could best be described as inconsistent. 

One week the team looks to have a lot of potential, the next they look totally awful.  There has been one thing that has been consistent and that’s special teams. 

Consistently bad that is.

The only exception is the kickers. Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski are both having their best season since they were drafted in 2000.

The problem lies in the returns category.

Last year the special teams were excellent. The 2008 Raider team had the second highest punt return average in the league and lead all teams in special team touchdowns. 

Johnnie Lee Higgins led all punt returners in yards and touchdowns.  He was fourth in average despite having nearly twice as many attempts than the three players ahead of him.

Justin Miller was 14th in the league in kick return average and was the only player in the league to return two kickoffs for touchdowns.  He had 19 returns of over 20 yards and four that went over 40. 

He was the special teams player of the month in December.  He did all this in only seven games with the team.

This year’s team ranks dead last in kickoff return average and 29th in punt return average.  It comes as no surprise that Oakland has failed to score any touchdowns on kick returns.

So whats the problem?  Is it the players?

The Raiders opted to re-sign Miller over the offseason, but he was cut at the end of training camp.  The Raiders re-signed him for one game after they cut Louis Rankin, who started the season as kick returner.  Since then, they have used Jonathan Holland and  Gary Russell (our emergency fullback).

Russell has returned kicks the past few weeks with limited success.  He is not quick enough in my opinion to return kicks.  With Luke Lawton being suspended by the team, Gary may not be the man against the Browns.

I think the best solution for this problem is to have Darren McFadden return kicks.  He is one of the fastest players on the team and had success returning kicks in college.  His speed and play-making ability are exactly what the Raiders are looking for in a kick returner.

So what about Higgins?  He is only averaging 5.6 yards per attempt, but it is hard to believe it’s all his fault. 

That leads me to the real problem with Oakland’s return department: the departure of Brian Schneider, last year’s special teams coach.

Schneider was replaced by John Fassel, who was Schneider’s assistant in 2008. 

Schneider left for the same job at USC.  Why a coach would switch from the pros to college for the same position is beyond me.  Schneider’s USC team is ranked seventh in all of FBS in punt return average. 

Quite the improvement over the 2008 Trojan team that was ranked 73rd.

He hasn’t had quite the same success in the kickoff return area.  His Trojan team is ranked 110th in FBS compared to their second-ranked kickoff return team in 2008.  So all the blame can’t be laid on Fassel’s shoulders.

If the Raiders the are hoping to continue their improvement into 2010 the special teams return department is going to need some serious attention.

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Raiders All-Decade Team: Offense

As the decade comes to an end its time to select an All-Decade team, for “The Team of the Decades. Even though it may be the worst decade the organization has ever seen. I know the decade isn’t officially over, but I’m pretty confident JaMarcus isn’t going to make a big push for QB of the decade. I’m sure you guys will have plenty of arguments, so feel free to voice your opinion Raider Nation.

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Charlie Frye Will Be Oakland Raiders’ Starting QB This Week

It has been reported that Charlie Frye will be starting in place of injured Bruce Gradkowski Sunday against the Broncos. 

Tom Cable obviously does not think that JaMarcus Russell is capable of leading the team.  Yesterday the Raiders signed J.P. Losman as insurance.

It looks like the JaMarcus Russell era is coming to an end.

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The Great Debate: Who Is the Oakland Raiders’ Best Reciever of All Time

Recently I saw a clip from the NFL Network profiling the Raiders top 10 all—time players.  No. 1 for them was Fred Biletnikoff, while Tim Brown was No. 10. 

I was quite surprised by this. Not to take anything away from Biletnikoff—he is definitely an all—time Raider great—but Tim Brown is Mr. Raider.

I know Biletnikoff played in a different era with different offenses but Browns’ numbers are hard to deny.

When Brown retired, he was top three all—time in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.  He did all this while catching footballs from several different quarterbacks (if anyone knows exactly how many let me know) and they weren’t all Rich Gannons.  He usually had no more than two or three years with a QB.

So that brings me to my question….

Who is the Raiders best receiver of all time?

I see it as three horse race: Tim Brown, Cliff Branch, or Fred Biletnikoff. 

So what do you guys think? Write—ins are welcome too.

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Say Goodbye: JaMarcus Russell Punches His Ticket Out Of Oakland

Raider Nation let out a collective sigh on Sunday when we learned Bruce Gradkowski would not be playing the second half against Washington.

The Raiders were trailing 17-10 going into half time.  The team had been playing pretty well on both sides of the ball. They could have had the lead if it wasn’t for a couple of questionable calls.

Then JaMarcus Russell came in.

Russell really made me mad earlier in the week with his, “JaMarcus only worries about JaMarcus.” comments.

Yet, I still held onto a glimmer of hope that maybe the benching had really got to him and he would show us why we drafted him number one.  His first series went OK.  He completed two first down passes that got the team in position for a Sebastian Janikowski field goal.

Then JaMarcus showed his true colors.  Checking down to the RB’s, standing still as statue in the pocket just begging to be sacked, Throwing a pick (in enemy territory), and fumbling. In other words, typical Russell quarterbacking.

It seemed to me that the whole team knew that all of their hard work in the first half had gone down the drain as soon as Russell stepped onto the field.  The players aren’t dumb; they know Russell isn’t going to put it all on the line to win.  It seemed like they took the same approach. They had no confidence in Russell and played like a team that didn’t care if they won or lost.

When Gradkowski is in the game, the team seems completely different.  They know Bruce wants to win and will do whatever it takes to do so.  This rubs off on the rest of the team and the results are hard to ignore.  He’s a leader and motivator. 

Russell is an employee.

He’s not a football player.  He has no competitive edge, no leadership, and no talent.  I don’t care how far he can throw a football from his knees, if he can’t throw it accurately, it’s not a factor.  He’s just there to collect a check.

It seemed as though head coach Tom Cable saw this coming in training camp, when he questioned Russell’s work ethic.  I like to think Cable would have made the change at QB much earlier if it weren’t for Al Davis’ confidence in Russell.  When Cable was finally able to make the change, the team improved dramatically.

Until Sunday, I thought we should try to restructure his contract and keep him for another year or so and see if he develops.  Now, I say we  just cut him.  He has nothing to offer this team and obviously doesn’t care if he’s a Raider or not.

If Gradkowski’s injury is serious enough that he doesn’t play next week, we have to start Charlie Frye.  I don’t really know how much Frye has to offer, but I guarantee it’s more than Russell.  I have never seen such a huge drop in play by a whole team as I did Sunday as soon as Russell came in.

Al has a lot invested in Russell and he has given him every chance to prove himself as an NFL quarterback.  Russell has done nothing with this opportunity but gain weight and throw his teammates under the bus.

Al has never been afraid to tell someone to get the hell out, no matter how much they are paid.  I think its time to do the same with Russell.

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Oakland Raiders: Let’s Give the Cable Guy a Little Credit

It’s been a bumpy road for Tom Cable during his time as head coach of the Oakland Raiders.

Cable joined the Raiders in 2007 as an offensive line coach under Lane Kiffin. 

After four games into the 2008 season, he inherited a 1-3 team after Lane Kiffin was fired for cause.  

The Raiders went 4-8 under Cable, going 3-3 in the last six games of the season. Al Davis gave Cable the full-time job after the season.

Cable received criticism for his first-round draft pick of Darrius Heyward-Bey, but any Raiders fan knows that was Al’s decision. 

Then, in August, an investigation began after assistant Randy Hanson claimed Cable had broken his jaw. The media was all over the situation. 

Not soon after, “Outside the Lines” did a story about three women who claim to have been abused by Cable.

There has been talk all year of Cable being fired.  I personally don’t think it will happen, nor do i think it should happen.

Lane Kiffin was fired because he defied Davis. 

Cable is smart, he knows that to keep his job he has to do what his boss wants. 

Do you think Cable really thought JaMarcus was the answer at quarterback?

No, but Al did, and he makes all the decisions.

Luckily for the Raider Nation, Cable was eventually able to change Al’s mind by benching Russell against the Jets and Chiefs. 

In those games, Bruce Gradkowski came in and gave the offense a spark. 

In Week 11, Cable convinced him that Bruce should start, and we are 2-1 since, including wins over good teams.

Cable has respect in the locker room. The players want to play for him. 

He is working with a lot of young, inexperienced players. It’s gonna take time, but Cable is turning the Raiders around.

As far as all the controversy goes, it’s not like the guy is some violent animal. 

He admitted to making a mistake 20-some years a go by laying hands on his wife after he found out she had cheated on him. 

The other two women’s stories didn’t seem to have much credibility. 

He was never charged with anything in the Randy Hanson case. 

To be quite honest with you, as a Raiders fan, I like the fact that our head coach broke someone’s jaw for running his mouth. 

It’s that mentality that made the Raiders feared by the whole league back in the ’70s and ’80s. 

It’s like Robert Gallery said after the story had just broke, “We’re the Raiders.  Someone gets knocked out everyday.”

I’m not saying Cable is perfect, his play calling isn’t the greatest. 

I really think if they got an good offensive coordinator in there (no, not Charlie Weis), we would be OK.

He does deserve credit though. He was the one who cut Jeff Garcia in favor of Bruce Gradkowski. 

After being stuck with the worst quarterback in the NFL for the first 10 weeks, he got his man in there and has gotten the results he was looking for.

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Justin Fargas: Oakland’s True Raider

The last seven seasons of Raider football have been absolutely terrible. 

The team has lost 80 games since 2002 when they lost in the Super Bowl to Jon Gruden and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Many players have come and gone in those seven years, most telling horror stories of their time with the Raiders.  Through all of the hard times and turmoil one player has shown the pride and poise that owner Al Davis demands out of every Raider.

Justin Fargas.

Justin Fargas was drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft by Al Davis and the Raiders.  That year Fargas joined an aging Raider team fresh off a Super Bowl loss. 

Fargas’ rookie season wasn’t much to talk about.  The team finished 4-12 while Fargas rushed for a mere 203 yards. 

The only thing that has changed for the Raiders since then is personnel. Fargas is the longest tenured Raider on offense. 

He is currently the team’s leading rusher despite missing the first two games with an injury.  He also led the team in rushing the last two years. 

What sets Fargas apart from the other Raiders that have come and gone during his career isn’t great numbers or flashy plays.  It’s the way he conducts himself as a true Raider.

During Al’s time with the Raiders he has always preached a “commitment to excellence” and no other Raider has lived up to that better than Fargas.  He has always given 110 percent on every player and does it with class. 

Fargas’ game is pretty simple.  He doesn’t duck and dodge defenders, he takes them head on.  No player in the league hits the hole harder than Fargas.  He plays hard nose football in a league that seems to be getting softer every season. 

The most important thing about Fargas is that he loves being a Raider.  Through seven losing seasons he has never whined or questioned his team.  He goes out there week after week and plays his hardest, even though many times the rest of the team hasn’t.

Al Davis has been criticized a lot lately for poor personnel decisions, but lets give him credit for Fargas.  He conducts himself like a true Raider, with pride and poise, commited to excellence.

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