Yeah, there's really no need for a snarky caption here. Tom Cable attempting to teach Robert Gallery to read an upside down playbook might make for an excellent After School Special or even win Sandra Bullock an Oscar, but here in the real world it means your team sucks. And boy oh boy, the '09 Raiders sucked big time. The team had a few bright moments, such as the wins over Cincy and Pittsburgh, but for every nice game there were 4-5 games where they simply looked like they had never played football before. The fact that they were able to stay in games with Jamarcus Russell throwing the ball to no one in particular was a bit of a miracle. There were games when the defense decided to put it all on themselves and nearly won games on their own. Then there were games where they just said "fuck it" and mailed it in. It was a season of shit, to be sure. Al Davis continued to stand his ground, insisting that his antiquated style of football could still win in the NFL. He was also convinced that his piss poor free agent signings and draft picks were going to develop into winners. As usual, Al was wrong, and all we Raider fans can do is sit back and watch as this once proud franchise slips further and further into the abyss. So get comfy and perhaps grab a beer, because this post is guaranteed to elicit either your tears or your laughs, or, just maybe, a glorious combination of both.
Quarterbacks
What can I say that I, along with nearly everyone else on Earth, hasn't already said about Jamarcus? He's lazy. He's a bad teammate. He's not an NFL QB. He's fat. He's the least accurate QB ever. All of these things are gospel truth. He's also incredibly rich and doesn't seem to have a problem with losing. He falls asleep during film sessions, half asses it through practice and doesn't demand the respect of his team. It's amazing watching him play. It's as if every game is the first time he's ever played football. I've seen Pop Warner QBs with a better feel for the game. He has no accuracy, no pocket presence and no ability to elude the pass rush. He is terrible. And yet, even after possibly the worst statistical season EVER, Al is going to give him every shot to win the starting job again. Why? Because Al can't stand the possibility that he *MIGHT* have made a mistake on this one. So Al will continue to send the slug out there and the Raiders will continue to lose.
The fact that the team was so much more competitive with Bruce Gradkowski is more of an indictment of the ineptness of Jamarcus than it is an endorsement of Bruce. He's an OK care taker, but he's a journeyman for a reason. He doesn't have a strong arm and is only effective with short passes. He's scrappy and a leader, though, and the team responded to him. Again, this is more a sign of how hated Jamarcus is than anything else. Gradkowski is fine for a stop gap, but he's not going to get you to the next level. I wish some of my fellow Raider fans could see that. Charlie Frye and J.P. Losman are probably gone. I expect them to be replaced by a late round draft pick.
Running backs
This is make or break time for Darren McFadden. Entering his 3rd season he has a grand total of 1 100 yard game in his career, and has issues staying healthy. He also fumbles and has a bad habit of tripping over the chalk lines. He's at his best running outside, which explains why Cable chose to run him up the middle repeatedly. This may also explain why Cable was stripped of play calling duties after the season ended. He's not officially a lost cause, but the clock is running. Poor line play is a factor in his poor play, but he's not doing himself any favors when he fumbles or slips and goes down without contact.
Michael Bush is a monster, and the Raiders are a better team with him moving the chains. For whatever reason he'd have a good game and then would get limited carries for the next 3 weeks. With Justin Fargas gone and DMC's being made of balsa wood, this could be the year that Bush breaks out big.
The depth behind them takes a big hit with Fargas being cut. He was one of the few Raiders who goes all out on every play and is willing to play hurt (which is a good thing since he's never healthy). His spot will probably be taken by a Louis Rankin-type of guy who turns some heads in camp. Fullback is a mess, with Luke Lawton a restricted FA and Oren O'Neal recovering from injury.
RECEIVER AND TIGHT END
Yeah, it was that bad. Look, I know when you have a shitty QB like Jamarcus that you can't realistically expect your wideouts to do much. I get that. But even with that built in excuse, the Raiders receivers found a way to underachieve. Johnnie Lee Higgins (who made huge strides in his second season) was nearly murdered after Jamarcus hung him out to dry on a pass over the middle on opening night, getting blasted into a billion pieces by San Diego's Eric Weddle. He wasn't the same for the rest of the season. He dropped several passes and was useless as a punt returner. He needs a strong camp to stick around.
Much was expected from Chaz Schillens heading into last season. The former 7th rounder had become the go-to guy for Jamarcus and the two are alleged to have a rapport of some sort. Of course, as fate would have it, he missed a huge chunk of the season, and by the time he came back no else gave a damn. He still has upside, but with Jamarcus under center, it won't matter.
Al Davis passed on Michael Crabtree because he simply HAD TO HAVE Darrius Heyward-Bey. DHB ran a blistering 40 at the combine and Al made his mind up right there and then. Unfortunately, NFL games aren't won or lost on 40 times. They're won and lost by players who can play the game. DHB cannot play the game. As a receiver your job is to catch thrown footballs. DHB cannot catch a thrown football. You see the problem here? He had a grand total of 9 catches and 1 TD on the season, before sitting out the last 5 games for undisclosed reasons. I will never forget watching the 2009 draft and gaining more and more hope as Crabtree continued to slip. When he made it to #7 I managed to fool myself into thinking that maybe, just this once, Al would yield to conventional wisdom and take Crabtree. And then Roger Goodell made his way to the podium and snapped me back into reality. After his draft picks continue to fall flat on their faces you'd think eventually Al Davis would realize that he no longer has an eye for talent. And yet, here we are.
Louis Murphy, on the other hand, not only met the limited expectations he came in with as a 4th round pick, but managed to surpass them. Believe it or not, he is the closest thing the Raiders have to an actual NFL receiver right now. He has a nice combo of size and speed, and has shown the willingness to go over the middle and take the big hit. I really like Lou, and if paired up with a real NFL QB he could be a big time player.
Javon Walker and his enormous contract are finally gone. He might go down as the worst free agent signing in NFL history. Nick Miller was supposed to be the punt returner and slot receiver but was never healthy. Todd Watkins and Jonathon Holland there for depth and are pretty limited. Yamon Figures is being brought in to push Miller and Higgins as returners.
Tight end Zach Miller continues to improve each year, and is among the best receivers at his position. He's not a great blocker, but he's much improved from when he came into the league. He's the one legit weapon that they have on offense. He's the next step in the Raider tight end legacy, and he deserves better than this.
Tony Stewart is your basic 2nd tight end. A decent blocker, but not much in the passing game. Ditto for Brandon Myers. I'd be stunned if they didn't bring in someone to push him.
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