Shockingly, this area was thought to be the teams biggest weakness going into the season and ended up actually being one of it's strengths. Well, as much of a strength as one can have on a 4-12 team, I guess. Don't get me wrong, Barry Sims and Robert Gallery were pretty horrible in pass protection. Gallery apparently doesn't know that he's 6'7. He is so fucking passive that it makes me seethe to watch him get dominated by guys who he should be destroying. After bouncing from left tackle to right tackle to right guard back to right tackle the team has come to the conclusion that he sucks least at left guard. So basically they spent the #2 overall pick on a guard who is an adequate run blocker and the worst pass blocker at his position. He's good for 2 or 3 false starts every week as well as a couple holding calls. If he doesn't figure things out and fast he could very well find himself getting cut next season.
Lining up to the left of him is the worst left tackle in the NFL, Barry Sims. I remember a time not too long ago when he was one of the best lineman the Raiders had. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when they had a great line that would give Rich Gannon all the time he needed. Barrett Robbins, Frank Middleton, Mo Collins, Lincoln Kennedy and Barry Sims were fun to watch, and some people went as far as to say that Sims was the best of the bunch. Then a funny thing happened: they all left. Robbins went apeshit before the biggest game of his life and is now in a psycho ward. Middleton got old and hurt. Mo Collins got circus fat. Lincoln retired. Sims weaknesses are more pronounced now that he isn't surrounded by great talent. He's a penalty magnet, much like Gallery. He routinely gets beat by speed rushers and over powered by bull rushers. He is terrible. And yet, for reasons only they know, the Raiders trot him out there week after week in spite of his ineptitude. He is damn near unwatchable.
Despite having the worst LT/LG combo in the league the Raiders still managed to have a successful ground attack. A lot of the credit goes to Jeremy Newberry. I rolled my eyes when the Raiders signed him, but he proved he still has a little bit left in the tank. Once they realized that Jake Grove is never going to be a starting center and put Newberry in the line started playing much better as a unit. Grove was selected one round after Gallery and has matched him step by step in their race to obscurity. Newberry did a good job of anchoring the line and pointing out blitzes and doing all the little things a good center does. He's a free agent and he's pretty long in the tooth, so there's no guarantee that he'll be back.
Cooper Carlisle was a solid pick up. He was probably the most consistent of the Raiders o-linemen. They ran to his side pretty regularly with good success. He did everything you'd expect from a 9 year vet and didn't get called for two many stupid penalties. He plays smart, which is something this team doesn't do a lot of.
They've been high on Paul McQuistan since the day they drafted him, and this was supposed to be the year he won the RT spot out of training camp. That didn't happen and the job went to Cornell Green who was pretty mediocre until suffering a season ending injury. McQuistan seized the opportunity and played really well down the stretch. He is a nasty asshole. He reminds me a lot of Steve Wisniewski. Technically and fundamentally sound guy with a big ol' mean streak. Plus he's an ugly fucker to boot. He should be their RT for the foreseeable future, and in my opinion he would make an excellent LT.
They spent a 3rd rounder on tackle Mario Henderson, and he didn't see the field all season. There seems to be a trend developing here with 1st day selections and lack of production.
In hind sight it really is amazing that they ran the ball as well as they did. There isn't a star in the whole bunch, and the left side is horrid, but somehow they found a way. This position was much better than expected, but still has a long ways to go before they're respectable again.
Final Grade: C+
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