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2007 Team Report: Oakland Raiders

Quarterbacks

Starter: Daunte Culpepper
Backup(s): JaMarcus Russell [R], Josh McCown, Andrew Walter

Starting QB: The Raiders signed Daunte Culpepper just after training camp started, and as long as he's healthy he's the favorite to open the season as the Raiders' starter. Culpepper suffered a devastating knee injury in 2005, and was unable to play through its lingering effects last year, ending up on Injured Reserve after struggling through the first few games for Miami. The Raiders' quarterback of the future is JaMarcus Russell, but Culpepper -- playing under a one-year contract -- will lead the franchise as far as he can this season.

Backup QB: Rookie JaMarcus Russell put together a brilliant junior season at LSU capped by outplaying Brady Quinn in the Sugar Bowl and consequently was selected by the Raiders with the first overall pick in the draft. His holdout, however, is substantially decreasing the chance that he'll be a big factor this year. The Raiders traded for Josh McCown on draft day. He saw very little playing time last year with the Detroit Lions but started 22 games for the Arizona Cardinals from 2002 to 2005. Andrew Walter has good size and a good arm, but lacks mobility and looked like a deer in the headlights during much of the 2006 season.

Running Backs

Starter: LaMont Jordan
Backup(s): Dominic Rhodes, Justin Fargas, Michael Bush [R], Joe Echemandu
Fullback(s): Justin Griffith

Starting RB: After finishing as the eighth-best fantasy RB in 2005, LaMont Jordan dropped all the way down to 56th in 2006. His season-ended knee injury suffered in Week 11 is partially to blame, but even before that, he was generally considered the biggest fantasy bust of the year. Jordan is a powerful, determined runner who can gain yardage after contact, but he got more than 20 carries only twice in 2006. Jordan also had few goal-line opportunities last year and his TD total dropped from nine two years ago to two last year. Jordan took a pay cut to stay with the Raiders this year and appears to be healthy again.

Backup RBs: Dominic Rhodes was an unrestricted free agent this offseason after helping the Colts win a Super Bowl. He chose to sign in Oakland because he believes he will be more than a backup. HC Lane Kiffin plans to work Rhodes into the game as a complement to Jordan's more bruising style, but will have to wait until after Rhodes serves a four-game suspension for violating the league's drug policy. Rookie Michael Bush is a huge, talented back (6'1", 245 pounds) but is coming off a major injury. Veteran Justin Fargas, also an injury risk, has excellent quickness and is experienced.

Fullback: The Raiders signed Justin Griffith as an unrestricted free agent this offseason to lead the way for Jordan and Rhodes. Griffith spent his first four years in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons establishing a reputation as one of the better blocking fullbacks in the league.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Ron Curry, Jerry Porter
Backups: Travis Taylor, Mike Williams, Johnnie Lee Higgins [R]

Starting WRs: Ronald Curry is a former college quarterback who has also spent some time at defensive back. After limited playing time in his first two seasons, Curry enjoyed a breakout 2004 campaign. Unfortunately the end of 2004 and most of 2005 were cut short by Achilles' injuries. He returned to action in 2006 and played reasonably well in less-than-ideal circumstances. Jerry Porter is an athletically gifted WR who has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career. He plays physically, with good speed, but isn't a refined route runner. He was a non-factor last year but appears to have a fresh start thanks to the new coaching staff.

Backup WRs: Travis Taylor never quite made his mark as a starter in Baltimore, and now has a new lease on life as a 2nd stringer in Oakland. Taylor has the physical tools, but lapses in his footwork and route precision have kept him from living up to his expectations. Mike Williams, the former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions, is reunited with Lane Kiffin, whom he played for in college. Williams earned a roster spot against long odds, and may be a factor particularly in the red zone. Rookie Johnnie Lee Higgin won the final roster spot over several established veterans; he could play a role with in 2008 and beyond.

Tight Ends

Starters: Zach Miller
Backups: John Madsen, Tony Stewart

Zach Miller was the sixth pick in the second round of this year's draft. He was a three-year starter at Arizona State and had over 1,500 receiving yards in his college career. But what sets him apart from the other rookie tight ends is his ability as a pass blocker -- an area of weakness in Oakland last year. John Madsen, a solid blocker, was catching everything thrown his way in the preseason and earned the TE2 role. Wily veteran Tony Stewart rounds out the TE corps.

Place Kicker

Sebastian Janikowski : 2005 was a year to forget for Janikowski, with career lows in field goal percentage, long range field goals, and kickoff distance. 2006 was a year to forget for the Raiders offense. With the limited scoring opportunities, Oakland finished last in kicker scoring with 70 points. That's less than half what Robbie Gould had for the Bears. Janikowski numbers were back up a little, although 18 of 25 (72.0%) on FGs is still not very good. Three of the misses were from under 40 yards. His kickoff yardage was back up to typical distance, although so was the opponents' return yardage. CAMP UPDATE: Sebastian Janikowski has been displaying his range in camp. He made a 50 yard field goal against the wind in practice, and made a 58 yarder in a scrimmage. He entered camp as the only kicker on the roster, however the Raiders signed a camp leg, Tyler Frederickson who was released by Washington. He can both kick and punt, providing relief for Janikowski and punter Shane Lechler.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Chris Carr; Johnnie Lee Higgins; Dominic Rhodes; LaMont Jordan

As a rookie in 2005, CB Chris Carr stepped into the return specialist role and did a commendable job. He had 69 kickoff returns (25.5 avg.) last year. Carr also handles punt returns, and between the two has 211 returns over the past two years. The team is looking to lighten his return workload. Consequently they drafted WR Johnnie Lee Higgins from UTEP in the third round. He averaged 19.9 yards during his college career. The Raiders could line up both Carr and Higgins deep, so opponents cannot kick way from them. Free agent acquisition RB Dominic Rhodes led the Colts in 2005 (41 returns, 20.9 avg.) and 2004.

Punt Returners: Chris Carr; Johnnie Lee Higgins; Duane Starks

Chris Carr hasn't as productive on punts, where he averaged 6.6 yards as a rookie and 6.2 yards last year. On the strength of his KR numbers, he finished the year as the 5th ranked fantasy returner. Johnnie Lee Higgins is also better suited to kickoff returns, but became UTEP's main punt returner as a junior. He has excellent acceleration and is always a threat to take it the distance, which he did twice on punt returns as a senior. CB Duane Starks handled punt returns in a backup role for Arizona in 2004.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Barry Sims, LG Robert Gallery, C Jake Grove, RG Cooper Carlisle, RT Cornell Green
Key Backups: Jeremy Newberry, Mario Henderson [R], Paul McQuistan

The Raiders offensive line was horrible last season. New O-Line coach Tom Cable has a daunting task of improving this unit. Center Jake Grove will handle line calls and is the lone starter from a year ago returning to the same role. Robert Gallery continues to be an enigma. He has the athleticism and talent to dominate defenses, but he continues to be average at best. After struggling at both tackle positions, he will start the season at left guard. Cooper Carlisle was brought in from Denver and should bring confidence to the group. He isn't a great player but should help stabilize the right side. Cornell Green edged out rookie Mario Henderson at right tackle. At left tackle, Barry Sims will try to hold onto the position, but he's objectively among the worst starters at his position.

Team Defense

The Raiders defense has come a long long way over the past two seasons. They are now younger, faster and more talented than they have been many years. The 2-14 record of '06 is certainly not indicative of how this unit performed. Oakland made major statistical improvement in nearly every defensive category and managed to keep the team in most games despite the putrid performance of the leagues worst offense. The organization has committed several recent first day draft picks to the secondary and the investment is paying off big as they produced last season's top pass defense and the third rated defense overall. Second year linebacker Kirk Morrison shifted inside where he has now led the team in tackles for two consecutive seasons. Morrison has established himself as both the leader of this defense and one of the leagues very fine linebackers. With the defense playing so well and the offense so poorly, its easy to understand why the club put nearly all of it's offseason energy into improving offensively. However the one defensive shortcoming of '06 was addressed on day one of the draft with the selection of DE Quentin Moses. He's a talented pass rusher with a lot of upside and is expected to contribute immediately to a group that totaled just 34 sacks. The talent is in place and this unit is set to possibly take its place among the leagues elite in '07.

Defensive Line

Starters: DT Tommy Kelly, DE Derrick Burgess, DT Warren Sapp, DT Terdell Sands
Backups: DT Gerard Warren, DE Kevin Huntley, DE Tyler Brayton, DE Jay Richardson

Starting DL: After an injury plagued stay in Philly early in has career, Burgess seems to have outlasted his bad luck streak. In two seasons with the Raiders he's been nothing short of outstanding with 95 solo tackles and 27.5 sacks, including a league leading 16 in '05. Burgess has emerged as one of the leagues premier every down ends and is still in the prime of his career. Tommy Kelly is a 300-pound guy who moves very well and has 12 sacks to his credit over the past three seasons. He is a converted defensive tackle and should be a force against the run from the end position. Warren Sapp played like a 25 year old in '06; and showed up to camp this year in fantastic shape. He claimed to be having more fun than in years and his production supported the claim. Sapp's 10 sacks were his highest totals since his career best of 16.5 way back in 2000. He may only have a year or two left but has proven beyond doubt that he can still contribute. The other tackle spot will either be manned by 335-pound Terdell Sands or by newly acquired Gerard Warren.

Backup DL: The Raiders curiously found a trade partner with archrival Oakland, and acquired former 3rd overall pick DT Gerard Warren in mid August. Warren could earn a starting spot inside with Warren Sapp fairly quickly. Oakland has better depth on the D-line than they did a season ago. The versatility of Tommy Kelly, the emergence of Terdell Sands and the addition of Warren give the coaching staff a lot of options they didn't have a year ago. Tyler Brayton started training camp as the projected starter opposite Burgess but has given way to Tommy Kelly.

Linebackers

Starters: MLB Kirk Morrison, WLB Thomas Howard, SLB Sam Williams
Backups: MLB Robert Thomas, OLB Ricky Brown, OLB Isaiah Ekejiuba, OLB Chris Clemons, OLB Kurt Campbell

Starting LBs: The Raiders hit a grand slam when they drafted Morrison three years ago. After leading the club in tackles from the WLB position as a rookie, Morrison was shifted inside last season where he not only repeated as the tackle leader but added significant big play improvement on the way to becoming the centerpiece of this exciting young defense. Last year's second round pick Thomas Howard found a home at the WLB position where he proceeded to prove a lot of people wrong. Critics suggested that his "limited football intelligence" would be a problem and that he would best fit on the strong side where he wouldn't have to think as much. Instead Howard parlayed his speed and exceptional physical attributes into a very successful rookie campaign in which he helped solidify the Raiders LB corps while becoming the team's second leading tackler. The coaching staff would like to see him contribute more game changing big plays and they fully expect that to happen now that he has a year of experience under his belt. Sam Williams was the Raiders third round pick in '03 but spent most of his first three seasons on the sideline with injuries. He kicked the injury bug in '06 and started 15 games. At 6'5" and 265, Williams is physical enough to blow up blocking schemes yet fast and athletic enough to contribute as a pass rusher. He is the proto-typical old school SLB. Just two seasons ago linebacker was a major weakness for Oakland. The infusion of youth and talent has turned the LB corps into a group that should be a strength for the next several years.

Backup LBs: Strong as the starting lineup may be, an injury at LB could create a lot of problems for the Raiders. Robert Thomas was a first round draft choice of the Rams in '02 and brings plenty of experience. He would likely be the top backup at all three positions, however Thomas was basically a bust in St. Louis where he never lived up to expectations. The Rams moved him all over the field in an effort to find a position where he could be successful but after just three seasons they gave up on him and moved on. Beyond Thomas there is a collection of undrafted free agents and special teams contributors, none of whom have any significant pro experience. If you take Thomas out of the mix, the other 7 backups who fill out the depth chart, have a combined 34 tackles in the NFL.

Defensive Backs

Starters: RCB Fabian Washington, LCB Nnamdi Asomugha, FS Stuart Schweigert, SS Michael Huff
Backups: CB Stanford Routt, CB Duane Starks, CB Chris Carr

Starting DBs: The Oakland secondary is loaded with youth, speed and talent. Nnamdi Asomugha, Fabian Washington and Michael Huff are all former first round picks while Stuart Schweigert was also a first day draft choice. In '05 this group struggled, not so much in coverage but from a playmaking standpoint as the Raiders produced just 5 total interceptions. Last season they added even more youth and speed in Huff but the experience gained by the rest of the group in previous seasons proved huge as Oakland exploded with 18 interceptions and produced the leagues #1 pass defense. Asomugha is a big physical corner at 6-2 and 210 while Washington is a 5-11, 180 pound burner. Between them they totaled 12 interceptions last season and together they are a versatile 1-2 punch who can handle about any receiver tandem the league can throw at them. Huff didn't exactly explode onto the scene as a rookie but he did what was asked of him and made very few mistakes. A year of starting experience and confidence gained will pave the way for Huff to make a bigger impact in '07. This is a very strong unit that has probably not yet reached its prime. Last year's starting free safety, Stuart Schweigert, will serve as an excellent safety valve. He was shaky as a rookie starter in '04 but has improved steadily and considerably since that time. He's not the most physical of free safeties but makes good decisions and rarely misses a tackle.

Backup DBs: '05 second round pick Stanford Routt works as the nickel corner and could step right into the starting role if called upon, but beyond Routt there are questions. Duane Starks was the first round pick of Arizona in '02 where he started 24 games over 3 injury plagued seasons. When healthy he is a solid cover man but at only 5-10 and 170 pounds, he's never been able to stay on the field for long and has missed more games with injury than he's played. After Starks the club has an unknown commodity in rookie 4th round pick John Bowie and kick return specialist Chris Carr.

Last modified: 2007-09-02 07:31:25