Raiders Top 10 Concerns for 2009
June 30, 2009 · Posted in Recent Posts · Comment
The Raiders Post
- Who is going to start at LT and can they perform? Whether it is Mario Henderson, Khalif Barnes or someone else questions are yet to be answered at this key position along the offensive line.
- Does JaMarcus Russell have what it takes to be an NFL QB? Though this is technically his third year in the league last year might as well been considered a rookie campaign; he still needs to learn to back better decisions and improve his work ethic.
- Can Darren McFadden stay healthy and improve on his rookie numbers? McFadden didn’t look to me the explosively quick back he was in college, whether it is the speed of the game or injuries that made him look pedestrian only time will tell. For my money Michael Bush looked like the best RB in the Oakland backfield last year.
- Will DHB show any sparks of potential? I am not asking him to come out and have a 1000 yard season but we need to see some flashes of talent, which will lend merit to him being taken so high in the draft.
- Will Tommy Kelly return to form of a few years ago? We need a stout DT to stop the run Tommy Kelly has the potential if he is in shape and motivated, he if underperforms again this year he needs to be cut.
- Who else can be rotated on the DT? The complete defensive line rotation lacked any real push last year especially in the middle, play from the DT position has been severely lacking. Gerard Warren played pretty well, but William Joseph and Terdell Sands really leave something to be desired.
- Who will emerge at WR? Johnny Lee Higgins, showed some flashes but still needs to develop. Javon Walker has been the man in the past, but is he washed up? Zack Miller is pretty well set at TE but we need some WRs to make some plays.
- Who will start at SLB? While MLB and WLB are set will Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard respectively, SLB is still a bit of a question Jon Alston is penciled in but someone else could leap frog him.
- Will Michael Huff start at either safety position? The first round pick in ’06 lost his starting job last season and with the second round pick of Mike Mitchell and the Raiders keeping Hiram Eugene, Huff’s days as a starter might well be behind him in Oakland.
- Who will start at FB? The Raiders signed Lorenzo Neal but he is at the tail end of his career and I would be surprised if he gets cut in training camp, Oren O’Neal looked good in limited playing time but he still recovering from the injuries he sustained last year.
Raiders Sign Greg Ellis
June 15, 2009 · Posted in Recent Posts · Comment
The Raiders Post
I am not sure how much this guy can contirbute. This was a decent pick up, from what I see the Raider Nation thinks it was a good signing, time will tell.
Linebacker Greg Ellis has agreed to a three-year deal with the Oakland Raiders.Ellis was released June 2 by the Dallas Cowboys.
Ellis, the Cowboys’ first-round pick in 1998, has played in 162 games, all with Dallas, starting 156. He has 634 career tackles and 77 sacks.
He won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2007, the same season he was named to the Pro Bowl.
He had 36 tackles, 8 sacks and 1 interception last season.John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com
