Raiders QB Jason Campbell did about as well as he could with the little pass protection he got.  His timing was off in great part because he had to rush passes to receivers who were early in their route. There were also several plays when he had the pocket, was looking desperately down field for an open receiver, and had no one to throw at.

At this point, no QB switch or coaching change is going to provide a cure.  After the first series, many fans were calling for Campbell to be pulled for Bruce Gradkowski and for Cable to be fired. Enough with the knee jerk reactions.

Having said that, cutting JaMarcus Russell was absolutely the right thing to do. I don’t care if he’s sitting at home, surrounded by empty pizza boxes, laughing at the anemic Raider offense. He was and is not a viable starting NFL QB. End of story.

Observations from the game:

The offense looked scattered and desperate.  Campbell’s 22 completed passes were delivered to eight different receivers.  Nobody had the chance to get in rhythm, including Zach Miller who was severely underutilized with just 4 receptions. This offense goes nowhere if Miller is used primarily for blocking.

The wide receiver crew is too young and inexperienced. The Raider Administration will be downright negligent if they don’t seek a veteran WR to add to the squad.

Oakland Raiders RB/Darren McFadden

Facing Titans RB Chris Johnson is not a fair test for the Raiders run defense. He’s one of those players that’s going to get his yards, and if you focus on shutting him down the rest of your game suffers. So take away that one breakout run for 76 yards, and the Raiders defense held him to about 2.5 yards a carry. That’s not bad.

Raiders RB Darren McFadden has begun his “I am not a bust” campaign. He accounted for 150 total yards of offense, caught a TD pass, all with no fumbles. It’s clear he’s worked on protecting the ball, his form is much tighter and he ran harder than at any point last season.

Nnamdi Asomugha needs help in the secondary. CB Stanford Routt was outmatched, and has been since pre-season began. With Asomugha being a true shut down corner, Routt will continue to be thrown at, creating a huge liability down field. Michael Huff continues to play out of position, and failing to take advantage of his second season at FS.  There’s a safety by the name of Stevie Brown on the Raiders practice squad that I would gladly see roaming downfield.

The Raiders need to bring in a legit center so that rookie Jared Veldheer can replace LT Mario Henderson and save Campbell’s life. Henderson is horrid. Veldheer is a wall and a greater asset to the line protecting Campbell’s blind side.

With Viking fans everywhere looking for any and every indicator that Favre will return as the Vikings QB for 2010, this story has come out as supporting evidence. For Raider fans, the story is even more compelling.

Brett Favre is one of the most prolific QB’s the modern NFL era has seen. His place in the HOF is all but a formality. He has much to share and teach, and Raiders QB, Jason Campbell, has been been his student.

Even as I type, reports indicate that JaMarcus Russell is training in Arizona. “Training in Arizona.” We’ve heard that countless times with nothing to show for it. How refreshing it is to hear that our probable team leader has taken initiative to elevate his game by training with the likes of Brett Favre. If there was any doubt that Campbell is the Raiders starting QB, please put that doubt to bed. The only competition in camp will be for second and third on the depth chart.

Raiders TE Zach Miller has led all Raiders receivers in receptions and yards over the last two seasons. The last time a WR led in the receiving category was Ronald Curry in 2007 when the QB slot was being juggled by Russell, Culpepper and McCown. And for the last time a Raider WR hit four digits in yardage? In 2005 Randy Moss gained 1,005 total yards for eight TDs.

The air game has been grounded in Oakland for quite a while. However, I’m not with “Team Panic” when it comes to the Raiders current crew of receivers. I’m willing to apply a liberal amount of patience and see what progresses.

As of today, the likely 2010 Raider WR’s are Chaz Schilens, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Louis Murphy and Jacoby Ford. Schilens, entering his third season, is the senior member of this crew. A fifth slot is open in my opinion, leaving speculation the Raiders could go shopping.

One of the greatest disappointments last year came during camp. Schilens broke a bone in his left foot. He didn’t return to the field until week 10 against the Chiefs.  At that point, the QB circus was in effect, not much of a chance to set a rhythm. There are some durability concerns here now, but Schilens has all the tangibles needed to make him one of the best WR’s in the AFCW.

A bright spot for 2009 was the play of Louis Murphy who pulled in four TD’s and demonstrated some serious blocking abilities. Murphy was a key part in one of my favorite offensive plays. He escorted TE Miller downfield, allowing Miller to score against the Eagles. He’s got good size and hands, and could become a favorite target of QB Campbell.

Video of the Louis Murphy Block, Raiders vs Eagles 10/18/2009

The concerns about Heyward-Bey’s drops are being eased somewhat with reports from OTA’s. It seems like his hands have become friends with the ball. Rookie Jacoby Ford, a 4^th round draft snag, will be playing behind Schilens.

Ideally, the Raiders would be in pursuit of a vet to provide some guidance for these guys. I have some thoughts on three of the better known names still available.

Vincent Jackson, RFA in San Diego. As it stands now, Jackson will be on vacation through week 10. The Chargers are making decisions out of spite, allowing Jackson to gather dust rather than explore trade options that could improve their franchise. Yet, teams are still calling them.

Terrell Owens, FA last with Buffalo. He will not be a Raider.  I can state that with as much certainty as one can when speaking on the Raiders. Physically, he’s a paradigm. However, as long as he breathes and speaks, he comes with a warning label. Raider Nation has endured Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, the last thing needed is TO to complete the triad.

Laveranues Coles, FA last with Cincinnati. Coles interests me if only to add a veteran perspective. As a guy with a smaller stature, Coles could certainly mentor R Jacoby Ford. If the price was right, bringing him in could make sense.

While nothing would surprise me, odds are the Raiders don’t make any additional adjustments (through FA acquisitions or trades.) There’s promise in our existing crew. It’s time to see what they can do under leadership and consistency from the QB position, something they have never experienced at this level.

Jason Cole over at Yahoo! Sports just  ranked the Raiders OLine dead last. Power rankings don’t get me all hot and bothered, but they do provide something to chop up during the offseason.

About the Raiders, Mr. Cole says:

32. Oakland Raiders: Wow, this is bad. Mario Henderson and Cornell Green shouldn’t be the answers to: “Name the Raiders starting offensive tackles from 2009.” Yikes. It doesn’t get much better in the middle and the sad part is that the Raiders didn’t do much to upgrade the personnel this offseason. Say a prayer for Jason Campbell. He’s going to need it.

He’s right. There hasn’t been much activity with the offensive line. Although, Cornell Green is gone and the Raiders picked up RT Jared Veldheer and RG Bruce Campbell in the draft.  As for the snarky comment about praying for Jason Campbell, I’m guessing Cole didn’t see many Redskins games last year.

The weakest position on the offensive line, LT with Mario Henderson, has yet to be addressed. Even allowing for the frustration of playing in front of JaMarcus Russell, Henderson’s 10.5 sacks allowed for 2009 is inexcusable. He’s in the last year of his contract with the Raiders and I must say I’m a bit surprised the team hasn’t gone shopping for a legitimate upgrade.

Lining up next to Henderson is LG Robert Gallery. Gallery played in only six games during 2009. He suffered a broken leg (fibula) in September, returning just long enough to be taken out by a back injury, in week 13, that required surgery. So far, so good with his recovery. He’s been at every OTA and reports say he looks agile and healthy.

C Samson Satele got the starting gig when Chris Morris moved over to LG to fill in after Gallery went down. Traded from Miami, Satele got to spend his first year in Oakland juggling the three ring QB circus that defined the second half of the Raiders season. If anyone on the line gets a mulligan, it’s Satele.

Cooper Carlisle, RG, is penciled in as the starter for 2010. However, Bruce Campbell is going to want to compete for the job. Some say Campbell was drafted as insurance for Gallery, but a healthy Gallery on the left with a disciplined Campbell on the right could be a nasty combination.

RT is a little more blurry. Langston Walker has been starting ahead of Khalif Barnes in off season practices. There’s a strong contingent of folks out there who think rookie Jared Veldheer is NFL ready enough to win the job outright. It’s possible, although unlikely, that Bruce Campbell is thrown in the mix as well.

The greatest impact on the line is quite possibly the acquisition of QB Jason Campbell.  As much as the Raiders OLine has struggled at times, JaMarcus Russell and his inability to scramble, his inability to find receivers, his inability to throw the ball or hold onto the ball, gave the illusion of a line in utter disarray.  Camp should be an eye opener.

Long term contract negotiations have been tabled for now. DE Richard Seymour has signed his one year franchise tender with the Oakland Raiders for $12.4M. Seymour was the last veteran loose end for the Raiders before they turned towards the task of signing the rookie class.

Oakland traded for Seymour on September 6, 2009, just eight days before their MNF season opener at home against San Diego. Rather than reporting immediately, Seymour stayed in New England and left Raiders fans, as well as the Raiders it seems, a bit unclear with his intentions. It was a stressful week, not to mention embarrassing. Nothing much worse than watching a player refuse to report, while hypothesizing the reason is because he doesn’t want to play for your team.

Just two days before the Monday night game, Seymour donned his #92 Raiders jersey to address the media stating that he “is ready to play some football, and I’m ready to kick things off on Monday night.’’ Seymour went on to reward Oakland with possibly his best game of the season by sacking Chargers QB Phillip Rivers twice and racking up three solo tackles.

While the Raiders would have liked to ink Seymour for multiple years, they were not going to drop the kind of money Seymour was seeking. Considering the big money contracts of the recent past that wallpaper the Raiders Hall of Shame, this is probably the best move for both sides right now. With the defense garnering most of the off season focus, Seymour will have a lot more support on the line in 2010. If he wants a fat contract it’s up to him to prove he’s worth it.

After the 2002 season, nothing fell as hard or fast for the Raiders as their run defense.  What was the third ranked run D in the league ended up dead last in 2003. In fact, the Raiders run defense has ranked no higher than 22nd since. Rob Ryan and his boisterous persona distracted us a bit in 2006 by putting together a squad that allowed the least amount of yards off the pass in the NFL. But that aggression never transferred into an ability to stop the run.

Now the Raiders must take on the daunting task of starting the 2010 season against the two most dominant RB’s in the league; The Raiders travel to Tennessee to face Chris Johnson and the Titans in week one, then return to Oakland for their home opener, hosting Steven Jackson and the Rams in week two.

John Henderson, DT

In fact, the Raiders 2010 schedule includes matchups against seven of the top 20 RBs in the NFL. If there was a time to rework the defensive line, it’s NOW.

The most recent pickup for the Raiders comes in the form of DT John Henderson. Henderson, a two time Pro Bowler, played his previous eight seasons in Jacksonville.  Now depending on whom you’re reading, Henderson has a “mildly declining skillset”, or at 31 years old he’s on the “wrong side of 30.” And of course, the Raiders picked him out of the league’s “recycle bin.” Hey, that’s fine with me.

Both the Falcons and the Giants had been in hot pursuit of Henderson. The Giants tried to make a trade for him prior to the draft. The Raiders also attempted negotiations with Jacksonville, offering a 5^th round pick, but Del Rio and company wanted a 4^th. Del Rio overplayed his cards, get’s nothing, and Henderson’s a Raider for at least the upcoming season.

So what does Henderson bring to Oakland? At 6’7”, 335, he’s a mammoth of a guy. Expect him and Tommy Kelly to stuff the middle, closing down holes that invited RB’s. Expect his presence to motivate Kelly (as there’s some whispers that the Henderson signing could mean Kelly is on the block, but I don’t think that’s a viable theory.) Wrong side of 30 or not, the guy is an asset on the line.

Henderson isn’t going to light things up against the air game, but he’s had more than his share of deflected passes and 29 career INTs.

There are still some questions about the defensive scheme the Raiders will show in 2010. Speculation was that the Raiders were moving towards a 3-4 defense. While that has been categorically denied by Coach Cable, he is saying that we’ll be seeing something new. Reports from OTA’s haven’t given many clues to what’s coming.

What we do know is the Raiders have more talent and depth on defense in any year since 2002. The Titans had all but chalked up their home opener as a win. They’ve got to be a little less sure about that today.

For the last thirty years, whenever a troubled or controversial NFL player becomes available, the Raiders are the first team ‘rumored’ to be interested.  It’s a stereotype born from the Raiders first tenure in Oakland.

The Raiders departure to Los Angeles in 1982 killed off a great portion of the Oakland fan base. Many of those who turned their backs were long time season ticket holders who felt betrayed.  Today’s Raider fan base is younger.  Back then, we went to games with our folks. To us Lyle Alzado was a Raider, and only a Raider. Our collective memory no longer includes the prequel to our icons. However, it’s an important part of our legacy that needs to be understood.

Al Davis built teams. His brilliance always came from piecing together the right players to create certain chemistry.  We have Mr. Davis to thank for George Blanda, who finished his remarkable 26 year career in Oakland, his fifth team. Willie Brown started off as an Oiler, but was cut during camp. The Broncos picked him up and Brown played his first four seasons in Denver before being traded to Oakland. Ted Hendricks played for the (Baltimore) Colts and Packers before joining the Raiders.

The Tooz, John Matuszak, epitomized the image of a Raider. He wanted to play in the now defunct World Football League while still playing under contract with the Oilers. With that, the Oilers traded him off to Kansas City and he played for three seasons as a Chief before being exiled to Oakland. Lyle Alzado spent only the last four of his 15 year career as a Raider. He was a Bronco for eight seasons.

We celebrate these acquisitions. Oakland was not the garbage can of the NFL. These teams dominated and created the “Raider Mystique.”  Sadly, this archetype merged with the ugly underbelly of Raider history, resulting in the stereotype we battle today.

John Matuszak died of heart failure at 38 years old. His drug use and lifestyle was legendary and in no doubt played a part in his death. Lyle Alzado died at 43 of a brain tumor after years of steroid abuse.  QB Todd Marinovich, whom the Raiders drafted over Brett Favre, lasted just two years in the league because of substance abuse. At 29, Darrell Russell was killed in an auto accident just three years after being accused of videotaping a rape in Alameda County, CA.  Barrett Robbins went AWOL the week before Super Bowl XXXVII, and three years later was charged with attempted murder after an altercation in which he was shot three times.

It’s hard to hear your team as the punch line of a joke. We want so badly to hold on to the rebel attitude. It’s all we’ve known. But there’s a new Raider image emerging; one of work ethic and one of professionalism. Look at the roster changes being made. This is now the direction. Don’t worry, it will all feel comfortable when they start winning. Just win, baby. Now that will never change.