Oakland Raiders Poised for a Silver & Black Comeback?

The Oakland Raiders are making improvements and if everyone stays healthy, the silver and black can once again field a winning team. The Raiders won only five games last season, but won their last two and beat their division rivals, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. Al Davis and his new coach, Tom Cable are ready to start a new era in Oakland.

Undoubtedly, the Raiders have holes to fill, but they also have some good pieces in place. The running game should be potent, with Fargas, Bush and McFadden. If all remain healthy, the Raiders can have one of the best running games in the NFL. While the running game seems set, the passing game needs some work.

The Raiders addressed some of their offensive line problems, by signing Khalif Barnes. Hopefully, Barnes will be able to protect JaMarcus Russell's blind side and the give the young QB time to throw. Last year, Russell was sacked 31 times. The question is, who will JaMarcusRussell throw to?

The often injured Ashley Lelie is gone, Javon Walker has been a disappointment so far, but Walker is still young, so if he can avoid injuries, he can have a comeback year. Johnnie Lee Higgins, the young kick returner, played well as a slot receiver for Oakland. Though he finished the season with only 366 yards, Higgins showed speed and the ability to get open when he played in place of injured receivers. The Raiders also have a great young tight end, Zach Miller, who finished the season with 778 yards.

In this years draft, the Raiders will be looking for another receiver and more offensive line help. Will the Raiders draft Michael Crabtree or Jeremy Maclin? With a decent defense, that was overworked last year, and a young talented offense, the Raiders should be greatly improved in 2009. A lot of the Raiders success, will depend on the play of their young QB JaMarcus Russell. Russell is entering his third season. The Raiders are assembling a good offense and providing Russell with weapons. Now, Russell has to prove he's ready and capable of being a good NFL QB.

The Raiders will face a tough 2009 schedule. In addition to their AFC West opponents, the Raiders face, the AFC North, NFC East, and the Jets and Texans.

Will 2009 be the beginning of the silver and black comeback?

Sources:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/teams/stats/2008/raiders/index.html
http://oak.scout.com/3/schedule.html JaMarcus Russell ready to lead the Raiders Offense?Who will the Raiders Draft?Can the Raiders be more competitive in 2009?