Raider ‘O’ needs an “out with old, in with new” philosophy

By Anthony Carroll  |   Friday, October 17, 2008  |  Comments( 140 )

Oakland Raiders
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To concur with a new head coach in Alameda, Calif., the Oakland Raiders should implement a new plan for the remainder of the 2008 season.

It’s a simple one: Out with the old, in with the new.

Not only will the plan give the Raiders a legitimate excuse for losing (“our offense is in serious rebuilding mode”), but it’ll give fans a more interesting team to watch (lose). If you must lose, make them interesting ones, not 34-3 trouncings that include no highlights.

Oakland’s offense, in particular, is a need of a major overhaul. It needs more than a breath of fresh air. A strong wind needs to sweep through Oakland and pick a few players up off the turf and replace them with some fresh faces. If the Raiders are going to continue to lose -- and it seems they’re in for another long season -- the best way to do is through developing their own talent along the way. If the ’08 offseason proved anything, it’s that buying used-up talent doesn’t cut it.

So here’s what needs to permanently happen this season (but probably won’t, because team owner Al Davis is excruciatingly impatient) …

Out with: Javon Walker
In with: Johnnie Lee Higgins

OK, so Walker is guaranteed $16 million as a part of his six-year, $55 million contract. But it’s a sunk cost. It’s done with. The Raiders need to give up on the 30-year-old Walker, who averages one catch per game, and replace him with someone cheaper and, frankly, more physically and mentally in-tune at this point in time. Higgins, 25, leads the Raiders’ WRs in both receiving yards and yards per catch, and has proven to be the only player capable of taking one the distance. The second-year man is making $370,000 this year and is set to make $460,000 next season. Walker, on the other hand, is scheduled to make $4 million in 2009. Which one do you think is sticking around?

Out with: Ronald Curry
In with: Chaz Schilens

The 29-year-old Curry has long been a reliable receiver for the Raiders, but he seems to have lost a step this season. Not only does his speed look lacking, but the 210-pounder is having serious trouble holding on to the football. Over the next year, Curry’s base contract is set to rise by 75 percent, from $2 million this season to $3.5 next season, and the vet wideout is giving Oakland no reason to keep him around.

Waiting in the wings, though, is the rookie Schilens, 22, who, at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, is a naturally hard-to-miss target for the erratic JaMarcus Russell. He’s played about 90 percent less than Curry this season and has just three fewer catches. Like Walker, Curry’s future with the Raiders doesn’t look promising, and giving Schilens the go-ahead won’t hurt anything in Oakland. Plus, Curry’s a better slot wideout anyway, so taking him out of the No. 2 spot and letting him come in on three-WR sets might be more beneficial to both players.

Out with: Justin Fargas
In with: Darren McFadden

Fargas is certainly a key contributor to the Raider offense now (when healthy), but, one must admit, he’s not the future in Oakland. It’s not by mistake that the 28-year-old’s contract is structured the way it is. Fargas is guaranteed $6 million as a part of the three-year, $12 million contract he signed in February; however, all of that $6 million is guaranteed this year, with his contract jumping by over 300 percent next season. It appears Oakland wanted to persuade him to stick around in 2008, but make it easy for the team to wave goodbye to him in 2009 if necessary. The way things have played out thus far, they should. At just 21 years of age, ‘08 first-rounder McFadden needs to be the player the Raiders build their offense around. Amid a tumultuous half-season, that notion has already seemingly been lost. The Raiders can’t afford to invest too little in McFadden this early on in his career.

Out with: Kicking 59-yard field goals
In with: Going for it

Last week, kicker Sebastian Janikowski missed field goal attempts of 57 yards (on fourth-and-7 from the 39-yard line) and 59 yards (from the 41). The game before, the Raiders attempted a 76-yarder (no, that’s not a typo) with one second left in the half. Why not let Russell, who can supposedly throw the ball 80 yards in the air and 60 yards from his knees, air it out? And in fourth-and-7 situations, why not show some confidence in the 23-year-old and let him go for it? It’s not like Janikowski (another great first-round investment) is nailing kicks from 50-plus yards this season; he’s just 1 for 4. He’s not even statistically great in his career (44.7 percent). Heck, let Russell kick the field goal. At least make the miss entertaining.
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About Anthony Carroll

Anthony Carroll began writing for RealFootball365.com on Sept. 26, 2005, making him one of the longest tenured contributors to the “365” team. As a senior writer, Anthony has taken on the task of delivering original content to the silver and black faithful year round, despite having to deal ...
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