10 numbers that matter to Oakland in ‘09

By Anthony Carroll  |   Sunday, April 19, 2009  |  Comments( 9 )

Oakland Raiders
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There aren’t many guarantees in the NFL. But I’ll guarantee you this: At least once a game, you’ll see an utterly useless stat flash across your television screen. The stat will be so trivial that you’ll almost feel pity for the human being who came up with it.

You know, stuff like: “QB JaMarcus Russell is 0-for-12 on third-down conversions of 8-plus yards this season when on the road and playing in a dome.”

Those are the numbers that don’t matter.

For the rest of this article, I’ll talk about some numbers that do matter. And on a quest to be as unoriginal as possible, I’ll limit the list to 10.

So here they are: The 10 numbers that matter most to Oakland’s success in 2009.

• 190: As in the number of passing yards Russell must average per game next season. If the Raiders expect to finally dig themselves out of the bottom of the NFL, they’d better finally find a way to throw the ball with some efficiency. Averaging 190 yards through the air is certainly nothing to brag about (that would have ranked 22nd in the league last season), but it’d be a huge improvement for Oakland. The Raiders were last in passing yards in 2008 with just 148.1 per game. At 190 or so, Oakland can at least keep some defenses on their toes.

• 4: As in the number of divisional games Oakland must win. “Playoffs? … Are you kidding me? Playoffs?” If you event want to bring up the “P” word, Oakland better plan on not only splitting its divisional games, but taking at least four of them. The most division wins the Raiders have had in a single season over the past six years is two. If they can do something along the lines of beating the Chiefs twice, Broncos once and Chargers once, it’d be a massive step in the right direction.

• 20: As in the number on Darren McFadden’s jersey. This has to be the year McFadden takes over Oakland’s offense. Sure, Justin Fargas is still on the squad, but the 21-year-old McFadden is the future of the Raiders’ offense. The 210-pounder must get the ball at least twice as much as he did last season and rush just as efficiently (around 4.4 yards per carry). That’s not only the recipe for a 1,000-yard season, but also a few more victories for the Raiders.

• 1: As in Week 1. The last time the Raiders won a season opener was 2002. That was also the last time they had a winning season. Oakland can’t afford to lose its seventh Week 1 game in a row, particularly because this one’s at home (and on national television). If they do, they’ll be 0-1 in the AFC West and have to meet with another division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, just six days later -- this time on the road.

• 120: As in the maximum number of rushing yards per game the Raiders can afford to give up next season. I’m not asking for a miracle. Allowing 120 rushing yards per game would have ranked the Raiders 20th last year in the NFL (instead of 31st), just ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals. We’re talking the Bengals here. That being said, it’s not an easy task for a Raiders team that hasn’t been able to halt the rush in six years. Yet, if DTs Terdell Sands and Tommy Kelly and LBs Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard can work together to stop the run in ’09, they may be able to … pass the Bengals’ ‘D’. Eh, good enough for now.

• 15: As in the number on Johnnie Lee Higgins’ jersey. Not many people outside of Oakland will know much about Higgins, but he’ll certainly be a big part of the Raiders’ success (or lack thereof) next season. He was Oakland’s most productive wide receiver, kick returner and punt returner in 2008 and started only three games. The third-year wideout will certainly receive more reps as a pass catcher in ’09, and if he can manage to be a formidable threat, the Raiders may find themselves having much more success through the air next season.

• 0: As in the number of games backup QB Jeff Garcia must start in ‘09. Trust me, the Garcia pickup was a good one. But the only way the 39-year-old QB gets in is if Russell is struggling, which means the Raiders are likely losing. The longer Garcia can stay on the bench, the better.

• 10: As in the number of sacks at least one member of the Raider ‘D’ must get. Derrick Burgess had 10-plus sacks in back-to-back seasons in 2005 and 2006. Since, nobody has stepped up to become a dominant force on the Raiders’ defensive front. With a new D-coordinator, Morrison and Howard may get more action than usual when it comes to rushing the passer; yet, I wouldn’t expect any huge changes in that department. That leaves Burgess, Kelly and second-year DE Trevor Scott as the top options to hit 10 sacks next season. Ten may be a stretch, but I like Scott to surprise in ‘09.

• 5: As in the max number of penalties the Raider offense can commit each game. Russell will have a hard enough time fighting for yardage every down. The best way to stunt a QB’s growth right smack in the middle of the game is to commit a stupid penalty. Over the past half-decade, the Raiders have been notorious for that. Oakland’s offense ranked 30th in the league last season when it came to the yellow flags, committing close to seven penalties per game. Tom Cable’s crew must knock that number down by at least two per game.

• 2009: As in the year the Raiders must turn things around. OK, so 2008 was Russell’s first full year at QB and McFadden’s first year in the NFL. I’ll accept that excuse. And 2007 was an ugly battle between Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper. And 2006 was the year of Art Shell and Tom Walsh. All true. Obviously, those weren’t the years to turn things around. But 2009 is. We’re not talking 11-5 here … 8-8 is more realistic. But Oakland can’t afford to suffer a seventh straight year with five or fewer wins. The trend must stop in 2009.
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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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