Raiders’ Riddle eclipsed with new light

By Anthony Carroll  |   Thursday, June 08, 2006  |  Comments( 7 )

Oakland Raiders
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The Oakland Raiders spent a late 2005 draft pick on California linebacker Ryan Riddle, hoping one day he would step up to contribute in the regular season.

However, in 2006 the team freed another two draft slots to grab a pair of highly-touted rookies. One, Thomas Howard, exited Texas-El Paso as one of the fastest linebacker prospects of 2006; the other, Darnell Bing of USC, is making a transition from the safety position down to linebacker. However, pure speed and natural athleticism are two communal qualities held by both--qualities that owner Al Davis finds indispensable.

Unfortunately for Ryan Riddle, much of his collegiate fame came as a result of a pure workhorse attitude. As the Golden Bears' chief defensive end, Riddle led the Pac-10 with 14.5 sacks in his senior season. The 6-2, 255-pounder also recorded 148 tackles that season, 19 resulting in losses for a season-ending total of 143 lost yards.

As the 212th overall selection in the 2005 draft pool, the climb ahead of Riddle was naturally a steep, rocky road. Nevertheless, on a pre-2005 Oakland roster featuring just one proven tackler, the possibility for extensive field-time was present. At the time, Danny Clark was the team's featured defenseman, tallying 129 tackles in 2004. Sitting beneath the lone linebacker, three defensive backs--Ray Buchanan, Charles Woodson, and Marques Anderson--followed Clark in tackles.

However, as the NFL Draft's "the lower, the better" assumption held, third-round pick Kirk Morrison rightfully took over as the team's foremost rookie linebacker. In 2005 he stole the spotlight, leading the team in takedowns with 116. Trailing just behind the San Diego State notable was 2004 leader, Danny Clark, with 113 tackles.

Even so, the post-2006 outlook for Ryan Riddle remained open to interpretation. Hybrid makeshifts, Tyler Brayton and Grant Irons, failed miserably at the team's third spot, while no other roster-holder stepped up to fill the vacancy. Together, the two former defensive linemen dressed for 31 games, racking up a deplorable 20 tackles together.

All the same, head coach Norv Turner and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan remained reluctant to pull the trigger on their sixth-round hybrid rookie. With little to lose late in the season, Riddle remained stone-footed on the sidelines. In 12 rookie appearances--mostly viewed from outside of the legal playing field--Ryan Riddle made just seven tackles in 2006, all of which came on special teams.

Managing a defensive unit that has ranked a corresponding 30th, 30th, and 27th over the past three seasons, owner Al Davis and head coach Art Shell set out to hurdle the barrier holding their team back, consuming three of their first four draft picks with defensemen.

Unfortunately for Riddle, two-thirds of these picks will play the identical position as himself.

In the midst of regular season commotion, a position change could appear through the haze for Ryan Riddle--from an unnatural linebacker role to an end slot that fits naturally.

More importantly, if Riddle wants to first make and then contribute to his team, John Madden's eminent words must remain at the top of his head...

"The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer."

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

Get more on Ryan Riddle at Realfootball365.com
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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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