Raiders’ Brayton back and in good company

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, June 13, 2006  |  Comments( 11 )

Oakland Raiders
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Place a person of average intelligence in a classroom of masterminds and that person will discreetly get smarter.

Drop Tyler Brayton in the middle of Derrick Burgess, Lance Johnstone, and Bobby Hamilton; Tyler Brayton will get better.

At least the Oakland Raiders hope so.

Brayton, a first-round draft choice of 2003, started his career at the defensive end slot the year following Oakland's Super Bowl run. At the position, the rookie posted 61 tackles and 2.5 sacks as his team sunk into a 4-12 franchise fissure. The Colorado alumnus' numbers were far from astounding in Year one; however, for a rookie, they were serviceable inputs to his team.

With Rob Ryan jumping aboard in 2004, following four seasons with New England, Oakland's defense was given a facelift. As a second-year player, Brayton was asked to move back and play largely as a linebacker in the team's novel 3-4 defensive scheme. That season, the 6-6, 280-pounder put up disappointing numbers, posting 45 tackles in 15 games of action.

Finally, in 2005, Oakland abandoned their 3-4 set that was deficient of the "4" fraction of the scheme. However, Brayton stayed put at linebacker. In limited action, the 26-year-old dropped immensely in defensive output. On the season, Brayton hoarded just 16 tackles and a single quarterback-takedown.

For 2006, the "Welcome Home" banner is being tacked up by three exceptional mentors: Derrick Burgess, Lance Johnstone, and Bobby Hamilton.

Last season, free agent acquisition Derrick Burgess topped the list of NFL sack leaders. A five-year veteran of the NFL, Burgess posted 16 sacks in his first year with the Silver and Black, silencing his doubtful critics. As an Eagle, the Mississippi grad suffered severe injuries to his foot and Achilles tendon, sidelining him in 2002 and 2003--his second and third years in the NFL. In 2004, the 260-pounder took baby steps towards rebounding to his rookie form that earned him six sacks, adding 2.5 more to his career totals. Finally, last season, Burgess' 16 sacks earned him a round-trip ticket to his first NFL Pro Bowl.

Playing with Burgess for his first year at a shared position, Brayton should look to feed off of No. 56's success at rebounding from two tough years of disappointment and frustration.

A few on-field pointers wouldn't hurt, either.

Luckily for Brayton, Burgess represents only one fragment of the three-headed developmental body leading the way. The other two necks sprout the heads of Lance Johnstone and Bobby Hamilton. Johnstone, a 33-year-old veteran of the NFL, has partaken in 10 pro seasons, while 34-year-old Bobby Hamilton has undertook 11.

Together, the duo has suited up for five different NFL organizations in their 21 years on the line, racking up 814 pooled tackles. Johnstone, who played with Oakland from 1996 through 2000, has also seen consistent success finding the opposing quarterback throughout his career. Johnstone has amassed 70 total sacks, including four seasons of 10-plus regular season quarterback-spears. On the other hand, Hamilton has seen tremendous success finding opposing running backs. Along with 19 scattered career sacks, Hamilton has posted 448 tackles, a large portion of which contributed to two Super Bowl-winning campaigns. Together, with the unparalleled mixture of pass-rushing and run-stopping knowledge that Johnstone and Hamilton bring to Oakland's locker room, Brayton should develop great equilibrium throughout 2006.

For now, Tyler Brayton remains a student of the game.

However, with numbers 56, 51, and 98 leading the class, Brayton's time to shine could approach quickly.

For now, though, he remains the anxious student sitting in the front of the class.

Rarely, that student fails.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

Get more on the Oakland Raiders' defensive line 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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CommentsComments: 11  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Raider DD		03:23 PM
06/13/2006
Sorry to say this, but Brayton just does not have the athleticism to make an impact at DE. He is a one-dimensional try-hard guy,...
No.2
RaiderMarz		03:40 PM
06/13/2006
Brayton was on his way to good things. I wont say great because its still a wait and see. If by moving a 280lb lineman to L.B....
No.3
RaiderFaithful		04:42 PM
06/13/2006
Brayton is the unfortunate mistake I call a none-dimensional player. Not fast enough to get to the passer on a regular basis....
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