Analyzing the big, and small, four in Oakland

By Anthony Carroll  |   Thursday, June 15, 2006  |  Comments( 16 )

Oakland Raiders
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There is no doubting everyone doubts Tom Walsh.

Oakland's new offensive ringleader has been absent from the NFL for 12 years, last coaching with Art Shell in 1994.

However, with Walsh enters an indubitable truth: the tight end role increases in size and value.

In his first stint with the Silver and Black, Walsh served as an offensive assistant to a team that employed their tight end overtime. In the early years of Walsh's tenure, tight end Todd Christensen, led all other pass-catchers for four consecutive seasons. From 1983-1986, Christensen hauled in 349 passes for 4,394 yards and 33 touchdowns, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl each year.

Now, Oakland's current roster is seemingly void of any likeness of Todd Christensen. Tight ends Courtney Anderson and Randal Williams are complete opposites. Anderson possesses a physique made for the basketball court, while Williams holds that of a track and field participant. At any rate, both maintain an equivalent parcel of potential on the Raiders' practice field. Anderson, at 6-7, 270-pounds, is a player hard to neglect from the quarterback's line of vision, while at 6-3, 220-pounds, Randal Williams is a player that the average linebacker will find hard to chase around the field.

Together, both encompass the ideal tight end: a high-jumping, high-speed target for the quarterback to throw balls to.

Unfortunately, playing both Williams and Anderson concurrently is a notion out of the question for Oakland.

Another interesting prospect, James Adkisson, fits the middle mold to Anderson and Williams. The South Carolina alumnus stands at 6-5, 230 pounds in stature. As a converted wide receiver, Adkisson is close in height to teammate Courtney Anderson; however, he tips the scale with 40 pounds less. Since his entrance to the NFL just a short year ago, Adkisson has added over 10 pounds to his frame. However, at this point in time, the 26-year-old is a raw prospect who still has much to learn before the 2006 season kicks off.

For $585,000, Oakland brought another tight end into the fold. O.J. Santiago, who was a member of the Raiders' 2003 roster, rejoined the team in late May of this offseason. However, listing the 6-7, 265-pounder as a tight end is more deceiving than revealing. In a career that began back in 1997, the 32-year-old has enjoyed just a single season over 250 yards receiving, which came nearly eight long years ago. The Kent State grad's 81 career catches denote just over seven catches per year. In view of that, after two long seasons fully removed from the NFL, expect Santiago to contribute exclusively as a blocker to short-yardage, obvious run downs.

Pending a training camp outburst, Oakland's starting tight end for Week One of the regular season is seemingly clear cut.

Last year's starter, Courtney Anderson, should once again solidify the tight end block on the Raiders' starting depth chart.

However, if that congealed block begins to thaw, expect Randal Williams, followed by James Adkisson, to see increased reps throughout the season. For Williams and Adkisson, the position is theirs for the taking and the potential beyond that is boundless.

At any rate, look for the Raiders' tight end yield to increase from a dismal '05 campaign, as a reshuffled offensive front and portable quarterback should favor the four tight ends in Oakland.

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com

Get more on the Oakland Raiders' tight ends 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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