Raiders’ Routt could excel in 2006

By Anthony Carroll  |   Thursday, July 13, 2006  |  Comments( 21 )

Oakland Raiders
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"2004 Conference USA Men's indoor track Athlete of the Year."

"Won the 200-meter dash at the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships for two straight years."

"Played in 47 career games for the Houston Cougars (starting 27), recording 136 tackles, seven interceptions, and 23 pass deflections."

Stanford Routt, a second-round draft choice of the Oakland Raiders in 2005, was a double-threat at the University of Houston. On the track, the 195-pounder excelled in the 60-meter and 200-meter dash events, earning a handful of accolades in 2003 and 2004. Meanwhile, on the football field, Routt started two seasons as a member of the team's primary defensive secondary. As a two-year starter, Routt posted an impressive 88 tackles, six interceptions, and 16 pass deflections.

Together, both dimensions of Routt's collegiate profile earned him the 38th draft slot in 2005.

In his first season with the Silver and Black, the 22-year-old chipped in sparingly throughout the course of the year. All told, the rookie finished the '05 regular season with 24 tackles (22 solo), two pass deflections, and one sack.

In the offseason of 2005, Routt was perhaps the most impressive rookie to hit the Oakland Raiders' practice field. In fact, Routt was regarded as a better cover corner than fellow first-round defensive back, Fabian Washington. As a result, Washington was benched in favor of Routt in the early stages of 2005, starting as the team's nickel corner in Week Two's meeting with Kansas City. However, as the year progressed, Washington would prove to be a more valuable asset than Routt on the playing field, despite losing early battles on the practice field. Washington would re-capture the nickel slot from his rookie colleague and eventually come in to replace injured Charles Woodson alongside 25-year-old Nnamdi Asomugha.

Appearing largely in the early and concluding stages of the 2005 season, Routt appeared to be a very raw defensive prospect. Nevertheless, at times, the 6-1, 195-pounder appeared to be the most athletic defender on the field. Routt showed great instincts in man-to-man coverage, combined with a natural closing speed that the average corner needs to develop over time. Inhibiting the young defensive back, though, was a game-to-game consistency; however, consistency is often an absent dimension in most rookies' first-year equation.

Standing just over six feet tall, No. 26 possesses both the size and track-star speed needed to excel as a full-time starter in the NFL. Luckily for him, owner Al Davis is the overriding eye watching over the young player, as he pushed in the offseason of 2005 to draft the Houston grad early in the second round.

Along with his track star tributes and hefty collegiate numbers, the NFL Draft resume of Stanford Routt often included the phrase, "a project in the works."

As a member of a particularly young defensive secondary, Routt will have a tremendous opportunity in 2006 to demonstrate that he is no longer a "project."

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Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@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: 21  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
RaiderJF		09:55 AM
07/13/2006
Yes, Routt could excel in 2006, but more likely he will continue to perform at sub-NFL standards. He is a typical Al Davis draft...
No.2
MR. BURROWS		11:03 AM
07/13/2006
MAYBE WITH A SEASON UNDER HIS BELT AND THE CONTINUED PROGRESS STANFORDS MAKING HE WILL TEAM WITH HUFF AND BING AND FORM AN...
No.3
Jorge		12:08 PM
07/13/2006
Thanx for the article AC!!! I think the Oakland Raiders Secondary as a whole is in some Great shape. We're young, speedy, and we...
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