Anthony Carroll’s Friday Raiders mailbag

By Anthony Carroll  |   Friday, July 14, 2006  |  Comments( 9 )

Oakland Raiders
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!
In his third mailbag editorial, Anthony Carroll--a senior writer for Realfootball365--responds to fans' questions and comments submitted via RaidersLive.com:

Jeremy, 22, Oakland, CA: You are starting a fresh Madden franchise, who on the Raiders' roster do you trade away first?

AC: If this is Madden 2006, Kerry Collins is gone before the controller is plugged in. With the current roster, however, I would look to ship out Jerry Porter. At 6-2, 220 pounds, Porter has great size and speed, making him an attractive player for any NFL franchise in need of a wideout. Luckily, there is no rating for a player's attitude in the game, so finding an adequate suitor wouldn't be a difficult task. With a hefty cast of tall, young wide receiving options behind No. 84, losing Porter wouldn't make a considerable dent in the offense. In return, a serviceable running back would be of greatest value to the team. At a slow time in the offseason, many fans have already bellowed for an identical situation to arise; however, the situation may not occur until mid-August--when Madden 2007 hits stores.

Derrick H., 27, Modesto, CA: The Raiders have so many capable players on the team who can easily handle the kick returning duties next season. Who do you think should take over in 2006? Or do you think Chris Carr is still the best option?

AC: With so many young, quick wide receivers and cornerbacks on the roster, the Raiders have an overabundance of heads to choose from. Nevertheless, Carr is the best option for the 2006 campaign. At 5-10, 180 pounds, he can legitimately be considered undersized based on the likings of owner Al Davis. However, on kick returns, size isn't a major concern; take 5-8 Dante Hall, for example. With 73 kick returns and 1,752 return yards under his belt, it would make sense to place Carr deep once again as a sophomore. As a rookie, the Boise State alumnus was fearless on returns, tirelessly running at full speed through the mass of bodies ahead. If Carr arrives with the same intrepid attitude in '06, a few returns may be worth six points.

Angus, 24, Rancho Santa Fe, CA: Aside from Kerry Collins and the O-line, what do you think was the weakest part of the team last season?

AC: Off the field, the coaching was perceptibly weak. On the field, Sebastian Janikowski's name comes to mind. Fortunately, Al Davis canned Norv Turner early in the offseason and opted to bring back a stronger leader in Art Shell. At this point in the Oakland Raiders' storybook, Shell is the strong-voiced presence needed to move the team in the right direction. Simply put, Norv Turner was a capable captain; he just couldn't get everyone onboard. As for the kicking situation, unlike Norv Turner, Sebastian Janikowski will remain in Oakland for the 2006 season. Last season, the 250-pound kicker single-handedly cost Oakland 30 points, posting a career-low 66.7 field goal percentage. To connect both team flaws together, new head coach Art Shell recently made the team run a lap for every kick Janikowski missed in practice, so that's a reassuring sign for fans.

Big El, 31, New Windsor, NY: In 2004, the Raiders drafted Carlos Francis and Johnnie Morant in back-to-back rounds. If one of them has to go this offseason, who would you rather see hit the road? I like Francis mainly because we already have so many wide receivers built like Morant, but most people seem to disagree.

AC: Francis was taken ahead of Morant in 2004; however, this time around, I would have to place Morant in front of Francis. Both are highly athletic prospects, though. Francis recorded the fastest 40-yard-dash time at the 2004 NFL Combine, while Morant is physically measurable to teammate Randy Moss. If this question surfaced in 2004, Francis would have likely taken home the prize. In the team's preseason opener, the 5-10 wideout caught a 36-yard touchdown pass and bolted for an 87-yard kick return touchdown. Since then, however, the Texas Tech grad has been battling a severe knee injury that sent him to the injured reserve list as a rookie. In the meantime, Morant has made a regular season grab and has been equally impressive throughout the course of two preseasons. In 2005's exhibition set, Morant led all Raiders receivers, grabbing 15 balls for 315 yards--an impressive per catch average of 21 yards. At 6-4, 220 pounds, Morant would be a tough player to let go of this early in his career, especially without a reasonable test run under his belt.

Want to be in next week's mailbag? Visit RaidersLive.com for a chance to enter Anthony Carroll's Friday Mailbag - Get more on the Oakland Raiders at Realfootball365.com

Anthony Carroll can be contacted at acarroll@realfootball365.com
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (9)

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...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report