John Madsen standing out in Oakland

By Anthony Carroll  |   Tuesday, August 21, 2007  |  Comments( 63 )

Oakland Raiders
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Believe it or not, there was some good that came from the 2006 Oakland Raiders.

Tom Walsh jokes, for instance. And the defense.

Offensively, though, there wasn't much to be happy about. The Walsh/John Shoop-coordinated unit showed little growth throughout the season, and it was seemingly a cesspool of rising negativity.

Luckily, not every player drowned in the puddle of disappointment.

One such young player, John Madsen, is making sure the new coaching staff takes note of that.

The second-year pass catcher from Utah is the team's leading receiver two exhibition outings into 2007. The ex-Utah wideout -- who was converted to tight end in the pros -- has hauled in six passes this preseason, good for 78 yards and a touchdown, including a 44-yarder in the third quarter of the team's 26-21 loss at San Francisco.

Madsen is the only Raider receiver with more than five catches this preseason, and his 78 receiving yards is 48 more than any other player on the team has registered.

Consistent with all reports, the 6-foot-5, 241-pounder, who has gained 20 pounds this offseason in hopes of being more competitive, has had a rather impressive training camp. So impressive, in fact, that first-year head coach Lane Kiffin is also considering using Madsen as a slot receiver.

Based on his collegiate history, this preseason and last year, that may not be such a bad idea.

In his final two seasons with Utah, the 24-year-old started in 18 games and hauled in 82 passes for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns.

A broken fibula late in the 2005 season, though, severely hurt his chances of even making the NFL.

"I was disappointed," Madsen told the Desert Morning News in Utah. "A lot of teams wanted to sign me, but I couldn't do anything."

Truth is, Madsen could do a lot. Injury just prevented him from showing it.

"He's got a unique combination of size and ability," Utah coordinator Andy Ludwig said last year. "John can come down with the ball when it's being contested, and that's what makes him good."

By the end of his first NFL season, Madsen had come down with 11 passes and a touchdown. Oddly enough, his 146 receiving yards was good enough to make him the sixth-best pass catcher on the Raiders roster. He was only 153 yards away from being in the top three.

"I was just really excited," Madsen said after he was signed by Oakland.

"I just have to go there and prove to the organization that I can play."

So far, so good.

Anthony Carroll, a senior writer for RealFootball365.com, 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: 63  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Scottish Raider		05:38 AM
08/21/2007
Madsen is a godsend for us. He can back-up Miller, play as the 2nd TE and play slot WR. He isn't a tweener, just a flexible and...
No.2
Spoakland		09:10 AM
08/21/2007
Scottish, you're right on about Madsen! He really caught my attention last year. Just like Dave Casper did the first time I saw...
No.3
La Milicia Negra		09:28 AM
08/21/2007
- "They don't have to let the 1st rounder go. They need to trade him to Atlanta for Vick. Atlanta wants to do the trade and Vick...
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