The Raiders took the Bay Area by storm last year making the playoffs thanks to a strong young nucleus of players in Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Amari Cooper. They failed to win a playoff game though as Derek Carr went down with a broken leg and missed their lone playoff game vs the Texans. In a stacked division the Raiders are the favourites to come out on top and they may be the Patriots' biggest challengers out of the AFC.
Arrivals/Departures:
Arrivals: Jared Cook, Cordarrelle Patterson, Marshall Newhouse, EJ Manuel, Jelani Jenkins, Marshawn Lynch
Departures: Dan Williams, Menelik Watson, Brynden Trawick, Daren Bates, Malcolm Smith, Latavius Murray, Stacy McGee, DJ Hayden, Andre Holmes, Nate Allen, Mychal Rivera
Offence:
Derek Carr became the richest man in NFL history this off season with his mega contract after a breakthrough campaign which brought the Black hole back to the playoffs. Carr will be returning from his broken leg so it will be interesting to see if he can keep up his play. They brought Marshawn Lynch out of retirement to play in his hometown making the offence even more full of anticipation to see if he returns to his beast-mode ways. If Lynch struggles in his return Jalen Richard, DeAndre Washington and Taiwan Jones will be the running backs. Fullback Jamize Olawale will also be used in certain packages but mainly as a blocker. Amari Cooper is the star wide receiver of the team who should continue to improve with Michael Crabtree lined up next to him as a great second option. Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson will also get time at wide receiver with their speed and quickness. Jared Cook was added at tight end because Clive Walford has struggled his whole career to be the number-one tight end. The offensive line is one of the best in the NFL rounding out an elite offence that should give teams nightmares. Kelechi Osemele is one of the NFL's best guards and with Donald Penn and Rodney Hudson also playing on the left side, Carr's blindside is protected by the best. The right side is not as good with Gabe Jackson and Marshall Newhouse as the starters.
Defence:
Khalil Mack is one of the league's best defensive players as he wreaks havoc on opposing offences; don't be surprised if Mack pushes for the single-season sack record this season. Mack started his NFL career as a linebacker but has since switched to a defensive end who specializes at getting to the quarterback. Joining Mack on the defensive line is Mario Edwards, Justin Ellis and Darius Latham. With Mack playing defensive end now, Bruce Irvin is the star of the linebackers core as he also specializes in getting sacks. The other two linebackers are underwhelming in former Dolphin Jelani Jenkins and Cory James. Veterans Sean Smith and David Amerson led the team at cornerback with Travis Carrie as the nickel back. Gareon Conley was drafted in the first round because Smith is getting up there in age and he will push to start right away giving the team four capable corners. The safety position also looks good with ball-hawk Reggie Nelson providing the leadership and help last year's first-round pick Karl Joseph needs to reach new heights next season. Second-round pick Obi Melifonwu will also get time as safety in his rookie season.
Special Teams:
The Raiders may have the best special teams unit in the NFL as kicker Sebastian Janikowski will remain the staple point of the unit for another year. Marquette King is the cockiest punter ever but his swag translates to a booming leg that gets the job done. They also brought the best kick returner in the NFL in Cordarrelle Patterson. Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington will compete for punt return duties.
Starters:
Offence
|
Defence
|
Michael Crabtree
|
Mario Edwards
|
Amari Cooper
|
Darius Latham
|
Seth Roberts
|
Justin Ellis
|
Donald Penn
|
Khalil Mack
|
Kelechi Osemele
|
Bruce Irvin
|
Rodney Hudson
|
Cory James
|
Gabe Jackson
|
Jelani Jenkins
|
Austin Howard
|
David Amerson
|
Jared Cook
|
Karl Joseph
|
Derek Carr
|
Reggie Nelson
|
Marshawn Lynch
|
Sean Smith
|
24. Gareon Conley
56. Obi Melifonwu
88. Eddie Veanderdoes
129. David Sharpe
168. Marquel Lee
221. Shalom Luani
231. Jylan Ware
242. Elijah Hood
244. Treyvon Hester
Top 10 Players:
10. Sean Smith
9. Bruce Irvin
8. Michael Crabtree
7. Reggie Nelson
6. Rodney Hudson
5. Donald Penn
4. Kelechi Osemele
3. Amari Cooper
2. Derek Carr
1. Khalil Mack
Season Prediction: 12-4 (1st in AFC West)
Last Year: 12-4
Photo credit for Marshawn Lynch goes to http://www.foxnews.com/. Derek Carr goes to https://www.si.com/. Khalil Mack goes to http://www.espn.com/. Amari Cooper goes to http://usatoday.com/.
No comments:
Post a Comment