| Christopher Reina. 10th January, 2009 - 11:40 am
 Record: 5-11
Trench Counter: -7.6 per game (30th)
Point differential per game:
Payroll: $152.4 million (highest in NFL)
Cost Per Win: $30.5 million (28th)
Passing offense: 148.1 (32nd)
Rushing offense: 124.2 (10th)
Passing defense: 201.3 (10th)
Rushing defense: 159.7 (31st)
Turnover differential: +0.1 per game (15th)
Strength of schedule: 30th
If their season were a song: Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
Game-by-Game (Score, Trench Counter)
Week 1: DEN, 14-41 Loss, -25.1
Week 2: at KC, 23-8 Win, 5.2
Week 3: at BUF, 23-24 Loss, -1.5
Week 4: SD, 18-28 Win, -8.4
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: at NO, 3-34 Loss, -22.9
Week 7: NYJ, 16-13 Win, 0
Week 8: at BAL, 10-29 Loss, -6.4
Week 9: ATL, 0-24 Loss, -31.3
Week 10: CAR, 6-17 Loss, -0.7
Week 11: at MIA, 15-17 Loss, -9.6
Week 12: at DEN, 31-10 Win, 12.6
Week 13: KC, 13-20 Loss, -5.2
Week 14: at SD, 7-34 Loss, -26.1
Week 15: NE, 26-49 Loss, -13.9
Week 16: HOU, 27-16 Win, 4.9
Week 17: at TB, 31-24 Win, 7.1
Raiders Season Review
The 41-14 loss to Denver was just about as embarrassing as a loss could get, but then a three-week enduring Lane Kiffin drama made Oakland a kind of drama in which all sorts of things that should never happen did happen.
Al Davis invested heavily in this team, and while he still is sharp in his way, he clearly seems to be evaluating talent through the prism of an NFL of a by-gone era. His will to win is as strong as ever, and that is why people absolutely love the Raiders or absolutely hate the Raiders; there is no middle ground. His best chance of seeing one more Super Bowl is to relinquish that vice grip on the team and let a very capable GM and head coach put together a modern system with the best talent possible.
Tom Cable took over for Lane Kiffin and compiled a 3-3 record over their final six games, but he seems more suited to be a line coach than a permanent head coach.
Reina Value and FIC Rank
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(Rank at position, Season FIC, Reina Value)
Quarterback
- JaMarcus Russell (25th, 520, -33%)
Russell has flashes of being a great quarterback with his arm strength and mobility, but he is too inconsistent and inaccurate. His 77.1 rating put him 26th amongst quarterbacks, and his 53.8% completion mark was only ahead of Derek Anderson. The 20th ranked quarterback rookie Joe Flacco completed 60.0% of his passes. To give him credit and to be realistically optimistic, neither his line nor his receivers were very competent in 2008. Russell desperately needs a legitimate quarterbacks' coach and an offensive coordinator with a cogent system.
Russell had a better than 85.0 passer rating in eight of his 15 games, including his final three. That improvement came from an increase in his accuracy, as he completed 93 of his 152 attempts, an approaching respectable 61.2%. Against Kansas City, he had a 10-for-28 day, so 30.5% of those 152 incompletions were in that single game.
Running Backs
- Darren McFadden (36th, 351 [166 rushing, 186 receiving], -37%)
McFadden was very much lost in the mix of brilliant running backs such as Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Steve Slaton, and even Felix Jones who seemed to get more hype and attention before his. But McFadden had a 4.4 yards per carry average, which put him 14th amongst running backs with at least 100 carries. He was also very effective out of the backfield, catching 29 balls for 285 yards.
- Justin Fargas (51st, 369 [231 rushing, 38 receiving], -46%)
The Raiders' decision to re-sign Fargas would have been surely given back if the NFL conducted their draft ahead of free agency the way the NFL does. With McFadden and Bush, the Raiders really don't need Fargas and his high price tag. The Raiders really should have known that he is a sub-4.0 per carry rusher, not the 4.5 guy he was in 2007. He's a nice third down back and a good ballplayer but not at that price.
- Michael Bush (55th, 248 [141 rushing, 107 receiving], +205%)
Bush was an easy first round pick in 2007 before breaking his leg, and with him back on the field in 2008, it was the first signal that he will be a draft steal. He rushed for 4.4 yards per carry and 8.5 yards per reception, and he almost singlehandedly beat the Buccaneers, rushing for 177 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns. Even though Al Davis missed the game, his first since the 70's, his role in knocking Jon Gruden out of the playoffs will not soon be forgotten.
Wide Receivers
- Johnnie Lee Higgins (80th, 238, +141%)
This unit was incredibly bad, and Higgins was easily the most productive wide receiver. He caught just 22 balls, but four were for touchdowns, and his average was 16.6 yards per reception. He also returned three punts for a touchdown and a 13 yards per return average.
- Ronald Curry (96th, 133, -83%)
Curry had two straight seasons for at least 55 carries and 700 yards, but in 2008 he caught just 19 balls for 181 yards. His 9.5 yard average was well below his 12.2 career average.
- Javon Walker (98th, 130, -91%)
Walker didn't exactly seem like he wanted to be on the football field this year and it showed with his 11 catches for 196 yards in seven games.
Tight End
- Zach Miller (7th, 482, +24%)
Miller was Oakland's biggest success story in the passing game. He caught 58 balls for 778 yards, both easily team highs. He only scored one touchdown but was as dependable as anyone for Russell.
Defensive Summary
As always seems to be the case with the Raiders, their defense was heavily penalized and cost themselves 30 first downs.
DeAngelo Hall was a disappointment from the word 'Eddie Royal', and they cut him before the season was even over. Tommy Kelly and Gibril Wilson weren't (and couldn't) be worth the money while Derrick Burgess was limited to just nine games. Wilson, at least, was a solid improvement at safety, and he led the team in tackles with 95. Kalmiba Edwards was also a nice find and he had five sacks.
There was at least one extremely bright spot, and it is practically impossible to quantify, but Nnamdi Asomugha had just about as brilliant of a season as a cornerback can possibly have. He practically eliminated half the field, and while the Raiders were horrible against the run, they were at least partially effective against the pass. Their yard ranking is skewed because teams just hit them with the run time after time after time, and their average yards allowed per attempt puts them at 20th.
Biggest draft needs
I don't see how the Raiders can or will pass on Michael Crabtree with the seventh overall pick. After taking Russell first in 2007 and McFadden fourth in 2008, those two plus Crabtree better pan out (I think they would if the circus stops) because it's pretty rare to have three consecutive drafts where you spend high picks on skilled positions. The Raiders' defense is a whole lot closer to being effective than the offense, and in order to give Russell the best chance possible to succeed, he needs a Crabtree.
They also need an offensive lineman, and both Eugene Monroe or Michael Oher would be a great pick if he fell this far.
A run stopper in at defensive tackle is another area of need but will probably be found later in the draft.
Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM |
