Oakland Raiders NFL Odds

The Raiders are looking to end a nine year postseason drought, but do they have the players in place to be a threat in the AFC West? Oakland Raiders - Odds 2012

 

 

The buzz surrounding 5^th round pick Juron Criner and undrafted free agent Rod Streater is so real that the Raiders decided they could ship veteran wideout Louis Murphy to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 7^th round pick. The team didn't get much in return, but it does clear some more money off their payroll and indicates that Raiders management is confident enough in their stable of receivers to shear one from their roster. 

In another move, the Raiders re-signed starting strong safety Tyvon Branch to a multi-year deal. While the two moves appear to be unrelated, I say not so fast. By dealing Murphy, the team cleared $1.26 million off the books and then the new contract tendered to Branch frees up an additional $4 million. Oakland now has over $5 million to play with and maybe now they'll decide to play ball with Cedric Benson. McFadden and Benson would make a dynamite combination, so stay tuned Raiders fans!

 

 

Can Darren McFadden stay injury free? That is the question nobody in the Oakland camp wants to talk about. Okay, Raiders fans will allow him the obligatory bumps and bruises,but they do not want to see the talented tailback on the shelf again this season. There is no Michael Bush waiting in the wings this season as Bush took his talents to the Windy City. Now Oakland must rely on Run DMc to carry the load from the opening game to Week 17 and beyond. 

The receiving squad is led by Darrius Heyward-Bey but, let's face it, when was the last time one of you fantasy football geeks drafted Heyward-Bey and were ecstatic about it? My point exactly. While there is talk that some of these receivers could surprise, until we see it for ourselves Carson Palmer better get used to handing off to McFadden and watching him tear through defenses this season. 

One question the Raiders have not had in a good long time is what will their kicking game be like? Thankfully, old Thunderfoot himself, Sebastian Janikowski is back again for his 12^th season and, if he stays true to form, that's one problem that won't need to be solved.

 

 

Running back Michael Bush filled in admirably while Darren McFadden was sidelined last season, yet there is no duplicating the electrifying thrasher that McFadden is when healthy. The Raiders look forward to his return in the backfield and hope he has fully recovered from his injury - indeed that he is the same back he was before he got hurt.

Oakland didn't have a draft pick until the 3^rd round where they selected Tony Bergstrom, an offensive guard out of Utah, so there has not been an infusion of highly touted young blood, though the offense has a few upstarts in Juron Criner and Rod Streater who have turned some heads in the early going at wide receiver but not a whole lot has changed.

The Raiders host the Chargers in Week 1 of the regular season. The same Chargers team that has disappointed two years running. I believe San Diego has too many weapons and that this game could be a repeat of the last game of the 2011 regular season, when the Chargers defeated the Raiders 38-26 right here in Oakland. 

Look for more of the same, play San Diego -1.

 

 

The competition at wide receiver could get very interesting as the team prepares to begin training camp. Juron Criner, a rookie receiver out of Arizona plucked in the 5^th round of this year’s draft, could crack the roster and make life difficult for some of the incumbents. Criner has made the coaches sit up and take notice at OTA’s and mini-camp. 

Also Rod Streater, an undrafted rookie out of Temple, has also taken snaps with the first team and may give an unheralded receiving corps a much needed boost. Denarius Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey are the go to guys for quarterback Carson Palmer with Jacoby Ford as the slot receiver, but the rookies have been a pleasant surprise thus far. But whether they continue to turn heads in training camp is yet to be determined. Regardless, Raider fans have to be heartened that the early reviews regarding the aerial attack looks promising but, then again, hope always springs eternal in the offseason.

 

 

As speculated in our last update, Oakland is inching ever closer to signing former Cincinnati Bengals RB Cedric Benson.  Darren McFadden will obviously handle the load, but he's been more than a bit fragile throughout his career thus far. Benson would be an excellent insurance policy should McFadden go down and would be a viable change of pace back even if he stays healthy.

Former Denver defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is now the head coach in Oakland and with it he brings a contemporary feel to the defense that has been mired in old school looks over the past several years. 

Count safety Michael Huff a big fan of the Raiders new look defense. “Nothing personal, but, obviously, before with Al, rest in peace, he had his hands in all the defense,” Huff said. “He had all his little things he liked to do. Now with D.A. out there, we got all kinds of blitzes, we got 3-4, 4-3 fronts, just a lot of different variety and a lot of different things going on. So, I’m going to love it.”  

The Raiders fans will love it too if they can slow down some of the high octane offenses they are going to see, particularly with Peyton Manning now throwing bombs in the AFC West.

 

 

The Raiders lost Michael Bush to free agency but with a healthy Darren McFadden poised for a big rebound in 2012 the team decided to let him walk and add depth to the running back position through the draft or free agency. But they balked at drafting a tailback even in round 7 and have not signed anyone in the offseason to bolster their rushing attack and provide insurance in the event McFadden goes down.

The Raiders have running backs Mike Goodson, Taiwan Jones and Lonyae Miller currently on their depth chart but there are few who are convinced that any of those players could carry the ground game if McFadden himself gets grounded. That is why Raiders fans perked up at the rumor that former Bengals/Bears running back Cedric Benson is on Oakland's radar. Benson was deemed a bust early on but got the hang of things in his stint with the Bears. If they can lure him into the fold with an incentive laden contract, this could be a coup for the Black and Silver.

 

 

While all eyes were on Darren McFadden when he was lost to a foot injury last season, a less obvious though some would say equally devastating loss came in the form of Matt Shaughnessy. If you're unsure just how important Shaughnessy is to this defensive front then read what perennial Pro Bowler Richard Seymour has to offer on the subject, "I think he's the best in the NFL against the run. I can't say that against the pass now for all the sacks a lot of the other defensive ends have. In terms of the run I'll put him out there with anyone. He's definitely developed into a complete player. It was a big blow for us when he went down. It messed up our rotation a lot. Guys that weren't normally in there were trying to understand what we were trying to do. To get him back healthy this year is big for us."

Speaking of Darren McFadden, he appears to be completely healed from the injury that derailed his 2011 season. But that being said, McFadden has been injury prone throughout his career and the Raiders realize all too well they do not have Michael Bush to fall back on as a Plan B when he filled in seamlessly when McFadden went down and caught the attention of the Chicago Bears who signed him as a free agent in the offseason. That insurance policy now falls to the recently signed Mike Goodson (formerly of Carolina). However, Goodson suffered a debilitating hamstring injury last season after a productive 2010. If the insurance plan falters then Taiwan Jones will be the man. Raiders fans are keeping their fingers crossed McFadden stays healthy and the insurance policies are used only sparingly this season.

 

 

It doesn’t seem that long ago that former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart was drafted 10^th overall by the Arizona Cardinals and predicted to be their signal caller for the next decade. But often times things don’t go as planned when players make the jump from college football to the professional level. Leinart’s career has sputtered and he is now the backup to former teammate and USC standout Carson Palmer.  

Settling into his new surroundings Leinart had this to say, “It’s just getting acclimated with the new guys. For me, the transition has been a little bit easier just because I’m familiar with the offense. It’s been awesome. It’s been fun. Guys are working hard, getting better every day and that’s all you can ask for.” 

 

 

New Era

The irascible owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, passed away midway through the 2011 season, so a new regime will shepherd the Raiders into the 2012 season and beyond.  Former Raiders linebacker Reggie McKenzie was lured from the a cushy executive job with the Packers to become the Raiders new GM. McKenzie's first order of business was firing Hue Jackson as head coach and replacing him with 39 year old Dennis Allen, who will be making his maiden voyage in NFL head coaching waters.

McKenzie is owner Mark Davis' guy and will hopefully be allowed to rebuild a mediocre team into something resembling their glory years from decades ago.  Impatient, Davis brought in a carousel of coaches and players, which only exacerbated problems that had beleaguered this franchise over the past nine years. The Raiders now have a series of fresh new faces to chart a steady course for the future. 

Questions abound in 2012

The Raiders find themselves in a precarious position. The salary cap forced Oakland to shed some financial heft; Stanford Routt, Kevin Boss, Kamerion Wimbley, Chris Johnson, Hiram Eugene, and John Henderson were all released as a result, while Chaz Schilens, Samson Satele, Rock Cartwright, Jason Campbell, and Michael Bush took their talents elsewhere via free agency. 

There were no earth-shattering acquisitions, but there were some minor additions such as those of Mike Brisiel, Philip Wheeler, Mike Goodson, Ron Bartell, and Shawntae Spencer in what amounted to a rather ho-hum offseason. When you factor in that the Silver and Black didn't pick until late in the 3^rd round, you know there was no wow factor to be had in this offseason. It appears as though McKenzie is content to get the Raiders salary cap issues in order before making any major moves.

Raiders 2012 Draft

Having traded away their early round selection, the Raiders were without a pick until they selected Utah offensive tackle Tony Bergstrom in the 3^rd round, 95th overall.

The Raiders then added San Diego State's LB Miles Burris, Penn State DE Jack Crawford, Arizona WR Juron Criner, Georgia State DE Christo Bilukidi, and Penn State OLB Nathan Stupar. Considering the fact that they were ranked 27^th against the run and pass last season in yards allowed, the Raiders need some immediate on defense. It's doubtful any of their selections on the defensive side of the ball can make immediate contributions but only time and training camp will tell.

The 2012 Odds

5Dimes currently has Oakland pegged at 66-1 to win the Super Bowl, and the general consensus among offshore books puts their total at 7 wins for the season. If you find 7 ½, you will pay a hefty vig but that extra half game may be the difference between pushing and winning if you fancy the UNDER. 

Personally, I look at this year as a rebuilding season for the Raiders. Mark Davis is now the new owner, and he cannot be oblivious to the mistakes his father made in his waning years. There has always been chaos in the Raiders organization – hell, they've thrived on it and won Super Bowls because of it - but that's the controlled mayhem you find on the field with a group of castoffs, outlaws and misfits that have endeared this franchise to their fans. 

But, this is a new era and the Raiders have not been successful at giving a shot at redemption to those who were uncontrollable in other locales. I believe this will be a year for the new executive staff and their coaches to assess the lay of the land and plan for the future. I like UNDER 7 wins this season.