Season Report

The 2009-10 season is over and done with for the Raiders and it's time to pass out report cards. There aren't very many good grades for a 5-11 team, especially one as inconsistent as the Raiders. Still, the team wasn't all bad, and does get some good marks.

Quarterback

D. This is an average of the three quarterbacks who started games for the Raiders. Bruce Gradkowski gets a C, Charlie Frye a D, and JaMarcus Russell an F. Russell, who began the season as the starter, regressed in his second full season as a starter and has vindicated many who called him a bust when he was drafted first overall 3 years ago out of LSU. He threw 3 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a qb rating of 50.0 before being benched in favor of Gradkowski. Gradkowski led the Raiders to wins over the Steelers and Bengals but tore ligaments in his knee against the Redskins and missed the rest of the season, being replaced by Frye. Frye started against the Broncos and Browns and threw for over 300 yards against the Browns, but looked very rusty in his time. This is definitely an area that the Raiders need to address in the offseason.

Running Backs

B. The running game was often the only thing the Raiders had going for them this season. If the Raiders had a better passing game the running game would improve vastly. This is the strength of the Raiders' offense and the only reason that they were able to win 5 games this year. Michael Bush was the leading rusher with 589 yards and had 3 touchdowns. Justin Fargas had 491 yards and Darren McFadden added 357. McFadden was injured this season and missed some games, but did show some flashes of his potential when he did get playing time and with a good quarterback this unit could really shine.

Wide Receivers

C-. Again, this is an average assigned to the unit. Chaz Schilens missed most of the season with a foot injury but showed in the games that he played that he might develop into a real threat for this team, and he gets an incomplete since he missed so much time. First round pick Darrius Heyward-Bey gets an F after only totaling 9 catches for 124 yards on the season, making him by far the least productive rookie wide receiver this season. He dropped almost everything thrown his way and showed no actual ability. The other rookie receiver, Louis Murphy, showed a lot this season and gets a B+. I want to give Murphy an A purely for potential, but he only had 34 catches this season.

Tight End

A. For the second season in a row this position receives an A. Zach Miller's stats weren't astounding (66 catches for 805 yards and 3 touchdowns), but he's one of the most complete tight ends in the league because of his great hands and blocking. There was only one pass all season that I saw him drop that he should have caught. If the rest of the Raiders had hands like his then the Raiders might actually be in pretty decent shape, but they don't.

Offensive Line

B-. This might have been the best line the Raiders have had since they went to the Super Bowl. Left tackle Mario Henderson improved with every game and could turn into a very good player for the Raiders. Left guard Robert Gallery missed much of the season with injury, but he looks like a very good player at guard for the Raiders. Chris Morris and Samson Satele shared time at center and the right side of the line was solid. Cornell Green might be the weak link in this line, as he had a lot of penalties called against him and he cost the Raiders quite a bit in terms of field position.

Defensive Line

B. The addition of Richard Seymour clearly helped the Raiders, as both the run defense and pass defense improved with his addition, though not by much for the run defense. Tommy Kelly also looked fully healthy this season and is almost back to the form he was in before he signed his huge contract. Matt Shaughnessy showed some talent when he got playing time and Trevor Scott managed 7 sacks for the Raiders. This is still an area that could use some improvement, and the team needs Seymour to stick around at least one more season.

Linebackers

B-. I like both Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard, and I think Trevor Scott did a great job towards the end of the season rushing the passer as an outside linebacker, but I think the Raiders need an upgrade at middle linebacker. That position is best filled by a smart, gutsy player. My prototpical linebacker is London Fletcher. Although he is undersized, he is one of the smartest players in the game and positions himself well. Morrison could move to the outside if the Raiders can find a middle linebacker through either free agency or the draft and the Raiders could have one of the best and fastest groups of linebackers in the league.

Secondary

B. Nnamdi Asomugha is still the best in the league at his position. People can say what they want about Darrelle Revis. Revis is a great corner, but he is not a complete player. I watched several of the Jets' games this season and what I saw was a player who can cover anybody, but can't play the run. The only difference between Revis and Asomugha is that Asomugha is a willing tackler. What I mean by that is that Asomugha will throw his body at a player who has the ball, while Revis will not. Either Revis cannot get off blocks, or he chooses not to use his body for the benefit of the team, and that is a big difference between the two corners who are almost identical when it comes to coverage. For the rest of the secondary, Michael Huff made major strides and could develop into a very good player for the Raiders. At the other safety position, Tyvon Branch really impressed this season. He reminds me of a young Nnamdi Asomugha, in that he is great in coverage and is a willing tackler. At the other corner spot Chris Johnson did fairly well, considering that almost every pass was thrown his way because Nnamdi Asomugha is such a good corner and saw very few passes thrown his way the whole season. There is a lot Johnson can do to improve, since there were a lot of penalties on him, but I think the Raiders would be better served finding a better cornerback through the draft because of Johnson's age (31 next season).

Special Teams

B. I gave this unit an A last season because it was the strength of the team. Lechler is still the best punter in the league (and possibly the best ever). Janikowski also made major strides for the team, hitting a career high 89.7% of his field goals (including a 61 yarder) and making all of his extra points. Janikowski has become one of the best kickers in the game, joining Lechler. What drops this grade is the return game of the Raiders. Last season they returned 5 punts or kicks for touchdowns. This year that total dropped to zero. The average also dropped a lot, and an offense is hurt when the return game regresses.

Coaching

D. This unit got a D+ last season. The only reason it even gets a D this year is because of the work of defensive coordinator John Marshall. Marshall risked his job by blitzing against some opponents this year, and his coaching was the reason the Raiders were able to beat Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Tom Cable should never have been given the head coaching position, and that mistake might be corrected during the offseason. I have never had confidence in him, and that goes back to when he cost the team a win against the Chiefs last season by trying to run a fake field goal with Janikowski. Cable is not worthy of being a head coach at even the college ranks and hopefully the Raiders find someone better soon.