The Oakland Raiders are anxious to get out on the field against a real opponent. Head Coach Hue Jackson says that the winning starts this week because if they are keeping score, he wants to win. The fans are anxious for the chance to see the 2011 squad too. There are several story lines to follow in Thursday night’s game and here is a breakdown of just a few of them.
QB #2
Reports out of camp are that Kyle Boller and Trent Edwards look to be about even with each other in terms of who is going to be Jason Campbell’s back-up this year. Expect Boller to be the second quarterback you see in the game after Jason Campbell puts on the baseball cap and calls it a night. That doesn’t mean that the back-up spot belongs to Boller, it’s just a seniority thing at this point. Both of these guys have starting experience for other teams with Boller being the elder at 30 while Edwards is just 27.
Edwards holds the edge in career QB rating by a mere four points over Boller, but both men have thrown more interceptions in their career than touchdowns. Boller is a former first round pick, while Edwards was a third round pick. Boller has experience with Hue Jackson, but the Raiders contemplated drafting Calvin Johnson in the first round and Trent Edwards in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. Sure, fans would rather trade both of these guys for Megatron, but it will be an interesting battle nonetheless.
Michael Huff/Nickel package
Michael Huff will most likely be the Raiders’ nickel cornerback this year with the younger guys at the position still needing time to develop. Rod Woodson was asked what Huff needed to work on in his game and he bluntly stated that Huff has very little to work on because he is just a naturally skilled playmaker. Having a guy like that makes the coaches’ job easier because there is a lot of work yet to be done with other guys. So any time you get a guy who can grasp what he needs to do without being a liability, it is very helpful.
With Huff playing nickel corner, it opens up the free safety that he will be vacating in that package. I’m expecting to see Stevie Brown fill that role with Tyvon Branch at strong safety and Mike Mitchell in the second linebacker spot next to Rolando McClain; that is if Mitchell is available to play as he has missed some practices with injury. Also, look for strong side linebacker Kamerion Wimbley to put his hand in the dirt and rush the passer. The package will most likely be similar to their “Big Nickel” package from last year, except for this year it is just the regular old nickel.
Hue Jackson time management
First year head coaches have a lot of responsibility. Jackson has been able to get a lot of work done with his coaching staff with regards to getting everybody on the same page. But one of the things that sometimes gets overlooked is time management. The prior head coach of the Raiders was particularly piss poor at that. Jackson was asked about it at yesterday’s media session and said that he expects to have help from certain staff individuals who have experience in that department.
This will our first dose of Hue Jackson’s tendencies with the clock. Like I said, the other guy was terrible at it, often calling misinformed challenges of plays and using all of the team’s timeouts well before the two minute warning. You can probably point to a specific instance in your immediate memory where the Cable guy had a foul up with clock management. This is something that is often overlooked, but is a crucial part of winning or losing a contest.
Wide receiver rotation
Everyone who doesn’t have the benefit of being at practice and watching the receiver roles develop at Raiders camp is anxious to see the rookie getting all the attention, Denarius Moore. Moore should get a ton of reps as the Raider staff attempts to see what he is really made of against competition that he doesn’t face every day in practice. And I also know everybody must be anxious to see if Chaz Schilens is still a playmaker or if he has lost a step with his history of leg and foot injuries.
Louis Murphy will most likely sit this one out, which means Darrius Heyward-Bey and Schilens will be the number one and two guys on the field. If DHB has a big game, don’t be surprised, because he had a decent preseason last year also. His big problem occurs when the Monday Night lights come on and the game actually counts. That’s when the nerves get the best of him.
Expect Nick Miller to get some reps also. Miller worked hard all offseason, but has had a pretty shaky camp so far. With the emergence of Denarius Moore and the presence of Schilens, Jacoby Ford, Louis Murphy, and DHB, Miller is on the hot seat. If the Raiders carry six wide receivers again this year, it may come down to Miller and the recently signed Derek Hagan. Hagan has the edge in experience and is said to be an underutilized NFL caliber receiver. Some think he is capable of being a feasible number two guy for some teams.
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