When the Raiders drafted middle linebacker Rolando McClain and traded away former MLB Kirk Morrison, McClain was instantly seen by many as the savior of the Raider defensive woes. He had all the credentials coming out of Alabama of being the star linebacker and leader of the National Champion Crimson Tide defense.
He can take whatever pressure the NFL and the Raiders can place on him, there is little doubt about that. But the Raiders have spent this offseason sculpting the defense around and in front of him with the sole purpose of not placing the entire weight of the defense on him.
This can only be a good thing.
I initially pegged McClain as the odds-on favorite to win the defensive rookie of the year. Afterall, Kirk Morrison led the Raiders in tackles for the past five seasons and in the end, he was considered somewhat of a disappointment and traded away. So it stands to reason that with even decent play from Rolando, he would certainly lead the team in tackles. Add to that fact that the defensive rookie of the year is often times a linebacker because of their penchant for racking up tackles. He will be the starter at the middle linebacker spot immediately and that translates to tackles on any team.
I still think that it is a distinct possibility that he is named the DROY but the Raiders are not depending upon him to have a spectacular season for the defense to be a success.
The most recent acquistion that cemented the team’s intentions of taking pressure off of McClain was the signing of former Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Henderson. The Raiders have been thin at defensive tackles in recent seasons. And they got even thinner with the release of Gerard Warren. Henderson is a big fella for sure with 335 pounds of movable mass. He can be a pure DT in the 4-3 or play as a nose tackle when the team lines up in a 3-4 look. He will eat up blockers and close gaps. He will make quite of a few tackles of his own and when he closes a gap, he will send the runner to the outside where they will meet a defensive end or an outside linebacker in most cases. This will ease the burden on McClain as well as lower his tackle total.
The Henderson signing is only the latest in load displacing infusions to this Raider defense. McClain will also have new linebackers Kamerion Wimbley and Quentin Groves on each side. They add to the pass rush and coverage abilities of OLB’s Trevor Scott and Thomas Howard.
The day after McClain heard his name called, he found out he would also have another big body in front of him in the form of DE/DT Lamarr Houston. He is a solid (pun intended) run stopper with pass rush abilities as well. And the Raiders franchise tagged Richard Seymour to ensure his return for one more season so the combination of Houston and Seymour will attempt to see to it that no running back can take the edge.
In the end, McClain will likely have less tackles than Morrison was known for. But with his new teammates, those tackles should be more quality tackles for little gain, no gain or for a loss. Therefore, I will stand by my initial prediction and call it right now that, barring injury, Rolando McClain will be the defensive rookie of the year. And the Raider defense will be extremely formidable. Not because of McClain’s tackle load, but despite them.
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