Paint It Black by Alex Chavez

The Pink Elephant



I want to be an optimist, want to believe that this year will be different. Somehow the Raiders will win some games, right? JaMarcus Russell will be just good enough; the rushing attack will once again be in the NFL’s top 10, and the defense will play solid enough to win 7 or 8 games, producing promise heading into 2009.

Yet there’s the same humungous pink elephant in the room that has camped out here since 2004, and it continues to dampen my hopes for this season. Who is the team’s pink elephant? The absense of a run-stuffing defensive tackle.

In the early 2000s, when Oakland was dominating the AFC West, the team trotted out Darrell Russell, Grady Jackson, John Parrella, and Sam Adams. Thou shalt not run on us. The run defense was consistently in the top 12, and Oakland enjoyed playing meaningful games in December and January.

This year? Tommy Kelly, Terdell Sands, and Gerrard Warren. The problem? We had this exact same trio to begin last season. They were absolutely shredded week after dreadful week. I tried to find an excuse.

“Well, Tommy Kelly was hurt last year!” Unfortunately, I looked at the numbers that the opposing rushing offenses hung on us during the first seven games of the 2007 season (Kelly was injured during game 7). So what did Kelly help the Raiders achieve during that timespan? Here is how each opposing offense fared in their rushing attack weeks 1 through 7.






Vs Detroit 5.1 avg. 108 yards

At Broncos 4.8 181

Vs Browns 4.6 88

At Dolphins 7.1 141

At Chargers 6.4 206

Vs Chiefs 3.9 126

At Titans 5.3 192

Yikes. The Raiders defense allowed an awful 5.3 yards per carry. At the end of the season, Oakland’s defense had the worst yards-allowed-per-carry at 4.8 So the team was even MORE horrible with Kelly in there. And, as we all know, neither the peronnel nor the scheme have changed between then and now.

Well, could Terdell Sands have a better season this year? Unlikely, as he’s already had his knee drained this preseason and missed practice time due to its problems. When he did practice, the results weren’t that impressive. This week, Kiffin prodded Sands: “Push yourself Sands, push yourself!” Guys who know they’re an integral part to the team’s success should not need to be motivated by coaches. If Sands was ready to become the force we need him to be, he would be eating Jake Grove and Robert Gallery for lunch every practice.

This Friday’s game versus the run-oriented Titans team should be a good measuring stick for the Silver and Black’s run defense. Chris Johnson’s speed, Lendale White’s power, and Vince Young’s elusiveness are enough to give any defense fits. If our guys don’t kick down the door and make a statement, our best hope for 2008 will be that our offense exceeds expectations, takes early leads in games, and makes opponents play catch up through their passing attack. For all we know, drafting Darren McFadden may have been our best move at shoring up the porous run defense. One way or another, Friday night lights will shine the truth.

So what are your thoughts, Nation? What is our hope for the 2008 Raider run defense? Is the defensive tackle position priority number one as we look forward to a possible 2009 playoff season?

Alex

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