NFL Previews: Oakland Raiders

The Raiders had to be excited about this season when they finished with an 8-8 record last year and went undefeated against their division. They looked like a team that is ready to maybe make a leap, so what does Al Davis do? Fire the head coach Tom Cable and hires Hue Jackson. Let's Nnamdi Awesome-Ugha and Zach Miller go, but hey, they have Darren McFadden and should be able to run the ball effectively like they did last year.



Offense:

They signed Kevin Boss which is a good replacement for Zach Miller, however, he is not the pass catcher Miller is. The Raiders have found some players at the skill positions, such as Louis Murphy and Darren McFadden, but running back Michael Bush is now a free agent. On top of that, 2009 first round pick WR Darrius Heyward-Bey is looking more and more like a bust every year. If DHB fails to improve, the Raiders will be in the market for another receiver. I hear T.O. is looking for a new home.



Defense:

Losing Nnamdi kills them. They were 2nd in passing yards allowed and he obviously was a big part of that. They brought back Michael Huff which was a good move, but unless Chris Johnson turns into a great CB it might be a tough year.



I like the Raiders so 7-9