Al Davis was aggressive in rebuilding the Oakland Raiders this offseason. He upgraded most of the need positions through free agency, bringing in a plethora of fresh faces. With their first pick in the draft, the Raiders look to have upgraded their already strong rushing attack. Questions do remain for the Raiders as there are health questions surrounding Javon Walker, but overall this looks to be a vastly improved team almost across the board. I have been focusing on the individual camp battles, and will resume that series in the near future, but it was time to step back and take a look at the team in the macro rather than the micro.

Quarterbacks:

2007: Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper split time before finally giving way to JaMarcus Russell in the last game of the season. Both Culpepper and McCown were hot and cold, and neither could take the team and make it their own.

2008: Barring injury, this is JaMarcus Russell’s team. He will make rookie mistakes, because he is essentially a rookie, but there will be consistency at a position where it is vital.

CHANGE: IMPROVED

Running Backs:

2007: LaMont Jordan started the season strong before sustaining an injury in week four that he never really recovered from. Justin Fargas took over and exploded for over 1000 yards, before falling with his own injury. Dominic Rhodes finished the season with two strong games.

2008: Dominic Rhodes is now a Colt and Jordan is just hanging in limbo but will be gone by the opening of the season. Fargas is expected to return at full strength, and the Raiders have added the dynamic Darren McFadden and Michael Bush to the fray. The speed and versatility of McFadden adds a fresh dimension to the Raiders attack.

CHANGE: Improved

Fullbacks:

2007: The Raiders had Oren O’Neal emerge as a bulldozing blocking fullback, whilst Justin Griffith was an above average blocker and a threat to handle some carries and catch a few balls out of the backfield.

2008: Griffith and O’Neal are expected to resume their roles for the 08 season, with O’Neal now the proud owner of a year’s NFL experience.

CHANGE: SAME

Wide Receivers:

2007: The Raiders broke camp with four receivers, three of whom were possession receivers and the other was a rookie burner in Johnnie Lee Higgins who never could really get playing time or impress the rare times he did. This was a huge weakness for the Raiders in 07, despite dropping Mike Williams for Tim Dwight.

2008: Jerry Porter is history. That alone is an improvement. The Raiders added Javon Walker and Drew Carter as deep threats that were missing last season. Ron Curry, who has been the Raiders most consistent receiver for the last couple years returns.

CHANGE: VASTLY IMPROVED

Tight Ends:

2007: Zach Miller emerged as a dependable receiver over the middle and showed that he can be a forceful blocker. John Madsen showed strong potential as a receiving threat.

2008: Miller and Madsen both have another year experience and a chance to gain chemistry with Russell through training camp.

CHANGE: SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT

Offensive Line:

2007: The offensive line under Tom Cable far exceeded their expectations. Robert Gallery found a home at left guard. Paul McQuistan showed that he could be a solid right tackle.

2008: Jeremy Newberry and Barry Sims are both gone. John Wade has been brought in to be the center, and Kwame Harris looks to be the left tackle. Newberry was a gamer, but an injury waiting to happen, so Wade should be an upgrade. Sims was one of those guys who never seemed to be very good, but somehow played well enough to keep his job. Harris, on the other hand, was run out of San Francisco on a rail, and the only hope for him is some of the Tom Cable magic.

CHANGE: SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT

The Raiders don’t appear to have regressed in any of their positions, and have had at least some apparent improvement in nearly all of them. Look for the Raiders offense to be much more explosive than last year, taking advantage of Russell’s strong arm and the speed of the new arrivals at receiver. McFadden will also likely be a major receiving threat out of the backfield, as well as moved around to help create mismatches. Even if Cable’s magic works on Harris, don’t look for a close of the 99 Rams, but look for the Raiders to put points on the board.