Raider Mike's State of the Defense

How good are the Raiders defensively?

You can ask 10 different fans and get 10 different opinions. The team had the 3rd ranked defense in the entire NFL last season, despite a 2-14 record. They ranked first overall against the pass.

Still, it’s becoming increasingly evident with each passing week, that part of the reason for their success was the fact that opponents were simply running the clock out on them because they had built insurmountable leads.

Still, I think there’s a lot of talent in this group.

DE- Derrick Burgess is easily the best Raider at this position. He’s totaled more sacks than anyone in the NFL over the past two years (27). The battle for the right end spot was wide open in camp. In the end, Tommie Kelly, who has been at DT for the past couple of seasons, was moved back to end and has filled the role nicely. Burgess was predictably double-teamed for the better part of the first two games, but missed the last two with a nagging calf injury. Kelly’s been tremendous over the past two contests. He played the game of his career against Cleveland, which was capped by his game-winning blocked field goal. Jay Richardson has been pressed into starting duty in Burgess’ absence, but his primary role is to spell him in obvious run situations. Richardson, the rookie 5th rounder out of Ohio State, has really impressed me thus far. He made a play last Sunday where he ran Ronnie Brown down from behind. I was a little surprised by the speed he showed. Chris Clemons made the roster because of his versatility. He could play linebacker or rush the QB from a down position. The problem is that he does neither well, and has been invisible since week 1. Tyler Brayton rounds out the position and plays both inside and outside on running downs. The former first rounder hasn’t lived up to expectations and many fans wanted to see him cut this year. I’m one of the few that’s happy to see him back because I feel he’s an underrated run stuffer. The Raiders are OK at DE, but they need to find another situational pass rusher to compliment Burgess. I still can’t figure out why they cut Quenton Moses in training camp. He was a rookie that could have stayed inactive every week. Instead, Lane Kiffin decided they could spare the 65th pick in the draft!! I’m not quite over that mistake just yet, but someone else to fit that role needs to be obtained before I’d call this unit anything more than average.

DT- Have you seen Warren Sapp??? He lost 50 pounds in the off-season to improve his quickness. While he’s noticeably faster, some worry that he lost too much weight to maintain his all-pro level of play. He hasn’t recorded a sack yet, but I’m giving the big guy (errr…the little guy?) more than four games before I write him off. I have a great deal of admiration for the guy. He didn’t quit on the team when they were losing like other high profile players did (who could I be referring too?). Terdell Sands started the season with a brand new contract that at least paid him to be the starter. His task is to simply occupy space in the middle of the line with his massive 6-7 335 frame. He showed signs of developing into a master of this trade last season, but has disappointed to the point where he has, at least temporarily, lost his starting position. The player starting in his place has been the real surprise of this defense. Gerard Warren was traded here 2 weeks before the season started by the team who I shall not speak of. I mean plain and simple, the Raiders do not make trades with them. Plus Warren was their best run stopper over the past two years. My immediate reaction was, “Uh oh. Something must be wrong with him.” Instead, Warren has played very well and even has 3 sacks!!! One of them (against that former team of his) resulted in a safety. I like our defensive tackles at the moment, but Sapp is getting old and Sands needs to be more consistent.

LB-Write it down. The Raiders are set at middle and weak side linebacker for the next 6 or 7 years. Kirk Morrison is the best linebacker the Raiders have had since I started following them in 1992. He’s my favorite player on the team, and one of the best unknown players in the league. This guy is going to become a household name and it’ll be sooner than you think. He’s a tremendous tackler and is better in coverage than our safeties (sad, but true). His 3 interceptions are tied for the most amongst linebackers in the NFL. One of the players he’s tied with is his teammate, Thomas Howard. In only his second season, Howard is already showing that he has rare talent. Sapp told reporters that he’s the fastest linebacker he’s ever played with. That’s saying a lot, considering the fact that he played with Derrick Brooks in Tampa Bay. Strong side linebacker, Sam Williams is a quiet, but steady player. He’s good against the run and makes all of the plays he’s “supposed to.” He doesn’t do anything flashy, but I rarely see him taking bad angles and making mistakes when he’s out there. The team’s only REAL backup linebacker is Robert Thomas. He can fill in at any of the three positions and is solid, yet unspectacular. Ricky Brown, Isaiah Ekujuba and Jon Condo are listed as linebackers, but are really only special teams players.

CB- If you don’t know who Nnamdi Asomugha is yet, you should. When the team lost Charles Woodson to free agency, the concern was that the Raiders lacked a true #1 cornerback. Asomugha stepped up last year and had 8 picks. I’ll guarantee he has less this year. And, that isn’t a bad thing. Opposing quarterbacks have learned not to throw the ball at him. He’s shut down the competition’s #1 receiver every game so far this season. Chad Johnson, of the Cincinnati Bengals, said that he’d never seen a guy that big, run so fast. The concern is at the other corner position. Fabian Washington has been disappointing this season and has been demoted to nickel back. Stanford Routt, who admittedly feels more comfortable playing outside, is now getting his chance to do so. He hasn’t been as noticeably bad as Washington and has two interceptions. I’m not giving up on Washington yet, but wow has he looked terrible this year. Chris Carr gets limited playing time in the defensive backfield, but has showed hints of potential. John Bowie was the taken this year as the team’s “famous” 4th round pick acquired from the New England Patriots in the Randy Moss deal. Bowie is a developmental prospect, but hey….at worst he’s the answer to a trivia question. The team also has speedster Chris Johnson. I’m ok with him playing on the special teams unit, but defensively, he is the worst player I’ve ever seen. If he ever steps onto the field with the defense, I’ll cry. I didn’t think it was possible for a player with his speed to get burnt so badly. Altogether, the Raiders corners have room for improvement, but are still very solid. They would definitely win a track meet against any other team’s defensive backs.

S- Last…and…well…least. Michael Huff was the seventh player picked in a VERY strong draft last year. He has the potential to develop into one of the best safeties in the league. Unfortunately, he hasn’t put it together yet. He hasn’t been the playmaker he was thought to be. All the tools are there. I mean this guy is an athlete. He was solid in week 3 against the Browns, but has otherwise been unspectacular. His coverage skills have left something to be desired, but the real concern is his inability to take the right angles against the run. That is the single biggest problem on this defense. Huff, along with teammate Stuart Schweigert takes bad angles and turn five yard runs into 50 yard gains by opposing running backs. The front seven is doing their job, but there are always going to be instances where the back gets past them. It becomes the responsibility of the safeties to limit the damage. Schweigert has hit a brick wall in his development, but cannot hit like a brick wall. I’ve become used to seeing him dragged all over the field. I miss Eric Turner and Ronnie Lott. The team NEEDS a big hitting, run stuffing, KO, safety like each of them used to be. They thought they got that in the off-season with the signing of Donovan Darius. As it turned out, the team figured out that they didn’t need Darius; they needed the player that Darius was five years ago. BJ Ward and Hiram Eugene are the backup safeties. Eugene isn’t that good and if it weren’t for a HUGE missed tackle against the Lions earlier this year, the Raiders would probably be 3-1. Ward is intriguing, but didn’t help his cause by getting trampled by Ronnie Brown in the same way Wile E. Coyote was run over by the Road Runner.


As a whole, I think that the defense has been solid in the last two games. They’ll get Derrick Burgess back for their next game at San Diego. If this defense wants to match last year’s defensive ranking, then they’ll need to get better run defense out of their safeties. I’d like to see Rob Ryan be a little more creative with his defensive play calling. It’s difficult to blitz when you have two linebackers that are so good in coverage, but Ryan has become a bit too predictable. They will certainly be tested against the Chargers.


Elsewhere- It isn’t Raider-related, but it is October so here’s my World Series prediction. I like the Angels in 6 over the Diamondbacks.

Goodnight!