Veteran presence
By Jerry McDonald - NFL Writer
Monday, July 16th, 2007 at 10:03 am in Oakland Raiders.
(Note: Last call for readers to submit lead blog items. Send to jmcdonald@angnewspapers.com. Regular blogs will resume soon with breakdowns of each position group heading into training camp, plus news updates as warranted)
By Jason Villeneuve (jjvill)
Al Davis is a man who relishes history, especially the history of the Oakland Raiders. This has been both a benefit and bane for those of us living in Raider Nation.
It is a benefit because the Nation gets to root for the NFL team with the most unique legacy in the game. It can also be a bane at times. Like when Al tries to recapture the past with coaches who haven’t stepped on the sidelines in a decade or whose prior job was scrambling eggs at a bed and breakfast.
I’m sorry those Tom Walsh jokes never get old.
My point here is that it is always a boom or bust proposition when the Raiders dip back into their past to try and create future glory. A popular Raider move in the last couple of decades has been the signing of a veteran safety to solidify the defense. Enter Donovin Darius.
Darius could be a boom prospect that brings a talented, young secondary the veteran savvy it needs along with a little Tatum- ike intimidation for the opposition. Or he could be breaking down, as his last two years in Jacksonville might suggest, and be a Raider bust.
Only the future will reveal what reality the Raiders will face with Darius. I can only hope that his signing follows recent Raiders history and has boom written all over it. Let’s take a step back into the archives and see what these veteran safeties have done for past Oakland squads.
In 1991 the Raiders, sadly the L.A. version, were coming off a spectacular 12-4 season that ended with a thrashing in the AFC Championship game at Buffalo. Actually it probably ended one week earlier when Bo Jackson’s hip went pop.
So in 1991 we had no Bo, the Marcus Allen feud was in full effect, and Jay Schroeder was still our QB, sadly the same Schroeder version from every other year. This was not looking like a playoff year.
The Raiders did squeak into the post-season in 1991 mainly because of a stingy defense led by off-season pickup, and future Hall of Famer, Ronnie Lott. Lott led the Raiders charge all year picking off eight passes and had singular game winning efforts with an overtime interception in Seattle and also led a dominating defensive performance in a win over his former 49er team.
Ronnie Lott may have only worn the Silver and Black for two years, but he was definitely a boom signing for the team. Without him I doubt they make the playoffs in 1991, that is the ultimate impact free agent.
My favorite, and maybe least appreciated, veteran safety that had a positive impact on the team was Eric Turner in 1997. Turner was the ultimate case of not realizing what you have until it was gone.
His play wasn’t extremely noticeable that first year in Oakland mainly because he was surrounded by maybe the worst set of Raider defenders ever, led by that big turd Chester McGlockton. But in 1998 and 1999 Turner was a big part of a defensive turnaround along with Charles Woodson and Eric Allen.
Turner was one of the leaders of a Raider team that was just about to turn that corner into playoff contention when he was suddenly and tragically taken from us in the spring of 2000. All of Raider Nation mourned for Turner the man. I don’t think any of us really mourned his loss as a football player until we watched Shannon Sharpe run 96 yards in the 2000 AFC Championship game.
No way Sharpe gets that much yardage if E-Rock is still prowling the secondary. Eric Turner was definitely a Raider boom _ RIP my Raider brother.
The most recent boom signing at safety is someone every Raider fan remembers is Rod Woodson. Who can forget his game changing, possibly season saving, play on a Monday night in November 20,02? Rod stepping in front of the Brian Griese pass and streaking down the Mile High, Invesco, whatever, sideline is something Raider Nation will never forget.
Even if he was a hated Steeler and one of those bum Ravens from 2000, Rod Woodson should always be thought of fondly in the hearts of the Nation. He helped carry Oakland to the Promised Land and for that he is a boom signing to remember.
The 2007 version of the Oakland Raiders look like it’s all about the future with young, unproven characters like Lane Kiffin and JaMarcus Russell, but with Al and the Raiders there is always a little bit of history in the mix. Will Darius be a boom or bust? Only the future will reveal that question.
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July 16th, 2007 at 11:06 am
we are on the right track no need to worry. and i like the info in this article, but can we PLEASE talk about the future and upcoming season!!??!! whose trying out where at what position or something like that. im tired of reading refurbished articles of the back in the day raider teams and players from the past. im tired of remembering and want some insight of the future. 11 days before the start of minicamp, im sure there is something we can read or talk about for the upcoming season other than the past. good read though, i guess….. IN 2007 RAIDER NATION HAS THE LAST LAUGH!
July 16th, 2007 at 11:15 am
definitely a boom signing for the team
definitely a Raider boom
most recent boom signing
Unless you are trying to inappropriately (malapropriately?) channel John Madden, the word is “boon.”
Great article, though; thanks for stepping up and writing. I miss E-Rock as well. In pace requiescat.
July 16th, 2007 at 11:58 am
If youre going to recite the history of veterans defensive backs that made a difference how can you forget Albert Lewis?
July 16th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
I remember watching the HBO special “School of Hard Knocks” featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars a few years ago. Darius appeared a devoutly religious man off the field and an insanely intense competitor on the field. If we keep Burgess happy and throw in the enthusiasm of young players like Howard and Morrison, plus a little intense craziness from Darius (provided he remains healthy), this would provide quite the recipe for the D. I can’t help but feel that this will be contagious! I’m not sure that anyone on the D, as it stands, can be accused of half-assing it last year. The sky’s the limit this year.
On a separate note, LaDainian Tomlinson (on the NFL Network a few weeks back) was very complimentary of the way the Raiders D played last season stating they were very tough to score against.
July 16th, 2007 at 12:02 pm
How about Lionel Washington and Terry McDaniel? Very solid, above average and unfortunately, widely unheralded CBs.
July 16th, 2007 at 12:21 pm
We have certainly faired better(in recent history) at the safety position by signing veterans than we have had at drafting them. Bates and Gibson were both wasted first round selections. I do think Huff had a solid rookie year and has a shot at being a great player…..so maybe our fortunes have changed as far as drafting a good young safety.
I am excited about our defense and wonder just how good they will be IF they are not constantly defending a short field as they had to do last year.
July 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
blandafan - you left out these
boom or bust proposition
boom written all over it
July 16th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
How about we NOT take a look into the Archives?
I’m tired of hearing about the past! Every Raider fan has heard this crap.
Sports are not about where you’ve been but where your team is going.
I couldn’t care less if my team had just won the Super Bowl a year or two ago it’s what are they going to do this year?
I know that I am more excited this year than last, and probably will be even more the following year. It’s getting better….I think.
July 16th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
I disagree. The bed and breakfast jokes are old and have been for a long time.
I agree with EastcoastRaider, let’s talk future, because it’s looking good!
LR
July 16th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Great read!
July 16th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
This time of year you talk about past, when camp opens the end of july you talk future (you can see what you have practicing), good post.
July 16th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
I like the talent noffense as much as I do the talent on D. I just think it’s going totake time for the stars to come to the fore. But believe me they will, we may not have an extraordinary talent such as Moss. But we do have a #1 and several #2 receivers.
Most everything I’ve read from you guy’s seems to indicate that you don’t believe we have enough talent at HB and on the O-line. I think we’re all going to be pleasantly surprised. Most of what I saw last year was probably to put a % on it, was 80% lack of cohesion and leadership not to mention horrible technigue. In other words guy’s not performing to their level of ability and that’s the challenge Coach has in front of him. Once again the talent is there
They just need to experience some success and gain their confidence. And KNOW that they can play at that level. Mark my words this offensive team isn’t nearly as bad as everyone thinks but I must admit it may take some time for us to actually see it.
July 16th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Spot on, BlackHolePriest. Some intelligent coaching and gameplanning will definitely help the finished product. Cable didn’t have to say he has more talent here than he did at Atlanta (no way a coach puts himself on the spot like that unless he’s convinced) so obviously he meant it when he did. Also, it’s amazing how the quality of a team’s running backs is directly related to how well the O-Line blocks for them.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:14 pm
Great blog! I’ve been saying all this offseason, how this season reminds me of the ‘98 season. We we’re coming off of a terrible season like we are now. Al hired a young offensive coach….like now….etc, etc. 8-8 would be a great achievement, especially for someone who never headcoached on any level in his career. Maybe Kiffin is the “one” to help turn this franchise around and who knows, 5 years from now he could be either the next John Madden or the next Jon Gruden. Hopefully it will be Madden.
July 16th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
I said this before. Our O line is pretty much the same that we had the last 2-3 years. I put at least 50% of the melt down last year on the coaching. THE O LINE WILL IMPROVE VERY MUCH. GO RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 16th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
To all the OL optimists
Please review tape of the 2005 season…. We had Norv Turner and a fairly good OC that was with Miami and the Jets before coaching in Oakland. In an early season game against New England our line was so porous that Dr Z from SI nicknamed our lineman turnstiles. I remember when we hired Shell a lot of the buzz was “at least he will be able to fix the OL mess they have in Oakland.” In addition many of our picks in 2006 were aimed at OL including McQuinstan and Boothe and we attempted to bring in other Free agents to address the OL.
I totally agree that in 2006 with BB Walsh and the three line coaches side show “whoever” would have sucked with those schemes but 2004 and 2005 were not peak years for our OL either. The young talent must emerge this year along with our new FA guard Carlisle or it is going to be a long year. Kiffin and crew will disguise and compensate and dump off to the TE and HB but there still has to be blocking. If Gallery does not improve or someone else emerges, I do not look forward to another year of Simms getting beat by “speed rushers.” Simms is running at full potential and he is what he is a journey man backup that should be struggling for a roster spot. There is no way a NFL team should have him as their designated LT going into game one unless their starting LT got injured during the 3rd or 4th game of preseason. If our OL was just average I would predict Oakland would be 10-6 or even 11-5, but it is not, and I think we will be pushing it to get 8 wins (especially if Simms starts).
We do have Henderson, Gallery, McQuinston, Boothe for Tackle and even Grove Booth and Morris that may have some potential for guard. All are young and have not reached any kind of potential yet. I think that is why Cable mentioned that there is a lot of talent on this line. However it is kind of scary seeing Simms being designated as first team LT because we already know what he can and can’t do. This year for the OL will be one of diagnosis and learning to see who can play. If we have the talent and can create a cohesive unit quickly (not likely but I can hope) we can be the New Orleans of 2007, if not hopefully we will be around 500 and be building for next year. The OL is our biggest problem that we really have not fully addressed because we really do not know what we even have as far as talent at this point.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:30 am
The Ronald Curry catch in the Denver snow, plus the rest of the game will be aired on NFL Network Thursday @ (I think) 6:00.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:34 am
psycho
Great news… thanx for the heads’up I’ll start looking for a ‘copy’ . Sometimes they take just 2-3 days before they are availeble… =)
July 17th, 2007 at 7:53 am
De nada Negra. Tomorow there is also a “Top 10 All-Time Pass Rushers” show on the NFL Network. But it’s probably not worth our time since they’ll no doubt leave off Howie Long and any other worthy Raiders like they always do. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if they put Burgess on the list just to jack up the price on him knowing our situation (joke).
July 17th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Outstanding write up 1960. You have summed up our OL with a nifty time line and in complete agreement with the structure and importance of the current state of our O-line. The wild card is definitely Coach Cable who i believe was the best pick up of the offseason especially with the comfort level of Knapp and Justin our FB.
I am very optimistic about the line with the addition of Cable and the cut block scheme. I have been intrigued by this system after the Broncos made their bread and butter off of it and should suit Gallery and Grove a lot better than traditional blocking schemes.
This has to be the make or break year for these two…there ABSOLUTELY cannot be anymore excuses if they dont play up to their potential this year. Period.
July 17th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Im happy with the D this year, in fact i dont remember a better D in the last 25 yrs. I dont think that we will slip in the ranks a bit because of we will (hopefully!!) have 4th quarter leads and teams will be throwing and scoring more. With Darius in the box Huff and Co are going to need to step up with some turnovers.
The line continues to be the main problem and concern. Many of the same players under a new sceme. Though im a fan of the donks system im not sure we have the right players for it….Im excited though to hot 500. KC should be the bottom feeders this year. Herm will be fired by years end, i give norv 3 declining years. Next 5 yrs look promising with us battling the broncs as in days of old.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Many mistakes above, i should have proof-read! As we kill time till the season opens:
Best:
QB-Gannon
RB-Jackson
S-Tatum
DB-Woodson (going to get crucified on this one)
OL-Shell
DE-Long
k-Guy
WR-Brown
This list represents 4 decades, so the question is who do we currently have that has the ability to be on this list? I can think of only one long shot…Jamarcus.
July 17th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Albert Lewis was another great veteran Safety pickup.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Yes, JJVILL, that is another AD tic when it comes to free agent signings and personnel, and every few years there’s another one. I kinda like the “Boom Signing” terminology too. What you meant is often termed an Impact Signing, but there are many types of impact when ya really think about it - drip, squish, splat, silent but deadly, etc. - hope this one goes BOOM lika a Claymore mine pointed in the right direction. Fun to read.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Wasn’t 91 the year Lott made Comeback Player of the Year?
Awesome…
Yeah, people forget about Turner thats for sure. Nice!
Double D should be a solid contributor and maybe bring back alittle of the head hunting the Raiders used to be famous for.
And if not, I’m sure the Raiders put in plenty of clauses if the injury bug plagues him again.
Age of a Darius article at myspace.com/raidernationstation takes a guess at Rob Ryan’s possible new “Hybrid” Linebacker / Safety scheme.
Some great articles about other stuff too!
Thank gawd!
Good to see some raider articles with imagination.
If this guys stuff is anywhere close to what happens this season, hes a genius.
Very cool!!!
July 17th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
that was funny.
thanks
July 17th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
U can’t say enough about Rod Woodson . I am the ultimate Rod Woodson fan. Luv my Raiders!!
July 18th, 2007 at 1:17 am
Psycho, thanks for the heads up on the Denver snow game. My NFLNET program guide
on DISH shows air times of 5 & 9PM PST.
As for our situation at safety, I’m still waiting for the second coming of Tatum. We have
some promising possiblities. I’ll be watching the camp reports and pre-season games.
BTW It was a clean hit!
July 18th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Newenglandraider do the names Kenny Stabler and Marcus Allen ring a bell? Other then that I whole heartedly agree! Hang tough buddy, bleeding Silver and Black in donkey country, I know what you go through. But, as my youngest son told Coach Madden in Canton last year when coach asked him how being a RAIDAHS fan in Bronco country is working for him my soon replied “we love it, coach!!!”
July 18th, 2007 at 8:07 am
6 to 10 mountain
July 18th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Im just a few miles away from the Pats playground, i wish i had as much coverage for the Raiders!
In defense on my picks…jackson never broke 1000yrds. He never scored more than 5 running touchdowns and went to the pro-bowl just once in 90. But his 5.5 yrds per carry and incredible ability and performance give him my pick as the better RB. If Allen and Jackson were both on the bench and i needed a play id choose Bo. Certainly Allen, my 2nd pick has a more proven carreer. In 90 they were both on same team (same o-line) Jackson had 5.6 ypc, Allen had 3.8 with similar carries! Even at his height Allen never broke 5.0.
Stabler vs Gannon is a bit of a toss up for me but….76 was by far Stablers best year. 67% completion-Gannon matched that. 9.4y/p is higher but so is the interception ratio. 27 td’s is also surpassed by Gannon. Not to mention Stabler has negative rush yards while remembering how many times Gannon leaping for a needed first down? Also keep in mind Gannon did not have Stabler’s o-line and was a master of improvising, doing whatever needed to get the job done. 2 mins to go i choose Gannon to systematically march us down the field with his legs and arm while Stabler may throw an int and crush me! Both 4 time pro-bowlers.
But my point is who do we have on the team NOW that even has potential to be among this elite list? Weve always had SOMEONE even in poor years…