Trevor Scott is the winner of the third "First-Year Star" award.
One was a rookie end who was catching passes, not sacking quarterbacks, just three years earlier. The other two were sophomores who never got off the bench in 2007.
In the end, by the closest vote in its three-year history, the “After Further Review First-Year Star” award went to defensive end Trevor Scott, the pass rusher out of Buffalo who tied for the team lead with five sacks.
As the 2009 NFL Draft gets under way, “After Further Review” is pleased to announce the winner of its third annual award honoring the Raiders’ best young player. Perhaps the next winner’s big first year in Silver & Black begins this weekend.
Scott, a sixth-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, received 30 out of 93 votes cast by the members of Raiderfans.net, edging out offensive tackle Mario Henderson, who finally blossomed late in 2008; and running back Michael Bush, who recovered from a broken leg suffered in college to shine as part of a three-headed rushing attack.
Henderson, a third-round pick in 2007, received 24 votes after replacing Kwame Harris at left tackle. Bush, a fourth-round pick the same year, received 17. Raiders first-round pick Darren McFadden, another running back, finished with 10 votes.
Scott, who began his career at Buffalo as a tight end, was considered a project when he was chosen late in the draft. But thanks to injuries along the front four, he was inserted into the lineup early as a nickel pass rusher. He racked up two sacks in then-interim head coach Tom Cable’s first win, over the New York Jets, and got two more against the New England Patriots late in the year.
He got Raiderfans.net owner Bob “BK” Carr’s vote: “I had to go with Trevor Scott. He led the league in sacks (for rookies) and didn’t get much playing time. He was also a stout special-teamer.”
That was the theme for Scott’s supporters, as he finished the season with 24 tackles in 16 games, registering tackles in 12 of them, including six against the Jets and five against the Patriots.
“He did a lot of damage when he played, and was solid on special teams,” member “FloridaRaydah” said.
“Dude came out of nowhere and did much more than any of us expected,” member “OaklandHeat” agreed.
Henderson got into only one game as a rookie after the Raiders traded up in the third round to choose him, and failed to beat out veteran Cornell Green for the starting right tackle job in training camp. But when big-money free agent Harris imploded, it was Henderson who started the final three games of the season, including Oakland’s big back-to-back wins to end the year.
“Had to go with Mario Henderson,” said one supporter, member “RaiderArt.” “He stabilized the left side, pretty much eliminated the drive-killing penalties and sacks, which allowed the passing game to thrive. … Wish he would’ve got into the lineup sooner, but better late than never, I suppose.”
Bush finished third on the team in rushing with 421 yards, but also finished the season with a bang, racking up 177 yards and two touchdowns to help the Raiders knock the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the playoffs in the season’s final game.
“I went with Mike for a couple of reasons,” said member “LouisvilleR8R.” “Bush and (McFadden) were great against K.C., but Bush’s performance against the Bucs put him over the top for me.”
He did, however, admit a bit of hometown bias: “Got to go with the kid from Louisville!”
Linebacker Thomas Howard was the first winner of the “First-Year Star” award, with 80 out of 115 votes (69.6 percent); and tight end Zach Miller was the second, with 71 of 75 votes cast (94.7 percent). Both dominated elections in years when the Raiders did not have as many young players making an impact as they did in 2008.
