TODD WATKINS
RONALD CURRY
Ronald Curry went from the practice squad, to being a key cog in the Oakland Raiders offense. Upon entering the league, Curry had no position which to latch on to, so the Silver & Black utilized him as a scout quarterback, on special teams as a returner, with some brief glimpses in the secondary as well, in order to take advantage of the great athleticism he possessed.
In 2003, he played 15-games, only starting twice at wide receiver, but he led the special teams unit with 17 tackles. When 2004 arrived, Oakland quickly learned that their patience would be worthwhile as Curry compiled 50 receptions for 670 yards and six scores while becoming a go to guy for then quarterback Kerry Collins.
His shinning moment that season was during a Sunday night match-up versus the Denver Broncos. Curry torched Oakland’s rival for 110 yards receiving, and with the Silver & Black trailing, his amazing one-handed grab in the back of the end zone during a snow storm cut the lead to 24-19 and provided Raider fans with one of the memorable moments in recent team history. The Raiders eventually won that game, and the winning score in the 4th quarter was set up by a Curry 63-yard grab.
Since, he has sustained Achilles injuries that have kept him off the field for extended periods, has been hindered this off-season by foot ailments, but his work ethic and unwavering determination is what has made him a productive NFL target and a fan favorite.
In 2006 and 2007, Curry amassed a combined 117 catches, 1,444 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns, while being one of the better 3rd down converters in the league.
JOHNNIE LEE HIGGINS
Johnnie Lee Higgins was drafted by the Raiders in the third round of the 2007 NFL Entry Draft as a tremendous athlete with a history of solid production and higher expectations. The Raiders felt highly enough of Higgins to make him a first day draft choice in the hopes he would solidify the slot position and provide a spark to listless special teams return and coverage units.
Higgins saw action is every game during 2007, even starting in two, and was used on punt returns, special teams coverage and as a wide receiver. Higgins’ athleticism and versatility allowed him to garner substantial playing time during his rookie campaign. The Raiders have high expectations of Higgins coming into his second season and plan to again utilize his talents in many different ways.
Raiders Head Coach, Lane Kiffin spoke during training camp about Higgins progress and articulated that he was pleased with how much physically stronger Higgins is this off-season. Kiffin likened Higgins last year to the physicality of a college freshman and indicated this as a contributing factor to the lack of overall production from him as a rookie. The Raiders approach this off-season with Higgins is similar to last year, only with higher expectations.
“The thing with Johnnie right now is we’re running him into the ground.”
During mini-camp Higgins could be seen on special teams returning kicks and punts, in coverage and even in the “gunner” role on kick coverage schemes. He has lined up as a wide receiver in the slot as well as on the outside spending substantial time catching deep balls. Higgins will look to contribute to the team with a sizeable increase in production during his second season.
OREN O’NEAL
SHANE LECHLER
JUSTIN FARGAS
TOMMY KELLY
TONY STEWART
THOMAS HOWARD
The Oakland Raiders catapulted Thomas Howard into the starting weak side linebacker spot during his rookie season and since, he has started 31-of-32 career contests. Read more…
WILL BUCHANON
