Cotto: Five moves to help the Oakland Raiders
I know, I know…
The season just ended, the Oakland Raiders just missed making the post-season, “can we hold off the off-season talk to later,” will be what some of you are thinking. But here are five sure-fire ways to get the Silver & Black on track for the 2012 campaign:
RE-SIGN MICHAEL BUSH
I don’t get this whole, “trade Bush,” or “trade McFadden,” emotional banter from fans. That’s an area of strength for the Raiders and if not for that depth, Oakland would have been dead in the water and not even in contention this past year.
Darren McFadden may never see a full 16-game schedule, but that pairing, with Michael Bush as his back up, should be in tact in 2012. Bush can be franchised, and Oakland will likely do that if they can’t come to terms with him on a multi-year deal.
Bush is at a young enough age, and he does not have any wear and tear on his treads, which will make him a lucrative option for team’s in need of a bolstering to their ground attack. If Oakland keeps him, it will ensure they have the best backfield in the league. Carson Palmer has yet to have both to his disposal. Imagine what Oakland could do then?
And as much as fans want to talk up Taiwan Jones, the facts are, as rookie he didn’t show anything that warrants a bigger role and risking making your most talented unit a major question mark and giving your veteran passer a weaker ground attack. It just doesn’t make sense.
HIRE A G.M.
Way better coaches with hall of fame pedigree failed at handling both general manager and coaching duties. Hue Jackson clearly is not ready for both and had a tough first year at one capacity.
He needs to stay in touch with the pulse of the team more and handle the offense. By giving him a personnel staffer who can deal with contracts, player acquisitions and the draft, in accord with what Jackson wants to see on the field, it will only make life easier for him and maybe translate to him being a better manager on the field.
Reggie McKenzie & Elliot Wolf (Packers), Eric DeCosta (Ravens), Tom Gamble (49ers) and Les Snead (Falcons) are names that have been bantered about, as Ron Wolf and Ken Herock will be advising Mark Davis throughout the process.
FIRE CHUCK BRESNAHAN
The defense was not able to get a key stop in the second half versus the Bills – a key early loss. Oakland was trounced in the second half versus the Broncos – a loss that ultimately helped their demise and kept them out of the post-season. The Detroit Lions put together a heart-breaking comeback in the final minutes at Oakland, throttling Bresnahan’s bunch in the process.
In his second stint back with the Raiders, Bresnahan failed and his defense was horrendous. There’s too much talent on that unit for them to be one of the worst in run defense, total yards allowed and points per game. The Raiders allowed a franchise-worst 31 TD passes this season as well.
With Steve Spagnuolo possible on the outs in St. Louis, Jack Del Rio out there and other possible candidates available, it will be in Oakland’s best interest if they part ways with Bresnahan and bring in a new voice with fresher ideas to teach a unit that has a lot of talent.
TRADE JACOBY FORD
Denarius Moore had a solid rookie campaign and can potentially be a starter. Jacoby Ford and Moore are similar talents, but unlike Moore, Ford may be developing a little bit of a diva syndrome which may be rubbing some the wrong way in Oakland.
Ford showed to be a dynamic special teams returner and demonstrated a knack for big plays as a pass catcher. But this year, Oakland’s receiving unit evolved, and with Moore coming along, Ford may become expendable. True he makes very little money and you can’t have enough talented targets for Palmer.
But he’s shown to have the injury bug too, and if you can replenish some more draft selections (Oakland has traded many of them away recently) with a talented player, maybe they should look into it. He isn’t owed much money, so he’ll be a very attractive chip and one that could bring back some needed compensation.
DRAFT DEFENSE… AND MORE DEFENSE
Oakland will have to find ways to make their linebacking unit a tad more versatile, especially with talents that can play in space and in coverage.
An infusion of skill at cornerback will also be needed, as they sorely missed Nnamdi Asomugha this season and Stanford Routt showed not to be a top-tier cover guy in this league. Teams were not afraid to go after him and anyone else Oakland lined up in front of opposing wide receivers. Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly are not getting any younger, and John Henderson is on his last legs.
It doesn’t help either that Rolando McClain has not made the impact many expected when he came out of college.
The defense ultimately failed the Raiders in 2011. A few stops here and there, and they would have been a playoff team. Now, it’s time to add to this unit with some top tier talent and not projects.






















