Silver and Black Report

Oakland Raiders Stevie Brown & Travis Goethel talked to nearly 80 kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Conejo & Las Virgenes at Sequoia Middle School in Newbury Park.

Their appearance on Tuesday was detailed by the Ventury County Star’s web site.

“You need to do your work before you play, because too many times in my life, I’ve played before I’ve worked,” said the linebacker Goethel. “Especially in college and in high school. If I can connect with one kid, then I’ve been successful today.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

QUARTERBACK: A

Dare I say, Jason Campbell was Rich Gannon-esque in his play this afternoon versus the San Diego Chargers! The Oakland Raiders passer was efficient, poised and gave the team a chance for positive plays on every snap this afternoon. Campbell on 3^rd and 7 during Oakland’s first scoring drive pump faked, was chased from behind and ran for 6-yards to set-up a 4^th and 1. On the next play, his ball handling was masterful, executing a beautiful fake handoff and then bootlegging untouched from 9-yards out to give Oakland a 7-0 lead. At the start of the next drive, he connected with his fullback after getting away from Shaun Phillips, for 11-yards. Ten plays later, Campbell increased the Raider lead to 14-0 with a touchdown lob to Jacoby Ford from 4-yards out. His legs were important; breaking containment on a 2^nd and 9 for 12-yards on another scoring drive and rushing for 9-yards on 3^rd and 7 up the gut of the Charger defense before Oakland went up 21-3. Campbell’s pocket presence was stellar and his leadership was on display when he chewed out the rookie receiver when aligned wrong and forced to use a time out. His finest play came in the 2^nd half when he adlibbed, dishing the football to Michael Bush after being pressured and almost sacked – a gain of 24-yards on 2^nd and 12. On 3^rd and 1 in the 4^th quarter, Campbell fooled the everyone with nifty ball handling, on a play action pass that ended in  Louis Murphy’s hands for 37-yards. He ended 10-of-16 for 117-yards, one score and 0 interceptions [105.5 rating]. He also ran for 37-yards.

RUNNING BACKS/FULL BACK: A

Darren McFadden was productive after a two-week hiatus. He was explosive, powerful and the game-breaker Oakland sorely missed during losses to the Steelers and Dolphins.  His fumble at the end of the first half could have proved costly, especially because the clock was ticking and Oakland could’ve ran into the halftime with all the momentum. But San Diego did not capitalize on the turnover when Nate Kaeding missed a 50-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds of the 2^nd quarter. McFadden’s best work came in the 2^nd half; a 19-yard reception on 3^rd and 5 on the opening drive of the 3^rd quarter, a 20-yard run on the ensuing play, a 5-yard gain on 3^rd and 5 and the 7-yard run for a score to give the Silver & Black a 28-13 lead. On the pitch, he beat San Diego defenders to the edge and plowed through Eric Weddle at the goal line. McFadden ended with 97-yards on 19-carries and 3 receptions for 30-yards. Michael Bush was used perfectly today, as Oakland mixed both ball carriers to perfection. The bruising rusher tallied 95-yards on 23 carries and a score. Twice, Bush sold Campbell fakes by running into the line of scrimmage and fooling Charger defenders that though he had the ball in his hands. He picked up tough yards all afternoon and his 7-yard scamper, which featured two broken tackles, gave Oakland a 21-3 lead in the 2^nd quarter. Marcel Reece had several run busting blocks. He also had one of the game’s finer plays, hurdling over Brandon Siler on a screen that amassed 23-yards.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: C

The Raiders did not need this grouping today. But Jacoby Ford did continue his solid play with a 4-yard touchdown grab. The play was aided by a Darrius Heyward-Bey screen on Donald Strickland to free up Ford on the fade pattern. Louis Murphy couldn’t get his feet inbounds on a 2^nd and 8 deep ball in the end zone versus Quentin Jammer. Murphy showed great effort on another deep ball that he almost tipped to himself for a completion, before hauling in a vital 37-yard grab to put away the Chargers. Chaz Schilens made his first appearance of the season but was a non-factor in the fame with one-target. Campbell missed the open Schilens on what would have been a 1^st down gain. Zach Miller continues to struggle since his injuries, tallying one catch for 5-yards. Heyward-Bey had a reverse for a second straight contest – today he compiled 13-yards.

OFFENSIVE LINE: A

The team rushed for 251-yards. That’s the most given up by San Diego all season. Jared Veldheer was dominant run blocking on the left side. He played at center when Samson Satele was hurt, but returned back to left tackle to end the contest. Oakland overpowered San Diego all afternoon and pushed around the defensive front when they needed vital yards. The Chargers led the league in sacks coming into the game and they only recorded one; a scramble by Campbell in which he slid at the line of scrimmage to prevent a major loss. The quarterback was kept clean, the running game was dominant – it was one of the better performances in years from this unit. Khalif Barnes was flagged twice, Satele had a hold on a drive Oakland had to punt and Gallery had a false start, but those infractions barely marred what was a cohesive performance. Langston Walker’s personal foul pushed Sebastian Janiwkoski out of range for a field goal attempt.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A

The Chargers managed only 11-yards rushing at halftime. They only gained another 10 the rest of the game, as Oakland took the lead and the Bolts abandoned their ground game. Regardless, the Raiders were stout early and were the more physical bunch when San Diego attempted to get Mike Tolbert going. Lamarr Houston had a pivotal play stuffing Tolbert on a 4^th and short in the 2^nd quarter and then sacking Philip Rivers on a 2^nd and 6 for a 6-yard loss. Tommy Kelly was active, manhandling Tyronne Green for sack no. 6.5 of the season. Desmond Bryant’s roughing the passer flag aided a drive that ended with a Antonio Gates 4-yard score to cut the Raiders lead, 21-13. On that scoring play, Tyvon Branch, Stevie Brown and Rolando McClain had a mix-up that, which freed up the tight end.

LINEBACKERS: B

Rolando McClain’s performance was probably the best of his rookie season. He ended with 7-solo tackles, but more importantly, he was on his assignments versus Tolbert out of the backfield, limiting him to one reception for no gain and shadowing other threats around the line of scrimmage. His physical presence was felt when he cleanly knocked Darren Sproles out of the game with a vicious hit after a 7-yard reception. Kamerion Wimbley was consistently chasing down Rivers, finally getting to the passer for a sack in the 4^th quarter.

SECONDARY: B

Stanford Routt was targeted at one point, so Rivers took advantage of the Raiders cornerback for a few plays in the 2^nd half while working on Seyi Ajirotutu and Malcom Floyd. But otherwise, the defensive backfield fared well against a passer that lit them up for over 400-yards in their first meeting. Rivers ended 23-of-39 for 280 yards, but because of the constant pressure applied, the Raiders’ secondary could get their hands on some tosses. Michael Huff was dominant in the 1^st quarter, recording a sack and an interception. Rookie Stevie Brown landed a big hit on Gates and batted away a potential score on 3^rd and 12 at the end of the 3^rd quarter versus Floyd. Mike Mitchell did an admirable job against Gates, but was stronger as a run defender around the line of scrimmage.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Oakland again took advantage of a miscue on special teams when Sproles muffed a Shane Lechler punt in the 1^st quarter (recovered by Hiram Eugene). Lechler did not have much length on his punts, but he did place three inside the 20-yard line. Johnnie Lee Higgins was reliable on punt returns, recording 16-yards on one and Rock Cartwright fielded a short kickoff and tallied 28-yards on the return. Travis Goethel had a solid tackle on Sproles early in the game and Mitchell continues to be an energizer on that unit. Ford had a 28-yard return negated by a Ricky Brown holding penalty.

COACHING: A

The win was the most impressive for the Raiders this season for many reasons. San Diego had an 18-0 record in December since 2006, along with a current four game wining streak and a 7-year winning stretch versus Oakland at Qualcomm. Hue Jackson was masterful in his play calling at times; whether calling a bootleg run that fooled many for a score and that his players sold perfectly, a play action toss that again fooled the cameramen and Chargers for a 37-yard gain or perfectly called screens that consistently hurt a blitzing team that could not get to Campbell all afternoon. Oakland executed perfectly at times on offense and had sustained drives that led to an impressive 38:39 versus 21:21 time of possession advantage. John Marshall applied pressure consistently via blitzes from his linebackers and/or members of the secondary. They were well designed and had Rivers running all afternoon. Even with 13-penalties for 105-yards (Chargers only infracted 3-for-19 yards), Oakland had control of the game and clamped down when needed. Tom Cable has this bunch believing and a performance like this, after losing back-to-back games, on the road, in December, goes a long way in selling the owner why he’s the right man for the job. The defense could attack a one-dimensional Chargers attack once they went up 21-3. Norv Turner then put the game on Rivers’ shoulder and the rest is history. Campbell was poised all day and owned the offense that Jackson put together for this contest.

GAME NOTES:

• The Raiders are 4-0 in AFC West for the first time since 1990.
• Oakland swept the Chargers for the first time since 2001. The Raiders last win in San Diego was in 2002, when a Rich Gannon led Silver & Black won 27-7.
• Cornerback Walter McFadden, running back Michael Bennett, cornerback Chris Johnson, linebacker Bruce Davis, guards Daniel Loper and Bruce Campbell and wide receiver Nick Miller were inactive.
• Oakland rushed 52-times for 4.8 yards per carry.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

QUARTERBACK: B

Bruce Gradkowski had a gutsy and gritty effort against the Houston Texans. Bernard Pollard sent the passer to the locker room after a punishing hit. But he never missed a snap and kept the Oakland Raiders fighting all afternoon while under the gun. In the 2^nd quarter, Gradkowski scanned the field nicely and completed a 17-yard toss to Zach Miller on 2^nd and 8. On that same drive, he sustained the first major hit of the game when he faked a handoff on 3^rd and 2 and then scrambled for 5-yards. The drive ended with a 13-yard scoring pass to his fullback to tie the game at 14. Gradkowski held on to the football too long and was not aware of the backside pressure as time expired in the 2^nd quarter, which killed a possibly scoring drive. His 3^rd quarter interception was off a deflection – his first pass after being shaken up by Pollard. Gradkowski’s best toss was a 26-yard dart to Johnnie Lee Higgins on Oakland’s last scoring drive. The feistiness was there. He directed a lot of long drives and Oakland’s offense kept plugging away throughout the afternoon. Yes he had three turnovers, but his fight is what the Raiders need in the huddle.

RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS: B

Darren McFadden at one point was the Raiders only threat in the afternoon. At the half, he amassed 105-total yards of offense, while the rest of the team had 107. McFadden’s 43-yard screen set up Oakland’s first score. He ended with 47-yards rushing and 82-receiving. His day came to an end after a 23-yard scamper and coming up lame with a hamstring injury. “I was just trying to go for another gear and I just pulled up,’’ McFadden said. “I’m going to go to the trainers and see what they have me doing. I’ll take it day to day.’’ Michael Bush ended the game as the primary ball carrier and finished with 40-yards on 7-carries with a score. Bush contributed in the passing game with a 9-yard grab on a 3^rd and 8 and finishing with 16-yards receiving. Fullback Marcel Reece had 2 carries for 7-yards and recorded his first NFL score with a 13-yard catch.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C-

The line did an adequate job run blocking, as the team wound up with 118-yards rushing. A few times they were beaten at the point of attack, which slowed McFadden in the backfield, but otherwise, they set up blocks nicely on screens and got downfield at times to occupy defenders. On 3^rd and 7 on the Raiders opening drive, left guard Daniel Loper was beat badly by Antonio Smith for a sack. Smith tallied another sack on a 2^nd and 6 in the 2^nd quarter and on the following play, Zac Diles blitzed right past Langston Walker and Cooper Carlisle and Gradkowski was taken down to end the possession. Mario Williams beat Langston Walker for a sack in the 2^nd quarter. When Houston decided to bring the heat, Gradkowski was on the run.

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS: C-

The ‘C’ grade is based on what Zach Miller provided al afternoon. He ended with 11-receptiosn for 122-yards and a touchdown. His blocking was stellar and he was able to shield Reece’s defender on the fullbacks scoring play. Many times, the tight end caught the ball and turned up field for chunks of yardage. He dragged defenders for yards and initiated contact at the end of a few plays. Higgins provided the biggest highlight for the receivers with a 26-yard grab. The wide-outs tallied 4-catches of the 24-Gradkowski completions. Darrius Heyward-Bey went up for a deep toss that Gradkowski under threw against double coverage. On a 3^rd and 7 in the 2^nd quarter, the quarterback looked for DHB on a slant, but it was nearly intercepted. His only other contribution of note was drawing a holding infraction on Brice McCain in the 4^th quarter on a 3^rd and 3. Louis Murphy was non-existent till late in the contest when Gradkowski attempted to hook up with the injured target. Murphy hauled in a 6-yard toss on a 3^rd and 5, but his drop of a potential 1^st down on 4^th and 16 as time wound down killed Oakland’s chances of a comeback.

DEFENSIVE LINE: F

Houston pushed the Raiders around all afternoon to the beat of 249-yards rushing. Arian Foster did not get his first carry till the 2^nd quarter, but at that point, Steve Slaton and Derrick Ward had already established a strong presence on the ground. The trenches were lifeless for the Raiders. When Houston wasn’t taking chunks of yards via the run, Gary Kubiak was rolling Matt Schaub out of the backfield, moving him in the pocket and taking advantage of aggressive Raider linemen with misdirections. Richard Seymour played, but only made a handful of notable plays; a clothesline stuff of Ward for a loss of 4 and penetrating into the Houston backfield to take down Foster for another 4-yard loss. Oakland did not tally a sack and was overmatched all day at the line of scrimmage. Tommy Kelly said, “It’s a (bleeping) shock to me. I thought we would handle it better. As a defense, we’ve got to play better, I’ve got to play better. Can’t nobody go out there and say nothing after they run for 200 yards in your house without their best player, basically.’’

LINEBACKERS: D

Rolando McClain struggled all afternoon. His best play was when he sniffed out a screen on 3^rd and 13 in the 2^nd quarter, ending in a tackle of Slaton for a 1-yard loss. On Foster’s 10-yard touchdown grab to put Houston up 31-14, McClain was beaten badly by the running back out of the backfield. None of the linebackers played well in space. Tight end Joel Dreessen ended with 73-yards and Houston got a lot of their passing yards on intermediate routes.

SECONDARY: B

For most of the game, Oakland’s defensive backfield blanketed the Andre Johnson-less Texans. Nnamdi Asomugha almost recorded an interception in the 1^st quarter and Stanford Routt had a chance to tally one late. Oakland was not afraid to leave their defenders one-on-one against Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones. Jones dropped a potential first down and without their all-world wide receiver, John Marshall was allowed to play press coverage. The tackling and pursuit on the other hand was miserable. Michael Huff gave horrid efforts on Ward’s 33-yard run to open the scoring and Foster’s 74-yard dash.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Jacoby Ford opened the game with a 64-yard kickoff return. He showed great vision bouncing it to the edge, showing off his stellar speed on the edge of Oakland’s blocking wall. Sebastian Janikowski booted a 39-yard field goal and Shane Lechler averaged 43.0 yards per punt. The coverages were tight, limiting Jones to 18-yards. Rookie Stevie Brown continues to be Oakland’s best defender on punt returns, as he tallied another solid stuff on Sunday.

COACHING: D

Oakland’s secondary was playing a solid game against a team with limited options at wide receiver. Yet they failed to generate any pass rush because of their ineffective base alignments and lack of creative blitz packages. Schaub needed to be pressured more. Tom Cable and Hue Jackson never adjusted to Kubiak’s calls. The defense was flat and uninspired to start the game. Oakland was overmatched in the trenches and it’s become a bad habit in 2010 that Cable’s bunch has played from behind because of poor starts. “You can’t sugarcoat it,” Oakland coach Tom Cable said. “When you get your rear end kicked like that it is what it is. You don’t sugarcoat that, you don’t talk around that. You have to deal with that.”

GAME NOTES

Arian Foster ended the game with 131-yards on 16-carries. Derrick Ward tallied 80-yards rushing. “It’s demoralizing when a team can run the ball at will and we don’t stop it,” defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. “That’s what it is. We didn’t stop the run. There’s no excuse for that, period.”

Langston Walker stated after the game: “This is the 2010 version of the Raiders.  We’re not worried about what we would have done last year, two years ago or whatever. We’re playing for right now and those types of things, for me personally, don’t enter into my head.

“I can vouch for the 53 other guys on this team that we’re not thinking about that. We’re thinking about going out there and winning and whipping somebody’s ass.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders signed safety Stevie Brown back onto the practice squad. Brown was originally a seventh round draft choice in April’s draft out of Michigan.

Quinton Scott was also added to the practice unit.

Scott played at Northern Iowa and was at the facility trying out for the club along with one of Oakland’s top performers in the pre-season, safety Jerome Boyd (pictured on right).

The move corresponded with the release of linebacker Slade Norris.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders on Tuesday waived safety Stevie Brown.

The rookie was a key contributor to their victory against the Rams on Sunday with solid efforts on special teams. The club also announced that they parted ways with Jonathan Holland.

It is likely that the Silver & Black will retain Brown for their practice squad if he does clear waivers.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders announced two moves on Sunday. Offensive lineman Erik Pears was released and rookie Safety Stevie Brown was signed to the active roster.

Pears was re-signed earlier in the week after the Silver & Black cut KR Yamon Figurs.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders took Monday off and will get back to work today as they plan to wrap up training camp within the next three days.

Chaz Schilens, who has been sidelined the last two years during the summer, may miss action at the start of the campaign as he did in 2009. Head coach Tom Cable informed the media yesterday that the wide receiver may need an arthroscopic procedure on his knee.

“I’m very concerned. It’s been a tough road for him,” Cable said. “We get through the foot thing now and something else has kind of reared up on us. We’ll take care of it and get him back as soon as we can.”

Here is some other excerpts form his conference call:

Cable:  ”The long run [Matt Forte] concerned me obviously. We got cut out of the gap and didn’t play it very well from the back side. That concerned me in that it was really something that could have been prevented. We just didn’t play it very good. I felt like defensively we played team defense for about two-thirds of the game. But about a third of the time just breakdowns here and there. We had a couple of missed assignments, guys not running to the ball, guys came out of coverage on the one touchdown we gave up we took our eyes off the man in man coverage. Things like that. fortunately they’re all things we can definitely fix. I’m excited about that. I’d rather it just happen.”

How is Samson Satele?

We probably won’t know more until this afternoon some time. I know they will do an X-ray today and look at it in depth. But we’ll know more this afternoon.

On Kamerion Wimbley:

I think he is who we thought he was. He played outside linebacker at Cleveland. That’s what he’s been known for. He’s done a fine job with it here. Our plan all along as we talked about was to use him on third down in terms of rushing the passer. He showed up the other night. That’s exciting for our team. He’s exactly what we thought. He’d be a guy who could rush the passer in passing situations and play the Sam linebacker on the other downs.

On the fullbacks:

We’re getting some nice play out of Marcel Reece. He’s improving definitely. Even if you take away the screen play to him he made a nice run on. I just like where he’s going as a blocker. He’s becoming more and more physical with each game. He certainly understands now what we’re asking him to do. He’s been good in pass protection. I think he’s improving and that’s good to see. Manase Tonga, he has shown some things being physical and assert himself that way and caught the ball well the other night. It was good to get Luke Lawton back in the mix. He’d been out for quite some time. I feel like there’s good competition there.

On Rolando McClain:

I’ve seen great awareness. I’ve seen good speed to the ball. I’ve seen excellent pass defense. I’ve seen a guy who is around the ball in the run game. Probably he would be the first to tell you, he needs to pull the trigger a little bit more. But his recognition at the speed of it and getting to the ball has been excellent. The thing that I’m most pleased about is he’s done a nice job of getting us liked up and adjusting and then the pass defense. He’s been more than we thought.

***********

Stevie Brown is earning his way onto the roster. He notched his second interception in as many games and Oakland is happy they hit the nail on the head with his selection in April.

“Certainly, from the time he got here in (offseason workouts) and minicamp and all through camp to this point, he has shown that ability to be around the ball,”  Cable commented.

Isaiah Ekejiuba, who? Slade Norris is cementing his name on special teams. “This is great for us,” Norris said. “Coming into training camp, we knew we had a great team that could do something special, and so far we’re proving it.”

Jim Zorn on Jason Campbell and what he can do in Oakland:

“Watch him,” Zorn said at the Ravens’ training camp. “If they protect him and they give him an opportunity to move the chains and move the ball and not have to go to drastic schemes to protect him, absolutely he’s going to be fine.

“Now, his big growth has got to continue to be decision-making . . . He does have a lot of talent. . . . He’s learned a lot in a couple years.”

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

The Oakland Raiders took another step in inking their latest draft class with the signing of Stevie Brown.

The defensive back, which was selected in the 7^th round (251^st overall), has solid size at 6’0, 210 pounds and is adept at being a solid tackler around the line of scrimmage. Brown has attributes that can translate to the NFL, as he moved all over the field as a collegiate, so he has knowledge of being in varying spots on defense. But he’ll be one of the long shots to make the roster due to the talent of the defensive backfield.

While at Michigan, he was a four-year letterman and played in 50-consecutive games.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

On Wednesday, the Oakland Raiders got some work in during their Organized Team Activities. Here is a breakdown of the highlights and lowlights:

After a year of inactivity where Oakland waited to place him on injured reserve as the season wound down – yet they continually placed him on the inactive list throughout the entire campaign – Nick Miller was observed working at wide receiver and battling Johnnie Lee Higgins and rookie Jacoby Ford for what will be one of the few spots at the bottom of the depth chart and special teams. Per SBReport.net journalist DeMarcus Davis, “It looks like none of his speed is missing and seems 100%.”

First rounder Rolando McClain held his own against pro linemen, looking every part the middle linebacker Oakland has needed in some time.

Newly acquired Quentin Groves demonstrated very good speed to the edge, tracking down Darren McFadden on a sweep toss.

Rookie Stevie Brown picked off quarterback Charlie Frye after Thomas Howard deflected the toss in the end zone. Frye bounced back with a touchdown pass to Michael Bush.

Chaz Schilens will be out till training camp after undergoing a procedure on his left foot. “I think we’ll take our time with that, just to be smart,” Cable said. “I don’t want to do anything to set it back. If he’s there when we go to camp – which he will be – I’ll be happy with that.” This is one of the biggest reasons why the Raiders WR unit is a major question mark. If Schilens is expected to be a top contributor, how can he be expected to perform as a starter when he misses so much crucial time for development? Schilens is not a proven commodity and one of their starters – not exactly a guy that would start for the majority of the teams around the league – but a guy that Oakland will lean on with such a raw unit. If he can stay healthy during these days of learning, why should he be expected to finally ‘break-out?’

Tom Cable made it clear today. Terrell Owens is not being looked at as a possible enhancement to the questionable wide receiver corps. “We really haven’t had any discussion about that,” Cable said to the San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ve got a good, young receiving corps; it’s never been a point of conversation.”

What about Richard Seymour? “I don’t know that at this point,” Cable said, in regard of his future participation in OTAs prior to training camp. Seymour and the Raiders have been trying to negotiate a long-term deal. Cable talked about his defensive linemen recently, stating, “He’s come in and showed this young team how you prepare, how you take notes, how you work every week, how you take care of your body, you know, all the things that are really critical to being good for a long period of time. He was fantastic with that.”

Walter McFadden working during drills

Walter McFadden displayed his speed and shiftiness, covering Darrius Heyward-Bey when lined up against last year’s first round draft choice.

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Contact Author: Victor Cotto – SB Report Columnist

NEW YORK – The Oakland Raiders were one of the busiest teams in the NFL during draft weekend. Al Davis revamped his club with his selections and trades, trying to turn around a seven-year span of ineptness. SBReport.net was live at the draft covering the entire happening and now we’ll take a look at the selections and give you the pros and cons for every pick the Silver & Black made during the three-day event.

• Rolando McClain, LB – Round 1 (8^th overall)

Tom Cable stated, “When [the offensive tackles] came off the board, the next biggest priority based on the value of the player was Rolando.” The Raiders have struggled with stopping the run for many years and have needed some pop in the middle of their defense. McClain provides toughness, leadership and a hard-working mentality needed to turn the defense into a more aggressive bunch.

PROS: Prototypical middle linebacker that is a winner. He has an infectious personality, so if the Raiders take on his attributes, this could be their best first round selection in a very long time.

CONS: I don’t see any. If he fails on the next level, it won’t be for lack of effort or skill.

• Lamarr Houston, DL – Round 2 (44^th overall)

Oakland got great value with this selection and added a much-needed powerful defender along the trenches as they pinpointed their front-seven as a big concern. They needed to do this year’s ago. In the 2010 draft, with the first two selections, Oakland may have just changed the outlook of the defense. Houston will be a menace on the edge with his rush abilities.

PROS: He does well in pursuit and is relentless. Pairing him with Richard Seymour could only mean good things for the Silver & Black.

CONS: Houston is not a speedy rusher like a Derrick Burgess was for them, but he’ll be more of a versatile end with his ability to defend the corners against the run. If that’s a con, then the Raiders don’t have much to worry about.

• Jared Veldheer, OT – Round 3 (69^th overall)

This was a surprise. The offensive lineman has all the vitals to become a productive NFL player. But coming from a small school (Hillsdale) always has its stigma. Veldheer said prior to the draft, “I’m getting a little anxious. I really want to know where I’m going. I’ve been told that I’m probably a solid three (third-round pick) and maybe two and could possibly go four.” He was a solid 3^rd rounder and now the Raiders have to develop him into a pro caliber lineman.

PROS: Is very smart, has all the tools to have a long career and could be the sleeper in this draft for the Silver & Black.

CONS: He’ll need a lot of coaching and development to gain the technique and strategies needed to succeed. Oakland is known for instability on the sidelines and if they can stabilize the environment around him and keep the staff in tact, then they can groom Veldheer. He’ll have a good start to his career with Cable as his mentor.

• Bruce Campbell, OT – Round 4 (106^th overall)

After all the talk prior to the draft about the Raiders taking the ‘workout warrior,’ Campbell fell onto their laps in the 4^th round. He is a better athlete than football player, but considering where they selected him; Oakland made a right decision to take a chance on the physical specimen.

PROS: Has an incredible body to work with and extremely talented athletic gifts.

CONS: Has poor instincts and is more of a project than Veldheer because of his poor technique. Campbell will need to work long hours on all aspects of his game to become a starter in the NFL.

• Jacoby Ford, WR/ST – Round 4 (108^th overall)

Well, they are the Raiders – so a track star had to be chosen. Ford is a lightning rod who won 18-straight races in the 60 and 100-meters in the NCAA. Oakland could have utilized this selection more wisely, but instead when with a guy that can entertain them in camp in sprints against Darrius Heyward-Bey.

PROS: He can run away from anyone in the league. Will give the Raiders options in camp on special teams as a returner.

CONS: Does not change directions well, has questionable hands and when you combine both together, that does not make for a reliable option on offense.

• Walter McFadden, DB – Round 5 (138^th overall)

It’s not a draft until the Raiders select a cornerback. But at least with McFadden, they get a ball-hawk, who showed good playmaking instincts in college, and that turned turnovers into touchdowns. Solid value, but if he makes the team, he’ll be buried behind Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson. In a few years, he could be an integral part of a secondary, especially since offenses in the NFL are now pass happy and like to spread out defenses.

PROS: Has shown he understands what opponents want to do in the passing game and has a skill in getting his hands on the ball.

CONS: Not physical and will have to get stronger in order to be a legitimate corner at the next level.

• Travis Goethel, LB – Round 6 (190^th overall)

The 6’2, 240 pound linebacker was a three-year starter for the Sun Devils. Oakland has a lot of linebackers, but they chose a solid one who can project as a special teamer early on in his career. He may not make the club, but at the Silver & Black selected a player that is a hard-nosed defender, has solid work ethic and will compete for a roster spot.

PROS: Good character linebacker that played a lot in college.

CONS: Not an area of need at this point, especially when they have a plethora of linebackers on the roster and enough specialist to fill the special teams squad.

• Jeremy Ware, DB – Round 7 (215^th overall)

Speed, speed and more speed…

The Michigan State cornerback and his 4.36 40-yard time will likely be camp fodder in a crowded Raiders secondary. As with Ford, it will be interesting to see how many side-bets go on in training camp as to who is the fastest Raider on the roster, along with Heyward-Bey.

PROS: You just can’t learn speed.

CONS: Offers little else and if he plans to make the club, he better show a lot of playmaking ability as a corner or the ability to torch the special teams coverage units.

• Stevie Brown, DB – Round 7 (251^st overall)

Unlike Ware, Brown has solid size at 6’0, 210 pounds. He is more adept at stopping the run and using his size to bother targets, but he is too much of a project to contribute immediately.

PROS: Has attributes that can translate to the NFL. Moved all over the field as a collegiate, so he has knowledge of being in varying spots on the defense.

CONS: Needs to find a niche and grow at one spot. Problem is, he may not have enough time to do so.