Oakland

First thing I'd do is move the fuck out of Oakland.

 

Why? They get great support there. They set an attendence record this year despite being horrible.

 

Porter and Moss are probably out of there. Draft a rookie QB and then a WR. Sign a veteran QB to hold the reigns until the rook is ready

 

Change of scenery can't hurt...

 

the Shoop rumors aside, I'm convinced that unless they can hire a hotshot like Petrino and keep Ryan as DC, the best option is to try Ryan as the head coach. Ryan has the respect of the team, and has earned it; he's built the one thing on this team that doesn't blow.



You could argue for continuity's sake that Shoop should be retained. While I'd try to keep him aboard as QBs coach, he seems to have some momentum (for some reason) as an OC, and may leave for UNC. I like Fassell there as OC, and he may have enough affinity for Davis left to actually not mind coming here.

Keep Skip Peete/Biletnikoff (but hire a young college WRs coach, like Erik Campbell, and give him some authority), find a real OL coach, fill Shoop's spot as TEs coach, and find a QBs coach if Shoop doesn't stay.

Defensively, you could say that the wait will hurt them if they go with Ryan, because they lost Pagano to UNC; he could've ascended to DC.
Keep Keith Millard (DL) and Don Martindale (LBs), need a DBs coach and DC.

 

How weird is it that UNC and Oakland could be competing over an offensive coordinator?

 

Assuming all these guys are hireable...


GM -- Rich Hurtado (currently Salary Cap Analyst, Philadelphia Eagles) The Eagles manage the cap better than almost every other team in the league, and they do it with quality players. Oakland needs a ton of that talent.

Head Coach -- Ken Whisenhunt (currently OC, Pittsburgh) The Oakland Raiders have become the "Akland" Raiders -- the O has completely disappeared. Whisenhunt is hyped to have all the tools for an offensive head coach -- leadership, knowledge, and teaching ability.

OC -- George Henshaw (currently Senior offensive assistant/RB coach, New Orleans) He's got an impressive resume -- tons of good experience, and he's been highly productive everywhere he's gone.

OL/Asst. HC -- Pat Hill (currently HC, Fresno State Bulldogs) He would probably never agree to it, but what the heck. During his tenure, Fresno State's offensive lines have earned national recognition, and Hill has experience as a position coach in Baltimore (TEs). He also has the fire and leadership needed on the Raiders staff.

DC -- Rob Ryan (currently DC, Oakland) If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I was never much of a fan of Ryan before this season, but he's performed well enough this year to retain his job for '07.

=============================================

Problem: OL -- More has been done with less talent than the Raiders currently have. Good OL coaching could go a very long way to bringing the best out of that line, and I don't believe the Raiders have that coach currently on staff.

Problem: Moss/Porter -- I know I'd take it in the shorts, but my first desire would be to trade them for whatever I could get. The Raiders need desperately to keep infusing new talent and cut out the cancers, and those two certainly qualify.

======================================================

Draft

1. Trade down (preferably out of the top 10) for as much as I can get.

33. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State -- Feisty, mobile, competent leader (I think ) who, at worst, should be a very capable backup and at best will challenge Aaron Brooks (or whomever Whis wants to bring in) for the starting position within 2-3 years.

65. Ben Grubbs, OG, Auburn -- The kind of offense Whis and Henshaw will want to run will require high quality players in the interior OL, and the Raiders are paper thin at G. Kevin Boothe is putrid, and Hulsey's not much better from the little I've seen of him. Sims is solid, and McQuistan should be decent. Grubbs may be enough to push McQuistan and take over for Sims when he retires (I hope).

97. Best WR/TE available.

=======================================================

Free Agency

With Moss and Porter gone, the cupboard is pretty bare. There's not much cap room to maneuver with, so I'll probably only be able to go after one decent FA. I'd take my best shot at getting Eric Moulds to be the "go to" guy for a year, maybe two. He and Gabriel may be a decent tandem, and with the extra picks, hopefully I can add some quality rookies as well.

If I can't get Moulds, then the second target would be TE Daniel Graham (NE). Running Graham and Courtney Anderson in a 2TE base set could be effective as well.

I'd also take a run at FB Casey Cramer (TEN). The Raiders haven't had a true fullback since Jon Ritchie left for Philly, and they need one to get the new power rushing offense off the ground. Not to mention, they'll need the extra blocking and emergency receiving outlet Cramer can provide. Granted, he's not much more than a band-aid, but he works hard and contributes in most of the right places.

=======================================================

As for the rest, it's tough for me to say without knowing how much cap space would be cleared by trading Moss and Porter, and what draft picks I'd get in return. Obviously WR is a need, and with the right picks, perhaps taking a run at an RFA like Ernest Wilford would be a possibility.

 

Don't forget Ronald Curry. When healthy (I know not recently) he could be a pretty decent #2

 

Troy Smith is too mechanical for my taste, I don't see him doing anything as a Pro...plus he won the Heisman, he is destined to suck for all eternity.

 

Really didn't watch many games this year but the Hail Mary Smith threw at 1st half's end looked pretty lame. If that's all the arm he has, no thanks.