Since the Oakland Raiders are returning every starter from last season's
league-leading offense except fullback Jon Ritchie, they are not likely to have
a major philosophical change.
Ritchie’s loss, however, may not be hugely significant because Oakland
signed Philadelphia’s Cecil Martin to replace him. In addition, Ritchie’s role
became diminished when the Raiders employed more three-receiver formations.
The Raiders weapons that make any
team drool such as Rich Gannon, Jerry Rice, Charlie Garner, Jerry Porter, Tim
Brown and Doug Jolley. Oakland, however, may look to find different ways to
achieve similar success with new formations and plays.
Many Raider fans bristled that the
team was too conservative under former head coach Jon Gruden and conversely
lauded Bill Callahan’s pass-heavy approach.
Despite the weapons that favor a
strong passing game, the team needs to find a way to get more out of its ground
game to become more balanced and take pressure off the offensive line and
Gannon. Oakland’s pass-heavy approach was easy to overlook in the regular season
and AFC playoffs because few teams had the personnel to combat its weapons.
The Raiders, however, had more
penalty yards (51) than rushing yards (19) in their 48-21 loss to Tampa Bay in
the Super Bowl. That notion means – no running game equals no chance.
It would not be a huge surprise if
Porter became the starter on the other side of Rice. That would make Brown, who
failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving since 1992, more of a situational
player.
Vince
D’Adamo can be reached via e-mail at vdad7@yahoo.com