2015-16 NFL Preview: Oakland Raiders

The Ultimate Sports Blog's

2015-16 NFL Preview

2014-15 Record: 3-13

Last Playoff Win: 2002 AFC Championship vs. Tennessee Titans

Last Playoff Appearance: Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002)

Last Super Bowl Win: Super Bowl XVIII vs. Washington Redskins (1983)

Last Super Bowl Appearance: Super Bowl XXXVIII vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002)

Head Coach:

Jack Del Rio (68-71 all-time as NFL head coach, 0-0 all-time in Oakland, 1-2 in playoffs)

Offensive Coordinator: Bill Musgrave

Defensive Coordinator: Ken Norton Jr.

2014-15 Team Leaders:

Passing Yards: Derek Carr (3,270 passing yards, 58.1% completions, 21 TD's, 12 INT's, 76.6 QB rating)

Rushing Yards: Darren McFadden (155 attempts, 534 yards, 2 TD's)

Receiving Yards: Andre Holmes (47 receptions, 693 yards, 4 TD's)

Tackles: Charles Woodson (112 tackles)

Interceptions: Charles Woodson (4 interceptions)

2014-15 Team Rankings:

Passing Offense: 26th in NFL

Rushing Offense: 32nd in NFL

Points Per Game: 31st in NFL

Least Points Allowed Per Game: 32nd in NFL

2015-16 Potential Starters:

Player Guide:

Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel


Offense:

QB: Derek Carr

RB: Latavius Murray

WR: Amari Cooper

WR: Michael Crabtree

TE: Mychal Rivera

C: Rodney Hudson

OG: Khalif Barnes

OG: Gabe Jackson

OT: Austin Howard

OT: Donald Penn


Defense:

DE: Mario Edwards

DE: Justin Tuck

DT: Dan Williams

DT: Justin Ellis

LB: Sio Moore

LB: Khalil Mack

LB: Curtis Lofton

CB: D.J. Hayden

CB: T.J. Carrie

FS: Charles Woodson

SS: Nate Allen

2015-16 Schedule:

(September 13) vs. Cincinnati Bengals

(September 20) vs. Baltimore Ravens

(September 27) vs. @ Cleveland Browns

(October 4) vs. @ Chicago Bears

(October 11) vs. Denver Broncos

(October 18) BYE WEEK

(October 25) vs. @ San Diego Chargers

(November 1) vs. New York Jets

(November 8) vs. @ Pittsburgh Steelers

(November 15) vs. Minnesota Vikings

(November 22) vs. @ Detroit Lions

(November 29) vs. @ Tennessee Titans

(December 6) vs. Kansas City Chiefs

(December 13) vs. @ Denver Broncos

(December 20) vs. Green Bay Packers

(December 24) vs. San Diego Chargers

(January 3) vs. @ Kansas City Chiefs

Final Prediction: 4-12 (1-5)


Overlook: The Oakland Raiders have been a personal target of mine for along time and it's been for good reason. Ever since the Raiders lost to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl back in 2002, the franchise flipped itself on a lid and became one of the biggest jokes in the National Football League (Al Davis vs. Lane Kiffin anyone?). Fortunately for Raiders fans, there is finally some silver lining in all that junk you've been thrown at over the past few years. The Raiders have been a joke for 13+ seasons mainly because of bad draft picks and horrible personnel decisions. The tide finally seems to be changing as the 2014 NFL Draft was a killer one for Oakland. In that draft, the Raiders landed an elite linebacker named Khalil Mack. Mack had one of the best seasons for a linebacker last year and if he continues to improve, NFL QB's are going to hate him. The Raiders also landed QB Derek Carr. Even though Carr didn't set the world on fire last season, he actually looks promising enough to get Raiders fans excited for his future development. Is it finally time to be excited to be a Raiders fan again? Let's take a closer look.

On offense, the Raiders are a young and improving unit. They will likely be all over the place this season, but that comes and goes with growing pains. I mentioned Carr earlier and what you should expect to see from him this season is some major improvement. The Raiders have a pretty good offensive line and he should have time to make plays in the pocket. Oakland decided to make life easier for him by drafting Amari Cooper in the 2015 Draft and I'm already hearing really good things about him. Don't be surprised if the Carr/Cooper combination becomes a force in the AFC West for some time now. The running back position is a bit of a mystery, but Latavius Murray played well enough in spurts last season that I'm actually excited to see what he can do as a full-time starter with no Darren McFadden around to hog any of his carries. I'll do Raiders fans a solid and not mention the fact that TRENT F'N RICHARDSON is still on the roster somehow. See Oakland. Just when I start to give you compliments, you throw something my way that just makes me shake my head.

Defensively, I'm still not impressed by what the Raiders are bringing to the table. There are a few players on this side of the ball that I really like, but there's also a lot of holes that need to be filled before these guys can turn the tide from "horrible" to "NFL quality". The defensive line is OK. The addition of Dan Williams should be a big help, but Justin Tuck isn't getting any younger and there's no telling what the Raiders are going to get out of rookie Mario Edwards. The linebacker core is crap outside of Khalil Mack. The Raiders have one of the best linebackers in the NFL, now it would be a good time to surround him with some help. Oakland also has a bunch of questions in the secondary. I don't know how Charles Woodson is still playing, but if the Raiders are relying on a 54-year old guy to be their big-time playmaker back there....yowza. Someone needs to step up. I don't know who, but someone does. And yes, I'm talking directly to you D.J. Hayden.

So, where does Oakland end up when it's all said and done in 2016? I still think the Raiders end up only winning 3-5 games. Yes, they have some young talent and there are guys to get excited about in Oakland, but it's still a team with a lot of holes that need to be filled. It may only be a 4-win season Raiders fans, but I have some good news for you. KHALIL MACK! AMARI COOPER! DEREK CARR! Just keep adding to the core and eventually your team is going to turn that table and become the SILVER & BLACK ATTACK that used to be gang busters on the NFL.