Wednesday, June 11, 2014

The Skill Drill


So, our offense will ostensibly be led by Matt Schaub this year. My hope is that we get good Matt, and not bad Matt, ie: the 2013 edition.

Last year, bad Matt had Andre Johnson (1,400 yards) on his side, as well as a half season of Arian Foster (4.5 yards per carry). 

If good Matt shows up this year, he still may find his support group lacking in the skills (ie: skill position) department. 

Here are the Raiders' 2014 projected top two skill position players at WR and RB, along with their stats from last year:

James Jones - 59 catches, 817 yards (for the Packers)

Rod Streater - 60 catches, 888 yards

Darren McFadden - 379 yards, 3.3 yards average per carry

Maurice Jones-Drew - 803 yards, 3.4 yards average per carry (for the Jaguars)

TE: Ausberry (injured last year) or Rivera (38 catches, 407 yards)

Not sure there's a real #1 at either the receiver or running back position, which could really handcuff our offense this year. 

Even good Matt Schaub can only do so much. Needless to say, our RBs and WRs not only need to step up, but also stay healthy. 

If they do, significant progress can be made. If they don't, it could be brutal. 

Which way do you think the offensive wind blows this year?