2009 Raider Free Agent List

• WR Johnnie Morant, UFA
• TE Tony Stewart, UFA
• P Shane Lechler, UFA
• OG Cooper Carlisle, UFA
• OL Chris Morris, RFA
• LB Sam Williams, UFA
• CB Nnamdi Asomugha, UFA
• CB Justin Miller, UFA
• CB Duane Starks, UFA
• FS Rashad Baker, UFA

I could go without watching Tony Stewart on the sidelines with his head hanging low, helmet in hand, moving like an 80 year old man, ever again. Outside of giving Miller an occasional breather, he’s an overpaid backup. It’s time for Al Davis to cut the cord on Sam Williams. Al is watering a dead plant. If Sam is going to have success somwhere along the road, he’s proven it’s not goign to be in Oakland. I’m no fan of our OLine, so you won’t be shocked that I wish Carlisle and Morris the best as they pack their lockers and move on.

Now here’s the 3 moves we DO make, and they’re no-brainers.

Nnamdi Asomugha, CB
Two years ago Nate Clements, across the bay with the 49ers, signed an 8 year agreement worth $80 million, including just over $22 million in guaranteed money. Last year, the Raiders gave DeAngelo Hall a 7 year contract worth $70 million. Any contract Asomugha signs is going to be worth over $100 million, easily. It’s a huge pricetag, but one that Al Davis is going to have to reach down deep for and cover. If a contract isn’t agreed upon, and the Raiders slap the franchise tag on Asomugha again, this upcoming season will be the last time we see #21 in a Raiders uniform.

Shane Lechler, P
With good punters going for just under $2 million a year, our four time Pro Bowler is a much easier check to write and should be one of the first Free Agents the Raiders lock away.

Justin Miller, CB
Picking Miller off the waivers was part luck, part brilliance. He made an immediate impact on KOR duties. He’s a bargain and the Raiders would do themselves a favor by giving him a 4-5 year contract, giving some stability to the special teams. He’s 24 and has shown a lot of promise. It’s possible we happened to get the guy at the right time.

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RB (Fargas, Bush, McFadden): B
If I was grading on a curve, our RBs would get an A. In all honesty I don’t even think they’re anywhere near their potential. Our backs carried the brunt of our offense on their shoulders. Not only through pure rushing, but through short passing schemes. While I’m not a fan of the McFadden pick, it’s clear that he and Bush are our RBC of the future. Does anyone on the Raiders payroll play with more heart than Justin Fargas? I can’t tell you how excited I am about our run game.

O-line: D
Henderson, Gallery, Grove, Carlisle and Green. There’s not one guy in that lineup worthy of keeping their job. JRuss spent far too much time being hurried or pulled to the ground. And Of course, promoting our OLine Coach to interim head coach mid-season probably didn’t help their progress a great deal. If your car keeps breaking down, you eventually need to decide between dumping more money into fixing it, or buying a new car.

Defense: C
The domination of our defense in 2006 has made me terribly unforgiving with their mediocre play over the last two seasons. Tommy Kelly’s contract didn’t help. My frustrations aside, Burgess, Morrison and Howard are the heart of our Defense and this group of guys has the potential to be one of the best D’s in the league.

Secondary: C
Nnamdi Asomugha is arguably the best CB in the game, maybe even the best player in the league. So let’s take him out of the equation here. DeAngelo Hall was a joke and cost us the game vs Denver when he got schooled by a ROOKIE. As soon as he was cut and replaced by Chris Johnson, things tightened up a bit. I know Asomugha was upset Hall was let go, but the CB tandem was much better with CJ. Gibril Wilson was solid at SS, but Huff has been a disappointment even after moving to FS, which should have enabled him to exploit his speed. We’re really hurting in that FS slot.

Special Teams: B+
Lechler gave us another Pro Bowl season and Janikowski snagged a few records – longest FG to end an overtime in NFL history as well as surpassing Ray Guy to have the most career points in Raider history. Johnnie Lee Higgins and his end zone back flips were a legitimate punt return threat. One of the better season-side acquisitions was picking Justin Miller up off waivers mid-November. He took over duties returning kickoffs, giving us 2 trips to the endzone, finishing the season as the AFC ST Player of the month. If it weren’t for our coverage, the ST squad would get an A.

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Overall: C-

Closing out 2008 with two back to back wins, including an impressive beat down on the Bucs in Tampa Bay, has left me a little less bitter about this season.

Ownership (Al Davis): F
What were you thinking when you approved those obscene contracts for Tommy Kelly, Javon Walker and DeAngelo Hall? You left Nnamdi a FA AND you drafted McFadden when our RB depth chart was stacked with Justin Fargas, Dominic Rhodes, LaMont Jordan and Michael Bush. Not that McFadden doesn’t have skills, but really… being as IN LOVE with JRuss as you are, weren’t you maybe thinking he should have someone to throw the ball to? Or maybe a big body blocking for him so he would have the chance to throw in the first place. You FAIL.

Head Coaching (Lane Kiffin/Tom Cable): NA
They are talking heads. This would be like grading Katie Couric on the news stories of the day.

QB (JRuss): C-
There are two skill sets that I deem innate when it comes to the QB position. You either have it or you don’t. And that’s vision, reading the field as the play develops, and the other is pure throwing, some guys have a beautiful arm and some don’t. So JRuss has an amazing arm. You can’t learn that. Quick release, tight spiral, speed… all conducive to a great QB. Where he worries me is with his vision, decision making, leadership. I see improvement over last year, but he makes me nervous with every snap. I just don’t know.

WR/TE: C

Zach Miller: A - I love this kid. During camp I predicted he would be the primary offensive target. Zach has great hands, he’s strong as hell, and a solid blocker… easily my favorite player on the team. He and JRuss have a special chemistry. Miller also benefits from the accuracy JRuss has shown in short yardage situations.

Our WR’s are mostly a joke. I like what Rookie Chaz Schilens showed us. He’s got nice size and decent hands. I see potential there. Johnnie Lee Higgins is a firecracker and can make things happen with his evasiveness. He’s fast, but at 5′11″ (and even that might be generous) he’s going to have problems being an effective downfield target in coverage. Drew Carter should be healthy for camp this summer, but he’s been injury prone his entire career. Torn ACL’s in both knees? I’m not too optimistic about his return. Javon Walker wanted to quit. Ronald Curry lost his starting spot. What a mess.

Part 2, coming soon.

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