The Oakland Raiders making good or questionable moves this off-season?

The Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie and new head coach Dennis Allen have been busy getting together their coaching staff and some personnel decisions. I am glad to see both men are eager to prove themselves in their new positions which are a first for both men. I am not stating that to be negative I feel there is too much retread in the NFL anyway with lackluster results, take Cam Cameron for instance. The duo of McKenzie and Allen have made some good moves and some questionable moves that I as a Raider fan hope work out for the best.

The best thing to do is getting started with what I think have been good moves by the organization. I know many fans will argue with me about the releasing of Stanford Routt. I know he had 20 million guaranteed but he was not the lock down corner the team and many fans thought he would be. It is not totally his fault the defensive line did not generate the pass rush I thought they would. That was because Breshnahan did not blitz a lot and that left our secondary vulnerable because opposing quarterbacks had too much time in the pocket. I offer the fact that Tim Tebow torched us in the second half of the Raiders 38 – 24 loss late in the season. The money they free up will no doubt allow them to be active participants in the free agent market. The team will not be able to make a splash in the draft because of the Carson Palmer deal. I think the market will be cool for Stanford Routt so I am sure he will get an offer from the Raiders before the season starts at a much friendlier cap figure. Stanford will jump at the chance to prove last year was not the best the Raider Nation has seem from him.

The John Tarver hire will have many faithful fans of the Raider Nation hitting the internet to find out all what they can about this guy. He was the defensive coordinator for Stanford last year which was one of the better defenses in the PAC-12 and the NCAA altogether. Stanford does not recruit the best athletes on defense due their higher GPA entry requirements so for them to rank near the top I would say it has to be good coaching. I hope this works out for the Raiders like the Jim Harbaugh hire did for the 49ers.

The hire that scares me is the rehiring of Greg Knapp at the offensive coordinator position. Darren McFadden looked like a bust in that zone blocking scheme and then the hire of Pollack at the O-line coach position ensures the zone blocking scheme is making a resurrection in Oakland. Wylie should have been retained as O-line coach we had the best pass protection and run blocking that we had in the last decade with the line under his coaching. We do have better talent with Stefan Wisznewski and Samson Satele (hopefully he can make through the year injury free). The team still has to decide what to do about Jason Campbell. Dennis Allen already stated that Carson Palmer is the Starter for game 1. Jason Campbell wants to be a starter so if another team makes an offer to him he may leave.

In true Raider fan form I get all excited and optimistic about moves that should be good for the team that doesn’t work out. Here is wishing that the Raider Nation is back to stay.