Rebuilding Raider Nation

Coming off a 4-12 season, Al Davis is looking for answers, and a way to bring the Oakland Raiders back to their days of prominence. Davis has long been respected as one of the great football minds of his time, and for over 40 years he has built the Raider franchise into one of the more storied organizations in the history of the NFL. Davis joined the Raiders in 1963, just three years after they began play. His impact was immediate, and from 1963 until 2002 the team had only seven losing seasons, while winning twelve division titles and three of five Super Bowls. Davis is now 79 years old, and while his famous slogans ("Pride and Poise," "Commitment to Excellence," and "Just Win, Baby"—all of which are registered trademarks) still hold strong, the days of glory seem like a distant memory.

With everything Davis has accomplished during his time with the Raiders, he remains determined to rebuild his team. In 2008, the Raiders will officially belong to former first round pick JaMarcus Russell. In an effort to help Russell excel, Davis and the Raiders took a huge risk in signing wide receiver Javon Walker. Three seasons ago, Walker was the go-to receiver for Brett Favre and one of the most talented stars at his position. He caught 89 passes for 1,382 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Since then, Walker grew unhappy with his contract and was traded to Denver, has undergone three knee surgeries and witnessed the shooting death of teammate Darrent Williams while riding together in a limousine.

The Raiders seemed desperate for a big name at receiver after the free agent defection of Jerry Porter . The Raiders gave Walker an $11 million signing bonus and will have the option of picking up a $5 million roster bonus next season in a contract which would pay $27 million over three seasons. The full deal—six years and $55 million—includes back- loaded salary of $10 million over the last two years of the contract.

Considering the size of the contract, Davis and the Raiders really took a sizeable risk in acquiring Walker. Team doctors thoroughly checked out Walker’s troublesome knee and came to the conclusion he is worth the physical risk. With numerous quarterbacks taking position under center the last few seasons, the Raiders seem determined to patch up their offense and provide Russell with the legit opportunity to succeed. Davis has been very active during free-agency after winning a league-low 19 games the past five years. Oakland has signed defensive tackles Tommy Kelly and William Joseph, receivers Walker and Drew Carter, safety Gibril Wilson, offensive linemen Kwame Harris and Cornell Green to deals that could be worth more than $160 million. The Raiders also placed the exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, guaranteeing him about $10 million next season, and re-signed running back Justin Fargas to a $12 million, three-year contract that guarantees him $6 million.

Aside from Ronald Curry, who led the Raiders in receiving in each of the last two seasons with 117 receptions for 1,444 yards, the roster was woefully short in terms of production at wide out, until Walker arrived. If Walker is able to stay healthy, and happy in Oakland, he will provide Russell with a top notch “go-to” target, and with Russell’s arm strength the tandem should be a lock for a few long touchdowns throughout the season. With Russell’s lack of experience, expect Walker to have his ups and downs and temper any fantasy expectations. Walker should be a solid No.2 receiver if everything works out right, but owners would likely be smart to have a few back options considering Walker’s extensive injury history.

While the signing of Walker was by far the sexiest move made by the Raiders, Davis invested another $50 million in re-signing defensive tackle Tommy Kelly. Kelly went undrafted out of Mississippi State, and has spent the past four seasons in Oakland. During that time Kelly has done fairly well racking up 166 total tackles, 13.0 sacks and forced seven fumbles. While many people have ridiculed this signing, Kelly is a space-eater and puts serious pressure on the backfield while opening up lanes for play makers like Thomas Howard. The price is steep, and Davis probably could have gotten more for his money, but Kelly has been part of a solid Raiders defense the past few seasons, and his return should help the team make strides in 2008.

Davis has always been known to value his secondary, and after watching Wilson knock out the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Wilson became a must have for Davis and the Raiders. In separate moves, the Raiders have also been linked to Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall who is expected to join the Raiders in the coming days in exchange for a 2nd and 6th round pick in this year’s draft. The addition of Wilson and Hall would elevate the Raiders secondary into one of the league’s best. Paired with Asomugha, Hall will allow Stanford Routt and Fabian Washington to fall into back up and nickel back roles after failing to live up to their draft day expectations. With two shut down cover corners, expect to see Lane Kiffin and the Raiders run multiple blitz packages and remain confident that their defensive duo can lock up the other teams best receivers man to man.

While Davis, and the Raiders have made the moves to turn things around, all eyes will be on Russell to lead an offense that ranked 23rd in the NFL a season ago. For Walker to have any kind of impact the offensive line will have to provide Russell with the time to deliver the ball, and Russell will have to go through the growing pains of the NFL as he builds a rapport with his new receiving corps. Look for the Raiders to make strides in 2008, with the playoffs still a year or two away. In the end you have to give Davis and the Raiders management their dues, money was spent and talent has been brought in through a number a moves to help turn this once storied franchise back into a winner. Patience will remain the key, but when you’re Al Davis, patience is a lot harder to practice than to preach.