Scouting Report
4 - Oakland Raiders
Following its worst season in 35 years, the
Silver
and Black start over with a rookie coach, a
revamped defense and a new offensive
system
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The Raiders need more plays like this from linebackers Mike
Morton (50), Greg Biekert (54) and Lance
Johnstone.
(V.J. Lovero)
| He has been
barked at by Buddy Ryan, bull rushed by Mike Ditka and
blistered by
some of the best receivers in football. After a hectic
decade as a premier cornerback with the Eagles and the
Saints, Eric Allen
isn't intimidated by a dysfunctional
locker
room.
When he was traded from New Orleans to the Raiders for a
fourth-round draft choice in March, Allen considered
retiring but soon changed his mind. Upon arriving in the
Bay Area, he didn't need much time to recognize what was
troubling the Raiders. "They
haven't had discipline in 10 or 12 years," he says.
"They were doing things like they were back in the
'80s. Now it's time for the coaching staff to get control
and the players to block out the garbage and
produce."
Typically mentioned as a Super Bowl contender in recent
preseasons, only to self-destruct as a result of
mistake-filled play and the ensuing finger-pointing,
Oakland finally swallowed a dose of reality in January.
That's when, in the wake of a 4-12
disaster—the organization's
fourth consecutive
nonplayoff campaign, and its worst record in 35
years—owner Al Davis candidly declared that his team
didn't have nearly the talent as had been
thought.
Davis wasn't too thrilled with the coaching, either; he
fired Joe Bugel after just one year on the job. Hired as
the Raiders' fourth coach in five seasons was 34-year-old
Jon Gruden, who had been Philadelphia's
offensive coordinator the past three
years. In addition to installing a West Coast-style offense that
should benefit quarterback Jeff George (29 touchdown passes
and nine
interceptions in '97),
Gruden tried to
improve team chemistry by weeding out perceived negative
influences—defensive linemen Chester
McGlockton
and Anthony Smith, for starters. "We brought in some
veterans who have high standards, high character and a lot
of personal pride," says Gruden, who will be 35 when
the season begins but is still the NFL's youngest coach by
5 1/2 years. "And we added Charles Woodson, the kind of guy
who can give us some
juice."
Woodson, the Heisman
Trophy-winning
cornerback and fourth pick in the 1998 draft, is expected
to help a defensive unit that had a dubious trifecta last
year: It ranked last in the league in rushing, passing and
total defense. Oakland's defense made one-week wonders out
of obscure players
like Panthers halfback Fred Lane (147 yards rushing and
three touchdowns) and Seahawks quarterback Jon Kitna (283
passing yards). Because they often had their backs turned,
Raiders defenders missed much of the action, a consequence
of former defensive
coordinator Fred Whittingham's soft schemes and subpar play
from high-priced performers such as McGlockton and
cornerback Terry
McDaniel.
In his better days McDaniel carried on a legacy of physical
Raiders cornerbacks
(Willie Brown, Lester Hayes, Mike Haynes)
who defined the organization's brash persona. The addition
of Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, and the
dynamic
Woodson gives Oakland a chance to restore order
on the outside. In a departure from the Raiders' man-to-man
mentality, new
defensive coordinator Willie Shaw, who came on board after
a season with the Saints, favors an aggressive scheme that
features an abundance of zone blitzes. That means Allen and
Woodson will play a lot of tight zones with some freedom to
jump on passes in the flat. Shaw is also stressing unity.
"He talks about us being ants rather than
roaches," says Allen, who was
successfully recruited by Shaw out of Point Loma High in
San Diego in 1983, when Shaw was an assistant coach at
Arizona State. "When you turn the light on, roaches
will scatter,
but ants will stay on their trail no matter what, whether you
throw dirt on them or whatever."
| Schedule |
| Sept. | 6 | at Kansas City |
| 13 | N.Y. GIANTS |
| 20 | DENVER |
| 27 | at Dallas |
| Oct. | 4 | at Arizona |
| 11 | SAN DIEGO |
| 18 | OPEN DATE |
| 25 | CINCINNATI |
| Nov. | 1 | at Seattle |
| 8 | at Baltimore |
| 15 | SEATTLE |
| 22 | at Denver |
| 29 | WASHINGTON |
| Dec. | 6 | MIAMI |
| 13 | at Buffalo |
| 20 | at San Diego |
| 26 | KANSAS CITY (Sat.) |
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The flamboyant Woodson, who basked in the spotlight at
Michigan, has surprised teammates with his low-key
approach. Joining the professional ranks has been an
eye-opening experience for the 21-year-old, beginning with
a predraft meeting with Davis
during which he told the former coach of his affinity for
bump-and-run
coverage. "I invented it," Davis
replied.
That said, it should come as no surprise that Davis gave
the unit a makeover. He cut
McDaniel and backup cornerback Larry Brown, perhaps the
biggest bust since the dawn of unrestricted free agency,
and switched two '97 starters to backup roles at new
positions: 16-year veteran Albert Lewis (now at free safety)
and James Trapp (now at corner). Anthony Newman, an
11-year veteran free agent signed away from New Orleans,
replaces Trapp at strong
safety, while free safety Eric Turner, a Pro Bowl player
during his days with the Browns, is the lone
holdover.
"Everyone I know around the league asks me the same
question: 'How do you guys lose with so much
talent?'" says Turner, who joined the Raiders in 1997.
"But you can take 11 consistent guys who play hard
together and beat an all-star team that doesn't
gel."
Oakland is no all-star team. Guard Steve Wisniewski is the
only standout offensive lineman, and the defensive front
seven is vulnerable. The Raiders will have their share of
adversity. The question is, Will they scatter or stand
firm? —Michael Silver
By the Numbers | Inside Slant | Lineup
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