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There was some consternation in the Raider Nation over the offseason when the Raiders took a fairly hands off approach to their offensive line. With the only major new addition being Khalif Barnes, it is up to the the guys to insure that JaMarcus Russell is allowed to remain upright.
Here is how the offensive line looks to shake out during training camp, which starts out with classroom time Wednesday morning.
TACKLE:
Projected left side starter: Mario Henderson
projected right side starter: Khalif Barnes
Henderson impressed the Raiders' brass when he was inserted as the starter at left tackle over Kwame Harris for the last few games of 2008. He will be battling it out with Khalif Barnes, with the loser likely moving over to the right side. Henderson has the inside track, so look for Barnes to start on the right side.
Projected depth: Cornell Green and Erik Pears.
James Marten and Mark Wilson will work hard to unseat Green and/or Pears to grab a roster spot. Of the two, Green is the more veunerable, as he was a weak link on the Raiders line for much of 08. Pears's experience as a starter in the zone blocking scheme in Denver makes him a valuable commodity off the bench.
GUARD:
Projected left side starter: Robert Gallery
Projected right side starter: Cooper Carlisle
These two are locks to break camp as starters. Gallery will miss the beginning of camp since he had to have an emergency appendectomy, but that will give the Raiders a chance to get a good look at the depth they have at guard, since they already know that Gallery is one of the top guards in the game. Carlisle fell off a bit last season after having a superb 2007, however, he is currently the best option on the roster for the right guard position.
Projected depth:
Paul McQuistan will be the primary backup at the guard positions. He has shown promise, including in a stint as a starter at right tackle in 2007, but he missed all of last season due to an injury. Head coach Tom Cable has announced that Marcus Johnson will be moving inside to guard, and he will likely be the other depth player. Jonathan Compas is likely headed for the practice squad.
CENTER:
Projected starter: Samson Satele
Satele was acquired from the Miami Dolphins for a sixth round pick and the Raiders are high on this kid's athletic abilities. They believe that he will thrive in the Raiders zone blocking scheme.
Projected depth: Chris Morris
Chris Morris and John Wade will be locked in a heated battle for the reserve center spot. There is an outside possibility both make the team if either Marcus Johnson or Paul McQuistan have an epic failure of a training camp, as they would double as a reserve guard.
You can also find Patrick Patterson on Thoughts from the Dark Side.
Comments
Depending on how you look at it, this could go any which way. The only sure thing is Gallery. Other than him, it's alot of question marks. Henderson vs. Merriman will be a good indicator of how it's going to go. Right now I would have felt better if we drafted Monroe. He might have brought alot more to the table than DHB is going to. Opening night can't come soon enough.
Great to see that McQ is included in the analysis. I thought he would compete for a tackle position. Green might get swept out due to his legal problems.
This just might be the best O-Line in Oakland since the departure of Lincoln Kennedy. Establishing the run game early will take the pressure off on passing downs and adding a tight end to the left side in pass blocking may become necessary as well.
If the Raiders are smart they'll run the ball at Merriman and bang him up a bit and keep him more honest in the pass rush. I can't see them leaving their left guard 1 on 1 much in the passing game on opening night. We don't need another disaster like we had a few years ago.
Monroe would have been a nice addition. AD's drafts are killing the Raiders.
Cable on releasing sixth-round draft pick Stryker Sulak before camp:
"After drafting him and getting into mini camp and OTA, we just felt like the fit wasn't there. For what we're trying to with our defense, we just didn't feel like the fit was right."
Uh.....isn't that what the scouts do BEFORE the draft? You just can't waste picks in the NFL. They wasted a 4th rounder last year on WR Shields who was also cut.
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