Greatness at center an Oakland Raiders tradition

March 16, 11:56 PMOakland Raiders ExaminerPatrick Patterson

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From the inaugural game in 1960 though three Super Bowl victories, a move to a new city, through the 1985 the Oakland Raiders started two men at center in Jim Otto and Dave Dalby. Don Mosebar took over and was well on his way to continue the tradition at center securing three Pro Bowl invites before his career ended prematurely with an injury that cost him an eye. Barrett Robbins was on his way to filling that role until his career was derailed by mental illness. Jake Grove was the latest to try to fill those huge shoes, but never lived up to his expectations.

Right now, the Raiders have a huge void at that position with the sterling legacy. After five disappointing seasons, Jake Grove signed with the Miami Dolphins leaving John Wade as the lone center with NFL experience on the Raiders roster. Wade was beat out by Grove in the preseason of 2008, and filled in during Grove's injuries. However, Wade was unimpressive in his fill in stints. Chris Morris is on the roster, as well, but he is at best an interior line back-up.

The center is in charge of calling out blocking assignments to the rest of the line, as well as ensuring the ball is passed cleanly to the quarterback before he has to block a 300lb defensive tackle. This makes him an integral part of the success or failure as an offense. This was illustrated in 2007 when the Raiders had a real problem with center-quarterback exchanges. This problem consistantly left the Raiders in the hole yardage wise.

The free agency market is rather thin at the center position. LeCharles Bentley was once among the best centers in the game, but his injury problems that cost him two seasons leave him likely done for his career. The best move the Raiders could do here is to grab a center in the draft if possible, and if not then they can go bargain shopping among what is left on the free agency market.

Alex Mack out of California is considered the best center in the draft, and would be a great fit in Oakland. His former offensive line coach at Cal now holds the same position in Oakland. However, there is a very good chance that he will not fall to the Raiders second round pick. Max Unger from University of Oregon would be a strong second choice, and he may be there at 40. At 6'5" 309, Unger would be a big anchor for the center of the Raiders line, which is what they need to open the holes in the running game, as well as keeping defensive tackles out of JaMarcus Russell's face. If the Raiders miss out on either of those two, They may move for Antoine Winfield out of Alabama or Eric Wood from Louisville later in the draft.

This is a position that the Raiders cannot afford to stand pat on.

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