Jan 12, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Trindon Holliday (11) against the San Diego Chargers during the 2013 AFC divisional playoff football game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Oakland Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie scared me at first but looks to have finally rebuilt Raider-brand football. In 2012, he drafted offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom to go with then head coach Dennis Allen’s zone-blocking scheme. McKenzie has since done away with the scheme, fired Allen and brought in big, physical offensive lineman.
Jack Del Rio, a hometown guy and Raiders fan that knows the brand, is now the head coach. And he brought in Ken Norton Jr. from Seattle to coordinate his defense to match the old Raiders brand. Get to the quarterback with four and have your guys cover the receivers one-0n-one.
Then of course, you have quarterback Derek Carr, who has the cannon arm of the Raiders legends. The power run game also seems to be there with 230-pound running backs Latavius Murray and Trent Richardson. One thing that really seemed to be missing last year was speed at receiver and special teams.
Rod Streater and Brice Butler were the only receivers on the team that run sub-4.4 40s. But Streater got hurt and Butler, despite making plays when given a chance, never could gain the Raiders’ trust. And in the return game, there was no one, that was a threat to take one back for a touchdown.
But that isn’t the case now as Streater is back from injury to go with speedster Amari Cooper. And pleased don’t sleep on seventh round pick Andre Debose, who was darn-near a world-class sprinter in high school. Debose was drafted to be a kick returner, having tied and NCAA record for kick returns for touchdowns but has shown a lot as a receiver in OTAs.
To return punts, the Raiders signed Trindon Holliday, the fastest football player to ever come out of college. At just 5’5″, 166 pounds, Holiday ran an NCAA record 10-flat 100 meters while at LSU. Holliday never caught on as a receiver in the NFL but he has definitely had his moments as a return man.
And it is there that he’s expected to help the Raiders after struggling with injuries in 2014. So the Raiders have speed at receiver and the return game after letting go of guys like Jacoby Ford, whom Holiday beat at the NCAA Championships. The rest of the AFC West better not sleep on this Raiders team because they now have speed for big plays.