Oakland Raiders Need Neiron Ball Back in the Lineup

The Oakland Raiders need Neiron Ball back!

Remember that guy?

When the Raiders put him in at inside linebacker last year, it improved the defense. His instincts help him play the run and his athleticism helped stop tight ends from killing them last year. But unfortunately, Ball was not able to play much in 2015..

After only two starts, he went down for the rest of the season with a knee injury. He’s been back 100 percent since the time of organized team activities in May. But the team kept him out until it was time for him to report to training camp.

The Raiders’ plan to is to work Ball back in slowly with the reserve units. Fellow inside linebacker Ben Heeney was okay when he replaced him at the end of last year. And now, he’s the starting MIKE linebacker but he doesn’t look too good at it.

Both the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay packers ran on the Cardinals without problems. Ball played just nine defensive snaps against the Packers, but he certainly made the most of them. He had three total tackles, one for loss, and a sack on the evening.

He meant it when he told Raiders.com, “I want to go out there and show them —show everybody—what I got. “You can expect a lot from me; whatever position the coaches want to put me in, I’m here to play for them. It’s whatever the team needs, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Along with his instincts and ability in coverage, he showed the ability to get after the quarterback. The collegiate outside linebacker can do it all from any linebacker spot. And watching him play Thursday, he looks better than anyone outside of Mack and Irvin.

It’s time to get Ball back in the lineup!