MANUFACTURED JOY - OAKLAND RAIDERS

by Zac, Throwing Into Traffic

1. Jamarcus Russell isn’t actually 300 pounds!

Although you’d have trouble telling by looking at him. Seriously though, we've made fun, but after panning the Raiders for picking him last year (and they should have gone with Joe Thomas; that is not up for debate), I’ve come around to wanting to see what he can do. Last year, in limited time, two things stood out:

a. His physicality makes him feel like he can get away with making bad decisions.

b. He has the most powerful arm I’ve ever seen.

Watching Russell pop off throws while jumping and seeing them come out HOT was exciting for the sheer spectacle of it. I’m eager to see if a QB coach like Lane Kiffin can mold that into something special, because if not, it’s a huge waste.

2. Darren McFadden just made the backfield a whole lot more exciting (and expensive)!

The Raiders have a knack for making the big, splashy selection over the sensible one, and this year they did it again with McFadden over Dorsey.
Still, we’re focusing on the positive here, so look on the bright side: In addition to a solid number one receiver in Javon Walker and a bizarre QB specimen in Russell, the Raiders are going to have the most exciting back of this rookie class. We all saw what Adrian Peterson did for the Vikings last year, and McFadden is built with the same mold, except he’s better as a receiver than Peterson. Will they lose because they lack the essential building blocks of a team for yet another year? Probably, but it’s going to be a lot more fun to watch than it was last year.

3. Tommie Kelly is the 50.5 million dollar man!

Just…pass, I can’t....just pass…fuck that’s a bad contract…this team is making this hard for me to do.

4. Javon Walker is going to be ok!

Ok, as stupid as he was for behaving in a way that may have led to his former teammate’s tragic demise, Raider fans need to breathe a collective sigh of relief at the news of Javon Walker returning this season, despite injuries. Despite having struggled with injuries the last couple of years, when Walker’s been on, he’s been a top shelf receiver, and this is a team in desperate need of targets for the QB for whom they mortgaged the farm. If the team can bring out the Walker that put up 1382 and 1084 yards in two of the last four years, they finally have the vertical threat they’ve needed. If not, it’s the Ronald Curry show all over again, and last year’s second worst passing offense taught us that some possession receivers, though superbly qualified for that job, are meant to stay in that lane for good.

5. They’re really fast!

Al “If he’s even, he’s leaving” Davis runs his franchise like I run my Madden fantasy drafts, so if nothing else, this year’s affair will live up to the Davis standard: Guys who can run like it’s a track meet. McFadden showed the world that he had the top end speed to kill teams from the backfield, both Walker and Curry have very good downfield speed, and the team even drafted WR Arman Shields, who put up some STUPID combine numbers. Add that to Russell’s monstrous arm that can keep up with any level of speed, and this offense might just be fast enough to earn some shocking victories. And hey, it’s the Raiders, so the “let’s have some really ridiculous fun and see what happens” strategy is as good as anything else they’ve tried.