2008 Figures: Overall record: 5-11. ATS: 7-9. O/U: 6-8-2
2008 Rankings: Scoring offense: 16.44 (No. 29) Scoring Defense: 24.25 (No. 24)
2008 Inside the Numbers: The Raiders had a very tough time moving the ball in 2008 and part of that reason is they were last in total first downs in the league with 225. That is roughly 70 less first downs than the league average of 294.8 and 138 less than league leader New England.
2009 Super Bowl Odds: +10000

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Offense:  There was not much good to mention about the Raiders offense in 2008. They finished last in the league in first downs with 225, were one of only two teams in the NFL not to pass for more than 2,400 yards, and their leading wide receiver caught only 22 passes. Winning their last two games of 2009 provided some optimism for Raider Nation and with a five-year average of only four wins and a very weak division their only direction to go may be up.

The Raiders took JaMarcus Russell with the first pick in the NFL Draft three seasons ago and they think he is poised for a breakout season. At 6-foot-5 Russell has the frame of a tight end but also sports an absolute cannon for an arm. It’s that big arm that made enigmatic Oakland owner Al Davis fall in love with him.

Oakland has also done their best to surround the young quarterback with young, yet explosive, talent.

The 2008 and 2009 drafts have seen the Raiders select lightning quick running back Darren McFadden out of Arkansas and wide receiver Darius Hayward-Bey from Maryland to compliment their young quarterback. The development of those three players combined with tight end, and leading pass catcher from 2008, Zach Miller may be the foundation of many successful seasons if they can be molded into a winning team.

Defense: The defense as a unit was not as dreadful as a 5-11 record may indicate, however the defensive line may have been the worst in a league.

When running a 4-3 defense that is not predicated on blitzing or creative zones the defensive line must be a presence in the pass rush as well as stopping the run – and neither of those things happened for the Raiders and both must improve in 2009.

The secondary has been a solid point for the Silver-and-Black and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha has gone from relative obscurity to well known as the best cover corner in the league. Asomugha only had one interception in 2008 due, in large part, to offenses scheming against even throwing his direction.

All in all, the defense needs to make a serious improvement and Raider fans are looking square in the eyes of DE Derrick Burgess and DE Tommy Kelly, who have been disappointments so far. Both players can look like world beaters on certain plays and then can look like men who don’t deserve drawing an NFL salary on another. 

2009-10 Oakland Raiders Predictions: The Raiders and the Raider faithful are paying the price for owner Al Davis treating the team like a Madden video game dynasty instead of a real football team.

The former icon of hard-nosed, win-first mentality is now so enamored with getting the strongest arms, fastest position players, and strongest lineman on the team that he does so in spite of those player’s obvious flaws in other key skill sets.

As if the people of Oakland need the reminder, the Raiders have not cracked the five-win mark since losing the Super Bowl in 2003.

While playing in the unpredictable AFC West and winning their last two games in 2008 provides a bit of optimism, the fact remains eight of the team’s 11 losses last season were by double digits. The schedule for Oakland lines them up with the NFC East and AFC North, which looks bleak for many wins in those out-of-division games.

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A great season for Oakland would be seven or eight wins. A more likely expectation would be another five-win season for the Silver-and-Black, but that may be good enough for second place in the division.