Raiders plot lines
CAN JON GRUDEN BACK UP HIS FLARE WITH RESULTS?
I’m not sure more hype surrounds a single head coach in the NFL than Jon Gruden here in Oakland. He held a fan appreciation day in a small parking lot where over 500 Raiders fans showed, for crying out loud. There’s no doubt the optimism around Chucky’s return is there. But can he actually win?
WILL KHALIL MACK PLAY LIKE KHALIL MACK AFTER HOLDING OUT?
You can already hear the questions: “Khalil, no sacks through three games, are you still shaking off the rust from the holdout?” One of the league’s best defenders will have to learn a new system (shouldn’t be hard) and prove he’s still the Khalil Mack of old despite missing significant time.
DEREK CARR BACK TO 2016 LEVEL AFTER SUBPAR 2017?
We know Derek Carr wasn’t completely healthy after returning from three back fractures he suffered in Week 4. But a healthy No. 4, along with an offensive-minded head coach who challenges him mentally far more than Jack Del Rio, should do wonders for the Raiders’ chances this season.
DEFENSE ANY BETTER AFTER PERSONNEL OVERHAUL?
Adding Bruce Irvin to the defensive line should help, and the linebacking corps seems stronger with Tahir Whitehead, veteran Derrick Johnson and a wiser Marquel Lee, among others. The question is the secondary: Can Gareon Conley stay healthy, and who else will start alongside Karl Joseph?
CAN KOLTON MILLER HOLD HIS OWN AT LEFT TACKLE?
At least for now, it looks like Kolton Miller will play a big role on this team. He held his own against Irvin in one-on-one pass-rushing drills during camp, but Arden Key spun right around the rookie left tackle a couple times. He had a solid preseason, and Donald Penn is suiting up at right tackle with the rookie on Carr’s blindside.
SUBPLOTS FOR MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACKS
When is the last time the Raiders had three wideouts with this much potential?
Do we have to go all the way back to the Rice-Brown-Porter days? This just might be the year Amari Cooper reaches elite status, Jordy Nelson’s quarterback thinks he looks like a 20-something-year-old running around, and Martavis Bryant is an intriguing deep threat. And don’t forget Ryan Switzer. Carr has a solid corps of options this season.
Bruce Irvin double-digit sacks?
The veteran linebacker-turned-defensive end has made it clear he wants at least 10 sacks for the first time in his career. Playing opposite Mack mighty free him up just enough to reach that goal.
Will Derrick Johnson show his age at MLB?
The oldest player on the team (he’ll be 36 in November) needs to prove his legs are still young to anchor Oakland’s defense. If they’re not, a second-year middle linebacker in Marquel Lee is waiting in the wings. If they do, though, the Raiders will have a welcome treat on their hands.