07-24-10 2:02pm pac

                
                                                                            DE/DT Lamarr Houston

Lamarr Houston is set to become a millionaire very soon but his focus since an early age has been football and it shows...

The California born Houston told his mother at age 3 he wanted to play football and his love of the game has never waivered.

That love and dedication is about to pay off, but questions remain about wether or not Houston can produce at this level.

It was felt pre draft Houston is "ideally built" to play DT at the pro level but the 6-3, 305 lb former Longhorn is only 3 inches shorter than Richard Seymour and Tommy Kelly but possess freakish agility for a man his size.

He'll use that speed and quickness to defeat tackles and unfortunate tight ends that will be charged with stopping him.

Several Raider players have alluded to a new diversity in John Marshall's defensive scheme this year and Houston should fit in nicely.

Thats about the only thing that will be nice about Houston once he's on the field.

Aside from a scrape with center Samson Satele, Lamarr rankled prospective team mate and NFL veteran running back Rock Cartwright who screamed at him for crushing him into the turf at Oaklands OTA's earlier this pre season.

"We ain't even wearin' any #@$%in' pads!"

They have on the pads in 4 more days and one can only hope Houston doesn't wreak havoc and injure his fellow team mates before the season starts.

He may be a nice enough young man off the field but on it, he's a force to be reckoned with and one to watch this pre season.

07-22-10 8:00 am pac

Photo Rex Brown / Getty Images

                                                                                             WR/KR Jacoby Ford

WR/KR Tim Dwight was past his prime when he joined the Raiders but his failure didn’t stop Oakland from searching for a diminutive dynamo ala Wes Welker.

Last year the Raiders thought they had the answer in 5-9, 180 lb FA Nick Miller who made noise last year in pre season, but sat the entire year with a leg fracture.

Miller got a pass last year but he’ll be fighting for time with 4^th round pick (108^th overall) Jacoby Ford who signed on the 19^th.

The 5-9, 185 lb wide receiver / kick return specialist was selected with the pick Oakland snagged in a trade with Jacksonville for middle linebacker Kirk Morrison.

Unlike some of Oaklands track star projects Ford is a football player first and foremost and was ranked 7^th out of the 310 available WRs by NFL draft scout prior to the April draft.

At Clemson the football and track star was one of the finest all purpose players in school history and ran a blazing 4.28 40 and was the fastest WR at this years combine.

Its not necessarily Ford’s blazing speed (he reportedly once posted a 4.12 40) its his quicks in a phone booth the that Raiders are hoping will make him dangerous to opposing defenses and on special teams returns.

As one half of the NCAA’s greatest ever duo (with Clemson RB C.J. Spiller) Ford not only had 16 career TD receptions but also gained 494 yards on the ground, posting an eye opening 8.5 yd average, so be sure to watch for him as a dangerous addition on the end around.

With camp 6 days away, Jacoby Ford will be one to watch.

We’ll have to see if Oakland has finally snagged itself not only a blazingly fast return man, but a Wes Welker styled offense weapon as well.

07-21-10 2:44 am pac                                                         

Photo Sam Greewood / Getty Images

                                                                                                        DE/LB Quentin Groves

In college, Quentin Groves was a sack artist finishing his career at Auburn tied for the school record with 26 quarterback take downs and as an Associated Press All SEC 1^st team selection.

The 6-3, 255 lb DE was taken by the Jags 52nd overall in the 2^nd round of the 2008 NFL draft.

Groves "under performed" during his 2 years at Jacksonville but was miscast as a 4-3 defensive end.

Oakland picked him up last April for a 5^th round selection (158^th overall) after he was demoted by the Jaguars from starter to a third teamer.

His move to the Raiders may seem puzzling considering their similar 4-3 base, but those paying attention last year saw the Raiders run a 3-4 "look".

By virtue of off this seasons acquisitions, defensive coordinator John Marshall may be looking to expand upon the success of that formation.

Though he probably won’t be asked to as much as he did in Jacksonville, Groves will likely see time as a 4-3 end as well as LB.

Groves is the opposite of fellow DE/LB Kamerion Wimbley, who was miscast with the Browns as a 3-4 LB when he is suited more as a 4-3 DE.

It will be interesting to see how Oakland juggles them both, but they still have veteran linebacker Thomas Howard to throw in the mix on passing downs, at least for now anyway.

Speculation is, if camp goes as expected for Wimbley and Groves, Howard could go the way of former team mate MLB Kirk Morrison, especially if another team offers a nice mid round pick for him.

Morrison now resides with Groves former team, the Jags.

The Raiders did their homework when picking Groves, and with Wimbley for that matter.

They look good on paper, but proof will be on the field.

Groves has yet to prove himself at the NFL level, but he appears to have an edge.

He’ll still need to work on varying his game, but the fact is, with new team mates Wimbley and 8^th overall draft pick Rolando McClain taking Morrison's middle linebacker spot, Quentin Groves is in a much better position to silence his critics and kick start his sputtering career in Oakland than he was in Jacksonville.

07-20-10 1:21 pm pac                               

                                                                         DE/LB Kamerion Wimbley

Despite a knee injury his senior year at Florida State, the pass rushing DE was still named second team ALL-ACC and an All American by Pro football weekly.

His accolades and play in college earned him the interest of the Cleveland Browns who could’ve taken Raven DT Haloti Ngata, but traded back one space to select the pass rushing Wimbley.

Though he played a 4-3 at Florida, it was felt by some he wasn’t big enough to play DE at the next level.

Cleveland felt he’d be the answer they needed as a run stuffing pass rushing LB in their 3-4 D.

After signing a 6 yr $23.7 million dollar deal that guaranteed $9.3 million, Wimbley flew under the radar his rookie season, which was pretty amazing considering his 62 tackles, 11 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The Browns defense began to fall apart the next season and Wimbley didn’t fare as well, though he still contributed decent numbers, posting 179 tackles and 26.5 sacks during his tenure as a Brown.

Under new management from former Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, the Browns fielded offers for the former Gator with none better than the later of Oaklands two 3^rd round picks.

Lest Raider fans think there must’ve been something wrong with Wimbley, his trade from Cleveland came as a shock and angered many fans who rightly felt Wimbley was the second best defensive player they fielded behind DT Shaun Rogers.

Kamerion may not have materialized as a Pro Bowl caliber linebacker (yet), but his trade to the Raiders had some Cleveland bloggers proclaiming "The Raiders got a steal."

Now in silver and black, its forecasted the 6-3, 255 lb Wimbley may return to his college days as a pass rushing "hand in the dirt" 4-3 defensive end, but its more likely he’ll be used as a hybrid DE/LB in defensive coordinator John Marshall’s expanding and exciting scheme.

Wimbley’s size, skill and rare athleticism had him turning into an every down linebacker at Cleveland. With Oaklands revamped defense, Kamerion is quietly set to pleasantly surprise Raider fans and horrify division rivals.

07-17-10 2:44 pm pac                        

                                                                                                                                        T Khalif Barnes

Lineman Khalif Barnes has yet to regain the form that saw him help Jacksonville set a franchise rushing record with 2,056 yds in 2006 as a left tackle.

His play declined the next year and in all fairness the wheels fell off the Jags by the end of game one in 2008.

Center Brad Meester tore his right biceps in pre season, their back up left tackle Richard Collier was shot the week before the start of the season and both starting guard were lost for the year on opening day.

Barnes, needless to say, struggled but it wasn’t necessarily his poor stats alone that saw his departure from Florida.

Police video of Barnes after during his arrest for rocketing past them at over 100 mph with expired tags and a blood alcohol level of .12 didn't help.

In the video Barnes can be seen and heard blasting the officers as racists and Jacksonville as a hick town.

His profanity laced tirade was likely the last straw.

His arrival in Oakland was looked at as a fresh start and a new hope, but the former 2^nd round draft pick out of Washington has yet to even challenge for a starting slot even with poor play and massive injuries to the O line and little depth.

The 6-5, 325 lb lineman balked at playing a position other than left tackle but his best shot could be on the right side filling in for the now departed and unmissed Cornell "yellow flag" Green.

There is a good player in there somewhere and hopefully he can revive his stalled career rather than flame out like Kwame Harris.

Barnes seems to have mended his ways since joining the silver and black but he’ll need to produce in camp and on the field if he wants to succeed.

The former left tackle could do great things on the right side, an area the Raiders have needed to address for sometime.

Have no illusions, Barnes can be a very good lineman. He just need to show that sooner rather than later.

Oaklands lore is rife with comeback stories and re ignited careers, but it is also littered with washouts.

Which one will Barnes be?

This coming camp will be a pretty good indicator.