Oakland Raiders: Making Defense a Priority This Offseason

ByKhaled Abdallah|

What does it take to be successful in the NFL these days? Some will tell you that you need a championship caliber quarterback to take you all the way. Others will say that you need a tough defense to get you crucial stops and turnovers. Many will tell you that you need a rushing attack to get your team through that cold January playoff run. All of the above is the more appropriate answer and in the case of the Oakland Raiders, after finding their quarterback, are making defense a priority in their quest to return to relevancy and glory.

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Most of the better teams in this league are predicated around two things, good quarterback play and a defense that can get you stops when they are needed. If that same defense can force your opponents in to turnovers then all the better. It is no coincidence that there was only one playoff team last season with a negative turnover differential.

The two teams in the Super Bowl, Seattle and New England, were third and fourth in the NFL a plus-12 and plus-9 turnover differentials, respectively. The Raiders were last in the league with a minus-15 turnover differential. Six teams committed more turnovers than Oakland but only two had less takeaways. And therein lies the problem.

The Raiders did not have a defense that forced opponents in to turnovers and that was reflected in their record. The hallmark of Jack Del Rio‘s playoff teams was a tough and physical defense and a strong running game. In the two years the Jacksonville Jaguars made the playoffs under Del Rio, they were top 10 in the league in points allowed.

The Raiders have not been in that echelon in the last 10 years and that has coincided with their struggles since making the Super Bowl in 2002. This offseason the organization has turned its focus to building a bully, but not the sort that one-time Raiders head coach Hue Jackson likes. They have gone out and made signings such as middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and defensive tackle Dan Williams to beef up the middle of their front seven.

They added a hard hitting safety in Nate Allen and have brought in depth at the linebacker position with Malcolm Smith who also played for defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. in Seattle. Lastly, they added cornerback James Dockery and recently re-signed defensive lineman C.J. Wilson. None of these signings made the splash that signing Ndamukong Suh would have but they give the Raiders far more long term cap flexibility.

The Â Raiders also have an interesting dilemma in the first round of the NFL Draft. They own the fourth overall pick in the draft and experts have been divided as to who they will take. Some expect them to select wide receiver Amari Cooper out of Alabama or wide receiver Kevin White from West Virginia if Jacksonville chooses Cooper. Others have projected that defensive lineman Leonard Williams of USC will be chosen by the Raiders if he is passed on by the top three.

If Williams does indeed fall to Oakland, because of their renewed focus on defense and desire to build around Khalil Mack, they will select the former Trojan. Williams has expressed a great desire to play for the Raiders and that desire will be crucial to help turn around one of the league’s once great franchises. Defense is what wins championships and the Raiders are building the foundation of a dominant one this offseason.

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