Oakland Raiders: A Run at a Winning Season

In any day or age of the NFL, a season in which you amass 1,240 yards rushing would, at the very least, be considered a very respectable year.

Unfortunately for the downtrodden Oakland Raiders, that was the total accumulated by the entire team in 2014, the worst-such figure in the league. Is it any wonder that the Silver and Black also finished dead last in the NFL in total yards gained while scoring only 253 points and a mere 26 offensive touchdowns?

Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, poor performances by the Raiders as of late have been the norm rather than the exception. We are talking about a franchise that has not enjoyed a winning season since 2002, amassing a dismal 56-136 win-loss record the past dozen years.

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When it comes to irony, last year may have taken the cake when it comes to this club. For the first time in seven seasons in the league, running back Darren McFadden – the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft – managed to play in all 16 games. He would gain only 534 yards on 155 carries and rush for a pair of touchdowns and as previously mentioned the Raiders finished dead last in the league when it came to yards gained on the ground.

Nov 30, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu Jr (20) runs for a second quarter touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts safety LaRon Landry (30) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

McFadden was not re-signed by the club, hit the free-agent trail and latched on with the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, both new head coach Jack Del Rio and new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave now have an interesting mix in the backfield.

Start with Latavius Murray, a sixth-round pick in 2013 from Central Florida who missed all of his rookie season due to injury. His coming out party was on a Thursday night at Oakland against the Kansas City Chiefs in which totaled only four carries but for 112 yards and two touchdowns as the team got its first win of the season after a 0-10 start. However, he suffered a concussion in the game and missed Week 12 before gaining 258 yards on 68 carries in the team’s final four games.

This offseason, general manager Reggie McKenzie add one unrestricted free agent and a castoff. The former is versatile Roy Helu, once a starter for the Washington Redskins back in 2011 but pushed into the background the last three seasons due to the emergence of two-time Pro Bowler Alfred Morris.

In 2014 with the ‘Skins, the one-time fourth-round pick from the University of Nebraska ran for 216 yards and a score on 40 carries but did finish fourth on the team with 42 receptions, good for 477 yards and two scores.

The other is Trent Richardson, who has gone from being the third overall pick in the 2012 draft to a third NFL team in four years. He spent two less-than-spectacular seasons with the Indianapolis Colts after the team gave up a first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for him in September of 2013. In 29 regular-season games with the Colts, the former University of Alabama standout totaled 316 carries for a disappointing 977 yards and six touchdowns, averaging a mere 3.1 yards per attempt.

Trent Richardson was the last running back to go in the Top 10. Mandatory Credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

McKenzie did not add a running back with any of the team’s 10 selections in this year’s draft, although the club recently signed Michael Dyer. ESPN.com AFC West writer Bill Williamson has the story on the young running back.

The Raiders drafted talented wide receiver Amari Cooper with the fourth overall selection on April 30. They also signed free-agent wideout Michael Crabtree this offseason and bolstered their offensive line with the addition of center Rodney Hudson, late of the Kansas City Chiefs. They expect quarterback Derek Carr to take another step forward in his second season.

Still, the Raiders won’t be going much of anywhere (again) if the offense doesn’t find a way to run the ball with any kind of consistency – no matter how well their talented young signal-caller plays in 2015.

Next: Oakland Raiders: Projecting Derek Carr's 2015 Statistics

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