Oakland Raiders: Curtis Lofton Has A Chance At A Monster Season

By Jonathan George | Jun 22, 2015

There is little doubt that the additions of head coach Jack Del Rio and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. will bring a ton of enthusiasm and excitement to the Oakland Raiders defense this year, and many fans are expecting a ton of improvement from this beleaguered group. Just how they turn a unit around that per ESPN.com stats finished dead last in 2014 in points given up per game is still up for debate. But it’s a good bet that with Del Rio and Norton Jr. being former linebackers, that specific unit will be much improved.

More from Las Vegas Raiders

One of the players that could have a huge season for a number of reasons is linebacker and free agent addition Curtis Lofton. Lofton comes over after several productive seasons in Atlanta and New Orleans, where he averaged close to 89 tackles a season. That total would have been several tackles higher than the top tackle producer on the Raiders in 2014, free safety Charles Woodson, who had 81 (stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference).

ALSO ON NFL SPIN ZONE: 30 Greatest Defenders of All-Time

There are a couple of reasons why the addition of Lofton should make Raider Fans smile. First of all, Lofton has played almost every game of every regular season he’s been in the NFL. In seven seasons as an NFL linebacker, he’s started in 111 of a possible 112 games, per Pro Football Reference. That kind of durability is hard to find from a kicker, let alone a linebacker.

Secondly, he’s been a tackling machine while playing in all of those games. In 4 of his 7 seasons he totaled over 90 tackles; 2 of them over 100. And while he hasn’t been known as a turnover causing game changer (11 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions in 7 years), the type of tackling production he has amassed is exactly what Oakland needs from its middle linebacker.

It is usually not a good sign when a secondary player leads your team in tackles, as Woodson did for the Raiders in 2014, as it generally means tackles are occurring further downfield. And it has been a long time since an Oakland Raider totaled at least 90 tackles. The last player to do that was Kirk Morrison in 2009 with 109 tackles (per Pro Football Reference). Lofton should stop both of those trends.

For Lofton, he probably couldn’t have asked for a better coaching combination that the one he got in Norton Jr. and Del Rio. Both coaches have a huge amount of experience and success playing as a linebacker in the NFL, and both know exactly how to put Lofton in the right position to succeed. When it comes to Del Rio specifically, he has a history of highly successful middle linebackers in his systems.

Going back and looking at both the time Del Rio was a head coach in Jacksonville and a defensive coordinator in Denver, his middle linebackers were usually the leading tacklers for his respective teams. Whether it was Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan in Denver or Daryl Smith in Jacksonville, the middle linebacker has always been key in Del Rio’s systems.

2015 should be no different, as Del Rio’s influence should be heavily felt in Norton Jr.’s play calling. If you combine Lofton’s history of good health and production, and his likely large involvement in just about every play, odds are that Lofton should be close to the league lead in tackles this year. That means fewer opposing offenses racking up large chunks of yardage and more 3rd and long situations; all good things for Oakland.

Lofton’s targeting by GM Reggie McKenzie was no accident; he is a key player for the Oakland Raiders this year and should give their defense a huge boost in many areas.

Next: Can Musgrave and Murray restore Oakland's run game?

More from NFL Spin Zone

Home/Las Vegas Raiders