Cody Schug's Oakland Raiders fan blog

Today’s topic is the severe drought of wide receivers that currently plagues Oakland.  While Javon Walker’s 4 catch 60 yard performance against Arizona makes me feel a little better, the Raiders are still ridiculously thin at the position.  Curry is a great athlete, but has never put up #1 WR numbers.  Granted, he’s never really had a terribly consistent quarterback, so he may have a breakout season...but I’m not counting on it.  Behind those two, there is nothing in the way of experience, and while some of the rookies have potential, they haven’t shown much thus far.  There are several veteran wideouts available like Joe Horn, Terry Glen, Koren Robinson, but none have the upside that Drew Carter offered before his knee injury.  T

Continue reading "Help at wideout"

Michael Bush has been moved to fullback, and many in Raider Nation feel disappointed.  Not because he’ll do a bad job, but because of the idea many had of the three headed monster of Bush-McFadden-Fargas at tailback.  But hold on a minute sports fans, this is a good thing.  This is a very good thing.  Go with me for a second on this one.  Bush gets moved to fullback, where the Raiders desperately need his help following Oren O’Neal’s season ending knee injury.  This gives Kiffin the opportunity to have Darren McFadden and Michael Bush on the field at the same time...on a regular basis.  Can you imagine the possibilities?  They’re both strong, fluid runners, they both have terrific hands out of the backfield, they’re both fast (one admittedly more than the other), and they’re out there together.  This could be the beginning of something fantastic.  Bush can still get the carries he would have gotten before in short yardage situations with Justin Griffith blocking for him.  But this gives him the opportunity to have much much more playing time and to catch a lot more out of the backfield.  Really, what’s the downside here?  Fargas will still pound away at defenses with McFadden coming in with the ability to score from anywhere.  Michael Bush will still crush people at the goal line, and Justin Griffith will block for all of them.  Oren O’Neal was a big loss for this team as he was a beast, but this might just be the beginning of the end of San Diego’s rushing dominance in the AFC West, as well as the league.  Now if only the passing game could catch up...but that’s a blog for another day.

Continue reading "Bush at fullback = GOOD"

Hello to all who call the interwebz home.  I'm Cody Schug and I'm beginning my blog here about the Oakland Raiders.  I've played football for most of my life, and have followed the game with an intense passion.  I've also been a Raiders fan since before I was born (just ask my mother).  I'll be blogging about the Raiders here, how they're doing, what moves they could be making, and where I think they're headed.  So check back often, for some great opinion on the Raiders.  Just to clarify, I'm not one of those "We're gonna win it all this year!" every year kinda guys.  I'm a realist, and I like to keep my writings within the realm of possibility. 

Continue reading "So it begins"