Let's start with the differences between last year and this year. The most noticeable was the loss of 300 pounds of dead weight: JaMarcus Russell was finally ousted from Oakland. Many Raider fans were ecstatic about the thought of Bruce "Almighty" Gradkowski being the full-time quarterback, and it just got better when, for once, the Raiders made a trade that made sense. At the end of the 2010 draft, the Oakland Raiders made possibly the biggest move for them by trading for former Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell.
All of the Raider fans knew that they needed a new quarterback, and we got one finally. We also needed former first round picks to come alive and prove their worth. We all started to hear the word "bust" associated with the No. four overall pick in the 2008 draft, Darren McFadden. Things got worse when he sat out the preseason and everybody thought he might have been on his way out of Oakland.
Boy, were we wrong. I have liked McFadden, and I thought if he were healthy he would surprise people (maybe that's why I drafted him on my fantasy team instead of Michael Bush). McFadden came alive this season, and broke the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career. Also, although he missed multiple games, he still led the league in yards from scrimmage for most of the season. Not only did he have his best season as a player, but he also made the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
Now, let's talk about our tremendous rookies. I will start with our first rou...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
