Raiders-Broncos Preview

Raiders-Broncos Preview

Once upon a time, the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders were fierce rivals and the cream of the crop in the AFC West. That was a long time ago. The Broncos haven't won a Super Bowl since John Elway retired. The Raiders haven't won a Super Bowl in over two decades. But regardless of their recent fortunes, the two division rivals will open the season on Monday Night Football.

RAIDERS OFFENSE vs. BRONCOS DEFENSE
The Raiders are a very young team and nowhere is it more evident than on the offensive side of the ball where JaMarcus Russell will be the starting quarterback for the Raiders. Russell did himself no favors by holding out a year ago, which hampered his ability to learn the offense quickly. So for all practical purposes, Russell is still rookie in terms of game experience. Russell is has a big, strong body to go along with a live arm, but he'll need to mature quickly under fire to make an impact for the Raiders. Russell has an offensive line that seems to have dual personalities at times. At times, they were dominant, especially in the running game a year ago. But other times, they reverted back to the unfocused unit that all too often played inconsistently and took bad penalties. Russell needs to have the better of the two units to be protecting him. Elvis Dumervil is very quick off the end and new offensive tackle Kwame Harris cannot  allow him a free pass to his quarterback. The Broncos will also be tougher in the middle with Dwayne Robertson at defensive tackle. Considering how weak Denver was against the run in 2007, they needed to upgrade and Robertson fit the bill. The Broncos are not overpowering at linebacker but they have good talent in DJ Williams, former Detroit Lion Boss Bailey and Nate Webster. This group will likely  have to not only shut down Justin Fargas, but also contain rookie Darren McFadden. Fargas is the hard runner but not a gamebreaker. McFadden was drafted to be a home run threat for the Raiders. The Broncos will have to stop him before he gets into open space, but they do have the athletes to do so. Obviously, the Raiders would like nothing more than to have Russell hand the ball to his backs and not be forced to throw the ball in long yardage situations. If that becomes the case, the Broncos will have the advantage since they have Champ Bailey and Dre' Bly at the corners. The Raiders have Javon Walker, Ronald Curry and speed demon Johnnie Lee Higgins and while all three have different skills, they won't have the edge on Bailey or Bly. So while it may be out of character for the big play Raiders, who lived by the vertical game for so many years,  to try and establish the ground game first before turning Russell and his arm loose, that is probably what they will try to do.

BRONCOS OFFENSE vs. RAIDERS DEFENSE
Selvin Young will take over and be the next Denver running back to likely break the 1,000-yard  mark. Not many backs fail to produce in the Broncos offense if you look at the names that have thrived in Denver. For those with short memories, Clinton Portis, Mike Anderson, Reuben Droughns, Olandis Gary and Tatum Bell have all rushed for over 1,000 yards since 1999 with Denver. It would be a safe bet the Broncos will go after an Oakland defense that struggled to stop the run a year ago, and will be minus one Warren Sapp, who has retired..The Broncos still have veteran Tom Nalen leading the offensive line that seems to always produce. They are not normally big bodies, but more athletic types.  Rookie Ryan Clady may be the exception and he will be starting at left tackle. The Raiders did little to upgrade up front in the offseason. Tommy Kelly will be the man in the middle with Gerard Warren and Terdell Sands alongside him. Derrick Burgess and Jay Richardson will be at the ends with Kalimba Edwards also rotating in. Krik Morrison and Thomas Howard are two of the better young linebackers in the NFL. So the Broncos will undoubtedly look to run the ball, the question is whether or not the Raiders have the personnel to stop them. When Denver passes, Jay Cutler will not have Brandon Marshall at his disposal due to suspension, but he will still have a number of weapons. It appears that Darrell Jackson and Eddie Royal are the top candidates to start, but the Broncos also have Brandon Stokley and Keary Colbert in the mix. But like Russell, Cutler will be facing a very good secondary. Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the more underrated corners in the league and DeAngleo Hall is one of the better corners around. The Raiders are also tougher in the deep secondary after adding Gibril Wilson from the Giants. With Wilson, Michael Huff and the aforementioned cornerbacks, Cutler will have to be smart when throwing the ball.

SPECIAL TEAMS
The Raiders have the edge here. Shane Lechler is one of the best punters in the NFL year in and year out. Sebastian Janikowski has a cannon for a leg  and even if he isn't accurate all the time, he has the edge over Matt Prater. Johnnie Lee Higgins has shown he can be a terror on returns in the preseason for the Raiders. Time will tell if Eddie Royal can be a home run threat for the Broncos.

SUMMARY
Witht the Raiders playing at home in front of a national audience against a hated division rival and all, we'd love to give them an advantage in this game. And while there may be some hope for the Raiders, there are also still a lot of questions entering Week One. Russell and his maturity level as a NFL quarterback is one. The offensive line is another. And the Oakland defensive line is another huge one. The Broncos have a quarterback that seems to have a grasp of the system. Jay Cutler will likely have a solid running game to help him as well. The Broncos also made some needed addiitions in the offseason to uprgrade their defense. The Raiders may play the Broncos tough, but the many questions make us think Denver will come out on top.

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