A great start was made in the draft. Rolando McClain projects well as a first round pick. Lamarr Houston was also considered to be a solid pick out of Texas in the second round.
Then a curve ball was thrown at Raider nation. Houston was a defensive tackle at the University of Texas last year, but Cable intends to move him to defensive end.
Where does that leave the Raiders at defensive tackle?
Cable has since spoken of his "secret weapon" that Raider Nation is supposed to be happy with.
Who could that be? Richard Seymour isn't a secret so moving him inside does not qualify.
Kellen Heard is a huge undrafted free agent that would definately qualify as a secret. However, he is undrafted so he can't be called a slam-dunk yet.
Many in Raider Nation want the Raiders to trade for Albert Haynesworth. Others wish for the aquisition of free agent John Henderson.
Do they really need to make such moves? A look at the top ten run defenses tells me, "Not necessarily."
Here is a list of the top ten run defenses in 2009: Packers(1) Vikings(2) Steelers(3) Cowboys(4) Ravens(5) The 49ers(6) Bengals(7) Jets(8) Eagles(9) Falcons(10) Texans (10) Titans(10)
Of the top ten run defenses, only the Vikings, Ravens, and Steelers had dominant, run-stuffing defensive tackles. The rest of them were led mainly by their linebacker play. The aforementioned Steelers and Ravens benefitted from both.
There is obviously more than one way to stop the run. That leads one to wonder if there is a common denomenator with these teams?
The answer is yes. It's on the offensive side of the ball.
There's an old dictum that com...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
