The run fell short, Hue Jackson was fired and we all know the story from there.
Despite losing McFadden, the offense was still potent, albeit less than it would have been with McFadden in the backfield. In contrast, the defense never recovered from losing Matt Shaughnessy for the season in Week 3.
Shaughnessy was a trendy preseason pick to be a breakout player after making a lot of noise during training camp last year. Shaughnessy was more than good enough to be that player before he was injured.
A healthy Shaughnessy completely reshapes the defense in Oakland, both in alignment and production. Shaughnessy's injury had a negative ripple effect on the 2011 Oakland defense and will have a corresponding positive ripple effect on the 2012 Oakland defense.
Shaughnessy's made so much progress during training camp in 2011 that he was singled out as the most improved player by his offensive-minded head coach Hue Jackson (via Raiders.com). All signs pointed to Shaughnessy having a great season in 2011.
When Shaughnessy was injured, the Raiders were scrambling to replace him and it took several weeks before the team settled on a semi-permanent solution. The Raiders tried Jarvis Moss and Trevor Scott and neither could hold up against the run or provide much of a pass rush.
During those few weeks, starting outside linebacker Quentin Groves wasn't playing very well. Groves was playing without Shaughnessy in front of him and the Raiders traded for Aaron Curry and immediately inserted him as the starter to help against the run.
The week prior to trading for Curry, the Raiders settled on Desmond Bryant as the starter at Shaughnessy's defensive end spot. Bryant is a more natural fit to play defensive tackle. While Bryant held up agai...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
