While this was certainly exciting for anyone in the Raider Nation, for many, it was not the most exciting part of the season that breathed new life into a struggling team.
Over the past seven years, a time I like to refer to as the "dark years," there were points when the Raiders offense reached embarrassing levels of ineptitude.
This past year, the Raiders offense showed sparks of dominance. For me at least, having an offense ranked in the top ten of the NFL was easily the most exciting part of last year.
The Oakland Raiders put up more than 21 points in 11 different games in 2010. Before that, the Raiders had only been able to score more than 21 points in 16 games over the past five years combined.
A large part of the offensive resurgence can be attributed to the monster year that Darren McFadden had, along with the game changing plays made by Jacoby Ford later in the season.
However, Marcel Reece played a large roll in remaking the Raiders offense as well.
Reece became a big play threat catching passes out of the backfield this season, averaging 13.3 yards per catch, including plays of 73 and 51 yards. Reece finished the season with 25 receptions for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
Recce's ability to catch and run with the ball should come as no surprise. He played wide receiver in college at the University of Washington before being moved to tight end and finally fullback while with the Raiders.
While his numbers were not gaudy, his presence made a big difference on the offense. The Raiders have had issues with their offensive line for years now and the constant pressure on quarterbacks has led to check down passes as often as it has lead to sacks.
With Reece, the Raiders suddenly had a check down option that could not only get the first dow...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
