Instead, the vacancy on offense has been created by the recent departure of tight end Zach Miller, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as free agent with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday. Losing Miller was somewhat of a surprise; the Raiders had been working to get under the salary cap in the anticipation of retaining the Pro Bowler.
Miller’s exit, though, did not receive the hoopla or attention that the other former Raider free agent did. In losing both Miller and Nnamdi Asomugha, the Raiders lost their most consistent performers on each side of the ball. Unfortunately, Miller’s production on offense will be more sorely missed than Asomugha’s impact on defense.
With all of the turmoil at the quarterback position over the past several seasons, compounded by the lack of consistency and depth from the wideouts, Miller proved to be Oakland’s most steady and reliable receiver. Since his selection in the 2007 draft, Miller has posted team-high totals, catching 226 passes for 2,712 yards and 12 TDs over the past four seasons. His consistency and his overall improvement culminated in his first Pro Bowl selection after last season.
And it is that constancy that will be missed on the Oakland offense. Through all of the rancid quarterback play from JaMarcus Russell, Miller kept catching balls. Throughout the running game being hampered by various injuries to Darren McFadden and Michael Bush and Justin Fargas, Miller kept blocking. And with the lowly production from receivers Jerry Port...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
