Oakland Raiders Predictions for 2011 Season

The Oakland Raiders took a step toward respectability in 2010 with an 8-8 campaign. It was their first non-losing season since 2002.

An encouraging season wasn't enough for Tom Cable to keep his job, which means new head man Hue Jackson may have trouble keeping his if the Raiders don't produce a winning record for impatient owner Al Davis.

Offense: Oakland finished No. 6 in the NFL in scoring last season with 25.6 points per game. It finished No. 10 in total offense with 354.6 yards per contest. Both of these numbers dwarfed the 12.3 points and 266.1 yards per game the Raiders averaged in 2009.

Much of Oakland's offensive success was born out of an explosive running game that ranked second in the league with 155.9 yards per contest. Darren McFadden led the way with 1,157 rushing yards on 5.2 yards per carry.

He emerged as one of the game's best all-around running backs by hauling in 47 passes for 507 yards.

Jason Campbell's 2010 season doesn't compare to the ones elite signal-callers Peyton Manning and Tom Brady had. Still, he had a nice season by recent Raider standards. In fact, his 84.5 passer rating was the highest for an Oakland signal-caller since 2002.

Oakland said goodbye to Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller, but former New York Giant Kevin Boss appears to have Pro Bowl-potential.



The team is desperately waiting for speed-demon Darius Heyward-Bey to realize his potential. He was a reach with the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, but most experts didn't expect him to struggle as much as he has.

Heyward-Bey only had 26 receptions for 366 yards and one touchdown last season.

The Raiders also said goodbye to former No. 2 overall pick Robert Gallery, but the line should still be able to open holes for McFadden, especially on the left side where Jared Veldheer and Bruce Campbell play.

Defense: The Raiders finished No. 11 in the ...

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