Oakland Raiders: Ready To Start The Season, but Are They Ready To Start Winning?

The Oakland Raiders have finished the 2010 preseason schedule with a 3-1 record and are now looking to prove they can play just as well, if not better, during the regular season. The Raiders have been trying to rebuild ever since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's in the Gruden Bowl. Now, as the regular season is about to kick off, the Raiders will once again attempt to put those years behind them and return to their rightful place atop the NFL.

The Raiders had a very busy offseason as they completely overhauled the defensive front seven, hired new coaches, and found a new starter for the most important position in football. However, despite these changes, many are still not sold on the new look Raiders. While it would be easy to attribute this to the culture of Raider hating that has permeated certain sports channels in recent years, there are some legitimate questions about this team.

The answers to these questions will be the key to determining whether or not the Raiders can finally move into the upper echelons of the National Football League.

 

Can the Offensive Line Step Up?

Without a doubt, the biggest question on the Raiders team is on the offensive line. A solid offensive line is the key to moving the football. No matter who you have behind center, if your line cannot block, your team cannot win. The Raiders did not do a lot this offseason in terms of upgrading their offensive line.



 

The only additions the Raiders made were to bring back former Raider Langston Walker and draft two tackles that even by their own assessment are not ready to start in the NFL yet, which means that the offensive line will simply have to play better.

The key to the Raiders offensive line having a successful year rests in two positions that have been incredibly weak over the past seven years, left tackle and center.

It looked like the Raiders might have...

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