It is rather interesting after all the "hooplah" that was made during the offseason in Oakland, the same question that haunted the Raiders last season seem to have arise from the ashes. That question is whether the run defense have improved.
The Raiders did some serious searching for answers to fixing this problem on the defense. They drafted Rolando McClain from Alabama in the first round. They drafted Lamarr Houston from Texas to play not defensive tackle, but defensive end.
You'd figure that by drafting players from college defenses' that were top in the nation in run defense, it would be a clear sign that the Raiders were going in the right direction. McClain came from Alabama, where they were No. 2 in the nation in run defense and haven't allowed a single 100-yard rusher in two seasons.
Houston came from Texas, where they were ranked No. 1 in run defense that limited opposing offenses' to 62.9 rushing yards a game. Where did they go wrong?
The Raiders also added free agents unto the roster to bolster their run defense by picking up John Henderson, Quentin Groves, and Kamerion Wimbley. I've contested all offseason long that although Henderson, Groves, and Wimbley are great additions, it don't mean that their run defense will be fixed.
Both Henderson and Groves came from the Jaguars where they ranked 19th in run defense. Wimbley came from the Browns where their run defense was ranked 28th in the league. I know it isn't a fair indication of how to measure a player as run defense is a team effort but how can anyone expect these players to do any better when the...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
