The Oakland Raiders defense has struggled in recent years, most notably in stopping the run. LaDainian Tomlinson made running against Oakland an art, and even JAGs like Kolby Smith have been made to look like the second coming of Sweetness when faced with the Raiders' lack of run defense.
Well, finally the front office decided enough was enough. With talent in the secondary, the front seven needed to be addressed, because if you can't stop the run, you can't win in the NFL.
Don't believe me? Look at the Raiders record over the last seven years, and how it corresponds to their rank in rush defense.
Now there are some new faces that have been added via draft, trade, and free agency that should make an immediate impact in first and foremost the improvement of the Raiders run defense, and by extension, the defense as a whole.
The talent is there; the coaching is there with the return of coordinator John Marshall and the addition of Mike Waufle as line guru.
It's time for the execution to meet the expectations.
NOTE: This slideshow only takes into account Raider free agents expected to start or make a significant contribution, or players that were drafted this past season. Hence, Kellen Heard, Alex Daniels, Joe Porter, Joey Thomas, and Chris Cooper are not part of this show (nor anyone else I may have missed).Begin Slideshow
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