What's on the Horizon for the Oakland Raiders?

     The year 2011 for football has been very disappointing so far (for obvious reasons). With players and coaches not being able communicate, every NFL team has been presented with definite challenges. As others have already stated, rookie's (coaches and players alike) are at even more of a disadvantage...which brings me to the point of this article.

Oakland Raiders Head Coach, Hue Jackson, has already been firm and consistent in his statement that rookie RG, Stefan Wisniewski will be the teams starting Center. Under normal circumstances, I would agree 100%. However, with the limited training that he will get due to the lockout, wouldn't it be smarter to let Samson Satele  remain the starter, at least until Wisniewski  gets more settled in at the position? I have full confidence in Stefan's ability to be a productive Center for us, but I don't want us to lose any games at the start of the season, waiting for him to get acclimated.

Read more after the jump...  

     The other obvious issue is the forthcoming loss of our star CB, Nnamdi Asomugha (Awesome-Ooh-Aah). Yes, it's corny but I like calling him that. I'm not as optimistic about our chances of keeping Nnamdi, as some others in the Raider Nation are. I would LOVE to keep Nnam but I know more than ANYTHING, he wants to be a winner in football, as evidenced in an interview he had with Fox Sports.

Hue Jackson has already come out and said, "If Nnamdi isn't there...it's next man up." Well duuhh...of course it is. But who is that man? Stanford Routt showed promise last year, but is he truly ready? Chris Johnson isn't my idea of a #1 at all and not even a #2. He's more suited to a nickel back. Having said that, who's the #2? Its certainly not Jeremy Ware or Walter McFadden. That leaves Chimdi Chekwa and DeMarcus Van Dyke. Unless we pick up an inexpensive veteran CB in free agency (which I seriously doubt), the Raiders will more than likely stick with Routt and Johnson as our starters. However, I'm putting my money on Chimdi Chekwa to break the starting lineup before seasons end assuming that we don't have an 8 game season that is).

    Coach Jackson made some glowing remarks of Jacoby Ford to Lyndsay Soto on NFL Network, saying that he will become a household name, he's only scratched the surface of what he can do, and he wants to use him more in addition to keeping him on kick returns. No one knows exactly if coach is planning on making Ford a #1 or #2 at this point but I seriously hope NOT.  Ford is an EXPLOSIVE kick returner and receiver but at this stage, I wouldn't want him to get hurt or get exhausted as a starting wide out and lose his effectiveness on special teams. I would keep him in the slot for time being. If Chaz "Glass " Schilens remains healthy this season, I may not have to worry about it.

Random thought: I wonder why the Raiders haven't worked Darrius Heyward-Bey out at Punt Returner sometimes. I think it would be a good way for him to learn how to track the ball in the air as well as work on his YAC.

Just my thoughts. Just what I was feeling at the time.