It was a rude awakening in S.F. on Saturday , but that's not necessarily a bad thing . For the last few months the Raider front office has taken the young guys will have to step up approach , which is fine , but even if half of our draft picks manage to develop into instant starters without the benefit of rookie camps , or mini camps , it is apparent Oakland still has needs along the offensive line , in the linebacking core , and the secondary .

  The good news is there are still options for Oakland , even at this late date . Saturday should be a bit of a wake up call for the Raider front office that there is still work to do before the season starts .

  It is painfully obvious that if we want Campbell to remain on the Field, and want to see the offense build on the progress from last year  , line help is needed . Wisenewski , and Bruce Campell  seem to be progressing nicely , but RT is still a problem . Even though Barksdale should eventually develop , it's probably not gonna be in the next three weeks , and Barnes continues to quit on blocks , and does not play to the whistle . 

   The protection in S.F left our offense struggling to get anything going , and got Oaklands's QB hurt . As the season approaches there are amazingly enough still options at RT , Jon Stinchcomb , and Andre Smith Have either been released or are about to be . Stinchcomb is returning from injury , but should be up to full speed before the season kicks off , and would bring a veteran presence that is desperately needed on the front line . Andre Smith has struggled in Cincy after missing time waiting to get a rookie contract done , and is going to get a fresh start elsewhere after being notified by Cincy  that he will be released . Both players would be an upgrade to Barnes and provide the competition that may push Barksdale to fight  for a place on the line .

  The secondary was thin to begin with , and it's allot to ask of rookie late round picks to instantly develop into NFL covermen . With the injury to Jhonson , it's allot to ask of these youngsters  to step up without benefit of off season programs . Kelvin Hayden has been reported to be about to hit the market , and apparently there is a chance he ends up in Oakland if they can afford him . Philly is prepared to trade Samuels big play ability to the highest bidder , and  would also be a welcome addition to the Oakland secondary . At $ 5.9 mil he is actually somewhat of a bargain in todays market , for a player of his caliber , and would come with a chip on his shoulder , providing him with all the motivation he needs to have a pro bowl  type season .

  We could use another LB , and though Lofa Tatupu has been rumored to be on the verge of signing a one year contract with Oakland , but for some reason the front office has been unable to close the deal . Tatupu is able to play inside or outside , and would be a welcome addition to the front seven .

  Though tough to watch , the S.F. game will hopefully be the wake up call our front office needs to get the team the help they need to go to battle with week in , and week out this season .