Oakland Raiders: Stacking up the running backs against the AFC West
By Kevin Saito
Oakland Raiders HC Jon Gruden has revamped his roster – but, how do the Raiders running backs stack up against the rest of the AFC West?
Oakland Raiders head coach Jon Gruden has taken a sledgehammer to Oakland’s roster as he tries to shake up a team that went an underwhelming 6-10 last season, and get it back on a winning path.
As he embarks on his extreme makeover, there have been some promising signs, but there are also a myriad of significant questions that remain. Not every move he’s made has been met with universal approval, and some have been downright mocked and laughed at.
Not that Gruden cares what anybody outside the building thinks. It’s even questionable whether or not he cares what anybody inside the building thinks.
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If there’s one thing that’s crystal clear as Gruden embarks on his second voyage aboard the good ship Raider Nation, it’s that he’s going to do things his way. If you buy in, you’re gold. If you don’t, you’re out. It seems as simple as that – just ask Marquette King.
Gruden and his staff – all long on experience, boasting track records of success – have tinkered with every position group on the field, as they look to find the right combination to unlock the potential of this very talented roster. Some position groups have been addressed with a heavier hand than others, but virtually no position has been left untouched.
One of the position groups that hasn’t been hit as dramatically by the wrecking ball that is Gruden, is the running backs group. Which is odd, given the current composition of the group.
To really unleash the full potential of an offense, you have to be able to run the ball. You’ve got to be able to grind out yards and move the chains. It’s a philosophy Gruden adhered to in his first go ’round as the Raiders skipper.
An effective and powerful ground game that featured the likes of Tyrone Wheatley, Charlie Garner, Zach Crockett, and Harvey Williams, helped unshackle Rich Gannon and the passing game. It gave the Raiders one of the most potent offenses in the league.
The question now is, can Gruden duplicate that kind of success?
As he continues to tinker with the roster, it’s fair to ask how his remodeling stacks up with the rest of the division.
In this series of articles, we’ll examine how each position group matches up with the rest of their AFC West rivals – starting with the running backs…