Last season the Raiders finished 5-11-0 and in third place in the AFC West, missing the playoffs.

Offense: Even with strong armed quarterback JaMarcus Russell under center, the Raiders still finished dead last in passing yards a game. So in the Draft this year, Raiders management (Al Davis) decided the Raiders needed a speedy receiver that Russell couldn’t overthrow; enter Darrius Heyward-Bey from Maryland. Heyward-Bey was by far the fastest receiver clocked at the combine, running a 40 in less than 4.3 seconds on some watches. The selection of Heyward-Bey gives the Raiders a player at every offensive skill position drafted in the top 10. How this plays out for the Raiders is still yet to be seen, but if these three (Russell, Heyward-Bey, and running back Darren McFadden) can gel and develop together Oakland may have a formidable offense; if not it will be back to the top 5 picks in the 2010 Draft for Oakland.

Defense: The Raiders defense struggled as much as the offense did last year ranking 31st against the rush, 27th in total yards allowed, 24th in points allowed, and 10th against the pass. Obviously the pass defense was a strength of the Raiders last year, and the biggest reason for that is cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha is currently in jeopardy to miss the season opener against the Chargers due to chipping a bone in his left wrist and is currently in a cast. If Asomugha cannot play, or is hampered by this injury all season long, the Raiders defense will be in serious trouble.

Star Power: Darren McFadden, with all due respect to Michael Bush and Justin Fargas, is the most talented running back on the Raiders roster. If he had not held out last season, he would have been the starter from day one. But with his agent and the Raiders being unable to quickly come up with a contract, McFadden was playing catch up on the playbook for most of the season. Now he is in a competition with the previously mentioned Bush and Fargas for carries in offense this season. If McFadden can prove his talent then he should be the starter, and expect 1,000 yard season with double digit touchdowns both via the ground and the air.

Biggest Addition: Bringing in quarterback Jeff Garcia may have worried incumbent starter JaMarcus Russell, but with Al Davis running the show the position is his as long as Russell is healthy. But what Garcia can bring to the Raiders is a plethora of experience that he can share with Russell. Russell was a hold out his rookie year and still seems to be behind the curve at times when it comes to running the offense. With Garcia there to help him digest the plays and the playbook it will only help Russell’s development. If Garcia was needed to step in and play the Raiders picked up the best free agent quarterback available this offseason and he should have no trouble stepping in if needed.

Biggest Loss: The Raiders traded troubled defensive end/linebacker Derrick Burgess to the New England Patriots this offseason. By looking at his numbers last season this may not seem like such a loss as he had only 24 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 10 games last year. But with the talent that Burgess has he has the potential to be a 10 or so sack player in this league. If the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick can get the best from Burgess he may become the player that he was his first two years in Oakland with 27 sacks and two Pro Bowl selections.

Biggest Game: Monday September 14th the San Diego Chargers come to Oakland in a Week 1 matchup. This is a big game for the Raiders because we will find out how much quarterback JaMarcus Russell has gelled with his new weapons Derrius Heyward-Bey and Darren McFadden. Also we will see how cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha will be able to play with the cast on his hand. This will be a big test for Oakland against a division foe on Monday Night Football.