It's a good thing that Jason Tarver mastered (as in degree) biochemistry and molecular biology. Because he is taking on much uglier, more complicated material now. <\/p>\n
How are the Raiders going to stop the run? <\/p>\n
And when he's done with that decade-old problem, Oakland's bright-eyed new defensive coordinator can tackle this brainteaser: <\/p>\n
How are the Raiders going to stop the pass? <\/p>\n
Oakland, which won eight games last season on the strength of its offense, became one of four teams to allow at least 30 TD passes and 5.0 yards per carry in a season. (Not to mention the entire squad's NFL-record 163 penalties for 1,358 yards.) The Raiders had a lot of high-priced players, but few, if any, playmakers on defense. <\/p>\n
And then, in the offseason, Oakland cut leading pass-rusher Kamerion Wimbley for salary-cap reasons and also let go of its two starting cornerbacks, Stanford Routt and Chris Johnson. <\/p>\n
The Raiders replaced them with several veterans signed to one-year contracts and rookies drafted after the second round, as they didn't have any early picks. <\/p>\n
All of which explains why Tarver can't go into a lot of detail when asked what the Raiders' defense is going to look like. He doesn't know yet. <\/p>\n
The team was back on the field for organized workouts Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and Tarver and new head coach Dennis Allen are still in discovery mode. <\/p>\n
\"Put all these guys out here and see who can play and who can learn and who can communicate and who can fit with your group,\" Tarver said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Follow this link: It's a good thing that Jason Tarver mastered (as in degree) biochemistry and molecular biology. Because he is taking on much uglier, more complicated material now Continue reading
\nRaiders' professor of defense<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"