Darren McFadden’s Time Has Come
November 24, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski (61) blocks against Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill (94) during the second quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Titans defeated the Raiders 23-19. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Line
The biggest key for McFadden this year is having a good offensive line for the first time in his career. People assumed his line was good back in 2010 and 2011 because of his stats but that’s not the case. He got his despite center Samson Satele and guard Cooper Carlisle constantly getting blown back into the backfield at that time.
On a good portion of his big runs, McFadden spun or cut back away from Carlisle and Satele being driven back toward him. The power-blocking scheme they switched to allowed him to see along the entire line scrimmage as he hits a hole straight on. In the zone scheme, you generally run parallel to the line of scrimmage, which cuts your line of vision in half at the very least.
You can only make one of two reads and hit it as defensive lineman get up from that cut-block the zone scheme is known for. The scheme does matter as Barry Sanders was a 1,500-yard rusher in the zone scheme and 2,000-yard rusher in the power scheme because he had that freedom. Then of course, your offensive line has to be good at what they do and the Raiders’ offensive line wasn’t that good at anything.
For about eight years, the Raiders constantly switched schemes and brought in new players to do so. You can only overhaul so much so the Raiders had half zone-blockers and half power-blockers for much of that time. It’s hard to get good at any one thing when you change the way you do things every couple of years.
In 2014, McFadden will be in a power scheme with power-blockers built around 320-pound center Stefen Wisniewski. At the guards will be 3rd-round pick Gabe Jackson at 340 pounds and free agent signee Austin Howard, at 330 pounds. At the tackles will be 320-pound Menelik Watson on the right and 340-pound Donald Penn on the left.
Watson is unproven as a pro but all five of these guys are known as great run blockers as Howard and Penn come from top running teams. This offensive line has depth too with guard Kevin Boothe, tackle Matt McCants and guard-tackle Khalif Barnes. So now, McFadden gets his wish of power-blocking with an offensive line that’s actually good at it.