Review of Oakland Raiders to Watch For

Aug 28, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders cornerback Keith McGill (39) forces a fumble against Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Bryan Walters (19) during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Need Starters Back on D

We already know that corner D.J. Hayden will be out for the next six weeks and Chimdi Chekwa has a chance to be back for the season opener. Both Neiko Thorpe and T.J. Carrie were honey roasted at a temperature of around 500 degrees in the preseason finale against the Seahawks. They couldn’t even cover threes so as bad as he’s been Tarell Brown has been, he is going to have to go and hopefully Chekwa is ready.

Thorpe was actually good when he was in bump-and-run coverage but anything that had him off got him burnt. Carrie had bombs dropped over him like he was in a war zone so he is definitely not a candidate to fill in for anyone. If Chekwa gets back for the opener, the Raiders’ secondary has a chance until he can team up with D.J. Hayden when he gets back.

On a side note, Keith McGill is starting to look like he’s better from his ankle injury with a couple of pass breakups. If he can stay healthy and catch on quick, the Raiders would have nothing to worry about with their coverage. But as it is, the pass rush the Raiders have means nothing until at least Chekwa gets back or McGill can take that next step up.

Then there’s Kaluka Maiava, whom I thought would be a better middle linebacker than Roach if he can cover because is good against the run. Well, he’s not a better middle linebacker than Roach because he can’t cover as he displayed on Seahawks tight end Luke Wilson’s 25-yard touchdown catch. They all had their own page on the last article but since all of them except for McGill played so badly, they’re all on one page this time.

Let’s hope that Chekwa and Roach are back for the season opener.