So the story is set. The protaginist Raiders have a chance to turn the tide on the future of their season. The only thing in their way is the problems of an eratic throwing quarterback, a young and thin secondary, the insurance policy running backs behind Darren McFadden, the injury bug, and of course the antagonist Detroit Lions. Like any good story Oakland has to first analyze the problems before they can be fixed.

1) The Carson Palmer project has had great potential, but potential doesnt win games. Palmer suffered through a season plauged with interceptions last year. The question is, now that he knows the playbook and his teammates can he throw to the guys in the same jersey? If Palmer fails to fill in his role his team could be left with a losing record and a bust draft pick (Matt Leinart) to salvage the team. However, if Palmer manages to control his cannon then there is a possibility of adding a ring to his throwing hand.

2) Every football fan has experienced a fan-fit. That brief moment of flailing one’s limbs in extreme frustration due to a mistake made by a player. Unfourtunatley Oakland’s secondary caused many of these fan-fits last year. To be the contender every Raider fan wants to watch the secondary in Oakland needs to be able to at least slow down a superb passing attack. Tonight’s game against Megatron and company will be the perfect test. Demarcus VanDyke has turned heads in camp, Tyvon Branch is primed for another good season, and Mike Huff has had an impressive pre-season, but can the rest of the secondary finish the job? To be a superbowl contender Shawntae Spencer and Ron Bartell both need to be more than capable of making plays.

3) With Micheal Bush taking hand-offs from Jason Campbell in the windy city, the Raiders have got to see some production from those running backs who arent named Darren McFadden. To keep McFadden healthy the Raiders will have to be able to give him a break on occasion. Obviosly they cant do that with Mike Goodson fumbling the football. Taiwan Jones has yet to show that he will be of any significance in the NFL, and unless one of the two step up the Raiders seem to have all of their eggs in Darren McFadden’s basket. A basket that in recent years seems rather brittle. Tonight’s game will have to show that the Raider’s can pick up tough yards.

4) The injury bug seems to have found a home in Oakland. Not many franchises in sports can say they have been hit by this problem as bad as Oakland. Last year the Raiders managed to go .500 without Jason Campbell, Darren McFadden, Marcel Reese, Jacoby Ford, and numerous others. This year there are plenty of things to deal with other than injuries. So it is vital that the Raiders eat all of their veggies and concentrate on winning games.

5) The Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders have never been big rivals. However, after last years dissapointing and embarrasing loss to Stafford and Megatron this matchup could be a highlighted one in years to come. Tonight the Lions dont stand in between Oakland and the playoffs. However, they do have a great oppurtunity to crush team moral and leave the Raiders with one week to prepare for their last chance to prove themselves before the season begins. If the Raiders do not play with intensity tonight then we might not see any intensity all season. If they do come out hot and embarrass the Lions then the hype in Oak-town will be similar to the hype in 2002. Lets just hope the result of tonights game is the latter.

Tonight the Raiders will become the protaginist of either a gruesome horror novel or the tale of a determined underdog team on a mission. Fortunately for the silver and black this book has yet to be written.

Once upon a time the Raiders were among the best pass defenses in the NFL. Last year, with Stanford Routt making the move to replace Nnamdi, the secondary became Swiss cheese on Sundays.

To be sure the efforts made to replace Asomugha were laughable. Not that you could ever fill a void left by a player as talented as Aso. But drafting two rookies and then signing a past-his-prime vet in Lito Sheppard was a sad attempt to replenish the secondary.

That’s why all eyes have been on the cornerbacks in camp thus far. One of the rookies drafted to help replace Asomugha is really coming into his own. DeMarcus Van Dyke has earned high praise for the big step forward he’s taken.

However one of the veterans brought in to help fill the gap between the old guard and the new one isn’t finding life in Silver and Black to be all that comfortable.

According to reports Shawntae Spencer hasn’t put forth his best effort in camp. Vic Tafur Tweeted

Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE

today that wide receivers are “doing whatever they want” against Spencer’s coverage.

That is a real concern early on.

While DVD is looking ripe to step into an expanded role he still doesn’t have the experience to fall back on when the dog days of the regular season start to wear on him. Guys like Spencer were expected to come in ready to roll from day one. Nobody expected a Pro Bowl but getting a reliable starter was the bare minimum.

Adding to the angst of the Oakland corners is the continued absence of Ron Bartell who is still nursing a hamstring issue. Both Bartell and Spencer arrived as veterans with something to prove. Neither was a factor for their previous teams last season and neither generated much interest in free agency.

Anytime a player inks a one-year deal it’s understood that everyday is an audition. If things are this bad this early in camp for Spencer there could be some serious discussion of moving forward without him on the 53-man, opting instead to let the youth movement take over earlier than anticipated.

But all of this is coming far too early. Let’s see how things go during an actual game before we make too many assumptions. Spencer’s true value might not be revealed until he’s playing under the lights. At least that’s what Dennis Allen has got to be hoping for.

Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

Dennis Allen needs a breakout season from one of his two second year cornerbacks. Both DeMarcus Van Dyke and Chimdi Chekwa have a lot to prove during their sophomore seasons in Silver and Black. To be sure both men showed some promise as rookies yet neither established themselves as reliable enough for an expanded role. Chekwa was eventually shutdown due to injury while DVD never found a rhythm in his first lap around the league.

That could be changing for at least one of Allen’s two talented and young cover corners.

Through the first two days of practice Van Dyke has been turning heads with his improved play. Making the most of Ron Bartell’s absence from practice thus far DVD is running with the first team defense and if things keep up he could be staying with that unit.

As a rookie DVD showed real potential. His fluid movements combined with natural cover skills gave hope that the Raiders might have starting corner in the near future. One year later and that could very well be a reality.

While Bartell recovers from a hamstring injury DVD is busy making his way into the forefront of the camp battle amongst the cornerbacks. Few positions are as wide open as the cornerbacks in Oakland with the coaching staff just waiting for someone to put their name on the starting spots.

Van Dyke’s first day featured two passes defended as he started opposite Shawntae Spencer. Today Vittorio Tafur Tweeted the continued praise of DVD’s play. If things keep up Van Dyke’s promise of a better tomorrow could come today. Of course that could all change once the veteran Bartell is healthy enough to go. But we’ll just have to wait and see how that shapes up. For now, it would appear that it’s Van Dyke’s job to lose.