October 6, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders free safety Usama Young (26) is congratulated by strong safety Brandian Ross (29) and cornerback Mike Jenkins (21) after Young intercepted the football against the San Diego Chargers during the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s face it, I could spend weeks or months on the subject of Defensive Backs, and that just seems as though I’m beating a dead horse. I believe the Oakland Raiders have a very good secondary in place with a diverse group of DB’s. There are plenty of “Wiley” Veterans around to give that special added push, a bunch of depth, and thanks to the 2014 NFL Draft, there is some youth there to keep this attitude going for years to come. So, I’m going to call some of these players “Chosen” and the others will be categorized as “Cannon Fodder.” Since I already covered D.J. Hayden, Tarell Brown, and Carlos Rogers, I will be leaving them off the list, but I believe they would fall under the “Chosen” category.
First, I will have to explain what being Chosen means, and I will have to explain what Cannon Fodder is. A “Chosen” player is one that has been hand-picked by the current regime (GM Reggie McKenzie, HC Dennis Allen, and DC Jason Tarver) in order to do one of two things. If they are a Veteran, their job is to come in and help the team win now by bringing their special talents that made them successful in the NFL, and their other job is to help teach the younger ones how to be successful NFL players. If they are a Drafted player, then they are a player who the current regime believes will carry this franchise into the future.
Cannon Fodder is defined as a derogatory term used to identify expendable combatants on a field of battle. Now a Cannon Fodder player is one that was with the team when the current regime took over, and their job hangs in the balance of depth and veteran leadership. Basically, if they are there for depth reasons alone, or they have been on the roster for some time without taking that next step, or they have been brought in from another team’s practice squad, they are Cannon Fodder in my eyes.