Oakland Raiders: Summer Dreams, Winter Glory
Schaub is likely to fall between his 2011/12 and his 2013 numbers.
Dream Scenario: Matt Schaub
When the Raiders got Matt Schaub for a sixth round draft pick this year, many pundits believed that he was a washed shell of himself after a terrible season that saw him lose his starting job and set an NFL record for consecutive pick-sixes in a season. Now, granted, he did not have a solid season by anyone’s imagination; but I happen to think that Schaub was the best QB on the market this offseason. Don’t believe me? Where are Michael Vick and Josh Freeman now and what news have you heard from them this offseason? If all goes right and Matt Schaub returns to previous form, not including 2013, then the Raiders would have gotten great value for a proven Pro Bowler that has some serious upside. Already we are seeing reports from training camp that Schaub is leaning towards the value range. His fellow former Texan, DL Antonio Smith said recently the he has seen Schaub “regain his mojo” and is looking like the Schaub of old that helped Andre Johnson become a household name and an elite wideout. Let’s hope that trend continues with the Raiders and he helps Rod Streater or another receiver on the team become a 1000 yard reciever for the Silver and Black for the first time since 2005, when Randy Moss accomplished that feat (Damn that’s a long time!) Another benefit of having Matt Schaub is that it benefits rookie QB Derek Carr. By having Schaub as the starter, this allows the Raiders to have the second round pick from Fresno State learn from Schaub, learn the playbook, ease him into becoming the QB of the future and not rush him to what could be a disaster of a rookie campaign. Reports from training camp so far have got me thinking that Schaub will come out and elevate the passing game to where it hasn’t been in a while.
Nightmare Scenario: Matt Schaub
Just for balance, let’s look at the other side of the Schaub coin and imagine that instead of a return to greatness, we get the Matt Schaub of last year. Looking closer to his games from last year, he played in ten games and ended up with 10 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Of those ten games he had over 300 yards just two times, his longest pass went for 46 yards and he only managed to get a QB rating over 100 just one time. Definitely not Pro Bowl numbers. If in fact Schaub does continue with what we saw in 2013 then the fans will surely want to see Derek Carr and so much for the slow and steady approach that Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen were hoping for. To further drive the point that Schaub could be in for another tough season, his ten games from last year included five of the same defenses that he will see again this year. Last year he faced San Diego, Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis and Denver. Eight of those 14 interceptions came from those teams. This year he will face all those teams again so the possibilty of history repeating itself is there. This scenario has the possibilty to be the biggest season breaker for the team and I for one hope it doesn’t come to fruition.