Raiders Continue to Tighten the Run Defense

After the 2002 season, nothing fell as hard or fast for the Raiders as their run defense.  What was the third ranked run D in the league ended up dead last in 2003. In fact, the Raiders run defense has ranked no higher than 22nd since. Rob Ryan and his boisterous persona distracted us a bit in 2006 by putting together a squad that allowed the least amount of yards off the pass in the league. But that aggression never transferred into an ability to stop the run. Now the Raiders must take on the daunting task of starting the 2010 season against the two most dominant RB’s in the league; The Raiders travel to Tennessee to face Chris Johnson and the Titans in week one, then return to Oakland for their home opener, hosting Steven Jackson and the Rams in week two. John Henderson, DT In fact, the Raiders 2010 schedule includes matchups against seven of the top 20 RBs in the NFL. If there was a time to rework the defensive line, it’s NOW. The most recent pickup for the Raiders comes in the f...