Step Up Your Game: Samson Satele

Second in a series analyzing players on the 2010 Raiders that need to step up their game for the Raiders to become a playoff team. Anchoring the Line There has been much talk about Mario Henderson’s spot at left tackle. There is no doubt Henderson needs to do a better job protecting the quarterback’s blind side. Left tackle is the glamour position on the offensive line, but the center is the hinge that enables the door to slam in the face of the defensive line. The center doesn’t have to be the best run blocker, pass blocker or the most physical. Those things are helpful, but what the center must do is be in position and keep the other lineman in the correct position. To extend the analogy, the center is the hinge that keeps the door swinging and moving within a door frame. A bad hinge prevents the door from shutting properly and allows objects to pass through it. Samson Satele enters 2010 as an uncontested starter along with Robert Gallery and Henderson. The improvement of whic...