http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/2284 Recent articles about Thomas Howard en-us Linebackers are the heart and soul of many defenses and can change the course of games. Whether it's a tackle that prevents a first down, a pass deflection or a forced fumble, linebackers can make their presence felt in many ways. The players on this list have the potential to do all of those things. LaMarr Woodley Steelers: Woodley didn't start a game in his rookie season but still managed to get 4 sacks. Now that Clark Haggans left for the Cardinals. Woodley has his chance to start for the Steelers and show why he has the upside to be one of the best pass rushers in the league. Woodley has the potential and opportunity to put up a Pro Bowl season in his first full year as a starter. Ernie Sims Lions: Sims has already established himself as one of the best linebackers in the league as he has 258 tackles in his first two seasons. So why is Sims on this list? That's because he plays for the Lions. Other than Thanksgiving day, football fans around the country don't get to watch Sims and they are missing out. He has already shown what he is capable of and is similar to a young Derrick Brooks. Another good season and Sims should be headed to Hawaii for his first Pro Bowl. Jon Beason Panthers: If not for Patrick Willis, Beason would have been talked about for his incredible rookie season. Beason had one hundred forty tackles and 1 interception. He is in a similar boat as Sims as the Panthers don't get much national attention either. But if Beason keeps putting up numbers like that, it will be hard for most football fans to not pay attention. David Harris Jets: As a rookie, Harris only started 9 games. But he was a tackling machine as he had 127 on the year. Harris also had 5 sacks and forced 2 fumbles. With a full year starting, Harris could prove to be one of the best young linebackers in the league. Paul Posluszny Bills: If Posluszny didn't have a season ending arm injury in week 3, he would be in the same discussion as Willis and Beason. In 3 games, he had 26 tackles which would have put him on pace for 139 tackles. Now Posluszny is healthy and with the Bills poised to make the playoffs, Posluszny has the chance to become a star in his second year. D'Qwell Jackson Browns: In his second season,Jackson showed flashes of his potential as he had 101 tackles, 1 sack and an interception. But because he plays for the Browns, nobody knows who he is yet. That should change this year as the Browns have 5 prime time games this season and with the additions of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams up front, Jackson could be even better this year. Thomas Howard Raiders: Howard has all the makings to turn into a star in his 3rd season. He had 95 tackles last year and is one of the best linebackers in the league in pass coverage as he had 6 interceptions. With his 4.4 speed, Howard ended up taking two of those for touchdowns. With the Raiders improved defense, look for Howard to make his first Pro Bowl appearance in the near future. Justin Durant Jaguars: When Mike Peterson went down with an injury, the unknown Durant stepped in as a rookie and had 49 tackles and 1 interception. The most impressive part was how in his first playoff game against the Steelers, he stepped in and had 12 tackles. With Peterson returning to the middle, Durant will most likely move to the outside where he can utilize his speed and has the opportunity to be a game changing linebacker for years to come. Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:52:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294297 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/294297 This has been a tumultuous offseason for the Raider Nation. First there was the ongoing saga of whether or not Al Davis and Lane Kiffin were playing a game of dare to see whether Kiffin would quit, be fired, or coach for the 2008 season. Nnamdi Asomugha was given the franchise tag, and then free agents were signed fast and furious to huge contracts. Meanwhile, there was not motion on locking down Asomugha long term. Chronic malcontent Jerry Porter was jettisoned, but fellow chronic malcontent LaMont Jordan remains. What the duce is going on inside that building on Harbor Bay Parkway? Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:55:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291493 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291493 As the camp battles series winds its way through the defense, we come to the linebackers. The Raiders have two 'backers who are knocking at the door of the Pro Bowl in Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison. They form a dynamic duo and have become both fan favorites and top notch players. They combined for six interceptions last season, and only look to improve on that as they are both young. The question is not whether they will make the team or be starters, but who will surround them at the linebacker position? Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:53:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285940 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/285940 This is part one of a three part series where we analyze how the Oakland Raiders stack up with the other teams in their division. We'll start at the bottom and work our way up going by 2007 standings. This edition will have the Raiders going against the Chiefs. In 2007, these two teams tied for the worst in the AFC West division, but looked to be going different directions by season's end.... Mon, 16 Jun 2008 03:24:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278347 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278347 As you know, we've been running a runoff vote for the Oakland Raider to rally around for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Since Kenny Stabler's DUI, Ray Guy has taken a commanding lead in the vote by 35 votes after nearly 1500 votes had been recorded. Calling a 2.3% difference 'commanding' seems like an overstatement, but at the time of this writing, it's the largest lead that either former teammate has had in the poll. Keep your votes coming, if you haven't voted already. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 04:21:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278093 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278093 Since Kiffin took the reigns of the Oakland Raiders, he's continued to look for and find players that have more to offer than just playing their expected position. He wants players that can do at least a second job. In the NFL, 53 players are not enough to field an offense, defense, punt team, kick team, field goal unit, and still have depth if a player gets injured. For this reason, there isn't a player on the roster that will have the luxury to view any task as too small to overachieve. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 01:51:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275979 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275979 I saw today where the 15 Raiders rookies took a trip to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As many of you know, we here at TFDS are asking for your vote for the Raider most deserving to be enshrined next year. So after we've accumulated many votes, and have a winner, we'll be making a campaign for that former Raider to be elected to the hall. Anyway, the trip got me thinking about how the great players of Raider past were unquestionably great when they were playing. Thu, 29 May 2008 02:08:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272000 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272000 Last year's Oakland Raiders were a team handicapped by a below average passing game and a porous run defense. New to TFDS in our ongoing Thought's from a Reader's Side segment, Jeff Little breaks down the unit that the Raiders and Raider Nation hope is the most improved part of the team in 2008, the front seven. If you've been keeping close tabs on the Raiders recently, then you've probably read Jeff's masterpiece on Todd Watkins last week. If you've been sleeping on Todd Watkins click on his name and find out what you've missed. Sun, 25 May 2008 02:15:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270742 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270742 Recently, my partner in crime Rob stuck his neck out and said that the Raiders would be playoff bound. He was called a homer and a kool aid drinker for his efforts. The Oakland Raiders can be a playoff team this coming season if certain things break their way. Any Given Sunday is more than the title of an Ollie Stone flick. The question on the minds of the Nation would be what would a 2008 Raider playoff team look like? Fri, 23 May 2008 07:25:43 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269985 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/269985 The results from the most recent draft are starting to sink in. LDizzle takes a look back at the last decade of Raider drafting and shows that the Raiders routinely do better with their second and third round picks than they do with the opening round. The Raiders used those picks to acquire DeAngelo Hall in a trade this offseason and Mario Henderson in a draft day trade last year. In the past, those picks have turned into guys like Thomas Howard and Kirk Morrison. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 03:04:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261010 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/261010 One of the oldest adages in football is that to win a team has to be able to run the ball and stop the run. The Raiders of 2007 ran the ball very well much to the surprise of everyone outside of Alameda ending up with the sixth ranked rushing offense. On the other hand, the Raiders' defense was turned to road-kill on a weekly basis. Rob Ryan has taken much of the heat for this problem, along with safeties Stuart Schweigert and Michael Huff. Linebackers Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard were great in pass coverage corralling ten interceptions between them, but often had a problem with over-pursuit. The defensive line which is of prime importance in stopping the run was dismal at that task. Fri, 25 Jan 2008 09:35:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/86826 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/86826 One thing that the 2007 season showed is that despite the improvement there are still gaping holes in the Raiders' squad that need to be filled. The offense showed a renewed spark in the 2007 season, but the defense underperformed expectations. With the drafting of JaMarcus Russell and Zach Miller, and the addition of Tom Cable and the zone blocking scheme, the Raiders have a core in offense to build around. The defense has the young core of Nnamdi Asomugha, Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, and Derrick Burgess to build around. Outside of the core players, there are some positions in much more need than others. This is a look at each position and the needs of each, with green being essentially set, yellow meaning it could be upgraded, and red meaning it is an urgent need. Sat, 12 Jan 2008 11:00:13 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/69323 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/69323 Lechler to go to Pro Bowl for 3rd time. . .Eight-year veteran Raiders punter Shane Lechler has been elected for the third time to the Pro Bowl. So far, his 46.4-yard punting average is the highest in NFL history for those who have at least 250 attempts. Lechler is first in the AFC and second in the NFL in net punt average. Over the 14 games so fa more... Thu, 20 Dec 2007 18:34:25 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49926 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/49926 Friday's FIO weekly fantasy football columns deals with those leagues that implement Individual Defensive Players (IDP) - co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter discusses some of the key defensive players to keep an eye on in Week 10. Check this article each and every week on Fridays. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 13:58:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/35246 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/35246 Friday's FIO weekly fantasy football columns deals with those leagues that implement Individual Defensive Players (IDP) - co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter discusses some of the key defensive players to keep an eye on in Week 7. Check this article each and every week on Fridays. Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:41:00 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/31971 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/31971