Raiders sign first-round pick Rolando McClain
The Oakland Raiders have signed its other eight draft picks and hope to have Rolando McClain under contract before practice begins on Thursday. Now, the Raiders can breathe a sigh of relief.
Oakland signed first-round pick McClain hours before the start of the team's first training camp practice Wednesday night. The terms of McClain's deal were not immediately available. McClain, selected eighth overall, becomes the highest pick to sign so far this summer.
The Dallas Cowboys signed the 24th pick Dez Bryant last week and the New England Patriots signed the 27th pick Devin McCourty on Wednesday morning. The Raiders got the deal done with their starting middle linebacker before taking the field for their first training camp practice on Thursday morning. Five-time Pro Bowler Richard Seymour thinks this is great that McCourty will be attending camp.
"Camp is the foundation that you build your success on for the season," said Seymour. "During the season, you're spending so much time with game plans and focusing in on your opponents that you really don't have the time to work on a lot of individual things. This is my time where I really get into me and focus in on the things I need to do to make myself a better player. Come in and knock some of the rust off and be ready to go."
The Raiders management is hoping that everyone is ready to go and get back to their slogan “commitment to excellence.” That has not been the case in recent years. Their glory days ended in 2002 after failing to capture the Lombardi trophy, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.
Since then, Oakland has not cracked the .500 mark in the past seven seasons and has at least 11 losses each year. The Raiders finished last season 5-11 and finished 29th in run defence at 155.5 yards per game. Fixing the run defence has been a top priority this off-season. Oakland used its first two draft picks on middle linebacker McClain and defensive lineman Lamarr Houston.
The rookie McClain is expected to bolster the Raiders defence by playing middle linebacker, a position also referred to as the heart and soul of the defensive unit. Oakland will get their first chance of seeing the top prospect in pads and competing against NFL talent.
McClain was part of Nick Saban's first recruiting class at Alabama, where he won the Butkus Award as the top college linebacker, recording 105 tackles, including 14.5 for losses.
McClain drastically improved Alabama’s defence, taking them from 46th in the nation in run defence to 28th in his freshman year, and second in his final two seasons. His new team is expecting the same production in the pros than at the collegiate level.
Stopping the run has been an urban legend in the Raider nation for the sheer fact that everybody speaks of it, but it has yet to be seen. The Raiders woeful defence has allowed an NFL-worst, 143.7 yards rushing per game and an alarming 146 touchdowns on the ground — 15 more than the second-worst team, St. Louis.
The problems in this organization run far deeper than just at the defence and one player can’t change their woes as a team. Players on both sides of the ball are lacking intensity and have accepted losing. It shows by their sloppy play and poor coaching.
So how to fix the mess that is now playing out in Oakland? Well at least the Raiders got rid of their number one problem: JaMarcus Russell. Having all eight draft picks under contract is another positive that the Raiders can carry into the 2010 season, which is just weeks away.
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