\nNFL 2011 Team Preview and Odds- Oakland Raiders
\nOdds to win the AFC West +500
\nOdds to win the AFC +2000
\nOdds to win the Super Bowl +5000<\/strong>
\nOakland Raiders Season Over\/Under Win Total Odds – Coming Soon<\/strong><\/p>\n
2011\/12 Oakland Raiders Handicapping<\/h3>\n
The big question heading into this year is, does this team take another step forward or slip back into the black hole?<\/p>\n Longtime team owner Al Davis is putting his trust in new Head Coach Hue Jackson to lead his team back to the postseason. It looks like Jason Campbell, who came over from Washington after the 2009 season, will be the starter come opening day, but do not be surprised if Bruce Gradkowski gets the nod, if he has the better preseason.<\/p>\n Whichever player is behind center this season, they will have to do a better job with a passing offense that was ranked 23rd in the NFL last year.<\/p>\n The Raiders did do a good job rushing the ball behind RB\u2019s Darren McFadden and Michael Bush, who combined for over 1800 yards on the ground in 2010.<\/p>\n Oakland made a conscience effort to improve its offense by using six of its eight draft picks on this side of the ball. The first area the Raiders worked on improving was the offensive line with the addition of Stefen Wisniewski in the first round and Joseph Barksdale in the third.<\/p>\n These two road graders should be able to make an immediate impact, especially against the opposing team\u2019s pass rush. They also added RB\u2019s Demarcus Van Dyke in the second round and Taiwan Jones in the fourth, to continue to build depth in the running game. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Defensively, Oakland made some strides last season by ending the year ranked 11th in the league in total yards allowed. The loss of All-Pro CB Nnamdi Asomugha will be a major blow to a unit that was ranked second in the NFL against the pass.<\/p>\n The Raiders will also need to plug some holes in a squad that gave up an average of 133.6 yards per game on the ground last year.<\/p>\n With a brand new coaching staff for 2011, Oakland will be one of those teams at an early disadvantage because of the extended player lockout this offseason. Much of its success this year will depend upon how quickly Jackson can get this team on the same page with one another.<\/p>\n Unfortunately a slow start will doom the Raiders to another year of watching the playoffs on TV, but the fall off will not be that steep from last season\u2019s .500 record.<\/p>\n With NFL Training camps about to start (hopefully) Cappers Picks\u00a0NFL Football handicappers<\/strong><\/a> have been hard at work putting out the team by team\u00a0Football Predictions<\/strong><\/a> and NFL Season Previews<\/a> for those of us who can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n![\"Raiders](\"http:\/\/www.capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/07\/Raiders-Cheerleaders-Super-Bowl-Predictions-e1311118102958.jpg\" "\\"Raiders")
2011 Prediction: 7-9 and third in the AFC West<\/h3>\n