2008 Oakland Raiders NFL Betting Preview - Betus Sportsbook

Oakland Raiders
2007 Record: 4-12
ATS: 6-10
Super Bowl Odds: 100-1

JaMarcus Russell was a late arrival on the Raiders’ roster last season thanks to a lengthy holdout, but he eventually saw some game action near the end of the campaign. That brief experience should help a bit, but Russell , who threw for 373 yards with 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in 4 games, will still be pretty raw when the 2008 season gets underway. That means the Raiders don’t look likely to improve much on the 4-12 record of 2007.

Still, Russell will have some new weapons at his disposal this year, including another top draft pick in Darren McFadden. The former Arkansas RB was selected by Oakland 4th overall in the entry draft, and the team will look to use him alongside incumbent Justin Fargas in the backfield; Fargas broke out last year for 1009 yards after taking over as the team’s starter. The Raiders also brought in a new target for Russell in WR Javon Walker, who will start along with Ronald Curry. WR Jerry Porter left via free agency in the offseason, but TE Zach Miller returns to build on a successful rookie campaign. That gives the Raiders at least a few pieces to work with on offense, but whether all the pieces will get together remains to be seen.

Oakland’s defense gave up 398 points in 2007, with their ability to stop the run especially weak; that should continue to be a trouble spot for the team this season. The Raiders at least upgraded their secondary with the acquisition of CB DeAngelo Hall. Plus, apparently recently signed Adam Archuleta is going to play OLB and backup at SS, so we'll see how that project goes.

Head coach Lane Kiffin looked likely to be fired after 2007’s 4-win campaign, but he survived to coach another season under Al Davis. If the Raiders don’t show improvement this year, he won’t survive again.

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