Prediction 1: Matt Shaughnessy will have 10 sacks or more.
Result: Shaughnessy played in three games registering 1 sack. There is no way of knowing is Shaughnessy would have made it to 10 sacks and the three games was too small of a sample to project out a full season. 0 for 1.
Prediction 2: Taiwan Jones will have at least two touchdowns longer than 70 yards.
Result: Jones also had an injury that derailed what could have been a promising start to his young career. No dice. 0 for 2.
Prediction 3: Darren McFadden will have 2000 total yards from scrimmage.
Result: Yet again injury hurts he possibility of the bold prediction coming true. McFadden had 768 total yards from scrimmage in seven games. Projecting McFadden’s season over 16 games means he falls short at 1751 total yards. 0 for 3.
Prediction 4: Darrius Heyward-Bey will catch twice as many passes as he did last year.
Result: Twice as many? That wasn’t enough for DHB who caught more than twice as many passes and it was actually closer to three times as many. 1 for 4.
Prediction 5: Jason Campbell will have 3000+ yards passing and 20 touchdowns.
Result: Had it not been for the injury, Campbell was well on his way to 300 yards. Based on his first six games he would have been a little shy of the 20 predicted touchdowns. 1 for 5.
Prediction 6: Denarius Moore will return two punts for touchdowns.
Result: The injuries really are killing the bold predictions from 2011 as they did the team. 1 for 6.
Prediction 7: Jacoby Ford will return two kicks for touchdowns (despite the new rules).
Result: Injuries kill the prediction again. Ford had one in eight games. That’s two if he is healthy. I’m giving credit here. 2 for 7.
Prediction 8: Michael Bush will rush for just 500 yards….but with 10 touchdowns.
Result: Bush almost doubled the yardage prediction, but still fell short of the touchdown prediction. 2 for 8.
Prediction 9: The Raiders will have a top 5 offense and lead the league in rushing.
Result: 9th in yards per game and 16th in points per game. 2 for 9.
Prediction 10: The Raiders will win 10 games. (My prediction is 8 games +-2. Since this is for bold predictions, I’ll go with the higher one)
Result: Can’t help but feel like my bold prediction was two defensive stops away. 2 for 10.
Prediction 11: The Raiders will go 4-2 in the division.
Result: 3-3 and a defensive stop away. 2 for 11.
Prediction 12: The Raiders will not miss Zach Miller
Result: They didn’t. Boss was more than capable and the Ra5iders started incorporating the receivers into the offense. 3 for 12.
Prediction 13: The Raiders will not miss Nnamdi Asomugha
Result: A case could certainly be made either way, but the Raiders secondary was pretty bad for long stretches. Asomugha would have helped. 3 for 13.
Prediction 14: The Raiders will beat the Jets in the home opener.
Result: Win. 4 for 14.
Prediction 15: The Raiders will play the Chargers at home week 17 for the AFC West title.
Result: Not exactly what I had envisioned, but it was true. 5 for 15.
Prediction 16: Chuck Bresnahan ‘s defense will intercept 20 passes.
Result: 18 interceptions good for 12th in the league and perhaps the highest Bresnahan’s defense ranked in any category. 5 for 16.
Prediction 17: Rolando McClain will have 120 tackles
Result: Not close and I didn’t really expect this one to be. 5 for 17.
Prediction 18: Chris Johnson will have 8 interceptions.
Result: Injury or not didn’t look like he was going to get there. 5 for 18.
Prediction 19: The Raiders will lead the league in sacks.
Result: 15th ranking not good enough for such a talented group. Injuries certainly hurt. 5 for 19.
Prediction 20: Kamerion Wimbely will have 10 sacks.
Result: Just 8 sacks for Wimbley. Maybe if he wasn’t in coverage so much he could have reached the 10 sack level. 5 for 20.
Hitting on 25 percent of the bold predictions isn’t bad and it certainly could have been better if not for the numerous injuries sustained by the Raiders in 2011.