Preseason Profile: Travis Goethel, LB

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Jul 162012
 

Travis Goethel #50

College: Arizona St.
Height: 6’2½”
Weight: 240 lbs
Arm Length: 32.0″
Hand Size 9.6″

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.81
3 Cone Drill: 6.93
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.54
Bench Press: 21 reps
Vertical Jump: 35″
Broad Jump: 111″

 

Travis Goethel was selected in the 6th round in the 2010 draft. He was initially thought to be one of those late round steals after making some significant noise in training camp, but a lower back injury limited him severely his first season with the Raiders. He saw action in just 8 games his rookie season, most of which was on special teams. After showing signs of promise his rookie year before the injury, many were excited to see what Goethel had to offer in his second season with a clean bill of health. He burst onto the scene again in 2011, drawing rave reviews in training camp from the coaches, and was in line to start at weak side linebacker. Fans again began to hope Goethel would emerge into a late round steal for the Raiders only to have history repeat itself in the form of a torn ACL that caused Goethel to miss the entire 2011 season.

Travis Goethel now finds himself losing traction. Another major injury, and it will more than likely end his stint in Oakland. However, Goethel still has enough talent to make a real impact on the 2012 defense. He is a very versatile player, that can fill any one of the linebacker spots in a 4-3 and could probably play inside in the 3-4. With the legal troubles of Rolando McClain and the history of good training camps from Goethel, don’t sleep on the possibility of him still earning a starting spot. Of course, before Goethel can begin thinking about earning a starting spot, he will have to defeat his biggest enemy which is the injury bug.

It is also worth mentioning that Goethel was a favorite of the old coaching staff in Oakland. With the new regime taking over, his previous training camp performances are irrelevant and he no longer has ties to anyone. If he has another strong camp and impresses coaches again this year, it’s a good indication that Travis Goethel has some real talent on the football field.

Will Goethel finally hold up long enough to establish himself or will he become the “Chaz Schilens” of the Raiders defense?

Preseason Profile: Philip Wheeler, LB

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Jul 092012
 

Philip Wheeler #52

College: Georgia Tech
Height: 6’1⅞”
Weight: 248 lbs
Arm Length: N/A”
Hand Size: N/A”

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.76
3 Cone Drill: 7.11
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.29
Bench Press: 24 reps
Vertical Jump: 31″
Broad Jump: 118″

 

“A tenacious, strong and remarkably athletic inside linebacker… considered by many as one of the nation’s best-blitzing linebackers”. Those were words used to describe Philip Wheeler coming out of college. He averaged a half sack per game his senior year at Georgia Tech and also led the team in tackles. His athleticism allows him to play coverage as well and he led Georgia Tech in interceptions in 2007 with four, not bad for an inside linebacker.

His athleticism was a big part of why he was drafted by the Colts in the third round of the 2008 draft. The Colts have been a very finesse defense for the better part of a decade and really liked how a guy like Wheeler fit into their defensive system. The Colts run a strict cover two defense where Wheeler’s athleticism was needed in coverage a lot. The problem was, it took away one of his biggest strengths. Wheeler came from an attack style defense at Georgia Tech where he spent a lot of his time blitzing and getting after the quarterback, something he excelled at. So why the Colts were making good use of Wheelers athleticism in their cover two, they were also under utilizing his ability to blitz and attack at the line of scrimmage.

The Raiders have different plans for Wheeler, which were made clear the day they signed him. The Raiders are installing a system that includes many different packages and looks. From man coverage to zone coverage, from 4-3 to 3-4 fronts and from blitz packages to cover two defense, the Raiders plan to do it all. In order to make that happen, guys with versatility such as Philip Wheeler are important. You have to have guys with the ability to do more than one thing on the field. “They ask me to do a lot of things, cover the tight end sometimes, blitz sometimes, drop back in coverage,” Wheeler said when asked of his responsibilities in the Raiders defense. “It’s fun because the offense is never going to know what we’re doing.”

Even though Wheeler will be competing for the starting strong side linebacker role, don’t expect him to fill the same role vacated by Kamerion Wimbley. They are two completely different players playing in two completely different schemes. Regardless of who starts at strong side linebacker, I expect a good rotation of players based on situation and packages. Jason Tarver and Dennis Allen are smart men, and I expect match ups to always be part of the equation with them.

Preseason Profile: Rolando McClain, LB

 Posted by at 12:00 PM  2 Responses »
Jul 062012
 

Rolando McClain #55

College: Alabama
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 254 lbs
Arm Length: 33″
Hand Size: 9 3/8″

 

40 Yard Dash: 4.69
3 Cone Drill: N/A
20 Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bench Press: 24 reps
Vertical Jump: 35″
Broad Jump: N/A

 

In the last decade there have been a lot of Raiders first round picks that were scrutinized far before they ever put on a uniform. A lot of the scrutiny was justified, but should not always be directed at the player. After all, the players can’t control where they are selected. Rolando McClain “broke the mold” if you will, when it comes to first round picks by the Raiders though. He was thought of by many to finally be one of those “sure thing” draft picks. Well the start of McClain’s career in the NFL has been anything but “sure”. McClain struggled to make the transition from a one gap linebacker in Nick Saban’s 34 defense at Alabama to a two gap linebacker in the 43 defense the Raiders ran in his first season. Those struggles are understood on some levels. Making the transition to the NFL is tough enough without having to learn a completely new scheme and be counted on as a day 1 starter your rookie season. However, this is the big league’s now and sympathy is hard to come by.

In year two, it was a fresh start for McClain. After getting a year under his belt and time to adjust to all the changes it was time for McClain to settle in and begin his dominance, right? Well, it didn’t exactly turn out that way. While McClain showed his ability at times during the season, he was inconsistent at best and did not progress much from year one. He struggled mightily in pass coverage, got caught out of position far too often and at times did not shed blocks in the run game as you would expect out of your “star” linebacker.

Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that no excuses should be made for McClain. He is getting paid big money and he knows what is expected of him. However, you do have to keep in mind a couple of things. First, McClain did play the majority of the season on a bum ankle. How bad it really was is tough to know, but it was obvious at times that it was bothering him. Some guys will get the benefit of the doubt, and will be seen as a “team” player for playing hurt, but patience is wearing thin for the guy who was supposed to help restore a run defense in Oakland. Second, the Raiders defensive scheme was one that had many people scratching their heads throughout the season. It certainly did not put players in the best position to be successful the majority of the time.

To steal a line from head coach Dennis Allen, “At the end of the day…” the players have to go out and perform and McClain did not perform up to standards. To make matters worse, McClain is now facing jail time for assault charges stemming from a fight he was involved in back in Alabama. Luckily for McClain, there is a new regime running the show, and they are willing to forget the past and give everyone a fresh start. An opportunity McClain better take full advantage from.

Despite the negatives that have shown through in the first two years of McClain’s career, there is still no doubting the talent he possesses. It’s up to him to put in the work so that the talent shows up on Sundays. He has some things working in his favor this season though. Dennis Allen has made it clear that he wants to mix in some 34 looks this season. That should put McClain in more of a comfort zone as a one gap linebacker. He will also probably be asked to cover down field less and focus more on short zone’s and run defense. He also excels at blitzing, which is something the Raiders plan to do a lot this year. McClain belongs in an attack style defense where he can trust his first instinct and just go out and play. His third season should tell the Raiders everything they need to know about their young linebacker.

Was he a product of a great system at Alabama or is he primed to breakout and become one of the future stars at inside linebacker?

Preseason Profile: Aaron Curry, LB

 Posted by at 8:00 AM  No Responses »
Jul 062012
 

Aaron Curry #51

College: Wake Forest
Height: 6’1⅝”
Weight: 254 lbs
Arm Length: N/A”
Hand Size: N/A”

40 Yard Dash: 4.56
3 Cone Drill: 7.15
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.51
Bench Press: 25 reps
Vertical Jump: 37″
Broad Jump: 124″

 

Curry was a very highly touted linebacker coming out of Wake Forest who seemed to be the total package. After being selected fourth overall in 2009, many assumed that Seattle would have a young star on defense to build around for years to come. To the surprise of many, Aaron Curry was traded to the Raiders in 2011 just five games into his third season. Of course the first thought that goes through everyone’s mind when a top five draft pick is traded that early in his career is that they turned out to be a bust. However, I don’t believe that to be true with Curry.

In his rookie season he started 12 games and had 61 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He didn’t light the world on fire but had a pretty solid year all things considered. Many expected Curry to build on that first year and begin to really establish himself in year two, and he probably would have except things were shaken up for his second season with the Seahawks. Seattle hired Pete Carroll after the 2009 season and he came in with his own agenda ready to put his stamp on things. Part of his brilliant plan was to take his best defensive player and get him more involved. That sounds like a good plan right? Except that plan involved moving Curry into the “Elephant” linebacker role. For those unfamiliar with what an Elephant backer is, it is essentially a linebacker capable of playing both 4-3 defensive end and 3-4 outside linebacker. The main role of the elephant backer is to rush the quarterback.

While Curry does possess some ability to rush the passer, it is not his biggest strength. Coming from a more traditional linebacker role at Wake Forest and playing that way his first year in the NFL, Curry’s transition was going to be a tough one. In his first day of practice at his new position Curry suffered a concussion that caused him to miss nearly two weeks of training camp. It’s always tough to make a good impression with a new coaching staff when your trying to learn a new position and battling injuries at the same time. He fought through it though and went on to improve on his rookie numbers by starting all 16 games and racking up 73 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.  That wasn’t exactly the result Pete Carroll  and Seahawks were hoping though as he only finished with 3.5 sacks while rushing the quarterback more often from the elephant backer position.

After the failed experiment, neither Aaron Curry nor the coaching staff were feeling very confident with how things were going. Curry began transitioning back into a more traditional linebacker role, but after losing a lot of confidence and falling out of favor with the coaches, he never really got back on track in Seattle.

Just five games into the next season Curry was dealt to the Raiders for a 7th round pick in 2012 and a conditional 5th round pick in 2013. He instantly became the starting weak-side linebacker for the Raiders and had a decent year given the fact that he was plugged into a new defense in the middle of the season. Carson Palmer will be the first to tell you that being sent out on the field without knowing all the plays and adjustments is a tough situation.

Curry will now have a full off-season to get comfortable with his coaches and the new defensive scheme and should be ready for a fresh start. Look for him to try to get back to what made him so successful at Wake Forest, which was just playing read and react defense and using his natural talent to make plays. Curry’s only real weakness is pass defense. He is a good scrape linebacker who pursuits the ball well and is a very solid tackler. If he gets a chance to size up a runner, he will also deliver a big hit. With his quickness he can be a very effective blitzer as well. Depending on the situation and personnel you could see Curry slide inside some this season. He is good at the point of attack and can get off blocks to make plays. He could be used as the second inside backer in some 3-4 looks, but should primarily play outside.

Preseason Profile: Travionte Session, WR

 Posted by at 1:56 PM  1 Response »
Jun 302012
 

Travionte Session #87

College: Nevada
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 195 lbs
Arm Length: N/A
Hand Size: N/A

 

40 Yard Dash: N/A
3 Cone Drill: N/A
20 Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A

 

Travionte Session is the true wild card of the group. Coming from the infamous “Pistol” offense at Nevada where he played a long side Colin Kaepernick, Session didn’t see a lot of targets in college. The “Pistol” offense doesn’t exactly cater to wide receivers which meant Session played a more important role blocking than he did receiving.

As a non invitee to the NFL combine Session has not had many chances to prove his worth to NFL coaches. The Raiders scouts saw enough of this guy though to give him a shot in camp. Session does run well, but that alone will not make him stand out in Oakland where speed isn’t exactly hard to come by.

Session is 6’2″ so he has the height to go up over defenders to make catches, but doesn’t have a very big frame weighing in at only 195 lbs. The Raiders coaches will look to see if Tray has the physical tools to go along with his speed.

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