The Oakland Raiders need more from the RBs in 2010
26-year old Michael Bush and 22-year old Darren McFadden are going to handle most of the heavy lifting for the Raiders in the running game in 2010. Michael Bush probably has the lead as far as carries go heading into training camp. Bush played in 16 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 123 times for 589 yards (4.8 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He also caught 17 passes for 105 yards (6.2 avg) last year. Bush has now played in 31 games (7 starts) in his career with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 218 times for 1,010 yards (4.6 ypc) with 6 TD carries. He has also caught 36 passes for 267 yards (7.4 avg) in his career with the Raiders so far. Bush is a power runner who is a good fit for the Raiders style now that his knee appears close to 100%.
22-year old Darren McFadden is a former high first round pick of the Raiders and he hasn’t looked too good as of yet. He played in 12 games (7 starts) for the Raiders last season in which he carried the ball 104 times for 357 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run. McFadden also caught 21 passes for 245 yards (11.7 avg) last season. He has now played in 25 games (12 starts) in his two years with the Raiders and he has carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs. McFadden has also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg). McFadden has the speed that Bush lacks so they could be a good tandem in 2010 if they both stay healthy.
30-year old Rock Cartwright is a solid backup RB and kickoff returner. He played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Redskins last year in which he carried the ball 64 times for 228 yards (3.6 ypc). Cartwright also caught 27 passes for 242 yards (9.0 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also returned 39 kickoffs for 868 yards (22.3 avg) last year. Cartwright has now played in 123 games (5 starts) in his 8 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 215 times for 889 yards (4.1 ypc) with 6 TD runs. He also has caught 59 passes for 555 yards (9.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also returned 222 kickoffs for 5,332 yards (24.0 avg) with 1 TD return.
31-year old Michael Bennett once made a Pro Bowl (2002 with the Chiefs) but that was a long, long time ago. Bennett played in 6 games (0 starts) for the Chargers last season in which he carried the ball 23 times for 65 yards (2.8 ypc). He also caught 6 passes for 65 yards (10.8 avg) last season. Bennett has now played in 100 games (50 starts) in his nine years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 842 times for 3,692 yards (4.4 ypc) with 13 TD runs. He also has caught 157 passes for 1,285 yards (8.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs in his career. Bennett still has some speed but his gas tank probably doesn’t have much left in it.
PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE RAIDERS RBs in 2010: C-
