23-year old RB Taiwan Jones and 22-year old WR Denarius Moore are both really stepping up in the preseason.  Jones has only played in 1 preseason game, but it’s a good one.  Jones has carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards (6.2 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has also caught 2 passes for 18 yards (9.0 avg).  Denarius Moore has played in all 3 preseason games for the Raiders and he has caught 8 passes for 88 yards (11.0 avg).  Jones isn’t likely to get a lot of P.T. as a rookie as he is behind both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush at RB.  But, Denarius Moore could get some P.T. right away for the Raiders in 2011.

24-year old Tyvon Branch and 27-year old Michael Huff have both been really busy so far this year.  It’s usually a bad sign for a defense when your safeties are leading the team in tackles.  Branch has played in 15 games so far this year for the Raiders and he has 99 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.  Huff has played in 15 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has 92 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.  The Raiders will need to strengthen the front seven before next year starts to lessen the load on Branch & Huff while improving a run defense that is allowing 134.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year.

The Raiders are on a 3-game winning streak in which they have outscored the competition 115-37!  The Raiders are now 5-4 on the season as they are improved on both sides of the football.  The offense, in particular, has been outstanding this year.  The Raiders are averaging 361.0 total yards per game (162.2 rushing) so far this year and they are also averaging 26.1 points per contest.  The Raiders considered getting rid of the 45-year old Cable due to the fact that be likes to punch people…..which makes him Al Davis’ kind of guy.  Cable has led the Raiders to a 14-23 (37.8%) record in his third year with the team.

Rookie 23-year old WR/KR Jacoby Ford had a huge breakout game against the Chiefs as he was the biggest reason for the win.  Ford returned a kickoff for a TD against the Chiefs and he made the two biggest catches of the game which set up Sebastian Janikowski with the game tying and game winning field goals.  Ford has played in 9 games for the Raiders this year and he has caught 10 passes for 185 yards (18.5 avg) and he has also carried the ball 4 times for 48 yards (12.0 ypc).  Look for his offensive role to continue to expand as he is one of the fastest players in the entire NFL.  Ford has also returned 22 kickoffs for 535 yards (24.3 avg) with a 94-yard TD.  Ford is looking like a steal for the Raiders as he was selected in the 4th round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

23-year old running back Darren McFadden was not good in his first two years with the Raiders.  McFadden played in 25 games in his first two years with the Raiders and he carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg) in his first two years with the Raiders.  This was not what the Raiders expected out of McFadden when they picked him in the first round of the NFL Draft in April of 2008.  But this year he has looked awesome.  McFadden has played in 7 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has carried the ball 139 times for 757 yards (5.4 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He has also caught 24 passes for 242 yards (10.1 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  McFadden is the player the Raiders have built their offense around and he has been coming through big-time.

24-year old TE Zach Miller is still the best receiver on the Raiders.  He has played in all six games for the Raiders so far this year and he has 30 grabs for 388 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Miller has now played in 53 games in his four years with the Raiders and he has caught 196 passes for 2,415 yards (12.3 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Miller would be even more effective for the Raiders if they had a legit QB and some WRs who could stretch the field.

23-year old Louis Murphy had a solid rookie year in 2009 for the Raiders.  He played in all 16 games for the Raiders last season and he caught 34 passes for 521 yards (15.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Murphy also carried the ball 6 times for 31 yards (5.2 ypc) last year for the Raiders.  This season though, Murphy is taking his game to a whole new level.  He has played in 3 games for the Raiders so far this year and he has caught 15 passes for 238 yards (15.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Murphy has speed to burn so he fits in well with the Raiders’ vertical style of passing attack.

The Oakland Raiders used the #4 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on Darren McFadden.  The 23-year old RB didn’t show much in his first two years with the team.  He played in 25 games for the Raiders in his first two years with the team and he carried the ball 217 times for 856 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  McFadden also caught 50 passes for 530 yards (10.6 avg) in his first two years with the Raiders.  This season though he came into the year healthy and he didn’t have any competition for the starting job due to an injury to Michael Bush.  McFadden has taken full advantage of his chance to be the featured back for the Raiders the first two weeks of this year.  He has carried the ball 48 times for 240 yards (5.0 ypc) and he has also caught 8 passes for 63 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD grab.  The Raiders will likely ride McFadden in the running game as long as he keeps producing like he is right now.

30-year old cornerback Chris Johnson is really playing well for the Raiders this season.  He has played in 14 games for the Raiders this year and he has made 66 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 18 passes and he has 3 interceptions.  Teams have been challenging Johnson all season long and he keeps responding by making big, game altering plays.

25-year old running back Michael Bush started his NFL career rehabbing but he is now starting to pay dividends for the Raiders now that he finally appears healthy.  Bush has played in 14 games for the Raiders this season and he has carried the ball 103 times for 519 yards (5.0 ypc) with 3 TD runs.  He has also caught 15 passes for 94 yards (6.3 avg) this year.  Bush has outplayed Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden this year so he might be able to win the job as the main ball carrier in 2010 if he finishes this season strong.