The Oakland Raiders have gotten some bad PR (wink, wink) after firing their head of public relations in Zak Gilbert, and while he was a Reggie McKenzie hire, owner Mark Davis said that would have no bearing on the GM, who has made a number of smart moves this offseason, including bringing in players Matt Flynn, Charles Woodson, Nick Roach, Mike Jenkins and Rashad Jennings.
The Raiders had a number of financial issues when McKenzie took over and he has done a good job of navigating things over the past two seasons, cutting ties with players like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Huff while adding smart players in the draft like DJ Hayden and Nick Kasa. The Raiders won't be contending in Super Bowl yet, but there is no reason why they shouldn't improve from their 4-12 record since adding all that talent.
Of all the players brought in by McKenzie, apart from the draft picks like Brice Butler and Latavius Murray, Charles Woodson, Nick Roach, Mike Jenkins and Rashad Jennings are the players with the chance to make the biggest impacts. Tracy Porter also will have a chance to make an impact, but it will all depend on who plays more between the two. The secondary should greatly improve in 2013, as the team added two new players that can start as well as Woodson and Hayden.
The offense should also be better with Matt Flynn at quarterback and while he is not as good or as experienced as Carson Palmer was, he brings a new style to the offense and a anew attitude as he looks to start for the first time in his career. Flynn could receive a huge boost from Rashad Jennings depending on what happens with Darren McFadden and if he can stay healthy, as the team is committed to working on the run and he has been solid while backing up in Jacksonville for Maurice Jones-Drew. He played 10 games last season and got some starts as well as he will be a welcome replacement for Mike Goodson, who signed with the Jets. He has rushed for 944 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 61 passes in 38 games with Jacksonville during that time.
Another high impact player is Woodson and while he will be older than everyone else in the secondary, his 55 career interceptions, 17 sacks, 24 forced fumbles and 11 interceptions will be something that all the younger players can look towards and learn from. He brings a winning attitude to the team and that could be the difference between a playoffs spot and another losing season.
