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Oakland Raiders Camp Battles: Special teams overview

By Patrick Patterson | July 14th, 2008

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I would like to start off by apologizing for my brief disappearance. I have some things in my personal life I am working on, and I was up against some big time burn out. But I am back in action, and ready to continue to cover the Raiders as best as possible.

As the camp battles series winds towards its close, its time to look at the one area that will make the difference between making the team and flipping burgers at the local In & Out, which is special teams. The Oakland Raiders have a couple of top flight kickers in Shane Lechler and Sebastian Janikowski. Additionally, the Raiders have a trio of top flight players for special teams coverage in the “Bermuda Triangle” of Jarrod Cooper, Isaiah Ekejiuba, and Ricky Brown. Beyond that, there are wide open opportunities for many of the fringe players to make the team as part of this unit.

Punter: Shane Lechler

Shane is a five time all-pro punter, who has been by far the most consistent Raider over the last several years. In fact, last season, he set the single season mark for net yardage.

Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski

Sea-Bass is oft maligned because the Raiders selected him in the first round of the 2000 draft. The thing is, whilst he has the reputation of being inconsistent, he is about to become the top scorer in Raider history. He barely missed a 70+ yard field goal last season, as well as led the league in touchbacks.

Returner: Tyvon Branch

Johnnie Lee Higgins looked scared out there when he tried his hand at returning. Branch is a rookie who was known for his return skills in college, and will be fighting hard for that returner slot. There is a call among some in the Raider Nation for top pick Darren McFadden to be used on returns. On PUNTS, that is a possibility. On kickoffs, no way. Kickoff returns are the most likely play in football for injury, just look at Tim Brown’s early knee injury. DeAngelo Hall is another possibility for punt returns, but doubtful on kickoffs.

Coverage Team:

This is where the trio of Jarrod Cooper, Isaiah Ekejiuba, and Ricky Brown excel. When all three corners of the Bermuda Triangle were healthy, the Raiders completely shut down Devin Hester. Beyond those three, this is a huge space for the fringe players to make a push to make the team.

Long Snapper: Jon Condo

Look for Condo to keep his job as a long-snapper after having an excellent season on special teams for the Raiders. His weakness is that he essentially only long-snaps which could put him at some risk, depending on how the roster shakes out, but expect him to continue his role.

What to Look For:

This is where the guys who are on the outside looking in have an opportunity to leapfrog their way up the depth charts. Once Coop and Ekejiuba went down last season, the special teams suffered and ultimately gave up the first and second touchdown runbacks in Lechler’s career. Look for this to be an area where a surprise player makes the team.

Wild Card:

Ultimately, special teams is the biggest wildcard in all of the camp battles. Ultimately, the guys who are fourth and fifth on the depth chart need to be able to excel on special teams if they hope to make the team. This will be a unit to keep a very close eye on, especially later in the preseason games.

Hoping the special teams are special this year here at TFDS

This entry was posted on Monday, July 14th, 2008 at 3:02 am and is filed under Shane Lechler, Sebastian Janikowski, Isaiah Ekejiuba, Camp Battles, 2008 Oakland Raiders Training Camp, Jon Condo, Raiders News, Ricky Brown, 2008, Oakland Raiders Current Player Analysis, Darren McFadden, Raider Nation, Tyvon Branch, DeAngelo Hall, Raider News, Jarrod Cooper, Raiders History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

10 Responses to “Oakland Raiders Camp Battles: Special teams overview”

Thoughts from the Dark Side: Oakland Raiders Camp Battles: Special teams overview | The RaiderCast says:

July 14th, 2008 at 5:20 am

[…] Read more. Posted in Blog, Oakland Raiders | […]
SpokaneOakfan says:

July 14th, 2008 at 7:21 am

Shane gets robbed every year he is left out of the Pro Bowl. He is far and away the league’s best. There just happen to be plenty of “fans” who want to see a Raider-free Pro Bowl.

Sea Bass will break the record for longest FG. Sure as I’m typing this right now. He’s a Raider to the core.

The Raiders ST was actually decent the past few years. We kicked it to Devin Hester and contained him well. KO coverage could use some improvement.
KUSHMAN says:

July 14th, 2008 at 10:34 am

with shane kicking, he’ll make our special teams look great …

DUDE ONE DAY LEFT WHATS AL WAITING FOR!! SIGN NNAMDI!!!
KO says:

July 14th, 2008 at 11:21 am

I’ve been a true Raider fans since the 70’s and to me Shane is right up there with Ray Guy. Sea Bass miss too many key kicks for me. I am scared when the game is on line and he has to go out there and make a kick, I have even turned my TV off a few times. I don’t want him to go anywhere else because then he’ll hit every kick mainly against the Raiders. I have two words for that “Marcus Allen”.
teofilo dimaano says:

July 14th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

i agree… shane’s the only dude i cant complain about on the field .. he does his job ??? what more can i say??? come on guys?? DO IT FOR JOHNNY MAN!!!!!…..we got this!!! dont make me go broke again this year!!!!PLEASE………..
pat. T says:

July 14th, 2008 at 7:57 pm

Unfourtanatly KUSHMAN, I doubt Al and Nnamdi will come to a deal this offseason…

GO RAIDERS!!!
silver&black88 says:

July 14th, 2008 at 8:27 pm

I agree with pat T, its a shame if they don’t. i have a horrible feeling that eventually Nnamdi will walk outta Oakland just like Woodson did.
Raidermomo64 says:

July 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm

Lechler is awesome!! Jano- I noticed that their are a lot of kickers who are considerede awesome, but they mostly kick within 45 yds. and barely make it. Jano is asked to kick from mostly 52 - 55 yds. because we can’t get closer once we get to the 35 yd. line. Also, that infield grass is terrible during baseball season and when we make the playoffs (A’s). We need to get Asomugha signed. I will be pissed and dissapointed if we don’t. He has been the heart and soul of our team. Defense or Offense. Give him the money. Its only right. By the way, you guys are the best!! Even during this time of no news, you guys have kept me right there. thanks. Tell your boss we said you deserve a new contract as well!!
pdxjoe says:

July 16th, 2008 at 8:44 am

Patrick, Good to see you back dude. Trust me when I say that stress kills. Get some rest it’s just about showtime.
MJ Kasprzak says:

July 16th, 2008 at 11:29 am

First, thanks for your comment over on The Frozen Tundra. With all the Favre crap supersaturating our media (even you guys had to talk about him here!), having someone willingly read a post is impressive, especially while the fan of another team.

Second, I am impressed by your superior knowledge about your own team, analyzing coverage and long snappers, and doing so better than I think I could on the Pack–I’m not even sure if we’ll still have Rob Davis this year.

Third, I think the Raiders have the best kicking game in the league. Lechler should be a Pro Bowler every year and may be the best punter since Ray Guy. And Janikowski is among the best, but deserves the harsh standard since he got the money of the #17 pick in the draft. (That was another sign to me Al needs to stop making the Raiders’ decisions.) As for punts vs. kicks, I always felt a player was more exposed in punts because players are on the immediately. I suppose you can just be overly cautious in calling fair catches, but then how much good are you as a returner?