Edweirdo's Oakland Raiders Report

Most Improved Raiders in 2002

Compared to the 2001 campaign, in 2002, younger players are getting the chance to shine. One knock on our former head coach is that he favored veterans and did not trust younger players. Callahan has shown a willingness to give young players, even rookies, significant opportunities to contribute.

The most improved Raiders:

1. OLB Eric Barton: Barton has been simply incredible and should receive his first trip to the Pro Bowl. He's shown excellent instincts and has been very productive. With Barton, Harris, and Smith, our LB corps should be set for years to come
2. WR Jerry Porter: Porter has developed into a stud WR and a viable deep threat. He is a tough matchup for CBs because of his size and athleticism, and he has soft hands. He was in Gruden's doghouse his first two seasons in the Silver & Black, but under Callahan, Porter has been a standout receiver
3. S Derrick Gibson: a broken hand limited his rookie campaign. He has developed into a safety with strong coverage skills, and with his great size and athletic ability, he may develop into a Pro-Bowler. I was leery when the coaches chose Gibson over veteran Johnnie Harris as starting SS, but in retrospect it was the right decision
4. DE Tony Bryant: his sack total has not been high, but he's developed into a solid end who is stout against the run
5. TE Roland Williams: he has shown much more consistency in catching the ball, and his blocking has continued to be strong. He has done a great job mentoring rookie Doug Jolley
6. K Sebastian Janokowski: Jano is *finally* hitting the weights, leads the league in touchbacks, and has been kicking straighter with his new shortened approach on FG attempts
7. OL Matt Stinchcomb: when RG Collins was out earlier this season, he filled in solidly at LG for 5 games
8. QB Marquis Tuiasosopo: while we haven't seen him play in the regular season, he looked sharp in pre-season. It's great that he's getting time to absorb the system and learn from the master of preparation, Rich Gannon