Oakland Raiders: Offensive situation in dire straights

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Things are not looking up for the Oakland Raiders. Offensively the Raiders are in trouble at nearly every position.

On Wednesday the Raiders placed left tackle Jared Veldheer for what could be the season. Veldheer will be replaced by Alex Barron and while that may be laughable it is just the latest in what figures to be a poor season for the Raiders.

The Raiders have one of the league’s worst offensive lines and what is behind the line is hardly any better.

Quarterback Matt Flynn has a weak arm and Vittorio Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Raiders have “accepted” that he will not be able to throw the ball past 25 yards.

To make matters worse rookie quarterback Tyler Wilson is the “most disappointing rookie” in the division according to ESPN  Bill Williamson. Wilson appears to have fallen behind undrafted Matt McGloin on the depth chart.

Even if the Raiders had a capable passer they have no receivers. Last year’s leading receiver tight end Brandon Myers (79 catches, 806 yards) is now with the New York Giants. The speedy but stone handed Darrius Heyward-Bey is in Indianapolis and left behind are Rob Streater and Denarius Moore who caught a combined 90 passes for 1,325 yards.

The duo did find the end zone a combined ten times with Moore catching seven and Streater for three.

Those expecting production from the tight end spot simply need to be reminded that Richard Gordon occupies the position. He has caught three passes over two seasons while appearing in 27 games.

For the sake of reference: In 2011 the Raiders were ninth in yards per game scored 22.4 points per game, good enough for 16th across the league.

The Raiders were 26th in points per game last year with 18.1 and ranked 18th in yards per game. Those numbers could continue to go south in 2014

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