Oakland Raiders Poised To Have Best Offense In NFL

It’s been over a decade since the Oakland Raiders could say they had an offense that the rest of the NFL should fear.  The year 2002 comes to mind, the last time anybody considered the Silver and Black any good.  Rich Gannon was the quarterback, winning league MVP.  Charlie Garner was running back while Tim Brown and Jerry Rice were the receivers.  It was a long time ago and has taken over a decade for the franchise to get back that level of talent.

Heading into 2016 though, they might be poised to return to those glory days thanks to the carefully constructed unit put together by GM Reggie McKenzie.  Derek Carr is coming off the best season of his career yet, with 3,982 yards passing and 32 touchdowns.  This won him a trip to the Pro Bowl.  Amari Cooper is an emerging star at wide receiver while Latavius Murray as emerged as their biggest threat on the ground.  It’s a young and talented group.

The scary part is it just got a lot better.  Adding powerhouse guard Kelechi Osemele and retaining veteran tackle Donald Penn has transformed the Oakland offensive line into one of the biggest, strongest and most talented groups in the NFL.

Star power at the skill position is of course vital, but everyone knows the best offenses are often centers around how good they are in the trenches.  Would the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams have been nearly as good without a Hall of Fame left tackle in Orlando Pace?  Or what about those amazing Raiders teams of the 1970s with Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, and Jim Otto?  Dominating the line of scrimmage turns good to great and great to all-time.  As Carr, Cooper and the rest continue to mature, and as Mackenzie continues adding pieces, this offense is poised to become one of the best in pro football whether the NFL is ready or not.