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Darren McFadden - NFL football’s newest multi-millionaire

Image details: 2008 NFL PLAYERS Rookie Premiere Photo Shoot served by picapp.com

Darren McFadden learned from JaMarcus Russell. Do not go for the contract holdout. Go for the contract and get into camp.

Now McFadden can go about preparing for his rookie season knowing he won’t miss a day of training camp. He has already impressed coach Lane Kiffin with his quick grasp of the offense after just a few weeks of offseason workouts.

Kiffin said getting the deal done early will help ensure that the Raiders can capitalize on McFadden’s versatility as early as this season. In this week’s minicamp, McFadden was used in a variety of situations, including lining up wide as a receiver.

“The last thing we wanted to do with Darren because of our ideas with him was to go into a holdout and for him to miss any time in training camp,” Kiffin said. “What I think shows a lot about Darren is the fact that Darren felt the same as we did. Darren knew how important it was for him to get in here and show us his love for football.”
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Coach Lane Kiffen is putting a lot of stock in McFadden.

The Raiders hope McFadden can be an immediate contributor after the club dumped veteran running back Dominic Rhodes and entertained trade offers for fellow veteran LaMont Jordan, who probably will be released later. Starter Justin Fargas and promising youngster Michael Bush also will be in Oakland’s backfield.

Oakland may not win a lot, but should be tons of fun with young JaMarcus Russell at quarterback and Darren McFadden at running back.

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NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Darren McFadden is learning how to hold the ball. Well, maybe not in this picture.

Image details: Oakland Raiders Rookie Mini Camp served by picapp.com

He is big. He is strong and he runs a 4.3. A legitimate 4.3. He is Darren McFadden, the top rated running back out of the draft.

Oakland needs him badly. They need excitement. They need Darren.

Last year they drafted JaMarcus Russell number one in the draft and he sat for most of the season with contract problems. Here is a guy that threw the ball 60 yards while on his knees. He has all the properties of a great quarterback.

Throw in Lane Kiffen, a coach that somehow has the ear of Al Davis as well as his confidence and Oakland fans have to be drooling.

Will they win a lot of games this year? Probably not.

Will they have a lot of highlights this year. It sure looks like it.

Start with Darren McFadden. Everyone is comparing him to Adrian Peterson. That is a lot to put on a rookie. Hey, Darren, go out and be as good as Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. All he did was break the single game rushing record and look like the best back since Barry Sanders played in this league.

Right now Oakland is being a bit more cautious and working on fundamentals.

But coach Lane Kiffin cautions about putting too much pressure on McFadden so early.

“He’s not here to save the franchise. He just happens to be our first pick of the draft,” Kiffin said.

One of the immediate priorities is working on McFadden’s ball security. He fumbled 15 times last season at Arkansas, although some of those came as a quarterback or kick returner as opposed to a tailback.

Rathman pointed out that McFadden carried held his elbow too far from his body when they first met before the draft last month and is working on fixing the flaw before the season.

“You’ve got to be a good fundamental football player, and that’s what we’re working on right now,” Rathman said. “Obviously, coming out of college his biggest negative was probably his ball security, so we’ve jumped on that early. He understands where we’re coming from. He’s using better technique, better decision on where he’s putting the ball at certain times. So he understands what he needs to do.”
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At some point, the season starts and Darren McFadden gets revved up and the Oakland fans will go wild.

Be sure to check out my companion blog at NBA Obsessed.

As always, any NFL Football related comments are welcome.

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NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

And out of the mist came Calvin Johnson

Why do we all think that later on we know better?

Let us go on record here. Your intrepid author wanted Calvin Johnson last year. Still do.

My friend, RonB, actually beat the drum for Adrian Peterson. Did he know something the rest of us didn’t? Maybe. Ask him.

Of course, it is easy to look backwards and say you should have picked the Lottery numbers that won.

Oakland, in my estimation, would have done better to trade their pick away for multiple picks. They are just too weak at many positions. But Al Davis was set on JaMarcus Russell and all his gaudy tryout stats. In other words, he fits the mold of a possible great one. How many of us disagreed with Al? Is that a hand in the back of the room?

Now there are many that are seemingly all knowing and criticize last year’s picks.

Is everybody finally ready to concede what’s now painfully obvious? The Lions blew it when they drafted Calvin Johnson last year with the second overall pick instead of offensive tackle Joe Thomas or running back Adrian Peterson. The final piece of damning evidence against the decision is the team’s preparation for next month’s draft. source

Now you put me in the position of defending the General Manager of the Detroit Lions, Mr. His Name We do not Speak. Not being privy to what other teams were really offering for the pick, Calvin was the obvious choice. Obvious.

Joe Thomas was a left tackle. The Lions had one already.

Adrian Peterson had a history of injuries in college and Kevin Jones was due to return and Tatum Bell was under contract.
Calvin Johnson would fit Mike Martz offensive scheme.

But, more important, the Browns and Vikings are both on an upward trajectory, thanks largely to those selections.

The Lions are headed downward.

The underlying message is irrefutable. Wide receivers aren’t building blocks for success. They’re merely supportive components.

Hope Jerry Rice is not listening or Randy Moss or Terrell Owens.

Wait, did he say the Browns and Vikes are headed up?

The Vikes improved because of Read more

NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.

Mike Florio of Yahoo.com took a look around the NFL and gives you his Top 5 Trends for the NFL for next year. Your intrepid author’s comments are in italics.

1. College coaches need not apply

The Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino experiences are all the evidence any NFL owner should need to scratch the names of all college coaches from the list of candidates for open jobs in January ‘08….

In college, the best coaches are the best recruiters. He who hoards the most talent can win without a 100-page playbook, a game plan or a well-timed time out. Pro football has a flat playing field — leveled by the salary cap and free agency. So the talent gap is small.

NFL success arises from finding a way to consistently get more out of players of, for the most part, relatively equal abilities.

Squibster: Whoa, hold on here. Don’t condemn all college coaches for Saban and Petrino. Certainly a college coach may need some learning time, but come on. Besides, owners are not this smart or we would not have the Detroit Lions.

2. It’s still a league of quarterbacks

Though talent is compressed in the NFL, the biggest differences exist at the quarterback position. There simply isn’t one capable quarterback per franchise…

The dynamic is played out most obviously in Minnesota, where young starter Tarvaris Jackson has been unable to take advantage of the eight-man fronts clogging Adrian Peterson’s running lanes…

It’s no coincidence that the best teams feature guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Tony Romo and Brett Favre. As long as they play at a high level, their teams will remain in contention for the Lombardi Trophy.

Squibster: Hey no mention of Jon Kitna? Thus the value of Read more