When Jon Gruden last coached a game for the Raiders, he had a roster that featured Hall of Famers Tim Brown and Jerry Rice, soon-to-be Hall of Famer Charles Woodson and Hall of Fame-caliber players Steve Wisniewski, Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler.
That came in the 2001 season. He returned to the Raiders last week after having been retired for nine years and inherited a roster that has its share of talented players. As detailed in a story that was posted earlier today, the 2001 Raiders have the clear-cut edge in 16 of 24 head-to-head positional breakdowns, including the kicker and punter.
What follows is a side-by-side comparison of the Raiders starting roster from Gruden’s final game in his first tenure and the starting roster that he has to work with for the upcoming season:
Position 2001 2017
Quarterback Rich Gannon Derek Carr
Running back Charlie Garner Marshawn Lynch
Wide receiver Tim Brown Amari Cooper
Fullback Jon Ritchie Jamize Olawale
Wide receiver Jerry Rice Michael Crabtree
Tight end Roland Williams Jared Cook
Offensive tackle Barry Sims Donald Penn
Guard Frank Middleton Kelechi Osemele
Center Barret Robbins Rodney Hudson
Guard Steve Wisniewski Gabe Jackson
Offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy Marshall Newhouse
Defensive end Tony Bryant Mario Edwards Jr.
Defensive end Regan Upshaw Khalil Mack
Defensive tackle Grady Jackson Justin Ellis
Defensive tackle Roderick Coleman Eddie Vanderdoes
Outside linebacker Elijah Alexander Bruce Irvin
Outside linebacker William Thomas Nicholas Morrow
Middle linebacker Greg Biekert NaVorro Bowman
Cornerback Charles Woodson David Amerson
Cornerback Eric Allen Sean Smith
Strong safety Johnnie Harris Karl Joseph
Free safety Anthony Dorsett Reggie Nelson
Kicker Sebastian Janikowski Giorgio Tavecchio
Punter Shane Lechler Marquette King
Wow. Well when you put it like that…Gruden has some work to do. Mack, Osemele and Irvin are the only guys on today’s squad who are unquestionably better. You can make arguments at other positions but those are the only 3 unquestionably better. Ouch.
Would be nice to have Woodson and Allen back. Say whatever you want about Al, but don’t say he didn’t know how to find db’s. Hayes and Haynes are arguably the greatest duo ever…
Corkran, did you ever actually see Lechler punt?
Countless times he would kick from the 50 and boot it into the end zone. It was like he only cared about his average. King is 100% better at pinning them inside the 20. Lechler stunk.
Well, Kevin, I can say that I saw every one of Shane Lechler’s punts during his Raiders career. So, I would think that counts for plenty when making a judgment on whether Lechler or Marquette King is the better option. As for the story, it takes into account what they have accomplished to this point and how good they were at the time. Hope that helps. Thanks for the comment.
Cork