Not so Fast, we already have a nice secondary!!!!!!!!!!
Darius doesn't fit in Raiders' future plans
By Anthony Carroll on June 19, 2007 12:33 AM
http://www.realfootball365.com/nfl/articles/2007/06/raiders-darius-doesntfit190607.html
Adam Schefter, yet again, has given Oakland Raider fans something to talk about.
This time around, the news -- or educated buzz -- isn't so bad.
Last Friday, Schefter reported that the recently-released Donovin Darius, a former safety for the Jacksonville Jaguars , was on Oakland's radar. According to the longtime NFL analyst, the Raiders are one of three teams who have taken a serious look at the veteran safety, but not the top team in the race.
"Buffalo, Carolina and Oakland already have expressed an interest, which shouldn't be overly surprising," Schefter wrote. "No team has a greater need for a veteran safety of Darius' ilk than the Panthers."
Though Carolina finished fourth in the NFL in pass defense in '06, their likely starter at strong safety, Nate Salley, is an inexperienced 23-year-old with no career starts and just four NFL tackles.
Darius, who turns 32 years old in early August, has played his last, and only, nine NFL seasons with the Jaguars. Selected 25th overall in the 1998 -- 21 picks behind ex-Raider defensive back Charles Woodson -- Darius has appeared in 115 games since his rookie season and recorded 614 tackles, 14 interceptions and 35 passes defended.
For Oakland, inking Darius -- now a premier NFL free agent -- would certainly be a major signing, perhaps the biggest of their eventful offseason.
Though, it may not be a necessary or well-advised one.
The Raiders, who had the NFL's best pass defense in 2006, already have an ample amount of talent in the defensive backfield, including three safety draft additions over the last two years. Most importantly, the two starters who helped the silver and black rise to the top of the defensive charts last season, Michael Huff and Stuart Schweigert, are set to return next season.
Huff, 24, was Oakland's first-round pick last offseason, and capped off his rookie campaign with 16 starts and 78 tackles. Schweigert, an early third-round pick from 2004, turns 26 on Thursday, and has started 32 games in three years with 246 total tackles, two interceptions and 14 passes defended.
Together, the young pair of safeties started in all 16 games in 2006, and helped the Raider secondary hold opposing offenses to just 150.8 passing yards per game.
Despite being injury-free at safety in '06, though, Oakland still has solid depth at the position heading into '07, even without an addition like Donovin Darius.
Behind Huff and Schweigert, the Raiders' roster includes Darnell Bing and Eric Frampton, two late round picks from '06 and '07, respectively, as well as veterans Colin Branch and Jarrod Cooper.
Bing, a fourth rounder from USC, has made a return to safety this offseason, and has reportedly "flourished at strong safety," according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Meanwhile, Frampton, who was taken 165th overall in late April, has the chance to see the field next season after back-to-back strong seasons with Washington State. As a junior in 2005, Frampton recorded a team-leading 87 tackles, along with one interception and eight pass deflections. Then, as a senior, the 23-year-old followed up with a 100-tackle, five-interception season.
Oakland also recently brought in Colin Branch, an ex-Carolina Panther, to join the team. Branch, who has appeared in 48 games in four years, joined the Raiders on June 11th, and brings veteran leadership to a young secondary.
"I'm a veteran guy, been around, been on a winning program out there at Carolina," Branch said after being signed. "Hopefully I can be a versatile guy who can do a lot of different things for them, which seems to be what they're asking me to do."
Finally, Jarrod Cooper, a fan favorite and special teams standout, has the ability to come in at safety and offer support in deep coverage. The six-year veteran has made his presence felt mostly on special teams over the last three seasons in Oakland, but has also seen plenty of action at safety when needed.
Of course, Darius, if signed, would undoubtedly become the secondary's' most aged, distinguished coverage man. He would almost certainly start, too.
Though, after a successful defensive campaign in '06 with a cast of young defensive backs, Darius would be taking time from a handful of young, high-potential safeties who would otherwise see plenty of time behind Huff and Schweigert.
At this point, adding veterans to the offense, not the defense, may make a bit more sense.
Unless, of course, Darius can play defensive tackle, too
