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The Raiders public relations primed the fan base for a switch to the 3-4 defense with a story about the Raiders "evolving" defense and how the Raiders played the 3-4 during super bowl seasons. When it comes to switching from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4 defense, there is one major factor to consider: Are the players suited for the 3-4? This is where arguments can be made. The reality is the Raiders have tried just about everything to stop the run and still been unable to do so. It could be blamed on players, but most of the players in the front seven have turned over or changed positions from year to year. You can't really blame the coaches, they keep changing and the result remains the same. The only thing left to blame is the culure and the scheme. So the scheme is the next logical thing to change, as the owner doesn't see anything wrong with the culture he has created. It would be easy to think the Raiders' man-to-man defense would make for a poor secondary, but ...

What would a day of contract announcements be without two more? Kyle Boller got a slight bump in pay to $1.25 million and will be the primary backup to Jason Campbell. Hiram Eugene was signed for four years and will make $2 million in 2011, $2.25 in 2012, $2.75 in 2013 and $3.25 in 2014. Eugene will be paid like a fringe starter and be the primary insurance against losing Michael Huff. Stevie Brown could also be a factor. The Raiders have now signed or tagged: Michael Bennett Daniel Loper Nick Miller Rock Cartwright Stanford Routt John Henderson Richard Seymour Kamerion Wimbley Samson Satele Michael Bush Zach Miller Hiram Eugene Kyle Boller

Daniel Loper and Michael Bennett signed contracts prior to the Collective Bargaining Agreement expiring. Loper signed for two years and $4.2 million. The contract contains $300,000 bonus and he will make $1.9 million in 2011 and $2 million in 2012. At that number he should be the favorite to start at left guard in 2011. Bennett signed a one-year $890,000 contract that makes him the primary insurance policy against losing Michael Bush. That means since the end of the regular season, the Raiders have signed or tagged the following players: Michael Bennett Daniel Loper Nick Miller Rock Cartwright Stanford Routt John Henderson Richard Seymour Kamerion Wimbley Samson Satele Michael Bush Zach Miller The last three are likely to be unrestricted free agents when the league and the union agree on a new CBA. Michael Huff and Nnamdi Asomugha will also be unrestricted free agents. What was a huge free agent class for the Raiders has been whittled down to five key players. I theorized the Raiders w...

By Rick Drummond, Profootballfocus.com (on twitter: @PFF_Rick) Remember 2003? That was the last time we found ourselves looking out to either side of Raider formations to see Tim Brown and Jerry Rice taking their positions, surveying coverage, itching to shred that zone or shake that man. Washing over you was a feeling you felt so many times during the seasons leading to that one - the sense that no matter who they were facing, our guys just couldn’t be covered. The Raider passing attack in those days was just that, an attack. A well-planned, well-executed, diverse, and determined attack. 2003, however, was when the wheels came off. Since then, our gazes out to the edge have been greeted by visions of Javon Walker, Ashley Lelie, Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry, Randy Moss, Doug Gabriel, almost Drew Carter … and the current crop. Of course, there were hopeful moments along the way (really, there were) and we should force upon ourselves more realistic expectations than ever again fielding a ...

The Raiders announced what had been expected for weeks. Chuck Bresnahan will be the Raiders new defensive coordinator. It is a disappointment to most fans. Bresnahan doesn't have a great track record leading defenses nor was he great when he we was the Raiders coordinator. One drawback of hiring Bresnahan is that every defensive struggle will be blamed on him, instead of the players. Will Bresnahan stand up to Al Davis? Will Bresnahan command respect from his players? Is he capable of motivating his players? There are a multitude of problems with Bresnahan, not the least of which is his track record. He's never lead a top NFL defense. He's never lead a top NFL position group. The only hope is that Bresnahan has learned from his failure and it is finally his time to shine.

I just received word that the Raiders placed the high restricted free agent tender on both Zach Miller and Michael Bush. Makes sense from a Raiders perspective and there is a poor chance they actually have to play for those tenders in 2011. The new CBA will dictate what happens. Both players could be free agents or both could play under the tags, but they should ultimately be free agents. More info and analysis to come...

Kamerion Wimbley was designated the Raiders franchise player. In typical Al Davis form, the tag was of the exclusive variety. This means Wimbley will be paid the average of the top five paid linebackers this season, instead of the average of the same group last season. That figure is estimated to be $11.2 million. The usage of the exclusive tag is a move that helps build a case against Al Davis. Why does he use the exclusive tender when the guaranteed salary and large compensation basically prohibits any team from offering Wimbley a contract? Wimbley isn't Peyton Manning, no one is going to offer two first-round draft picks for him when they could have had him a year ago for a third-round selection. There isn't a valid reason to spend the extra cash. The best anyone might be able to come up with is that a new CBA could lower compensation for signing another team's franchise player, but the chance of the CBA changing the franchise structure is extremely remote. It just doesn...