Oakland's 2012 season was pretty much a disaster, and a lot of the blame is being given to former offensive coordinator Greg Knapp. Franchise runner Darren McFadden averaged just 3.3 yards per carry in Knapp's zone-blocking scheme, so new coordinator Greg Olson will be scrapping that system.
"After a year of having to look at it, maybe [McFadden] is a downhill runner," says Olson. "So we'll get back to some of the gap schemes and things he does well." The story in the San Jose Mercury News says the new offense will more closely resemble that of 2010, McFadden's only 1,000-yard season.
Not that that alone ensures McFadden will get back to that kind of production, but scrapping the zone blocking system looks like a positive for the runner's 2013 prospects.
At quarterback, meanwhile, the team is saying things that suggest they're at least considering turning the page on Carson Palmer. "There has to be competition at every position," says Olson, adding that the team needs to find out how good Terrelle Pryor can be. "We know what kind of an athlete he is. We need to find out what kind of decision maker he is."
Pryor started Oakland's Week 17 game last year, completing fewer than half of his passes but throwing for 150 yards and 2 TDs and rushing 9 times for 49 yards and 1 TD. The success of fellow Bay Area quarterback Colin Kaepernick naturally has the Raiders thinking about the potential of having their own dual-threat quarterback.
Carson Palmer is 33 years old and has a sizable contract; it wouldn't be stunning if the Raiders tried to cut ties with the veteran. Pryor's awfully green as a passer, but with the team not winning with Palmer, the chances of them turning the page for 2013 aren't as unlikely as you might think.
Such a switch might benefit McFadden, at least in terms of giving defenses a running quarterback to have to worry about, but it would be a negative for the team's receivers. Something to consider when looking at the pass catchers this offseason.
--Andy Richardson