Jason Campbell
- QB
- ,
- 45
- 230 lbs
- 6' 5"
- N/A
- Full Season Projection
- Dfs Projection
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Coach Tom Cable's desire to get tight end Zach Miller more involved in the passing game has meshed well with new quarterback Jason Campbell's penchant for finding his tight end on a regular basis.
At Monday's practice, Campbell twice looked Miller's way on a two-minute drive, and they connected for a touchdown on the final pass.
"I like it," Cable said of the chemistry between Miller and Campbell. "I really like it with that whole group, but those two guys are really starting to develop something, for sure. You take him in the red zone; you need a touchdown in that situation. You saw who he went to."
This comes as no surprise as Washington Redskins tight ends Chris Cooley and Fred Davis combined for 77 receptions for 841 yards and eight touchdowns last season with Campbell as their quarterback.
Another day, another practice session that doesn’t remind anyone of the glory days of Sid Gillman. At this point, the Kerry Collins of 2004-05 is starting to look good.
If you’ve been reading my Twitter page, it’s clear the Raiders’ passing game has left a lot to be desired more days than not.
Too may incompletions that stray too far from the target. Too many dropped passes. Too many routes cut short with receivers looking back with a surprised look on their face.
The Raiders are not lighting it up. The last few days, in fact, they seem to have regressed a bit. They’re certainly not any better to my untrained eye than they were a week and a half ago.
Quarterback Jason Campbell continues to throw some very nice passes as well as some others which he doesn’t seem to have timed up with his wide receivers. It’s a similar story for Kyle Boller, although Boller can’t throw on the run as well as Campbell.
Bruce Gradkowski is just getting back on the field with a groin strain and Colt Brennan is currently hoping for a few scraps.
Zach Miller remains the most reliable receiver. No surprise there. Louis Murphy makes the most impressive physical plays, but also misses a few chances at sensational chances _ missing them by a fraction _ and dropping some easy ones.
Darrius Heyward-Bey isn’t dropping passes at the rate he did last year, but disappears for stretches at a time.
You can't really be surprised these days when it comes to discouraging Raiders news. Campbell and any WR can't really be counted on as fantasy starters, at least at this point leading up to drafts. TE Zach Miller has some value, but the position is deep and he'll probably only be drafted as a backup.
Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey had a rookie season that he would just as soon forget.
That's not bound to happen when you're the seventh pick in the draft, get a contract that guarantees you $23.5 million and the immediate return is nine receptions in 11 games.
Rather than sulk or place blame elsewhere, Heyward-Bey went to work soon after the season ended in an attempt to become a more productive player.
"It hurt him what happened last year," Raiders cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said. "Naturally, he didn't feel good about the things that were said. It's not like it was a secret. He knew that he didn't play well. That hurt him. This year, it looks like he's had a different purpose. He's going out and doing well."
Coach Tom Cable singled out Heyward-Bey early in the offseason as having made significant strides since the end of last season.
The changes aren't difficult to spot. Heyward-Bey has bulked up to 215 pounds, 10 pounds more than last season. He no longer drops passes on a regular basis in practice, and he plays with an edge not seen at any point last season.
"If you're here, you can play in this league," Heyward-Bey said. "You just have to go out and make it happen."
To that end, Heyward-Bey makes it a point of staying after practice most days to work one on one with Asomugha, a two-time Pro Bowler.
Asomugha shows Heyward-Bey ways to disguise his pass routes, how to read a defender, anything to gain an edge.
Finding ways to improve has dominated Heyward-Bey's mind-set the past seven months or so. No energy gets wasted looking back.
"The biggest thing is how he handles it," Cable said. "If he does have a drop, if he does make a mistake, (it's) how he handles it the next play. That's the greatest growth I've seen in him. Real maturity."
Now Cable is eager to see that maturation carry over into games.
"The amount of pressure that was put on that kid from all angles, the scrutiny came the day he was picked, probably unfair, but, hey, this is the NFL and that's what it is," Cable said. "But with his work ethic and his character, he's going to be what he's supposed to be."
If the Raiders gave lazy, undedicated JaMarcus Russell ample time to prove himself, they are certainly going to give Heyward-Bey plenty of chances despite his shaky rookie season. The Raiders have certainly improved at quarterback with Jason Campbell and have some easy games on their schedule, but Heyward-Bey would need to light it up in preseason to be anything more than a late-round selection.
Obviously, Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable has a laundry list of things to work on after another 11-loss season. Tight end Zach Miller shouldn't be anywhere near that list after leading the team in receiving yards for the second straight season.
But he is, as Cable pointed out Friday at training camp in Napa.
"We have done a poor job of utilizing him in the red zone," Cable said. "If you just start right there, see where he would impact that part of the field, that would really raise his game to a whole new level."
Miller has raised his level of play each of his first three seasons in the league, improving his receptions from 44 to 56 to 66 and his receiving yards from 444 to 778 to 805. But his touchdown numbers have stayed grounded: three to one to three.
"That's definitely, easily, one of the biggest things we have to get done," Miller said. "If you look around, tight ends are huge in the red zone on other teams. We haven't had a lot of scoring chances, especially last year, but I know that is a big point of emphasis - getting me the ball in the red zone. You see other tight ends in the league scoring a lot of touchdowns, and you get envious. You want to be in there celebrating the touchdowns, and I believe this year, finally, will be the year it comes."
With the acquisition of quarterback Jason Campbell, the Raiders are confident the offense will be improved. Miller was especially excited about the trade, because Campbell has a history of utilizing his tight ends.
"I knew he did, so as soon as he got here, let's make sure we develop that right off the bat, get some chemistry right away so we can do that here too," Miller said.
In the short time together at minicamp, summer workouts, and the first two days of training camp, it's obvious they're acing the chemistry test.
"Oh yeah," Miller said. "We started developing that rapport with each other. I started making plays for him and then you get that trust. He knows where I am going to be out of my breaks, he knows timing, what my routes look like."
Especially the ones to the end zone.
Miller is also in a contract year, so he has ample incentive to increase his touchdown count. He may very well be on his way to his best season yet, but it's hard not to maintain some skeptism about the Raiders, even with Jason Campbell being an upgrade over JaMarcus Russell. Don't reach for Zach on draft day, as he's currently at 11 in our rankings. Still, Miller is good enough to be a weekly starter in 12-team leagues, and is worth using frequently in 10-team leagues as he'll have plenty of decent matchups.
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