Cohn: Raiders need to go 6-for-6 answering 'yes'

<p>OAKLAND</p><p>I'm at the Oakland Coliseum, bearing witness to the Raiders' fourth and final exhibition game. And because this game means zilch, I thought I'd entertain you (and me) by posing the Six Essential Raiders Questions as the Silver and Black approach their season opener Sept.12 in Tennessee.</p><p>Sports Illustrated picks the Raiders to finish second in the AFC West. For that to happen, despite the weak condition of the division, the Raiders will have to have “yes” answers to these questions.</p><p>Can Jason Campbell be a good quarterback? We know he can be a better quarterback than JaMarcus Russell, but that does not mean good. The Washington Redskins did not think Campbell could be as good as Donovan McNabb. Campbell's career has been hampered by having to adapt to too many offensive coordinators and too many new offensive systems. Welcome to Oakland, where he has yet another offensive coordinator and offensive system. That's not so good. He must show he can function under pressure and, frankly, he must show he's better than Bruce Gradkowski.</p><p>Can the offensive line be a good line? In recent years the offensive line has not run-blocked all that well and it's been a disaster for protecting quarterbacks. Left tackle Mario Henderson is responsible for the health of Campbell, which explains why Campbell wasn't so healthy when he finished playing against the 49ers last week. The line must improve for the Raiders to avoid yet another losing season.</p><p>Can Darren McFadden run between the tackles and can he stay healthy? McFadden gets hurt a lot. It's one body part or another with this flashy back. Although Michael Bush is the starter, McFadden needs to fulfill his promise. He'll get a head start in the fulfillment department if he actually can stay on the field. Once there, he needs to run between the tackles, as in up the gut, as in play tough-guy football. If he cannot do both of the above, the Raiders are hurting.</p><p>Can Tom Cable be a real coach? His record with the Raiders is 9-19. He's had lots of adversity – Russell was his quarterback – but, come on, his record is 9-19. That is not something a coach wants on his resume and the Raiders do not actually print his record in their media guide. He needs to prove he is not as bad as his record. Al Davis brought in Hue Jackson as the Raiders new offensive coordinator – we need to find out if he's good, too. Jackson will take over a huge part of Cable's duties and that will free Cable to do whatever it is he does.</p><p>Can the Raiders' wide receivers play like big-league receivers? The Raiders' best receiver is Chaz Schilens, who was hurt a lot last season and is hurt now. Vaunted first-round draft choice Darrius Heyward-Bey is not as good as Louis Murphy, who was a fourth-round choice. In fairness to Heyward-Bey, he has looked like a real football player as opposed to a failed experiment this preseason. Raiders' receivers will have to break free and catch the ball or it won't matter how good Campbell is (See Question No.1).</p><p>Can the defense stop the run? This is a big one. Last season, opposing runners broke through the Raiders' line like it was constructed of wet Kleenex. That won't do anymore. The defensive linemen, notably the slimmed-down Tommy Kelly (why was he so chubby before?) and Richard Seymour are intent on sacking the quarterback and sometimes lose track of those pesky running backs. That meant the linebackers had to control the run – never a good formula. The Raiders upgraded middle linebacker with Rolando McClain. But stopping the run all by his lonesome is too much to put on a rookie. Everyone needs to participate in the grunt work basic to football.</p><p>Those are the six essential questions. The Raiders need six affirmative answers.</p><p>For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.</p>