Defense Midseason Grades

How does an offense that scores 11 1/2 points per game win two games?It doesn't. The defense does.The ' defensive unit, in the team's lone two wins this season, generated over 38 percent of the total points scored, recording an equal amount of touchdowns as the offense.At the midway point of 6 Sanchez Purple AFL50th jersey
the season, Rob Ryan's defense ranks ninth in yardage allowed, a disciplined eighth in penalties committed, sixth in interceptions and boasts one the NFL's most dominant pass rushers.As the primary reason why the Raiders have two wins this season, let's evaluate how the unit has fared thus far.Defensive line: Oakland's D-line has been inconsistent, at best. In the team's six losses, the defensive front has allowed a total of 952 rushing yards, just under 160 yards per game. In their two wins, though, they held running backs Edgerrin James and Willie Parker to 34 and 83 yards, respectively.Individually, the veterans have stepped up, particularly as of late. Twenty-eight-year-old end Derrick Burgess and 33-year-old tackle Warren Sapp have combined for 12 of the defense's 17 sacks. Reserve tackle Terdell Sands has also shown flashes of greatness when given the opportunity to play; the 6-foot-7, 335-pound mammoth has recorded 24 tackles and an interception through eight games, despite starting in none of them.Beyond that, however, undersized DT Tommy Kelly has continued to struggle in plugging the inside on rushes. And, along the end, Tyler Brayton has stolen another seven undeserving starts this the season, recording just 22 tackles and a $25,000 fine. This offseason, Oakland should look to replace Brayton and find a run-stuffing nose tackle in the draft's later rounds.Grade: C-Linebackers: The Danny Clark dilemma has been resolved.Twenty-four-year-old Kirk Morrison has quickly become one of the most promising young linebackers in the NFL. Through eight games, the San Diego State grad has recorded a team-leading 67 tackles, on pace to shatter his rookie mark of 116. Alongside, 23-year-old rookie Thomas Howard has also surpassed expectations; the second-round draft choice is on pace for 108 tackles this season. Finally, Sam Williams and Robert Thomas, who have rotated in and out of the final linebacking slot, have also played particularly well. 4 Brett Favre Purple jersey
The pair has combined for 42 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a sack.The young crew of linebackers is playing their first season together; however, they are much of the reason the Raiders' total defense ranks ninth in the NFL, despite being on the field a 30th-ranked 32:50 a game.Grade: B+Cornerbacks: The Raiders' pass defense ranks second in the NFL, just one yard behind the hyped Chicago Bears unit. Beyond Chicago and Oakland, no team ranks within 10 yards.After recording a dismal, record-setting five-interception season in 2005, the Raiders' defense has already recorded a fifth-best 10 interceptions this year. The team's cornerbacks account for seven of those 10; Nnamdi Asomugha has snagged three, while Fabian Washington, Chris Carr, Tyrone Poole and Stanford Routt have each recorded one.Despite a lack of a consistent pass rush, Oakland's young crew of cornerbacks has performed consistently well week in and week out. Had it not been for Javon Walker's 55-yard grab in Week 6 and Deion Branch's 22-yard touchdown reception in Week 9, Oakland's cornerbacks would be a clear-cut "A."Grade: A-Safeties: Like the team's cornerbacks, Oakland's pair of safeties is notably young.At free safety, 25-year-old Stuart Schweigert has been far from flashy this season, but has been one of the defense's most consistent performers. The third-year safety has already recorded 58 tackles, good for second on the team, along with three pass deflections. Most importantly, though, Schweigert has cut down his amount of missed tackles this season considerably, which is something that plagued him in his first two NFL seasons.Alongside, 23-year-old first-rounder Michael Huff has had his share of ups and downs. Huff currently ranks fourth on the team in tackles with 36, but just recently posted one of his worst outings of his young NFL career in the team's 16-0 loss at Seattle. Just two weeks prior, though, Huff registered a promising four tackles and a safety in a 22-9 win 43 Polamalu white jersey
over Arizona. Thus far, No. 24 has had his share of bumps in the road; however, it's safe to say the young defensive back's career shows a very promising future. Plus, it's already better than Derrick Gibson's.Grade: BWant to be in the Raiders mailbag? Visit RaidersLive.com to submit your questions and comments for the Nov. 17 mailbag. Check back to RealFootball365.com daily for more news. (24)