Explaining the Raiders' ranking

May 12, 2008 3:40 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Our power rankings place Oakland No. 26. I ranked the Raiders at No. 27. This is consistent for a team that went 4-12 last season and has won a league-low 19 games in the past five seasons.

Yes, the Raiders have picked up some exciting new names and spent a ton of money. But to expect Oakland to shoot up the rankings because they added Darren McFadden and Javon Walker to the offense would be naïve. This team still has major issues on both lines and quarterback JaMarcus Russell has yet to prove he can be a capable NFL starter. So, the Raiders are ranked in the right place for now.

Raiders, power rankings

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