Much like most of the teams in the NFL, the Raiders are not expected to play their starters much on Friday night, if at all. By now, Hue Jackson has a good idea as to who will be starting come the Raiders season opener in Denver on Monday Night Football.
But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason to tune in and watch the Raiders final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Friday’s game is the first and only chance for Raiders fans to see Terrelle Pryor in action before he is forced to serve his suspension. While Jackson has yet to confirm that Pryor will play for sure, it is hard to imagine a situation where the Raiders decide that they do not even want to take a look at their possible quarterback of the future.
Most likely, Jason Campbell will play one series, maybe two before stepping aside for the backups. I would then expect Kyle Boller and Trent Edwards to see significant time as the backup quarterback spot has not been decided yet. However, come the fourth quarter, it is highly likely that Pryor will get a shot to make his first appearance in the Silver and Black.
Raiders fans are already excited about the opportunity to see what Pryor can do. That interest, however, can only have sky rocketed this week will all of the wonderlic score stories. Like most people, I could care less what he scored on the wonderlic, I am only concerned with how he looks on the field.
Position Battles
There are some position battles still up in the air going into the final preseason game. Besides the backup quarterback competition I mentioned above, Jackson will likely still be paying close attention to the Raiders offensive line.
It would appear that the line from center out to left tackle is set in stone. Veldheer’s starting spot at left tackle was never questioned. Meanwhile, Stefan Wisniewski is looking set at left guard and Samson Satele set at the center position.
The right side of the line, on the other hand, is completely up for grabs. The right guard spot will see competition from Cooper Carlisle, Daniel Loper and Bruce Campbell. The right tackle spot, probably the weakest spot on Oakland’s offensive line, will see competition between Khalif Barnes, Stephon Heyer and rookie Joseph Barksdale.
There is also still a question as to the nickel corner spot. Jackson will likely want to see a lot more of rookie Demarcus Van Dyke, as well as second year players Walter McFadden and Jeremy Ware. McFadden has had an attrotious preseason, but Ware is finally starting to come on, and with a solid performance against the Seahawks, could earn himself some playing time this season.