The Oakland Raiders made another move to try to upgrade their defense by signing free agent defensive end Greg Spires to a one-year contract. Spires will compete for a job at right defensive end in Oakland.
The Raiders have been looking for someone to complement left end Derrick Burgess since losing Chris Clemons as a free agent to Philadelphia. Oakland signed Kalimba Edwards from Detroit earlier this offseason and drafted Trevor Scott in the sixth round from Buffalo. But Spires - who has recorded 39.5 sacks in his 10-year NFL career - is the leading candidate to start on the right side for the Raiders.
The Raiders had the 25th rated defense in the NFL last season on the way to a 4-12 record. But they have made moves this offseason to improve that side of the ball, trading for shutdown cornerback DeAngelo Hall from Atlanta, signing safety Gibril Wilson and re-signing defensive lineman Tommy Kelly.
In my opinion, these kind of signings tend to fly under the radar. Oakland is a young team that can lack leadership at times. Now they add a guy like Spires - who was part of a Super Bowl winning team in Tampa - and the Raiders just don't get better on the field, they also add some much needed leadership in the locker room.
I really think this Oakland team is ready to improve. It's a shame Al Davis is causing so many internal problems and won't think of the good of the franchise he built and step down. Trust me, I've seen the guy in person. He looks like the walking dead. Davis has no business making the final decisions on important matters, and most inside the organization recognize this simple fact. Point in case, most people think Kiffin did a solid job in Oakland last season and Davis wanted to fire him. The guy is completely senile.
However, even with Davis holding onto the decision-making duties like grim death - which isn't far off for him by the way - I still like the Raiders to win 7-8 games this season. Actually, over the Raiders win total will be one of my biggest wagers this offseason. The lines aren't out yet but I expect Oakland to start at 5.5 wins. If so, I will pounce on it. I will almost guarantee six wins by a much-improved Raider team, even if the owner is going crazy.
What do you guys think of the Raiders this season? How many games do you see them winning and do you like my over play at 5.5 wins?