The Raiders are more or less starting over in 2012.
In the wake of Al Davis' passing, not much is particularly recognizable about Oakland's franchise besides the uniforms. Most notably, Davis is no longer there. But the team also moves forward with new faces in charge at every position: Dennis Allen is a first-time head coach after being defensive coordinator for the Broncos, Greg Knapp is a first-time offensive coordinator, taking the step up from being a QB coach for the Texans, and Jason Tarver is a first-time NFL defensive coordinator after being co-coordinator at Stanford. That's a lot of "first-times" to throw around, and that's just in the three most notable positions.
Unfortunately, there aren't many rookies to break in. The Raiders traded away five of their seven draft picks and didn't select until the 95th overall pick. On the bright side, there's plenty of change going on in Oakland's silver and black. Carson Palmer will be attempting to establish rapport with his wide receivers in his first full season in Oakland. Palmer had mixed results in his ten games with Oakland -- 13 touchdowns, 16 picks -- but now has the benefit of a full offseason with his team and a new, perhaps improved, offensive gameplan under Allen.
For more on the Raiders, check out Silver and Black Pride as well as SB Nation Bay Area. For more training camp news and all the latest on the NFL, stick to SB Nation's dedicated NFL hub.
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