Additions matter, but not as much as Justin Fargas"

Take a deep breath. OK, here we go. Gibril Wilson, Kwame Harris, Javon Walker, Drew Carter, William Joseph, DeAngelo Hall, Kalimba Edwards and John Wade.Those are the new faces the have acquired either via free agency or trade this offseason. Without a doubt, some of the additions -- namely, Wilson, Walker and Hall -- will immediately make an impact on the field in 2008. And some off the field, too. (Hall).That being said, it’ll be one player that’s worn nothing but a Raiders jersey throughout his entire career that will make the6 Super Bowl Champions jersey
most impact of all.Running back Justin Fargas, who will be entering his sixth season with the silver and black -- but first as a starter -- will be the player that makes the Raider offense tick in 2008. Fargas was re-signed to a three-year, $12 million contract in early February after rushing for 1,009 yards and four touchdowns on 222 carries (4.5 yards per attempt) in ‘07.In his five years with the Raiders (66 games and 14 starts), Fargas has carried the ball 480 times for 2,025 yards (4.2 per rush) and six touchdowns. The 6-foot-1 halfback has also caught 50 career passes for 358 yards.There’s no doubt that the bulk of the attention will be on second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell, though. The franchise has $61 million invested in the former first overall pick, and fans have seen the 6-foot-6, 255-pounder start just one game and attempt only 66 career passes, largely in very low-pressure situations.As it turns out, Oakland’s first game of the 2008 season will be under national spotlight. Oakland will host the Denver Broncos on ‘Monday Night Football’ on Sept. 8, the second contest in an ESPN doubleheader. All eyes will be on Russell … and the primary target he’ll be throwing to, former Denver Bronco but current Raider Javon Walker.Still, much of the game -- and the much of the Raiders’ season -- will ride on the shoulders of their 28-year-old running back. Fargas needs to not only worry about staying healthy, but also putting up good numbers to alleviate some of the pressure off of his young quarterback. The last thing Oakland needs is to rely on Russell immediately out the gates.In the sole four games Oakland came out on top last season, Fargas played a key role in each. The former USC rusher carried the ball a combined 85 times for 514 yards and two touchdowns in the four outings. Those numbers represent more than half of his total ground yardage on the season and exactly half of his touchdowns. On a game-by-game basis, that’s just over 21 carries for 129 yards.The Raiders do a have rather deep backfield behind Fargas, with the recently re-signed Dominic Rhodes, second-year rusher Michael Bush and the still-not-released LaMont Jordan waiting in the wings. If Oakland learned anything last season, though, it’s that6 Super Bowl Champions jersey black jersey
a running-back-by-committee system isn’t an effective route to take with the mix of players they have.Last year, the Raiders let three different running backs (Fargas, Jordan and Rhodes) start games, but Fargas was the leading ball carrier in three of the team’s four wins.Still, it will likely turn out next season that all eyes will be fixated on Russell and the new guys.As the season plays out, though, fans -- and opponents -- will soon find out that the key to beating the Raiders is stopping their rush-oriented offense. And that all starts with Justin Fargas.Anthony Carroll can be contacted at (12)