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Coming off the most productive season of his NFL career, Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan made a startling admission this week when he acknowledged he hadn't even studied the team's blocking schemes in 2005.
That Jordan still managed to rush for 1,025 yards while finishing second on the team with 70 receptions was noteworthy, but the numbers weren't nearly enough to push him into the class of elite running backs.
Neither did it do much to help an anemic offense that was 29th in the NFL in rushing, 23rd in scoring and 28th in time of possession.
Jordan vows that won't happen again.
"I'm a lot more focused this year," said Jordan, who led Oakland with 11 touchdowns last season. "Last year I was ready for them to put in a certain type of run game (and) I never really did make the adjustment and say, 'Hey, this is what they're going to do so this is what I have to do."'
That certainly wasn't what the Raiders had in mind when they signed Jordan as a free agent to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in March 2005. A backup to Curtis Martin in New York, Jordan jumped at the opportunity to become a full-time starter in the NFL and vowed to breathe life back into the Raiders' moribund running game.
That plan never came to fruition, though Jordan had varying degrees of success throughout the season. He was the only player in the NFL to rank in the top 20 in rushing yards, receptions, total yards from scrimmage, first downs and in scoring.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/specials/preview/2006/08/03/bc.fbn.raiders.jordan.ap/index.html
That Jordan still managed to rush for 1,025 yards while finishing second on the team with 70 receptions was noteworthy, but the numbers weren't nearly enough to push him into the class of elite running backs.
Neither did it do much to help an anemic offense that was 29th in the NFL in rushing, 23rd in scoring and 28th in time of possession.
Jordan vows that won't happen again.
"I'm a lot more focused this year," said Jordan, who led Oakland with 11 touchdowns last season. "Last year I was ready for them to put in a certain type of run game (and) I never really did make the adjustment and say, 'Hey, this is what they're going to do so this is what I have to do."'
That certainly wasn't what the Raiders had in mind when they signed Jordan as a free agent to a five-year, $27.5 million contract in March 2005. A backup to Curtis Martin in New York, Jordan jumped at the opportunity to become a full-time starter in the NFL and vowed to breathe life back into the Raiders' moribund running game.
That plan never came to fruition, though Jordan had varying degrees of success throughout the season. He was the only player in the NFL to rank in the top 20 in rushing yards, receptions, total yards from scrimmage, first downs and in scoring.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/specials/preview/2006/08/03/bc.fbn.raiders.jordan.ap/index.html
