New targets make Zach Miller more of a weapon

The have spent $57 million this offseason to bolster their wide receiving corps. Nearly all of that -- $55 million -- will go to ex-Denver Broncos wideout Javon Walker over the next six years. The remaining $2 million is owed to former Panthers pass catcher Drew Carter.So the pressure is really on 2010 pro bowl 4 Brett Favre Blue jersey
for Zach Miller.Miller’s not a new addition to the team. He’s not playing under a pricey contract (he’ll make just $370,000 this season). He’s not even a wide receiver.But the 22-year-old tight end managed to haul in 44 balls for 444 yards last season when four of the team’s top seven receivers -- LaMont Jordan, Justin Griffith, Justin Fargas and Dominic Rhodes -- were running backs. And of the two other non-running back pass catchers that managed to top that list, neither even came close to approaching the 1,000-yard mark.Now, Oakland’s receiving corps has undergone a major facelift. Unlike last year, they should be able to stretch the field, opening up more room for Miller to work with.Ronald Curry is the only starting wideout set to return in 2008, and he’ll be working alongside two-time 1,000-yard pass catcher Javon Walker, instead of longtime Raider Jerry Porter. In the slot, instead of the Mike Williams/Tim Dwight lineup that split the 2007 season in half, Drew Carter will take on the primary duties. Second-year player Johnnie Lee Higgins is also expected to play a bigger role in ‘08.Team owner Al Davis didn’t dare touch his lineup of tight ends, however, which is headed by Miller.The former second round pick from Arizona State shattered a 19-year Raider rookie receiving record (say that five times fast) last season by catching 44 balls. In 1988, the team’s all-time leading receiver, Tim Brown, caught 43 passes for 725 yards and five TDs as a rookie.What was more remarkable was that Miller achieved that feat with very few weapons around him. Quarterbacks Josh McCown and Daunte Culpepper split the season at quarterback, each struggling along the way, and certainly didn’t enjoy a wide array of options through the air.All said and done, halfback LaMont Jordan, who played essentially half of a season, still managed to finish fourth on the team in catches. Curry led the team with 55 grabs, with Miller and Porter tied beneath with 44. Outside of that short list was FB Griffith with 26 receptions, Fargas with 23 and Rhodes with 11.Essentially, there wasn’t all too much for opposing secondaries to defend last season. Oakland did finish, after all, 31st in the NFL in passing last year.Next season, the Raiders will certainly be expecting a more opened up aerial attack, working more with the wideouts and less out of the backfield. Second-year quarterback JaMarcus Russell will be looking primarily to Walker, Curry and Carter to stretch the 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
field.That should, however, open up the middle of the field for Miller, who caught a career high eight passes in the final week of the season when Russell started his first game in the NFL.With more weapons on the field and Russell starting full time, Zach Miller may quickly emerge as the Raiders’ breakout player in 2008.Anthony Carroll can be contacted at (18)