Matt Schaub was a polarizing acquisition by the Oakland Raiders -- at least by people not associated with the Oakland Raiders.
To many outsiders, Schaub is in irreversible decline, a veteran quarterback fortunate to be in line for an NFL starting job after a dreadful final season with the Houston Texans.
But the Raiders continue to be bullish about their new signal-caller. Charles Woodson is the senior member of Oakland's roster, a 37-year-old safety entering his 17th season. Woodson was asked Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio if Schaub is the man to lead the Raiders' offense in 2014.
"I think we're counting on it," Woodson said. "I think every man on the team is counting on him being the guy. You know, you bring him over from Houston, and it's been duly noted about the struggles that he had last year. But you can't discount the year that he had before last year so we're looking at last year as being an anomaly and that not being the true Matt Schaub.
"And the one thing I notice about him is he's always talking to (defensive coordinator) Jason Tarver after practice. So this is a guy that understands how to get better, knows what to look at, and in order to make himself better he's talking to the right people to help him get better. So we expect big things of him."
Woodson's point about Schaub's recent career is a fair one: In 2012, Schaub passed for more than 4,000 yards and posted a passer rating north of 90 -- legitimate starter production. If he can replicate that -- or come close -- backflips will be plentiful in the Raiders' front office.
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