Far fewer will be watching at tight end, where the Raiders were traded up to select Bear Pascoe of Fresno State, only to have the 49ers get to him first.

Not to worry. Oakland made the trade with the idea of taking either Pascoe or Iowa's Cameron Myers, and was only too happy to take the All-Big Ten performer.

"We had to have a tight end with some physicalness to him so we could take some of that away from Zach Miller and use him in the passing game a little more," Cable said.

Miller, the Raiders' most sure-handed receiver, could have an increased role as a possession receiver while Raiders wideouts concentrate on getting down field. He had 44 receptions as a rookie and 56 in his second year.

--In terms of the front seven, the Raiders seemed willing to stand pat in terms of personnel despite the NFL's 31st ranked rushing defense.

Oakland passed on defensive linemen such as B.J. Raji and Brian Orakpo, and linebackers such as Rey Maualuga. They are counting on strong safety Mike Mitchell eventually being a presence in the box against the run, but what coach Tom Cable expects is a better performance from the players he has.

"The running game is addressed in a couple of ways," Cable said. "We've got to coach better and clean up some of the things we're doing, system-wise. I think we've addressed that by the coaching staff we hired."

That could be construed as a shot at defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who take the same position with the Cleveland Browns, and linebackers coach Don Martindale, now the linebackers coach in Denver.

The coaches entrusted with upgrading the discipline and cleaning up the details are defensive coordinator John Marshall and linebackers coach Mike Haluchak.

--One assistant coach with his hands full is wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal, promoted from a quality control assistant to replace James Lofton, who was re-assigned.

Lal takes over not only the development of Heyward-Bey, but fourth-round pick Louis Murphy and the two players who ended the season as starters

last season -- Johnnie Lee Higgins, who enters his third year, and Chaz Schilens, a seventh-round pick who caught 15 passes and averaged 15.1 yards per catch as a rookie.

Owner Al Davis spoke glowingly of Higgins and Schilens at the press conference announcing Cable's hiring and thought former coach Lane Kiffin erred in keeping them under wraps for too long.

The boss is expecting a step up. Lal isn't likely to get any help in terms of a veteran mentor wide receiver.

As it stands, the senior member of the receiving corps is wide receiver Javon Walker, who took a substantial cut in pay to remain on the roster and whose personal life includes being witness to the murder of teammate Darren Williams and a back alley beating while partying in Las Vegas.

When asked if a stabilizing influence could be acquired, Cable sad, "Probably not. I like the group now. We're very satisfied. Had Murphy not been there, that was definitely an option. Now we've got another talented guy who can really run."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If I get a shot to hit you, then I'm going to try and knock the person out." -- Raiders safety Mike Mitchell, taking his role as hitter seriously.