Addition of Wimbley paying dividends for Raiders

NAPA, Calif (AP) - The trade for Jason Campbell and a heralded draft class got all the attention when it came to the moves the Oakland Raiders made this offseason.

With his performance so far in the preseason, outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley is making sure his addition in a trade from Cleveland isn't overlooked.

Wimbley had four sacks in the first half of last week's exhibition win at Chicago, overwhelming Bears starting left tackle Chris Williams with speed and moves the Raiders haven't had since Derrick Burgess' Pro Bowl years in 2005-06.

"Anytime you can go against a starter in the NFL, be productive and have a great game, that's great," Wimbley said. "It definitely shows that I'm here to compete and be serious and, hopefully, be a good addition to this team; a good addition that can help us win more games in the future."

Wimbley appears to be doing just that so far with his new team. He drew praise from coach Tom Cable after the first exhibition game in Dallas for his ability to shore up the defense against power runs.

He followed that up with the dominating perfomance from his outside linebacker spot as well as from nickel rush end position.

He started fast with an 11-yard sack to end Chicago's first drive of the night. Wimbley sacked Jay Cutler again on a third down in the second quarter before getting two more on Chicago's final drive of the opening half.

"He has great speed off the edge," Cable said. "He's a dynamic rusher in terms of what he's doing with his hands and his pass-rushing moves. He works on it diligently. If you look back at the history of him even coming out of Florida State, that's always been his one real niche is the fact that he could get to the quarterback. I just think it's a combination of his speed and athleticism with a guy who understands what he's doing in terms of the technique of rushing the passer."

The Raiders had few doubts about Wimbley's ability as a pass rusher. But there were some questions about how he would fare in coverage against tight ends for a team that faces San Diego and Antonio Gates twice each season.

Wimbley passed his first test against the Bears, staying with Greg Olsen on a deep route down the sideline and breaking up the play.

"I think that play from a coaching standpoint was as big if not bigger than the sacks," Cable said. "That was something we were waiting to see and Olsen is a quality, quality player. It shows Kam has the ability to do those things. It certainly brings something to our defense."

Wimbley entered the NFL with high expectations after being drafted 13th overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2006. He had 11 sacks as a rookie in a promising start to his career.

He was unable to match that production in his final three seasons in Cleveland, recording 15 1/2 sacks in that stretch and was traded to Oakland by new president Mike Holmgren for a third-round pick in March.

"I was somewhat surprised," Wimbley said. "I'll admit that. But when a new regime comes in, new management, you know you have to kind of expect anything to happen. So when I got the call, I just basically took a little bit of time to gather myself and you know look at the roster here and saw that they had really good talent. So I think it was a good move for me and a good situation for me to be in."

The deal got somewhat lost in the offseason hype in part because it came on the same day as Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament and on the day Cleveland traded quarterback Brady Quinn to Denver.

But it was an important move for the Raiders, who were looking to upgrade at linebacker. Cable called that one of the team's biggest weaknesses last season but that is no longer the case with rookie Rolando McClain in the middle between Wimbley and Trevor Scott.

The Raiders have been on the wrong end of these types of deals in recent years, most notably when they shipped Randy Moss to New England for a fourth-round pick in 2007. But this time they benefited when another team got rid of a talented player who no longer fit.

"Honestly I'm just happy we got him," Cable said. "I'm glad that they didn't want him if that's the case and he's ours. I'll leave it at that."

Notes: Rookie Jared Veldheer will start at center Saturday against San Francisco in place of injured starter Samson Satele. ... WR Chaz Schilens will miss a couple of weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Cable said the team should have a better idea about Schilens' status for the opener Sept. 12 against Tennessee next week.