One Postgame Take
Apparently, the Raiders just aren't very good, and here we go again. After squeaking past a mediocre Browns team last week, the Raiders came back down to earth with a thud in Los Angeles, and now stand at 1-4.
It's safe to say that THE GRUDEN SHOW is off to a terrible start.
Amari Cooper was a ghost yet again (seems to happen every other game). Derek Carr threw an incredibly bad INT at the one yard line, which was probably poetic justice for Gruden simply failing to run Lynch on that play. Sometimes it's like they're trying to outthink the room, but don't have the brains to actually do it. And the defense seems to stink, yet again.
Al Davis departed this earth in 2011, and this is all his inheritors (Mark, Reggie and now Gruden--as owner / GMs) have to show for it? If this team isn't starting over, then what is it building upon?
Brace yourselves. If something doesn't change very soon, Gruden (even if he's part of the problem) will have no choice (or inclination, at least) but to push the reset button harder than he already has. And off they will fly to Vegas, sputtering and wheezing, into the arms of a new bride with promises that they have mended their ways. And for those left behind, what might have been a sweet goodbye will be just another bitter ending.
It's safe to say that THE GRUDEN SHOW is off to a terrible start.
Amari Cooper was a ghost yet again (seems to happen every other game). Derek Carr threw an incredibly bad INT at the one yard line, which was probably poetic justice for Gruden simply failing to run Lynch on that play. Sometimes it's like they're trying to outthink the room, but don't have the brains to actually do it. And the defense seems to stink, yet again.
Al Davis departed this earth in 2011, and this is all his inheritors (Mark, Reggie and now Gruden--as owner / GMs) have to show for it? If this team isn't starting over, then what is it building upon?
Brace yourselves. If something doesn't change very soon, Gruden (even if he's part of the problem) will have no choice (or inclination, at least) but to push the reset button harder than he already has. And off they will fly to Vegas, sputtering and wheezing, into the arms of a new bride with promises that they have mended their ways. And for those left behind, what might have been a sweet goodbye will be just another bitter ending.
posted by Raider Take at 9:24 PM
22 Comments:
Looks like Patriots are headed toward another great season, and Raiders suck again.
It's groundhog day over and over for the NFL.
No reason really for most fans of most teams to follow full season. It ends up same as last year, and year before that, and even ten years ago. Not much changes. It's like going through the motions after a while. Really boring too.
I've got better things to do with my time, and better things to spend my money on.
The Raiders reluctance (refusal) to use Lynch near the end zone is inexplicable. They had Lynch running 5-6 yards a carry, then abandoned the hot hand on first and goal at the 4.
I still have visions of Keith Smith in the flat on critical fourth down.
And once the Raiders get past the scripted plays to start a game, they fall apart on offense.
Down by three scores, there was zero urgency to run the offense. Huddling every play and throwing short to the middle of the field. It was a twilight zone moment because it looked like they were playing in a different game. Or, maybe they wanted to lose.
Who's coaching this team?
Geez! Is Todd Downing available to help jump start this offense?
Mark Davis has to be scratching his head.
Raiders tanking already. Carr will not be Gruden's qb for much longer. PREDICTION, Gruden will trade Carr and use one of top draft pick on a QB. Gruden has made up his mind and he wants his players. Look at Carr's press conference, the guy is out of it. Carr seems to be turning into his brother. He can't feel a rush coming, he can't avoid sacks. Look at Rivers, the guy can hardly move but is great in the pocket and rarely gets sacked. If you can just get close to Carr, he will either throw a pick or lie down for a sack, it's pathetic. Carr is not a leader, he reminds me a lot of Gomer Pyle. Carr wants perfect protection, otherwise, he is scared by the looks of it. Meaning, Carr is done. Gruden is rebuilding and if he can't get it done, the Raiders are royally screwed for a very long time added on to this very long time. Like double zero says, it's very close to closing this love affair with the Raiders. It just gets too old and becomes unworthy of our time. Plus, the NFL in general is getting hard to watch. Refs controlling outcomes is not fun to watch.
Eat me
Raiders can't trade Carr because his salary far outweighs his worth. No team would do that, and they certainly wouldn't surrender draft picks too.
The Raiders OL sucks. Osemele's spot is bad, even when Osemele is healthy. Kolton Miller is completely falling apart. He gave up at least two sacks and a lot of QB pressures and hits. Carr is running scared from his blind side as a result.
The worst thing is, Gruden and Olsen aren't doing anything to help Carr avoid pressure. No roll-outs, and seldom use play-action. Raiders are worst in the league with play-action. Other QBs are masterful at it, and cause a lot of misdirection. Carr is a Toys R Us robot by comparison.
And there's too many snaps under center. Carr made his career in college playing shotgun. That's where he lives... and it's where Musgrave had him two years ago finishing 12-4.
At some point, the Raiders failures fall to coaching. This team is loaded with veterans.
Nahhhh, this team's failures continue from the same theme. It doesn't have the horses and haven't since Gruden's 1st time around. It's been poor ownership right on down to the equipment manager. There has been no stability and it would seem that Mark has to pay a blast from the past that hasn't been a HC or GM for a while, a huge sum of money to take over the dumpster fire still known as the Oakland Raiders. McKenzie has tried to do the things needed to turn it around, he tried to work with the HC's and bring in the players they wanted. As we are witnessing, it ain't easy turning around a franchise that has been and is close to the 5 foot mark of being six feet under. Now it would seem that all this instability and turnover is ruining the franchise QB. Carr was defiant in his press conference about running out of the pocket. He has no pocket presence and does no longer contain the cajones to stand in and make plays. He needs time with his mickey mouse pillow to figure out if he really wants to play this game or just show up and go through the motions. Maybe the Mack trade broke his back again? Colton Miller has a bum knee, much like KO's, Miller will be a good player, no worries there.
I didn't say other teams picks, did I? I'm sure there would be another team out there willing to trade for Carr with the thinking he can be a pro bowl QB if the situation around him is right. Look at what Carr has dealt with in Oakland, could any QB succeed? Raiders wouldn't get a lot back, but it would seem Gruden would want to go in a different direction.
chew
Trade Carr you guys are crazy. For what? Replace him with who? Osemele is bad? WTF NY he has been pro bowl every year he is here.
Carr will get it together he has had some brilliant moments this year. He is still a top ten QB maybe at the bottom of the top ten but way better than over half the starters in the league.
Sandy
I think you answered your own question: Carr is running scared. If it's obvious to us, then it's obvious to NFL scouts and GMs.
Most pundits think the Raiders have a good O-line, with Osemele, Hudson and Jackson as the beef in the middle. If Penn is thought to be a decent RT and Miller is a franchise LT in the making, Carr really has no excuse for all his happy feet and career-worst INT pace.
He's made bad decisions every game, and has twice thrown picks in the end zone on first down plays which he could have easily thrown the ball away and called another play.
And when did the Raiders put the lob pass in their playbook? The one that goes up for grabs and seems to get called every game.
UGH!
Prediction: Gruden coaches Raiders for a couple of seasons, then bails out for first big time college program that comes knocking.
Gruden is in over his head, swimming against the tide. Or a tidal wave.
As long as "I know what I don't know" owns team, Raiders are going no where.
Gruden will use one of the two 1st rounders on a QB, this next or the one after draft. Carr will be kept until a replacement is found or if the right price is given, who knows. Thing is, Gruden looks like he wants a new QB, IMO. Doesn't matter what we think, it matters what he thinks. Gruden doesn't want to play psychiatrist with his QB, he see's Carr having no pocket presence and no cajones. Gruden knows he can't win with a QB who chokes almost every time in the red zone. Either kickin for 3 or it's picked. Carr is having heart problems, he's not sure he wants to be in there, but feels he has to. And does it ever show. When you see a QB who's heart is gone, forget about it.
stick'em
This is interesting. Gareon Conley got the fewest snaps (13) of all CBs. I thought Conley was a baller. He seems to be aggressive at the LOS, and athletic enough to stick to his assignment. And he has one of the Raiders very few INTs.
Is Gruden simply replacing all McKenzie's draft picks for the sake of it? Cause that's what it appears.
If the Raiders are destined to suck this year, I'd much rather watch young players develop than watch one-foot-out-the-door aging vets play with no chance at the playoffs.
Conley is legit. He deserves to be on the field just as much as Kolton Miller, PJ Hall, Mo Hurst and these other guys who we hope will develop into great players.
NY,
Conley is not better than Worley and Melvin right now. Those guys are both in their 20s. The past two weeks Conley has been mediocre at best and given up big plays.
All you guys complaining are not facing reality that the Raiders D sucks and has for years and years. This is the problem. Even with Mack the D would have been crap.
Sandy
Play calling is atrocious for the Raiders. Take, you said it, it seems like Gruden and company is trying to out think everyone in the room, including their players. And even though the design of the plays seem to do just that, the execution of the play is nowhere near where it should be. At some point, Gruden is going to have to rebuild confidence with simple football, and not get fancy with his play calling. This is why I think the Raiders won't recover with Gruden.
Carr's problem is trying to do too much, and make plays happen. The end zone interception should have been thrown away. But the problem is more than Carr, it is the WRs, the O-Line, the Defense, and injuries. It is almost like the team goes out to do their best, but they are not a team; they are individuals on a team. Secondly, it seems these individuals do not believe in the system. Gabe Jackson seems to have disappeared. Osemele looked lost before his injury. Bruce Irvin doesn't seem to give a damn. "White Tiger" looks bipolar. Amari Cooper? Has anyone seen or heard from Amari?
Sandy, even with Mack, the defense would have had problems, but pressuring the QB would not be one of them. Mack was more than a face on the defense, he was a team leader. He was more important to this team than Derek Carr, which is why he was picked in the first and not Carr.
I for one, am sick of how this organization cannot seem to operate normally. Always trying to undermine one another. I will always root for the Raiders as a team, but this problem starts at the top of the organization, MARK DAVIS.
Sandy, it's a bit ironic that you point a finger at others for complaining, then tell us how bad the Raiders are.
Conley is a Raiders draft pick with a stellar college resume. He needs experience, and what better time to gain experience than when the Raiders, as you say, suck on defense.
I'm not even specifically referring to Worley or Melvin. DRC is getting more snaps than Conley.
Cromartie, Worley and Melvin are all on one-year contracts. They could all be one-and-done, and we'd still have Conley to groom.
Melvin's contract is $5.5mm plus bonus, so that's not getting renewed.
These poor guys are auditioning for their next job (and payday) and the Raiders have no pass rush to help them. They are all getting toasted. When they signed, Mack was still a Raider. That had to be pretty deflating.
How do you propose the Raiders go about turning around their defense? Should we just do another full reset next year?
All I'm saying is guys like Conley and Nick Nelson should be playing a lot more snaps, especially, if the Raiders continue to lose.
NY
I have no problem saying the Raiders defense sucks and has for years. Trying to blame Gruden for that is ludicrous and that is whay I have a problem with.
The lack of talent on D is on Reggie, Del Rio and Mark. I am tired of people on this blog blaming Gruden it is not his fault.On Sunday there were three new starters on the o-line, 8 rookies playing, an entire new defensive line, 3 new members of the secondary etc.
This has been done out of necessity not ego or wanting to get rid of Reggie's crappy players. As I said after the Mack trade it was delusional to think the Raiders had a playoff roster heading into the season.
Knowing what they have in Worley and Melvin in order to decide on resigning them makes sense to me. Nelson and Conley are obviously not good enough to get on the field period.
They rebuild the D through the draft and a selective free agent or two at reasonable prices. It could take a couple of years which is depressing.
Regards
Sandy
Stick'em....I'd be surprised if Gruden drafted a Qb to groom. That's not his style. Gruden has always liked vets.
Even brother Jay has hooked his wagon to old vet Alex Smith. I would expect Gruden to do the same.
Sandy,
I'm not trying to blame Gruden for all the Raiders failures; just for some questionable personnel decisions and a hand full of really bad playcalls that probably changed the outcome of games... not the least of which is giving the ball to Keith Smith and not giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch in critical situations.
Those decisions are on Gruden. Not Reggie. Not Mark.
I guess you can count me in as delusional. I thought the Raiders were trying to build a playoff roster. They signed enough vets. They still had Mack, and they drafted three very promising defenders (pretty solid for one team to say that).
Two years ago they were 12-4 under Del Rio, Norton and Musgrave. They hit a wall with Downing, and the defense failed to improve, but they were one year removed from being a playoff team with essentially the same roster.
Had Del Rio remained, I would have expected him to replace Downing (Norton was already gone), and contend for the playoffs. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't any Raiders fan?
So you're saying with coaching upgrades across the board, there's no way the Raiders could have contended for the playoffs? And to think otherwise is delusional?
Ny, you seem to have a hard time processing info. Del Rio had the same results in Jacksonville as a HC. The teams, both played over their heads the 1st year, 2nd year, the teams started to turn on him. Del Rio was driving the Raiders back into the ground. The players no longer wanted to play for him. Dennis Allen was a stepping stone, Del Rio was a step above Allen, but not by much. Obviously, Gruden is cleaning house again and we fans have to try and maintain our fandom as it gets blown up again. Gruden isn't leaving and it's the players who have to be replaced. This is why I say the franchise is still trying to recover from the 'old days'. And Mark wants his guy, so, there's that too. Still trying to find stability and there will be no playoffs until that point.
Bummer
NY
You are not delusional, no offense, sorry. I just think that the year they went 12-4 was a bit of fools gold. Carr rescued them in numerous games and they won at least 5 by less than 7 points in the last minutes. In other words 6-10 was closer to the truth than 12-4.
I love the Raiders also, so I was hoping that good coaching and a nice mix of vets and draft picks we could compete for a wild card.
However, when I thought about it and began to really see the roster for what it was, I realized on the defensive side of the ball they were god awful.
All those picks such Jihad Ward, Edwards Jr, Nelson, Joseph, were marginal to awful, and the rest such as Amerson, Bowman, James etc were middle of the roster guys at best.
I mean the entire defense was turned over and with the exception of Mack I dont miss a player. Even guys like Irvin who I like is overrated without Mack drawing triple teams.
There has been coaching mistakes, some erratic play from Carr and injuries have conspired to make this team 1-4 instead of 3-2.
It sucks but I have learnt to accept it and will patiently wait on the rebuild,that will hopefully be predicated on a great coach, a very good qb, some young potential starters, plenty of draft picks and plenty of cap space. Will it be different this time, I sure as hell hope so.
Thanks,
Sandy
Jim Rome had a Trevor Pryce on his podcast yesterday who called the Raiders absolutely the most boringest team to watch in the NFL right now. His reason? Vanilla play-calling, and the fact that Jon Gruden is no longer just a coach, but a celebrity before he is a coach. He clearly stated that Jon's ego has gotten in the way of how he used to coach a team, and he felt like it won't change with Gruden.
I hate to say it, but I'm starting to agree with this. Gruden has lost his team, and it is reflected in how they play, and the lack of effort they give. I'm not saying Reggie is perfect, and that I agree with everything he has done, but he was heading in the right direction. Gruden's ego has effected even the scouting team of the Raiders, because he neglects the organization's scouts, with his own scouts that aren't even on the payroll. Gruden's ego has divided this organization's leadership and it's roster, which is equating to another losing season. Not saying it is time for Gruden to go, I'd like to see if he is willing to put his ego aside and coach, and how he handles this. But if in 1 or 2 years, he can't let his ego go to coach the team, Gruden needs to leave. I don't think Mark Davis is going to do that, and I hope this isn't going to haunt the Raiders for another decade.
Maybe Gruden is trying to do too much. He is GM de facto, HC and OC, as well as whatever scouting he's handling.
We had this same complaint about Al Davis, and Davis had been doing it most of his professional life. Cable and Jackson both took on too much, trying to be HC and OC.
But my complaints are actually much simpler. Not really big picture stuff, because I can't predict what the Raiders will do.
My concerns are what I am seeing. And it's pretty much what Nate touched on above. The playcalling has been unimaginative, and that's being polite. The Raiders lack of offense is stunning. Where's the misdirection that I expected from a Gruden-run offene? No play-action, no end-arounds, barely any screens... it's just run or pass. Stand in the pocket, go thru progressions and hit the open receiver. That's great, if you're Tom Brady. But Carr has been awful.
I was (and still am) happy that Gruden was hired. Del Rio failed this team. He sealed his fate by letting Musgrave go instead of Norton. However, if we're keeping it real, Gruden did not end on a high note in Tampa. Del Rio had just as many double-digit winning seasons in Jacksonville as Gruden had in Tampa (2).
We all want to believe Gruden can figure this out and pull the Raiders back into relevance. But Gruden's best work was when Al Davis was the GM. Gruden was strictly the HC.
To this point, Gruden's moves as GM seem haphazard, even sloppy at times. I think he knee-jerked the Mack trade and may regret it now.
If I'm making any predictions; I'd say Gruden is here to stay, and certainly one season is no measure of his worth long-term. But I believe McKenzie and Carr are both on short leashes. I agree with those who believe both could be gone within the next 1-2 years.
Great article on a great Raider. Hopefully he gets in soon, four superbowl rings its ridiculous he is not in the hall. Same goes for CLiff Branch and Plunkett
Regards
Sandy
http://www.espn.com/blog/oakland-raiders/post/_/id/22162/tom-flores-a-profile-of-perseverence-for-raiders-in-wait-for-canton-call
At 1-4, coming off a face plant against LAC, I guess I shouldn't expect the Raiders to win. However, I think we should all expect them to play competitively beyond the scripted plays they use to start a game. Because, so far, that's been a real challenge.
No matter where you choose to lay the blame, 2018 is among the worst Raiders teams since Gruden was traded to Tampa and the era of losing began.
So instead of simply rooting for a win today, I am rooting for coaches (and players) to step up their game and show us they are competent.
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