Oakland Raiders: Takeaways from 38-14 loss to the Dolphins
The Oakland Raiders are now 0-4 to start off the 2014 season. The Raiders went all the way to London to extend their ten game losing streak from last season. After an embarrassing loss to the Miami Dolphins, who have issues of heir own, the Raiders will now travel back home for the bye week and then get ready for the Chargers the following week. The Raiders now go home to questions about coaching and starting quarterback to answer. I can’t say there were any positives from this game, other than the first drive but maybe you all can help me out in the comments.
Here are my takeaways from this game.
Dennis Allen may not have a job
After this pitiful loss, Dennis Allen may come back to the United States without a job. There has been rumors that he has already been fired and an announcement will come Tuesday, but those have not been confirmed. However, other reports have said that if Allen is fired, OC Greg Olson will become interim head coach. That isn’t much better. Other reports claim that assistant head coach Tony Sparano will be interim head coach. Many Raider fans are calling for a complete wipe out of all the Raiders staff and starting over at the end of the season. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
Defense did not show up when needed
Did the defense miss the plane? This defense made Ryan Tannehill, whose job was also on the line, look like a star quarterback. Tannehill was 28 of 31 for 278 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dolphins running back Lamar Miller was able to rush for a total of 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense did not stand how they did last game in the red zone, holding the Patriots to field goals. Injuries did not make the situation much better. Nick Roach and Sio Moore were both out of this game and Kaluka Maiava was hurt during the game. With third string players in on defense for the first time since preseason, this defense was just set to be run over.
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Quarterback questions again
Now that Derek Carr is out with with a sprained MCL and a high ankle sprain, the Raiders will have to decide if they will start backup Matt Schaub or third stringer Matt McGloin. There is no current timetable of when Carr will return. The Raiders are likely to start Schaub only because of all the work they did to get him. If they decide to start McGloin over Schaub, that trade they made with the Texans for Schaub will look real pointless right about now.
Offensive play-calling is still too conservative
This is why it wouldn’t make much of a difference for OC Greg Olson to be interim head coach. He is way too conservative when it comes to calling plays. The plays are very predictable. Most of the time it’s a hand off to McFadden or Jones-Drew, which only goes for about no more than 5 yards. Then they may hand it off again, going another short yard run. If that doesn’t get the first down, then Carr will throw on third down, likely a short pass to a receiver who will run the remainder of the yards to get the first down. One fan on Facebook lamented, “I can call the next play from my couch!” We shouldn’t be able to predict the plays from the comfort of our homes. If we can predict the play, so can other defenses.