November 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) talks to offensive coordinator Greg Olson (right) during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at O.co Coliseum. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 41-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Coaches
Coaches tend to get too much of the blame when a team fails. Hindsight is always 20/20, and coaches are an easy target. With that said…..The Oakland Raiders may have the worst offensive and defensive coordinator in the NFL.
Greg Olson and Jason Tarver have both faced an uphill battle in their time with the Oakland Raiders, but no excuses can be made for a winless team.
Olson has come under fire for his predictable play calling and inability to use the run game in crucial situations. The Oakland Raiders are currently the worst team in the NFL on offense, with no real signs of improving.
Tarver’s defense currently rank’s 23rd in the NFL, and has actually shown some signs of life. Tarver has shown an aggressiveness in his play calling at times, yet still places his defense in position to get beat by the big play far too often.
As a coordinator your job is to put the players in the best position to succeed. Have Tarver and Olson done this?
For Olson I see Mychal Rivera being underutilized especially early in the season, I see Derek Carr’s athleticism not being used enough, I see Darren McFadden not being used in the passing game, same for MJD and Marcel Reece.
But worst of all I see an underperforming offensive line being ignored game in and game out. This is by far the worst coaching decision made by both Olson and Head Coach/OLine Coach Tony Sparano this season.
Why they continue to ignore the inability of Austin Howard at guard, and the overall weakness of our line in the run game. Both Sparano and Olson deserve the blame. The Raiders will not win a game until they can run the ball effectively.
For Tarver it has been poor gameplanning. One game he does well, the next the defense looks lost. The Miami game was an obvious setback for Tarver and resulted in the firing of Dennis Allen. I also wonder if veteran players want to play for Tarver. Can he lead a veteran defense and motivate them on Sunday’s? While I love Tarver’s enthusiasm, he may not command the respect from players to be a coordinator in the NFL.
It is honestly hard to judge both Tarver and Olson who between injuries, lack of talent and young players have been handed a very tough assignment.