Who is Most Responsible for Oakland Raiders Failures?
By Vic Lopez
Nov 9, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Players
Execution is paramount in a league filled with freakish athletes all over the field. Coaches coach, Players play right?
It was painfully obvious on Sunday against the Broncos, the Raiders are a team devoid of talent.
The Broncos can field three top flight wide receivers as well as a pro bowl tight end, that can put fear in any defense. They have playmakers on offense, while the Raiders simply do not. In reality the Raiders offensive playmakers are currently playing on Saturday’s in college, which makes for some miserable Sunday’s in Oakland.
Bad on top of horrible doesn’t usually win a lot of games. But hey let’s get specific….
James Jones is an excellent receiver with great hands, unfortunately at this stage in his career his speed never made the trip from Green Bay. All of the Raiders receivers struggle with separation, either from lack of speed or poor route running.
Inconsistency remains the only constant for this receiving corps, making rookie Derek Carr’s job nearly impossible. There is a reason the Raiders brought in a Vincent Brown and Kenbrell Thompkins, the talent from the wide receivers is sub-par.
What the Raiders lack in playmakers, they make up for it with a horrible offensive line.
As we are seeing, it is hard to run the ball with a defender in your backfield every play. Austin Howard has been a complete failure at guard, yet continues to start for the Raiders. The O-Line as a whole has been a huge disappointment compared to the expectations this offseason.
And in the rare occasion the OLine does it’s job, good ol’ Darren McFadden is there to run into their backs anyways. In my opinion DMC is done as a starting caliber running back in this league.
Darren McFadden has never had adequate vision needed to play running back in this league, he is routinely brought down from arm tackles, and seems to have lost any lateral agility he once had. McFadden is an open field runner who also lacks the patience and awareness to be a consistent threat in the backfield. One of the few playmakers for the Raiders, is now just an ineffective bust.
On defense the veteran free agents obviously stand out with little to no impact this season.
We have seen Woodley lost for the season after being ineffective early, Tuck made a play yesterday yet has not lived up to expectations as a pass rusher, and both Tarell Brown and Carlos Rogers have been inconsistent in coverage rather than legit starters. Add in the injuries to key players and it has been a recipe for disaster.
I feel Charles Woodson’s play has been highly overrated and he remains on the field more due to lack of talent, than overall skill. Miles Burris the fill in at MLB has been a complete failure, with his crucial miss tackle highlighting the type of season he has had.
The Raiders Defense has bright spots with rookies Khalil Mack, Justin Ellis, and TJ Carrie, as well as second year players DJ Hayden and Sio Moore….But at this point the Raiders are still playing at a handicap, with little depth, talent and experience.
A mixture of Young and Old Players has equaled losses for the Raiders, who lack players truly in their prime.