Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
This team is an embarrassing mess. The players can cash their checks but they are the laughing stock of the NFL. And not just behind their backs, players are insulting them to their faces and they got no fight as they cowardly take it. I think we could take replacements out of the black hole, put them on the payroll and they would show more fight, pride, passion, commitment and execution than these current Raiders. Not only the players, but the biggest issues lie with the Coaches and Reggie McKenzie.
Here are my thoughts on the Raiders current struggles.
Reggie McKenzie
Yes, Reggie drafted some young players who appear to be cornerstones of the future, most notably Derek Carr and Khalil Mack. But he also didn’t add any play makers on offense. He thought it was good enough to go into the season with Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones Drew at running back. He thought it was good enough to go into the season with James Jones, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, Denarius Moore and others at Wide Receiver.
This is the worst offense in Oakland Raiders history. This offense is anemic of play makers and that is squarely at the feet of Reggie McKenzie. The current coaching staff is on Reggie. He hired Dennis Allen, who hired this staff and then he fired Allen. The Raiders will once again be one of the top teams with cap money to spend, but Reggie in his first year with cap room, failed miserably.
Coaching
Once again this staff had this team unprepared as they recorded the largest halftime deficit in Oakland Raiders history. This staff wouldn’t even let Jano try a 57 yard field goal in the dome. That in the first half when they needed any type of positive play, much less points. I don’t think the Raiders have great players and it’s just a matter of getting the right coaching staff in there to make a difference, a la the 49ers.
But week after week they appear out coached as if the opposing team is running plays for the very first time, when in reality they were plays used just last week. This staff still can’t come up with a sense of how you can’t stop a stacked/multiple receiver set with less defenders than receivers. This staff still thinks DMC and MJD can provide a good running game, even after using Reece in the final drive to get their first win. This staff has appeared clueless for most of the season and the better part of the last three years.
It is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but once 2014 ends the Raiders need to look internally to make sure that the struggles don’t go on even longer than they already have.