Oakland Raiders: New Toys, More Fun

Reggie KO’s The Big Uglies

There are mixed views on the addition of Kelechi Osemele due to the fact that the Raiders paid $60 million for a guard. This introduces a question of whether or not the Raiders want to play him at left tackle. Ideally, I do not think so. Osemele is a solid left tackle reminiscent of Jared Veldheer because he tends to overset against speed rushers and then get beat on inside moves. However, because the Raiders are building a mostly gigantic offensive line, this may not be an issue as they see it.

Osemele is most valuable for his run blocking, but he does come from a zone blocking system and has done a relatively small amount of power blocking or pulling the last few seasons. He has however played left tackle, left guard, and right tackle in the NFL. In an ideal world, Osemele would play right guard because he is relatively ambidextrous and can move both directions fairly well.

Because he has not done much pulling recently, the Raiders may rely on Gabe Jackson to be the pulling guard in their man power runs. The biggest advantage for Osemele coming from a zone blocking scheme is that he has had to block moving in both directions which means he should be used to his first step being in either direction which can be the main issue with offensive lineman switching sides.

What will be most interesting is watching how the Raiders decide to build the rest of the offensive line group. They have retained Matt McCants as a restricted free agent, there are two right tackles in Howard and Watson, now three guards with Jackson, Osemele, and Feliciano. There is no backup center currently which means Feliciano can learn to play that position along with being the swing guard. My preference would be to see the Raiders draft a future left tackle prospect. Matt McCants can also play guard at a serviceable level. That would give the Raiders nine in the group which is on the high side, but not abnormal.

I have been an advocate for the Raiders sticking with a spread scheme, but it seems the Raiders want to limit the use of shotgun to some limit. There is a happy medium though. What Bill Musgrave used frequently in Minnesota was the 12 personnel, with one running back and two tight ends. Currently the Raiders have four tight ends on the roster. One is essentially a sixth offensive lineman, two are large receivers learning to block, and the other is a versatile move tight end. In short, the Raiders can mimic much of what the Colts did with Peyton Manning when he used two receivers and Dallas Clark out of the slot to great effect.

These personnel groups would be highly flexible, open to motion, and can be used under center or in the shotgun. If the Raiders wanted to get very creative they could also utilize the Pistol formation as well. The biggest advantage of using a tight end in the slot is it helps show what coverage a defense is in or loosen the box.

If a defense is in base and in man, a linebacker or safety will line up over the slot tight end and the defense will roll accordingly depending on how many rushers there are. If it is a zone defense the linebacker will come over and show the type of coverage. On the chance the defense is in nickel, now you have a slot corner covering a large target in the slot which is a distinct matchup problem.

What does all of this translate to? Versatility is what the Raiders are pursuing and really this coaching staff is thinking in a modern sense. They are finding talent that they can put to good use rather than trying to fit personnel to scheme. Additionally, the Raiders are putting themselves in a place to where they are not stuck or pigeon holed into certain needs going into the draft assuming they land a safety. Overall, this has been an incredible offseason so far for this front office and all fans can see the plan on both sides of the ball: cause chaos.