Jack Del Rio and Todd Downing have set the Oakland Raiders back

After losing their fourth game in a row, it is clear that Todd Downing and Jack Del Rio do not know how to use the Oakland Raiders’ talent.

If the Oakland Raiders were in quick sand, then their heads would be barely sticking out to grasp for air. That’s how this season is going for this team. They just keep sinking without any hope in sight.

They have now equaled their total losses from last season by losing their fourth consecutive game, falling at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. What has happened to this team? Why has this once Super Bowl favorite team taken a turn for the worst?

The answer is so obvious that even Stevie Wonder can point it out: Offensive coordinator Todd Downing and the man who elevated him over Bill Musgrave in head coach Jack Del Rio.

Downing has been such a disappointment that he has taken this once feared offense and has completely dismantled it. They have no identity, no toughness and no variety. It took opposing teams two games for them to figure out Downing’s scheme or lack there of.

Downing dramatically altered an offense that didn’t need any alterations. Transitioning from a power blocking scheme to a zone blocking scheme has shown that it doesn’t fit this offensive line’s style. This explains why the running game can never take off. The Raiders have run 70 outside zone scheme runs, that’s six more than they did all last season (64), per Pro Football Focus.

The lack of play-action calls is ridiculous. According to Pro Football Focus, the Raiders have run 12 play-action plays thus far. Last season, the Raiders ran 99 play-actions with 38 of them being called through the first six weeks. It’s safe to say that Downing doesn’t have more than a couple of them in his playbook, although I doubt you can call it a book from the lack of variety.

That hook and ladder play that he called in the fourth quarter was rather cute though. It reminded me of a high school football game. So at least we know Downing knows how to run a high school offense.

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He’s clearly treating Derek Carr like a high school quarterback. All but six of his throws Sunday were within six yards of the line of scrimmage. We all know the arm strength and deep ball accuracy Carr possesses, but Downing refuses to use his players’ strengths.

That is the difference between good coaches and bad ones. The good ones know how to use their talent and put them in the right spot. The bad ones… well… we are currently witnessing it. Something we didn’t too much last year because Musgrave was pushing the offense to its fullest alongside Carr.

Del Rio’s decision to let Musgrave walk in favor of Downing has been this teams downfall. Del Rio is showing what kind of coach he is when the chips aren’t in his favor. We’ve seen it with his fake punt call in Denver and his incompetent punt call against the Ravens in the fourth quarter that essentially ended the game. Now we are seeing it in his press conferences.

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Del Rio is pulling a Hue Jackson, meaning he is throwing players under the bus. Even if they deserve it, like Sean Smith, as a head coach you don’t drag your players through the mud publicly.

When the Raiders fired Dennis Allen, there wasn’t really anyone that wanted to take the job. Del Rio stepped in and aided this team in its rise, but it is clear now that he is not the one to take this team to the promise land.

With so much talent on the team, the Raiders should not even be where they are. It is the coaches that have let them down. And if you think Del Rio is going anywhere you’re wrong. This past offseason owner Mark Davis signed him to an extension. No way will Davis let a guy he likes go who is on the books for a while. Makes you wonder how Reggie McKenzie would have handled this.

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With the Kansas City Chiefs only just a couple of days away, I don’t see how this team starts their turnaround now. Andy Reid has owned Del Rio and there is no reason to believe that it will change this game. The Raiders are in desperate need of a leader whether that be Carr or Khalil Mack, because it is obvious that they don’t have one in any of the coaches.

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