Las Vegas Raiders run defense is a cause for concern
How do the Raiders fix the rush defense?
The first thing issue of gap discipline is one that should ideally be solved over time as the defensive line becomes more comfortable with what Rod Marinelli is preaching. The position group skews young and that may also be a reason for their struggles as they may be hungry to impress their new coach without realizing that “hero ball” is hurting the team as a whole.
The second issue of personnel is two-fold as the Raiders will have to just wait and hope that Nick Kwiatkoski can return soon from his injury and step in for Morrow who tries hard but gets swallowed up in the run game. Raekwon McMillan was brought in to help be that thumper and replace all those departed linebackers but he has not flashed in the opportunities he’s been given so far.
Next. Raiders need to give Safety Earl Thomas a call. dark
The fix to the run game may be a matter of scheme if Paul Guenther chooses to play with three linebackers in his base defense but that puts his group of young DBs on an island without a consistent pass rush. There are a number of issues with the Raiders defense at the moment and there is no quick fix but the team should not panic after a loss against the best coach in the history of the NFL.
It may take some more tinkering and the return of some key players before the unit reaches its full potential so patience is the key right now.