If Josh McDaniels becomes the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach, he’ll likely keep them on the right track, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
The opinion on whether McDaniels would be a good head coach in Las Vegas is a divided one. Many fans feel that trying to recreate the New England Patriots will not work, as other coaches from the Bill Belichick tree have tried and failed.
So why do it? Well, because it’s been proven time and again that just because a head coach fails the first time doesn’t mean he’s necessarily doomed to fail again. McDaniels was a young, arrogant coach when he took over the Denver Broncos in 2009. He got off to a good start, but then his team flamed out. Recently, ex-players have said that McDaniels and the team were cheating.
Funny enough, Raiders fans are claiming they want nothing to do with a “cheater.” Maybe young members of Raider Nation don’t recall but Al Davis encouraged cheating. The only that mattered to the man was winning, that’s it. With McDaniels at the helm, winning is what this team will do.
McDaniels will maximize Carr’s talent
It’s odd that many aren’t happy with the development surrounding McDaniels. He’s not guaranteed the job, though he’ll be interviewing for it. Something that’s going over people’s heads is the fact that McDaniels is a good candidate that will get Carr going again.
McDaniels helped lead the Patriots to the playoffs with a rookie quarterback that threw for only 22 touchdowns. With the Raiders, McDaniels would inherit not only Carr but Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and a stable of talented running backs in Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.
In other words, if you look at what he’s accomplished as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator throughout his career, the possibilities for the Raiders are tantalizing.
A closer look at a Raiders offense under McDaniels
It should be noted that for a McDaniels offense to work, the Raiders’ offensive line will need to be rebooted. The interior lacks a starting guard with Richie Incognito likely gone. The gaping hole at right tackle is screaming for attention as well. However, the weapons for the potential head coach are in place.
McDaniels will run an efficient offense that will rely on establishing the run. His units have been within the top 20 six times since 2016 and have been in the top 10 on a total of five occasions.
When Jacobs came on strong in the final stretch of the season, he had fans feeling nostalgic given the fact he hadn’t looked that good since his rookie year. It’s not impossible to imagine Jacobs also flourishing under McDaniels. Nevertheless, the biggest improvement that the Silver and Black might see would be in their deplorable red zone offense.
Last year, Las Vegas was nearly dead last in red zone scoring percentage (49.2%), coming in at 29th. In comparison, McDaniels’ offense last season was ranked seventh in the same category. He did this with a rookie signal-caller, no less. According to Team Rankings, his offense also finished sixth in third-down conversion at 44 percent.
Even if you can’t stand McDaniels as a person, his ability to craft an offensive game plan can’t be denied.
McDaniels and the dreaded Raiders red zone offense
Under McDaniels, tight end Hunter Henry saw his career resurge after joining the Patriots. Even though it was inconsistent at times, Henry’s production wasn’t exactly elite, but it got the job done. He ended the year with 50 receptions and 603 receiving yards.
Now imagine what he could do with Waller. That is the key to reviving the Raiders’ red zone offense. Under McDaniels, Henry scored nine times in the red zone, which was tops among NFL tight ends, again with a rookie quarterback.
The possibilities are endless with Waller, more so if Foster Moreau is involved. With the Raiders’ version of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, the Silver and Black could finally feature a red zone offense that would strike fear in opposing defenses. We’ve seen Moreau show flashes of brilliance. Maybe he will finally reach his potential next season.
The upside of a Raiders offense run by McDaniels should have Raider Nation excited. Many times, people are afraid of change. That’s perfectly normal. However, a potential youth movement with the Silver and Black could work. That holds even more weight if Jerod Mayo comes in to run the defense.
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At the end of the day, owner Mark Davis will do as he pleases, Tweets and opinions be damned. The man will do as he pleases. If McDaniels becomes the new boss, good things will happen on the field, which is all that actually matters. Breathe, Raider Nation.