Are Raiders fans running out of patience with Darren Waller?
Are Raiders fans running out of patience with Darren Waller?
The Raiders are fully behind Darren Waller, as you would expect.
Earlier this week on Monday, Josh McDaniels was asked about Waller during his media availability. Essentially, McDaniels chalked up the situation to being a cautionary tale. Hamstring injuries are notoriously tricky.
If a player is trotted out too early, the damage could get worse leading to more missed time. At the same time, that same risk can be used to describe most injuries if we’re speaking logically.
"“Like I said, he practiced some last week in a limited capacity. We’re trying to make a smart decision. Those things can be a little tricky. We have a handful of guys that are dealing with soft tissue issues. If you push them back too early, we’ve all seen what can happen, and then all of a sudden, you’re missing another month. So, we just err on the side of caution as best we can and try to make sure that the players are healthy and ready for the load that we would like them to play in the game.”"
If you’re the Raiders, let’s face it: you made a hefty investment in your tight end. A nagging injury is nothing to scoff at from their point of view. However, if you look at what the fans are saying, most are tired of the excuses.
Of course, that’s being fueled by the struggles on the field. To most observers, this Raiders team appears dejected, unprepared and lacking overall focus. Let’s be real for a second. The issues with the Raiders extend beyond Waller. Right now, they’re riddled with inconsistencies and injuries, as Derek Carr pointed out.
"“Our job is to make sure that whoever’s out there still meets the expectations. For however many weeks, we were a top-five, top-three scoring offense, and then last week happened, and you were like, ‘Well, what the heck happened?’ There are going to be bumps in the road. You hope they’re not like that, and hopefully you win the game and can learn from them, but that wasn’t the case. We got punched in the mouth in that game, and all the credit goes to them. I know what we’re capable of, and we’ve shown it at times. The part for us is to just try and be more consistent. The more consistent everyone is, the better the product will be at the end.”"
Carr’s absolutely correct in his statement about the offense. When Josh Jacobs was carrying the offense, it looked like a juggernaut. His punishing runs were also opening up things for Carr, but just like that, that aspect disappeared against the Saints. You could make the argument that Waller wouldn’t have made a difference on Sunday.
As the team tries to put all of that behind them, what does No. 83 have to say about all of this?