The Las Vegas Raiders made a series of bold decisions this offseason as they trekked into a new era under general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll. Not every choice was lauded by the fan base, but these two have a winning pedigree and are building the team in their image.
Things seemed to work out in Week 1 for the Raiders, at least, as they traveled to the East Coast and pulled out a 20-13 victory against the New England Patriots. This was an especially sweet victory because of all the personnel and coaching crossover between the two teams.
Las Vegas got to see several of the players that they let walk in free agency without a contract this offseason, up close and personal. While one of them fared well, the other, who signed a more lucrative contract, struggled mightily against the Raiders' offense on Sunday.
Former Raiders LB Robert Spillane struggles in Patriots debut
This offseason, linebacker Robert Spillane signed a three-year, $33 million deal with the Patriots. Head coach Mike Vrabel, who was an All-Pro and Super Bowl-winning linebacker himself, made it a point to go out and get Spillane on the open market.
Against his old team in Week 1, however, he looked rather pedestrian, and at some points, just plain bad. Raider Nation was not used to seeing him in a Patriots uniform or wearing No. 14, so he may not have stuck out one way or another, but the advanced metrics were not kind to him.
On Sunday, Spillane logged a Pro Football Focus grade of just 43.9, which was 16th out of 20 Patriots defenders. To make matters worse, his 26.7 tackling grade and 39.2 pass-rushing grade were the worst on the team, and his 42.8 coverage grade was second-worst.
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If not for being solid against the run, which was aided by a strong Patriots defensive front, Spillane might have been the lowest-graded player on the field. He also missed three tackles and gave up three receptions on three targets for 26 yards, 14 of which came after the catch.
Spillane had some elite marks in his two years with the Silver and Black, but Raider Nation knew in their hearts that Spillane was not great in coverage. This is a crucial element of the modern linebacker, and even in Las Vegas, he recorded coverage grades of 48.8 and 59.0.
Through one game, it looks like the Raiders were smart not to extend him. His faltering grades and performances in other aspects of the game were a bit unprecedented for him, but Las Vegas must've seen something in his game that made them feel like he was not worth the investment. Right now, the new regime looks right.