The Las Vegas Raiders' offense entered the season with high expectations; it was the defense that worried the fan base. Of course, the defense has been relatively solid, albeit inconsistent, and the offense has been abysmal. As always, you never know what to expect with this team.
While the offensive line has endured its share of struggles, and Ashton Jeanty did not get off to the hottest start, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has seemingly been able to get the run game going in the last two weeks. It's the play of Geno Smith that is tanking the Raiders.
Head coach Pete Carroll made trading for Smith his first decree upon taking the job in Las Vegas, and that venture has been disastrous thus far. To make matters worse, the veteran coach is resistant to change and won't give backup quarterback Kenny Pickett a try.
Pete Carroll reinforces belief in Geno Smith at Chip Kelly's expense
Wanting to stick with a $75 million quarterback that you traded a third-rounder for earlier in the offseason is understandable. But Carroll has almost completely absolved Smith of blame for his struggles thus far.
It is hard to make the case that Smith has been anything but awful to begin his Raiders tenure. Carroll, once again, made excuses for the poor play of his starting quarterback during Wednesday's presser, and he seemingly threw Kelly and the run game under the bus in the process.
"We got to run the football better, and more. We're going to continue to work at it and see if we can continue to bring it to life. The running game has looked well, in order, right now. We need to get more of it. That's part of it. That's just mixing football. That's how you do it. We don't want to ever rely on the quarterback to have to do the whole show and sitting in the shotgun, and throw the football. I've never coached that way," Carroll said. "And, so, we have to mix out stuff so that we can use our play-action game. ... We got to make sure that we're calling all the best stuff in the situations. (Smith's) not calling plays. We got to call them and we got to make sure to get him in the right spots and give him the best chance to stay out of harm's way."
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It has become increasingly clear that Smith is being held to a different standard than much of the rest of the team. While there is no doubt that Kelly's playcalling has been an issue at times, the 13-year veteran quarterback's execution has been just as much of a concern, if not more.
Kelly has seemingly been able to adjust and get the run game going in recent weeks, but the passing game is not making similar strides. This paints a picture of the team's offensive coordinator improving, and the quarterback getting worse.
There have been several plays where Smith either misses wide-open receivers or has attempted to fit the ball into tight windows in double coverage. He has struggled tremendously, but it is evident that Carroll has no plans to change quarterbacks or place any of the proper blame on Smith.