Raiders at Dolphins 2023 Week 11: Studs and Duds

OC Bo Hardegee - Dud

One of the concerns about the Raiders firing Mick Lombardi was that the reins of the offense were going to be handed over to a rookie offensive coordinator in Bo Hardegee. The young coordinator has never called plays before at any level and it was clear there would be a learning curve. He did a masterful job against the Giants and Jets but struggled mightily against the Dolphins.

Some of these issues were a result of the team wanting to protect O’Connell from taking unnecessary hits or making mistakes but there were other issues as well. One in particular was the play-calling in short yardage situations as the Raiders struggled in a major way in that category. The decisions to run the ball out of shotgun on 3rd and 1 was a head-scratcher as was the decision to call a flea-flicker in a similar situation later in the game.

There were also some designed throws at or near the line of scrimmage and an end around to Tre Tucker that didn’t fool anyone. 

The play calling this weekend was largely predictable and ineffective though we can’t ignore the play of the Miami defense and the Raiders playing with a backup left tackle. Hardegee and the rest of the offensive staff need to do a better job of putting their young QB in a position to succeed and get the most out of this offense. They did well against the New York teams but had an off game against Miami but will have to bounce back in a major way against Kansas City.