Raiders: Why Las Vegas is closer to winning playoff games than people may think
By Keith Ricci
Raiders have to figure out the quarterback position
As you’ve heard so many great defensive teams say, “just a quarterback away”. That might be the case for the Raiders. Every loss in the Pierce era has been a close game. Many of those would’ve been wins with even an average offense.
I don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of how to fix the quarterback position, but I confidently think that QB1 can only improve year-over-year regardless of who it is.
Newly hired General Manager Tom Telesco has a successful track record of talent evaluation. It’s rare that an NFL GM gets a second job, so his contributions to the Raiders is definitely a wild card right now. While his Chargers teams underperformed, Telesco did have more winning seasons in his tenure with the Chargers than the Raiders do in the past 29 seasons.
Just as important as QB1, nailing the offensive coordinator hire is crucial. Head coaches can sink or swim with their offensive coordinator. Pierce needs to hire the right candidate. Not just a guy he likes, but a guy who is the best fit.
Regardless, most of the coaching staff is returning, and seemingly the core of the roster too. With that, the momentum from last season carries into the offseason. More importantly, this Raiders team has an identity – and because of the retention of so many people in that locker room, that identity is maintained.