

Painfully, game after game, I have sat and watched as this season spins its way down the drain. From a promising offseason of (albeit old) decent free agents, and a draft that has produced four contributors already, we've skid (more like flopped, flailed, and writhed) all the way to 0 and 6. As a loyal and dedicated fan, I've been forced to demand answers. Who is to blame for the 6 losses, of which we only even half way showed up for 3 of them?

I'll start with the top.

The Staff

I'm not going to point the finger at Reggie Mckenzie just yet, but I will be the first to say he whiffed on this selection of a coaching staff. Dennis Allen wasn't the answer - he consistently was outcoached by his opponents, and when that is happening, you are already fighting an uphill battle (before the talent of the roster is even considered). Tony Sparano has kept the team motivated (at least partially) enough to be competitive in the past 2 weeks, so thats a start. Cleveland is the real test here.

Greg Olsen and Jason Tarver are next on my bullet list. I'm torn on Olsen - it seems he isn't all bad, but he could mix it up with the Shotgun-DMC-Up the Middle playcalling. The 50+ yard pass to Butler this week was an amazingly well designed play. Carr had the option of Butler deep, or McFadden on a screen with his entire team blocking. More of that. I'm also partial to believe McFadden shoulders some of this, but more on that later.

Tarver. Poor Jason Tarver. I'm a firm believer that if Nick Roach was here, his presence alone (or lack of a number 56 on the field) would account for 2 wins (NE and SD). For fear of having this post blocked into oblivion for even mentioning his name, I'll keep it at simply 'number 56.' Tarvers schemes seem iffy, but when the most important defensive position is being butchered, its hard to scheme anything. The cornerbacks have struggled a bit, but this really comes down to the MLB.

Darren McFadden

My problem with DMC has been the same problem he has always had (minus the injury thing) - he is incredibly impatient, and lacks the needed vision of a franchise running back. Sure, he has the speed and burst to keep the end zone always in reach, but the problem is he rarely has the space to use that speed. Sure, the offensive line could be the blame here, but I'm going to say nay. While Olsen may be a bit of a broken record of a play-caller, McFadden is no mix-tape himself.

On the goal line vs Arizona, McFadden gets the call on 2nd and Goal. Its a designed Power run off the right tackle, with Jackson pulling across to the hole. Rivera is sealing the edge from a lead blocker position.

McFadden fails to see Rivera sealing the edge (very well, I might add) and instead keeps to the inside, banking on a mysterious hole to appear. While this isn't always a bad option, in this case, there is a better alternative. With no edge containment, its a foot race with McFadden against the lingering safety 2 yards deep in the endzone. This is a one-on-one McFadden should be able to win.

DMC says no, and stays inside, where he is stopped for a yard gain.

This play is a fairly good representation of McFadden's weakness. This weeks film has him appearing very impatient running out of the shotgun, which is very problematic. Typically running from the shotgun relies on vision and patients even more than normal, which hints at DMCs struggles.

Drops

I'm not sure what the deal is, but there isn't a week that goes by that there isn't a drop that I can't forget (Andre Holmes, I'm looking at you). I know Jones has had his fair share of drops, but his hands and crisp routes have been fun to watch this year. It was nice seeing more of Brice Butler after he vanished for some reason (after leading the league in receiving in the preseason). Not sure why he only gets 11 snaps this week (guess this goes back to bullet 1)?

Miles Burris

Okay, so I typed it. Miles Burris has struggled this year. Its more obvious than Darnell Dockett's disrespectful (albeit a tad true) sign. Miles Burris is not an NFL middle linebacker. He spends more time greasing up his hands to slip off a ball carrier, or working on his ability to be turn into grass so he may get planted a bit deeper on the next goal line play. I don't know if Tarver/McKenzie is to blame, but the middle linebacker position and its lack of depth has killed this season. With a suspect MLB, the run game suffers. Instead of 2nd and 8, you get 2nd and 4. This brings up a lot more 3rd and 1 and 3rd and 2, as opposed to 3rd and 6 or 3rd and 5. This not only gives them easier downs to convert on, but it also destroys your ability to pass rush because the QB only needs 3 yards. I'm not letting Justin Tuck, Antonio Smith, Khalil Mack and Lamarr Woodley off the hook just yet, but I feel their pain a little bit.

Speaking of Woodley - and I'm not saying he is deserving of his own bold print section quite yet, but I'm really waiting on him to start playing. There hasn't been a play yet that he has stood out on. Smith has played decent in the middle (Sims has played a tad better I'd say), but he has been ok. Tuck seems disruptive, if the numbers don't indicate. But Woodley, dude, where you at?

The Silver Lining

I refuse to only write on the negatives. As Raiders fans, we need to stick together and not give in to this 0 and 6 beat down. Derek Carr has looked decent as a rookie - I would say better than a quarterback in recent memory in terms of command of the team and a positive presence. He is only going to grow. I think its safe to say he is not David - he is prepared for this (or should I say 'its not too big for him' - I've heard that one once or twice). Khalil Mack is one of the most consistently disruptive players I've ever seen. The numbers are there for the run game (easy to do when you are always losing, and defending the run), but the pass rush hasn't shown up yet. Once the Raiders are forcing teams to pass more, those numbers will come.

Gabe Jackson and Justin Ellis have added two young, talented bodies to the trenches (still waiting for Shelby Harris to get some love) and Sio Moore is becoming an outstanding outside linebacker. TJ Carrie is quickly becoming a reliable slot defender and even matching up with TEs (how about that 4th down play? I saluted that one). Not to mention his return skills have come on incredibly well (Butler on that illegal block - a small tear fell). Round this group out with Watson playing decent at RT, Wiz the Great, and Streater coming back before the year is over. Jury still out a bit on Holmes, Thompkins, Brown, and Butler - but I think its safe to say one of them will stick around. And still waiting on the unlucky DJ Hayden to get healthy (can't fault him for this years injury - could've happened to anyone). For D'Mo, I think the door is wide open.

Point is, for the first time in a while, I can list a solid stable of foundation players that I must attribute to McKenzie's eye for talent. Sure, he missed on Schaub, and Flynn (but lets be honest - we needed somebody - and QB's don't grow on trees, and we don't really want Ryan Leaf....so yeah). He didn't know we would draft Carr, and he certainly didn't know Carr would be so capable this early. He did bring in a solid cast of veterans to mentor this group of talented young players. I'd rather have a group of veterans that are underperforming, but have them been winners at one point in their career than keep taking fliers on the Kevin Burnetts, Ron Bartells, Shawntae Spencers, and the like. I'll hang out on the fence about McKenzie - Hayden's play will play big into my thoughts on RM.

As always, Just Win, Baby!

-tt