Sunday, November 09, 2014

Five Postgame Takes

1. I believe that the Raiders are leading the NFL in one offensive category: Yards in Garbage Time (YGT).

2. Remember when Tony Sparano grabbed a shovel and buried the football? Well, I think they should dig it back up, tie some clown shoes around it, douse it with kerosene, light it on fire and catapult it into the bay.

3. The Raiders have 559 rushing yards through nine games this year, whereas last year they had more than 1,100 rushing yards through nine games. That's not a dropoff, that's a cliff. And it's what happens when a bad team allows its top back, Rashad Jennings, to get away during free agency.

4. Let's hope that Derek Carr's recent struggles are largely rooted in his insufficient supporting cast, and that he can hang tough until he gets some weapons. I'm not prepared to face any other alternate realities.

5. You can get away with going backwards during "deconstruction," but not during "reconstruction." That fact is very likely to doom Reggie McKenzie as the GM of the Oakland Raiders. 

Weekly Haiku:

Shovel pass to Barnes,
he turns upfield, fumbles,
season meet nutshell.  

18 Comments:

Anonymous Raider00 said...



I thought I would wake up this morning to the news, that winless Reggie the GM had been fired. But no.

Oh well, maybe after Raiders next loss. Which is always one game away.

15 losses in a row, and counting, for winless Reggie.

RT, no need to dig up Dennis Allen's 0-4 football.

Sparano can use his own, 0-5 football for whatever ritual he likes.

4:54 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

Even Dennis Allen had to be scratching his head after all his so-called "top priority" agents were allowed to walk.

He lost Veldheer and Jennings, and McKenzie replaced them with Saffold(failed physical)/Penn (13 sacks last year) and MJD. To top it off, he re-signed McFadden and brought in Howard (a RT to play G)

The "cliff" result speaks for itself.

Vegas odds for the Raiders to finish the year 0-16 are dropping, and so are McKenzie's...!

5:15 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

9:51 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

Raiders are so bad, it's impossible to tell what the they have in Derek Carr. He had probably his worst game as a pro yesterday. Yet, how much really falls on his shoulders? Playcalling was despicable; line play was horrible; and nobody else stepped up.

I still can't get over the fact Jones had only 20 yards on 8 receptions. 8 catches sounds like a monster day.

9:55 AM  
Blogger OakTownBlues said...

I was thinking that ClownCar, after that game, might be an insult to clowns. (and I hate clowns).

=>2016, my Take since 2012.

12:22 PM  
Blogger Stuporburg said...

nyraider,

I think the underlying problem right now is the lack of talents. Palmer, a former Raider, seems to be doing just fine as a Cardinal. What a difference moving to a less dysfuctional team makes!

Meanwhile, this predicament translates into death by 5 TDs by someone as talented and experienced as P. Manning.

Too deep of a hole to get out of.

12:30 PM  
Anonymous Raider00 said...


2 things about Carr.

one, the lack of a running game is hurting Carr more than anything.

I have never seen a more pathetic rushing attack from a, so called, NFL team.

The RB's are all terrible. And the 0-linemen seem to have no strength. They cannot open any holes.

Two, without a running game, the weapon of play action pass is also taken away from Carr.

So no ground game, leads to no play action pass, means rookie Carr, will struggle.

12:44 PM  
Blogger nyraider said...

That leads back to the question; can the Raiders effectively evaluate Carr? Or could there be a need to draft another QB?

1:55 PM  
Anonymous Raider00 said...


NYR...Which leads to an even bigger question.

Looks like Raiders will have the #1 overall pick in draft.

Who does Mark Davis want making that pick ? Winless Reggie ?

2:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

RT,

Have you seen this article. Similar to your wonderful post of last week with the exception this guy says to build the D using the draft and the O via FA.

What are your thoughts

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/69129/a-blueprint-for-raiders-future-success

Regards
Sandy

4:28 PM  
Blogger Calico Jack said...

After 9 games, my mind and gut tells me that we need to stay the course with Carr and build around him. No serious red flags on him in terms of his mindset, professionalism, and overall skill-set.

I don't follow the college game or the draft too closely but if there is a STUD franchise LT available at #1, I would lean in this direction.

6:28 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

CJ

Cedric Ogbuehi is the top LT prospect he is from the Aggies and looks as good if not better than Jake Mathews from last year. That being said there are a couple of D-lineman who rank higher such as super stud Leonard Williams from USC. Also Amari Cooper wr from Bama would be much higher value than Ogbuehi or other LTs.

I think the Raiders would be served well by trading down with someone who wants Mariotta then they could still get a solid pick and add a second or late first.

That being said I think the Raiders have so many holes they need to take the best player available. If that ends up on D I am okay with that because if you added a stud d-lineman (Williams, Gregory, Oakman) combined with our two outside lbs you may be half way there on D. Not saying there is a Suh in this draft but look at what he has done for the Lions. Look at how competitive the Dolphins and Zona are primarily based on their D

Regards
Sandy

5:46 AM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

Sandy, to me, the path of least resistance suggests that we focus on the offense while not neglecting the defense (caveat: if we indeed believe that we have a franchise level QB in Carr).

The perennial contenders tend to be teams with franchise-level quarterbacks with strong weapons (or elite quarterbacks who can elevate everyone). They also tend to have really smart coaches.

It's not a coincidence that Chip Kelly can succeed with Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez, or that Carson Palmer looked reborn under Bruce Arians. Two offensive coaches. Now their defenses are coming on strong, too.

I'd much rather follow that model than the Dolphins model, which is more about stopping than scoring. In today's NFL, you gotta score, early and often.

The Steelers went on a scoring spree and won several games. When they stopped scoring, they lost again.

Every year, it seems like the Raiders plan is "chicken AND the egg," no sense of a real vision or identity. If Carr's our egg, let's focus on that. The chickens (defensive players) will come if we can prove that we're a legit up-and-coming team with a powerful offense.

An elite coach would help.

8:01 AM  
Anonymous Raider Nate 75 said...

The main priority offensively should be Running Back and Wide Receiver. I would move Howard to RT, and try to grab a Free Agent RG.

Torrey Smith and Maclin are who I target the most, and I've been saying it for awhile, we need a vet #1 WR who will help show our guys how to create separation. Other than the lack of a rushing attack that is hurting Carr, the lack of separation is just as equal because it leads to crucial incomplete passes, or interceptions. I will tell you right now, Carr looks as good as Palmer did.

If they reinstate him, I think Ray Rice would be a valuable pick up that the Raiders could get on the cheap. Make him earn the money, and have behavioral clauses in his contract. Justin Forsett is also a Free Agent, but I think the Ravens are going to lock him up. DeMarco Murray maybe an option as well, but this is the first season where he has remained healthy. There are not a lot of options for a vet RB this year, so do you draft someone like Todd Gurley with your first pick? At this point, I would rather draft him than a WR. Javorius Allen would be a good pick in later rounds as well.

Defensively, we need help at CB. The guy I would resign would be Neiko Thorp and Tarrell Brown. Darrell Revis is a Free Agent after this season, I would push hard for him. Walter Thurmond, Perrish Cox, Brandon Flowers, and Bradley Fletcher are also potential CB targets I would pursue.

DE is another position we need. Cliff Avril, Fili Moala, and then I would look to the draft, Leonard Williams. We have to have good coverage on WRs, and create pressure. The Raiders young CBs and Tarrell Brown have done good, but the lack of pressure gives the opposing QB and WRs time to get open and make plays.

With Nick Roach out, I think we may need to pickup a MILB. Rey Maualaga and Brandon Spikes top the list for me. Drafting someone like Benardrick McKinney would top the list as well. Dude is 6-5, and we all know the last time we had a MILB that tall was Teddy Hendricks! With him, Mack, and Moore, we would be set at LB for awhile (barring serious injuries).

Most importantly, the Raiders need a fiery Head Coach to lead this team. I don't know about you, but I'm sick of hearing Sparano talk about "positives" despite being 0-9. I don't want a guy who sees positives, I want a guy who sees how to fix the issues. I am really intrigued by Todd Bowles, I think this should have been our guy after Reg fired Hue Jackson. If the Bears fire Trestman, I'm on the phone bringing him in as Offensive Coordinator too. Knowing our luck, we will get a coach like Coughlin though. I hope the 9ers don't make the playoffs, just so they will fire Harbaugh. I really would like to see him cross the bay as well.

8:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Raiders are 0-9 but the debate on RT is civilized. Good to see.
This season has to be rock bottom. It can't get much worse, can it? I have to wonder if the 08 Detroit Lions have the champagne on ice in preparation of no longer being the only 0-16 team.
At the end of the season the question should not be whether the Raiders should go after Harbaugh, but how much should they give up to get him. By all reports he will be leaving SF. He almost went to Cleveland for a 3rd round pick last year, but his wife did not want to leave the Bay Area. I think he is easily worth a #3. Would you be willing to give up more?

11:18 AM  
Blogger Raider Take said...

I'm not enjoying the 0-9 record, but I am enjoying the civilized environment for sure.

New take is up, it's timely, and I hope you will check it out.

11:46 AM  
Blogger nyraider said...

Shame we'd even be discussing the need for another LT. We had a serviceable LT and let him walk.

I agree with the notion we build around Carr as top priority, assuming he's the guy.

WR and O-line have to top the list.

Maclin would be a tremendous FA pickup. Regardless, we need a #1, and that's not something you can easily draft.

A solid RB, on the other hand, can be drafted. IMO, no need to spend beau coup dollars on a FA, particularly one with baggage. In the interim, start Reece! He's a far better option than McFadden, MJD and Murray, yet he has single-digit # carries so far this year.

Also, I’d make some changes up front, immediately! These guys are weak. Move Wiz to guard (or bench), Howard to RT, Barnes to LT (he played fairly well there last year), and fill in the other guard spot with best available. I think Booth has experience at center.

Something has to change because Sparano’s line configuration sucks!. It can’t get any worse! Can it?

11:52 AM  
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