Run Fred, Run...To Oakland?
Look, I'm not advocating making a declining running back an alleged centerpiece of our rushing attack (ie: MJD circa 2014).
But Fred Jackson just got cut, and he's probably a better option than our current backup, Trent Richardson.
Jackson caught 66 passes and averaged 3.7 yards per carry for the woeful Bills last year. Richardson caught 27 passes and averaged 3.3 yards per carry last year for the powerful Colts. He has never averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry over a season.
Our rushing attack looks woefully thin once again. Last night, we gained 37 net yards on the ground. I'm sorry, I don't expect Latavius Murray to light the world on fire this year. I'm sure he'll be good. But great? Unlikely.
And if for some reason he gets hurt, it will be the "Trent Richardson show."
(From SI.com: "In three games, here's the preseason rushing line for Oakland running back Trent Richardson: 15 carries, 42 yards, 2.8-yard average. Sound familiar, Browns/Colts fans?")
I don't know about you, but the "Fred Jackson show" may have a better ring to it?
If so, maybe that's a hedge we want to play while he's still available.
A meaningful rushing attack is going to be vital to maximizing the potential of Cooper & Co. through the air.
To meet that goal, no option should be left unexplored, even at this late hour.
But Fred Jackson just got cut, and he's probably a better option than our current backup, Trent Richardson.
Jackson caught 66 passes and averaged 3.7 yards per carry for the woeful Bills last year. Richardson caught 27 passes and averaged 3.3 yards per carry last year for the powerful Colts. He has never averaged more than 3.6 yards per carry over a season.
Our rushing attack looks woefully thin once again. Last night, we gained 37 net yards on the ground. I'm sorry, I don't expect Latavius Murray to light the world on fire this year. I'm sure he'll be good. But great? Unlikely.
And if for some reason he gets hurt, it will be the "Trent Richardson show."
(From SI.com: "In three games, here's the preseason rushing line for Oakland running back Trent Richardson: 15 carries, 42 yards, 2.8-yard average. Sound familiar, Browns/Colts fans?")
I don't know about you, but the "Fred Jackson show" may have a better ring to it?
If so, maybe that's a hedge we want to play while he's still available.
A meaningful rushing attack is going to be vital to maximizing the potential of Cooper & Co. through the air.
To meet that goal, no option should be left unexplored, even at this late hour.
posted by Raider Take at 1:05 PM
40 Comments:
Perhaps McKenzie needs reminding that Ray Rice is still available and would probably work for vet minimum just to get back in the league. Worst case, that's a stopgap worth its weight in gold, and would be tremendous for Derek Carr to have such a weapon.
But I agree, Trent Richardson is not the answer. Did anyone really believe he was? Dyer looks far better. Hell, re-signing Darren McFadden would have been a better option.
Raiders also should be looking for a vet CB. Hayden is totally lost. Did anyone else notice the choke hold he gave a WR after he realized he was about to get beat? Unbelievable! There's bad, then there's Hayden so far this preseason.
RT..I think the rushing attack is more than just a vet RB away from fixing.
Did you see the blocking ? I didn't either. They were terrible. No heart at all.
Running the ball successfully is not about skill, but about toughness.
I just didn't see any toughness in the 0-line as a whole. I described before as, weak,
slow, and unsure. That is what I saw.
Oh, for sure Raider00. I don't argue that point.
My point is that it's bad enough to possibly require desperate measures to make it better, if only incrementally.
Promoting two-year backup Latavius Murray and signing Trent Richardson as his backup and calling it a day is no way for a 3-13 team in the fourth year of its turnaround to act.
RT,
No way for a 3-13 team to act, I will one up you on the rb how about who they trotted out at cb so far: two second year players and one third year bust. TJ Carrie looks okay, Hayden awful and McGill who knows. This is highly irresponsible on Reggie's part. This is Reggie's fourth year and the fourth different set of CBs he has put out there.
That is a disgrace, CB is the second most important position in football.
My thoughts on the season are slightly improved, perhaps 6 wins but still last in the division. Way too many holes still to be filled at o-line, d-line, and secondary, rb and wr also thin at best per your blog post.
Hope you had a good summer
Sandy
There's still time before the season to make the right personnel decisions. Releasing Richardson would be a step in the right direction. Signing a vet CB would be another.
I'm blow away that McKenzie, after failing miserably to covert a RT to play RG, brought in another tackle to play G. What ever happened to signing players that actually play the position they're intended to fill?
Raiders cut Trent Richardson! His career is over.
Guess my take was timely.
As of this afternoon, Richardson was #2 on the Raiders' RB depth chart.
We are very thin at RB right now.
Tim Jennings (CB, Chicago) was cut. He would be a great addition. Javier Arenas was also cut by the Jets, and he would be another value CB addition.
In other news, former Raider Denarius Moore was cut by the Bengals, a day after Khalil Mack ate Veldheer's lunch.
SCAR
There seems to be a lot of doom and gloom in the comments...To each his own.
Last Sunday I saw the Raiders 1st team thouroughly outplay the Cardinals(a darkhorse superbowl contender in many "experts" eyes). The 1st half of the 3rd game of the preseason is supposed to the most meaningful until the regular season starts. What I saw was Very promising.
The more I see from Jack and Co., The more I look forward to the season. The coaching staff's really on top of their game, developing a solid plan to compete and win in the NFL. Did the coaches even gameplan against their opponent in this last game? Just wait until they narrow in one one opponent, not what they are doing now, which is deciding on what and who is, and what and who isn't going to work.
Cooper was stellar. The defense looked great. There were breakdowns in the run game and the Raiders couldn't score a TD, and when the regular season starts they wont be as bad on offense or as good on defense, but the team as a whole definitely looks better then the sum of its parts.
SCAR
Richardson adds to a growing list of head scratching moves by McKenzie. Nobody's perfect, but Richardson was never a good choice. It was obvious from the start, but never more obvious than now. Despite owing Richardson $600k guaranteed, Del Rio has seen enough, and dumped Richardson with the first cuts.
Now the Raiders lack depth and experience at RB.
Please pass the Rice!
SCAR, I think that the frustration is rooted in the very progress you mention.
It's true, there's a lot of good stuff going on. It bodes very well.
But it's the plodding pace toward goodness rather than the anxiousness for greatness that is wearing some folks down.
Example, we have a promising second-year QB and a new dynamo at WR. That is awesome. Wouldn't it be cool to complement that in 2016 with a rushing attack that really helps take our offense to the next level?
Yes it would. After all, it could mean an extra win or two.
Now, is there any conceivable reason for the state of our RB depth on the eve of this season? I can't think of one. Hence: frustration. After two years of flush free agency, our big RB signings have been MJD and Trent Richardson, and we let our best RB in years go in Rashad Jennings. Terrible.
Same goes with the DB situation. Mack is a beast. But no excuse for the supporting cast in the backfield.
I think that ALL of us here are both pleased with the progress and anxious for greatness.
It's the degree to which we are one or the other that I believe is the source of the most conflict here.
If you're fine with the pace of progress, the forecast is sunny and getting sunnier. If you're frustrated that we could be considerably further down the road at this point, the forecast is still sunny, but you're sick of driving through the clouds to get there.
Two sides of the same coin.
I still do not see why the Raiders haven't brought in Freddy B and Ray Rice to talk with one another? Freddy B would be a great PR/Mentor to Ray that would be a positive force of change in Ray's life, and give the Raiders a valuable RB.
Imagine Ray working with Freddy B in his organization helping battered women? Imagine Freddy B helping Ray and his wife work through their struggles? It would be a win-win. This frustrates me that they won't even consider it.
Raiders' front office needs to start helping the great potential seen in the team. They do not have to wait several years to make it happen, they have to get some balls, and make it happen. With them wanting a stadium deal, and an upgrade in facilities; you have to make it happen. Plus it would be beneficial if the team showed they wanted a great team. They have the money available, its time to cash the check.
SCAR
Gotcha RaiderTake. Do we both think the worm has turned? because I do. And because I do I have the mindset that it's no use crying over spilled milk. I Think Del Rio is the right guy to lead this team back to success. So I'm just gonna enjoy the ride(hopefully) back up to the top...
Still undefeated, hahaha...
SCAR
Yeah, I think the worm is turning (ever so slowly, as worms do).
It's the fact that milk is still being spilled that worries me.
Here's what we knew going into free agency this year: we have a promising second-year QB and a stud new WR. Here's what else we knew: a bolstered RB corps could really make a difference in not only strengthening our rushing attack, but also maximizing our shiny new aerial corps.
Yet yesterday, less than two weeks from the start of the season, we find ourselves cutting our supposed #2 running back while we watch Seattle snag Fred Jackson. Earlier, we watched DeMarco Murray and LeSean McCoy change teams. Ray Rice is still out there, but I don't see any urgency to explore that avenue either.
There's been plenty of spilled milk. It's the continued spilling that's getting tiresome. There's no excuse for our RB situation right now on the eve of the 2016 season.
If you listen to the media, Ray Rice, his wife, and the various domestic violence organizations, Ray has turned his life around and has the support of everyone but the NFL. I can understand some sensitivity in the Raiders organization, but a lot of good could come from channeling the media attention surrounding such a move and Rice's desire to do anything in his power to help the cause.
Rice was and can still be a dominant player!
As for the overall state of the Raiders discussion, it's fair game to question the moves of a team that's been this bad for this long. Every decision is critical. So, throwing $600K guaranteed to a player that can't make the first cut is definitely noteworthy.
CB has been another position plagued by poor decisions. And are decent guards really so scarce that the Raiders continue to march out tackles to play RG? Barnes, Howard, Webb et al.
At some point, these issues need to get resolved. That's how we get better from here....
The arrogance, the bitching, "it's not going fast enough, whahhhhh". You have no idea of the process and that is why you CAN'T understand it. "plenty of spilled milk" = it's the nature of the business, if you can't stand to watch it, maybe you should watch something else because no GM in history has hit on 80% of his moves, let alone 100%. For all the moves Reggie has had to make, he has done an excellent job. If the GM would have been a dud, this team would not be generating the talk that they are this off season. The team was in such a mess, the GM/Owner have done very good at bringing it back from the dead. To say it isn't fast enough or it's still a mess, you don't know a fucking thing, just like I told you a long time ago.
The baby cried when all those loser players were let go, still wondering why Hue was fired and all the Al Davis players cut. Completely clueless and the blogger acts as if he has a better plan than Mark and Reggie but never SHOWS IT.
Like a little kid saying "I want"...but not knowing the circumstances it will take to get it. That is what this site is, a bitch fest with no idea or understanding what they are looking at....it's bizarre.
Ray Rice is not an option, Mark made that quite clear so stop with your whining about him. It's that type of locker room presence that the Raiders NO LONGER represent. Jackson wanted to sign with a team that he thought could win it all, but Reggie is to blame because he didn't offer him a boatload contract. The same scenario that sank this franchise so many times before. But this site thinks that it would be a good idea....fucking children, maybe one day you will grow up, doubt it though.
I am a Raider
SCAR
Maybe Taiwan Jones is Ready to step up? Maybe Helu Jr. is going to get more plays?
Maybe, just maybe they'll use Reese more. It's entirely possible that Micheal Dyer is more then anybody thought he would be. The coaching staff cut Richardson. Seems better to cut a player then to keep him on scholarship...I'm on board with Del Rio and Co until they give me a reason not to be.
SCAR
SCAR -
Raiders failure to utilize Marcel Reece, their only Pro Bowler for many years, has been epic. Most Raiders fans I know would love to see Reece get the ball.
If we don't go the Ray Rice route, or even explore it; then yes, utilize Marcel Reece with L Murray as a Garner/Wheatley package. This isn't rocket science, I've been saying the coaching staff needed to do this with Reece and McFragile. I guess I do not understand what is so difficult about utilizing an explosive athlete like Reece? Good coaches find a way to get the best player the ball, unless his name is Marcel Reece.
I'm not sold that Helu Jr can stay healthy. I'm not sold that Tawain all of a sudden can be a RB. I'm not sold on the depth of our RB if their names are not Murray and Reece.
I'm not sold on our CBs. These are the two biggest areas of concern going into the season. The lack of RB depth, and not utilizing Reece has caused the Raiders zero TDs in the Red Zone. That is a cause of concern. The lack of CBs has caused the defense to try and get a sack on every play, or give up points.
Yes, Reggie has done some terrific things for the Raiders, but he's also dragging his feet on other areas, and has made some pretty stupid decisions.
Dragging his feet? Explain, stupid decisions, explain.
Tell us who the CB's should be, tell us who are the better options at RB. If you are going to cry like a baby, at least back it up with some sort of resolution, and no, Ray Rice isn't one because Mark already said he isn't welcome. Try and come up with something in the realm of reality, otherwise all you are doing is whining like a child.
I am a Raider
RBs:
Rashad Jennings
2015 free agents McCoy, Forsett, Murray, Spiller, Gore, etc. All better than Richardson
LeVeon Bell and Eddie Lacy(picked after Melenik Watson in 2013).
To name some.
And how would you have enticed them to sign?
You are whining about the back up RB position, #1 RB is in place. IF L Train gets hurt, who's to say that Reece could not do what any of those could? Dyer looks good so far, Helu will work in there.
Instead of praising the GM for finding a #1 RB with a 7th RD pick, you would rather complain that he hasn't got a VET that YOU like to be the backup. No pleasing the whiners.
Richardson was a long shot for peanuts, he just couldn't do it, no big deal, but you will make out like it was a major blunder, it's what you do.
Watson was starting to look real solid at RT, it's too bad that he got hurt again. It happens to some players, but Watson was looking real good there. Hayden is looking shaky, I think Cooper has really shaken his confidence, having to practice against him every day. I think Hayden will still come around, this is his 1st real training camp since he was drafted and Cooper is insane to cover. He is a little rattled but he will settle down.
Me
McKenzie made a solid trade down in the first round of the 2013 draft to acquire a second round pick, then blew both picks.
No he didn't, Watson can still be a solid RT and he was proving it, hard to predict injuries.
Hayden can still develop too, he hasn't had a full training camp yet or a full season. He is still adjusting.
The draft of that year was poor overall, many teams pooped out on that draft, not many gems at all came out of that draft.
Once again, instead of praising the team that the GM put together, you complain about things that happen to every GM/team, making out like you are a genius for pointing it out. Childs play indeed.
I am a Raider
How would I entice them to sign?
For starters, I'd point to all of your takes talking about obvious it is that the Raiders are poised for greatness, largely thanks to the awesome job done by the GM.
If Rex Ryan and the QB-deficient Buffalo Bills can sign a top-tier free agent RB, anyone can.
Jones,
Please man even for you the statute of limitations has to be running out on the 2013 draft. Watson looking good? Since when? He was benched for most of last year in favor of Barnes, he was starting by default this preseason because Austin Howard is hopeless. The play he got injured on he was abused and had to hold.
Come on Watson has proved nothing and a ton of guys taken after him are producing.
Hayden is a bigger disaster and a pick that has really set the team back. There are a ton of guys from that round 1 picked after Hayden who could be adding value right now.
Sorry two years is enough to have an informed opinion.
Can you imagine any combo of Star, Richardson, Long, Floyd, with Short, LeVeon, Alonso, Lacy
If Reggie had not completed whiffed on these two picks I may be looking to insert my nose up his ass almost as much as you have my friend.
Just like may of us have given credit for last years draft (though I think the jury is still out on Carr) its fair to say 2013 was a disaster just like Reggie's free agent signings have been.
Sandy
Even if we could agree Reggie is the man, there are personnel moves that could be undertaken to bolster the team heading into this season.
G, RB and CB come to mind...
It can't be as hard as the Raiders pretend it is to find a decent RG. Come on!
Better RBs the Raiders could have pursued and signed better than Richardson this offseason:
Reggie Bush
Justin Forsett
Frank Gore
DeMarco Murray
Can still pursue Ray Rice
Jacquizz Rodgers
Mark Ingram
Better CBs the Raiders could have pursued and signed better than Hayden this offseason:
Javier Arenas (can still pursue since he was cut)
Jarrett Bush
Darius Butler
Antonio Cromartie
Brice McCain
Robert McClain
Byron Maxwell
Kareem Jackson
Bradley Fletcher
Chris Culliver
Not too mention DEs like Terrance Knighton, Ryan Pickett, and Darnell Docket. Also, RT like Jake Long (who is still available, but no phone call). Reggie has made some wonderful moves, but came into the free agency market this offseason too slow. Made a low-ball offer to Knighton, and then offered big $$ to Hudson, and rightfully so.
So yes, I agree that Reggie has done some tremendous things, but he seems to have no urgency in making a great team. Who is he waiting for? He has the money? Why sign/offer a bunch of one-year contracts and rebuild for the fourth year? Not too mention, he could have hired Del Rio four years ago.
SCAR
..Wow, with all this drudgery, I might even get depressed.
I have 3 letters for you. That's it. JDR.
Raider Nate 75 do you have an axe to grind? you seem too pissed off with all the bad moves to see the good moves goin on., I.e, they do not need Knighton, that dL is gonna beast this year(barring injury.) If the Raiders start to win and surpass your expectations will that get you to spin your comments in a positive way?
Ahh 2 more weeks, and then its time to put up or shut up, because right now, everyone is undefeated...
SCAR
It's fair to balance optimism and accountability. Truth is, smarter and more deliberate decision making didn't appear on the scene until Jack Del Rio showed up. Signing Trent Richardson was a GM move. Releasing Richardson with the first wave of cuts was a coaching decision.
Del Rio appears to have vision and direction. And it doesn't hurt that he's a life long Raiders fan.
It's fair to acknowledge what the GM and Owner had to deal with when taking over the franchise. It's fair to understand the restraints they were under in the 1st 2 years. It's fair to say they have accomplished plenty in that time span and are still progressing and making the team better.
It's fair to say the dingbats on this site have no clue in what they are looking at and never have. It's a shame that some can put so much time into a 'hobby' and still not know a freakin thing about it.
It's fair to say that there is not one original thought coming from the haters. More like rehashed talking points that have been covered and explained time and time again. It's fair to say that the hater has no alternate plan to fast track the process to it's claim that it should have been done faster. It's fair to say the 'blogger' is just a provoker with nothing left but tired points and a distorted reality. It's fair to say that you probably aren't a Raider fan.....just sayin.
I am a Raider
Still making excuses, four years later. It's not fair to say bad choices were (are) the only available choices.
Right because it was Al Davis's fault that Reggie picked Hayden
SCAR,
No axe to grind. I'm thrilled the Raiders finally hired a competent coach that should have been hired 4 years ago. I do feel a lot better heading into this season, but I'm trying to be more realistic, rather than getting my hopes up. I want the Raiders to prove it. They can scream and shout that they have turned the corner. Great. Go out and prove it.
What is killing me is the talk that "We have a great young corp of CBs that are going to get the job done" line every week, but they haven't proven that they will get the job done this off-season.
Or the line that they will run the ball effectively and score TDs from the red zone, but this preseason, they haven't proven it.
Its clear to anyone following the Raiders that these are 2 big concerns with the team heading into the season, but we are getting lip service from the front office that "there's nothing to see here, move along". That bothers me, as a fan. I want the Raiders to be great, and I know the Raiders front office wants the Raiders to be great. So, make them great. Seal up the weak areas with solid players. Why make excuses as to why they are not going after certain players?
SCAR
Fair enough Raider Nate 75.
I'm just optimistic about this year. I feel that JDR is the Raiders head coach I have been looking for since John Gruden left.
SCAR
I feel the same way SCAR, but it's time for the Raiders as a team to prove it. I love JDR, and feel the same way about him as you do. Now it's time for the front office and team to prove their commitment to excellence. JUST PROVE IT, BABY!
And with all the talk about needing more depth at RB and CB, the Raiders announce the signing of a LB Lorenzo Alexander.
New take is up: Reggie McKenzie, Home Run Hitter
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